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Partycat
Oct 25, 2004

Nope, windows only, but you may be able to finangle something with one of the linux programs (I think they exist?)

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xergm
Sep 8, 2009

The Moon is for Sissies!

Jose Pointero posted:

Ahahah wow it took a while but holy poo poo you guys have finally done it :holy: And with Big Hustle as the club president no less...this is great.

Congrats, I'll have to check in on the Echolink sometime. I think I registered for it a long time ago but never used it...do they have a Mac client? (very doubtful)

You might be able to get lucky and try running it in Wine.
It looks like they have an unsupported OS X client.

Wine for OS X

mwdan
Feb 7, 2004

Webbed Blobs
I'll have to ask my Mother In Law for sure, since shes an apple-head, but I am fairly positive she has an echolink client on her mac.

E: yeah, its called EchoMac. http://echomac.sourceforge.net/

mwdan fucked around with this message at 04:17 on Nov 16, 2010

grilldos
Mar 27, 2004

BUST A LOAF
IN THIS
YEAST CONFECTION
Grimey Drawer

Jose Pointero posted:

Ahahah wow it took a while but holy poo poo you guys have finally done it :holy: And with Big Hustle as the club president no less...this is great.

Congrats, I'll have to check in on the Echolink sometime. I think I registered for it a long time ago but never used it...do they have a Mac client? (very doubtful)

Mac EchoLink-compatible client, recommended specifically to you by EchoLink!

Edit: EchoMac is probably much better.

mwdan
Feb 7, 2004

Webbed Blobs
Heh. that's the same thing.

I'm pretty sure that's *the* mac version of echolink.

grilldos
Mar 27, 2004

BUST A LOAF
IN THIS
YEAST CONFECTION
Grimey Drawer
I just straight up assumed EchoLink suggested a really lovely program. I didn't even bother to check the name of what it was.

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous

Jose Pointero posted:

Ahahah wow it took a while but holy poo poo you guys have finally done it :holy: And with Big Hustle as the club president no less...this is great.

Congrats, I'll have to check in on the Echolink sometime. I think I registered for it a long time ago but never used it...do they have a Mac client? (very doubtful)

I haven't been voted in, I just pulled a Fidel and filled in the power vacuum. I think me and nmfree are going to have a stench-off to see who is Goonier and therefore should lead this rag-tag crew of misfits.

Since Partycat mentioned it, I've got Echolink installed under Wine for Linux on my netbook and have no problems with it. I'm glad the Mac Hams got something going native to Apple's system though.

TNLTRPB
May 11, 2007
RFCs 1459, 2810-2813 FTW
I have to ask why you would even want to affiliate with the ARRL. They are the real-world version of QRZ; filled with OFs and never do anything productive.

My personal vote is that we say screw the ARRL and just do whatever we want to do.

Sniep
Mar 28, 2004

All I needed was that fatty blunt...



King of Breakfast
Just saying, when the OFs die, who's going to protect the hobby? I mean the FCC will just be like "cool unused spectrum" and in 10 years itl be gone.

Dijkstra
May 21, 2002

Sniep posted:

Just saying, when the OFs die, who's going to protect the hobby? I mean the FCC will just be like "cool unused spectrum" and in 10 years itl be gone.

Pretty much this.

I know we laugh at old men in jean shorts and grey tube socks who drive around in Astro Vans but their ability to organize and unleash the loving fury is spectacular. The ARRL sued the FCC (and won) for violating federal law when they ignored claims of interference in their eagerness to roll out BPL. If you had BPL in your neighborhood you probably wouldn't be able to get on certain HF bands depending on the installation.

I'm not saying we need to affiliate with the ARRL (it's probably better that we don't) but they are useful for certain things.

One day we'll be OFs too but hopefully we'll have better taste and won't try to turn people away from the hobby because they can't send QRQ code.

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous

Sniep posted:

Just saying, when the OFs die, who's going to protect the hobby? I mean the FCC will just be like "cool unused spectrum" and in 10 years itl be gone.

First they came for the straight keys, and you said nothing because you were a no-code.*
Then they came for the DOS based packet radio programs, and you said nothing because you used Windows 7.
Then they came for the tube rigs, and you said nothing because your rig was solid state.
Then they came for you, and there was no one left to speak up.

*For the record, all of my 'CW hate' is there to harass the OFs. I plan on learning code and have a friend I'm trying to get to take his Technician license so we can practice CW using some homemade QRP kits.

Dijkstra posted:

Pretty much this.

I know we laugh at old men in jean shorts and grey tube socks who drive around in Astro Vans but their ability to organize and unleash the loving fury is spectacular. The ARRL sued the FCC (and won) for violating federal law when they ignored claims of interference in their eagerness to roll out BPL. If you had BPL in your neighborhood you probably wouldn't be able to get on certain HF bands depending on the installation.

I'm not saying we need to affiliate with the ARRL (it's probably better that we don't) but they are useful for certain things.

One day we'll be OFs too but hopefully we'll have better taste and won't try to turn people away from the hobby because they can't send QRQ code.

There's a difference between the ARRL and the OFs who claim membership in it. It's like any other category of people... The 'normal folks' who make up the majority go unnoticed while the loud and obnoxious minority get all the attention. If the militant OFs really had any pull around the ARRL, the CW requirement would never have been removed and there would have been no advancement into digital modes in the band plans at all.

I joined the ARRL when I got my ticket and will probably renew my membership. QST is a pretty good magazine if you ignore the few reviews written by OFs using them as a platform to bitch about modern standards and for as much as I do enjoy pointing and laughing at the OFs, the ARRL does do a good job of defending the spectrum and the rights that otherwise would be eroding away before our eyes.

I'm waiting for the old TV bands to get crowded with OTA broadband. I can tell you now that the next target that they'll set their sites on will be forcing AM and FM to stop transmitting analog signals so they can sell off those frequencies as well. After that comes 2m, 1.25m, and 70cm since they're all in the same neighborhood.

BigHustle fucked around with this message at 15:52 on Nov 16, 2010

Vir
Dec 14, 2007

Does it tickle when your Body Thetans flap their wings, eh Beatrice?
I probably think the people active in the ARRL mostly are good guys and ladies. The OFs who gripe about "no code", who hate emergency communications, traffic nets and contests with a passion, etc. are vocal on some forums and repeaters, but I don't consider them representative of the hobby.

As for frequencies, I think the primary use amateur frequencies are relatively safe from being formally re-allocated as long as we use them for what they were intended - experimentation, friendship and emergency communications. What is a bigger danger, in my opinion, is stuff like "broadband over powerlines" where the people regulating are willfully ignorant of radio physics, or businesses or agencies using the amateur bands for commercial or routine business traffic.

Here in Norway, there's a desperate push to close down FM broadcast transmissions and replace them with DAB (not DAB+, but the old one), but they haven't been pushing broadband over the air as a new use for these old FM frequencies. They just want to save money by not transmitting both on FM and DAB. This initiative is not popular with the public or politicians, so it seems like FM radio is going to stay a while here.

By the way, I'm now another "no-code extra". I'm sending my info to that GMail address.

Vir fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Nov 16, 2010

AbsentMindedWelder
Mar 26, 2003

It must be the fumes.
Well after a bit of time copy and pasting, here's the current list of goons who have emailed me the correct info. They will all have an email sitting in their Inbox with the node info.

BigHustle
Catastrophe
Dijkstra
dv6speed
IonClash
KingOMtDew
mwdan
One Day Fish Sale
Partycat
QPZIL
Radio Nowhere
Snapshot
TC the Giant
TNLTRPB
vinic
Vir
xergm

There is one goon who emailed me his call sign, but left out his SA username. Once I get that, I'll add you, and any other stragglers on the list and email the info.

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous

Vir posted:

I probably think the people active in the ARRL mostly are good guys and ladies. The OFs who gripe about "no code", who hate emergency communications, traffic nets and contests with a passion, etc. are vocal on some forums and repeaters, but I don't consider them representative of the hobby.

Wait... There are hams who hate EmComm? I'd like to meet one of those. All I ever see are people who either don't give a poo poo or have a full DEVO-esque radiation suit covered in HTs who drool at the thought of a disaster so they can 'spring into action'.

Personally I got into ham as a hobby, not as a way to play 'hero' in case of disaster. I plan to go to SKYWARN/RACES (they do it as one class here) and possibly ARES and MARS training, but I won't join any groups as a full member unless they have a very low whacker content. In this area they don't.

"Vir posted:

As for frequencies, I think the primary use amateur frequencies are relatively safe from being formally re-allocated as long as we use them for what they were intended - experimentation, friendship and emergency communications. What is a bigger danger, in my opinion, is stuff like "broadband over powerlines" where the people regulating are willfully ignorant of radio physics, or businesses or agencies using the amateur bands for commercial or routine business traffic.

My comments were meant to be a 'long term' type scenario. We've all seen how long it took them to implement DTV, and they haven't done poo poo with that open spectrum yet. BPL has pretty well been shot down as a viable source of communication infrastructure here in the US. Manassas, VA shut down their BPL service in July because it was costing them too much to keep it up and running. I know that everywhere else that BPL is brought up, the ham community goes apeshit.

quote:

Here in Norway, there's a desperate push to close down FM broadcast transmissions and replace them with DAB (not DAB+, but the old one), but they haven't been pushing broadband over the air as a new use for these old FM frequencies. They just want to save money by not transmitting both on FM and DAB. This initiative is not popular with the public or politicians, so it seems like FM radio is going to stay a while here.

They haven't pushed for cessation of analog radio here in the US yet, but a lot of the local stations here in MO are also broadcasting one or more stations in HD and a few of the AM stations have partnered with FM stations to get their programming on HD.

I know if AM radio ever goes away, I'll miss driving down the highway at night manually scanning through the stations and picking up poo poo from all over the US and Canada.

quote:

By the way, I'm now another "no-code extra". I'm sending my info to that GMail address.

Gooble Gobble, we accept you, we accept you, one of us!

Vir
Dec 14, 2007

Does it tickle when your Body Thetans flap their wings, eh Beatrice?

BigHustle posted:

Wait... There are hams who hate EmComm? I'd like to meet one of those. All I ever see are people who either don't give a poo poo or have a full DEVO-esque radiation suit covered in HTs who drool at the thought of a disaster so they can 'spring into action'.
I've come across them on various Ham forums. They take anti-whackerism to the extreme where they seem to want to ban emergency traffic from the amateur bands, are against any sort of training or exercising, and harass posters who take part in EmComm. Both the whackers and the anti-whackers are sad to behold.

The people who don't give a poo poo are at least not a problem right now. What will happen though is that when they get hit with a disaster some of them may want to help out and won't be well prepared.

Big disasters always get spontaneous, untrained volunteers. This is a challenge for emergency management. Untrained volunteers can't just be put to work operating radios or chainsaws if you haven't confirmed that they know what you're doing. If those volunteers have an amateur license or a forestry service chainsaw operator qualification, then you know that they at least know how to use the equipment. But you don't know if they'll understand who their boss is, understand what the various ICS units do, if they're adequately insured etc.

Being an effective emergency communicator takes some training and exercising, so it's not something we should force everyone to do. (As well as taking people's time, it takes resources from the NGOs or agencies which train them - some places they even give Hams full emergency dispatch training.) I do, however, think that all hams - from technician and up - should have a minimum of EmComm knowledge, such as knowing
- that EmComm has priority over contesting and ragchewing
- how to use the radio
- where the local traffic nets are
- which ARES/RACES (in the US) or similar groups are active in their area
- how to originate or deliver a radiogram
- have realistic expectations for what ham radio can and can not do in an emergency
- how to volunteer without being in the way

BigHustle posted:

Personally I got into ham as a hobby, not as a way to play 'hero' in case of disaster. I plan to go to SKYWARN/RACES (they do it as one class here) and possibly ARES and MARS training, but I won't join any groups as a full member unless they have a very low whacker content. In this area they don't.
The way I see it, emergency communications and improvisation is one of the big reasons why amateurs get all these frequency allocations to play with. By helping out in disaster, radio amateurs give something back for those allocations, as well as doing a good deed. Good on you for getting trained.

Speaking of SKYWARN - learning how to accurately report weather sounds like a good idea, but, my goodness those people with flashing lights driving into tornadoes. :frogsiren:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tjGJiRPCuE
Flashing amber lamps are OK if you're using them to warn of obstructions, but reflective vests and tape are usually better - and don't speed with your lights flashing like you're a Russian oligarch, you whackers. :arghfist::siren:

Catastrophe
Oct 5, 2007

Committed to burn twice as long and half as bright
Well... I can't use echolink because stupid echolink's stupid site won't let me validate my stupid account with them because it's stupid and is somehow still seeing my old address from 4 months ago when I still lived in Philly even though the FCC database lists my new, correct address so I have no idea what to do here because everything is stupid and broken and stupid.

Summary: stupid echolink.

Jose Pointero
Feb 16, 2004

We're not just doing this for money. We're doing it for a SHITLOAD of money!

.

Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Aug 28, 2019

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous

Catastrophe posted:

Well... I can't use echolink because stupid echolink's stupid site won't let me validate my stupid account with them because it's stupid and is somehow still seeing my old address from 4 months ago when I still lived in Philly even though the FCC database lists my new, correct address so I have no idea what to do here because everything is stupid and broken and stupid.

Summary: stupid echolink.

You changed your address recently, right? It takes about 48/72 hours for the updated files to be released by the FCC and downloaded by EchoLink. It's the same with QRZ. It took 48 hours for my call to become active so I could change my EchoLink account over to my new callsign.

Radio Nowhere
Jan 8, 2010

Catastrophe posted:

Well... I can't use echolink because stupid echolink's stupid site won't let me validate my stupid account with them because it's stupid and is somehow still seeing my old address from 4 months ago when I still lived in Philly even though the FCC database lists my new, correct address so I have no idea what to do here because everything is stupid and broken and stupid.

Summary: stupid echolink.

Ha, this made me realize I've never updated the address on my amateur radio license. I've moved like 3 times though today I'm still in the same area as my old address. My old address is my parents house and they haven't gone anywhere, so I'm okay if anything got mailed. Still I should get that changed now that I'm settled in my new house.

Are we doing any regularly scheduled nets on this echolink node? I'll volunteer as net control if that gets the ball rolling.

AbsentMindedWelder
Mar 26, 2003

It must be the fumes.
:corsair: Keep in mind with echolink that you still need to follow all the same rules and generally accepted operating practices as you would on the air. This is true with even two computer users connecting to each other, but the real thing to keep in mind is you never know when someone may be using an RF link of some type. :cop:

Radio Nowhere posted:

Are we doing any regularly scheduled nets on this echolink node? I'll volunteer as net control if that gets the ball rolling.
Not yet, but that was an idea in my head. Let's start with a weekly round table chit chat net, perhaps, probably later in the evening. We just need to work out the scheduling, and can start that whenever. If the net becomes popular we can round up more net ops and increase the days., or perhaps hold different types of nets, of whatever the gently caress it is that nets do.

Speaking of nets, if anybody in the Philadelphia and Suburbs area can hit the 145.13 + 147.06 linked repeater system in Paoli and Newtown Square, PA, I will be running my first net, on behalf of the local club that owns it, on Sunday the 28th at 20:30 EST. I'll be running two nets a month or so there.

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous

Radio Nowhere posted:

Are we doing any regularly scheduled nets on this echolink node? I'll volunteer as net control if that gets the ball rolling.

Don't wait for approval, decide when you want to get your balls out and let everyone know when to check in.

dv6speed posted:

Speaking of nets, if anybody in the Philadelphia and Suburbs area can hit the 145.13 + 147.06 linked repeater system in Paoli and Newtown Square, PA, I will be running my first net, on behalf of the local club that owns it, on Sunday the 28th at 20:30 EST. I'll be running two nets a month or so there.

Will you give yourself an 'atta-boy' on the air if we show up?

AbsentMindedWelder
Mar 26, 2003

It must be the fumes.

BigHustle posted:

Will you give yourself an 'atta-boy' on the air if we show up?
Yes. However it's RF only, no Echolink.

Partycat
Oct 25, 2004

Should have said something over the weekend when VHF prop was up. Oh well.

AbsentMindedWelder
Mar 26, 2003

It must be the fumes.
Please welcome Phuzion to SAARS.


There is still one goon with a call sign, starting with K and ending with F, who has an email address @yahoo.com who's SA username I need. You should be able to figure out who you are... dunno if my reply got lost in your spam folder or you haven't checked your email yet.

Phuzion
Jun 30, 2006

LAN Parties 4 Lyfe!

dv6speed posted:

Please welcome Phuzion to SAARS.


There is still one goon with a call sign, starting with K and ending with F, who has an email address @yahoo.com who's SA username I need. You should be able to figure out who you are... dunno if my reply got lost in your spam folder or you haven't checked your email yet.

Reporting for duty.

Psyched to get on the air with you goons.

nmfree
Aug 15, 2001

The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

dv6speed posted:

There is still one goon with a call sign
it's me, I'm the one with the call sign

[snark]
...if only there were a collection of callsigns (a list, perhaps) somewhere easily found in this thread (in the first post, even!) that one could look up which user has which call...
[/snark]

blugu64
Jul 17, 2006

Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face?

nmfree posted:

it's me, I'm the one with the call sign

[snark]
...if only there were a collection of callsigns (a list, perhaps) somewhere easily found in this thread (in the first post, even!) that one could look up which user has which call...
[/snark]

Wait...I thought it was me.

Partycat
Oct 25, 2004

Could be me too but I'm set up .

So someone get on EchoDink or let's just come up with a standard yacking time outside of net/activities

Catastrophe
Oct 5, 2007

Committed to burn twice as long and half as bright
This afternoon, I got my Echolink account working, set it up on my iPhone, connected to the node and tried talking to see who was out there. No response. Tried again. No response. I realized I was standing on a sidewalk trying to use a cell phone to talk to an Internet-connected ham radio network across the country in hopes that other Internet users would hear me... and was unsuccessful. This was the gooniest moment of my life. Yay!

Partycat
Oct 25, 2004

well come on now I'll idle for a bit

Radio Nowhere
Jan 8, 2010

BigHustle posted:

Don't wait for approval, decide when you want to get your balls out and let everyone know when to check in.

Well I didn't want to step on dv6speed if he already had plans since it's his node and all. I'll gladly get a weekly net rolling, I'm thinking starting at 9 PM EST so it's not too early for west coasters nor too late for east coasters. You goons can PM me what evening would work best. Also PM me some goony net names but remember to keep it FCC legal.

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous

Radio Nowhere posted:

Well I didn't want to step on dv6speed if he already had plans since it's his node and all. I'll gladly get a weekly net rolling, I'm thinking starting at 9 PM EST so it's not too early for west coasters nor too late for east coasters. You goons can PM me what evening would work best. Also PM me some goony net names but remember to keep it FCC legal.

There goes my idea for calling it the Aural Sex Net...

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous
I'm picking up a new toy this weekend...



That right there is a Gladding 25, a crystal controlled 2m rig made by Pearce-Simpson back in the mid 70s, I think. I haven't been able to find much about it on the net, other than a few threads in QRZ where they called it the worst 2m rig ever made.

I'm getting the radio, power supply, mic, 12v power cables, and a lovely mag mount antenna from a guy for :20bux:

EDIT: I found a QST review done of this thing from the December issue of 1971. It seems that the things the OFs were bitching about when talking of this rig were because the when the thing used a non=standard design, like using a slope detector in the receiver and using the DC to DC converter as the audio amplifier during receive.

BigHustle fucked around with this message at 05:27 on Nov 19, 2010

AbsentMindedWelder
Mar 26, 2003

It must be the fumes.
Please welcome Radnor to SAARS.

Current list:

BigHustle
Catastrophe
Dijkstra
dv6speed
IonClash
KingOMtDew
mwdan
nmfree
One Day Fish Sale
Partycat
Phuzion
QPZIL
Radio Nowhere
Radnor
Snapshot
TC the Giant
TNLTRPB
vinic
Vir
xergm

AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Nov 19, 2010

AbsentMindedWelder
Mar 26, 2003

It must be the fumes.
The club station license is now official. Our interim call sign is KB3VIB. I have a support ticket in with the FCC now so I can gain access to the ULS and apply for the vanity.

So, fess up, who was it who got to QRZ before I did and put a picture up there?

Edit: I'm still figuring out what needs to happen so I can cover my rear end and let you guys use the club call sign. I probably need a copy of your FCC paper license or something. Until this happens, please hold off on using the call sign.

AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 14:09 on Nov 19, 2010

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous

dv6speed posted:

The club station license is now official. Our interim call sign is KB3VIB. I have a support ticket in with the FCC now so I can gain access to the ULS and apply for the vanity.

So, fess up, who was it who got to QRZ before I did and put a picture up there?

Edit: I'm still figuring out what needs to happen so I can cover my rear end and let you guys use the club call sign. I probably need a copy of your FCC paper license or something. Until this happens, please hold off on using the call sign.

Unless I'm mistaken, they can only use the club callsign when seated at the club equipment or using it via remote operation. Since we only have the EchoLink node, I don't believe that anyone should be using the club call unless they're running the net. If they do, they need to use proper ettiquette (Ex: This is club station KB3VIB with AC0TW at the controls calling C-Goon) and stay within their licensed frequencies. Using a club station with an Extra call doesn't allow for automatic upgrades.

Did you go to QRZ and remove said picture? I don't see one there, but I can imaging that it was either Tubgirl or Goatse. I know it wasn't Lemonparty, since that's who frequents the site.

AbsentMindedWelder
Mar 26, 2003

It must be the fumes.
I put the application for the vanity call sign in yesterday. AE7Q's website shows that nobody else put an application in for AG0ON, so we are basically guaranteed assignment. The FCC will be processing the application on 12/7.

ohgodwhat
Aug 6, 2005

So, recently my roommate has become interested in amateur radio, and we're looking to set up a system here. I already have my technician license, but he and I are probably going to take the General exam soon. I, personally, have forgotten everything, and while I'm sure I can study for the exam itself with the questions, I'm still quite unsure of what to actually do.

Anyway, my roommate is interested in trying to contact specific people both 50 km away and up to ~1800 km away. I believe the 40m and 20m bands would be the most appropriate for such long distances, correct?

As far as receivers go... I have no idea. I remember reading a lot of good stuff about Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood, but as far as each goes, well, I have no idea. I've tried looking at eHam reviews but they're a mess. Any recommendations? I would say around $500 is the budget, and if it has to be used, that's probably okay.

EDIT: This is a receiver I'm looking at: Icom 718

Finally, antennas. We're fine with building a j-pole for the appropriate bands, but I really don't know what we'd be looking at for 40m and 20m. There is a tree that we could string some sort of dipole up on, but I don't think it's as simple as that. What would we be looking at for cheap and hopefully not too ugly antennas?

I have, in fact, read through this whole thread in the past, but it's just an overwhelming amount of information. Thanks for any help you can provide.

ohgodwhat fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Nov 20, 2010

BigHustle
Oct 19, 2005

Fast and Bulbous

ryanmfw posted:

So, recently my roommate has become interested in amateur radio, and we're looking to set up a system here. I already have my technician license, but he and I are probably going to take the General exam soon. I, personally, have forgotten everything, and while I'm sure I can study for the exam itself with the questions, I'm still quite unsure of what to actually do.

My best suggestion for learning etiquette and procedure is to get a rig and listen, listen, and keep on listening. Everyone tends to follow the same general procedure, but you'll get a few ideas on how best to operate your station. If you want to get something to read, check out the ARRL 'Operating Manual for Radio Amateurs'. There's a poo poo ton of info in there that will come in handy.

quote:

Anyway, my roommate is interested in trying to contact specific people both 50 km away and up to ~1800 km away. I believe the 40m and 20m bands would be the most appropriate for such long distances, correct?

I believe so, but there are a few more folks in here who could answer this better. My HF experience is pretty limited at this point.

quote:

As far as receivers go... I have no idea. I remember reading a lot of good stuff about Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood, but as far as each goes, well, I have no idea. I've tried looking at eHam reviews but they're a mess. Any recommendations? I would say around $500 is the budget, and if it has to be used, that's probably okay.

EDIT: This is a receiver I'm looking at: Icom 718

They all make good radios. A lot of the eHam reviews and bullshit over at QRZ is full of brand loyalty and poo poo of that nature. I've never used the 718, but I know a few folks who have them and they always sound good over the air.

quote:

Finally, antennas. We're fine with building a j-pole for the appropriate bands, but I really don't know what we'd be looking at for 40m and 20m. There is a tree that we could string some sort of dipole up on, but I don't think it's as simple as that. What would we be looking at for cheap and hopefully not too ugly antennas?

Actually, it IS as simple as that. Making a simple 1/4 or 1/2 wave dipole is how a lot of folks get on the air. Just make sure that if you don't get an autotuner that you get an SWR meter so you can be sure that you're transmitting with an antenna that's resonating well. Dipoles are simple to make and easy to modify... Cut each side to formula length plus about a foot extra. Hang it up, test the SWR, and trim the ends if it's too high. Just remember to trim both ends equally.

quote:

I have, in fact, read through this whole thread in the past, but it's just an overwhelming amount of information. Thanks for any help you can provide.

The thread does have a lot of info. I actually need to start at the beginning and re-read it one of these days.

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AbsentMindedWelder
Mar 26, 2003

It must be the fumes.
Make way to the special SAARS bathroom for Curly Shuffle, who just got his Technician license this past week, as inspired by this thread.

Curly Shuffle's e-mail posted:

I look forward to hearing from you, and hopefully will not poo poo my pants.

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