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mycomancy posted:Do...do some people NOT think that's fun? I know, i don't get it either. (seriously, sometimes it's really nice to get to bed early and wake up at the asscrack and get three hours of quiet, low RFI (cause the city is largely still asleep) scatter in.)
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Sep 11, 2019 01:07
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If you have to hear it, it’s not great IMO. If you are watching TV or doing something else sure. Otherwise it ranks second only to PSK31 and people dumping their computer and station bio with a macro. Second only because turning off the radio on PSK is rude to the other spectrum users.
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Sep 11, 2019 22:13
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Yeah the mode is uh, not something you want to listen to. Just look for the blips on screen and smash TX. Most of the actual work is in either this amazing "chat" site thats been around for 1000 years https://www.pingjockey.net/cgi-bin/pingtalk or, more these days, a Slack instance that we've convinced most of the people under 93 years of age to switch to.
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Sep 12, 2019 01:26
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Partycat posted:If you have to hear it, it’s not great IMO. If you are watching TV or doing something else sure. ugh, i tried bpsk31 on field day with horrid conditions and 70% of RXs was CALLSIGN TESTING TESTING and they WOULD.NOT.STOP.
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Sep 12, 2019 13:44
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What freqs are people using for psk these days? I had it stuck in my head on 40 it was around 7070 but all I ever hear is packet or nothing.
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Sep 12, 2019 18:16
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Big Mackson posted:ugh, i tried bpsk31 on field day with horrid conditions and 70% of RXs was CALLSIGN TESTING TESTING and they WOULD.NOT.STOP. Were they calling CQ TEST? Because that's how you call CQ during a contest
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Sep 12, 2019 18:40
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omg lol if true. Yeah CQ TEST means cq contest. haha anyways yeah 7070 and 14070 USB. It's still fairly active. check out JS8call too, keyboard chat using FT8 protocol. It's pretty wildly popular and hangs out around .078 on both bands.
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Sep 12, 2019 23:27
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manero posted:Were they calling CQ TEST? Because that's how you call CQ during a contest drat, even if this was my first field day i should have known that. I should probably have read about contesting beforehand too lol. The others in the club was focusing on ssb and cw and didnt deal with digimodes so they said "sure" when i said that someone was testing their signals and we didnt have any CQ FIELD DAY CALLSIGN/P or variations of that on the band. drat that was a lot of cqs i could have answered 
Big Mackson fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Sep 13, 2019 |
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Sep 13, 2019 16:17
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Big Mackson posted:drat, even if this was my first field day i should have known that. I should probably have read about contesting beforehand too lol. We all have to learn somewhere what all this stuff means. At least you avoided someone getting real real mad because "Field Day isn't a contest!"
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Sep 13, 2019 17:00
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At least it's not getting into the occult knowledge that is CW. If I didn't scour forums and YouTube videos beforehand I'd be lost in all the acronyms and practices.
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Sep 13, 2019 17:08
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I've got a neighbor who's a ham who has been QRT for over 50 years. His wife always hated him being on the radio so he stopped, but when she passed away he decided to get back into the hobby again. I guess he initially bought a Yaesu FT-450D, but since much of his old gear was ex military (he was a radio op in the military in the late 40's) I guess a lot of his stuff was 24 volt. Well, not realizing that (his memory isn't great, not surprising for a 90 year old) he plugged his shiny new HF xcvr into 24 volts and poof. Realizing his mistake, he ordered a power supply and a Kenwood 590g. He had me come over the other day, I thought he was gonna complain about the weeds growing along our shared fence line, but he invites me in to see his new set up and gives me the 450D. He says he would love to see me go mobile with it. I mean, yeah, you can mount them for mobile ops, but I don't really have the room in my Toyota FJ. I'd like to possibly trade it for/towards a proper mobile radio. He said he talked to someone at Yaesu service who figures it will be a $100-200 fix. I see the 450D goes for just under $700 new. Do I get it fixed and sell it/trade it for something that will be a bit easier to go mobile with or sell it as is for $350 or so? Which do you think is the better option?
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Sep 13, 2019 22:12
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Spent some time having my icom v-82 scan around its range and I was not at all expecting Boulder county to have its police dispatch be broadcast in the clear so close to the 2m band  Last few places I’ve lived I at least had to use Unitrunker to listen to dispatch.
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Sep 13, 2019 22:42
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Hey guys am I doing Amateur Radio right? I was able to receive my first transmission on HF today! I have my technician's license but still haven't bought a transmitter since I am still exploring what's out there and I don't have much money so I can't afford to buy equipment I might not use. That's a USB battery pack -> Raspberry Pi 3A+ -> rtl-sdr.com v3 -> sma to type-F -> piece of old cable tv cable -> salvaged power supply choke with wire salvaged from something else (a terrible 9:1 unun) -> screwed to a wooden garden stake, clamped to a ladder -> hookup wire (29ft) -> broom attached to the fence with clamps. The Pi runs rtl_tcp doing direct sampling, to which I connect over wifi with SDR#. I had tried it with just the wire stuck into the SMA jack on the rtlsdr but got nothing so this was going to be my last effort before I gave up. I'm super pumped when I was able to pick up CW on 40m, and then people started talking on 40m. I heard it all. Almost could understand the majority of it too.  I'm super pumped I was able to hear something for a change. I pick up a lot of DMR on 70cm, some regular nets on 2m, but never really hear people chattin' it up so I've been kinda lukewarm on jumping in, especially considering that I live in a pretty restrictive HOA. "An antenna?! What are we, a bunch of poor people?!" It really gets exciting when there's stuff to hear and soon people will be hearing about how *my* weather is. 
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Sep 13, 2019 23:07
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That rules and I'm kinda jealous because all my radio equipment is still in boxes from a move. You're effectively getting 100% more done with your ladder and RTL-SDR than I am with a couple grand of equipment and parts!
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Sep 14, 2019 02:12
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Internet Wizard posted:Spent some time having my icom v-82 scan around its range and I was not at all expecting Boulder county to have its police dispatch be broadcast in the clear so close to the 2m band Oh yeah, Boulder uses VHF analog because of the flatirons and all the valleys and the mountain range; it works best in that sort of terrain. What'll really bake your noodle is when you get tuning in to all the rural fire departments up in the mountain towns still on 30-50 low band VHF. Denver just went 100% crypto a month ago, so I'm kind of bummed about scanning. There's still a lot of cool poo poo on the state system though, as well as the small town open analog stuff.
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Sep 14, 2019 04:09
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Progressive JPEG posted:That rules and I'm kinda jealous because all my radio equipment is still in boxes from a move. You're effectively getting 100% more done with your ladder and RTL-SDR than I am with a couple grand of equipment and parts!  on some SO-239 connectors and type 2 toroids to upgrade my random wire to something more effective and robust.
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Sep 14, 2019 17:32
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If you expect to hardly use it then a baofeng is fine but otherwise probably better to wait for something nicer. A baofeng is likely to not get used very much just because it'd be so frustrating to deal with on a day to day basis. It feels like a lot of people who sing their praises are just getting them to throw in a go bag or similar as opposed to regular use, in which case it indeed makes sense to prefer something cheap and replaceable. FWIW "mobile" units can also be used on a desk. For example I have an Icom 2730a along with a Nifty accessories stand for holding the head. That particular model wouldn't be great for digital stuff as it lacks a data port* but it can tune two things at once and I find the interface much more intuitive than any HT I've tried. * could be hooked up to send data over the audio input but that's a bit more of a pain to set up
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Sep 14, 2019 23:57
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*rifles through radio closet* Hang on a day before you click buy it now on some potatofeng....
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Sep 14, 2019 23:59
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CapnBry posted:Thanks! But now I am kinda jealous of you having boxes of radio equipment. I have piles handmade antennas made from old RG6 or other bits of wire I had lying around. Today I'm spending the day trying to decide if I should get a cheap Baofeng or save up and get a more powerful mobile station instead of an HT. I already spent You're gonna hate the baofeng. They are dirt cheap for a reason. The best attribute about them is the cases are moderately well built and feel solid; the electronics inside not so much. I've literally used FRS radios more dependable than a UV5r/alike - if not just simply that PTT means PTT immediately, not a half second later. I'm a yaesu fanboy and continually come back to my old FT-60r, which was and remains my staple suggestion for a new ham into the VHF/UHF side of repeater operation and HT to HT local use.
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Sep 15, 2019 00:20
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Ah see now this is good advice. When I google for people talking about those Baofengs, there are tons of people using them and seem to be really keen on owning multiple of them. I hear about the good bits and not as much about the bad. I was considering waiting a bit and getting a mobile station instead and it sounds like that's what I should be doing. I've got a couple scrounged 12V power supplies that should be able to run one and my 2m/70cm antenna-in-a-pvc-pipe would probably be a better match for that instead of a HT. There's also a hamfest in the next county over in a couple weeks so I'll probably go see if someone's unloading something.
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Sep 15, 2019 03:01
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The baofeng or whatever they are all obnoxious to program from the panel . But so are most of the DMR radios. I have the 220mhz one and I thought there was a 900mhz at one point. They make excellent cheap toys for farting around, getting beat on, or for the ubiquitous ham radio community service task that seems to come up- directing cars in a parking lot. They are better than nothing but for $100 you can get something else used that’s maybe more friendly to operate or maybe more durable.
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Sep 15, 2019 03:45
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CapnBry posted:Ah see now this is good advice. When I google for people talking about those Baofengs, there are tons of people using them and seem to be really keen on owning multiple of them. I hear about the good bits and not as much about the bad. I was considering waiting a bit and getting a mobile station instead and it sounds like that's what I should be doing. I've got a couple scrounged 12V power supplies that should be able to run one and my 2m/70cm antenna-in-a-pvc-pipe would probably be a better match for that instead of a HT. There's also a hamfest in the next county over in a couple weeks so I'll probably go see if someone's unloading something. A Yaesu/Icom/Kenwood dualband FM VHF/UHF mobile as a desk base station with like an X50 or X200 outside is about the pinnacle of operating for the mode, save some obscure poo poo.
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Sep 15, 2019 03:51
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New ham checking in, XXXXXX. Passed the tech and general in one shot and currently studying for extra. Right now I'm only on 2m/70cm with a Yaesu FT-60R hooked to a Diamond SG7500A indoors with a mag mount on a metal file cabinet, works surprisingly well but I'm going to upgrade to something like an X300NA and some form of 50W mobile for those bands, and then put the 7500 on my car where it belongs. I also have a UV-5R because it was 20 bucks, it's actually a really cool thing for the price and I don't find it any more convoluted than the Yaesu. I'm really mostly interested in HF, (maybe it's just south florida but VHF/UHF is like listening to a retirement community) but the antenna choices are huge and I don't really know my band preferences yet. Are those wideband verticals like the Comet CHA250 as bad as people say? I don't really have the space to run 100+ feet of wire horizontally and just want to get a feel for as big a slice of the spectrum as possible. Also if any other south florida people are around, whats the deal with 444.325 d0s fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Feb 18, 2020 |
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Sep 19, 2019 00:56
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d0s posted:Are those wideband verticals like the Comet CHA250 as bad as people say? They have a lossy matching network that hides high SWR. Avoid. If you have limited space, the best possible setup is going to be some sort of 3/8x24 mobile mount clamped to a deck railing or something, a couple of hamsticks and some wire for counterpoise. They're at least resonant, reasonable efficiency, and no hidden match box parts.
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Sep 19, 2019 02:45
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Jonny 290 posted:They have a lossy matching network that hides high SWR. Avoid. From what I gather hamsticks are monoband, I'm more looking for something that can cover a reasonable amount of HF bands in one antenna mainly for listening and learning what they're all about (without having to swap antennas to change bands) before setting up something more specialized to transmit on whatever few bands I end up wanting to use. Is there something out there that fits this bill?
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Sep 19, 2019 03:24
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My go-to portable antenna these days (which also qualifies as an apartment/limited space antenna) is the MFJ-2286 "big stick" https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-2286 for a hundred bucks you get a whip that extends to 17 feet, a loading coil at the base that you can adjust the tap on, and a 3/8x24 mount and a couple radials. It'll tune 40 through 10 meters well and I think it's a really good deal for a hunnert bucks. I clamped the mount onto the head of this big rear end telescope tripod I found at a thrift store and built a nicer radial set, and it works very well. I'll say this: the two bands you should care about starting out above all others are 40 and 20 meters. 20 is the fish-in-a-barrel best band for contacts during daytime, and 40 meters runs from dusk through midnight and wakes up around 5am. The other real options these days are 75 meters (requires big antennas, full of racists) and 10 meters (only really usable right now when Sporadic-E propagation kicks in). 15 meters is pretty consistently dead, 12 is always dead just due to lack of use, 17 can be fun however. 30 is strictly digital so unless you are really into computer beep boops or CW it's a skip, and 60 meters suffers from 75m needs-a-big-antenna-itis, though the crowd is much friendlier there. This has been my judgemental review of the HF bands. Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Sep 19, 2019 |
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Sep 19, 2019 03:27
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Jonny 290 posted:My go-to portable antenna these days (which also qualifies as an apartment/limited space antenna) is the MFJ-2286 "big stick" Hey that looks great for a first HF antenna, pretty much exactly what I was looking for, thanks! Also appreciate the opinions on the bands, at first it's hard to figure out what to focus on.
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Sep 19, 2019 05:20
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d0s posted:I'm really mostly interested in HF, (maybe it's just south florida but VHF/UHF is like listening to a retirement community) … Haven’t seen much noise about it on the “SoFlaHams” yahoo group.
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Sep 19, 2019 13:49
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Cocoa Crispies posted:Haven’t seen much noise about it on the “SoFlaHams” yahoo group. it seems to be a containment repeater for edgelords, there's one guy on there who spends all night every night ranting about black people (and the other typical favorite topics of those types), real future spree killer vibes. I don't really care but it was surprising getting on ham radio which I always assumed was super strict and finding that kind of thing
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Sep 19, 2019 17:23
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Gonna toss my recommendation for a Buddipole kit for a good portable/apartment deck setup. You can mix and match coils and whips to get a good antenna for any band, and add on to it later as you need for building dipoles or a taller telescoping mast.
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Sep 19, 2019 17:28
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Another goon checking in - passed my tech and general! I've been farting around receiving on a Baofeng for a few days in the PDX area and I'm excited to move onto to bigger and better things!
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Sep 22, 2019 01:19
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I have a kind of weird request, let me know if this isn't cool here and I'll edit it out. I drive a 30+ year old car every day. I want to put a mobile in it that looks somewhat period correct, looking at this page on Universal Radio there seem to be plenty but there isn't much on ebay and the ones that are there are parts only. If anyone has a mobile lying around that would look "right" in a car from 1985 and wants to sell it I'll gladly take it off your hands. A simple 2M only is fine as when I'm driving I'm mostly interested in making simplex contacts (planning on getting a callsign plate), but of course I wouldn't mind a dual bander with bells and whistles. Some examples of the sort of thing I'm looking for:     
d0s fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Sep 22, 2019 |
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Sep 22, 2019 18:20
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d0s posted:I want to put a mobile in it that looks somewhat period correct My dude may I suggest attending a local ham fest
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Sep 22, 2019 21:53
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Sniep posted:My dude may I suggest attending a local ham fest I went to one this weekend and there were dozens of these around for less than $50. Try to find one with tone capabilities, though, because you will almost certainly end up wanting to play on repeaters. Simplex gets used around here but I'd say 90% of the activity is on repeaters.
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Sep 22, 2019 22:04
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Ah cool I wasn't expecting to find any in my area (it's poo poo for most other "nerdy" things) but ARRL shows two hamfests coming up in november within 100 miles of me. And yeah tones would be nice but I kinda feel like I won't be using repeaters much in my car so it's not a big deal, could always hook my FT-60R up to the antenna if I really wanted to. I assume most transceivers this old don't have CTCSS and DCS?
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Sep 22, 2019 22:19
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d0s posted:Ah cool I wasn't expecting to find any in my area (it's poo poo for most other "nerdy" things) but ARRL shows two hamfests coming up in november within 100 miles of me. And yeah tones would be nice but I kinda feel like I won't be using repeaters much in my car so it's not a big deal, could always hook my FT-60R up to the antenna if I really wanted to. I assume most transceivers this old don't have CTCSS and DCS? Just looking at the pictures you posted, I can see that the IC-27A and the Kenwood at the end appear to have TONE buttons, so it's going to depend. They may still need an external tone board though--I've got a Kenwood mobile of a similar era that has a TONE button but needed a tone board wired in.
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Sep 22, 2019 22:29
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Yeah, be aware that often times in this era of radios, the tone board itself can cost more than the entire radio, especially with Kenwood It’s very much worth paying attention to see if you can score one with the board intact
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Sep 22, 2019 22:49
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thinking bout 6m FM hellschreiber.
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Sep 23, 2019 18:42
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hf fax would work too I keep wanting to see if i can gently caress with it. it's too wide for anything below 28 mhz tho
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Sep 23, 2019 20:59
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Also worth noting that old FM ham radios are often only designed for 25 kHz channels (or wider), instead of 12.5 kHz (I assume the US has also transitioned to narrow channels). Probably worth at least adjusting the TX deviation before use, ideally the receiver should also be modified.
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Sep 23, 2019 21:49
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