Cross-post from reddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/50s69h/you_have_an_ht_and_a_tech_license_what_now/
A newly licensed technician buys an HT. Can we put together an exhaustive list of what possibilities us new hams on HT equipment can explore before making any additional purchases?
I can start us off with the little I know so far:
Scan and Listen to your local repeaters noting what is active
Program your HT with those repeaters
Simplex ragchew
Duplex ragchew
Attend a net on a local repeater
Talk with people very far away via a WINS repeater
Exchange morse code messages (over simplex FM lol)
Attend a local club meeting
Compilation of thread suggestions:
Pick up a small TNC and play around with APRS (Mobilinkd TNC project and UV5R-TRRS project)
Make a small tape measure yagi antenna and try working an amateur satellite during its fly over
Foxhunt with your tape measure yagi
Experiment with packet radio and bounce signals off the ISS on 2m
Join SKYWARN - become a trained NWS spotter (not chaser). If your area has a severe weather net, join accordingly and contribute any reportable events.
Build a slim jim antenna for further vhf / uhf range and see if you can pick up anything new
Experiment with IRLP, EchoLink and D-Star
Go hiking and participate in Summits on the Air (SOTA)
Participate in Field Day
Volunteer and work a local event
Hook up a computer or phone to decode SSTV transmissions from the international space station
Get a Raspberry Pi, a TNC-Pi, and the cable to connect your HT to the TNC-Pi, then set up a Winlink terminal.
Using the setup from above and a USB GPS receiver, create an APRS iGate.
Get another Raspberry Pi and start messing around with rpitx.
Learn Morse.
Build some Yagis and work SO-50 (input 145.850 FM, PL 74.4 for the initial hit, then PL 67.0 for the 10 minute communication window, output 436.795 FM ) and ARISS (input: 437.800 FM, output 145.800 FM). The latter is NOT a repeater. It is a live amateur radio-to-the International Space Station link--you will be talking to actual astronauts/cosmonauts in low earth orbit. You may need two HTs for best results, but even one HT with dual-band capability or a band-split operation can do the trick.
And when you're bored, you can study for your general license.
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/50s69h/you_have_an_ht_and_a_tech_license_what_now/
A newly licensed technician buys an HT. Can we put together an exhaustive list of what possibilities us new hams on HT equipment can explore before making any additional purchases?
I can start us off with the little I know so far:
Scan and Listen to your local repeaters noting what is active
Program your HT with those repeaters
Simplex ragchew
Duplex ragchew
Attend a net on a local repeater
Talk with people very far away via a WINS repeater
Exchange morse code messages (over simplex FM lol)
Attend a local club meeting
Compilation of thread suggestions:
Pick up a small TNC and play around with APRS (Mobilinkd TNC project and UV5R-TRRS project)
Make a small tape measure yagi antenna and try working an amateur satellite during its fly over
Foxhunt with your tape measure yagi
Experiment with packet radio and bounce signals off the ISS on 2m
Join SKYWARN - become a trained NWS spotter (not chaser). If your area has a severe weather net, join accordingly and contribute any reportable events.
Build a slim jim antenna for further vhf / uhf range and see if you can pick up anything new
Experiment with IRLP, EchoLink and D-Star
Go hiking and participate in Summits on the Air (SOTA)
Participate in Field Day
Volunteer and work a local event
Hook up a computer or phone to decode SSTV transmissions from the international space station
Get a Raspberry Pi, a TNC-Pi, and the cable to connect your HT to the TNC-Pi, then set up a Winlink terminal.
Using the setup from above and a USB GPS receiver, create an APRS iGate.
Get another Raspberry Pi and start messing around with rpitx.
Learn Morse.
Build some Yagis and work SO-50 (input 145.850 FM, PL 74.4 for the initial hit, then PL 67.0 for the 10 minute communication window, output 436.795 FM ) and ARISS (input: 437.800 FM, output 145.800 FM). The latter is NOT a repeater. It is a live amateur radio-to-the International Space Station link--you will be talking to actual astronauts/cosmonauts in low earth orbit. You may need two HTs for best results, but even one HT with dual-band capability or a band-split operation can do the trick.
And when you're bored, you can study for your general license.
