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I came across this in the comments when that made it to reddit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oymXGzm21Jo I have no words...
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Jan 30, 2014 02:27
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| # ? May 12, 2024 21:15 |
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I'm getting ready to move, and have been in a constant mode of packaging and reducing my things down to a 'bare moving' minimum. I have been scratching my head trying to think of a way to store and transport my radios, till I remembered the old hard-shell DJ case I have in the back. It normally holds two turntables and a mixer, but looks like with just a bit of modding should fit three Icom desktop radios, antenna tuner, PSU and laptop with room to spare - just add antennas for instant station. Should work out well for vehicle-based portable as well as living in a cramped little apartment for a while. If I can make it look nice, I'm going to try to add some gel cell battery capacity later, and since it's a hard side case, I may be able to store a pretty respectable solar panel inside. e: Coming together...  The top cover is split in half, and latches up to become a stand for the case. I quite possibly just built a great Field Day setup Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Feb 4, 2014 |
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Feb 4, 2014 00:54
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Can anybody clarify the differences between the UV-5R, -5RA, -5RA+ and -5RE? I'm going to get one, but I can't find any difference between them. Some people are saying CHIRP doesn't work as well on the newer models, and just getting a -5R is best, and that some of the newer models won't fit all accessories. Any thoughts?
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Feb 5, 2014 23:48
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http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/UV5R-FAQ.php#firmware They're all the same radio in different cases. The rounded looking uv5ra doesn't fit some of the extended batteries, but whatever. I have a uv5ra on the newest firmware and chirp works fine.
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Feb 6, 2014 00:12
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Good to know, thanks. What are the recommended antennas? I'm looking for vehicle and handheld. I understand the factory one is junky.
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Feb 6, 2014 00:18
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DrakeriderCa posted:Good to know, thanks. What are the recommended antennas? I'm looking for vehicle and handheld. I understand the factory one is junky. Nagoya NA-701 or 771 i think, pretty universally well-regarded.
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Feb 6, 2014 00:23
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I've got a 5RE and chirp worked fine, for an antenna I got an NA-771 for about £3 off of ebay, shipped from HK so took a while but at that price I didn't really care. Fairly decent improvement over the stock antenna and I've seen a "rats-tail" suggested on the net which I think just means adding a dangling wire to the ground connection to act as a counterpoise.
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Feb 6, 2014 00:29
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This style is supposed to be the only one that fits the larger battery without modifying tabs on the battery case: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008IYCQSO/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_m2X8sb04FWDXCEEZ .. but the antenna that comes with that one is supposed to be pretty awful. Some of the newer styles come with a better antenna that's supposed to be as good as any of the cheap replacements, but there's no good way to know what antenna you'll get. I ordered this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C83AU9S/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and got the better antenna even though the photo shows the older style.
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Feb 6, 2014 06:39
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If you get a later body style you have a slightly better chance of getting a recent firmware. The battery lasts so long I don't see the point of doubling the radios height with an extended pack. A spare battery is cheap too.
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Feb 6, 2014 07:36
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Dijkstra posted:swap.qth.com I ended up getting this one and it seems pretty sweet. Now I just have to figure the best way to run the power leads. 
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Feb 8, 2014 04:38
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infrared35 posted:I ended up getting this one and it seems pretty sweet. Now I just have to figure the best way to run the power leads. Figure out where a big wiring loom comes through the firewall and run them through that grommet. You can just zip tie your leads to the loom and run them through there. It will take squirming your way under the dash with a flashlight and possibly removing a dash panel but it usually isn't too bad. Depending on your age you may have a sore back the next day.  The older the car, usually the easier the install is.
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Feb 8, 2014 15:46
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Dijkstra posted:The older the car, usually the easier the install is. That's why I'm not looking forward to it. The last installs I did were in '88 and '91 Caprice interceptors. Tons of wires going everywhere, lots of easy places to tie into, and lots of room to mount gear. The current car is thirty years newer and has none of that. 
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Feb 18, 2014 01:08
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I bought a Cobra 29 LTD Classic and a Midland 18-2442 antenna. I plan to use it indoors as base station. When I calibrate the swr can I do it indoors or should I go out into an empty field?
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Feb 19, 2014 05:32
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Llyr posted:I bought a Cobra 29 LTD Classic and a Midland 18-2442 antenna. I plan to use it indoors as base station. When I calibrate the swr can I do it indoors or should I go out into an empty field? Set it up where the antenna will be operated, but where are you expecting to get with 4watts AM through a little indoor mag mount?
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Feb 19, 2014 05:38
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I recently got a UV-5RAX+ and was wondering what is needed to listen to digital MotoTRBO communications like my local PD uses. Also, are these communications usually encrypted?
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Feb 20, 2014 21:45
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PuTTY riot posted:I recently got a UV-5RAX+ and was wondering what is needed to listen to digital MotoTRBO communications like my local PD uses. Also, are these communications usually encrypted? It's not going to happen with that Baofeng. Hardware scanners are very expensive and it seems like a lot of people have been waiting a while on a "one radio for all types" solution. The cheapest way is probably one of cheap RTL SDR USB dongles and the right software. You can be set up for under $40 and there are lots of guides online. Some things are encrypted. A lot aren't. Scanner forums like radioreference can tell you what modes your local services are using.
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Feb 20, 2014 22:13
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eddiewalker posted:It's not going to happen with that Baofeng. Hardware scanners are very expensive and it seems like a lot of people have been waiting a while on a "one radio for all types" solution. Thanks man I figured the answer would be something along these lines. I was able to find the Uni PD on analog so I guess that will do for now until I get a little more acclimated to this new hobby.
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Feb 20, 2014 22:47
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Speaking of USB Dongle receiver setups, I just came across this, set it up in 20 mins, and am giggling like a little kid watching planes fly around my monitor at work. http://milaircomms.com/adsb_dongle_aircraft_radar.html I never have been able to get decent reception with my HDSDR/SDR# setups, but this seems to be working pretty well. I know there's got to be more planes in the area, but the steel roof of this building probably isn't helping things.  edit- Yep, building was preventing a good signal. Hahahaha this is awesome. 
charliebravo77 fucked around with this message at 02:37 on Feb 21, 2014 |
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Feb 20, 2014 23:43
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ha that's awesome I like to follow planes and ATC with https://www.liveatc.net and https://www.flightrader24.com
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Feb 21, 2014 03:03
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eddiewalker posted:Set it up where the antenna will be operated, but where are you expecting to get with 4watts AM through a little indoor mag mount? Is a mag mount too small? If I only want to have my setup indoors what antenna should I use?
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Feb 21, 2014 04:50
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Llyr posted:Is a mag mount too small? If I only want to have my setup indoors what antenna should I use? CB isn't meant to go very far with legal equipment. With your antenna indoors, good luck reaching further than your front yard. Are you one of these people? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN4XpIbEY-Y
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Feb 21, 2014 04:56
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eddiewalker posted:CB isn't meant to go very far with legal equipment. With your antenna indoors, good luck reaching further than your front yard. Unrelated to anything... I was working backstage for a moderately well known country singer once, and after the last song, he runs offstage and goes nuts ripping off his suit jacket and headset mic and stuff, and I'm wondering what the gently caress as he puts on a flannel vest and a trucker hat and jams some weird poo poo I hadn't seen before into his wireless mic beltpack. Then he went back out and did Convoy for the encore, using a push-to-talk CB mic to sing into. Fucker actually had one of those re-wired with an LA4F wireless beltpack connector. I was suitably impressed. EDIT: The PTT button probably didn't do anything because it would make his sound guy have a heart attack, but still. SoundMonkey fucked around with this message at 09:27 on Feb 21, 2014 |
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Feb 21, 2014 09:25
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We've got a big shitpost-filled radio thread in yospos this weekend, and it inspired me to make a couple videos. Saturday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y3zcBO279k Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQbffGIwRyI
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Feb 24, 2014 16:44
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This weekend I worked RX0AK in Siberia on 20m around 9pm local time: My G5RV is definitely not pointed north, so I was quite surprised to have made the contact. Any chance the aurora over the north pole helped the contact?
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Feb 24, 2014 19:41
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manero posted:This weekend I worked RX0AK in Siberia on 20m around 9pm local time: SSB or digital? I pretty routinely work that part of the world at 30-40 watts PSK31 and my antenna (ZS6BKW) is definitely not oriented in an efficient way to do so.
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Feb 24, 2014 20:00
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Motronic posted:SSB or digital? I pretty routinely work that part of the world at 30-40 watts PSK31 and my antenna (ZS6BKW) is definitely not oriented in an efficient way to do so. SSB, I had to crank up to 95w.
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Feb 24, 2014 21:28
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manero posted:SSB, I had to crank up to 95w. NICE, that's a good contact for the direction your antenna was facing. I was having all kinda of noise on 20 and 75 last night. I did manage to make some decent contacts on 40, but the band was coming and going. You probably weren't getting auroral propagation unless the signal was fluttery and raspy sounding.
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Feb 24, 2014 21:40
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Motronic posted:NICE, that's a good contact for the direction your antenna was facing. I was having all kinda of noise on 20 and 75 last night. I did manage to make some decent contacts on 40, but the band was coming and going. It was maybe a little fluttery. Definitely not raspy, but the signal was also not super strong, so it was hard to tell. I really wish I had that QSO recorded!
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Feb 24, 2014 21:44
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I think I might have worked aurora two weekends ago. It was a very quickly fading in-and out signal (fast QSB), NASA's aurora map showed activity right north of me, and the other guy was too close for a regular ionospheric 20 meter contact, but too far away for groundwave. I need to listen to some recordings of aurora contacts now to check. It wasn't raspy for me either like those raspy 6 meter signals I sometimes hear. Have you tried using a propagation predictor with the the time, date and solar date of your contact and seen if regular ionspheric conditions would predict the propagation. Vir fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Feb 25, 2014 |
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Feb 25, 2014 01:16
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Vir posted:Have you tried using a propagation predictor with the the time, date and solar date of your contact and seen if regular ionspheric conditions would predict the propagation. I have not. Is there one online somewhere? For the record, I worked J85K (St Vincent/Grenadines) about 40 minutes earlier, at 02:08 UTC on the 23rd.
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Feb 25, 2014 02:04
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So I just overspent on eBay to buy myself my first HF radio, Kenwood TS-120S with a power supply to go with it. As I'm (still) just a Tech that doesn't know code, I'll be sticking to 10. I'm just happy that I have a radio that will carry me over the state line, and finally spur me to get my General. Talk to me about antennas? It'll be here Wednesday and all I have is my 2M quarter-wave and an old CB antenna I've got rigged up to my SDR stick.
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Feb 26, 2014 01:03
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josiahgould posted:Talk to me about antennas? It'll be here Wednesday and all I have is my 2M quarter-wave and an old CB antenna I've got rigged up to my SDR stick. Any discussion of antennas start with: how much space do you have, do you have any trees you can hang one from, and how much money do you have? Easy answer is that you have a couple of tall trees 100 yards apart and we send you off to make some manner of dipole, g5rv, or zs6bkw.
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Feb 26, 2014 01:24
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No trees available, limited space, blew most of my money on the radio. I've got about 10 meters by 5 meters space available in my yard. Optimally something I can tear down quick in case of a hurricane. Edit: I can build up... No overhead wires nearby.
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Feb 26, 2014 01:43
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Are you happy with goofing with 10 meters for now, or do you want to get wire up for lower bands? (edit: you answered that, never mind) A cut down CB whip will cover the no-code 10 meter band no problem at all, even better if you can add a couple sloping radials right around 45 degrees. e: I'm really referring to the full 102" big old whip, if you have some sort of mag mount or short fiberglass whip it could maaaaaybe be tuned up to 10M, but you'll be happier with at least a full 1/4 wave antenna.
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Feb 26, 2014 02:59
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Neat to see this kind of stuff on here. I'm currently running an FT-817 with a long wire cut for 10m and occasionally I'll use my microads-b dongle to do the aircraft data thing. If you live near the coast you can have a go at receiving AIS with your RTL dongle too. As for the ADS-B stuff, well I live right in a part of England where we get a lot of the European mainland transitions and the last time I ran it I happened to catch Air Force One on it's way to peace talks in Burma back in June of last year I believe it was. Obligatory screenshot of the ICAO code: 
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Feb 28, 2014 12:26
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Help me, autists! I'm trying to work out how to re-jig the guy wires on the antenna mast at the local radio station (approx 60-70 ft in height, guy wires attached at three heights, from three sides). The rigging hardware they used is all completely bullshit and not rated for outdoor use and falling apart, so I'm gonna have to replace it. My question is about the desired tension. Should it be "some tension, but can easily wiggle" under normal conditions, and "very taut, like a guitar string" under load conditions (such as wind etc)? I have virtually no experience in this and I'm hoping some of you do. EDIT: And I don't mean like a LITTLE bit bad. It's terrible. I only saw this after the dude got done climbing up it. 
SoundMonkey fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Mar 1, 2014 |
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Mar 1, 2014 04:02
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Yeah, you need some tension. The compression from the guys helps convert sideways wind forces into downward force on the tower base, which is easy to handle. http://www.eham.net/articles/795 seems to be a pretty good overview.
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Mar 1, 2014 04:40
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SoundMonkey posted:Help me, autists! holy poo poo fuuuuck Honestly that's not something you should be doing if you don't have any experience with it... especially in a commercial installation. If the rigging at the bottom is bullshit (holy poo poo what the gently caress were they doing) the rigging ON the tower probably is too. Nobody should even THINK about climbing up that tower in its current condition unless they are okay with a broken spine/dying. Get a tower company to come in and look at it, or someone from some kind of a commercial construction outfit. If your boss won't agree to that, call loving OSHA because there's no way anyone without training/experience/bonding/insurance should be trying to climb or fix that thing.
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Mar 1, 2014 12:38
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Dijkstra posted:STOP Hey, how did you know exactly the words I said when I saw that?  I do have rigging experience, and I'll read that article Johnny linked, although yeah the more I think about it the more I don't want my name on it if something fucks up so I should probably make them hire Actual Antenna People.
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Mar 1, 2014 20:26
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I was hoping that getting my CB radio working would be easier than my ham. I was messing around with an old Realistic brand handheld CB and I was picking up faint chatter from southern truckers(I live in Canada). The chatter was very distorted and bleeding across multiple channels. I was hoping that with my new CB and antenna that I would be able to pick up a clearer signal. If you ham elitists want to thumb your noses at CB then I could use some help finding a good antenna set-up for my Drake SPR-4 Receiver. Last year I tried to get a random wire antenna working but I gave up.
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Mar 1, 2014 22:49
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