/ham/ Amateur Radio General

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>What is amateur radio?
Amateur radio is a vast hobby about radio communication, electronics, astronomy, geography, meteorology and more
>What's the point?
The point is it's fun. The fun is in both the learning and the operating. You can call your mate in Australia on skype easily, but sending a radio signal from where you are and having it come down the other side of the planet? That's impressive.
>Isn't it an old man hobby?
It's true the average radio operator is older, but there are younger people in the hobby, and many of the old bastards know more about science and technology than people in their 20s.
>How do I get into it?
First of all you need a license. You have to share the radio spectrum with various companies and services, from the military, and maritime to space research and taxis. The licensing will depend on your country. Normally there are about 3 or 4 tiers of licenses, the higher the license the more power you're allowed and the more you can do.
>How do I get one?
Find your local amateur radio club and contact them, they'll be happy to help.
>I've got one, now what?
There are many things to do in amateur radio. The most popular being VHF/UHF for local communication, both simplex and via repeaters, but the 'main' thing in amateur radio is DXing, making long distance communications.
>Is it an expensive hobby?
It can be. Luckily you can buy everything second hand. Speak to people at your local club, they can get you started.
>I have another question
Ask in the thread

Trying to get a regular amateur radio thread going, is this okay for a beginner? Should this go in a pastebin or should I just post it as the 2nd post in each thread? Any suggestions?

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Pic related is my first HF rig, really like it, performs well. Few niggles like having to dive into menus to access things like RF power, and also felt like the shift knob should have been a notch knob too.

It was hooked up to a dipole in my garden however due to a storm a while ago the antenna snapped (tree obviously moved more than I thought it would) and I'm due to replace it. Going to get a fibreglass pole and have it tied to that.

The antenna is a bought half size G5RV which claimed to be resonant on 10 metres, however due to a longer feeder it's now no longer a G5RV and just a dipole, but I can get the SWR right down on 20 metres with the internal ATU.

I'm about to order a proper ATU and a tigertronics signalink so I can do some digital modes. SSTV should be fun.

>>1109677
Those are nice units, I've owned 2 FT-450d's. Xmit audio is fantastic. The first one I owned the knob quit working and had to replace the encoder. Second one I blew the finals somehow and have yet to fix it. AT the moment I'm running a Kenwood TS-480SAT but I want to get my Yaesu operational again.

Scored a ton on 10m DX on them! Of course these days 10m is a dummy load.

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Here is a nice DIY project. This end fed antenna works great (even with built-in antenna tuners) 6-40m, and is a pretty easy build.

http://www.earchi.org/proj_homebrew.html

>>1109719
Yeah 10 metres definitely seems to be dead. There was a day a while ago where II heard about two people on it but nothing apart from that. Any idea when it will pick up? Will we have to wait a few years until the sunspots start going up again?

Just wondering, on your FT-450ds did you use the monitor? You assign it to the C.S button but I can't seem to get mine working, pressing the button does nothing.

>>1109727
How do end feds compare to dipoles?

>>1109734
Well the end fed I posted is nice because even internal radio tuners should tune it to most of 6-40m with decent SWR. Performance is decent given the convenience.

With a dipole you can get SOME range depending on how its hung (inverted V or T) but the dipole will perform best on the band it was cut for.

My personal favorite for flexibility/band range/performance is a Windom - if you have room to hang one!

>>1109743
If you strapped an endfed to a pole does it essentially become a vertical antenna?

>>1109744
It becomes a vertical end fed, no radials or counterpoise.

>>1109746
Does it have a lower angle of radiation than a horizontal end fed?

>>1109730
There have been openings on 10 metres here. I've heard dx on the local 10 metre repeater recently.

Are there really any amateur operators here in /diy/? If so, I think a DIY for antennas/HF communication should be stickied. The very nature of amateur radio is DIY.

>>1109744
No. An end fed antenna radiates along the entire wire, even to your radio. SWR is always a factor. A true vertical radiates beyond the feed, and SWR is reduced by a counterpoise, or radials - wires spread across the ground, or aerial - meant to offset SWR.

I've actually cooked a wi-fi router using an end-fed antenna @ 100w. Put it outside.

>>1109727
This is fine and dandy, and useful but you neglected to mention this wrapped torroid antenna will effectively reduce your output. 100w radio? Meet 10w output on this tuned antenna.

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I got my 2 meter mounted up in my new truck today. I have a 3' hamstick mounted on the bed rail.

I opted for a temp mount. I want to get something with a detatchable face plate eventually.

>>1109982
Sweet! Do you have any 2m traffic in your area? Local repeaters? If in US, are you Technician, General or Extra?

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>>1109983
I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, there are repeaters (plural) in nearly every town here. Ive been able to rig my radio to a power supply and a JPole antenna in my backyard hung in a tree and hit repeaters in Decatur, which almost 45 miles out. Not much to talk about on the repeaters, a bunch of friendly old guys talking about old guy stuff.

I use it primarily for skywarn nets, and simplex with friends. Occasionally we'll see how far we can get each other on simplex 2 meter, which is pretty fun.

I have a general license. I haven't really made use of it yet, but I was bored and decided to take the test.

>>1109990
I'm a general as well. Get an HF rig as soon as you can. I was bored as well, passed tech and general the same testing night. Didn't have the balls to try for Extra. (that's a toughy!)

I live in an area with little 2m traffic, but hf dx is a blast. You have the ticket, buy a radio! Even qrp is fun.

>>1109994
Ive been thinking about picking an HF rig up. Antennas are the hardest thing, I dont have a ton of room (1/8th of an acre.) Perhaps I'll pickup a used HF rig and a "portable" multiband type antenna this year.

I tried for extra when I passed general; Made a 50. I may study up and get that sometime too, why not?

>>1110006
>1/8th of an acre

I know someone who used to run 160 meters on about that.

>>1110006
Get whatever HF rig you can afford. It's amazing. I'm in Alabama, and my first DX was Ireland. Then Germany. All from a bit of lamp cord strung up between two trees in my back yard. Buy a unit with a built in tuner.

>>1110006
Use the end-fed posted above. Not very efficient but will get you out there.

>>1110020
>>1110014
>>1110013
I drew up plans to string something up a bit ago, I should get back to that. I'm really interested in portable/qrp rigs, like elecraft and youkits stuffs. I'd be getting into $$ there though. I'd also love to refurb an old kenwood ts140 or similar.

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>>1110025
*TS-440s, I meant to type.

>>1109730
They say about 2021 the propogation pick up agian big time with lots of solarspots!!

have any of you tried the internet-through HAM radio thing? I know the FCC would fuck you in the ass for it if you encrypted anything but still

>ATV
http://www.batc.tv/ch_live.php

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>>1109675
I thought about getting a license, but ham radio is not what it used to be. I remember back in the 80's listening to a ham radio in my electronics class. you could hear all sorts of stuff. even in the middle of the day:
Radio stations all over the world
Hams talking to each other
The Russian woodpecker
Slow scan TV
Radio faxes
you name it the band was full of it.

Now?
Obnoxious preachers
very few foreign english stations
old hams talking about the most boring shit ever
the occasional rtty and radio faxes of nothing interesting and mostly static.
ham radio is dying.

>>1110284
oh yeah I forgot the worst thing, the shit show known as "a contest".

>>1110284
You have to know where and when to look. DMR-MARC has some good conversations whenever I listen.

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Meteor M2 LRPT image received at 137.9 MHz some time ago. Need a better preselection filter as i get some intermods hence the lines.

>>1110284
All the things you remember still exist apart from the Russian woodpecker, there are plenty of other weird noises to listen to now though.

>Obnoxious preachers
wot, do you mean that weird American Christian shortwave station?
>very few foreign english stations
Do you mean shortwave broadcasting? I will admit that is dying, English language broadcasting anyway. Shame really.
>old hams talking about the most boring shit ever
Don't listen to them then, tune to something else
>the occasional rtty and radio faxes of nothing interesting and mostly static.
>occasional
Mate the digital parts of the bands are always full, PSK, FSK, RTTY, JT65 is really popular and Olivia seems to be getting more popular. SSTV is still popular.
>ham radio is dying.
It isn't, there are more people getting licensed every year.

http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/

Go have a play around on that.
>>1110290
It's a massive hobby, if you don't like something you don't have to do it.

>>1110241
Do you do ATV m8?

>>1110393
I watch it sometimes. Only a swl here.

>>1110356
>apart from the Russian woodpecker

There are other versions of that out there.

Rebuilding a battery pack for an amateur radio, is there a good place to get non Chinese garbage 18650 cells that aren't over $10 a cell in 'Merica? My options seem to be BatteriesPlus but they sell only 1 kind of 18650 and it has warnings about how it's only for their LED flashlight, or Chinese garbage that claims 3400mAh but is nowhere near that.

Also studying for my General but hooooooooo boy am I over my head. Not sure how it's going to go. Got my Tech 3ish month ago, did rather well on it.

>>1111288
dw mate just revise

I did shit in.my foundation license exam but passed, got quite a few questions I didn't know. I went in thinking I'd get 100% lel.

Moving onto Intermediate now, 10 watts isn't enough for my antenna setup

I'm in Ireland studying for my foundation, and I've bought a baofeng but I can legitimately not pick up a single thing on it.

Where do I look for frequencies?

>>1111383
Well google leads me to this.

http://www.irts.ie/cgi/repeater.cgi

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I like these.
Though $dayjob pays me to install and maintain them.

>>1111396
Who for?

>>1111392
Oh what is this "google" you speak of? Is there a way I can find it?

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>>1111399
USAF
Those, the new CM-350 (UHF/VHF) that are replacing the aging GRC-171 and GRR/GRT radios, microwaves, etc.
pic related, microwave jerb.

>>1109675
>What is amateur radio?
a dying hobby.

>Be me
>be 40yo
>get technician license
>go to local repeater group meetup
>I'm the youngest guy there.

>>1111383
https://thersgb.org/services/bandplans/html/rsgb_band_plan_june_2016.htm

Check the band plans for 2 metres and 70cm, it's RSGB but Ireland should be the same.

144-146mhz is the amateur 2 metre band, 430-440mhz is the 70cm amateur band.

The stock Baofeng antenna is shit, get a new one like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/0uf/Retevis-RHD-771-SMA-Female-Antenna-Kenwood-Baofeng-Radio/B013SPU4PY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483899943&sr=8-2&keywords=baofeng+antenna

Check your local repeaters. Watch youtube videos, read the manual. It doesn't make much sense at first but stick at it mate.

Is there a club near to you? Pop over for a chat, best way of learning in amateur radio.

>>1111496
There is a 12 or 13yo I hear on the local repeater sometimes. He is licensed and all. Scouting plays radio and I think that may have something to do with it.

>>1111403
>USAF
I guise that is why they are using locally made then.

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>>1111496
>be me
>be 21y/o EE student
>get extra in one go
>how on repeater
>all retired EEs and former radio technicians
>current topic is the radio I just bought a week ago
> [my callsign] here, I'm new, I just bought that radio if y'all want information from an IRL user rather than just sales spec.
>You sound young AN0N, like you're 18 or something
>I bet you voted Hillary you fucking millennial, leave before you bring Obama's government informants with you.
>mfw

I shit you not everyone on the local repeaters who isn't higher than a tech class is a conspiritard of the caliber of flat earthers. I'm not even a liberal.

>>1111803
Crotchety old guys need safe spaces too

>>1111803
we got one black guy on our repeater system and he's a liberal. but the weekly nets seem to be pretty apolitical so thats ok.

I just got into radio because I wanted to know how it works, conventions and protocols, and for SHTF and emergency

I get more intellectual stimulation out of /pol/ than I do with the old guys. The old guys on the radios are a bunch of cuckservatives anyway.

>>1111819
>>1111836
I'm just glad some of the nuttier Alex Jones types stay off of HF more than they do 2m.

>"I'm just glad ham radio isn't shit like CB"
>"But the license requirement should be removed, I think we should be free to use the natural bands. People did not invent the bands"
>"but anon, the license is why it's good"
>"no, you're just blind to the truth brother, the gummnt just wants you to believe that. 2m is good like it is because the higher frequency is only accessible to elite beings who can hear 145MHz."
>"It's just like how the Nazis made all music tuned to 440Hz instead of 445 because it suppresses free thinking"
-A real conversation I overheard.

>>1111803
I think that says more about the local culture than the hobby.

I have heard them talking to the kid about how his day at school was and so forth. There is also some other guy who sounds like a literal retard the way he speaks and they talk to him too. I think he used to be normal but has some degenerative condition.

Just a moment ago I heard some new guy get on for his first contact. He got pasta and "had to go do something else" but they were nice enough to him.

I've heard some of the Cali repeater feeds and listened to 3840LSB. Those guys are as bad as CB in my country but thankfully the hams are not like that here.

>>1111392
>>1111527
BTW thanks a million guys

>>1110284
Wow.. you take me back! I remember listening to Moscow Mailbag in the early 80's on a SW radio in junior high (electricity class teacher had several in his classroom).

All those OTH radars, Soviet jammers on VOA channels, WEFAX, RTTY and FAX transmissions from various foreign embassy's. I heard my first Rush song on a pirate SW station that was located on the west coast of Canada in '82.

I used to supply reception logs to Pop Comm magazine in the 1990's. The 80s were halcyon days, I wouldn't deny it.

Dammit now you got me all nostalgic..

http://www.pahnation.com/shortwave-radio-in-the-1980s/

>>1110312
Damn that is neat! I have yet to try that, I have a collection of antenna plans for wxsat rx. I'm told SDR is the way to go rather than modding a vhf radio for the wider bandwidth.

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Could not wait till my roof was ready.
So i put my 11 mtr antenna on the scaffolding!

Just heard a 9yo with a foundation license. Looked on the data base. He is legit.

>>1109994
>I was bored as well, passed tech and general the same testing night. Didn't have the balls to try for Extra.
That's my story also. I got a couple 2m HT's and an HF base station. Working on getting an antenna in the air now.

>>1113322
top lad

Could you bounce signals off another planet or moon like with EME or would the attenuation be too great?

>>1114622
Considering Earth-based radars have been used to analyze Mars' surface decades ago, it isn't entirely, totally impossible with current technology. Actually, some ham group managed to get a bounce from Venus some years ago. Of course the signal was absurdly weak (visible only after heavy signal processing) and even if it wasn't, 10 minute round trip time is kinda demotivating.

>>1114644
>call CQ and an alien responds

http://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Signal_Identification_Guide

Really interesting website

Where I can I find book/guides/manuals for learning to take the tests to get licensed. Anything that teaches morse code?

>>1115433
a search engine

>>1115453
>>1115453

I was thinking things like PDFs or morse code training software but thanks for the obvious answer

>>1115433
>morse code

Its no longer required in my country and a few others. Check local rules.

That is not to say you still can't use it if you want.

>>1115494

Its no longer required here either but it was back when I was a kid and trying to get my Novice license. I'll try for the technician license but if I can't learn Morse code I won't really feel like a real enthusiast.

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>>1109675
DX anon here, pic related and SpectrumLab is my home setup. Did I get memed? Is Palstar decent? What transceiver would best complement the equipment I've got? Thanks.

>>1113322
heh! In 1990 I was unsuccessfully trying to break into a pileup on a dx station when I heard a young girls voice give out a buddy's callsign the next town over. Almost immediately the dx station calls for silence and asks the YL to repeat her callsign, she did, info exchanged, 73's, riot resumes.

Dammit wth?! Immediately ring buddy up on 2m and I ask if he was just on 20 with that dx stn, (chuckles) he said he was, I tell him we gotta talk. Later at his house over some "807's" he explained that he often got his young daughter to call stations a young, and a girls voice, is rather distinct even among a pileup and most hams will go out of their way to make a contact special with young ops. In short, a great way to cheat & break pileups! To her credit she thought it was fun.

Bring kids on Field Day, we did.. it really builds up the points. I never did get that rare dx..

>>1116517
That's the same reason female voices were chosen for things like GPWS, it stands out when there's a bunch of men talking on the radio.

>>1115433
What country?

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>>1116510
How much did you spend on that stuff mate? You may have got memed.

That antenna is only for receiving btw, if you want to get a transceiver you'll need something else, you'll also need an ATU and a power supply.

What's your budget? New, best bet is something like a Yaesu FT-450D which is £500. Used you can get an old one for maybe £250 but you kind of have to know your stuff with the old ones as they can have a bit of 'personality' and issues. For example I originally bought an FT 102 off ebay, arrived, plugged it in, *pop*. Basically in transit it must have been knocked around because the valves in it were fucked and in the end the seller kindly refunded me as it wasn't worth buying new valves for it.

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>>1116619
~$1000 USD on stuff in the pic, 5 years ago, from the manufacturer. Not counting the polish pottery. SP30H external speaker was another $100 at the time. Prices on all of it have gone up since. The speaker's rear 3.5mm jack doesn't even work... it's too small to plug anything in. The banana plug clips are also too small and the rear plate on the HF receiver only accepts 3.5mm or 1-1/4" plugs anyway, not stereo wire. Audiophile industry strikes again.

Overall I've been happy with the quality of the components. I'm not mad. It's all meant for listening to emergency/survivalist HF comms after WW3, anyway.

Budget on an HF transmitter would be somewhat over $500 USD, not counting outdoor antenna. I've looked at Yaesu VHF stuff in the past, but prices seem to have skyrocketed in the past year. Thanks for the help anon, and sorry bout your valves.

What I want to see itt.

> /diy/ transmitter with time stamp

>>1117084
Are kits included in your interpretation of /diy/?

>>1116616

USA

>>1117101
They are more DIY than outright buy so why not.

>>1116988
>It's all meant for listening to emergency/survivalist HF comms after WW3, anyway.

Bit cringey ngl but shortwave listening is still great.

Do you just want a trasceiver in case of WW3? Because there's no point doing that. Are you licensed?

VHF is line of sight, HF is ionospheric, it's more complicated but I'm not going into detail. How far do you want to communicate? You can really cheap 2 metre and 70cm stuff, HF is more expensive mobiles and base transmitters.

Antennas can be made for piss cheap, just a bit of wire and lob it in a tree. Just make sure it's the right length etc
>>1117220
Dunno what books the ARRL recommends, contact your local club.

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>>1117345
500mW(Max, over-driven, at peak resonance) LM386-N based ham pixie in an Altoids tin for 40m, right now set for 7.110MHz, CW only.

Future plans are to mod the kit, replace the crystal with a synthesizer, add a notch filter to the audio, add an auto-keying circuit for paddles or key input, maybe try to add some other form of modulation to the system.

I wish I had more to show but time is a fleeting resource.

>tfw even without any filtering you make a 1000 mile contact at something like 150mW from a big hilltop.

>>1117395
Nice one mate

>>1117429
Thanks m8.
The whole kit was like $2 on ebay, and It even came with like, 120 spare components. Well worth it.

If you're interested go for it, but I'll caution that they can be hit or miss on quality, and the instructions are ridiculously poor.

It goes great with the Chinese QRP antenna tuner kit, it costs more, but makes it way more usable. The tuner comes with no instructions though. I would post picks but my callsign is written all over it.

>>1117449
*20 spare components
IDK where that extra 1 came from.

>>1117449
Have read varying reports on them but they are more diy. Good stuff.

I want to get a QSL card from WHRI but they require me to comment on their programming in order to get a QSL card. I don't know what to write since their programming isn't really... of my persuasion. What do I write?

>>1111496

ARRL doesn't help when everyone on the covers of books and stuff are 60 to 80 years old and are still using equipment that use vacuum tubes.

If they want to keep the hobby alive they need to focus on a younger target audience Like middle school through college. Focus on the hi-tech equipment ...use the cheaper mobile stuff to draw people in since current generation of young people aren't really very handy and aren't likely to be climbing on roofs to install antennas.

>>1117640
This.
There's also the general consensus in the ham community that any radio <$150 is shit, and that a $400 mobile rig is cheap.

I'm a college student with no money, and this VE ham who works at a college literally told me "what do you mean you don't have the money to get into HF? you can get a good 40m SSB rig for only $300."

All of the old dudes shit all over anything that isn't MFJ, Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, elecraft or a heath-kit. I've had a few of them straight up lie, saying that "baofengs, puxing, and wouxuns are illegal" and "every radio I've used that cost less than $80 transmitted noise across the entire band"

>>1117689
Some hams are proper angry about Baofengs, they should be happy, they're getting people into the hobby.

>>1117554
Don't you nornally have to say what programmes you listened to and what the contents were to prove you listened to it?

>>1117554
>Pastor [read name from schedule] has inspired in me a deeper love of Jesus Christ. God Bless, Faithless Anon

>>1117757
I didn't know that, I've never asked for a QSL card from a broadcasting station and you don't have to do that with other hams.

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Well, this is good timing.

I stumbled across a deceased estate if a HAM after spotting some old Z80 era computer gear on the curb and knocking on the door to see if anything else was going, for free or otherwise. The dude's son was cleaning out the joint and let me basically raid the house for anything I might want. His dad's HAM club had already swept through and snagged most of his gear; As far as he was concerned the more I took, the less he had to haul to the dumpster. Ended up helping him haul some real heavy shit out as well for being such a top cunt, but I digress.

Amongst some amazing old test gear, a Datong FL2 Filter box and an unbuilt, 80's era HF transceiver kit from Dick Smith I got pic related. I can set the time on it but as soon as I try to use any radio functions it glitches the fuck out. I need to hard reset it, but it retains time, so that's a start.

When I turn the jog wheel the unit responds by arbitrarily illuminating function LEDs and segments of the frequency display. Pressing function buttons (mounted to the low side RF board) does not change the appropriate indicator lights, meaning the control board seems to be ignoring feedback from the RF board. No static sound with squelch down but I can inject audio and hear it through the speaker so I know the AF stage is good. It has a digital control board upstairs and an RF board downstairs, and I'm guessing based on the symptoms the fault is in digital land. I'm hoping like fuck it's not a corrupted uC or it's game over, I doubt I'd be able to find the binaries to flash a new one. I'm gunna rework the digital board in case it has dry joints, but I'm not sure how much effort I should put in beyond this. Reviews are all over the shop, but it seems like a solid unit to DX on.

> TL;DR; Need to go balls deep into the digital control section of this receiver, is it worth spending my time on?

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>>1117816
Well shit, having resurrected a few devices by reseating key chips, I just pulled and replaced the uC from it's socket. We now have full panel function, but still no audio on local commercial AM frequencies. Signal meter doesn't appear to be doing anything either.

Based on pic related, I should be nosing around in, and upstream of, the AGC sections, right? This is where the signal meter is fed, and presumably, if the AGC section was faulty/dead, the squelch block would be stuck in "mute" mode, thereby preventing the mode switch from passing signal from whichever RF section/band is currently selected, to the AF chain.. r-right?

I'ma need to look up how all these blocks works so I know what signals I should be looking for, but I am so far out of my depth here it hurts. I know next to nothing about RF stages of devices, not much more about analogue beyond class B amps and light/motor controllers. I'd prefer the fault was in the digital sections to be honest, TTL I can work with.

>>1117689
>>1117755
Watch them lose their shit when you talk about SDR. It's like they don't want to acknowledge that it's even possible.

Then there are the Yeasu/Icom guys who shit all over DMR. Guess what assholes. DMR is taking off and D-Star and Fusion are going to go away.

>>1117853
Most of the guys I've talked to basically think of SDR as the holy savior, then shit all over baofengs because they don't cost $300 like their SDR TX/RX.

It's actually pretty funny because baofengs are SDR based IIRC.

>>1117853
I'm a Yaesu fanboy ever since I grabbed a VX-8, and I think DMR is the hottest shit on the planet. Nothing like talking around the world in perfect clarity with an 80 dollar handheld.

>>1117853
I would like to make it clear that these hams are in the minority, all the ones I've met love all the new technology and are welcoming and very friendly. UK btw, not sure if US hams are cunts or what, might just be a vocal minority.

>>1117804
>with other hams

Why would you mate, shortwave broadcasting and amateur radio are different. Does the channel not ask what they want you to submit to get a QSL card?

I don't really know much about SWLing mate sorry

>>1117816
Looks a nice receiver mate hope you get it working.

Does it need an external antenna by any chance? Could it be that there's either no antenna or the antennas fucked?

Saying that I can hear static if I unplug my antenna from my rig.

>>1117886
>why would you
I think it's really cool getting and sending "postcards" from all over the world. The channel does ask, but I don't know what to answer in one of their questions.

>I don't really know much about SWLing m800
no problem, anon, neither do I

>>1117966
>I think it's really cool getting and sending "postcards" from all over the world

That came out wrong mate, I know about QSL cards they're great, but what I mean is shortwave broadcasting companies are different to hams, and from what I've heard you need to say what you listened to rather than just send QSL cards to anyone who asked for one.

What's the channel?

>>1117888
Yeah, its all external antennas, currently have an AM loop antenna on it from an old stereo.

>>1117850
>but still no audio on local commercial AM frequencies

You have got an antenna in? You can expect anything without it on these unlike your average ferrite rod equipped domestic RX.

Nice find btw. I have a number of RXs here acquired under similar circumstances. This is a common occurrence for old guys to pass and the family to just want it gone. I have had some actually give me stuff because they know they have too much.

You will need an actual schematic rather than a block diagram if you want to do much good fault finding.

Does it make white noise in FM mode? FM is usually AGC intendant with a noise mute as opposed to RF signal mute.

>>1117850
>I know next to nothing about RF stages of devices,

>>1117816
>from Dick Smith

Well you should be able to understand this accent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFnwxuGjvkg

>>1118097
I didn't know autistic squealing was an accent.

>>1118073
Yep, have tried an AM loop antenna on Gnd and Hi Z, no dice. I was gunna try a telescopic on the Hi Z but there is no commercial broadcasts I know of below 30MHz so I never even considered FM modes. I'll see what it does when I get home.

I was just happy the guy let me pillage, it's not like he had a hate on for his father, but I know I'd struggle with letting people paw over the possessions of someone I loved. As he said though, just less stuff for him to get rid of, and he was happy it was going to someone who would see some use. We got some amazing furniture out of him as well, I asked him what he knew if their history so I could tell the story of them, he seemed humbled that I was taking that interest. I think that helped him open up as well.

I do have a schematic which helped me verify the audio stages were golden, I just posted the block for clarity.

>>1118097
Neat, at work right now, I'll have a look when I get home. Thanks anon.

>>1118132
You should visit Melbourne one day.
> t. Sydneysider

I assume then that I am on the right track in terms of where I am looking in the circuit? I'll review that video and see what I can come up with, thanks for your advice so far legends.

Just passed my General tonight. Are there any HF rigs that won't break the bank? The only ones I know of are either boat anchors or the FT-857D and I don't have $900 to drop on a radio...

>>1111363
Passed my General but barely, high school/college friend was going to take it with me last week but we ended up reading a website that showed it last week when it was really this week so we showed up a week early. Told ourselves we would study and take it this week, I passed with 1 question to spare and he missed it by 3.

>>1118236
Yaesu FT-450 or Icom IC-718 and there's an Alunco one too, all three around £500/$600 new

>>1118236
>>1118294
Also well done on passing mate

>>1117985
WHRI, I don't remember what exact broadcast now. I'll probably just tell them what I heard on the program and end it with "god bless"

>>1118460
Go for it mate, make sure you tell them how strong their signal was and the quality of it etc, when you listened, what you listened with.

>>1110356
>It isn't, there are more people getting licensed every year.

People are getting licensed but it doesn't men they are actually getting equipment and working a station like in the past. I know a few people who got licensed just so they could put it on their resume and hang the license on the wall of their office.

Any chance someone could point me to current PDFs of the ARRL study guides? I'd like to try studying for all the licenses and get at least the Tech and General in one session if not all three. Thanks.

>>1118295
Thanks. Daunted by the number of HF rigs, thinking about maybe a shortwave receiver or maybe an upconverter for my SDR just to listen for now? I have an old CB laying around but I doubt it would work on anything other than 25-30MHz.

>>1118700
I used hamstudy.org and the No Nonsense guides by KB6NU and I did okay. Hamstudy is totally free, KB6NU offers his Tech guide for free and the others are on Amazon and his website for like $15 or so. he has ebook version as well, the test questions are public so it's just finding what format you prefer.

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>>1109675
ham radio is dead.

can i transmit and receive with this? also what mic/speaker would i need for it? this is my first time reading about ham i thought it would be fun

>>1118735
Qianson HAM Radio 40M CW Shortwave Transmitter

>>1118736
>Qianson HAM Radio 40M CW Shortwave Transmitter

Didn't look it up but from the name it's a transmitter only - no receiver.
A fixed band at 40 meters.
And CW (continuous wave) - no microphone, just a key as in Morse code key.

>>1118697
>I know a few people who got licensed just so they could put it on their resume and hang the license on the wall of their office.

How ridiculous

>>1118711
It's up to you, 'shortwave receivers' are normally just for broadcasting so they're only AM.

You just need to make sure you want to get into the hobby properly before shelling out money, and unfortunately HF is expensive to get into it. Maybe check ebay for used transceivers, or contact your local club.

>>1118849

I don't think so. What can you talk about on ham bands you can't find on the internet? Ham equipment is expensive.

>>1118971
The whole idea of amateur radio is the methods of communications, it isn't about 'talking'

It is expensive, but I don't see the point in getting licensed and not using it.

>>1118978
Its something to do and a test to pass as a measure of the accomplishment.

>>1118983
How absurdly bored you need to be to spend time and money on passing tests and getting licenses you don't need? Why not get useful licenses while you're at it?

>>1118984

The information is available free online. The test only costs 15 bucks. Learning something new isn't a waste. What would you call a useful license?

>>1118985
I can understand the interest in learning about radio, electronics etc but just getting the license for no reason seems very weird. Couldn't you just look at the information online, why would you need to take the test?

I might get an HGV license to hang on my wall yet never drive a lorry, that's a good idea.

>>1119041

The license in the usa is valid for 10 years. Once you have it you always have the option to use it at a later date....such as when more disposable income is available.

>>1119086
That's true.

Is this what happened to you then, you got a license but didn't have the money to get into the hobby?

>>1119088

I wanted the license when I was a kid in the 80s but didn't have the money or resources. I still don't have the money/resources but I got my tech license. It was kind of a pyrrhic accomplishment though....the test seems easier now than in the mid-80s and no morse code required. Still feels good having it. Might upgrade to general in the summer. Taking and passing the test keeps me motivated to study and learn.

>>1119101
You can get a Baofeng for 30 quid m8

>>1119106

or I can pay my rent in full. The Obama years were not kind to my area or me. Mostly low paying part time jobs here unless you know someone or can afford to relocate.......I lost my job, then my house. I work two part time jobs that supply enough for food and rent, just barely. I'm bartering bandwidth from a neighbor's wireless and in exchange I shovel his snow, cut his grass and clean up his dog's crap from his yard depending on the season. If I couldn't get online and download pirated books I'd have killed myself when Obama got re-elected.

>>1119221
wew lad

>>1119221
So you're angry at amateur radio because you're poor?

>>1119427
I don't think he is saying that. Oh we'll, now he has no health care either probably.

>>1119427

No. Reading the books, info. and studying for the test(s) even though I can't afford to actually buy equipment has kept me sane. I'm just pissed off at everything else. I grew up poor...worked my ass off and was comfortable middle class and then the economy tanked and I lost almost everything and someone is telling me how cheap and inexpensive gear is....for him, like its that way for everyone. I'm tired of running on a hamster wheel to go no where.

>>1119652

I havn't had health insurance since I lost my full time "real" job back in 2008. ObamaCare was too expensive and I'd never be able to pay out of the deductible each year unless I was terminally ill anyway if I could afford the monthly premiums.

>>1118851
Communications receiver was the word I was looking for, most of the ones I see are usually $100 or so less than an actual HF rig so might as well get the HF rig. I need to ask the local radio club what they suggest, I've gone to a few meetings but haven;t had time lately.

>>1119811
Clubs often have their own stock of radios and will sell you one for mates rates

What freq neighborhood is considered the chatting in range of the Twente WebSDR?

>>1120302
Are you interested in that one for any special reason. The antenna is not tuned for any specific band so its poor compared to some others.

What language are you interested in hearing?

>>1120309
Found a group of 3 speaking to eachother in English like an hour ago but didn't write down where.

>>1120312
There are plenty of others to try.

websdr.org

sdr.hu

mfw SSTV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjMYbi9nHb4

>>1119980
Friend is going to retake his general test at the club I'm a part of and then they have their monthly meeting, I'll ask then. I live in Dallas so there's a lot here.

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>>1109675
Howdy all!
I just passed my Technician and General test on Saturday.
I've got a Baofeng I've been listening to. But being out in the hills, it's mostly the weather station,and for some reason OPB is being re broadcast outside the band on 166.25.
My father is giving me his old IC- 740, which looks like a workhorse.
I'm a Junior EE major at WSUV. So I've found all of this really interesting. But what is interesting me the most is NVIS. I've read a lot about the technical side, but I havent heard many people who actually do it.
Is it that it's not a very effective way of communicating? It sounds great in theory, us VHF for ground wave and repeater range, then use NVIS to reach things just over the horizon, but still in a local 200 mile area.

>>1120510
>NVIS

Definitely a thing that's done mate but most people just use bands like 40, 60 and 80/160 in the daytime to do 'local' contacts

http://www.predtest.uk/

This a propagation prediction tool for the UK, change the 'Type' to REL for reliability, then change the bands. You can see the lower bands in the day are short skip and don't go much further than the UK.

http://www.w0ipl.net/ECom/NVIS/nvis.htm

This article is quite good.

60 metres is supposed to be a really good band for NVIS, the military use it to communicate over mountains etc

Nice rig btw

>>1120510
Congrats! The IC-740 is a pretty decent radio even by todays standards. I knew a dx'er who has one, they have a sensitive low noise receiver and really shine when you get the optional filters in.

In the early 90's I lived in a semi-remote mountainous area on the Pacific ocean. I lived in one of 3 small towns approx 50 km apart from each other in a triangle pattern. One town was in a steep valley and a couple of us found that 80 m worked during the day but we had high static levels. We experimented with this method as an alternative to the "chatty" local 2m repeater we had which constantly vocalized its ID every 15 mins.. was very annoying.

We only did it for a short bit until I discovered a bounce path for 2m that worked into the town in the valley. NVIS wasn't, and may still be, an uncommon method. In my area most use linked 2m repeaters and those with HF privs will go on 80m during the evenings to chat when condx are quieter.

Me? I'm all for experimenting and doing the odd thing as long as it follows the "gentlemens agreement" on bandplans. IRC we were using single-band 1/4 wave dipoles while the guy in the valley had a G5RV up high on a 65' high tower. I think AM with squelch was tried with mild success.

And a friend and I went backpacking with a homebrew 80 m SSB transceiver running 5 watts PEP into a 1/4 wave dipole only about 15' in the air. We only used it at night and easily worked out 500km. We even had a few stations further away work us (we were pretty weak). Again, in a mountainous area in the PNW.

>>1119793
You're doing something wrong.
Cut your losses and move out of state if the debtsharks are that bad to you.-

Otherwise, get rekt mate. If you don't have 30$ to spent on parts and build a kickass radio with you obviously arent working any job nor posses the ability to spend money on what actually makes you happy.

>>1120510
My country has done nvis broadcasting for many years. 2.3 MHz night and about 4.7 MHz day and night.

Any hams in the northeast, like New Hampshire? Is there a community of you nigs around here?

>>1120565
>>1120510
I've been under the impression that most people without towers are operating with a sort of pseudo-NVIS anyways just because they've got their antennas strung lower than the 50+ feet needed for 40m and lower?

>tfw S7-S9 noise floor

WAKE ME UP

>>1120980
This pretty much.

>>1121556
Fucoing hell mate where do you live?

>mfw that solar storm a few months ago

Every band was S9 of noise and it sounded fucking awful.

>>1120923
Google to check for your local club, there's hams everywhere

>>1121678
100% sure it was some kind of RFI. I was about to go drive around with my little SW radio but then it started to intermittently drop to where it is now, S2-S3.

>>1120715
easier said than done. I never thought I'd be in the position I'm in at the moment. It can happen to anyone....at any time. It just happened to a lot of people here at the same time.

I'm trying to make things change but its tough with two part time jobs, no car and no set schedules where I work so every week is different and I almost never have a whole day off.

I'm not your mate.

>>1121982
sell drugs or make money online-

>>1121982
Lighten up mate!

>>1121982
And this is why you dont do heroin kids.

Quick question /ham/, Im going to be building a wireless power project in the low Mhz (1-10) range at around 10W, whats the best frequency to use that wont cause too many issues for others?

>>1122209
US btw

>>1120980
The angle is higher for low antennas but I'm not sure if it's near vertical otherwise I would be able to talk to people in my area on 40m etc.

Also iirc a rule of thumb is to have say a dipole at least half a wavelength off the ground for a band.

>>1122209
Nearly all frequencies have been allocated to something unfortunately and I would be very careful about transmitting unless you know about the band.

Even only 10W can travel the world. I would recommend checking the US frequency allocation table
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/january_2016_spectrum_wall_chart.pdf

I'm not quite sure what the laws are and what bands you could use.

There's loads of those 'fixed' bands which I don't really know what they are, but they could be military so I wouldn't chance it.

>>1122189

I don't do drugs. I have a couple beers at family functions a few times a year.

Ok, so faa, ftc, and several radio groups (arrl, et.el.) have all basically told me they have no idea as to the answer to this question. So now I'm am asking you all.
As long as I take laws regarding antenna height, et.el, and such into consideration, is there anything that would prohibit me from raising a tempory/emergency antenna via a lighter then air balloon (or for that matter, a powered hobby craft [quadcopter or such]), if I place both a strobe and a radar reflector between the antenna and balloon?

>>1122352
I would say that if it is a permanent installation it could get you in trouble, but only if someone wanted to make it that way.
If you have neighbors close by, yeah, they will try to fuck with that. Else, no one is going to mind.

>>1120980
>>1122241
I take it back you're right, checking the radiation patterns of a horizontal dipole below a wavelength's height and a lot of energy goes straight up or nearly vertical.

>>1122352
If it meets the temporary or emergency antenna rules I don't think it matters how the antenna is erected as to tower vs balloon. How high do you plan to do? Falling drone with a lot of wire will surely be a safety hazard but I'm grasping at straws.

>>1122352
Wind is likely to be a pain. If you try it make sure it's cant reach power lines.

>>1122352
The only concern I can think of would be the FAA if you anywhere near a landing pad or runway approach of any sort.

>>1122698
About 2 miles from an airfield, so faa faa is an issue.

Still fucking awkward on air, hearing your callsign come back is a bit scary ngl

How do I learn morse?

>>1122906
Everyone is mic shy at first. Just keep going, you'll be fine. Contesting is a good way to practice saying your call.

>>1122944
I feel like every time I say 'zulu' for Z people don't understand so I have to say something else like 'zanzibar'.

I'm only on 10 watts until I move to intermediate so I probably don't get above the noise very well.

I will definitely get into contesting and get some practise.

>S9 noise on 30m, 40m, 60m 80m at night
>S7 noise on 160m at night

What the fuck is all this, it wasn't like this before.

>>1122921
I have heard it said you should learn to read it first. Should be learnt as sounds rather than dots and dashes.

There are numerous computer program's for learning it.

>>1123079
Plasma TVs or chink ebay electronics?

>>1117689
I got my license, but I rather spend a few hundred upgrading my computer which is a far more useful piece of equipment. Older hams are probably stockpiling used radios with their fat pension checks.

>>1122688
I'd most definitely Guy it, even though all service wires nearby are underground.

>>1123089
Possibly, I'll have to hunt the source down

>>1123212
Are you the same poorfag mad because he can't afford a Baofeng?

>>1123079
Yuck. It can be a bitch tracking down noise. I used to use a portable analog AM/SW receiver to track down a problematic noise source on 40/80m. Traced it to a power pole a few hundred feet away. Called the power company, weeks go by and nothing. Mentioned problem at the next meeting & an old fart said take a sledgehammer to the pole. G/f thought I was nuts when I walked out and started beating the shit out of the pole. It worked! Only to have problems with the next pole down, which was solved later during a heavy rainstorm which probably cleaned the dust off the insulators.

Only a month reprieve when massive 20db+ noise across my HF receiving spectrum. This one was from a fluorescent light fixture in the workshop right below my apartment. I begged & bugged the landlord to turn it off. After a long fight of off & on I discovered that his workshop was wired off my panel. Flick of the circuit breaker solved that.

Also look for switching power supplies, touch lamps, and some compact fluorescents and LED light bulbs.

>>1122921


http://www.cwops.org/cwa-student-res.html

There are some morse code MP3s on torrent sites...the most notable is an ARRL audio course. Also do a search on youtube.

>>1123363
Last night I used a SW receiver to try to find the source, no luck however I discovered two of my three monitors are noisy and the lights in my room are, both have no effect on my doublet in the garden though.

Tonight I'm getting S4 noise on 30m, S8 on 40m S4 on 80m and S3 on 160m so last night must have been a one off event.

Still doesn't explain it though.

>>1122921

Also...stay away from the Gordon West stuff. Its shit and will hinder you and your speed.

I bought a book on the Foundation level license and test, I bought a UV-5R to listen to while I earned that license.

I quickly learned that nobody, legit NOBODY, is broadcasting on any common channels, not on PMR446 or anything.

There's a repeater nearby the I tuned in to, nothing at all for a week solid.

Totally deflating, no point even getting the license.

>>1123537
Nobody really chats on UHF or VHF any more, even the repeaters seems mostly dead. Although saying that I bet there are plenty of people listening but no one talking.

The UV-5R has a fucking dogshit aerial though mate, and for VHF and UHF you need height. If you're sat in your room with the baofeng don't expect to get much.

Nobody uses analogue PMR446 any more I don't think, it's all digital now.

>Totally deflating, no point even getting the license.

It is deflating if you wanted to chat with people locally and that's all you wanted, but if you want to get on HF, even do some VHF/UHF dxing and all the many other things that are part of the hobby then get a license.

If you are licensed why don't you say hello on your local repeater and see if you get a response.

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Whats this shit? Some kind of repeater?

>>1123551
Where is it?

>>1123543
>Nobody really chats on UHF or VHF any more

They do here.

>>1123537
I have heard the stock antennas on them are junk.

>>1123599
Maybe it depends on your area

>>1123551
Either a 2m yagi or a television/radio antenna.

>>1123623
I think he means the vertical

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>>1123635
This one you mean?
I was talking about that one.

>>1123635
>>1123668
Yes the vert, being fed from the two ip boxes

>>1123861
To me it looks like the black cable runs under those the bottom box and into the wall, but I can't tell for sure. It could also be a high gain WiFi antenna but not sure why a house would need one?

>>1113322
>9yo

A few weeks on and he is already turning into a rag chewer.

>Call signs cut out to protect the incessant

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1jwOnp4KFHH

does anyone know of a fully programmable handytalkie?

able to be flashed with alternitive (possibly foss?)

i was under the impression the baofengs were programmable with chirp but its just pre-programmed input

would i be better off building a embedded linux sdr and add a battery for mobility?

PS: what about handytalkies that can be flashed to use digital packets?

>>1124346
Is 'handytalkie' an American term? In the UK they're called walkie talkies

>>1124454
Pretty sure Motorola had a radio named the Handy Talkie at some point, HT, handheld, portable, walkie talkie are all interchangeable. "Walkie talkie" makes me think of a Walmart GMRS/FRS radio and not a ham or police/fire one.

>>1124454
That wouldn't make sense in the US as nobody there is capable of walking.

>>1124466
kek

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>>1124466
Imagine a whackermobile combined with a mobility scooter.

>>1124454
In the US walkietalkies are associated with childrens toys

im not sure of the proper term tbqh ive just seen the term applied to baofeng styled radios (battery speakers mic ect) in one package

here is other classifications ive seen.
mobile: vehicle styled
desktop:self explainatory
handheld?: all in one contained unit

im still pretty new to ham tho

>>1124465

this.

ive seen HT thrown around alot and i think its derived from handy/ie talkie also ive seen handheld but it seems to be a older term

portable or mobile generally refers to vehicle radios so its kind of confusing lol

>>1124797
Wikipedia says it's handheld transceiver which makes sense.

>>1124797
From my experience, portable is HT/backpack/otherwise foot mobile, and mobile means vehicle.

>Live in southern Colorado
>WWV is barely audible

>Visit San Diego
>WWV comes in like a local AM station

Wew.

On a related note, how the fuck does a counterpoise work? Does it have to be in parallel with the antenna or could I run my antenna one direction and my counterpoise another?

>>1122921
Morse Toad Toad (RX only), Mors. (TX only) and Morse CT (both TX and RX but kind of rough around the edges) on Android phones. Morse Toad in particular is nice.

>>1120510
I have still not seen my license number on the FCC web page. How long did it take for you guys to get it after passing the test.

>>1126370
I don't know about the US but here in the UK I think it took a few weeks before I got a letter about my license then I had to wait a few more days until I could register my callsign on the Ofcom website.

Give them a ring if there's a problem.

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How do you identify antenna types and their appropriate frequency range? I know the length of the element dictates its frequency range, but it's hard to tell with antennas that have wire wrapped around them.

Pic related, a selection of several whip antennas I got in a box of mixed (AM, 27MHz, UHF) radio gear from a deceased HAM estate. I'm pretty sure the longest is 27MHz and I associate the coil antenna with mobile telephony (so, assumedly, 900+MHz), but it would be nice to know how to check.

This is a newbie question but I've heard that the stock antenna for the UV-5R is trash, however, does anyone have a recommendation for a suitable replacement?

The dude I've been learning radio stuff from in preparation for my foundation license is on holiday for a whole month now so I've nobody to ask but he strongly recommended the UV-5R as a starter handset so i'm going to go ahead and order one.

If I could order a replacement antenna at the same time that would be a great time-saver.

Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

>>1126964
>but it would be nice to know how to check
You could get an antenna analyzer. Just looking at them, It seems that the middle is definitely a VHF/UHF and the right one is UHF or possibly VHF/UHF. The left one doesn't look like a 10m, more like a 6m. But I'm not sure.

>>1126968
There are many antennas you can get. I have several but the one on mine right now is a Nagoya NA-701 for portability.
Others I have:
Smiley 270a
Roll-up J-Pole I bought off eBay
SignalStuff flexible antenna

Either the NA-701 or NA-771 will serve you well. Get the J-Pole if you want to go a longer distance. I don't really like the SignalStuff antenna because it is too flexy and knocks the radio over when I stand it on a table. The Smiley 270a is nice but it seems it could get damaged easily because of its rigidity.

>>1126964
It can be a bit difficult because the coiling makes the antenna 'longer',. you see a lot of small CB aerials but with a lot of coiling at the bottom.

However it doesn't look like enough coiling for 11 metres. The one on the far right will probably be UHF or dual band VHF/UHF as the other anon said.

Btw AM is a method of modulation, not an antenna.
>>1126964
People recommend these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nagoya-NA-771-Compatible-including-Interface/dp/B01GA4ODNY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486400910&sr=8-1&keywords=nagoya+antenna
I've got one, it's an improvement, apparently you have to be careful about fake ones though.

Remember that height is everything for VHF and UHF though.

>>1126370
Who was your VEC? If they did it through the ARRL it will be at least a week since it has to be mailed someplace and then entered. I took my tech with the W5IC group and it was in within 2 days. ARRL group took over a week.

if you're trying to buy a cheap 2m antenna then know there's something like an 80% chance whatever antenna you're looking at, especially a Nagoya, is fake as fuck.

Fortunately there's not all that much to get wrong in a 2m antenna so whatever.

>>1127016
It was with a private club, St Hellens radio league or something.
It's just that its been 16 days. seems like a long time.

>>1126976
>antenna analyzer
Neat, never heard of them but they seem simple enough. I hound http://www.hamstack.com/project_antenna_analyzer.html, I might have a crack at making one.

>>1126997
Thanks for that. And yeah, I should have caught that myself, you can modulate a signal any way you want, it's all about the band/wavelength it's broadcasting on.

Thanks gents.

>>1127261
I would give them a call, I can't imagine it taking more than 2 weeks. How are you looking your info up in the FCC database, name or FRN?

>>1122957
Do people not understand zulu? Zulu, zebra, zamboni, Zanzibar, zeppelin, it's not ICAO but if it gets the point across.

>>1127353
Do you have that problem at all? If someone misunderstands my callsign it's normally the zulu they get wrong.

>>1127605
You could say Zootopia and I would have a small chuckle but it still makes sense. I don't have a Z in mine but I do have P B and V next to each other, very fun when you can JUST reach a repeater.

>>1127640
CW that shit familia

>>1127640
Do you only do repeater stuff mate?

Get on HF, it's great fun.

>>1127664
>>1127667
Just UHF and VHF for now, got my general a week or two? ago but hot damn are HF transceivers expensive. All I have are an old CB or two currently and those don't do well outside 25-30MHz.

>>1127325
Heeeeeeeey, I got my license today!
So I took my handheld VHF/UHF radio that I have till I can get my HF setup ready. I live on top of a hill, I could hit 8 repeaters. However, I got NO responses.
Might just be that it was 2pm on a Tuesday. But still, kinda disheartening that all I got was automatic responses from the repeaters.

>>1127792
Sweet! I would listen between 4-6pm on weekdays, see if you can start a chat with hams on their way home or just listen in. I'm in Dallas so plenty of repeaters to listen to, the local one is usually a father giving his son and others traffic updates.

>Broadcast ten seconds of music on a frequency nobody is using
>Fifteen angry men start losing their shit

>>1127846
Do they just sit there listening and not calling, I don't understand, there's many repeaters but they mostly seem dead.

It's shit if you're a new ham as you'd expect there to be activity.
>>1127774
Yeah getting started on HF is expensive, you can get a good deal if you go to a radio rally though or check ebay.

>>1127792
Its not a bad idea to listen for a wile to get an idea of what goes on anyhow so don't get too stressed just yet. A license isn't even required for that.

>>1127846
Around here its the oldfags who broadcast the music on 160 metres AM before they get on air for a net. I've seen it done on ATV as well under a test pattern.

>>1127932
I've been listening in for about a month now. I'm ready to talk! lol
>>1127844
You were right about that, after about 5pm there was a lot more activity.

But now I have a bigger problem. While there were people out, all they heard from me was unintelligible noise! I know beofeng isnt the best, but I thought i would be able to at least be understood. I bet anything its just this antenna. What would be a good DIY antenna? I've got some BNC to SMA connectors, and a ton of coax. (got a box of free junk at a Ham swap meet). What could I make?

>>1127946
>DIY antenna?
>and a ton of coax

I'm guessing this is 2 metres.

http://vk2zoi.com/articles/half-wave-flower-pot/

>got a box of free junk at a Ham swap meet
A lot old guys have one of those they want to give you.

Hey, I don't have a license but I've got my handset keyed in to a "local" (it's about 25 miles away) repeater, to confirm that it was working I pressed transmit just for a moment and I heard some sort of confirmation tone come back so i'm pretty sure I set the CTCS and everything correctly.

My question is, did I just upset anyone and/or will I be in trouble for transmitting like that without a license? It was less than a second and I said nothing, in a quiet room.

I haven't heard anything off the repeater but I don't want to be doing anything like that if it's disrupting other people!

If I start to hear anything i'll go for my license, i'm currently doing a bit of a test run to see if it's worthwhile.

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I had no idea there were so many 2M repeaters

>>1128020
The tone is either just your transceiver PTT beep or it was the repeater waking up.

Nobody will care or notice.

>>1127792
This is my experience also. I've made about 10CQs across the day.. only had one response and only because it was the guy in the office in work and I was asking him to check if he could hear me.

Got my license start of the new year, ah well will keep trying and not get disheartened!

>>1128090
How long was each CQ, did you call on a repeater or on the calling frequency?

Check both, sometimes people monitor the calling frequency which is 145.500mhz in the UK.

I've got a repeater that whenever I open it up bounces back a string of morse but it's far too fast for me to be able to write it down and understand it, I don't "know" morse so can't do it on the fly.

Is this normal? I'm just getting into it, is it some sort of automated greeting?

>>1128090
Calling CQ on VHF/UHF is a very different matter than HF. Really, just tune to a local repeater and say "<your callsign> listening" and that's it. The only time I can think of where you would really want to call CQ is if you were working weak signal SSB or perhaps a satellite.

>>1128184
This is the repeater identifier. It's fast and not a voice message so that it doesn't interfere with conversations.

I'm sorry for filling the thread with stupid idiot questions but I really do appreciate the help from you all, I'm reading my RSGB foundation booklet and it is fairly simple, i'm just stumbling over memorization really but your help with a few things is really invaluable to me, thank you.

Could someone clarify this for me, Frequency modulation and Amplitude modulation. I get AM, it makes perfect sense to me.

FM is some sort of black magic beyond my understanding however, how does that work? How does changing the carrier frequency not make your signal impossible to receive? Are the changes so infinitesimally small that it doesn't alter reception ability or does it mean something else and i'm oversimplifying it?

I can't wait for the day when I have my own callsign!

>>1128202
FM signals use much more bandwidth than AM.

>>1128198
>calling CQ on *a repeater

FTFY

Calling CQ on simplex VHF/UHF is pretty much the same as HF, just no-one does it or listens for it unless you're in EME or similar modes.

Technically speaking, you can call CQ on HF by just saying your callsign. There are no rules dictating that you must use anything but your callsign.

>>1128202
Think of the carrier as the "center" or +/- 0v of a sine wave.

The edges of the bandwidth (the lowest frequency that the signal shifts to and the highest) above and below the carrier are the + and - peaks of the sine wave.

It can be more complex than that, but that's pretty much it.

Commonly used abbreviations, according to the RSGB.

>ABT - About
>AGN - Again
>AM - Amplitude Modulation
>ANT - Antenna
>BCI - Broadcast Interference
>BCNU - Be Seeing You
>BFO - Beat Frequency Oscillator
>BK - Break
>B4 - Before
>CFM - Confirm
>CLD - Called
>CIO - Carrier Insertion Oscillator
>CONDX - Conditions
>CPI - Copy
>CD - General Call
>CU - See You
>CUAGN - See You Again
>CUD - Could
>CW - Carrier Wave
>DE - From
>DX - Long Distance
>ERE - Here
>ES - And
>FB - Fine Business
>FER - For
>FM - Frequency Modulation
>FONE - Telephony
>GA - Good Afternoon
>GB - Goodbye
>GD - Good
>GE - Good Evening
>GM - Good Morning
>GN - Goodnight
>GND - Ground
>HBREW - Homebrew
>HI - Laughter
>HPE - Hope
>HR - Here
>HV - Have
>HW - How
>LID - Poor Operator
>LW - Long Wire
>MOD - Modulation
>ND - Nothing Doing
>NW - Now
>OB - Old Boy
>OM - Old Man
>OP - Operator
>OT - Old Timer
>PA - Power Amplifier
>PSE - Please
>R - Roger
>RCVD - Received
>RX - Receiver
>RTTY - Radio Teletype
>SA - Say
>SED - Said
>SIGS - Signals
>SRI - Sorry
>SSB - Single Sideband
>STN - Station
>SWL - Short Wave Listener
>TKS - Thanks
>TNX - Thanks
>TU - Thank You
>TVI - Television Interference
>TX - Transmitter
>U - You
>UR -Your, You Are
>VY - Very
>WID - With
>WKD - Worked
>WUD - Would
>WX - Weather
>XMTR - Transmitter
>XTAL - Crystal
>XYL - Wife
>Z - GMT
>YL - Young Lady
>73 - Best Regards
>88 - Love And Kisses

This possibly needs updating for the modern age RSGB.

>>1128202
No one has asked any dumb questions, if you don't understand something then you don't understand it. You want to learn and it's a great start, everyone has questions learning new things. "Spoon feed me plz, I just want to pass the test and not learn anything" is a bad way to go.

>>1128252
Have you ever used the calling channel while traveling? Do you just announce your callsign every 5 minutes or so?

>>1128375
Calling channels differ by country, and in general are pointless in the VHF/UHF range, at least in most of the US, everyone sticks to repeaters.
You generally have to know the local ham activity if you want to guarantee a response, but it never hurts to call CQ, you never know.

If you are trying to reach someone, you don't have to, but calling CQ three times followed by your callsign when simplexing is a good idea.

Generally, if you just use your callsign, listeners will respond, but without CQ some may think you are trying to call someone else and your call is being cut off, or that you are testing. Unless it's during a contest, in which case this is common practice.
In general it is assumed that you are calling for a contact, since one way transmissions of this type are illegal.

I'd say more like every 10 minutes or so works best, it's also generally a good policy to ask if the frequency is in use (QRL? QRL? DE <callsign>). If you receive no response, it's safe to assume it's open. In VHF/UHF, the calling frequencies are more to establish/continue a QSO that is prearranged without tying up the repeater.

>>1128221
>to convey the same information

Am can be wideband. Full dsb video is about 14 MHz wide. For this reason most am tv was vestigial sideband cutting of most of one sideband. They chose am rather than fm to conserve spectrum. Fm tv is a thing but its a bandwidth hog in comparison.

>>1128184
If you really want to know what it says record it with audacity then play it over or look at it on the screen. There are computer morse readers out there also if you are so inclined.

>>1128184
Use a microphone or audio jack to mic port and download FLDIGI, use the CW decoder.

The morse code though is just the repeater saying it's callsign in morse.

>>1128391
I've traveling to another state to visit a friend so I was curious. I've had my license 6? ish months, most of what I do is on repeaters or occasionally simplex. I'm in Dallas and there's always a repeater within reach so I never bothered with the calling frequencies until now.

>>1128623
>FLDIGI

Interesting. I used winmorse years ago but have ditched the win long ago.

>Checked synaptic
>Its there

Anyone else here just an SWL?

>tfw I have R. Marti blasting Cuban Music out of my radio right now.

>>1128894
Yeah. In name mostly. I spend more time listening to v/UHF amateurs than actual hf though. Have tried listening for pirates on over seas sdrs with some success but there are very few here.

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Any hamfags to catch me up on the true differences, advantages and disadvantages, between the UVR-5 and BF-F8 models?

I am new to ham radio and I haven't found a consensus about using one of these Baofeng over the other.

>>1129318
Any apart from the BF-888 as that'll only do 70cm

has anyone personally repurposed a sat dish as a transciever?

>>1129364
Loads of people do for microwave stuff

>>1129366
could you elaborate?

any does anyone have any other RF related ideas?

what about long distance packet radio?

or possibly just for a 2.4ghz/5ghz wifi signal?

ive also seen parabolic microphones, how effective would that be?

i have a pretty decent amount of electronic components

>>1129395
>long distance packet radio

Get the basics sorted before coming up with elaborate ideas mate.

Packet radio yes on 23cm but I'm not sure about any smaller wavelengths and by 'long distance' how far do you mean?

23cm is line of sight, just a bit beyond the horizon without tropo etc, but can be quite far with tropo but that's unreliable.

If you want long distance packet radio you'll want it on HF.

>or possibly just for a 2.4ghz/5ghz wifi signal?

Well home satellite dishes are just receivers so that wouldn't work.

>parabolic microphones

That's for audio

I don't really know enough to properly help you though mate.

I'm an M3 (beginner) license holder looking to go intermediate however the local group who run the course are total dicks, is there somewhere else I can go?

>>1129470
Another local club, nearly every town has one.

I wasn't a fan of my local one so I'm a member of one a bit further away and they're all great people.

>>1129489
I might have to look a few more miles away, its a bugger because the local raynet has no interest in running courses or doing anything really

>>1129405
im just trying to bump some ideas around honestly

when you said alot of people use sat dishes for "microwaves" were you refering to VHF/UHF? or is that HF?

>parabolic mic
i mean merely to utilize the dishes geometric shape

im wondering if replacing the LNB with a microphone like so would result in something viable?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone#Boundary_or_.22PZM.22

>wifi
if i were to replace the reciever with a router antenna centered in the dish for i/o and making it not just a passive reciever would the radio waves be more of directed path instead of in radiated in all directions?

for example a p2p lan uplink across a field?

im just wondering if any of it would work theoretically

thanks!

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>>1129547
Microwave means small wavelength, wikipedia is saying between 300mhz and 300ghz can be considered microwave frequencies, you wouldn't refer to the 70cm band as microwave, 23cm could be I suppose. But within the amateur radio community short wavelength bands are used for things like moonbounce and 'DXing' but DXing is difficult at those wavelengths, the weather makes it really difficult as well as objects, people make homebrew systems and go stand on top of a hill and try and see how far they can make QSO.

I'm not sure about that microphone honestly mate, you could try it out though.

>would the radio waves be more of directed path instead of in radiated in all directions

It would depend on radiations patterns of the antenna and the angle of reflection and all sorts of other shit I would imagine. You could give it a go though.

Bear in mind vertical antennas have a radiation pattern like pic related, if you centred the antenna in the middle I'm not sure if the radio waves would bounce off at right angles, what you may have to do is put the antenna in front of the dish so it would bounce back but I'm not sure mate, experiment.

>>1129547
>if i were to replace the reciever with a router antenna centered in the dish

Lots of hams have done this. Google it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-range_Wi-Fi#Notable_links

>>1109675
I'mm really liking the idea of building my own antenna, so I got all the things I need to put together a 2m j-pole.
But I need to find or build an SWR meter.

Do those dirt cheap CB radio swr meters work for HAM radio? Or are there any good plans for building one? I'm good with electronics, I just don't know what to look for.

>>1129547
Microwave is 2-20 GHz, roughly.

>>1129696
I can't help you build one but those cheap CB swr meters usually work between 25 and 30 MHz, but start to get innaccurate towards those limits. Sometimes swr meters can be picked up cheap used.

Honestly, I have never heard anyone build one before (not saying it can't be done). Are you wanting one for so you can adjust the J-pole for resonance? It might be easier to build a Grid-Dip meter.

Anyone here know if its possible for a repeater to playback what you say to it so you can hear what you sound like?

>>1129779
I don't think so but most radios have a monitor feature.

I just got my call sign, and the FCC entered my middle initial wrong. Can I get that changed? I don't want it to mess anything up when I go in to upgrade my license.

>>1129818
Contact them, or maybe go on their website and see if you can log in and change the information.

>>1129561
>>1129575
>>1129714
cool,
thanks for all the insight guys!

sorry about the trouble

>>1129818
Log into or make an account with the FCC and you should get an extra tab or two that lets you submit license changes. They spelled my last name wrong and it only took 1 business day for them to fix it. There's a bunch of yes/no questions to answer, most of those are for commercial licenses so they don't apply to ham.

Discovering the wonders of RF gain and AGC control.

There's fucking no information whatsoever on what the RF gain knob is actually for, if you google it you just get loads of CBers going 'yeah just leave that at 100%'

Found this article though and it has made a huge difference for noise, especially on the lower bands at night.

https://ny4jb.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/rf-gain-adjustment/

>turn off pre-amp if you can
>set AGC to fast if the signals are hard to make out
>lower RF gain until the noise level stops moving
>adjust RF and AF to get the best SNR but not too low on the RF gain otherwise it makes signals quieter
>signals now actually stand out from the noise

Made a great difference. Was listening to someone in Panama last night (I'm in England) and even though there was a lot of noise and QSB I could copy him quite well. Pre amp on and rf gain to max is just a wall of noise.

>>1112210
NP, we accept cash, Visa, Mastercard, and blowjobs.

>>1129779
See if you can find a local web sdr that covers the frequency in question.

>This is [call sign] testing

>>1129988
Checked and great job! This is what being a good operator is about: knowing the radio, the situation, and using both to make great contacts.

>>1130040
Don't forget to ask if the frequency is in use.

>>1129779
See if there are any simplex repeaters in your area. These are sometimes referred to as store and forward repeaters. I used to have one until I built a proper 2m repeater.

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New to shortwave listening here. Would like to try building my first antenna, something like a dipole or loop. any experienced SW listeners have advice or links to good plans for a beginner?

>>1130301
I figure a simple dipole is best. I have a Tecsun PL-660 that I use to listen to International Broadcasters and U.S Domestic stations and I just use the built-in telescopic antenna, or I string a long wire antenna outside for improved reception.

>>1130301
https://youtu.be/Wnkf_gQQwwg

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>mfw S9+ power line noise on 40m

>>1130525
Call the power company, if they don't fix it get the fcc on their ass. They are no doubt causing a lot of interference with many other systems.

I called my power over a "leaky" transformer. They were on it quick! They kept asking if I had contacted the fcc yet. lol

>>1130547
The thing is it's very intermittent. I took a shower and now it's gone.

>>1130548
Are you sure it's a power line and not someone's TV

>>1130549
Fairly sure. It's noise all up and down the band, from the AM band up to 12 meters I think. Just constant 120hz noise.

>>1130551
Ouch, try and diagnose it, like the other anon said if it's a power line call the company and they'll sort it.

If not call your national amateur radio society and they'll try to sort it.

>>1130552
Burger here. I want to find out what power pole it's coming from before I call anybody.

>>1130553
That's what I meant. Do you have a portable shortwvave radio like a Tecsun? You could use that to home in on the noise.

>>1130555
I have an Eton Satellit. I used it and walked around my neighborhood. It's coming from somewhere close because when I get a couple blocks away the noise fades pretty drastically.

>ywn be 5 & 9

>>1130551
Sounds like a faulty appliance power supply. 120hz? Possibly a bad full wave rectifier?

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>>1130591
I used to have something like this. It was triac controlled heating elements in a plastic shrink wrap machine. Basically an unfiltered light dimmer style circuit.

>>1109675
thanks for this

On am I get a static spike every few seconds, I tracked it down with a handheld radio to my battery tender. I have a frequency scanner that is pegged on the FM station from a church radio that splatters all over the band. I think their permit allows 200 w but they are putting out much more and killing any receive I have on FM. Too bad they will just keep getting away with it.

>>1131599
Report them to the FCC. That's what they're there for.

>>1131599
>>1131656
Don't be cucks, talk to the fucking warden first before just running off the the FCC, which will just make everyone fucking hate you if they know it was you.

>>1131656
FCC does not care they need 5 certified letters from different people affected in the area before they will put it on the books. Then s a year wait for someone to come check it out. FCC does not care about radio anymore. local hams cannot do anything about it and it would make them look bad because it's a church. I've measured them at 500w output and their signal is really dirty all over the spectrum. But The three hams in the neighborhood are not enough complaints.

Low Power FM Radio (LPFM) to create opportunities for new voices to be heard on the radio. The LPFM radio service consists of 100-watt stations which reach an area with a radius of approximately three and one-half miles.

>>1131714
100w on the FM broadcast band will reach way farther than just 1-3 miles anon...

I can reach 45mi with a 30w transmitter on higher frequencies...

>>1131786
Those are the regulations as per the FCC gov website for the LPFM licence that is granted to not for profit like churches. Problem is they seem to go over power and interfere with ability to receive other FM channels. Two towns near me have these transmitting one near my work. It's kinda irritating when you want to listen to your favorite rock station but instead get praise Jesus you will burn in the firey depths of hell if you don't give me 10% tithing to such and such church. The FCC does little to no regulation on radio bands anymore without many many complaints. Even ham bands are a free for all now it sounds like a CB radio language when I tune into local repeaters.

>>1131797
Pretty much.
Luckily I live in a city with lots of tech companies, so hams hunt down any bubba-beer-muh CB- freeband faggots since they're all EEs.

>>1131808
And do what the most you and your hams can do is sue in civil court for damages caused to you. Breaking FCC rules are not damages. It takes a lot of compliaing to get the FCC to enforce rules on radios there would need to be interference with emergency services or aviation to make them come out in a timely manner. Ham radio is at the lowest of the low on their prioraty. So unless your club is cutting down antennas or beating them with baseball bats I doubt you stopped the problem.

>>1131808
I love it when hams talk tuff about protecting their radio bands. Shame they never back up all that talk and neither will the government.

>>1131812
I never said I was involved in the foxhunting, nor did I say they did anything.

Don't put words in my mouth anon.

However, I do know that the equvalent of shitposters do shit their pants when a bunch of ham faggots track them down to their houses, since they never get back on the air.

We don't have any church problems in my area. Churches always get a free pass, I feel bad for that anon.

>>1131714
I've heard pirates who were running 300mw into a half wave on the FM broadcast band at 18km *full* line of site.

Our local community station is licensed for 400 watts and can be heard at over 100km in some directions. They only run about 100 watts because no mains to the TX site.

>>1131599
Have you tried a low pass filter on your own antenna. Receivers can internally generate harmonics from strong local signals.

If they are running one of those shitty fleabay exciters based on BH series Rohm chips that aint gona help either.

>>1111888
I'm a local ham in LA. 147.435 is probably what you listened to. They're infamous. I listen as I drive around but would never sully my call by participating. Its /b/ the repeater. Its containment.

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>>1124454
Handy talkie and walkie talkie were military slang. walkie was a backpack, handy was handheld.

>>1131842
The problem is so bad when I turn on my hand held frequency counter it locks on the the church FM channel and I'm a half mile way on the opposite side of a hill. I was trying to track down some static on am that was from another source and stumbled on this. I get some static from the church on 2m and 70. It destroys my ssb am like a 7 on my meter. I pulled up their station on the spectrum analyzer it's a hill shape while other commercial stations are a spike. My receive is whiped out for any weak signals. It just made me and the other 2 local hams realize how little to no enforcement the FCC is willing to devote time to radio now. One ham tried talking to the owner of the station but he shrugged him off gods work doesn't follow the rules of man.

Side note the interference has been ongoing for 4 years now. It made one guy quit radio when he found out he had no affect in enforcing the rules that be was forced to follow. The other guy and me are now strictly mobile. I don't see how the adjacent houses could even listen to any radio station the signal whiped out my car radio when I drive by. Maybe no one listens to radio anymore. This is no small town either pop 70k.

Also by local hams I mean directly affected adjacent to the problem signal there is a larger club but they don't want to get too involved because they are afraid it will make them look bad. Because it emminates from a community service type business. Believe me they gave us all the same advice about filters and grounding and telling us we had crappy radios it must be our fault. We pritty much got ostrisized from the main club I don't go to meetings anymore or use their repeaters.

Just keep pinning or cutting their coax. Send them an anonymous letter explaining the situation...

Send them an "official" cease and desist letter on FCC letterhead. I did that and it worked. It was a plumbing contractor using uhf 70cm simplex frequencies for their dispatching.

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Or send an official observer report notifying them of non compliance

>>1132083
>>1132085
>>1132110
A bit of history I've been involved in three lawsuits one for destruction of property of an antenna. Guess what they won if your going to do anything vigilante do it solo and don't do it if you have ever made contact with the other person. Also don't be well known within the radio community. Another suit I was a character whitness for someone who had been harassing a illegal station they lived within a mile and they were having power battles. She gathered a history of police reports and then used them in court to try and get damages for emotional stress. She lost the case but the FCC never did anything even with all the hours of recordings. The third was a neighbor who suied me because his TV was getting interference from my radio. He lost because he has to accept interference from a legal station. I didn't even buy him a filter maybe I would have helped him out but he was a prick he got mad the FCC wouldn't come out so he sued. It's kinda crazy how much trouble you can get in in this hobby.

Couple more thoughts the pin in the coax almost never works or at least wasn't effective the many many times I did it. Maybe if I had a multimeter with me and was able to tell exactly when I grounded the wires. The rumor was also well it will let in water and make corrosion ya mabe after 10 years or never in the az desert. Any observant radio user that knows they are bothering other users will see car with the big antennas circling their block and easly be able to give the police a description of your vehicle. as a legal ham operator you have no easy way to stop people from transmitting on your bands or using excessive power and if you do decide to play games there are real legal recourse for you which seem to benefit the person you were mad at to begin with.

Never get ham radio licence plates! They are available free from the DMV which seems cool because it's a custom plate. If your worried about staying anonymous with your regular plate think about how easy it will be for the guy who thinks you cut him off to find you when all he has to do is type your call sign into Google.

>>1132177
>>1132191

Yeah, with your history I'd use caution.

Back in the day, I would go to porn shops and take all subscription cards out of gay mags and fill them out using the offenders address and always check bill me later...lol

Or send them the 10 cds for a penny BMG bullshit. Those people used to never stop harassing them for payment...lol

>>1132177

We have a guy here, extra class license, the drives around mobile and jams local repeaters. He likes to go to a certain park to walk in the woods and give homeless dudes blow jobs. Not saying it was me, but he has lost many nmo antennas in that park.

>>1132272
Coincidentally, Larsen antennas are every bit as good as folks claim. MaxRad, on the other hand, wasn't what I hoped it would be; I was less than impressed.

Ay Ay Ay ay staying alive staying alive...