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NES Amateur Radio (HAM) Club
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Good luck!
Congratulations!
That is GREAT! Do you know what you are going to get for your first radio?
![[party]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/021.gif "Party [party]")
well done!
I don't know yet. Mostly because I still don't fully understand amateur radio. I have no experience with radio. Reading the book helps me to understand the rules and regs, and basic concepts, but I'm still basically clueless.
I don't have the first hint of what I should be looking to buy or what I need. I'm going to have to do a lot more reading and perhaps shadow a club or two.
So, what was your approach to prepping for the test? Did you blitz the question pool, or did you study the material, or both?
I got the book Friday. I read the book Friday night and Saturday. Saturday night and this morning I took a bunch of the online practice tests.
The book isn't that long and I only read through it once. Some of the topics were completely over my head and I don't think any amount of reading would help me understand them. I'm going to have to apply some hands on learning and read it again.
Jumping on board this thread a little late but here it goes.
KE1AK Swansea, MA HF/2m/440/902 used to own a repeater in Fall River, MA on 442.200 until the ARRL and US Air Force decided I was interfering with Pave Paws on the Cape. Had to come down over 20dB on signal, so just pulled the plug. Really put a downer on the hobby for me. Now I've been hanging up on 902Mhz using converted Motorola commercial gear. There will be probably a big influx of repeaters on the 33cm band in the near future in the area, due to a friend of mine and others buying a bunch of repeaters (MTS5000) that can be converted to 902 Mhz from New Jersey Gas for about $100 bucks a pop. Just had to go down and pick them up. The catch was they weight nearly 300 lbs. a piece.
Thunderbolt
KE1AK Swansea, MA HF/2m/440/902 used to own a repeater in Fall River, MA on 442.200 until the ARRL and US Air Force decided I was interfering with Pave Paws on the Cape. Had to come down over 20dB on signal, so just pulled the plug. Really put a downer on the hobby for me. Now I've been hanging up on 902Mhz using converted Motorola commercial gear. There will be probably a big influx of repeaters on the 33cm band in the near future in the area, due to a friend of mine and others buying a bunch of repeaters (MTS5000) that can be converted to 902 Mhz from New Jersey Gas for about $100 bucks a pop. Just had to go down and pick them up. The catch was they weight nearly 300 lbs. a piece.
Thunderbolt
For the life of me I don't see why USAF has a hair up its ass
about 440. I know they're the primary user of the band (NTIA
alloc, etc) but PAVE PAWS has been running for years and they
never bitched about it, so why now?
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
There was a great repeater on Mt. Wachusett, that was off the
air for a couple years at least, (448.625, W1OJ's machine) I think
it is back on but the signal is definitely weaker- and I'd place a fair
wager that he was forced to neuter the thing. It's unfortunate
because that repeater got virtually everywhere, and it was even
usable with an HT over a lot of MA.
33cm sounds interesting but the only downer is it's one of those
things where you need yet another radio in the vehicle.
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
What about 1.2 ghz? Or is the problem there that the line loss
on coax/hardline starts to get absurd even with short distances...?
-Mike
I can tell right now I'm going to need an outrageous amount of help choosing and setting up my station.
Right now I'm looking for a place to take the general test
Right now I'm looking for a place to take the general test
For the life of me I don't see why USAF has a hair up its ass
about 440. I know they're the primary user of the band (NTIA
alloc, etc) but PAVE PAWS has been running for years and they
never bitched about it, so why now?
There was a great repeater on Mt. Wachusett, that was off the
air for a couple years at least, (448.625, W1OJ's machine) I think
it is back on but the signal is definitely weaker- and I'd place a fair
wager that he was forced to neuter the thing. It's unfortunate
because that repeater got virtually everywhere, and it was even
usable with an HT over a lot of MA.
33cm sounds interesting but the only downer is it's one of those
things where you need yet another radio in the vehicle.
What about 1.2 ghz? Or is the problem there that the line loss
on coax/hardline starts to get absurd even with short distances...?
-Mike
I know Mike, this Pave Paws fiasco is a joke. I believe the only 440 repeaters left on the cape are the ones willing to fight the system. I guess the first round came around over a year ago, I didn't get the letter so I though I was safe everything was okay. The amp on the machine craps out so I am thinking that I made the Pav Paws cut I'll be okay, so I dump another $600+ into for a new Henry Amp and two months later I get a call from the 440 coordinator about the letter coming from the league about interference, which it did show up registered mail and all. The signal was needed to drop 21dB in the direction of Pave Paws and gave me a little over a month to do it. I didn't have any fight left in the dog so I waited until the very last day at the last minute to pull the machine. Told the ARRL where to go. Then sold off a bunch of gear and put the rest in the closet. Needless to say QST doesn't arrive in my mailbox anymore. 902 is renewing my interest and I haven't bothered with another band since then (still have to deal the with cordless phones up there being a shared band too).
Don't have much experience with 1.2 gig, but the equipment is just easier and cheaper to get for 902. A Motorola GTX HT or mobile off of ebay for about $125 or so (they have been climbing). Knowing someone who can program it or be able to do it yourself and your off and running. Of course the second part is the big one. The programming software needs to be tweeked for the right frequencies. (see: www.batlabs.com)
Alright guys sorry for jumping way off topic a bit...
Corry
We should start a ham radio section. I'm freaking lost. I'm so far over my head I don't know where to begin. I have the tech license and I'm going to take the general license as soon as there is a test near me. However, I have no idea what to buy, where to buy it, or what I do with it after it's purchased.
What a complicated hobby. I guess I felt the same way when I started reloading, only that was a thousand times simpler.
What a complicated hobby. I guess I felt the same way when I started reloading, only that was a thousand times simpler.
I am lost....I know how you feel Martlet...I had this vision of taking the test, picking up a handheld and talking to folks...This is like Klingon to me.Looks like I need to do more reading.
I know I'm a little late to the thread here, but I'd be interested in a beginner's course if there's still room.
There are a lot of things to do in Ham radio. One of the first things people do is get a 2M FM rig and hop on a few repeaters, etc, but that certainly isn't the be all and end all to ham radio.
Martlet, do you commute? If so, how long does it take? A lot of guys set up a 2M rig in their car so they have something to do while commuting. While a lot of the repeaters have quieted down recently, there are still several that have loads of people that come on them.
A lot of guys start out with an HT- which is great, but you have to realize the limitations of the device a bit... if you live close to a repeater, you can work it pretty easily with just an HT, but if you are further away, you might want to get at least a better antenna for it.
Setting up a radio at first can be intimidating, but at least with most FM rigs you're only dealing with one mode, FM. There are offsets, PL tones and the like... Stuff that seems complicated but is not so much once you see a live demonstration of it, etc. With a marker, napkins, and a couple of beers I could probably explain most of the related stuff inside an hour.
This is a good site to find local repeaters... If you click on 2M you will see a gigantic list.
http://www.nerepeaters.com/
Maybe during the "course" that's being planned we could do some demos. Someone could bring a radio or three and give folks a rundown of how things work. (at least within the realm of basic FM operations).
If anyone needs me to bring some HTs or whatever for a demo, I'd be more than happy to... although I'm basically
an ICOM guy, and I realize that different rigs program differently.
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
Collectively a lot of us have adiversity of equipment the newbies can look at. On the other hand I can see a desire to keep things
simple....
-Mike
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Yeah, a basic FM operation demo is definitely in the plan. I think that's where most people tend to start, especially with an emergency communication focus, which I think is what most of the people here are interested in.
Later today I'll go through the thread and update all the lists in the beginning. Licensed hams who want to help, please PM me with a list of dates you're currently free and a phone number to reach you. I'm thinking a weekend day somewhere April - June.
Later today I'll go through the thread and update all the lists in the beginning. Licensed hams who want to help, please PM me with a list of dates you're currently free and a phone number to reach you. I'm thinking a weekend day somewhere April - June.
I don't commute, really. I may put a rig in my truck at some point, but I don't spend much time in it. I've owned it 9 months and have 4300 miles on it.
So my best bet would be to pick up a 2m rig for now, then upgrade later if I decide to? I plan on getting my General license later this month. Does that change your suggestion?
The kicker seems to be in the gear. There is so much out there that do so many different things at so many price points it's overwhelming. I start digging through some forums and they talk about buying radios, power supplies, tuners, meters, building antennae, 30 foot towers, etc.
So my best bet would be to pick up a 2m rig for now, then upgrade later if I decide to? I plan on getting my General license later this month. Does that change your suggestion?
The kicker seems to be in the gear. There is so much out there that do so many different things at so many price points it's overwhelming. I start digging through some forums and they talk about buying radios, power supplies, tuners, meters, building antennae, 30 foot towers, etc.
I think a 2m/440 dual band rig is worth the small extra cost. I'd suggest a 2m/440 handheld with 5W output and a LiIon battery. Examples are the ICOM T90 or IC-91, Kenwood TH-F6A, Yaesu VX-6 or VX-7.
The T90 and VX-6 are single receive, the IC-91, TH-F6A and VX-7 are dual receive. What this means is, with the single receive models, you can only monitor one frequency at a time. With the dual receive ones, you can monitor two. This isn't a critical feature as they all have a scanning feature, but it will catch transmissions sooner.
Accessories I'd want are a magnetic mount antenna to use in the car, a spare battery, a fast charger, and an antenna to use at home. You can build the home antenna for about $3 worth of materials, or you can buy one.
The T90 and VX-6 are single receive, the IC-91, TH-F6A and VX-7 are dual receive. What this means is, with the single receive models, you can only monitor one frequency at a time. With the dual receive ones, you can monitor two. This isn't a critical feature as they all have a scanning feature, but it will catch transmissions sooner.
Accessories I'd want are a magnetic mount antenna to use in the car, a spare battery, a fast charger, and an antenna to use at home. You can build the home antenna for about $3 worth of materials, or you can buy one.
Excellent information, and at least now I have a place to start. I'll start looking for those radios now.
one-eyed Jack
Manufacturer
The problem, as I see it, is that we could have a club but no repeaters. Also, I personally like to join/contribute to repeaters that I use on a regular basis. It may be possible, given enough of us, and a frequency pair being available, that we could have our own repeater. However, the member coverage will be limited. Just my humble opinion. Jack W1FKG.
Yeah, you might not get that much use out of a dedicated setup in the vehicle, but having one of these around at least might be convenient if you decide to take a trip or something and want to be able to communicate.
http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-1728B
People often bash MFJ (and some of their stuff -IS- crap) but I find the 1728 to be a decent mobile antenna. With this setup if you were traveling you could just toss that little guy on the roof and drastically increase your
communications range, even with just an HT plugged into the other end of it. I've had a 1728B for a few years now and I find it useful for situations where I want a 2M mobile antenna in a pinch.
Yes- IMO every active ham should have a good 2M monoband rig (or three) around. You can get HT's for $100 brand new that can run off rechargeable NIMH AA cells....
Example: Icom V8
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/handheld/v8/default.aspx
Or the V82.... somewhat more features but to kit it out will be a bit more...
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/handheld/v82_u82/default.aspx
I just got one of these recently:
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/handheld/v85/default.aspx
Overall it's been decent, but is a bit pricier than the latter two models I mentioned.... all three are pretty much within the same realm of performance, though... the V85 is just a bit more compact/lighter.
If you pick up any HT with a BNC connector I'd also reccommend picking up a Diamond RH-77CA antenna for it. It is a bit longer than the stock duck but it is quite an improvement; yet they're not too long as to be completely impractical... There are also some cheap telescoping whips for 2M but those are really only good if you're sitting in one place. (think old school extendable antennas on a pocket FM radio, and you'll get the idea... except a bit longer! )
I wouldn't call it an upgrade so much as "adding stuff on" later. good equipment tends to stay in your collection for awhile and still will get used down the road. It's like having a gun safe with a bunch of different guns in it; there will be some crossover and somethings that some do better than others.
FWIW I have radio collection disease, which isn't much different than GAS- "gun acquisition syndrome".
For example, I have...
Handhelds: Icom T90, 91AD, T2H (x 2 units, got them on sale), V85, Kenwood TH-G71 (I broke the connector, but want
to fix it... I've had that thing forever... )
Mobiles: Icom V8000 (x 2 - one in the house one in the car), Yaesu FT-1500M, FT-2500M, Kenwood TM-255A.
Most of this stuff is just for 2M, with the exception of the 91AD, T90, and the G71 which are multi-band HTs. (eg, the T90 gets 6M/2M/440 bands, the 91AD and the G71 get 2M/440.
FWIW multiband HTs are great but you can't really beat a good monobander... I don't really even use 440 all that much, I just use the extended RX on the multibanders to listen to local police, fire, etc, comms (sort of like using it as a scanner. ) Most of the talking, etc, is actually on 2M for me.
I haven't even started talking about the HF/6M stuff, either. Like collecting guns, it's an addiction of sorts.
Some of what I have is redundant, and I've sold off things, here and there... For instance, eventually I'll probably sell my FT-1500M and the 2500M, although the latter I keep around mainly for nostalgic purposes... that thing has many many hours on it. And FWIW, It's important to note that having a ton of gear isn't "necessary". Not much different than me being able to say "All I really need is 3 guns". I could get by on that, but it wouldn't be as much fun.
Lately my addiction has calmed itself a bit (I might buy or sell a few a year) but back in the day I used to buy up entire estate sales just to play with the gear, then turn it around and possibly even make a tiny profit in the end.. depending on how much of the gear I kept.
No, not at all... General basically adds HF, capability but the setup for that may be more elaborate than what you want to get into right now. The good HF radios, or HF/6/2/440 "kitchen sink" radios are also pretty expensive compared to just a 2M monoband FM rig or an HT.
I agree that at first it's very overwhelming, because there are a lot of choices... once you narrow down what you want, to do with your radio hobby, (at least at a given point in time) you can focus in on the gear you want.
One thing to keep in mind- even the basic stuff will get you a lot of capability. A $100 HT with a good antenna will get you a lot of places, as will a $100-200 mobile with the same. You could buy a used HF rig with say a 25A power supply, and a cheapy tuner for like $600 (or less, I just threw that out there because that's about what I would spend) throw up a 20M dipole with a bit of coax and be working the world for not too much money... Theres more to it than that, but I think you see where I'm going..
It's nice to have a $20,000 tower farm in your backyard but it's not needed to just get on the air and start doing different things.
The whole thing is a balance of needs/wants/expectations, etc. A guy who operates casuallymight not want to invest a lot. Then you have guys who operate casually, but have serious setups.... etc, etc... Another thing you can do is send a copy of your license to the echolink folks... Heck, you could even do some
operating from your PC (working repeaters) without even having a radio... It's basically voice chat software that
runs on a PC w/soundcard that links into repeaters over the internet.
http://www.echolink.org/
While that is true in reality you don't need all of that to just get started. Heck, a lot of people may only have even a portion of it... for instance, I don't even have a tower (yet). I've been able to get by at home just by mounting the base antennas to my house, etc. That being said, Even if I had a roll up jpole antenna attached to the top of a curtain rod I could probably reliably work at least a half dozen local repeaters reliably with just a handheld radio. Even with just the rubber ducks I have, if I stand outside in the yard I can probably reliably hit 5 different 2M repeaters without creating a signal that is aggravating to listen to.
The fancier stuff, like base antennas, towers, etc, just increase your range/capability. For example, I can hit repeaters over 50 miles away reliably when at home. Some of this depends on the local terrain around where you live though... I'm lucky in the sense that I live on a hill, although I still get my signal blocked
in some paths.
-Mike
PS: I apologize for the length of my posts, but there is a lot of stuff that's easier to just see in person.
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A project that I've been thinking about for a while is to build a portable cross-band repeater. Basically, a cross band repeater and batteries built into a Pelican case, plus another case with antennas and rope and feedline. This would be pretty useful in emergency situations. Put it up at the highest point nearby and you're set to go. We could also use it for talk in to member shoots.
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