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PhantomOfTheCopier posted:How does one use the ITU Phonetic Alphabet to spell the first name Charlie? "Charlton Heston Alpha Romeo Lima India Echo"
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Apr 29, 2013 00:52
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Pham Nuwen posted:"Charlton Heston Alpha Romeo Lima India Echo" Shameful.
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Apr 29, 2013 09:57
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Caesar Helge Adam Rudolf Ludvig Ivar Erik 
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Apr 29, 2013 12:54
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eddiewalker posted:I've looked at the 220mhz version just because it seems to be the cheapest way to get on that band with decent power, but I have no idea if anyone actually uses the few local repeaters I see in the directories. As much as 70cm seems like a strange new frontier to so many greybeards, I doubt I'd hear a peep on 220, but there's always the curiosity that maybe THAT'S where the cool guys are... In a lot of areas folks who are tired of local repeater and club politics are putting up machines on 220 where they can do what they want for the most part. Only way to find out if it is active in your area is to listen. Do you have a scanner or something? I have one of those TYTs on 220. It's a pretty good rig but the audio can sound a little hollow apparently. Programming it is kind of strange at first since none of the buttons are marked in a meaningful manner but once you make up a cheat sheet it's not too bad.
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Apr 29, 2013 15:04
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Pham Nuwen posted:"Charlton Heston Alpha Romeo Lima India Echo" 
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Apr 29, 2013 18:47
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H is heir, or if you want to get all fancy hors d'oeuvres. 
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Apr 29, 2013 20:13
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Double postin, Yay All this talk about Chinese radios got me browsing around and I found this:  Runbo X3 and X5 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Orig.../648600201.html The two on the left run android 4.? and have a UHF radio built in. It looks like the radio has more of GMRS/FRS type interface in that the radio side isn't accessible programmaticly from the phone side, and that you're stuck on specific channels. It looks like it should be able to hop on 70cm though. However from some of the videos I've watched an app on the phone side can program those frequencies, and power the radio on/off. I think the frequencies even work here in the states, but I'll have to double check. Waterproof, shockproof, hardware keyboard(on the X3), flashlight, and laser. Yes it has a laser. If they ever they add a VHF radio (so it can act like a dual bander), and internal TNC, I'll be really hard pressed not to give it a shot.
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Apr 30, 2013 00:11
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blugu64 posted:Double postin, Yay My god, running a 1.something GHz fuckoff-core processor, backlit LCD touchscreen, *AND* a UHF radio, I can only imagine the battery life is measured in minutes.
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Apr 30, 2013 06:29
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Battery life aside, I would love a completely open, Android-powered transceiver. Maybe a core unit that can take different radio modules, so you could sell the huge HF base unit separate from the portable dual bander, while all maintaining the same interface, so you could jump between them easily. And then play Angry Birds on it or something.
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Apr 30, 2013 14:31
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The Muffinlord posted:Battery life aside, I would love a completely open, Android-powered transceiver. Maybe a core unit that can take different radio modules, so you could sell the huge HF base unit separate from the portable dual bander, while all maintaining the same interface, so you could jump between them easily. And then play Angry Birds on it or something. What would be a hell of a lot better would be a device that could rig-control multiple different brands of radio as well as having a standardized protocol, and the communicate in that standardized protocol over USB. Open-source rig control poo poo would pop up so fast and you could use it with pretty much any radio that supported some kind of rig control. Welp, gentleman start your arduinos I guess.
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May 1, 2013 02:58
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So CAT over usb rather than serial?
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May 1, 2013 03:48
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MisterOblivious posted:So CAT over usb rather than serial? Pretty much yes 
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May 1, 2013 04:10
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SoundMonkey posted:What would be a hell of a lot better would be a device that could rig-control multiple different brands of radio as well as having a standardized protocol, and the communicate in that standardized protocol over USB. Open-source rig control poo poo would pop up so fast and you could use it with pretty much any radio that supported some kind of rig control. The world needs this. Needing a standard, sensible control scheme is why my radio spends 95% of its time hooked up to my pc. At least with Ham Radio Deluxe I can count on having my favorites handy at any given time. Edit: maybe a raspberry pi with a CAT connector, a data/voice output, and remote control software! That actually sounds doable, and you could basically put it anywhere, which would be nice, as my Wacom tablet puts out a ton of HF interference. The Muffinlord fucked around with this message at 14:18 on May 1, 2013 |
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May 1, 2013 14:15
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The Muffinlord posted:The world needs this. Needing a standard, sensible control scheme is why my radio spends 95% of its time hooked up to my pc. At least with Ham Radio Deluxe I can count on having my favorites handy at any given time. Sounds like it's time to get jonny290 working on the yosdio.
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May 1, 2013 18:49
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The Muffinlord posted:Edit: maybe a raspberry pi with a CAT connector, a data/voice output, and remote control software! That actually sounds doable, and you could basically put it anywhere, which would be nice, as my Wacom tablet puts out a ton of HF interference. Or use an Android phone: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11343
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May 1, 2013 18:50
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What's the verdict on test prep books from the likes of ARRL? After putting it off I want to finally sit down, study and jump to Extra in one sitting.
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May 1, 2013 19:07
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movax posted:What's the verdict on test prep books from the likes of ARRL? After putting it off I want to finally sit down, study and jump to Extra in one sitting. Check your library and decide for yourself. Even if they don't carry all 3 it'll give you an idea of what to expect from the books if you need to shell out money for the others.
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May 1, 2013 20:36
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movax posted:What's the verdict on test prep books from the likes of ARRL? After putting it off I want to finally sit down, study and jump to Extra in one sitting. If you have no knowledge of basic circuits, wave propagation, human RF absorption and safety, or can't read regulations documents to determine frequency permissions, then get the book. If you truly want it all in one sitting, the book might be the way to go.
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May 1, 2013 22:34
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movax posted:What's the verdict on test prep books from the likes of ARRL? After putting it off I want to finally sit down, study and jump to Extra in one sitting. I went through the ARRL book to upgrade to General last spring, and I'm using the Gordon West book to study for my Extra this spring. The Gordon West book is basically each question, and the correct answer, and a brief description of the answer. In contrast, the ARRL General book reads more like a textbook, which I think I liked better. The Gordon West book sometimes devolves into "just remember this is the correct answer," which is fine for some people, but it annoys me a bit  I really do like to understand the theory behind things.I'll probably keep plowing through with Gordon's book, but if it keeps annoying me once I start taking practice tests, I'll probably supplement with the ARRL Extra book.
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May 1, 2013 23:41
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Since I lost the mounting bracket years ago, I found a nice spot to place my HTX-252 (I never use the parking brake anyway). 
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May 5, 2013 08:43
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You think whacking a mobile antenna on an overpass or in the parking lot is bad?Mercury Ballistic posted:Nah, wall. I have some great electrical ones. One time we were driving through a small village with power and the MRAP antenna pulled a power line over to another and the short made a nice big flash and spark. Yikes!
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May 9, 2013 03:55
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greetings from KF5QLK. i have a chance to pick up a barely used icom 706mkiig "plus accessories" for around $800. i want a hf+2m mobile radio for mounting in a jeep & going way offroad (no cell, CB doesn't cut it either). 1. is this close to reasonable? 2. are there other used all-mode units i should consider? 3. or would i be better off getting a new yaesu all-mode? thanks! VVVVVVVVV fair enough. the only accessories i'm aware of are the filters that he installed. thanks again! nine16thsdago fucked around with this message at 03:05 on May 11, 2013 |
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May 11, 2013 00:55
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nine16thsdago posted:greetings from KF5QLK. i have a chance to pick up a barely used icom 706mkiig "plus accessories" for around $800. i want a hf+2m mobile radio for mounting in a jeep & going way offroad (no cell, CB doesn't cut it either). 1. It totally depends on the 'plus accessories'. I've been eyeballing one of those as a knockaround radio specifically because I've seen them regularly for around $600 or so (often less) in fantastic condition. You can get a brand-new FT-857d (for example) for that price and I've seen the IC-7000 (my current in-vehicle radio) for just a hair more than that. Honestly, I wouldn't pay that for it unless it came with an assload of extra stuff and already had all the extra filters installed and came with a tuner. 2. IC-7000, FT-857d and I think there's a Kenwood something that's supposed to be nice (or I may be thinking of their HF-only rig, I'm not too sure). 3. See above. 'Better off' is completely subjective. I've owned a couple of 857d, a 706mkiig and liked them both. I like the 7000 WAY more than either however but I wouldn't be too upset if I ran either of those two radios again, except maybe the 857d. It's got a VERY small display and the menu-driven system is somewhat irritating while traveling.
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May 11, 2013 01:06
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Technical question: if I want to fit some gas discharge tube type fuses on my antenna outputs to prevent ESD, in theory lightning strikes (though extremely uncommon where I live) and things like mains entering the socket, what kind of voltage rating should I put on them? For my 10W VHF, the RMS output voltage should be around 22V, peak voltage is then close to 32V. In the case of total reflection from the output, I would have as much as double voltage on my antenna output? In that case it should be acceptable to use my 90V (~70V minimum trigger) protection devices, correct? Or perhaps it would be safer to just install an output fuse and put the protection on the receiver only and stop my protection from destroying my transmitter I have some 90V Littelfuse double pole devices intended for telecom, so I'd put one side to the RX antenna line and the other to the 12V input. longview fucked around with this message at 17:16 on May 11, 2013 |
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May 11, 2013 14:29
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Other technical question: how long would it take to transmit two characters via RTTY in baudot (ie, 10 bits)? As a followup, does anyone know of any commandline things (using an SDR) that will just detect and spit out decoded RTTY data in real time? ...the poo poo I do for art.
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May 11, 2013 21:26
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SoundMonkey posted:Other technical question: how long would it take to transmit two characters via RTTY in baudot (ie, 10 bits)? As a followup, does anyone know of any commandline things (using an SDR) that will just detect and spit out decoded RTTY data in real time? It would depend on the baud rate but for 10 bits using ham standard 45.45 baud it would take 10/45.45 or 220 ms. I don't know how much synchronization is required to set up a RTTY link, but that would be the actual transmission time for 10 bits.
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May 11, 2013 22:15
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longview posted:It would depend on the baud rate but for 10 bits using ham standard 45.45 baud it would take 10/45.45 or 220 ms. I don't know how much synchronization is required to set up a RTTY link, but that would be the actual transmission time for 10 bits. Actually this is probably the best place to just chuck it out for ideas of ways I could do it better. Basically I have to transmit two lowercase letters as some form of data after they're spoken in the same transmission. I'll be using an SDR for the receiving, and I'm unsure as to what band I'll be using (either unlicensed or FRS or something), and god knows what for the transmitting. I've considered PL-style tones (except I couldn't think of a way to get that many distinct tones that could still be distinguished from each other), some morse code kinda thing, but RTTY seemed like the easier option because people have probably already written software. Any better ideas?
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May 12, 2013 06:20
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longview posted:Technical question: if I want to fit some gas discharge tube type fuses on my antenna outputs to prevent ESD, in theory lightning strikes (though extremely uncommon where I live) and things like mains entering the socket, what kind of voltage rating should I put on them? http://www2.hubersuhner.com/mozilla/hs-p-rf-lp-kb-sel-surge-2 Sounds like you have a resonant antenna, so you won't have to take VSWR into consideration - and in that case it sounds like a 90V device will suffice. Those who have a tuner or amplifier that might run the feed line through different SWR ranges might risk more than twice the working voltage while tuning up, and blowing their own protectors, since there might be a voltage maximum right at that point of the system. A 4:1 SWR at 10W would just barely trip a 90V device it seems. longview posted:I have some 90V Littelfuse double pole devices intended for telecom, so I'd put one side to the RX antenna line and the other to the 12V input. You would connect the discharge device between antenna center and antenna shield. Usually the antenna shield is the same as the 12V negative, but if you were to clamp it to 12V positive I think bad things might happen. Vir fucked around with this message at 20:59 on May 12, 2013 |
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May 12, 2013 20:56
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Thanks for the advice, yes it's a GDT made by Littelfuse, hence my confusion about what to call it It's a double tube, designed for dual supply applications so I was going to use the second tube to protect the 12V in case some idiot were to connect mains voltage to it. Dumping a transient into the supply rail won't necessarily cause bad things to happen since at AC it is close to ground anyway, but obviously it's good practice to suppress to ground instead of a supply rail. Looking at that graph it looks like I should have checked my ratings more carefully before buying, since I had initially hoped to protect my 100W HF rig as well, but based on the table you linked I'd actually need at least 350V rated tubes. I think I'll settle for protecting the receiver inputs on my FDK and the RX+12V on the Yaesu using the existing tubes.
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May 12, 2013 23:01
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So, I got a new car (black 97 540i) and its time to move the radios over. Sadly I could not salvage the OPC-600R cable out of my totaled 325. That's 50 bucks out the window. Anyways, I'm trying to find the absolute stealthiest antenna setup possible for this car. I really want 2M and 440 coverage, if possible. Any suggestions for a really low-key VHF or VHF/UHF whip? I am not scared of drilling holes. Really I am thinking of building a custom 1/4 wave that angles off of the back glass, using a piece of piano wire or something. Performance is secondary this time around. I have a big rear end Diamond dual band mag mount, but it's not befitting the car. Any ideas? I am even more excited to install rigs in this thing than I was in the 3 series - I just had a nice trunk battery there; this thing has trunk battery plus a full fuse box back there, and a 12V terminal strip wired straight to the battery with 4/0 gauge wire, with has extra positions open to add stuff. Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 20:38 on May 14, 2013 |
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May 14, 2013 20:35
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Jonny 290 posted:So, I got a new car (black 97 540i) and its time to move the radios over. This may be worth looking at too.
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May 14, 2013 20:42
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Dijkstra posted:I know a guy with one of these (I think) on his volvo. I'm running one slightly taller than the first on my 325i (far one, obviously).  Not exactly stealthy though. I could have sworn I've seen "shark fin" style antennas that were rated for TX, but I can't find any right now.
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May 15, 2013 03:58
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If you want stealth, what about one of those antennas you glue to the inside of the glass? This would sacrifice quite a bit of efficiency, and at the power levels you need it might need to be so thick that it would be pointless to have it in the glass. You might get creative with patterns that provide capacitance to match 50 ohm. Search for in-glass and on-PCB antennas. An interesting DIY project? Failing that, get some kind of hideous roof ornament and use it as a radome. I mean there are some weirdoes on eham.net and qrz.com who would gladly drive around with something like this on their car rather than look like a "whacker" by having a little whip on the roof, and rather be run over than be caught wearing a reflective vest.  I guess they don't do much jogging, cycling or do any manual work when they're able to associate reflective vests with "the man keeping you down" rather than pedestrian safety and occupational safety. 600 years old indeed. On a more serioius note, these NVIS antennas double as a roof rack. Pricey and big, but dual purpose. They have a warning label against carrying fuel cans in them.   The driven element is folded down by a servo when not in use. Vir fucked around with this message at 13:47 on May 15, 2013 |
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May 15, 2013 13:05
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Looks like the OEM phone used an on-glass whip. Granted, that's way shorter than the standard 27" that 2m/440 on-glass antennas seem to have, but at least it would look stock-ish. Could replace/hack on the whip. I think our solution might be a combination of Shenzhen special glass mount, with a custom whip. Researching DIY stuff now. Interminable edits! I found the stubby police-style antennas. I could slap this on a low pro trunk mount right behind the third brake light and be happy. NMO would let me screw on some big stupid whip later on if I want to try to talk to aliens on a roadtrip or whatever. http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-tech-trabt1420-780.html Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 15:41 on May 15, 2013 |
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May 15, 2013 15:16
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Jonny 290 posted:I am not scared of drilling holes. A good ham. Looks like that one doesn't cover 70cm. It's not cheap but these guys look like they'll custom make you one http://www.licenseplateantenna.com/ blugu64 fucked around with this message at 19:56 on May 16, 2013 |
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May 16, 2013 19:20
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I'm having a problem with my FT-747 FM module, it essentially isn't modulating properly, deviation is around 2-300 Hz at full mic gain + deviation adjust. Here is the relevant schematic section, the signal path in yellow:  The AF output from the opamp is present and working, and at the junction between the varactor and crystal there is a clear FM signal on the scope, but this is not present any further into the signal chain. At the base of Q04 there is a severely distorted sine wave (bottom period crushed, rest looks to be approaching a triangle wave). A distorted IF signal is present on the IF out pin, but this is basically unmodulated and looks like the bottom half of the sine is clipped though less severe than the Q04 base. The power supply is fine, I've checked for bad connections between components and reflowed the more suspect areas but no dice, tapping or flexing the board makes no difference and input control signals seem fine from the radio. I'm starting to suspect the crystal is bad, there's no DC continuity. Since the signal is severely distorted after the crystal and the remaining stages seem to be working correctly with the signals present I'm not sure what else would be wrong. It would suck though since it looks like that frequency is used pretty much only by this type of radio.
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May 20, 2013 23:34
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Ten Tec has done something pretty cool.quote:Today, at the QRP ARCI convention–Four Days In May–TEN-TEC will announce a new QRP transceiver based upon a completely different platform than any others rigs they have in production: a QRP radio, buit on the chipKIT™ Uno32™ (Arduino-based software) to be known as the Model 506 Rebel. It is apparently compatible with most Arduino shields and will be released under GNU GPL for software and TAPR for hardware. KI4JPL (Ten Tec Engineer) says the price will be $199.
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May 21, 2013 16:10
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That's so cool. If they can hone it enough to work PSK31 (yes I realize this will require some sort of DSB/SSB), they have an absolute grand slam for newbies. The Chinese HF rigs are coming, and coming fast.
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May 21, 2013 16:19
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Jonny 290 posted:That's so cool. If they can hone it enough to work PSK31 (yes I realize this will require some sort of DSB/SSB), they have an absolute grand slam for newbies. The Chinese HF rigs are coming, and coming fast. It is described out of the box as a CW rig with a Direct Digital Synthesizer so theoretically it can do FSK as it stands now. But unless I'm mistaken adding SSB should be just a matter of building/acquiring some kind of add-on audio board and coding it up.
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May 21, 2013 16:36
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FYI you can call TenTec's 800 number and pre-order one. $210 shipped. They say it will be available in July.
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May 21, 2013 16:48
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