Ham anyone?

Discussion in 'Survival Communications' started by Wild Trapper, Feb 5, 2009.


  1. JaxShooter

    JaxShooter Monkey+

    It isn't too difficult to find good radios under $500. Heck, it's not really that hard to find them under $300. You just have to look around. I do recommend finding a local club to help get you started.
     
  2. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    Thanks to Wild Trapper, I hooked up with a central Oregon club. I take my classes and test the middle of Feb. Used th ARRL site to purchase Tech lic. 2nd Edition. Great book if you really want to understand the concepts.
    The old Ham's found a radio they really like for first timers. A WOUXUM KG-UV2D
    2 meter Dual band for about $100.00. Again thanks Trapper I'm on Track.

    Dunbar
    Semper Fi
     
  3. JaxShooter

    JaxShooter Monkey+

    Awesome dude! Let us know if you have any questions while you're studying. Don't forget to check out the General material also. Tech is fairly straightforward and since you can take the General for free when (note I didn't say "if") you pass Tech it'd be good to be familiar with the info. Go from zero to hero! :-D
     
  4. Wild Trapper

    Wild Trapper Pirate Biker

    Good deal! You're welcome. I studied those practice tests on QRZ to take my test. I don't know if I said before but I only missed one question on my Tech test. Then, by the end of the same month I took my General and got 100% on it. So, the more you study the better you'll understand the whole concept. While I was at it, I should have gone on for my Extra, but spring was coming on fast and I had lots of outdoor work calling.
     
  5. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    Hey Radio Guy's!

    2-3 hours of study a morning,[smsh] has got me to chapter 5. Had alot of trouble with some of the math, (old brain) ie: 10 log & 20 log for dB calc.
    Finally found out that as power doubles add 3 ohms. took me two days to get it. On Mic's and radios now, much easeir reading. Hope to finish this week and start taking the online tests. Thanks for the support.

    Dunbar
    Semper Fi
     
  6. Wild Trapper

    Wild Trapper Pirate Biker

    The math on the Tech test is not very hard - if my old brain works right, even on the General it wasn't. When it came to the Extra, well, I hadn't really studied for it, but since I had aced the General they let me try for the Extra. Compounding the problems I was having on it, was several club members that weren't even testing were hanging around talking making it hard for my old brain to work. So, about 3/4 th of the way through the test, I handed it in and asked to see if I was even close. I was a little shy of what I needed at that point in the test, so I just said fine and quit.

    Once you are done with studying the book try those QRZ online test. I did the tests and read the book at the same time. But, what ever works for you.
     
  7. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Good for you Dunbar... just keep plugging, and it WIL happen....

    On a slightly different note, here.... I was looking at the SurvivalMonkey Site, and there is a place to have a "Social Group", and I was wondering if some, or all, of the Hams that see this would be interested in forming a Ham Radio Social Group here on the Monkey? This would give us a place to discuss Radio Specific Issues, and if there was interest, a SurvivalMonkey HF Net, maybe once a quarter, or whatever, just to see if we could actually do some Comm's, amongst ourselves. Just a thought....
     
  8. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    Hey Trapper and BT how Uall doing;

    I took your advice and started the tests. Even though I'm only on chapter 5 I still got an average of 81%, I can live with that. I think I was making the math harder than it needed to be (overthinking). Now I wonder if taking the general at the same time, might be a good idea? One trip to town and all. (I'd rather take an asswhippen than go to town).

    BT I think a meeting place for Radio, is a great idea. I'm in, let me know what you want to do.

    Later
     
  9. Wild Trapper

    Wild Trapper Pirate Biker

    I joined a group on another forum called, "Foraging and Wild Edibles" is the name of the group. When we first started out we had several members show some interest, but now no one has added to it since May of last year.

    So, not even sure how many Hams we have here. I started this thread almost two years ago and it does still get a little traffic. An open thread like this can usually find more users than a group, but my question is, "What would we discuss in a group that we can't in a thread"? We are free to use the Technical sub-forum here for it, I'm sure. We've already seen a bunch of good info being shared here that other hams and others interested can join in on the discussion.
     
  10. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    Good point Trapper, why make it more complicated than it needs to be. We have a good thing here. I'll go back and see who has posted in the past and see if we can generate some interest.
    RTpost, how do you feel about this option?
    I'm just having fun learning something new, and at my age that's a good thing.

    I hope we can generate some interest, and find a way to make this another tool for the shtf comm. backup.

    Stay Safe, Stay ready.
    Dunbar (not dumb bear)
     
  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    It was just an idea... I can take it, or leave it... No problems.....
     
  12. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    I found some radios locally. This guy has been a ham for 50+ years.
    They are military models. I would like your opinion on use and cost.

    Radio 1-PRC 174 (hughes air) $650.00
    Radio 2-PRC 515 (Rockwell Collins) with whip, gen and back pack $1300.00
    Radio 3-TRA 931 (Raycal (sp) ) with RIT. $1300.00

    He says thier rare, and hard to find.

    Thanks for your input

    Dunbar[dunno]
     
  13. Idahoser

    Idahoser Monkey+++ Founding Member

    I would think that translates pretty well to "can't find parts", but that's just a guess.

    That sort of thing would be fun as a side project, but don't start out with it. I would recommend a 160m-10m high-frequency (HF) transceiver made in the last 20 years. You will know if it's recent enough because it has the "WARC" bands of 12, 17, and 30 meters. I don't say that because you need access to those bands; you don't, just to start. I say that because a radio new enough to have them is probably reliable enough that you can use it without having to learn how to work on it, right off the bat.

    Don't turn down a transceiver that adds VHF (6m, 2m) and UHF (440) just because they're there, but don't worry if they're not. You can get something along the lines of an Icom 703 or 706 for under $500 and it will do everything you need. Put up a wire dipole for either 20m, 40m, or 80m, whatever you have room for, with a coax feed line, and start on that band.

    (bear in mind I have yet to follow this advice myself, I have the radio but still haven't put up an HF antenna, all my hamming has been on the 2m repeaters. So take advice from me with a grain of salt. I'm just condensing what I've been told, that I liked best)
     
  14. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Dunbar, Mil Stuff is all fine and good, but for those prices ($1300US) you could buy, TWO (2) really GOOD used 2-30 Mhz Ham Transceivers, that will be much easier to maintain and operate, and then seal one away in EMP Proof Packing, for after SHTF, and still have one REALLY FINE unit to talk on. ALSO understand that if you purchase a MIL System, but have no connection to the MIL Stores and PARTS Logistics, if anything breaks, your "Off the Air", where as if you invest as above, you have a backup radio in storage, ready to go. You do NOT have to spend anywhere near those amounts to get "On the Air" There are MANY good Radios, on eBay, today, for $300-500US, and many older type units for less than that. Heck, I have two Kenwood TS430's sitting here, that just need the VCO Fix installed, to be fully operational, but I am just to lazy to haul them over to the shop, and do it, as my TS-690 has functioned perfectly for two DECADES. I bet most other Hams, may age are in the same place, and have at least one Dust Gatherer sitting on their shelves. Look around, and ask questions... When I was a kid, I knew where every Ham, in my extended neighborhood lived just by looking for Antennas, and I could tell about how well they were setup. I used to stop by, and Ring the Doorbell and ask for a Look-See of his station on saturdays. they usually are more than happy to show off their stuff to a fellow Ham, or an interested Kid....
     
  15. JaxShooter

    JaxShooter Monkey+

    I don't recall anything harder than multiplication and division. As long as you know Ohm's law and how to calculate for power you should be fine.

    E= Voltage
    I = Current
    R = Resistance
    P = Power

    E = I * R

    P = I * E

    __E__
    I * R

    __P__
    I * E
     
  16. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Good for DC, but when dealing with AC, you have to consider impedance. Meaning if you are dealing with inverters, there is bit more to consider. The math remains simple, but the numbers are variable.
     
  17. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    That is true, on the Math for AC, but there is very little in the way of AC Theory in the Ham Tests, until you are taking the Extra Test, and even then, it is very simple stuff.... Especially if one can teach an 11 year old, to pass these tests, which they do on a regular basis.....
     
  18. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    Good Morning

    BTPost, Thanks for the input, your point is taken. I will look for a radio that is more appropriate to my beginner status.
    If you have a specific rec. on a rig, I would love to hear it. If anyone has a rig they want to sell please PM me.
    I'm looking forward to the test, it may be easier for a 11 year old than a 60 YO. LOL.

    ThankYou All

    Dunbar 73
     
  19. Wild Trapper

    Wild Trapper Pirate Biker

    Dunbar, here is a link to mobile radios from Hamcity. I bought my HF rig from them, as I couldn't find a better price anywhere else at the time. My HF rig also does 2m-440 so most of the time it is tuned to a local repeater that the club maintains. A mobile rig could be a good starter rig if you want one you can move from your car to the house. Just get a 12v deep-cycle or a power supply for the house and build yourself a j-pole antenna. I made mine from some copper tubing I had laying around.

    You are probably best to stick with one of the main brands of rigs. My equipment is Yaesu, but Kenwood, and Icom are the other two of the four main brands with Alinco also being quite popular. Hope that helps a bit. You can easily spend too much for just getting into it, but all four of those brands I mentioned have their loyalty users for many different reasons. D-Star is popular in some areas and as of right now you need a Icom equipped with that feature to use it. I have a ID-880H on my wish list for at least the last six months, but have not yet sprung for it. I can not tell you much about D-Star as I've only seen it demonstrated once. It is not yet covered in all areas like regular 2m-440 is. In fact, most hams around here don't even use 440 that much, like they do 2m.
     
  20. Dunbar

    Dunbar Monkey++

    Hey Trapper;

    Thanks for the link! I think I will go with a hand held to start. I'm looking at the Wouxun KG-UV2D. Let me know if you have an opinion on this rig, the price is sure right,about $100.00

    Thanks Again

    73 Dunbar
     
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