Amateur Radio FAQ

[Mark75H]

Just passed the Technician exam Saturday the 7th, will take the General May 2nd. Hope to have call sign in 7-10 days. fred55

it should be posted on the FCC website at least by tomorrow, and that is the official license, you don't have to wait for a letter in the mail

Check the website tomorrow after 10am, I bet you will be there

 

[Mark75H]

About $80 to put up a good node that can make a long distance link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075Q16P4X/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_6?smid=A3HCET3UGETZ2B&psc=1

Twice that if you want the node to serve as a relay between two nodes that can't communicate.

Bear in mind, that unless a majority of the backbone is installed at locations that offer a height advantage, this system will have limited success. The western US benefits greatly from its more diverse topography and its relative lack of dense foliage. Getting good links is dependent on getting the fresnel zone of the antenna beam out of the foliage.

I'm in a good location to make a link across the bay, but there are few tower installations near me that would provide access to my link. I could get a link up about 50 feet on a tower. AARC had a mesh group but activity seems to have died. They had some nodes (mesh, but not AREDN) on one of their towers, but I don't think they are active, and I don't think they were installed at significant height.

The great advantage of a system like AREDN is that it, like email, forums, or list serves allows people to exchange information not in real time. One could run a forum for local 'news', etc. personally, I get nearly all my local information from MDshooters, and if this sight were to go down, or my access to it prevented, I would be relegated to local radio, ham chatter (which granted, would probably tick up significantly), etc..

A well executed AREDN network could be a fantastic local asset in a grid down situation. Well executed meaning installed, operating, used, power independent, etc...

Personally, I think such a network could only be executed well on scale beyond that of any individual local radio club, in that clubs tend to focus on certain interests, and I'm fairly certain that a given club would set up a network to support those interest. For example, AARC is largely public service and would probably direct their efforts toward their support of the races that they provide comms to.

I'd be interested in supporting a network that is directed at providing grid down services and communications/information exchange in a grid down scenario.

ditto

 

[Winged Pig]

Congratulations and good luck with the General exam!!

 

[Antarctica]

Regarding local emergency communications, nothing stopping us from having our own plan, but there are already several systems in place, such as ARES and RACES.
http://www.arrl.org/ares
https://qsl.net/races/
We have a 2 meter ARES net every Sunday night at 8pm on the W3CU repeater, 146.805. If that repeater goes down, we switch to the Arlington machine 146.625. If that repeater goes down, there are simplex plans.

If a severe weather event is occurring and SkyWarn is activated, the W3VPR machines (147.075 and 147.105) will be dedicated to SkyWarn traffic. Trained SkyWarn spotters in the area will check in with current reports. There are other regional SkyWarn coordinators on air during activation too, such as Bluemont/Mt Weather (147.300). See the National Weather Service website for Skywarn info.
https://www.weather.gov/skywarn/

For more regional/national nets, you can find some on HF, like Amrron and there is another emergency net that meets regularly that is now a maritime net (14.300 mHz), but will change gears and run any emergency traffic if we have a SHTF situation.
https://amrron.com/nets-regional-national/amrron-regionalnational-nets/
http://14300.net/netinfoa.htm

We have a ham section over at ArfCom and they too have "a plan"...
https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/Ham_Radios/22/
Visit the "Important Threads" sticky.

Not trying to take anything from the value of these efforts, but they are completely different from an internet independent digital network. They could probably benefit from what an AREDN network could provide, but they in no way replace it. The fact that repeaters could/would displace a given type of comms for a specific traffic in some ways indicates that those services would impede some types/use of communications.

I see tremendous value in replicating the information that is captured in forums like this one and presumably what is in local 'facebook' pages (although I can't comment specifically on those since I have never had a facebook account - but I know for a fact that some exist).

The ham community lost a tremendous resource with the collapse of the packet network systems when people basically dumped it for the internet (it's understandable given the speed and connectivity advantages at the time, but we lost the stand alone independence of packet networks to the interdependence and single point failure vulnerabilities of how the internet is deployed). FWIW, packet still has some stalwarts in more 'detached' communities, like in West Virginia. New technologies like AREDN and New Packet Radio stand to replace the old packet radio capability with modern, improved equivalents if they can make significant installed inroads.

 

[crofrog]

Has anyone tried to establish NVIS comms for the area? The thread is super long so I didn't go through it all.

 

[hollyb1]

would it be worthwhile to create a social group on MDshooters for Amateur Radio?

The FAQ has the following, but I don't see a create group button on the Social groups page personally.

Can I create my own social group?

As a registered member, you can create your own social group (providing the administrator allows this). Go to the groups page and click 'Create A New Group'. Complete the title and description for your group then select the type. There are three types of groups:
•Public - open to everyone. There is no restriction on who can join or who can post messages to it
•Invite Only - require an invitation to be sent to join them. Invitations can only be sent by the group creator or forum moderators and administrators. Invitations are sent by clicking 'Pending & Invited Members' at the bottom of the page for that individual group
•Moderated - open to everyone to join but messages need to be moderated before they will appear. They are moderated by the group creator and the site moderators and administrators

 

[E.Shell]

Not trying to take anything from the value of these efforts, but they are completely different from an internet independent digital network.

No worries, this post was directed to posts prior to the digital network discussion.

 

[mac1_131]

Has anyone tried to establish NVIS comms for the area? The thread is super long so I didn't go through it all.

Could be very effective. 60 meters (5 MHz) is a great band for that. Problem is not everyone has that in their radio.

Next best would be 40 meters during the day and 80 meters at night.

NVIS antennas can be put up temporarily and don't have to be up high since you want them to radiate straight up.

Maybe we should give this a try some time?

 

[fred55]

Thanks for the well wishes! No license in database today, perhaps tomorrow. My first task will be to connect to a repeater from the Btech UV-5x3 I have and start the learning process. Cheers and 73's fred55

 

[Mark75H]

Chirp works well for programming the UV-5x3. Of all the Btech and Baofengs I have the UV-5x3 is my favorite

A resource like repeater book.com will let you find 2m 1.25m and 70cm repeaters near you. Be mindful of switching to the 1.25m antenna (it has the white ring inside the base) when using 1.25 - or buy a 3 band antenna

 

[K31]

License testing at AARC this Saturday, March 14, 2020 is cancelled. No need to ask why, is there?

 

[K31]

Hamvention 2020 cancelled.

I wonder if that's a first for that (not 2020 wiseacre, Hamvention in general).

 

[E.Shell]

They cancelled the club meeting for this past Friday night.

Our regular MMARC monthly exam session, March 24th this month, is cancelled due to the electronics museum being closed for a couple weeks.

 

[TapRackBang]

It is the first time Hamvention has been cancelled. ARRL confirmed that in their announcement.
http://www.arrl.org/news/dayton-hamvention-announces-cancelation-of-2020-show

 

[K31]

Don't you love being ahead of the curve?

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4623310#ixzz6GyaDCCSz

Too bad with the ongoing plague VE testing is being cancelled. Maybe the FCC will reconsider remote testing.

 

[Mark75H]

Don't you love being ahead of the curve?

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4623310#ixzz6GyaDCCSz

Too bad with the ongoing plague VE testing is being cancelled. Maybe the FCC will reconsider remote testing.

When I took my test, most of the volunteers were definitely over 60 years old, exactly the group being told to avoid big groups

 

[PowPow]

I just bought my study materials for Technician and General last week. The idea, however, was completely unrelated to current events. It's been on my bucket list since about 1975.

 

[Slim]

Anyone using one of the PRC-152 clones? The TRI or TCA ones.

I have a Baofeng, and a Yaesu FT60R, and an XTS3000, but I’m intrigued by all the options of the PRC-152 clones, plus compatibility with antennae, PTTs, and pouches.

 

[ToolAA]

Does anyone know if National guard COMMs can be monitored or are other special use frequencies or non-encrypted frequencies that can be useful to monitor in an emergency situation like now?

 

[Slim]

Does anyone know if National guard COMMs can be monitored or are other special use frequencies or non-encrypted frequencies that can be useful to monitor in an emergency situation like now?

I don’t have a specific answer for you, but Radio Reference is my go-to for that sort of thing...