Any HAMtards here or anyone interested in HAM radios? - Updated info on page 4

The BF-F8 can transmit up to 8 watts as opposed to the UV5R which transmits up to 5 watts (which is typical for most HT's).

Awesome thread.
I was on another forum where advanced HAM operators were able to encode/send/decode short emails via repeaters 100s of miles.

As the earlier video referenced, in a SHTF scenario TPTB had the ability to jam the entire public spectrum. It's bad enough that many Police/Fire/EMS frequencies are now encrypted. I've seen/heard emergencies a few blocks away and can't get any info to keep safe, that's how they want it.

You can adjust if it does or doesnt in the settings menu

For those looking to prepare for any of the licensing tests, go to:

[link to hamstudy.org (secure)]

Hands down this is the best site to prepare! You don't have to register, but it's better if you do because it gives you the ability to pick up where you left off so you don't have to repeat a bunch of questions that you've already learned.

Answering the questions in the study mode gives you the option of clicking on an icon that will that open to the rationale for the answer.

I also like how they throw a question at you that you just answered a little while ago, helps with memorization.

My base unit is a VITAI VC 9900R... 50w quad band with cross-band repeater capability. It's a royal PITA to program manually, even worse than the Baofeng UV series units. But word to the wise, it's good to be familiar with the process as in an emergency situation and need to key in a new station, you may not have access to data cables and computers!

One of my younger nephews touched buttons on my rig last week, spent several hours reprogramming the bugger after factory resetting it.

No.

Baofeng UV5 models---

Menu #19 turns the unit ID transmit on or off.

Thanks for that :)

www.swap.qth.com

Because 11m sucks for decent comms, even on a great day.

So what's the unit id then that it transmits.

Is anybody familiar with setting up an end-fed wire antenna? My Carolina Window that I used for 80M - 10M got taken out a couple of weeks ago when we had tornados come through, a tree back behind my house fell and took it out. So I'm toying with the idea of just running an end-fed antenna, thinking about somewhere close to 120' running from eyebolt attached to the corner of our house out to a 40' fiberglass mast or making my own mast out 3 or 4 10 foot steel fence posts and a fiberglass fishing pole at the top to attach the other end to. I know I need to insulate the endpoints, and I will be using a balun & matcher. So if the wire is attached to the balun and 50ohm feed cable to the ant tuner, does the far end away from the house get the balun/feed cable or the end closest to the house?

Since we were talking about the Baofengs being banned in a few days, here's a link to Amazon for them.

This one I know should still be able to transmit on VHF 136-174. If you know anything about radio bands, you can see why the FCC wants to ban the sale of these guys. It's only 5 watts, which is pretty standard for a handheld. They sell an 8 watt model for about 15-20 more. This has a bunch of accessories you will want, hand mic, extra battery, and programming cable to use with Chirp. September 30th is when the ban becomes effective to buy.

[link to www.amazon.com (secure)]

Ham nerds = whackers

Junker

It is not the best handheld HAM on the market, there are far better ham handhelds for a couple of hundred dollars. But for someone who is just getting a license it is a decent radio, when you consider that it costs $25 for the radio itself. It's main draw for a lot of people is that it will also transmit outside of the HAM bands. If your familiar with those walkie talkies that you can buy at Cabelas for $50 or so, this can work on those same bands as those radios at 5 watts where those will only do the legal limit of something like half a watt. They will also work as police scanners if they are not using digital. So for $25 it is an awesome radio, you cant even buy the little Motorola or Midway walkie talkies for that.

Baofeng UV5R manual, much better than the original manufacturer manual.

[link to radiodoc.github.io (secure)]

to read tomorrow

what is the allure of ham radio? Serious question, no trolling.

Junker key

Because we can still communicate when the SHTF. I have a few "battery packs" that can be recharged using solar that I made using 12volt 30Amp Hour batteries from Harbor Freight that have USB, Cigarette lighter adapter, power posts, and Anderson power connectors. Since I have a couple of these I can plug any of my radios into, I don't need AC power. Depending on the band used I can talk as far as a few hundred feet away or across the world. So when the telecom landlines, cellphone towers, and the internet are all down, guess who is still info about what's going on around me and can radio for help if need be.

Even if my signal can not reach that far, as long as I can get on the right frequency at the right time, whatever message I need to get to someone even a nonHam will more than likely be passed along.

Ok, say for example that I only have a small handheld with limited power, I know that at a certain time people will be on a certain frequency for what is called the National Traffic Net. That net will only have people local to the area, but there will be a couple on there that will copy down messages and then go an HF freq that has people from all around the state. If my message is to someone in the state then someone from that area will copy down the message and relay that message on that local net. If the message is not for someone in the state then it will go to a regional net which is multiple states, the next step is the national net. And back down through the regional, state, and local net. Someone at the local net can either deliver that message to someone via mail or in person. It's explained better here [link to en.wikipedia.org (secure)]

Yeah, we get the point, If you have something useful to add, then, by all means, do so. If you don't, then feel free to read, but I'm getting close to banning you. Consider yourself warned, not that I even have to do that.

Good free study guide for getting your license.
[link to www.kb6nu.com (secure)] - Link is a pdf.

Not sure if posted already, but I find this site to be pretty good for finding repeaters:

[link to www.repeaterbook.com (secure)]

Just click on your state, then go to your city or county and see what's there. If someone knows of a better one, let me know.

This is another:

[link to www.radioreference.com (secure)]

They are both awesome for info. I believe Chirp (radio programer) will import data from RadioReference directly if you are a paid member. I'm not sure if it will import from repeater book or not, it's been a bit since I played around with Chirp.

You can download Chirp here - [link to chirp.danplanet.com (secure)]

Although I would recommend going to the ARRL website and pick up the repeater directory book. It has a directory of all the public repeaters across the country, and you don't have to worry about if you have internet access if you have a hardcopy.

[link to www.arrl.org (secure)]

You might be able to find a copy of the book for a couple of dollars cheaper on eBay for a copy a year or two older, but I wouldn't rely on anything older than that.

If you are member of radiorefference you can also download lists of repeaters around you as well and print that off.

I don't know what's going to happen with Trump getting impeached, Iran, or any of the other bullshit thats going on in the world, I don't think anyone really does, I think things are at the point where they are going to get out of control though. Just from watching all the shit that is going down, you don't have to be rocket scientist to know that shit is about to blow and get ugly. Be prepared for anything, and know whats going on around you, that's why I started this thread.

It's a communications hobby.
Talk across the street or around the world with no interconnecting wires-it's fun.

here's a recent tweet from a ham op that made me lol:


@Dirk_Matter
The #electromagnetic field surrounds us. With my rooftop dipole #antenna transferring my #hamradio's 50 watts of output power to said EM field, my #amateurradio station vibrated the field 10 million times/second to exchange #FT8 data with S92HP, a station on Sao Tome off #Africa.

in plain english: A ham in WA used his PC connected to his ham radio connected to a very simple and inexpensive wire antenna to make a quick contact with a ham off the coast of Central Africa.

here are some links that share more

[link to w6nikreport.com (secure)]

NOT good advice. Lots of hustlers selling old non working equipment for top dollar.

Go look at eham.net

Easiest way to pass a ham test....

If you can memorize....eham has sample tests, with actual questions.

Do not 'take' test. Go to bottom of test, click "grade my test"

Read all the correct answers.....study those, WITHOUT reading all the wrong answers.

Thank me later.

They will almost always need tubes and the high voltage capacitors replaced, at minimum.

And yes, guys at hamfest will lie too....it's a human thing.

A 'good' TS-520, TS-530 or TS-830 is worth at least $400.

You won't find one for $150. I know, I work on them.