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xergm posted:It looks like your wish in the on the way. Sweet... I just put a reservation in.
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Apr 14, 2011 19:39
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QPZIL posted:
drat $110 is a sweet price for a dual-band HT! So very tempted ...
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Apr 14, 2011 20:36
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Radio Nowhere posted:drat $110 is a sweet price for a dual-band HT! So very tempted ... Everyone that I've talked to that has one has had nothing but praise for it, although I was told that you have to be fluent in Engrish in order to translate the manual.
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Apr 14, 2011 23:41
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BigHustle posted:Everyone that I've talked to that has one has had nothing but praise for it, although I was told that you have to be fluent in Engrish in order to translate the manual. That's strange, I found my manual to be fairly well written. I found very little Engrish at all. Depending on how fast you pick things up, you may not need the manual for long if you just use it to learn the numbers for all the menu items.
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Apr 15, 2011 01:46
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Jose Pointero posted:Hah, one of those will probably be my next purchase. I'm glad China has finally started to step up their game in the ham market...it could definitely use a little shake-up, especially in regard to prices. Amateur radio equipment is cheaper now than it has been at any point in the past.
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Apr 15, 2011 04:19
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Apr 15, 2011 06:07
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xergm posted:That's strange, I found my manual to be fairly well written. I found very little Engrish at all. Depending on how fast you pick things up, you may not need the manual for long if you just use it to learn the numbers for all the menu items. You know, I think the guys who had them got them off of eBay before they were available for sale in the US, so that would explain the Engrish manuals.
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Apr 15, 2011 06:45
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Jose Pointero posted:I suppose so, but there's always room for improvement! Particularly with older radios that have only dropped in price like $100 since they were introduced. The FT-817 comes to mind...there's no way it still costs ~$600 for Yaesu to produce after first being released in ~2007. $600 ain't too bad, but you know they've got some good margin on that right now. Why would it cost less to produce now than it did initially? The world doesn't work like Wal-Mart's prices. The radio has even been upgraded since it was released, from the N to ND version.
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Apr 15, 2011 13:06
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Jose Pointero posted:I suppose so, but there's always room for improvement! Particularly with older radios that have only dropped in price like $100 since they were introduced. The FT-817 comes to mind...there's no way it still costs ~$600 for Yaesu to produce after first being released in ~2007. $600 ain't too bad, but you know they've got some good margin on that right now. The FT-817 has been around longer then that, at least since 2001 when I first got licensed. I was very tempted to get one a year later but I realized a Icom 706MIIG was a much better investment.
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Apr 15, 2011 13:19
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The FT-817(ND)'s popularity, as shown in this thread, means that most of its deficiencies can be fixed by installing additional components inside it. If you're a CW user, you can install a 300 Hz or 500 Hz filter for that; if you use SSB, you can install a speech compressor and DSP; if you use very narrow band communications, you can install a more stable crystal. There are also many external accessories which are made specifically for it, like memory tuners and amps. I don't mind the 5 watts output power. The main reason why I haven't bought it yet is that it's not quite battery efficient. It does all modes and all bands from 160-0.7m, but keeping all those electronics toasty uses (relatively) a lot of battery power. There are high capacity lithium battery options available, and you could bring a solar panel or crank charger along, but still. It should have had a standby feature like the FT-101B; that's a solid-state rig except for the final tubes, and it allows you to turn off the filament power when you're just receiving. The easy way to do a similar thing with the 817 would be to bring along the trusty Sony or Eton/Grundig shortwave radio and only turn on the 817 when transmitting. The hard way would be to reprogram or solder the 817 to behave that way, if it's even possible. I was about to say that the 817 is the closest thing to an HF HT, but of course I knew I had to be wrong: HF Handhelds -- Radios That Go Anywhere If Wouxun made an FT-817 competitor, I would be all over that. Vir fucked around with this message at 15:06 on Apr 15, 2011 |
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Apr 15, 2011 15:04
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RE: Prices, I think Skyssx is correct. When you bring inflation into account, rigs are cheaper than they have ever been. However, I would also argue that the big manufactures could even drop their prices further. Part of is that there are a few "new" manufacturers helping to increase competition, and part of it is advances in technology and the fact that components and semiconductors are so cheap now. It seems like for the 20+ years I have been into radios, the price points have remained more or less static. For as long as I can remember, the market has mostly maintained them with little change. For example the "entry level" HF rigs have always been available for somewhere around $700-$800. Even 20 years ago, rigs like the Icom 725 and similar entry level Yaesus (like the FT-747GX) were at or just a bit above this price. So when you take inflation into account, really the prices have dropped considerably. Also, rigs now are cheaper to manufacture than ever. Semiconductors cost nothing thanks to advances in technology and the fact that several Asian countries have very loose environmental regulations. You can easily put 20 times the features you used to be able to put in rigs now. You don't need all of the electronic overhead you used to need because you can just stick all of the features in firmware and slap a cheap microprocessor on a board that handles everything. Of course there are old school guys who like their high end rigs with all kinds of switches and relays and "real" filters- but for everything else- they are all just the same rig with more features enabled, or have more stuff onboard like tuners and beefier finals.
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Apr 15, 2011 19:53
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xergm posted:It looks like your wish in the on the way. Yeah, don't hold your breath on that too long. This has been known about since probably this time last year and it was expected to be out right after the new year. That reservation page has been up for at least 6 months now. Granted, there are some trade shows and such coming up that might be showing the radio. There's this radio I saw the other day too. I emailed the company and they said it would be out in June. It probably wont be as well made with as many features as the Wouxun though.
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Apr 16, 2011 00:43
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I wonder how those Chinese dual-ban dual-receive models handle intermod? I have a Yaesu model where the second VFO just screams pager signals unless the PL is on. I use this model in the house now, been looking around for a dual-bander (2M/440)to put in my car. I lean on just doing a dual-bander with only one VFO.
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Apr 16, 2011 01:09
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Radio Nowhere posted:I wonder how those Chinese dual-ban dual-receive models handle intermod? I have a Yaesu model where the second VFO just screams pager signals unless the PL is on. I use this model in the house now, been looking around for a dual-bander (2M/440)to put in my car. I lean on just doing a dual-bander with only one VFO. To answer your question - not very well!
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Apr 16, 2011 08:29
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I've been playing with iambic keying software, and trying to get CWIRC to work. There are plenty of programs for learning morse code. The best ones I've tried are the online lcwo.net, and G4FON's Koch Morse Trainer for Windows. I have a Palm T|X, but unfortunately, the morse programs I've tried on that are mostly suitable for slow speeds, because the timing is too erratic for fast practice. I think Tyler Larson's Smart Morse was the most capable of speed, but started to suffer when reaching speeds of about 15 WPM. What I've done is to make random lesson files (sound and text answer) with G4FON's program, and then put those on the Palm to play in the SongPlayer. (LCWO.net can make such mp3s too.) That's fine for practicing copying, but to practice iambic sending, there seems to be fewer options. There's MorseKeyer, part of Morse Code Tools (morse-rss-news.sourceforge.net) which runs on Windows, but I couldn't make run in Wine. CWCom works in Wine, and should also be able to communicate with other people in simulated morse QSOs. It's an obsolete program - I pulled the download from the Internet Archive - but it seems to have a few users still: http://morsecode.dyndns.org/ CWIRC is more current, and uses IRC to simulate CW operation on the air. I failed to compile it in Mac OS X. Apparently KB1OOO has done that successfully, but using a deprecated toolkit. Vir fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Apr 19, 2011 |
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Apr 18, 2011 01:43
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I want a second opinion from a goon. I'm ready to actually pick up my first HF rig. Is $675 a pretty fair prices for an FT-897 with an internal power supply? From my own research, it looks pretty fair. Also, does anyone have an opinion on the FT-817? I have space considerations to consider at the moment, and a small and portable 5w rig seems like it could give me more use than a clunkier 100w rig. For the record, I'm looking at a dorm room environment too, so if I don't have any luck with an indoor antenna, the 817 will at least get let me go outside. xergm fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Apr 18, 2011 |
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Apr 18, 2011 18:46
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I haven't bought a radio yet, so allow the blind to lead the nearsighted, as it were:  Well, you already have an HT for VHF/UHF. If you have a car and would be happy to do picnic table operation next to it, you'll be getting better HF-bang for your buck with the 897, and a better receiver too. If you want a radio that you can carry for any distance though, such as on hiking trips, or by train to the office, then the 817 is your choice. That or perhaps something like the 857 - twice the weight but a better radio and 20 times the power. On the CWIRC situation, I'm learning about OS X audio programming, but KB1OOO already has a version compiled. Vir fucked around with this message at 23:05 on Apr 18, 2011 |
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Apr 18, 2011 22:51
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I've actually been leaning toward the 817 since a small down really leaves me with a random wire through a tuner as my antenna, and as I've said, it'll give me a little extra flexibility if I want to get outside and throw something up into a tree. I've heard that delving right into QRP to start with is generally inadvisable, but I'm only looking at if for a time-span of 12 months. Come next year I'll be graduating and entering the workforce, so I should be able to pull in something with more power to play with then. With that in mind, I feel I could deal with 5 watts in the meantime, especially if I make the most out of it by running digital modes and learning CW instead of working voice all the time.
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Apr 18, 2011 23:02
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KB1OOO sent me CWirc for OS X Leopard, and I just had to install GTK2 and make a couple of symlinks to make it work. Yay! On CWCOM, I just had a short session with a guy in India with a brass straight key. I'm using iambic mode though. Haha, I'm sending morse code over the Internet. e: Jose Pointero posted:Or something like that at least, it's a 5 min photoshop quickie.  Backhoes create more communication emergencies than most things. Even Godzilla. Vir fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Apr 20, 2011 |
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Apr 19, 2011 14:35
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If only backhoe operators had radio they could communicate to each other that they are presently destroying infrastructure
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Apr 20, 2011 20:28
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quote:SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS006
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Apr 20, 2011 21:47
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Anyone doing anything for this year's field day?
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Apr 26, 2011 03:37
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LtDan posted:Anyone doing anything for this year's field day? I'm always on vacation that weekend, but I bring a portable shortwave radio to check in on the crazyness.
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Apr 26, 2011 15:55
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Been a year. Radios are dusty, but still work. How's the sunspot cycle? 20 meters worth a poo poo in the evening yet? Still dreaming of the day it'll be worth it to put a 10M rig in the car. Ready to give the HF thing one more shot. Hopefully I can dodge the racists; perhaps if I stick to PSK. Funny, I stray from the ham game a lot, but every time I run out of fun money I come back to my shack. It's been a great long-term investment, entertainment wise.
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Apr 26, 2011 16:19
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LtDan posted:Anyone doing anything for this year's field day? I might set up a 1D station, but I'm not sure how far I'll get out. I'm moving from one dorm into another for a summer research project. Does anyone have any ideas for antennas in a restricted space? My FT-817 and tuner came in and I was able to play with it while I was home and just picked up noise. I suspect the culprit to me some AC lines behind the drywall, but I have no way of knowing until I can get back home and hit the breaker for my room.
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Apr 26, 2011 23:13
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If it were me, step 1 would be to find a big-rear end roll of magnet wire. That enabled more antenna projects than anything else when I was younger. You can ninja that poo poo up to treetops if you use a slingshot and monofilament, and it'll at least last till the first strong wind. Popular options are also mobile whips stuck out windows, loading up your gutters, and loading up your wire bedprings. If it's big and metal, and not grounded, it's an antenna waiting to happen.
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Apr 26, 2011 23:47
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I was actually thinking about the Miracle Whip, isn't it pretty much a standard whip with an inductance coil for tuning? Couldn't I just find other random whip or similar long piece of metal and hook it up to the random wire post on my tuner and get much the same effect? Also, as a side comment, I got an MFJ-949D and I laugh at how much overkill it is for my little 817. I guess I'm not looking to climb mountains, and I could still fit it in my huge backpack if I ever wanted to sit at the park. Can't complain. Picked it of for $80 and it has a dummy load and everything I'll ever need out of a tuner, so it'll probably stay in my shack for a long time to come, especially when I make the big move over to 100+W.
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Apr 27, 2011 06:19
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xergm posted:I was actually thinking about the Miracle Whip, isn't it pretty much a standard whip with an inductance coil for tuning? Couldn't I just find other random whip or similar long piece of metal and hook it up to the random wire post on my tuner and get much the same effect? I'm actually pondering going strictly 2m/DStar in my Jeep (Wrangler) since there are such horrid noise issues that I can't pin down, I'm about to give up on it.
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Apr 27, 2011 07:07
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I think I made a mistake. I am going on a long solo motorcycle trip and wanted a versatile, compact radio receiver. My needs are: 1. Pick up weather band, ideally with weather alert capability. 2. Pick up shortwave or other random radio emissions for amusement. I purchased a Yaesu VX2 due to its size and I'm starting to gather that the Rx on weather band is terrible with the rubber duck antenna. I will be using the radio stationary only (although I may switch it on for weather alert while on the bike?) so an extra antenna can be as long as I like if I can coil it. Should I get another antenna or did I make a mistake with the VX2? MotoMind fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Apr 27, 2011 |
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Apr 27, 2011 18:59
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MotoMind posted:Should I get another antenna or did I make a mistake with the VX2? On my VX-2, swapping on a Diamond SRH-519 made weather band RX go from horrible to quite good. It's a great little radio, so don't give up on it yet. The stock antenna is really the only flaw I've found.
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Apr 27, 2011 21:11
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MotoMind posted:I think I made a mistake. I am going on a long solo motorcycle trip and wanted a versatile, compact radio receiver. My needs are: Changing from the stock rubber duck is going going to make a big difference in pretty much any radio with a wideband receive. My Kenwood TH-F6A gets lovely WX reception with the rubber duck but totally destroys when I swap it out with a Diamond SRH-320A. You can always get a different antenna that's going to receive the WX bands better than an antenna tuned for the ham bands if that's your primary concern while on the bike. The Maldol AL-500H would be a good choice. Whichever route you choose, make sure your antenna is optimized to receive somewhere around the weather bands (162.40-162.55 MHz).
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Apr 27, 2011 21:56
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Great, thanks for the input. What is the right way to search for optimized antennae? Do I need to look at each one individually, or can I use common search terms like "weather band" or "shortwave" to find antennae optimized for that?
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Apr 27, 2011 23:09
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MotoMind posted:Great, thanks for the input. Check the specs. As long as it receives around the 162 MHz you'll be good. You'll probably have more luck looking for VHF, wideband, marine band, or scanner antennas than anything else since they don't really make handheld shortwave radios with rubber duck antennas. Some business band antennas might work, but that might be pushing it. The air, marine, and business bands are right around there, so you should be good. List of contents of the VHF spectrum Also, make sure you get one with the right connector. It'll suck picking up an antenna with a BNC connector if your radio has an SMA input (or vice versa).
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Apr 28, 2011 00:00
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Thought you guys might like this: It's a quad helix antenna for 149 MHz. It weighs 80g, and is for our transatlantic balloon's satellite transmitter. Zuph fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Apr 29, 2011 |
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Apr 29, 2011 00:58
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Your picture isn't showing - I think you may have hotlinked Twitpic.
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Apr 29, 2011 09:33
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Vir posted:Your picture isn't showing - I think you may have hotlinked Twitpic. Fixed
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Apr 29, 2011 18:55
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Apr 30, 2011 07:02
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QPZIL posted:
What frequencies does your Wouxun HH hit? As soon as I get a new Card (due to the whole Sony PSN Hack), I will be ordering one of these for my first radio (finally), as the reviews and price peg this as a good deal. Being in the South with all these crazy storms makes me want something anyway. Would the Diamond SRH77CA fit the radio without an adapter? What are you flying the balloon for?
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Apr 30, 2011 18:26
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Xenpo posted:What frequencies does your Wouxun HH hit? As soon as I get a new Card (due to the whole Sony PSN Hack), I will be ordering one of these for my first radio (finally), as the reviews and price peg this as a good deal. Being in the South with all these crazy storms makes me want something anyway. The KG-UV2D is 2m/440 - I usually just hit repeaters on 145/146 around me. Where in the South are you? I'm in NC myself.
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May 2, 2011 14:31
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I'm in TN. Partly looking to get one as a just in case at this point. That is if I don't float away before it gets to me, since we don't have any HAM retailers in my local anymore lol. (worst case scenario of course).
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May 3, 2011 03:14
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