There's some of us here we (many) decades of Amateur Radio experience. If you're interested or have questions, please ask away. Thanks to (mostly22) for the good idea!
Ask us anything: Amateur (Ham) Radio
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OP
(please send corrections and suggestions for more topics or clarifications)
What is Amateur ("ham") radio:
Ham radio is a hobby regulated by international treaty and in the US, by the FCC. A license is required which is comprised of basic electrical theory, regulations, and radio related technical info. There are 3 main license classes, Technician , the entry license, with limited privs , General, which gives one a broader frequency allocation to use, and Extra, which provides all Amateur Radio frequency allocations.
This allows someone to have access to a huge variety of frequencies (from just above the AM broadcast band, to UHF and satellite frequencies) , modes (AM, FM, digital modes, CW, TV, teletype among others) and power levels (up to and including 1,500 watts output).
You can choose to do DXing (contacting foreign locations), contesting, public service, emergency communication, develop SHTF communications capabilities, try ultra low power experimenting, play with TV transmission, operate via satellites, or just chat with the folks across town or on the other side of the world.
Do I need to learn morse code?
No, not any more. (Though you're missing a lot of fun and capability without it)
Isn't ham radio the same as CB?
If you happen to have the misfortune of stumbling on 7200 kHz LSB you may think so, but in general no. By and large ham radio is much more (self) disciplined and semi-professional in operation. Yeah, there's some very occasional jamming, and yeah it's populated by humans, with all our associated foibles, but by and large it's polite, family friendly and people don't talk in an affected goober style.
Licensed hams have waaay more frequency allocations to make use of and much more latitude in what to do in those allocations. You are also allowed and encouraged to build your own stuff and experiment in hardware/software/antennas/modes as a ham, most of which are prohibited with CB /GMRS stuff.
Is it expensive?
It can be if that's your choice, but it can also be quite affordable. One can set up a HF (shortwave) station capable of reaching around the world for 300$ or so with used equipment and a bit of effort to build and install a wire dipole antenna. You can also spend $40,000 for a large tower and antenna system, and the newest most bling-tastic HF transceiver if you want (land for tower not included) . If you want to just chit chat across town or have a way of staying in touch while in the woods, the (in)famous Baofeng handheld VHF radios cost about $29 including charger. The Japanese version of these (which work better, have better instructions, but fundamentally do the same thing) will cost $200 and up, but the Japanese probably had to develop their own design rather than just stealing it as other countries do in order to lower their product cost.
Do you have to be a genius to get a license?
No, or I'd not have a license.
The entry license ("Technician") should take 3 or 4 hours of study to memorize enough to pass the test. The tests are offered via certified ham clubs in most locations by the way.
General and Extra will take some additional work, but are not tremendously difficult.
(more later)
How much does a license cost?
For decades it was free. Now, because no matter how much money you shovel into the pockets of government, it's never enough. So, like the National Parks Service even though we already pay taxes to support them doing their jobs, we now have to pay them and the FCC more money when we need something from them. ( I'd pay more if they just left me alone and did nothing whatsoever)
Currently the fee for a new license is $35.
When you take your test, the volunteer examiners who proctor the tests these days get $15 for as many tests as you take on a given day. While you can't take the same test over and over each day, you can take the Tech, General and Extra all on the same day if you wish, with no additional cost.
This seems fair as the VE's are just volunteers who likely have to pay for supplies for the testing, as well as getting out of bed at oh dark 30 and inhaling an EggaMuffin on the way down to the local library or wherever the tests are being held. And unlike the FCC, they're not already getting paid for doing this and certainly don't get a cushy government retirement package.
What's the difference in frequency mean? Bands?
The radio spectrum is divided up into "bands" or groupings of frequencies. (insanely detailed downloadable chart: https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~boser/courses/49_sp_2019/figures/comm/spectrum_map.jpg).
Generally you can think of the bottom end of the typical radio spectrum being the AM broadcast band starting around 500 kilocycles, to the microwave bands in the gigacycles (hertz) range. Thankfully this is easily simplified for ham radio use:
HF (High Frequency/shortwave) : 1.7 Megahertz (just above the AM broadcast band) to 30 Megahertz.
Communications here are capable to many thousands of miles .
V(very) HF and U(ultra) HF : Above 50 Mhz to literally....light.
Communications here are typically line of sight (if satellites/repeaters are involved, this can be quite distant)
What is Amateur ("ham") radio:
Ham radio is a hobby regulated by international treaty and in the US, by the FCC. A license is required which is comprised of basic electrical theory, regulations, and radio related technical info. There are 3 main license classes, Technician , the entry license, with limited privs , General, which gives one a broader frequency allocation to use, and Extra, which provides all Amateur Radio frequency allocations.
This allows someone to have access to a huge variety of frequencies (from just above the AM broadcast band, to UHF and satellite frequencies) , modes (AM, FM, digital modes, CW, TV, teletype among others) and power levels (up to and including 1,500 watts output).
You can choose to do DXing (contacting foreign locations), contesting, public service, emergency communication, develop SHTF communications capabilities, try ultra low power experimenting, play with TV transmission, operate via satellites, or just chat with the folks across town or on the other side of the world.
Do I need to learn morse code?
No, not any more. (Though you're missing a lot of fun and capability without it)
Isn't ham radio the same as CB?
If you happen to have the misfortune of stumbling on 7200 kHz LSB you may think so, but in general no. By and large ham radio is much more (self) disciplined and semi-professional in operation. Yeah, there's some very occasional jamming, and yeah it's populated by humans, with all our associated foibles, but by and large it's polite, family friendly and people don't talk in an affected goober style.
Licensed hams have waaay more frequency allocations to make use of and much more latitude in what to do in those allocations. You are also allowed and encouraged to build your own stuff and experiment in hardware/software/antennas/modes as a ham, most of which are prohibited with CB /GMRS stuff.
Is it expensive?
It can be if that's your choice, but it can also be quite affordable. One can set up a HF (shortwave) station capable of reaching around the world for 300$ or so with used equipment and a bit of effort to build and install a wire dipole antenna. You can also spend $40,000 for a large tower and antenna system, and the newest most bling-tastic HF transceiver if you want (land for tower not included) . If you want to just chit chat across town or have a way of staying in touch while in the woods, the (in)famous Baofeng handheld VHF radios cost about $29 including charger. The Japanese version of these (which work better, have better instructions, but fundamentally do the same thing) will cost $200 and up, but the Japanese probably had to develop their own design rather than just stealing it as other countries do in order to lower their product cost.
Do you have to be a genius to get a license?
No, or I'd not have a license.
The entry license ("Technician") should take 3 or 4 hours of study to memorize enough to pass the test. The tests are offered via certified ham clubs in most locations by the way.
General and Extra will take some additional work, but are not tremendously difficult.
(more later)
How much does a license cost?
For decades it was free. Now, because no matter how much money you shovel into the pockets of government, it's never enough. So, like the National Parks Service even though we already pay taxes to support them doing their jobs, we now have to pay them and the FCC more money when we need something from them. ( I'd pay more if they just left me alone and did nothing whatsoever)
Currently the fee for a new license is $35.
When you take your test, the volunteer examiners who proctor the tests these days get $15 for as many tests as you take on a given day. While you can't take the same test over and over each day, you can take the Tech, General and Extra all on the same day if you wish, with no additional cost.
This seems fair as the VE's are just volunteers who likely have to pay for supplies for the testing, as well as getting out of bed at oh dark 30 and inhaling an EggaMuffin on the way down to the local library or wherever the tests are being held. And unlike the FCC, they're not already getting paid for doing this and certainly don't get a cushy government retirement package.
What's the difference in frequency mean? Bands?
The radio spectrum is divided up into "bands" or groupings of frequencies. (insanely detailed downloadable chart: https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~boser/courses/49_sp_2019/figures/comm/spectrum_map.jpg).
Generally you can think of the bottom end of the typical radio spectrum being the AM broadcast band starting around 500 kilocycles, to the microwave bands in the gigacycles (hertz) range. Thankfully this is easily simplified for ham radio use:
HF (High Frequency/shortwave) : 1.7 Megahertz (just above the AM broadcast band) to 30 Megahertz.
Communications here are capable to many thousands of miles .
V(very) HF and U(ultra) HF : Above 50 Mhz to literally....light.
Communications here are typically line of sight (if satellites/repeaters are involved, this can be quite distant)
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Is this an ok choice for a first radio?
www.baofengradio.com
GT-3WP 5W/3W/1W Dual Band Radio
Features and Functions： This GT-3WP is a dustproof and water-resisting handi-talkie. It's rated to resist 30 minutes in one meter underwater. This ensures the GT-3WP's reliability in wet environments. Whether you are at the swimming pool or desert, you have nothing to worry about with the...
www.baofengradio.com
Hm.Is this an ok choice for a first radio?
GT-3WP 5W/3W/1W Dual Band Radio
Features and Functions： This GT-3WP is a dustproof and water-resisting handi-talkie. It's rated to resist 30 minutes in one meter underwater. This ensures the GT-3WP's reliability in wet environments. Whether you are at the swimming pool or desert, you have nothing to worry about with the...
To answer this honestly, I'd need to know what you expect to do with an amateur radio.
This Baofeng brand set is a very low cost handheld that one might use to speak with other local hams on whatever repeaters you can mutually access.
If that is what you have in mind ... then, I should next ask if your budget is the issue that draws you to such a radio.
There are others I'd recommend before this one, but they are not $25 on Amazon Prime.
If speaking to others on your local repeaters however is not what you had in mind, I have to return to the first question about what your expectations are.
It's entirely possible you don't even know what to expect yet, which is quite common.
I think the Chinese radios (Baofeng is the most common brand; these started to show up in quantities here in the US maybe 10-15 years ago) are popular in part because they are so low cost, and the small investment would be an easy step to take, to figure out what sorts of things you might expect to find, simply by having a radio with which to find them.
There are many, many of these radios offered lightly used for $5 or $10 at hamfests all the time, as people who got disenchanted with 'amateur radio' look to get rid of their handhelds.
I think this is because the expectations were not met. And, I think, this is because people like me have failed to explain what amateur radio is really all about.
So:
Are you interested in chatting about that, or, do you still just want a 'yes' or 'no' answer to your question?
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Thank you for the in depth response.
This is to be used as a cheap first device to get into HAM/Comms. But I am getting into it mostly to have the ability to communicate with a smallish group of like minded local folk in disaster/shtf scenarios, etc.
Don’t want anything expensive to start with, as I’m still unsure of what features I will need/want and have no idea what I’m doing. Just want something that is adequate to learn with.
Thanks again 🙏🏻
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OK, so, your expectations are reasonably solid at this point.
One of the things you'll learn with a radio like this one is how dependent you are on repeaters for VHF and UHF band communications.
People often have very unrealistic visions of what sort of range can be had from radios of this sort.
You're going to quickly learn about battery capacity versus operating time.
Also, hopefully, you'll learn a good bit about how to make your antenna more effective. Usefulness of radios like these are 90% related to the antenna and feed line. This will be the most helpful thing to learn for your intended purposes, and also can be the costliest, if you just buy stuff instead of finding out how to make your own.
Another thing you could learn is that there's basically zero of the 'aura' of classical ham radio when using FM on frequencies above 30 MHz. It's a shame that we even call these things 'amateur radios' because they offer none of that experience, IMHO, and have not since the early 1990s. But, many people aren't looking for that and you might not be interested.
Could I ask about the budget? Is the $25 so compelling that you'd not consider, say, an Icom IC-T10?
One of the things you'll learn with a radio like this one is how dependent you are on repeaters for VHF and UHF band communications.
People often have very unrealistic visions of what sort of range can be had from radios of this sort.
You're going to quickly learn about battery capacity versus operating time.
Also, hopefully, you'll learn a good bit about how to make your antenna more effective. Usefulness of radios like these are 90% related to the antenna and feed line. This will be the most helpful thing to learn for your intended purposes, and also can be the costliest, if you just buy stuff instead of finding out how to make your own.
Another thing you could learn is that there's basically zero of the 'aura' of classical ham radio when using FM on frequencies above 30 MHz. It's a shame that we even call these things 'amateur radios' because they offer none of that experience, IMHO, and have not since the early 1990s. But, many people aren't looking for that and you might not be interested.
Could I ask about the budget? Is the $25 so compelling that you'd not consider, say, an Icom IC-T10?
That definitely looks like it checks the durability boxes, which are important for sure.OK, so, your expectations are reasonably solid at this point.
One of the things you'll learn with a radio like this one is how dependent you are on repeaters for VHF and UHF band communications.
People often have very unrealistic visions of what sort of range can be had from radios of this sort.
You're going to quickly learn about battery capacity versus operating time.
Also, hopefully, you'll learn a good bit about how to make your antenna more effective. Usefulness of radios like these are 90% related to the antenna and feed line. This will be the most helpful thing to learn for your intended purposes, and also can be the costliest, if you just buy stuff instead of finding out how to make your own.
Another thing you could learn is that there's basically zero of the 'aura' of classical ham radio when using FM on frequencies above 30 MHz. It's a shame that we even call these things 'amateur radios' because they offer none of that experience, IMHO, and have not since the early 1990s. But, many people aren't looking for that and you might not be interested.
Could I ask about the budget? Is the $25 so compelling that you'd not consider, say, an Icom IC-T10?
Are the longer antennas a necessity? I usually see people rocking the “military” looking ones that bend and fold up.
'Longer' does not always equal 'better' but size does matter. The concept is called 'aperture' if you are wondering.
In general, at any given frequency, there are ideal-aperture designs that allow you to make weighted compromises between size, cost, durability, required materials, et cetera.
One of the aspects that can be traded for effectiveness is to allow the antenna to be physically larger. But ... not always the best tradeoff.
There are people who make their entire life careers about antenna design.
The Baofeng model you mentioned is a more-durable re-packaging of one of their original models, and has been sold here in the US since around 2012 if memory serves.
It's not as good as the Icom, of course, but that's part of the difference between a $25 Chinese radio and a $250 Japanese one.
Do you have your Tech class license yet?
The learning needed to pass the test will yield answers to your questions, and replaces knowing nothing with wonder, and excitement for what lies beyond.
Or not, really; wireless is magic. Some are OK with sitting in the magician's audience but others want to learn how to saw the girl in half.
The learning needed to pass the test will yield answers to your questions, and replaces knowing nothing with wonder, and excitement for what lies beyond.
Or not, really; wireless is magic. Some are OK with sitting in the magician's audience but others want to learn how to saw the girl in half.
I have not gotten a license yet. I did look through another thread on here and found some resources. Found a course on YouTube as well.
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Great. You're already on the path.
Write back when you've had a chance to look over any material (even a little of it) and also the question pool, which is public information.
Example test:
There are questions including topics of safety, applied electronics, operating practices, antennas, rules & regulations ... peer-reviewed questions and answers that are supposed to help demonstrate you're not just some schmoe with a credit card.
Write back when you've had a chance to look over any material (even a little of it) and also the question pool, which is public information.
Example test:
There are questions including topics of safety, applied electronics, operating practices, antennas, rules & regulations ... peer-reviewed questions and answers that are supposed to help demonstrate you're not just some schmoe with a credit card.
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Ok, this is where it gets into nerd territory, but also the sort of question you might be asked on a license test (with the math simplified to where you won’t need a calculator). The concept of frequency and wavelength are related and in short frequency times wavelength equals the speed of light (Simplified to 3.0 ^9 meters per second ) What this means in practice is that if you know either the frequency or the wave length you know the other.
Antennas, to be honest, are a bit mystical. They‘re both simple and magical. Generally speaking, an antenna is tuned to a particular frequency based upon wavelength. I didn't say above, but wavelength is the distance a (radio) signal will travel in the time it takes to alternate between its positive and negative peaks (think 60 Hz AC, but we’re talking millions of cycles per second rather than 60, but yes, it’s essentially AC power). A radio tuned to a particular frequency is going to be of a specific length.
At roughly 144 MHz, typical for the 2 meter ham band, the antenna is going to be a fraction of the wavelength. Typically you will see references to 1/2, 1;4, or 5/8th wave meaning the wire length is that fraction of the wavelength. In a handheld, the antenna wire is coiled up to save space. While this may “work” as far as the radio is concerned it has compromises in terms of performance. Every antenna is a compromise, by the way.
As a practical example of the difference between a $25 Baofeng and a $200 iComm, I used to walk from my office on the UNC-CH campus to my car and use a repeater located on the WRAL TV tower in Garner mounted at roughly 1,600 feet. Height matters because UHF/VHF are line of sight. With a $25 Baofeng, I could “break squelch” meaning I could activate the repeater but my signal was static, but with my Kenwood handheld I could talk and be received.
OP
This is so true of every endeavor. The more you learn, the more you realize how much more you don't know. The sense of wonder @mostly22lately mentions is so true. I've made probably 30,000 ++ contacts on the shortwave bands over the years. There are still times I think "I press this key, and it instantly creates a voltage in some guys backyard antenna in Mongolia, or in the Antarctic and we can communicate". The fact that there's always something more to learn keeps the hobby interesting.
It's magical .
Noway2 is right about the Baofeng 2m handhelds. They work, but think of it as the difference between a ratchet wrench bought at Walmart and and old school Cornwell/Sk/Snap On/Craftsman version. All will likely tighten bolts, but there's a difference in both cost and quality and pride of ownership.
For a beginner, you'll not go wrong with a $29 Baofeng. It'll serve you well and every one has them and uses them , though they might upgrade later.
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There is a caveat to this. It assumes they are operating in range of one or more repeaters that have sufficient active traffic. One real possibility is being in receive range, but not transmit. Talk about a way to frustrate a new ham.
OP
Very true, and I assumed being in repeater range for a handheld which isn't always true.
You may or may not agree, but I'd guess that 90% of the time if you can be heard on a repeater with a spendy handheld, you can be heard (and hear!) on a Chinesium version.
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In my experience baofeng radios vary in quality between units. A while back I bought a 4-pack. 1 is almost useless; 2 are tolerable, and 1 works well.
I also bought an adapter to connect an external antenna. With a 1/4 wave antenna 12 feet up I can work a couple of repeaters quite well with 3 of my handhelds. I have a 25w mobile and with the external antenna the baofeng does as well on the repeater.
Simplex, the power difference matters a bit, but antenna quality and height matter far more.
Chinesium radios are a cheap entry but just a jumping off point...
I also bought an adapter to connect an external antenna. With a 1/4 wave antenna 12 feet up I can work a couple of repeaters quite well with 3 of my handhelds. I have a 25w mobile and with the external antenna the baofeng does as well on the repeater.
Simplex, the power difference matters a bit, but antenna quality and height matter far more.
Chinesium radios are a cheap entry but just a jumping off point...
OP
"Chinesium radios are a cheap entry but just a jumping off point..."
Well put. If you're not sure you're going to really get into the hobby or not, it's a cheap way to dip your toe in the water.
That said, 2M VHF comms is about 5% of what ham radio offers, and it's kind of unfortunate it's most new hams's first experience.
Well put. If you're not sure you're going to really get into the hobby or not, it's a cheap way to dip your toe in the water.
That said, 2M VHF comms is about 5% of what ham radio offers, and it's kind of unfortunate it's most new hams's first experience.
When folks ask me the same question as the OP posed, I really really really want to answer
QMX 5-band 5W Digi transceiver
shop.qrp-labs.com
or
KH1 Hand-Held, 5-Band Transceiver
Introduction Overview Overview We’ve just tackled some of the hardest problems with HF field deployment: How to get you on the air in seconds, with an internal ATU that tunes both a built-in, multi-band whip and BNC-connected random wires. Providing field logging that’s truly convenient...
elecraft.com
or
IC-7300 | Products | Icom America.
Icom,America,Land Mobile,Marine,Aviation,Amateur,Network,Systems
www.icomamerica.com
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I’ve stopped recommending baofengs and have been recommending folks get RTL-SDR dongles instead. Far more versatile and folks can get a feel for HF and other segments of the hobby with very little money spent.
OP
Those are fun too (though they often require some comfort and patience in unwinding computer applications).
I have one decoding 10M QRSS signals and pushing them to the web and another doing PiAware airplane monitoring both running 24/7 365.
What I like about your suggestion, is that it exposes people more to HF, than VHF only as with a Baofeng. If I had to sustain my interest in ham radio with 2M only, I'd have likely taken up another hobby. There's so much more to do on HF, but you can still play VHF with the RTL dongle.
The Dongles are a gateway drug to more competent SDR's tho . I have two Kiwis and I know that John Seamond is about to release the Kiwi II. I have one doing 6 band WSPR decoding and that thing will run....forever....with no software faults. I mean it only reboots when there's a power fault.
Edit: There's a new version of the RTLSDR dongle from the same folks (V4) that promises better performance. I just got one, but have not been able to get it to work yet (it requires the installation of a new driver package)
I have one decoding 10M QRSS signals and pushing them to the web and another doing PiAware airplane monitoring both running 24/7 365.
What I like about your suggestion, is that it exposes people more to HF, than VHF only as with a Baofeng. If I had to sustain my interest in ham radio with 2M only, I'd have likely taken up another hobby. There's so much more to do on HF, but you can still play VHF with the RTL dongle.
The Dongles are a gateway drug to more competent SDR's tho . I have two Kiwis and I know that John Seamond is about to release the Kiwi II. I have one doing 6 band WSPR decoding and that thing will run....forever....with no software faults. I mean it only reboots when there's a power fault.
Edit: There's a new version of the RTLSDR dongle from the same folks (V4) that promises better performance. I just got one, but have not been able to get it to work yet (it requires the installation of a new driver package)
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I’ve had a sdrplay rsp2 for a few years, used it for ADSB, RDF, listening, etc but it mostly lives in the shack as a panadaptor. Point and click, ain’t nobody got time to turn a knob.
My attention has been diverted to other places lately, I need to get spun back up on the current offerings.
As to the original intent of this thread…
Those of you who do hot air and SMC repairs, what are you using for board holders/vices?
I’m finally getting my bench together for repair work. I think work holders are the one main thing I’m lacking. Haven’t looked for 3d printed options yet.
My attention has been diverted to other places lately, I need to get spun back up on the current offerings.
As to the original intent of this thread…
Those of you who do hot air and SMC repairs, what are you using for board holders/vices?
I’m finally getting my bench together for repair work. I think work holders are the one main thing I’m lacking. Haven’t looked for 3d printed options yet.
Anyone interested in the broader world of ham radio can, without making a commitment, check out kiwiSDR (web site) and play around with radios all over the world. Tune in and see what signals, not just in the ham bands, are floating out there right now, for free.
My SDRPlay (original model) sits in a box. I sold my TenTec SDR HF receiver to a collector...
The guys reading this thread and wondering "I thought ham (radio) was a more powerful walkie talkie setup, what ARE these other guys talking about?" are probably still wondering.
Same as the guys with the Cesar Guerinis and a set of all five gauge barrels have no idea what a Ruger PCC is or what one would do with it.
Regarding your other question: I mostly use one of three different Panavise setups, depending on what it is I am doing.
I have a question: when you make contact with other HAMs, especially distant ones, what do you talk about?
Totally depends on what the intent is on the contact. If your contesting or just trying to make a location contact for your log (electronic or paper document that you use to keep track of your past contacts), you exchange call signs, give signal report, and/or other contest dependent info, and move on.
If your rag chewing, talk about the weather, your station equipment, politics, medical issues (always popular lol) or whatever else folks would speak about in normal conversation.
Many folks have profiles set up on QRZ.com with their background/bio. Someones background or other info there may strike up topics as well.
So apart from using the radio equipment, its a bit like dialing up a random phone number and shooting the breeze? I get it — it’s like being a member of an exclusive club to which membership cannot be bought, but must be earned. This how it was when I was riding old British motorcycles, not just anyone could do it — you had to have the knowledge and the skills. I am glad there are guys who do it, but I am no longer one of them.
Thanks much for this thread.. In for current interest. Been sniffin' around about comms of late.
Miz Kris got her HAM license several years ago but hasn't used it. Renewed it yesterday. No real gear in hand.
As for me right now I'm lookin into somethin very portable to play with down at the club for close range (few miles?) comms.
Preferably somethin compatible with a headset for when I wanna do some LARPing. 🥴😁
There's a lotta places down there with no cell service. Mostly the creek bottoms I frequent. I'd like the ability to call for help if needed.
Don't mind paying for somethin worthwhile in the meaty part of the value curve. 🤠
ETA: Not sure if this is on the subject matter. But looked like good a place as any to start. 🤡
Miz Kris got her HAM license several years ago but hasn't used it. Renewed it yesterday. No real gear in hand.
As for me right now I'm lookin into somethin very portable to play with down at the club for close range (few miles?) comms.
Preferably somethin compatible with a headset for when I wanna do some LARPing. 🥴😁
There's a lotta places down there with no cell service. Mostly the creek bottoms I frequent. I'd like the ability to call for help if needed.
Don't mind paying for somethin worthwhile in the meaty part of the value curve. 🤠
ETA: Not sure if this is on the subject matter. But looked like good a place as any to start. 🤡
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OP
Yeah, it's kind of like that... like minded people who chat about just about anything.
I made "friends" with a ham in Saudi Arabia who turned out also enjoyed the older RL Drake brand of radio that I did. We met on the air about a dozen times, and we'd chat about new Drake gear we had bought, problems we were having in a current restoration, etc. While we were 4000 miles away from one another there was a friendship made of a common interest, probably much like your British bikes.
Noways suggestion about the kiwis was a good one. Here's a list of those available on the net. You can feel free to mess around with them as there's no way you can hose them up.
Re: Hot air rework.... I've been tempted but haven't made the jump yet. As you get into it, could you post a thread about your experience? That would be really helpful.
Off the top of my head, yeah, a metal jawed Panavise would be handy and would hold up to the heat involved.
You could say that. Some folks rag chew, some contest, some hunt counties or countries. It’s a very broad hobby. Many I know (myself included) arn’t much on rag chewing. Everyone wants to rag chew with my wife when she’s on the air, she’s an “earn and burn” operator when it comes to contacts as well. Lol
We’ve used APRS (automatic packet reporting system) when hiking in the mountains with VHF handhelds. Relatively easy to set up and easy for family to see where you are using APRS.fi webpage. Those that are .mil could loosely compare it to Blue Force Tracker except using VHF instead of satellite.
OP
I used to carry my Kenwood 2M portable for this purpose while exploring old mines and ghost towns in the southern NM desert. While my exploring buddy and I generally knew what we were getting into (a vast wilderness full of nothing but heat) there was always the chance that the Jeep wouldn't start when we got back to it. Some of the places we went to were an hour away from the nearest paved road so it would be a long walk to get help. There was and I'm sure is, no cell service there.
A 2M portable was always able to access a mountain top repeater even 50 ++ miles away if something went sideways .
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I’ve seen the panavises on eBay while looking around, I’ll probably pick one up soon. Thanks.
I can do that, but laying the cards on the table, I’m expecting a pretty rocky start. Fortunately I have a number of scrap SMC boards laying around (see, useful stuff, not a hoarder😂) to play with/destroy.
You never know who you’re going to get. A fellow high point ham club member told a story from his friend. He was chatting with a guy and asked his name. The guy said his name was Husain, and the friend said, “as in the king of Jordan “. The guy replied, “exactly”. The friend said, “if you're the king, then I am the count of Monte Christo”.
A month later he got a post card from King Husain of Jordan in the mail saying, “greetings, Count”.
Cross band repeating with a mobile would be worth noting as well but we’re likly getting too far into the weeds for someone just starting out.
OP
Here's what my Kiwi is hearing right now on the Morse section of the 20M band. There's a contest on as you can see!
Each of the colored vertical lines is a signal. The frequency "dial" is horizontal (you can see the frequency above the window in the grey strip). If you click on any of those vertical lines you'll begin to hear the morse (or the voice if you move further up the band) just as if you were tuning a table top radio. The audio comes out of the computer speaker.
The more orange/red the signal is, the stronger it is. Time is in the vertical axis so the signals move from top to bottom as they're heard in your speaker.
Great conditions on 20M today. If my antenna wasn't on the ground I'd be pounding out contest contacts on CW
Each of the colored vertical lines is a signal. The frequency "dial" is horizontal (you can see the frequency above the window in the grey strip). If you click on any of those vertical lines you'll begin to hear the morse (or the voice if you move further up the band) just as if you were tuning a table top radio. The audio comes out of the computer speaker.
The more orange/red the signal is, the stronger it is. Time is in the vertical axis so the signals move from top to bottom as they're heard in your speaker.
Great conditions on 20M today. If my antenna wasn't on the ground I'd be pounding out contest contacts on CW
Are these options doable for a non, or minimally licensed individual? I don't mind some schoolin' if needed.
But now thru the spring is time to be in the woods. With the current health issues that have been sporadically showing up with weight loss
it's kinda hit home that a way to communicate beside cell would be beneficial in those places I wander.
+1 if the same radio could be used for muh LARPing. 😏 😁
OP
Not available for a non-licensed person, but all the things you mention are available with the entry level (Technician Class) ham license and minimal equipment investment (except for the APRS part. Aprs - able radios cost a bit more, but not crazy more .