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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:49 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Mar 31, 2010 10:01
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Damnit, I want to upgrade my Yaesu HT from a 5R so bad but must resist! This thread isn't helping, the 8R looks so awesome! I like the Kenwood tri-band HT too since it does a full 5 watts on 220 (a band used around here) and SSB reception. 6 meters on HT is of very limited use.
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Mar 31, 2010 13:34
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Jose Pointero posted:Well I popped my D-Star cherry... Oh hey what's this a bag?  (I just noticed while taking these pictures that my bag from AES has no AES markings on it. :?: It's a box! I wonder what it is...  That's a mighty nice lookin' box you got there, sure would hate to see you not open it  Who cares about the manual, what's underneath?  That looks pretty sexy, what does it look like put together?  Was there anything else in the bag? Why, yes, there was!  What does it look like on your new radio?  Hmm... that doesn't look quite right.  That's much better! Maybe the VX-5 won't tip over all the time anymore. Wait, the the stock ducky antenna is terrible! You're not just going to use that, are you?  Of course not, I still have my Nagoya NA-771 that works beautifully; the VX-8 is also bigger than the VX-5 so it won't be as tippy with the heavy-duty whip on the top. Can I get a look close up?  I haven't gotten a ton of use out of it yet, since my programming cable from Kawa hasn't come in the mail yet (there's no loving way I'm going to program 1000 memories by hand); I've been playing around with FTBVX8 and I think I might just end up forking over the $15 for the full license. (Although the point must be made again that I shouldn't have to pay money to use a $400 radio, but whatever.) One of the neatest features that I've been using (so far) is the auto-muting dual watch (or whatever you want to call it). You can listen to broadcast radio (or Shortwave, I think) on VFO A while scanning on VFO B; if you do this while VFO B is selected (the numbers are large) and you have the mute menu item set correctly the broadcast on VFO A will partially or completely mute while there's activity on VFO B. Really cool! Jose Pointero posted:It's also not exactly fast from what I understand. I think as time goes by there will probably be 2+ GHz modules available to provide faster access. Personally, I also think that the rules are going to be changed for wider bandwith/faster data modes on 1.2GHz, since manufacturers are starting to add that band standard to their radios. The manufacturing tolerances/feedline limitations/antenna gain requirements will, IMHO, make 2.4 GHz unlikely to be included standard in radios anytime soon. Radio Nowhere posted:Damnit, I want to upgrade my Yaesu HT from a 5R so bad but must resist! This thread isn't helping, the 8R looks so awesome! nmfree fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Apr 3, 2010 |
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Mar 31, 2010 23:56
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I have that Comet stubby HT antenna for my 5R, works great on 440 but very limited coverage on 2M obviously. O and you got a 8R 
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Apr 1, 2010 02:21
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:49 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Apr 1, 2010 05:25
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Jose Pointero posted:Did Yaesu change the menu system from the 7R? That was really the only gripe I had with it.
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Apr 1, 2010 06:02
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Can anyone recommend a good stub antenna for the 8R that does okay for 2m? Around here 440 is absolutely dead, everyone's on the 2 meter band, and I hate the rubber duck that came with my 8R.
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Apr 1, 2010 06:08
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Prince of Dicks posted:Can anyone recommend a good stub antenna for the 8R that does okay for 2m? Around here 440 is absolutely dead, everyone's on the 2 meter band, and I hate the rubber duck that came with my 8R. Stub antennas are for people who don't care about mad gain yo. Graybeards love it when you said mad gain by the way.
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Apr 1, 2010 07:48
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I don't care because most of the time I'll be using an external anyway. But the few times I'm not I would rather have a crappy small antenna than a crappy tall one.
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Apr 1, 2010 08:03
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Prince of Dicks posted:I don't care because most of the time I'll be using an external anyway. But the few times I'm not I would rather have a crappy small antenna than a crappy tall one. I don't know terribly much about antenna brands, but I can't imagine you'd go wrong with anything by comet or diamond. I'd just hop on gigaparts/universal radio, and see what they've got that fits your ht. I know they both make various stub antennas, raging from stupid small but also attenuating your signal, to small but probably as good as a stock rubber ducky. blugu64 fucked around with this message at 08:38 on Apr 1, 2010 |
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Apr 1, 2010 08:32
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Prince of Dicks posted:I don't care because most of the time I'll be using an external anyway. But the few times I'm not I would rather have a crappy small antenna than a crappy tall one.
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Apr 1, 2010 08:42
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nmfree posted:That looks pretty sexy, what does it look like put together? That's a drat cool radio, I didn't know those had aprs functionality built in. Lame how you have to either forgo an external speaker/mic, or use their speaker/mic. It seems you need to buy their own gps puck too. Planning on using the bluetooth functionality? Is it vox or ptt transmissions with bluetooth headsets?
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Apr 1, 2010 09:17
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blugu64 posted:That's a drat cool radio, I didn't know those had aprs functionality built in. Lame how you have to either forgo an external speaker/mic, or use their speaker/mic. It seems you need to buy their own gps puck too. As for the GPS... it should technically be possible to hack in your own GPS unit, but everything is so locked down in the built-in TNC that it wouldn't be worth the work, really. blugu64 posted:Planning on using the bluetooth functionality? Is it vox or ptt transmissions with bluetooth headsets?
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Apr 1, 2010 09:29
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The next model will be the VX-8GR which has the GPS unit built into the radio (no seperate puck).
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Apr 1, 2010 13:38
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So it turns out I owe K2PBO a beer, and I didn't even know it! I bought a programming cable for my new VX-8R from Kawamall on eBay; I've purchased several cables from them before and they've all worked beautifully for me. Until now. To stay ahead of the technology curve (  ), this cable is the USB model as opposed to the serial model. Of course, all this is is a USB-Serial interface built into the USB plug with the standard serial cable attached. After plugging it into several different computers, I still couldn't get it to work; a good deal of cursing/rebooting/retrying, I was about ready to email Kawa when I looked on Google one last time for a solution. This time, I found a post on QRZ where K2PBO suggested trying a different set of drivers (for a GPS this time)- SUCCESS!I wasn't looking forward to inputting all of those memories by hand. 
nmfree fucked around with this message at 09:09 on Apr 2, 2010 |
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Apr 2, 2010 06:00
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nmfree posted:So it turns out I owe K2PBO a beer, and I didn't even know it! Mind linking that post? I've been having that exact same problem with my Kawa cable for my 7R.
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Apr 2, 2010 06:10
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wolrah posted:Mind linking that post? I've been having that exact same problem with my Kawa cable for my 7R.
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Apr 2, 2010 09:08
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Just passed all 3 exams about an hour ago. I'll be eagerly awaiting my call-sign so I can start working on Echolink. Hopefully I'll make some money over the summer and invest in a used HF rig. (Does anyone know of a particular rig that happens to pop up on eBay or in swap meets for a decent price?) xergm fucked around with this message at 17:44 on Apr 3, 2010 |
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Apr 3, 2010 17:14
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xergm posted:Just passed all 3 exams about an hour ago. Congrats! I'd recommend the FT-817ND, it's extremely low power, but affordable.
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Apr 3, 2010 17:47
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What software are you guys using to program your 8Rs?
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Apr 3, 2010 17:58
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AtomicMonsters posted:Congrats! I'd recommend the FT-817ND, it's extremely low power, but affordable. I've looked at that before and it looks great for QRP. I'll be sure to keep a lookout for that when I have money to buy, but for a little more, the FT-857D outputs 100 watts.
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Apr 3, 2010 18:11
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xergm posted:I've looked at that before and it looks great for QRP. I'll be sure to keep a lookout for that when I have money to buy, but for a little more, the FT-857D outputs 100 watts. That it does, but you'll have to power it. For what it's worth, I've had great luck using a jerry-rigged computer power supply. They're not at all surgical in their precision, but they're cheap.
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Apr 3, 2010 18:39
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I've actually seen that. I know I have a few laying around, but I don't know if they output the proper current on the 12V line. I guess we'll see in the coming months, but for now, I'm itching to get on Echolink. Edit: If someone wants to add me to the list on the OP, that would be awesome. I was already interested in amateur radio before this thread, but I'm sure this thread contributed in me getting off my rear end and getting one. I want from non-ham to Extra on my first try. Now I'm awaiting my callsign. xergm fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Apr 3, 2010 |
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Apr 3, 2010 19:45
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Prince of Dicks posted:What software are you guys using to program your 8Rs? nmfree posted:I've been playing around with FTBVX8 and I think I might just end up forking over the $15 for the full license.
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Apr 3, 2010 20:36
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xergm posted:I want from non-ham to Extra on my first try. Now I'm awaiting my callsign. No-Code Extras are the coolest extras. 
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Apr 3, 2010 21:01
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I was on a repeater today and some greybeard would talk for 2 or 3 minutes at a time about how he's trying to get rid of some egreetings toolbar on his computer, so when I finally got a word I recommended he uninstall and reinstall his browser and another guy said it wouldn't work and the first guy said he'd try emailing tech support which could take days if they ever do reply  I'm probably gonna sell my 8R lol nmfree posted:I went ahead and pulled the trigger and paid for the FTBVX8; it's only $15, and it works well enough for my needs. Now I'm confused Prince of Dicks fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Apr 3, 2010 |
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Apr 3, 2010 21:10
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blugu64 posted:No-Code Extras are the coolest extras. drat right. The administering VEs were amazed when I breezed through the Tech in 2 minutes and got 100%.
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Apr 3, 2010 21:16
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Prince of Dicks posted:I'm probably gonna sell my 8R lol  Prince of Dicks posted:Now I'm confused If there is other software out there that can program the VX-8 I haven't seen it.
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Apr 3, 2010 23:45
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blugu64 posted:No-Code Extras are the coolest extras. When asked if you're a no-code Extra look all  and say, "Is there any other kind?"
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Apr 3, 2010 23:50
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As requested in IRC chat... We have a ham who gets liquored up and hits the statewide linked repeater system every other night, only to be trolled incessantly by a handful of operators. Here's a brief glimpse of ham radio at it's finest. A few things about Ralph (WAD): - In order to make sure he complies with the 10 minute rule, he'll ID his station with virtually every transmission, sometimes 2 or 3 times per transmission. - He usually plays traffic cop, although tonight he didn't get the chance. - He can never remember call signs and makes up a nickname for people, as you'll soon hear.  - WAD kicks in at 0:46. The others using the call sign are just mocking him. It builds to a crescendo around 4:30, then kind of peters out since he starts to lose fine motor control and his transmissions get spotty. I hopped in around 5:30 to poke him with a stick, but then he left. - Usually the trolls stop once Ralph leaves. Tonight, not so much. Right before recording started, the troll said 'rear end' twice. This one stops being interesting around 1:30, but I don't have an audio editor on this computer to cut it out. - The troll one more time with a commentary on the FCC, the future of ham radio, and hams themselves. This one dies off at 1:10.Oh yes, always fun in Dirty Jersey.
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Apr 4, 2010 04:59
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nmfree posted:no dont HTs just aren't fun for me, the repeaters here are dead unless it's greybeards talking about (what else) their radio setups. I was wanting to step up to HF with a base or mobile of some kind, but some people convinced me to buy a HT as my first radio. I wish I had ignored them and just buckled down and gotten my General so I could start using HF. Haha actually I'll probably end up just getting out of amatuer radio altogether
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Apr 4, 2010 05:33
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BigHustle posted:As requested in IRC chat... I think every area's got one. Ours hangs out on vhf simplex calling, but is friendly.
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Apr 4, 2010 06:43
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BigHustle posted:As requested in IRC chat... What repeater system is this guy on? W2NJR? I swear I've heard him before on 2 meters. Edit: Although he's saying 28.450 USB. So I have no idea. tonynaia fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Apr 4, 2010 |
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Apr 4, 2010 16:01
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tonynaia posted:What repeater system is this guy on? W2NJR? I swear I've heard him before on 2 meters. He was on W2NJR. From what I gather, he either runs two rigs at the same time and was trying to get someone to join him on 10m, or he was so drunk he forgot what frequency he was operating on. One of the regulars said he's talked to the guy when he isn't sloshed and he's a pretty smart guy. The problem is when he hits the mic after having a few too many. His shenanigans got him kicked off the JSARS repeaters a few weeks back and there's another couple of area repeaters he's banned from as well. The trolls were really bad last night. They usually stop after Ralph stops transmitting, but the one doing the Curly Howard voice just kept on trucking for another 20 minutes. I'm guessing that it's the same guy who sits on the radio all day until people get a good conversation going then starts kerchunking the repeaters so we can't talk anymore.
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Apr 4, 2010 17:06
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Apr 4, 2010 18:12
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Jose Pointero posted:I see you finally got around to making some recordings, that poo poo's crazy man. What's with the Mickey Mouse voice? I guess he thinks that's funny? What an immature dipshit. I thought he was trying to sound like Curly Howard of the Three Stooges. Regardless, I think that was one of the regulars being an idiot. I should try and whip up a soundboard using quotes from Rocky and Goodfellas for these guys. I'm keeping my eyes open for a HF rig, but since I'm moving in a few months I'm not going to spend a ton of cash right now. Once I get back to MO, I'll have a little extra cash to get something decent and more room to throw up a dipole than I do now.
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Apr 4, 2010 18:34
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BigHustle posted:He was on W2NJR. From what I gather, he either runs two rigs at the same time and was trying to get someone to join him on 10m, or he was so drunk he forgot what frequency he was operating on. Ah, makes sense. I can hit W2NJR and JSARS reliably here, so that's where I listen when I'm mobile. I'll have to keep an ear out for him next time I'm listening at night. That's fantastic haha.
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Apr 4, 2010 22:14
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tonynaia posted:Ah, makes sense. I can hit W2NJR and JSARS reliably here, so that's where I listen when I'm mobile. I'll have to keep an ear out for him next time I'm listening at night. That's fantastic haha. I'll have to hop on and ask the stairs question in hopes of finding you one day. WAD can usually be found evenings after 8 and up through the early morning hours. He hasn't been on in a while, so he'll probably show up a couple of days then another dry spell will hit.
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Apr 4, 2010 22:18
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BigHustle posted:I'll have to hop on and ask the stairs question in hopes of finding you one day. Hah, okay. I'll listen for him a little bit tonight, hope for some good entertainment.
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Apr 4, 2010 22:51
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I know its a long time coming, but after much goading from his former ham (and pirate broadcaster) father and ham boss, SA SWL guru AstroZamboni is finally going to be taking his examinations for a technician license in 16 days! [APPLAUSE] My question to all of you experienced ham goons is this; I've been preparing for my exam using the flash cards and practice tests on this site. Would all of you say that this is a good study aid, or are there better practice tests out there?
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Apr 5, 2010 03:56
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