Well, I learned something. That glue trick is good to know.
I did find 4:1 heat shrink on Amazon but not 6:1. From the looks of some of the images 3:1 might even work for you which they seem to have in abundance.
Amateur Radio FAQ
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Well, I learned something. That glue trick is good to know.
I did find 4:1 heat shrink on Amazon but not 6:1. From the looks of some of the images 3:1 might even work for you which they seem to have in abundance.
- Dec 30, 2012
- 6,996
I'm trying to learn about types of antennas for the different bands. Are there any books or resources you all recommend? YouTube seems to be full of crap that's hard to weed out.
cms1528
Active Member
- Feb 26, 2013
- 802
This may be of interest to some......
An Amateur Radio Operations Class – Starts – Thursday – April 19, 2018
Want to try something new in amateur radio? An Amateur Radio Operating Course will be taught starting April 19 at the National Electronics Museum and will run for ten consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.
Based roughly on the ARRL Operating Manual, a group of experienced speakers will present a wide range of Amateur Radio activities. The course is free. If you are interested, please reply to this e-mail. It is highly recommended due to terminology and other information referenced, that individuals attending have at least their Technician class license.
The exact schedules is being finalized, but the speakers and subjects will be:
All About Operating Rol Anders, K3RA
Amateur Organizations-local, national international Rol Anders, K3RA
FM, Repeaters, & VHF/UHF Digital Voice/Data Mike Birdseye, K4DUM
VHF/UHF Weak Signal Work Brian Skutt, N3IQ
Remote Station control over internet Ike Lawton, W3IKE
DXing Bernie McClenny, W3UR
QSLing Nick Yokonovich,K3NY
Contesting Dan Zeitlin, K2YWE
Awards Rol, K3RA
HF Digital and Image Communications Mike Birdseye, K4DUM
Amateur Satellites Glenn Long, KC4KMY & Tom Jerardi K3CXW
Disaster, Public Service, EMCOMM, and Dave Prestel, W8AJR &
Traffic Handling Rich Firestone, WR3F
Radio Propagation Frank Donovan, W3LPL
An Amateur Radio Operations Class – Starts – Thursday – April 19, 2018
Want to try something new in amateur radio? An Amateur Radio Operating Course will be taught starting April 19 at the National Electronics Museum and will run for ten consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.
Based roughly on the ARRL Operating Manual, a group of experienced speakers will present a wide range of Amateur Radio activities. The course is free. If you are interested, please reply to this e-mail. It is highly recommended due to terminology and other information referenced, that individuals attending have at least their Technician class license.
The exact schedules is being finalized, but the speakers and subjects will be:
All About Operating Rol Anders, K3RA
Amateur Organizations-local, national international Rol Anders, K3RA
FM, Repeaters, & VHF/UHF Digital Voice/Data Mike Birdseye, K4DUM
VHF/UHF Weak Signal Work Brian Skutt, N3IQ
Remote Station control over internet Ike Lawton, W3IKE
DXing Bernie McClenny, W3UR
QSLing Nick Yokonovich,K3NY
Contesting Dan Zeitlin, K2YWE
Awards Rol, K3RA
HF Digital and Image Communications Mike Birdseye, K4DUM
Amateur Satellites Glenn Long, KC4KMY & Tom Jerardi K3CXW
Disaster, Public Service, EMCOMM, and Dave Prestel, W8AJR &
Traffic Handling Rich Firestone, WR3F
Radio Propagation Frank Donovan, W3LPL
cms1528
Active Member
- Feb 26, 2013
- 802
This may be of interest to some......
An Amateur Radio Operations Class – Starts – Thursday – April 19, 2018
Want to try something new in amateur radio? An Amateur Radio Operating Course will be taught starting April 19 at the National Electronics Museum and will run for ten consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.
Based roughly on the ARRL Operating Manual, a group of experienced speakers will present a wide range of Amateur Radio activities. The course is free. If you are interested, please reply to this email ( melenie.maule@ngc.com). It is highly recommended due to terminology and other information referenced, that individuals attending have at least their Technician class license.
The exact schedules is being finalized, but the speakers and subjects will be:
All About Operating Rol Anders, K3RA
Amateur Organizations-local, national international Rol Anders, K3RA
FM, Repeaters, & VHF/UHF Digital Voice/Data Mike Birdseye, K4DUM
VHF/UHF Weak Signal Work Brian Skutt, N3IQ
Remote Station control over internet Ike Lawton, W3IKE
DXing Bernie McClenny, W3UR
QSLing Nick Yokonovich,K3NY
Contesting Dan Zeitlin, K2YWE
Awards Rol, K3RA
HF Digital and Image Communications Mike Birdseye, K4DUM
Amateur Satellites Glenn Long, KC4KMY & Tom Jerardi K3CXW
Disaster, Public Service, EMCOMM, and Dave Prestel, W8AJR &
Traffic Handling Rich Firestone, WR3F
Radio Propagation Frank Donovan, W3LPL
An Amateur Radio Operations Class – Starts – Thursday – April 19, 2018
Want to try something new in amateur radio? An Amateur Radio Operating Course will be taught starting April 19 at the National Electronics Museum and will run for ten consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.
Based roughly on the ARRL Operating Manual, a group of experienced speakers will present a wide range of Amateur Radio activities. The course is free. If you are interested, please reply to this email ( melenie.maule@ngc.com). It is highly recommended due to terminology and other information referenced, that individuals attending have at least their Technician class license.
The exact schedules is being finalized, but the speakers and subjects will be:
All About Operating Rol Anders, K3RA
Amateur Organizations-local, national international Rol Anders, K3RA
FM, Repeaters, & VHF/UHF Digital Voice/Data Mike Birdseye, K4DUM
VHF/UHF Weak Signal Work Brian Skutt, N3IQ
Remote Station control over internet Ike Lawton, W3IKE
DXing Bernie McClenny, W3UR
QSLing Nick Yokonovich,K3NY
Contesting Dan Zeitlin, K2YWE
Awards Rol, K3RA
HF Digital and Image Communications Mike Birdseye, K4DUM
Amateur Satellites Glenn Long, KC4KMY & Tom Jerardi K3CXW
Disaster, Public Service, EMCOMM, and Dave Prestel, W8AJR &
Traffic Handling Rich Firestone, WR3F
Radio Propagation Frank Donovan, W3LPL
Keystone70
MSI Executive Member
I got the same email and already signed up. See you there if your going.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
- Dec 30, 2012
- 6,996
At the risk of opening a can of worms, I'm looking for suggestions on a good all band transceiver. I'm not going to use it as a mobile, but I understand many mobile rigs work good as a base in the shack. I'm limited by my budget, so $900 is the most I can spend.
Keystone70
MSI Executive Member
Many different opinions and way to go here:
If your not opposed to buying used, you can checkout the ham fests and online forums. You'll have to decide what a unit is worth to you based on the appearance and features. It helps to have someone with you more familiar with the older units. If you want a late model in good condition, you may want to stay with new. I found the asking prices almost up to full retail. There are deals, but they are hard to find and go quickly.
If you want new, there are only a few choices at that price unless there is a good sale or rebate. I just bought a Yaesu 450D recently because it seemed to have more than the Allinco and Icoms in that price range. I am very happy with it and have made many contacts. As the saying goes; you get what you pay for. I personally think the 450D is underrated. My other choices were the FTDX1200 and Icom 7300. They are not under $1000 but good radios. The FTDX1200 is $925 thru the end of April after a $200 mail in rebate. The FT-450D is $679 thru April after instant rebate.
Reason I bought the 450D? I'm cheap and didn't want to go too deep the first time.
Check out HRO for pricing.
Good hunting.
I'm assuming by "all band" you mean you want a HF, 6M, 2M, 70cm transceiver.
You're right, a great many people get directed to the Yaesu 857D mobile rig.
For about $500 more you can get a Yaesu FT991A that has a spectrum/waterfall display built in.
Another Shack-in-A-Box is the Kenwood TS2000. It is an older model radio that is still in production and you can definitely get one in your budget. It has dual-receive unlike the FT857D or FT991A so you can use it for satellite work without ticking people off who insist you be able to hear your own transmission. (There is a "chirpee" in one of the satellite frequencies that they never fixed and always gets brought up when TS2000 is mentioned)
There is also the IC9100 but that is definitely out of your price range new and probably used as well.
Personally, unless you want to do other than FM (for linear satellite work or 2M SSB...) on the 2M/70cm side, in your situation, I would save a little more and buy the ICOM 7300 and buy a less expensive mobile transceiver to go along with it. The ICOM 7300 is an SDR (that you don't have to have a computer to operate) that has a waterfall/spectrum display built in and it's receiver is ranked almost as high as some radios costing 3X as much.
There are also some older Shack-in-a-Box type radios no longer in production on the used market, like the Yaesu FT847, FT897, as well as mobile rigs.
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For that the IC-7300, and TS-590S, can be had used. Both great rigs.
You really need to focus on your antenna first for HF. Great antenna with okay rig = good fun. Not so much the other way.
Better in my opinion to get a used 2M / 440 rig for the VHF / UHF work. You will have a better experience.
- Dec 30, 2012
- 6,996
I opted for the Icom 7200 hf rig & MFJ-2012 antenna. I figured a dedicated hf radio would be better then a shack in a box.
- Dec 30, 2012
- 6,996
Yep, that's my plan. I got the ARRL antenna book, so I'll be experimenting with different ones.
Keystone70
MSI Executive Member
Yes. One of the fields in the Chirp grid is for TxPw
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
Press the "#" key momentarily. If it is on High TX power when you do that, it will switch it to Low TX power and an "L" will appear in the display. Press the "#" key momentarily in Low TX power the "L" in the display goes away switching it to High TX power.
If you press the "#" too long it locks the PTT.
Thanks to the both of you. It looks like I am transmitting on high power... just not being heard by many. I can hear the 100 Watt repeaters just fine... they can not hear me unless I am within a mile or so. Upgraded antennas, etc. just not enough power.
.
A repeater that's mounted on a good sized tower or building ought to be able to hear you fine with 4W from 5mi or so away. I can routinely hit a repeater in AACO from PGCO a distance of about 20mi from the ground. I've even talked tens of miles through a AACO repeater from inside a car with no external antenna. But lot depends on where you are inside/outside, have intervening buildings or terrain between you and the repeater. Also, if you have a weak or low voltage battery, that can lower your output power. I've heard of this happening even with OEM battery packs that use disposable alkaline batteries versus the OEM rechargable NiCads or LIons. A small difference in voltage causes more significant drop in power.
Keystone70
MSI Executive Member
To give another example": I live in Elkridge and can hit the Davidsonville repeaters (AACO) , both 2m and 70cm, from inside my house with 1/2 watt on my HT.
Another consideration is that, at least with the other repeaters, if the tone is not correct, you'll hear the repeater but won't get in. If you're using my input file, I can't vouch it is 100% accurate for all repeaters because I added some of them from sources like TMARC but I haven't personally tested each one (since they are all over the state). Also, there are many repeaters that have the same input frequency/output frequency pair but different tones (they try to physically separate these) so you may hear one on a memory for a local repeater when it is actually another distant repeater.
I ordered one of those inexpensive USB-SDR modules and was playing around they Airspy last evening. I’m still scratching the surface and trying to learn about Ham radio, but I’m fascinated with how much technology is packed into this software/hardware combo.
I do have a question about Airspy. Do any users know how if it has the capability to work as a scanner? If so how? It seems like it has a built in record function, so it got me thinking that it would be useful if there were a way to scan and auto record any signals, then I could go back afterwards and discover where traffic is occurring.
I do have a question about Airspy. Do any users know how if it has the capability to work as a scanner? If so how? It seems like it has a built in record function, so it got me thinking that it would be useful if there were a way to scan and auto record any signals, then I could go back afterwards and discover where traffic is occurring.
