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hendersa posted:You can take the technician, general, and extra exams all in the same session for $14, if you know your stuff. Apparently I do, as I am the proud holder of a $14 Extra class CSCE after passing them all back to back. (Inspired by this very thread on the internet!) Right now I would have no idea what to do if you gave me a radio but am fully authorized to poo poo all over the spectrum, which I suppose is why there are people who grouch about the way exams are set up now. I guess my plan right now is to pick up an HT and learn what's going on on 2 meters while I figure out what kind of antenna I can put up in the back yard and what kind of HF rig I want. I know there's been plenty of talk already but any more thoughts about gear to get would be most welcome.
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May 12, 2008 02:07
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McRib Sandwich posted:Are you an EE by trade? Close enough. My grad degree was medical physics, so I had a good bit of coursework on x-ray tube voltages, currents, and so forth. Plus I took some EE courses. Plus I've been messing with electronics since I was 10. I had to brush up a bit, but the groundwork was definitely there. My examiners were a bit taken aback. :-> I'd prefer to keep my callsign to myself though (internet detectivery ahoy). I did just order the 2007 ARRL Handbook for cheap; they're selling it for $20 now at arrl.org.
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May 13, 2008 14:32
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Yeah, I settled on the FT-60R largely because it has three knobs instead of one or two like most of the other current multi-band HTs. I just ordered it new from Universal for just about $200. Of course that doesn't include the other stuff I couldn't turn down like headset, extra power cord, ... also it is backordered until the end of the month. Dammit! On another topic, does anybody know of any ARDF going on in Tennessee?
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May 21, 2008 23:46
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Haha! In my case it was less cheering and more of the flabbergasted "Dang, did you study for all those?" But everyone was supportive, even the VE who talked like he wanted to bring back the original code requirements. And yes, it can be done.
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May 23, 2008 04:00
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Windows 95? You must be doing these guys a disservice. I just got my FT-60 in the mail and the first conversation I heard on the Nashville repeater was about Windows Vista.
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Jun 6, 2008 01:07
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Yeah, the QRZ forums are ridiculous, and eham too. Every thread turns into a code/no-code poo poo-sling or something worse. I'll have to check out hamsexy if I can ever get it to load. And actually I've been thinking about getting some cheap Windows laptop so I can run all that stuff... how much of it is good? I already have the G4FON Morse tutor which is pretty excellent. I've also got my eye on SDR for down the road, and it seems like Linux/GNU Radio might be the way to go there.
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Jun 6, 2008 23:21
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Hmm. Good to get the warning. I've been practicing at 15 WPM with a dit speed of 20 WPM, seems like that should be ok.
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Jun 7, 2008 04:31
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Here, I will help propel this puppy along towards its first birthday just like the SW thread. I think the satellite and EME stuff is awesome and would love to play with it. It'll probably be a while before I get around to it though. So far I am building SWR meters and antennas for 146 MHz. Anybody built an SWR meter for VHF/UHF? I am using a bridge design but apparently you have to pay a lot of attention to component size and layout at these frequencies. The one I have right now isn't really accurate at all. Next I'm going to try building it with some PCB and surface mount components, but those things are loving TINY and I'm going to need a magnifier and some tweezers.
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Jun 9, 2008 04:11
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Well, I just dumped a bunch of dollars on Mouser for tools and components so I can build this SWR meter. I made one already but it wasn't accurate at 146 MHz, so I decided to make everything a little tighter: homemade PCB, surface mount components, BNC connectors. We'll see how it goes. Any thought how I can use the fancy network analyzer at work to tell if it's working right? I keep forgetting to check into the local nets because I am a dork.
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Jul 7, 2008 22:57
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Yeah, once a day. It took almost exactly a week for mine to go through counting from the day I took the test a couple of months ago. I finally got on the radio this week - checked into a couple of local FM nets. My homemade J-pole hung up in the living room is working a charm, I'm hitting a repeater 60 miles away with no trouble at 5W.
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Jul 25, 2008 05:02
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I got the FT-60 because it was cheaper, and I didn't mind not having the waterproofness and the 6M capability at first. It's been good so far. The menus are indeed highly confusing and require repeated reference to the manual. Also, congrats.
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Jul 30, 2008 03:56
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Jose Pointero posted:Diamond MR77 Nice... It's even pretty. Let me know how it works for you, especially if you can compare it to something else, as I'm about to spring for my first car mag-mount for 2m/70cm and need some suggestions. Edit: and ... SWR measurements? Not that it would necessarily apply to my car, I guess. How tuneable are these things?
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Aug 5, 2008 03:48
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Sweet. Could you name one or two of the others you were considering? Any thoughts on the similar but lighter Valor ProAm MM-270B? I could only find one review of it at eham (5/5 though).
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Aug 5, 2008 18:22
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Cool, thanks for the second recommendation. I just ordered one - it sounds like exactly what I want. Right now my only radio is an HT, too.
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Aug 7, 2008 04:06
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Spotted that, and got the SMA. :-) Thanks.
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Aug 8, 2008 01:22
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Spiffy pics of your mobiles, there. My MR-77 came today and I figured out what you meant about the lock washer - I am pretty sure that's there to keep the vibration of driving from loosening the antenna from the base. I have seen that happen to several cars' FM radio antennas in the past.
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Aug 13, 2008 01:37
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Whoo-hoo, thanks for the tip! Totally going to try this next time I'm on the road instead of just sitting on 520.
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Oct 17, 2008 21:56
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I like G4FON's Koch Trainer, not that I have learned more than the letters in my own call sign so far. Set that puppy for 2 letters, 15 WPM and begin the struggle.
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Oct 18, 2008 19:02
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I bought the FT-60R back on page 7. I like it quite well, not least because it has freq/vol/squelch on three separate knobs rather than the more common two. I did have to get used to the menus. Also it is "weather resistant" but not waterproofed, if you care.
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Dec 4, 2008 07:44
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Yes, the control knobs. There are three. Three! Volume, squelch, frequency. It is awesome.
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Feb 16, 2009 07:58
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I hear you. It makes me crazy sometimes - knobs are the absolute pinnacle of control technology in a lot of cases, so what if they take up more space. Show me a sound engineer's mixing console without 400 knobs and faders on it - they don't exist, and for good reason. I have the same issue with the concept of software defined radio - I really like the concept and would like to get into it, but I'm going to have to insist on some external knob-like hardware. This here, for example, looks really awkward:
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Feb 16, 2009 08:29
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| # ¿ May 4, 2024 13:55 |
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My head just exploded...
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Feb 16, 2009 08:59
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