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Partycat posted:I am going to grab one of those, that looks like it could be interesting for contesting as a receive device , versus search and pounce. Probably will be destroyed immediately being near a transmitter. The same guy on eBay sells the adapters... also RadioShack sells them (i think they call it a European TV adapter) and several HK and Chinese eBay sellers have them as well. I'm not a ham or anything... I just like to tinker so I wasn't sure what I would need. I picked up a ton of different adapters Belling Lee - F, Belling Lee - BNC, and Belling Lee - SMA adapter, etc (i had no clue what I'd ultimately need and everything was so cheap from China I just got an assortment. Strangely enough, the stuff from China arrived 1 day before the USB adapter itself... I've never gotten things from China so quickly. I'm still actually using the dinky antenna that comes with the dongle. It allows me to pick up local law enforcement just fine... ultimately I'm going to build or buy something better though. I'm really just screwing around right now.
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Jul 30, 2012 21:32
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I feel like I may have asked in this thread before, but I think it's just serious Deja Vu. I'm an officer on an oil tanker, and we've got the full GMDSS setup going on with a SSB MF/HF and a Narrow Band Direct Printing terminal. Watches are long and boring, and from what I hear, there are ways to connect to telnet using an MF/HF terminal. I only have a GMDSS Operator license, however, and I don't even know where I'd start figuring this kind of thing out. I've tried a bunch of different things, but from what I've figured out, NBDP is kind of the worst possible terminal to have?
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Jul 31, 2012 05:37
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In the marine MF/HF service, your choice of ground stations are government or commercial stations, I think. There used to be some commercial telex (NBDP) ground stations in the past, but I don't know if there are any left today - only government stations kept for emergency and safety communications. Most commercial MF/HF stations today use an email protocol on PACTOR I, II or III. Navtex broadcasts still use NBDP, but I think you have a separate receiver for that. If the NBDP terminal is still required, it is as a way to do distress communications if your other methods fail. If it hasn't been phased out yet, I hear speculation that the two-way NBDP is likely to be replaced. As for telnet - I know you can telnet (or ssh) into some maritime email services from the Internet side - but I don't know if you can use telnet on the air side even of PACTOR stations. I suppose you can use the NBDP to practice telex transmission with other ship stations. If you get an amateur license, and the NBDP terminal gets phased out, perhaps you can use it on amateur frequencies. Vir fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Jul 31, 2012 |
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Jul 31, 2012 22:34
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If you can find an MF/HF email provider that will fall back to AMTOR, I think you can theoretically telnet into the mail client dialog. But without error correction, trying to run the protocol dialog manually will be an exercise in frustration ending in a timeout - like trying to type email into an SMTP dialog over a noisy modem line.
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Aug 2, 2012 03:42
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I used to admin a mail server and occasionally had to mail from telnet for testing purposes. It's a pain on a reliable connection, I pity anyone trying to do it over anything questionable.
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Aug 3, 2012 02:12
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Received my EzTv dongle today, and, after a minimum of reading, got it working. I haven't found a "Squelch" setting yet which is sorely needed for FM. It does pretty well for UHF in the 450MHz zone for law enforcement, with the little crappo antenna that comes with it. VHF indoors where I am is pretty bad. Broadcast FM comes through, but the normally booming weather radio doesn't. For <$30 this could be a fun toy, and with the waterfall, I still think it could be useful for contesting.
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Aug 5, 2012 02:04
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Partycat posted:Received my EzTv dongle today, and, after a minimum of reading, got it working. Are you using HDSDR? Squelch is on the little analog style quarter-circle S-meter. Click on the outer scale just above your current noise level.
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Aug 5, 2012 05:12
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phorge posted:Don't order from DealExtreme... they are shipping a different SKU now that doesn't have the right chipset in it. poo poo, seriously !? I ordered one a few weeks ago, hopefully I didn't waste $20 
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Aug 5, 2012 22:08
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eddiewalker posted:Are you using HDSDR? Squelch is on the little analog style quarter-circle S-meter. Click on the outer scale just above your current noise level. I was not, but I will figure out how to get it to work if it has squelch. I have been using SDR# , which has a box for it, but it is greyed out.
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Aug 6, 2012 02:51
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Went for my test, and passed general!
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Aug 7, 2012 01:31
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^^^ congrats! I'm going hiking in the Canadian Rockies (Banff area) next month, and I'm thinking of bringing my HT along, mostly for safety. Do I need to do anything special, licensewise, or can I operate with my US call?
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Aug 7, 2012 20:15
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So I'm taking the Technician test Saturday morning and after taking several practice tests, I'm confident I'll pass. What's a good starter rig?
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Aug 9, 2012 16:53
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Endless Mike posted:So I'm taking the Technician test Saturday morning and after taking several practice tests, I'm confident I'll pass. What's a good starter rig? See ya there!
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Aug 9, 2012 20:16
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manero posted:I'm going hiking in the Canadian Rockies (Banff area) next month, and I'm thinking of bringing my HT along, mostly for safety. Do I need to do anything special, licensewise, or can I operate with my US call? If you get a US Amateur Extra license, you qualify for a CEPT class 1 license, which would give you full amateur privileges in Canda. You'd use VE/ as a prefix to your US callsign (unless in the VO or VY area of Canada). Those who passed a code test for their US General license can also operate with full privileges in Canda, without getting an Extra license. Under the US-Canadian treaty, they'd identify with the call area as a suffix. If operating under the IARP, they can use call area as either a prefix or suffix. vvv: Yes, I was editing my post. You can ideally tell apart a US ham operating under the 1952 treaty as giving the call area and QTH as a suffix from one operating under CEPT using the call area as a prefix. "this is N9CFX/VE3 in Airdrie, Alberta" versus "this is VE/W4RT" I'd imagine that the requirement to give the QTH in every QSO would get annoying in contests or heavy DX pileups, so I understand why those guys would get a Canadian callsign. Even if operating under CEPT I'd perhaps say VE3/W4RT even though the 3 isn't needed, for the benefit of those collecting Canadian call areas or CQ and ITU zones in their log. Vir fucked around with this message at 03:01 on Aug 10, 2012 |
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Aug 10, 2012 02:14
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Vir posted:According to this as a code-less Amateur General licensee, you can operate like a Canadian with a Basic Qualification with your US callsign, which should suffice for an HT. They just ask you to state your location in each contact, and follow the Canadian rules and band plan as a Canadian Basic would (>30 MHz, 250 watt DC input power). Aha, thanks! I also found this page which says I also need to add something like /VE6 to the end of my US call.
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Aug 10, 2012 02:24
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Passed my technician exam with a 92ish%, missed 3. Now to endure the wait for my call sign!
TremorX fucked around with this message at 16:15 on Aug 11, 2012 |
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Aug 11, 2012 15:59
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Passed Technician with a 91% (I think). Failed General with a 54%, but wasn't expecting to pass.
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Aug 11, 2012 16:11
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Passed my Technician License today! They never let me know what my score was though. Failed the General miserably.
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Aug 11, 2012 17:47
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Pukestain Pal posted:Passed my Technician License today! They never let me know what my score was though. Failed the General miserably. They can tell you your score, just not what you got wrong. Have fun on the wait... I passed my tech and general last monday, still waiting....
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Aug 11, 2012 23:19
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Congrats to all the new HamGoons. I'm glad your studying paid off. As for me, I'm back on the air after a short self-induced hiatus after another on-air blowup. Stay tuned for pics of my new tattoo, which is both Goony and Ham radio oriented.
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Aug 12, 2012 04:20
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So the Wouxun KG-UV920R dual band mobile is out at finally at $384. Check out eBay auction 280930073740
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Aug 12, 2012 22:55
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Got my call sign assigned today. KB3ZBQ That was quick!
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Aug 13, 2012 15:05
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SiB posted:So the Wouxun KG-UV920R dual band mobile is out at finally at $384. Check out eBay auction 280930073740 I was going to hate on this and how nobody should be buying Wouxun at $400 when the IC-2820H is.......but then I googled and realized that the 2820H is going for SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS. What happened? Is the buck that weak? This looks like an interesting radio, cross band repeat for 400 bucks. --- This weekend I got bitten by the bug again and looked at my sad mobile setup. I rewired a couple janky power cables, got a 6VDC adapter set up for my Uniden and rebuilt all the mag mounts as they were all shorted out and corroded. Much cleaner and happier now! Silicone sealant goes a long way to help these things stay tight after a couple years. I also built an 800mhz scanner antenna. Well, I screwed a 3" 3/8x24 bolt into a mag mount. Works well!
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Aug 13, 2012 16:04
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Pukestain Pal posted:Got my call sign assigned today. KB3ZBQ Do you just keep searching the FCC db via your zip code, or is there a log of new stuff like on QRZ?
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Aug 13, 2012 16:17
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A question for you guys: If you were putting up a ~250 foot horizontal loop and feeding it with open wire line (about 30 feet), how would you connect it to a Kenwood AT-230? I've got a longwire input and can just drive it against ground, but would I be better off getting a 4:1 balun and running a *short* coax jumper to the tuner? I run barefoot when I do TX and will never put more than 150W through it.
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Aug 13, 2012 16:24
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TremorX posted:Do you just keep searching the FCC db via your zip code, or is there a log of new stuff like on QRZ? Just searched the FCC night for my name.
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Aug 13, 2012 16:57
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Yeah, I found the search stuff right after I posted that. 
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Aug 13, 2012 17:02
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Pukestain Pal posted:Got my call sign assigned today. KB3ZBQ No fair, I've been waiting a week now. Still nothing. But then I live in the boonies in Maine where things take longer to reach the rest of the world ...
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Aug 13, 2012 19:31
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chrisgt posted:No fair, I've been waiting a week now. Still nothing. But then I live in the boonies in Maine where things take longer to reach the rest of the world ... Yeah, I'm in super-rural Georgia, and it looks like they already went through GA today. They said that a few people got them by Tuesday after taking it on Saturday, and some others said about 2 weeks, it just depends. Oh god the waiting.
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Aug 13, 2012 20:41
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What's the latest recommendation for a newbie non-mobile rig?
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Aug 13, 2012 20:41
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Non-mobile as in fixed base station, or handheld(HT/walkie talkie)? Also, what bands?
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Aug 13, 2012 21:41
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Jonny 290 posted:A question for you guys: If you were putting up a ~250 foot horizontal loop and feeding it with open wire line (about 30 feet), how would you connect it to a Kenwood AT-230? I've got a longwire input and can just drive it against ground, but would I be better off getting a 4:1 balun and running a *short* coax jumper to the tuner? I run barefoot when I do TX and will never put more than 150W through it. I would definitely just feed it directly to the tuner if you can run the open wire line into your shack without it running near metal, ducting, etc. If this isn't possible, then use a good CURRENT (not voltage) balun and the shortest run of coax possible. Also, is there any way you can add like 30-35 feet to the loop? That will get the resonance down further in the 80 meter band and allow you to match much better on the higher bands. The resonance points on the harmonic bands will be more likely to be smack in the middle of the ham bands this way. The only other thing I'd mention is that the rule of thumb for an open-wire fed loop is that the feedline length should be a multiple of 1/2 wavelength on the lowest frequency of operation. Can you make the feedline length around 1/2 of your total loop length? If not don't worry too much, it will still work fine but your SWR may be higher than you expect at resonance. Just play around and see what works. If you can't use a 1/2 wave feed and your SWR on 80/75 is too high, try adding 10 feet of feedline. Adjusting the feedline length a few feet at a time can make a pretty big difference. I'd really try to get the loop length around 280 feet though.
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Aug 13, 2012 21:46
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Good call, and yes, I can cheese a few extra feet. Worst case I can do a short linear loading section or something. Also good observation on the half wavelength. If I feed from a corner, I can stretch it out 65ish feet, but I just don't know on getting 133 feet out there. That'd be clear across the yard and on the other side of the property line. As my plan is, I was going to feed on a side, directly above the shack with a total run of about 30 feet. I'm replacing the sliding part of the shack window with a semi-permanent plywood bulkhead board, and will be running the line through there; it'll be nice and isolated. Run from the window to the tuner is literally about 18 inches, the desk is right in front of the window and the tuner's on that side.
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Aug 13, 2012 22:09
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I'm still fuzzy on antenna lengths. I have a huge dipole (that was given to me) that I strung up in some trees here that's probably, all total, a good 40+ meters long, easily. It's around 9-10' up, and for now that's about as high as I can do. I pick up signals on 40 and 20 meters from all over the world and they sound great. 15, 12 and 10 meters, not so much. Back in the fall, 10 meters was about the only band I *could* pick up just using a small desktop antenna. I know the solar activity has had some impact on it, but is having a long antenna actually hurting my reception?
TremorX fucked around with this message at 22:31 on Aug 13, 2012 |
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Aug 13, 2012 22:29
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"Desktop Antenna" is not really the term that you would apply. Antennae are easily the largest and most obtrusive things, but, that's not to say you can't get away with small units, you just need time and patience. 15/12/10 may not be "open", the only reason it should be hurting you as a longer antenna is if you strung it up near something it would be inducting interference over or if it's a whole multiple of the wavelength you're going for, I think. 10 usually is in the early morning, evening here if it's open, and it's usually to XE Mexico stations. HDSDR... seems to lock up all the time and I have to pull the USB and put it back. I figured out squelch only works on NFM in SDR# but now that's seems to be a fine program
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Aug 14, 2012 02:16
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Jonny 290 posted:Good call, and yes, I can cheese a few extra feet. Worst case I can do a short linear loading section or something. I've been playing around with half-squares lately but full-wave loops are still my favorite antennas, I currently have two of them up. If you haven't used a big loop before you'll love it once you get everything situated. They take more effort but they are worth it, especially on receive. So much quieter.
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Aug 14, 2012 02:42
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Jonny 290 posted:Non-mobile as in fixed base station, or handheld(HT/walkie talkie)? Also, what bands? Fixed base station. Haven't really worked out which bands I'd like to work with quite yet though. I'd like to be flexible.
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Aug 14, 2012 07:07
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TremorX posted:I'm still fuzzy on antenna lengths. I have a huge dipole (that was given to me) that I strung up in some trees here that's probably, all total, a good 40+ meters long, easily. It's around 9-10' up, and for now that's about as high as I can do. I pick up signals on 40 and 20 meters from all over the world and they sound great. 15, 12 and 10 meters, not so much. Back in the fall, 10 meters was about the only band I *could* pick up just using a small desktop antenna. I know the solar activity has had some impact on it, but is having a long antenna actually hurting my reception? Since your antenna is so low, it probably radiates straight upwards on most bands anyway (NVIS), but once you get the antenna up higher, a long antenna might hurt predictable results on the higher bands. If you wanted to make sure that it always sent its signals broadside, you could install traps, or make a fan dipole. Another way a too long antenna could hurt is if its SWR is too high, especially if it's fed with coax. The radio might seem happy, but only because the coax dissipates much of the reflected wave. Tuned doublets should be fed with ladder line - ideally to a balanced tuner, or at least a length of ladder line that's well matched to coax, like a ZS6BKW design. You might look into other types of antennas that work well on low height. Just be aware that a vertical antenna needs lots of radials to be as good as a dipole. One advantage of a vertical is that it often "opens the band" earlier than a dipole does.
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Aug 14, 2012 11:50
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Pukestain Pal posted:Fixed base station. Haven't really worked out which bands I'd like to work with quite yet though. I'd like to be flexible. To be perfectly frank, right off the bat, know this: 95% of VHF/UHF operators do not have a fixed base radio. They run mobile radios + power supplies. So don't be hung up on buying a huge box. There are 'swiss army knife' radios out there that have OK performance on a lot of bands, masters of none. On the other end you have specialized single-band VHF/UHF radios which have a little better performance but have tons of gadgets and poo poo you'll never use unless you work satellite or moonbounce. For entry level stuff I would think that you would get a LOT of mileage out of an Icom 706 series. It'll do 100 watts between 160 and 10 meters, 50 watts on 2 meters, and some versions have 440 coverage as well. Yaesu's is the 897 I think? All the manufacturers put out swiss-army-knife all in one small rigs in the 2000's. If you really want a big old base rig, that's cool, but open thy wallet. An Icom 746 will do 160-2 meters like the 706, but has a huge pretty interface and lots of cool knobs. Same with the TS-2000 (though I am not a Kenwood fan). To get a single "DC-Daylight" base station I would probably budget 1500-2000 all told. Don't forget the assload of antennas you'll need/want. TremorX posted:I'm still fuzzy on antenna lengths. I have a huge dipole (that was given to me) that I strung up in some trees here that's probably, all total, a good 40+ meters long, easily. It's around 9-10' up, and for now that's about as high as I can do. I pick up signals on 40 and 20 meters from all over the world and they sound great. 15, 12 and 10 meters, not so much. Back in the fall, 10 meters was about the only band I *could* pick up just using a small desktop antenna. I know the solar activity has had some impact on it, but is having a long antenna actually hurting my reception? Yes! as noted just above. Super long wires get finicky and shoot most of their energy off their ends. This seems like a great opportunity to work on your dipole mojo. 10/15/20M are prime antenna experimentation territory since the sizes aren't too bad. Divide 468 by your desired frequency in MHz, and you get the antenna length in feet. Since you already have a horizontal wire up, I'd like to suggest that you take a look at a sloping dipole or inverted V for one of these bands. You only need one high-up support point for either one - the sloper needs one low anchor, the V needs two. If you need further info or construction hints, we can help.
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Aug 14, 2012 18:22
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Jonny 290 posted:To be perfectly frank, right off the bat, know this: 95% of VHF/UHF operators do not have a fixed base radio. They run mobile radios + power supplies. So don't be hung up on buying a huge box. Awesome, thanks! I think I'd really like playing with packet radio in some form, which would be the main reason I'd want fixed base.
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Aug 14, 2012 18:26
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