HAM Radio Open Discussions

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HAM Radio Open Discussions • Re: baofang radio

March 15, 2018 woodchipper518 0

Not sure if this was mentioned in this thread somewhere but I had heard that the Baofeng 5uv-r radios were prone to bleed into other bands. Some of the older ones were pretty bad so I was told. So I went to a local club and had mine scoped. I was in…

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HAM Radio Open Discussions • Re: Amateur Radio License

May 30, 2017 apache235 0

Actually the first two tests are 35 questions each, of which you must answer 26 correctly. That would be for the Technician license and the General license. The Extra license is a 50 question test and you need a 70% to pass or 35 questions right.

Statistics: Posted by apache235 — Tue May 30, 2017 10:13 am

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HAM Radio Open Discussions • Amateur Radio License

May 29, 2017 Norman11 0

Ham Radio Licensing Information

For those of you who are interested in communication there is The Amateur Radio System. It includes frequencies set aside for the public to use when licensed . You have to pass a test with 35 out of 50 questions answered correctly. This Year the cost for the test is $15.00
All of this information is available on line There arte several sources
The FCC = Federal Communications Comission
ARRL = American Radio Relay League
Lists Clubs, Locationsof Test sites, Publishes Books.
Your Local City ,County Government, Fire Dept Disaster planning departments may have the names of local sources of clubs , tests.
The North American Ham Radio Club on line
The American Legion , and the Salvation Army both have Amateur Radio Clubs
Study Information is available online Some is FREE Some is NOT FREE
ARRL
HamTestonLine
EHam.net Practice Exams
Ham Radio Study Guide
NC4FB $2.00 to register Has test questions with answers and track your progress
QSL.net
Gordon West Radio School

Most current Ham Operators are willing to help or advise new people. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Norman11

Statistics: Posted by Norman11 — Mon May 29, 2017 5:21 pm

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HAM Radio Open Discussions • Re: Just returned from the mountain cabin…

May 25, 2017 orangetom1999 0

Gunns,

I like this post. I need to get my crap together and get up to speed on this. I used to have my 1st class license but let it expire decades ago.

Yeah Gunns,

I have renewed my license one time now.

My friend out in Tennessee…and I started out on the CB bands many years ago and have maintained contact. When we both got our Ham Tickets…we discovered that we had both been working on Prepping..and the thinking behind the same.

He knew that when he retired he would be wanting to move back out to the mountains…he never got the mountains out of his blood.

Hence he also got his Extra class ticket. And so too of recent has his wife.

We wanted to know if we could make the trip outside of a computer and or a telephone…land line.

This has been incorporated now into our preps…in particular working the extra portion of the bands wherein it is often less crowded…fewer pile ups.

The cabin experience was more or less a remote experiment away from the base here on the Chesapeake Bay.

The next step is to try it here using an olde car battery and carry on for about 40 minutes…and on the lowest possible setting and also using that same G%RV antenna.

Then again another time using a gas powered generator…to a 13.8 volt power supply. Again on the lowest possible power settings.

I do not foresee any problems but you never know until you try It out and see what adjustments need be made.

Best to try it out now and know for sure..in good times rather than under the gun in hard times.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Statistics: Posted by orangetom1999 — Thu May 25, 2017 10:11 am

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HAM Radio Open Discussions • Re: Just returned from the mountain cabin…

May 25, 2017 orangetom1999 0

Gunns,

I like this post. I need to get my crap together and get up to speed on this. I used to have my 1st class license but let it expire decades ago.

Yeah Gunns,

I have renewed my license one time now.

My friend out in Tennessee…and I started out on the CB bands many years ago and have maintained contact. When we both got our Ham Tickets…we discovered that we had both been working on Prepping..and the thinking behind the same.

He knew that when he retired he would be wanting to move back out to the mountains…he never got the mountains out of his blood.

Hence he also got his Extra class ticket. And so too of recent has his wife.

We wanted to know if we could make the trip outside of a computer and or a telephone…land line.

This has been incorporated now into our preps…in particular working the extra portion of the bands wherein it is often less crowded…fewer pile ups.

The cabin experience was more or less a remote experiment away from the base here on the Chesapeake Bay.

The next step is to try it here using an olde car battery and carry on for about 40 minutes…and on the lowest possible setting and also using that same G%RV antenna.

Then again another time using a gas powered generator…to a 13.8 volt power supply. Again on the lowest possible power settings.

I do not foresee any problems but you never know until you try It out and see what adjustments need be made.

Best to try it out now and know for sure..in good times rather than under the gun in hard times.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Statistics: Posted by orangetom1999 — Thu May 25, 2017 10:11 am

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HAM Radio Open Discussions • Re: Just returned from the mountain cabin…

May 23, 2017 orangetom1999 0

In case I have not posted this as far as equipment updates…

I have picked up a new Ameritron 811H linear Amplifier. This amplifier is capable of boosting the radio output from 100 watts PEP to some 800 watts PEP.

I wanted to have it on hand in case conditions between me and my friend out in Tennessee get verily rough with static crashes and other noise thusly blocking out his signal.

So far, outside of initially trying it out, I have not used it. We have mostly been running only the power in the radios we have …100 watts or less.

We have even dialed down our power to some 50 watts and still made the trip ..but we think that with the weather warming up….the atmosphere will produce more static crashes along with more summer storms, lightening, thunder etc…all across this nation.

I have this power on tap..but so far we have been trying to use the minimum power we need to make the trip. We have, in particular, been working along these avenues…minimum power needed…but both of us have extra power/linear amplifiers on tap if needed.

We try to find the quieter portion of the Ham Radio bands in which to operate..thus needing less power. We try to avoid the heavily trafficked bands.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Statistics: Posted by orangetom1999 — Tue May 23, 2017 9:06 am

:wave:

HAM Radio Open Discussions • Just returned from the mountain cabin…

April 24, 2017 orangetom1999 0

Just returned from a week in the Mountain Cabin up in the Shenandoah…near Waynesboro, Virginia.

As we rented the cabin for a whole week, I decided to bring a temporary Ham Radio set up.

I brought my switching power supply, a small tuner, and my Icom 706 Mk II G radio….and a G5RV antenna and a roll of RG8 coaxial cable. Also I brought a small fishing pole to cast up and thread a small light nylon rope through the trees by which to hang the G5RV antenna. This antenna was cut for 80 to 10 meters.

We would meet on the Virginia Phone net at 3.947 MHZ LSB and check in …then after the net would go down to the lower end of 75 meters and work in the Extra portion of the band to get away from most of the traffic…somewhere from 3.610 to 3.625 MHZ. This worked out well…and the copy was good.

Later in the week I raised my feed point up about 10 feet and thus got a bit more received signal on my friend out west. He is in Tennessee near Johnson City.

From the cabin I reckon the distance at some 250 plus miles. From my home base station I estimate some 400 miles. Decent copies from both locations. All traffic was at night and after the days events and get togethers had quieted down.
Also let the children see how the rig worked…they are not accustomed to something other than a telephone or remote controller…so it was a learning experience for them.

Oh..and I tried this G5RV on 160 meters but it would not work well..though it tuned up fine. But 75 meters …it worked great.

Rig is now back home on the base station and working fine.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Statistics: Posted by orangetom1999 — Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:11 am

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HAM Radio Open Discussions • Re: What Class is Your License?

March 7, 2017 sageprice 0

People tell me I have no CLASS. Still after forty years in electronic, I can analyze radio circuits with out a diagram, repair with out an O scope and still read code. My send speed is rusty but if there is a SHTF event the FCC will have a helluva time catching me. Learn the basics you’ll never go wrong.

Statistics: Posted by sageprice — Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:52 pm