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Nice one. This made me laugh: quote:Favorite Comment: Fixer Joe says, “And it STILL can’t pick up Cool 101.9.”
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Oct 20, 2009 17:53
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IonClash posted:Yep, I've been using the same antenna and learned from the same video. I would recommend good sat tracking software as well. I've been using my vx-8r for this, and it's fantastic. For those of you lucky enough to own the VX-8R (or any other APRS-capable rig, for that matter), you might want to give a try to hitting the ISS's APRS digipeater sometime. With a 5-watt HT you'll be in the mud on low-angle passes, but if you wait for a high-elevation pass, you can get a couple packets through with enough tries, even on the stock rubber duck. All you need to change to beacon through the ISS is to make your digi path "ARISS" instead of the terrestrial "WIDE1-1, WIDE2-1"-style path. Remember also that the APRS digis in space don't use the standard 144.390 MHz that APRS uses on the ground; use 145.825 MHz instead. Since it's still APRS on VHF, for all but the highest passes you shouldn't need to compensate for Doppler shift — just leave the radio on 145.825 through the whole pass. It sounds kinda corny, but there's something almost magical about the first time you digipeat APRS through a satellite, especially when you log onto ariss.net / aprs.fi afterwards and see that your most recent over-the-air path came from the freaking International Space Station. It's definitely one of those "hell yeah" moments in ham radio. As for tracking satellite passes, http://amsat.org will calculate pass times and elevations of most currently-operational ham sats for you based on your lat/lon or your gridsquare; another awesome online sat tracker is N2YO, http://n2yo.com. If you want to read a bit more into the "how" of APRS over ISS, there is also a pretty resourceful presentation about it that you can check out here: http://www.fars.k6ya.org/docs/aprs_via_iss.pdf -- In other news, the OP is updated with new hams and thread checkins since late summer. The official tally at this point is 80 hams!
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Oct 30, 2009 09:32
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Just thought I'd check in from my isolated ivory tower of the SW listening thread. Still haven't bitten the bullet to get ham licensing (got laid off, can't get equipment), but the discussion here is fascinating. Tragically, when I read thee technical discussion I keep thinking about margarita machines.
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Oct 30, 2009 18:01
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McRib Sandwich posted:For those of you lucky enough to own the VX-8R (or any other APRS-capable rig, for that matter), you might want to give a try to hitting the ISS's APRS digipeater sometime. With a 5-watt HT you'll be in the mud on low-angle passes, but if you wait for a high-elevation pass, you can get a couple packets through with enough tries, even on the stock rubber duck. All you need to change to beacon through the ISS is to make your digi path "ARISS" instead of the terrestrial "WIDE1-1, WIDE2-1"-style path. Remember also that the APRS digis in space don't use the standard 144.390 MHz that APRS uses on the ground; use 145.825 MHz instead. Since it's still APRS on VHF, for all but the highest passes you shouldn't need to compensate for Doppler shift — just leave the radio on 145.825 through the whole pass. I'll give this a shot!
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Nov 1, 2009 23:06
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Well last week was a lot of fun. Helped a local school with an ARISS contact and wow. Lots of fun and dead easy. We did the contact via telebridge unfortunately. But still a great win for the kids. A number of which I've helped them get their license.
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Nov 2, 2009 03:26
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Nov 7, 2009 04:45
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blugu64 posted:This looks oddly similar to my setup.
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Nov 7, 2009 04:55
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Anyone in the western US want to try an A0-51 contact today? I live outside of the Salt Lake City area, and the next promising pass of A0-51 will be at 3:46 PM MST.
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Nov 7, 2009 18:02
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IonClash posted:Anyone in the western US want to try an A0-51 contact today? I live outside of the Salt Lake City area, and the next promising pass of A0-51 will be at 3:46 PM MST.  If I had seen this earlier.blugu64 fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Nov 8, 2009 |
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Nov 7, 2009 23:42
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blugu64 posted:Can you tell me more about this antenna?
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Nov 8, 2009 02:00
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Scottw330 posted:Can you tell me more about this antenna? It's this: http://www.arrowantennas.com/146-437.html
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Nov 8, 2009 02:23
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IonClash posted:It's this: and it's awesome
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Nov 8, 2009 02:33
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I picked one of those up a few weeks ago, and unfortunately haven't gotten a chance to screw around with it. e: I need to see what I can hit with my VX3R Hypnolobster fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Nov 8, 2009 |
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Nov 8, 2009 02:36
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IonClash posted:It's this: Haha, I like this bit: quote:This Antenna has not been tested for gain. No need, it works.
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Nov 8, 2009 02:44
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Hypnolobster posted:I picked one of those up a few weeks ago, and unfortunately haven't gotten a chance to screw around with it. Anecdotally, I was working a repeater 45~ miles away with 5watts like it was next door.
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Nov 8, 2009 03:30
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blugu64 posted:Anecdotally, I was working a repeater 45~ miles away with 5watts like it was next door. This is pretty much true of any VHF communication provided you can get some line of site between both stations.
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Nov 17, 2009 04:39
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I made my first contact today. It's been a month or two since I got my license but I never had any luck, and then school reared it's ugly head. On a ~2hr drive today, I realized that although I had been tuning to repeaters, and entering the correct tone to get in...I was forgetting to turn on the tone. For two months. I turned it on, and within 5 minutes had my first contact. I didn't get a chance to write down his call sign, because driving a manual, operating a radio, glancing at a repeater directory, and writing all at the same time is a bit difficult and dangerous. I was the guy's first first contact, and he was pretty psyched too. I was happy I didn't have a broken radio or only crazy old farts for potential contacts. Immediately after I hung up with the first guy, another broke in and we had a chat. As soon as I was done with that call I immediately closed station, for fear of ruining what was a pretty sweet moment. (Plus, the multitasking is nerve racking.) I also figured out my radio wasn't saving the PL tones like I thought it was. Need to check the manual again. This was all on my ICOM-208H. Tomorrow I'm breaking out the HT and will try to hit some closer repeaters. Then I will wipe my 208's memory and put in the repeaters and tones of immediate interest, along my often repeated 2hr drive. On the interstate, I don't have to shift so radio operation is no problem. In town...it's a little harder. Ah, yes, I had a question, too. For all those with mobiles in their car: Do you feel like an idiot idling in some parking lot when trying to make a radio contact, as I do? I feel like a jerk. Of course, I don't have to start the car if I'm just listening for a short while, trying to find a repeater or something. Not very green. If I had money, I'd throw another battery in the engine bay that the radio could draw from, and have a relay on a switch to go from car power to battery power.
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Nov 21, 2009 04:58
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Yippie! I passed my technician and general on Tuesday and got my call-sign (KB3TRZ). I haven't thought too much about building a radio yet, I figure there is no rush since the license is good for a while. I'm thinking it would be fun to try to build a few antennas to take backpacking with a hand held rig, but I'll see if anything else interests me.
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Dec 5, 2009 02:41
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Scottw330 posted:Yippie! I passed my technician and general on Tuesday and got my call-sign (KB3TRZ). I haven't thought too much about building a radio yet, I figure there is no rush since the license is good for a while. I'm thinking it would be fun to try to build a few antennas to take backpacking with a hand held rig, but I'll see if anything else interests me. A great beginner's antenna project would be a simple dipole. You could get the necessary materials for under $30. If you know anyone with some coax and the appropriate connectors on it (maybe with one end cut, or a busted connector or something) you could just buy some PVC pipe, a T connector, end caps, and some THHN wire. There's plenty of plans on the internet for it, so you could easily find something. I built a 6 meter dipole in about 40 minutes without any problems. Congrats on passing.
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Dec 5, 2009 07:44
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My first antenna was a 2 meter j-pole for my VHF HT. Cheap and easy. Edit: Also my only antenna so far, now that I think about it
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Dec 5, 2009 08:11
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I thought I posted this when I got it, but this thread was a lot of the reason I wanted to (and got my) get my HAM license. KI4VVS
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Dec 9, 2009 03:37
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uapyro posted:I thought I posted this when I got it, but this thread was a lot of the reason I wanted to (and got my) get my HAM license. Congrats! Do you already have a radio, or have any idea on what kind you're looking to get?
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Dec 9, 2009 03:45
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Radnor posted:Congrats! Do you already have a radio, or have any idea on what kind you're looking to get? Yeah, forgot to put that part. I just checked, and I got it in May 2007; I guess it was the predecessor to this thread, but it was still a SA HAM thread (maybe something in Ask/Tell) that got me to want to get a license. I have an ICOM-2200H. Eventually I'd like to get the D*Star card for it. I actually need to get a new mount for it. For my last car the trunk-lip mount worked great, but on my Civic the entire trunk is curved so it's at an angle, plus the trunk no longer want's to close right on it. My dad has some magmounts and I just need to get one from him.
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Dec 9, 2009 04:02
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Just found this thread and thought I would check in.. KJ4HTP amature extra down in St.Pete, FL. I did all of my studying online at http://www.qrz.com/p/testing.pl and found a local group that does the testing for free. So far I am still playing around with my 2m/440 yaesu rig, but winter field day is coming up soon so I will be out working 20m with the rest of our crew. So if you hear W4A calling CQ make sure to answer! If anyone is in the Tampa/St.Pete area and wants some info on where to test for free, send me an e-mail.. thndrbd at hotmail dot com.
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Dec 9, 2009 23:31
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uapyro posted:I actually need to get a new mount for it. For my last car the trunk-lip mount worked great, but on my Civic the entire trunk is curved so it's at an angle, plus the trunk no longer want's to close right on it. My dad has some magmounts and I just need to get one from him. Man up and drill a hole.  Click here for the full 799x598 image.  Click here for the full 599x799 image. Muuuuch better, look at that nasty circle his old magmount left. Ugh.
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Dec 10, 2009 00:04
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i've had my tech license for about 10 years (i took a class freshman year of college that i earned the license through) but I have never actually used it. never owned a radio, never really had access to one. I live in an apartment with no chance of installing antennas, but I think a handheld of some type might be fun to play around with. any suggestions for a REALLY cheap, handheld/portable radio that someone with a plain-old tech license could use? (i honestly don't remember even which bands I'm allowed to be on without looking it up; it's literally been a decade since I've thought about it, so I'd need to brush up before going on air.)
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Dec 14, 2009 18:04
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Haven't read much of the thread, just reporting in. KD5RYO - tech class.
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Dec 14, 2009 19:10
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cydir posted:i've had my tech license for about 10 years (i took a class freshman year of college that i earned the license through) but I have never actually used it. never owned a radio, never really had access to one. Careful, your license might have expired. You can renew in up to 12 years. Yeasu VX-7R is pretty cheap now, they run the 8700 and 8800 on sale for < 200 now. The FT-60R should be cheap now too. However, remember you do have voice privileges on 10m now, along with code on 80/40/15/10m.
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Dec 14, 2009 19:13
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HFX posted:Careful, your license might have expired. You can renew in up to 12 years. Yeasu VX-7R is pretty cheap now, they run the 8700 and 8800 on sale for < 200 now. The FT-60R should be cheap now too. However, remember you do have voice privileges on 10m now, along with code on 80/40/15/10m. nope i actually did keep the license up to date... my parents were a little concerned when weird letters from the FCC started showing up at their place addressed to me. lol
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Dec 14, 2009 21:54
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this might be a good first station. http://jalopnik.com/5428829/ham-cramwich-25000-of-communications-gear-in-a-500-car 
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Dec 18, 2009 22:35
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I still laugh every time I see that thing.
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Dec 19, 2009 15:05
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So am I the only one who had a  moment opening this month's QST and seeing yet another fold out ad for a Yaesu super radio? It looks pretty nice, but who is buying those?
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Dec 20, 2009 04:27
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nmfree posted:So am I the only one who had a I wouldn't mind owning one.... if it were free.  All those knobs and buttons are alluring in some strange way. No doubt there are a few hams out there with too much time and money and not enough radios.
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Dec 20, 2009 07:40
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Serious Contesters probably. 65 Year old Retirees is my second guess.
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Dec 20, 2009 17:32
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blugu64 posted:Serious Contesters probably. 65 Year old Retirees is my second guess. Yesterday I heard a few greybeards on 80. It was 2 guys trying to help another guy set the clock on his new rig. From what I heard it sounded like the new rig was an Icom IC-7800. At one point one of them did mention that they were in their 60's. So yes, retirees do buy those high end radios. Those radios make me and my TS-2000x feel insignificant.
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Dec 20, 2009 18:06
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nmfree posted:So am I the only one who had a If you're talking about the one in the fold-out, no one, because it's not released to the public, as it hasn't been approved by the FCC yet.
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Dec 21, 2009 13:00
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Is the January QST out now? I haven't gotten mine yet if it is, and my Dec issue didnt have a fold out I want to drool too
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Dec 22, 2009 00:09
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Phuzion posted:If you're talking about the one in the fold-out, no one, because it's not released to the public, as it hasn't been approved by the FCC yet. I didn't think Ham Radios had to be type approved?
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Dec 22, 2009 00:33
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blugu64 posted:I didn't think Ham Radios had to be type approved? I'm just relaying information contained in the little footnote at the bottom of the page.
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Dec 22, 2009 13:27
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slap me silly posted:My first antenna was a 2 meter j-pole for my VHF HT. Cheap and easy. Ugh. Maybe during this break I'll finally put mine up. It's been sitting in my office for months now. I feel like a chump.
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Dec 22, 2009 23:33
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