Ham radio

[djg0770 481]

A deer hunter is much more likely to use a stand than a freshly minted Tech is to climb a tower, no?

 

I think it's a sign of two things, first, an acknowledgement of where most deaths occur in the hobby and secondly a nod to our overly litigious society.

[Newtonian 453]

I have a question about repeaters. I how wondering does a repeater only allow you to transmit further or can it amplify your radio connections to pickup radio chatter further away?

I know less about radio than I do about guns, so take this with a grain of salt.

 

A repeater is nothing more than a station that receives information on one frequency and re-transmits it some designated frequency above or below. Your ability to communicate with a repeater depends on your transmitting situation (power, antenna). I assume repeaters use more than the 5W-8W I currently send on. So in a way yeah it's "amplifying" my signal if it's re-transmitting at 100W. 

 

There are so many good resources on this topic. Just google "amateur radio receiver."

[djg0770 481]

I assume repeaters use more than the 5W-8W I currently send on. So in a way yeah it's "amplifying" my signal if it's re-transmitting at 100W. 

 

Typically yes. Often too the repeater is located on a tower, on high ground, providing a better line of sight.

[Silence Dogood 468]

Passed General on Saturday 35/35 

[W2MC 1,699]

Passed General on Saturday 35/35 

Congratulations!

 

Hope to see you on the air soon!

 

W2MC

[Newtonian 453]

Passed General on Saturday 35/35 

I'm taking mine this Friday. Been getting from 75% (trouble questions) to 97% (simulated exam) on HamTest. 

[Newtonian 453]

Should we/can we begin a new ham thread? As I'm on the verge of taking my general license exam, I need to revisit what kind of equipment I'd need as a starter HF rig. I'm also studying code BTW.

[Carcano 14]

Just worked a Korean station and yesterday I worked a German, Russian and a few Central/South American stations.

 

Left the rig on 28.400 for 48 hrs and not a sole heard...poor conditions on 10 but 20/40/80 have been good to me for the last couple days.

[Silence Dogood 468]

Thanks all.   Hamexam.org helped a lot.   Also, if you fail by one question they'll let you take it again on the spot (different question set).

 

Carcano - I generally hear more euro DXers on 10m (when open) up the band, in the 28.470.000 - 28.500.000 range

[Carcano 14]

Thanks all.   Hamexam.org helped a lot.   Also, if you fail by one question they'll let you take it again on the spot (different question set).

 

Carcano - I generally hear more euro DXers on 10m (when open) up the band, in the 28.470.000 - 28.500.000 range

 

Yep, when 10 is open you can work the world.

 

I've worked the Marshall Islands, South Korea, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech, Norway and almost all of Central and South America on 10M before. It;s a fun band (conditions permitting)

[Carcano 14]

I had to cringe listening to 14.313 today, amazing the FCC hasn't gotten those lids

[tinman22 0]

Passed the technician exam tonight in newton. Now to choose a radio

[Newtonian 453]

Passed the technician exam tonight in newton. Now to choose a radio

Congratulations!

 

Was it at the Fire Academy? If so you were sitting one row in front, across the aisle from me.

 

I passed my General exam last night as well!! I have been thinking about this for 45 years. Can't believe it happened!!

[Newtonian 453]

I've asked this before but while I was still a Tech. Now that people call me General (and I'm studying CW) what is the easiest, sanest way to get into HF? Wife says no antenna in the yard but I think I can convince her to let me string something between the house and the garage, which can be 50-65 feet away depending.

[tinman22 0]

Yes at the academy. I was sitting on the left side front glasses and baseball hat. I only saw 2 guys. One to my right and a guy in the back with a hand held and some copper antenna looking set up

[tinman22 0]

Congrats on your general btw

[Newtonian 453]

Congrats on your general btw

Yeah that was me. I needed advice on setting up that copper antenna for 2m/.70m.

 

Glad to see there's a shooter/Ham nearby. 

[tinman22 0]

Cool. Well nice to meet another member from here. I was wondering if id see any one. I'm going to be looking into a 2m/70cm rig I think my future fath er in law talks there. He's been hounding me to get my license since he found out i was into cb and did some talking. I have a 10m rig (rci) I should probably get fired up. I have a bad Anton antenna or bad coax on my base station. Someone hooked me up with a big stick and coax that may work for and 11 meter

[Newtonian 453]

I should have worn my AK-47 tee shirt

 

If you're looking for a handheld 2/0.70 m you can't go wrong with the Baofengs on price but they are difficult to program and don't have many channel memories. I'm sure some of the guys on here can recommend something, either in HT or mobile/base. I currently use a Yaesu VX8DR, which is much easier to program than my Baofeng. 

 

Were you still there last night when the really tall guy mentioned that he was selling HTs, "but not that Baofeng junk." My poor Baofeng cried all the way home. Yaesu consoled him as well. 

[tinman22 0]

Lol. Yea I would have inquired if you were a member here if you had that shirt on. I had left right after I got all the paperwork done. Kind of had one of those days where I just wanted to get home since nothing was going right.i honestly thought I was going to brain cart and fail lol. Since I'm suffering from that Italian disease dafundsalow I may have to wait a bit to purchase a rig. Although I have seen some under $100. I figure I have a week before I can get on the air so I have time to shop

[Newtonian 453]

Lol. Yea I would have inquired if you were a member here if you had that shirt on. I had left right after I got all the paperwork done. Kind of had one of those days where I just wanted to get home since nothing was going right.i honestly thought I was going to brain cart and fail lol. Since I'm suffering from that Italian disease dafundsalow I may have to wait a bit to purchase a rig. Although I have seen some under $100. I figure I have a week before I can get on the air so I have time to shop

If you would like to borrow my BaoFeng (2m, 70cm) to get started message me and I can tell you where to pick it up. I'll throw in my General license manual as well. When you're done you can return the radio and pass the book on to someone else who can use it.

[Silence Dogood 468]

Not sure if it has been posted before but QRZ.com has a DX spotting network that can sometimes point you in the right direction - http://www.qrz.com/dxcluster

 

Also here is a propagation predictor, which is kind of interesting - http://www.voacap.com/prediction.html

[tinman22 0]

I'd like to atleast take a look at the baofeng. I'd feel odd borrowing a radio, but I'd like to get an eyeball on it. Might take you up on the manual offer though. Ill,message you a little later. Thanks

[Silence Dogood 468]

Contact in Kuwait last night on 20m (9K2UU) at 14.217.000 - great signal and pretty good-sized pile up.

[Carcano 14]

Contact in Kuwait last night on 20m (9K2UU) at 14.217.000 - great signal and pretty good-sized pile up.

 

Did you hear CU4DE working 14.260? AZORES ISLANDS - PORTUGAL

 

He was 15 over S9 for nearly 3 hours up here

[Silence Dogood 468]

No, but I did listen to the Ham Nation guy (Dale - W0H on 14.288.000 now that was an amazing signal (Kansas).

[djg0770 481]

I'd like to atleast take a look at the baofeng. I'd feel odd borrowing a radio, but I'd like to get an eyeball on it. Might take you up on the manual offer though. Ill,message you a little later. Thanks

 

If Newtonian is too far for you I would make the same offer.  I have two Baofeng (Baofengs?) and the programming cable and I use CHIRP to program them and I can even demo the program for you.  The radios are $35 new from Amazon so it's not like we're offering you the Taj Mahal here and it seems that Hams do this kind of thing all the time.  I'm quite new to the hobby but it seems that before you know it everyone has a spare of this or that lying around, so...

[tinman22 0]

Lol thanks Dan I do appreciate the offer as well. But newtonian is about 15 minutes from me looks like your over in passaic. I saw that the baofeng are only 30 to 40 on amazon it's just my thing of not personally knowing you guys. I'm actually waiting on a return call from newtonian to meet up so I can at least see his baofeng and yaesu. I'll probably pick one up in 2 weeks when my next paycheck comes in and I have so.e funds freed up. Then I'll have a boat load of questions lol

[T Bill 649]

Field day is coming up soon, like in four weeks.  Great time to see/visit/talk to other hammers. ARRL.org Field Day June 27-28, 2015.  Warren County WC2FD Washington, NJ,  www.wc2fd.com/fd15 and W2LV Sussex County Amateur Radio Club Lafayette, NJ www.scarcnj.org.

[W2MC 1,699]

and if you happen to be in the south jersey - Marlton area, stop by the South Jersey Radio Assn's Field Day operation at Savitch Field.

 

We will be operating in category 6A - that means 6 transmitters operating simultaneously (plus a GOTA station, and we are also thinking VHF)

 

More info, and photos from previous Field Day events:

 

http://www.k2aa.info/basic-page/field-day

 

W2MC