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HAM radio thread

dave_dj1 said:
Does anybody actually check on this or listen in to see if you are licensed? asking for a friend.
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Jsut buy a rugged radio and tell people you don't need a license.

Hinestly, it's pretty easy to just get the license. It last about 10 years and takes about an hour of your day to take the test. If you can sit on a couch and regurgitate 300 answers until you memorize the answers you'll be fine.


D_Jeeper The TYT TH-7800 is one I see coming up often. At $220 it's not a BIG investment for a mobile unit. Do people talk on hams at home a lot? I assumed it was an outdated form of communication ever since face book came about.
 
RunningProblem said:
Jsut buy a rugged radio and tell people you don't need a license.

Hinestly, it's pretty easy to just get the license. It last about 10 years and takes about an hour of your day to take the test. If you can sit on a couch and regurgitate 300 answers until you memorize the answers you'll be fine.


D_Jeeper The TYT TH-7800 is one I see coming up often. At $220 it's not a BIG investment for a mobile unit. Do people talk on hams at home a lot? I assumed it was an outdated form of communication ever since face book came about.
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Local repeaters are always busy in the evenings. I have no reason to talk on them but I'll evesdrop every now and then. Got to listen to a 45 minute discussion on how evolution isn't real the other day. :laughing:
 
RunningProblem said:
D_Jeeper The TYT TH-7800 is one I see coming up often. At $220 it's not a BIG investment for a mobile unit. Do people talk on hams at home a lot? I assumed it was an outdated form of communication ever since face book came about.
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Yeah I took a risk on it when I first got a radio to replace the baofeng when I set up my home radio. I am very impressed with it and would buy it again. It has 6 memory keys that you can program so if you run specific areas with different repeaters, you can punch that button and bring up a previous memory for both channels. It also has volume and squelch for each side. Anyways... very impressed with it.

In my area, we have many active repeaters. My closest one has a daily net, ares net, etc. Ham radio is very much alive.
 
I've had my ham for a few years now. Don't really use it that much. Can't get any of my wheeling buddies to make the jump. Its kinda an "emergency' thing for me at this point. I'm considering putting up a J-pole on my roof and running a line to my office. Been handy to listen to during bad winter storms.

Right now I just have a Icom ID-51 hand held. Really it does everything I need from a radio. We have tons of repeaters here on the east coast. Locally I can hit a number of repeaters in the immediate vicinity and can get on the state wide SKYWARN easily. Also great to throw in the back of the car for road trips. Got a cheap mag mount antenna and its solid.

I've done a few things with echolink. Mainly to try and log into repeaters out west when various shit storms have gone down. Also did use it to talk to one guy I know on his local 2m repeater. That was cool.

Moving forward, other than the j-pole on my roof to give my handheld stupid range and getting a 12v car charger for it, its good to go. I think if I lived out west and had wheeling groups who invested in it, I'd be more apt to throw more money at it. But I don't. I have tried to reach out on repeaters in Moab when I was there, no answer which sucked (we were on WRT and was looking for info).

My buddies and I all got Midland FRS radios. Now that FRS is up to 2W or whatever, for vehicle-to-vehicle they are super stout. Handy and they work. Easy to charge off of android phone plug.
 
LR Max said:
Moving forward, other than the j-pole on my roof to give my handheld stupid range and getting a 12v car charger for it, its good to go. I think if I lived out west and had wheeling groups who invested in it, I'd be more apt to throw more money at it. But I don't. I have tried to reach out on repeaters in Moab when I was there, no answer which sucked (we were on WRT and was looking for info).
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Check out the Ed Fong DBJ-1. Fairly inexpensive and works great!
 
So what else do you guys use the HAM for?
We only use them for racing and trail riding.

Do you sit in your house and play on it?
 
I turn it on in the shop sometimes, the local traffic includes a cop, oes guy, and air traffic controler.
Thus some good listening happens.
I got mine for emergency shf times...mine was a fall rtf class and came home with an ft60.
 
W8HCT, also a licensed VE.

I primarily use VHF, UHF for convoying, wheelin, atv / quad mode with my buddies. We are all just about licensed, so wheelin trail communication is very nice. Once you learn the ins and outs of radio you understand why CB suck so much for mobile communications. VHF, UHF FM is the ticket.

As already stated, HT’s are so handy for spotting and whatnot. Have several Boo Fang’s, for the price if they get munched up who cares. Have two Alinco DR-135’s, one goes between what vehicle I am driving, the other stays up in the Ham shack. Also have a Yaesu FT-891 in the shack for HF hooked to a G5RV dipole up 50 so feet between trees. Don’t use it a lot, more so in the winter. Mostly mess around on 80, 40-meter phone. Have two TYT TH-8600’s. One lives in the wheelin rig, other in the boat. As it’s a CCR, I can use it on the marine and amateur bands. Max power output on marine VHF is 25 watts, it puts out a max of 25 watts VHF, so technically it’s out of band equipment but it cannot exceed the max. Who is going to know.

Me and my buddies have a trip planned to Windrock later this week through the weekend. I will be monitoring the 147.15, WB4GBI repeater while we are down there.
 
LR Max said:
Heck yeah that looks awesome and pretty much what I'm looking for. Thank you very much!
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It was my first antenna. He sends it to you and you shove it into a 200psi pvc pipe and cap it. EZPZ.

20200226_192026.jpg
 
SanDiegoCJ said:
Old school Tech license just over 20 years ago. Our 4X4 club gave up on CB because of the massive idiots, noise, and lack of range. We're now on 2M.
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Same here , It's amazing how pleasant it is without the cb asswipes mucking it up.
 
So with any radio system there is the legal meter and the asshole meter. Eg

Transmitting with a cb linear:
Legal - Not at all
Asshole - Meh

Transmitting with a cb linear and just flooding the spectrum with garbage
Legal - Not at all
Asshole - Completely

Transmitting on FRS with a ham/Baofang radio
Legal - not at all
Asshole - who cares

Running on ham without a license
legal - Only in an emergency
Asshole - depends - Middle of nowhere, running a few watts on simplex - not really. On a crowded repeater - yes

Running a 200 w amp on 2m in your trail rig to talk to the guy 50 yards away
Legal - yep
Asshole - Yep


Here is a real one - I've seen several local "Overlanding Companies" offering guided trips and require ham radio for communications. Technically this isnt legal as you are using a radio to coordinate business activity. Will you get in trouble, probably not.

In reality a club could get a 50 state iterant license (about $500 for 10 years if you pay someone to do the paperwork for you). They then can authorize anyone they want to use these frequecies with no personal license require. Buy a bunch of retired UHF police radios and hand them out as needed. Then you dont require people to have anything specific, legal everywhere, etc.
 
kf4zht said:
Running a 200 w amp on 2m in your trail rig to talk to the guy 50 yards away
Legal - yep
Asshole - Yep
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I can't remember the exact language, but I thought you were only legally allowed to use the "minimum amount of power required to make contact". I guess if you're radio only had one power level, it'd be kosher. I run mine on low and will cycle up as needed if they aren't responding.

Though sometimes on the trail I'll run it up to high and mic over the asshole in the group that won't shut the fuck up. :rolleyes:
 
bgaidan said:
I can't remember the exact language, but I thought you were only legally allowed to use the "minimum amount of power required to make contact". I guess if you're radio only had one power level, it'd be kosher. I run mine on low and will cycle up as needed if they aren't responding.

Though sometimes on the trail I'll run it up to high and mic over the asshole in the group that won't shut the fuck up. :rolleyes:
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It is considered "Best Practice" to use only the minimum amount of power required to successfully and efficiently make a transmission.

I could run 50 watts on my shack radio to hit the local repeater, but 10W gets me almost full quieting so why muddy the airwaves?
 
How did I miss this thread for so long? :confused:

AE4JA

Been licensed since 2004, upgraded to Extra in 2007. Also a VE with ARRL and Laurel. Most of my storage building and almost half of my basement are full of gear, way too much to list here. My favorite brand is Yaesu, but I've got a little bit of everything. Like the others have said, Technician is easy-peasy, easier than getting a driver's license. Where you go after that is up to you. Hell, it's so easy my mom even managed to get her Tech. ticket, and she's in her 70's...

BTW I heard via the grapevine that Gary has a spark gap transmitter in his basement, speaking of old... :flipoff2:
 
KJ6CXN, I haven’t replaced my stuff post-fire but dream of doing some of the ARPS? (HAM to text) stuff.
 
I need to get a license one of these days. I have a TM-271 Kenwood that I modified for a non-ham use. I would only use it to talk to my buddies on a trip, which never happens anyways. My dad is big into it, has some crazy tube amp and talks to martians. I've always gone to hamfests because I've always been into electronics, but never had a strong desire to get a license. Making contacts with people just doesn't seem interesting. 30 years ago it would have been a lot of fun.
 
I played with my baofeng uv8 today. I was told I sounded faint. Clear, just under powered. It’s an 8 watt unit. I was at my house. Any explanation as to why it would sound faint with a clear signal? I know baofengs get a bad reputation, but I assumed I could do a lunch time chat on a local repeater.
 
I got my Tech license a couple of months ago, wish I would have taken a crack at the general since I was stuck at the testing facility doing nothing for a while. I haven't used it at all except to listen so far. I just have a couple of the 8w versions of the UV5R for now. I still can't decide what radio to put in the rig and have researched to the point of exhaustion. APRS sounds like something I want but might just keep it stupid simple for now since most of the guys I'd wheel with are not even licensed.
 
WhiteTrash303 said:
I got my Tech license a couple of months ago, wish I would have taken a crack at the general since I was stuck at the testing facility doing nothing for a while. I haven't used it at all except to listen so far. I just have a couple of the 8w versions of the UV5R for now. I still can't decide what radio to put in the rig and have researched to the point of exhaustion. APRS sounds like something I want but might just keep it stupid simple for now since most of the guys I'd wheel with are not even licensed.
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Check in on those radios. I have the same unit and I was told no one could hear me because it wasn't very loud. I kind of need people to be able to hear me on the other end. I might break down and head to a club meeting and ask questions or help on programming and seeing if it works if I get desperate. Better to know it works before I head out on trails THINKING it works.
 
Still a HAM. Soon to get my kids on, too. Good to see so many of you keeping it going. Never know when you may need it.
 
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RunningProblem said:
I played with my baofeng uv8 today. I was told I sounded faint. Clear, just under powered. It’s an 8 watt unit. I was at my house. Any explanation as to why it would sound faint with a clear signal? I know baofengs get a bad reputation, but I assumed I could do a lunch time chat on a local repeater.
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China
buy a yeasu or icon
 
KC3OEC - license is exactly a year old. I legitimately studied (with a little memorization) and aced the Tech; test admins thought I was a whizkid and then I promptly flunked General in the same session (I'm a MechE, not a sparky!). I decided to test after I purchased a BaoFeng BF-F8HP and realized it would be stupid to not get licensed. Pretty sure it was Sceep that started a thread at the old place about the CCRs and it piqued my interest.

My uncle, W3WJM, gave me a spare IC-28H and a IC-7000 to pair with an X-50A antenna. We were never able to pick up the local repeaters (the manual for the IC-7000 is a phonebook) but we could set up a local chat with him driving around the country block broadcasting from a handheld and me listening on the IC-28H.

I need to get back into it this winter while I am sitting around. Any advice on how to use the IC-7000, or where to go would be great - youtube is more about reviews vs newbie help. Maybe I can check the ARRL directory for some local Elmer help; Uncle is too far away to make it practical.
 
dwygrsshpr said:
KC3OEC - license is exactly a year old. I legitimately studied (with a little memorization) and aced the Tech; test admins thought I was a whizkid and then I promptly flunked General in the same session (I'm a MechE, not a sparky!). I decided to test after I purchased a BaoFeng BF-F8HP and realized it would be stupid to not get licensed. Pretty sure it was Sceep that started a thread at the old place about the CCRs and it piqued my interest.

My uncle, W3WJM, gave me a spare IC-28H and a IC-7000 to pair with an X-50A antenna. We were never able to pick up the local repeaters (the manual for the IC-7000 is a phonebook) but we could set up a local chat with him driving around the country block broadcasting from a handheld and me listening on the IC-28H.

I need to get back into it this winter while I am sitting around. Any advice on how to use the IC-7000, or where to go would be great - youtube is more about reviews vs newbie help. Maybe I can check the ARRL directory for some local Elmer help; Uncle is too far away to make it practical.
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https://www.niftyaccessories.com/IC-7000.php

Best $25 you'll spend, basicly CliffNotes for that radio...
 
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