Ham anyone?

Both of my radios are made by Yaesu. One is the VX-170 HT the other is an FT-897D powered by a Yaesu FP-1023 power suppy. The HT was my first radio and only does 2m, but is really were almost all the local repeaters are on... The only experience I have with any other brands is just what friend in the club have. I have been eyeballing that Icom D-Star mobile, but just haven't been able to do much for the last few months due to A-C separation in my right shoulder. On the mend now. I hope!

 

Good Morning Gent's

Anything new from our group? Hows your shoulder Trapper?
Just ordered General Lic, book and CD from ARRL, decided to go for tech and gen at the same time, based on input from yall. Stay in touch.

Dunbar

 

Ham Tests

The stress is over!!
Missed one on the tech test and Ac'ed the general.
Now its time to buy Radios, Thanks for the help gent's. I'll be on the air in two or three weeks. Looking forward to talking with You.

B

 

Congrats on the results. Mine were the same, except I took one and then went back and took the other. Yeah, now for radios, $$$

 

Thanks guy's now the hunt for equip.

Stay in touch

B

 

now that you have a callsign you can sign up for echolink and operate online. I was in a hurry to get my initial license just so I could start listening there. Also there are HF receivers online you can listen to.

You don't have to wait for your paper license to find out what your callsign is. search your name at
http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls
it can be there a couple days after you test, I believe, though mine took a week. Several places your paperwork can sit in an inbox.
Congrats!

 

Hey Ham Monkeys;
Got my call Today KF7OMP, Bought two National NC-88 Tube radios. Going to use them to get ant. setup, plus thier a good backup for dx rec. They cover 10-80 Meter and they are alot of fun. they remind me of the 50's B grade monster movies.

Stay in touch

 

Well, welcome to "the gang" I've been a Ham since 1992 and last July I upgraded to Amateur Extra (I still can't believe it)! Never stop learning and use QRZ free online testing for practice and you can go all the way to the top.

73,

Alex N8UCN

 

malware

Hey BT;

Got hit last night with major Malware- vista security. So, short anwser No.
Took me 4 hours to figure out what was going on.

I can only receive at this point. I've got to pay for Gen Set and transfer switch, then Ant. and Transceiver.

Thanks for checking in

B

PS. check out this software

www.sandboxie.com

 

I have a RCI 2970n2 radio. Cost 449.00... ( another 150.00 for 50 amp power supply... )
10 meter
11 meter ( CB )
12 meter
cw
SSB
200 watts outta the box... easily puts out 300 watts. ( in comparison, most hand held hams are about 5 watts )
So my point is for the cost of a good gun you can get a radio that does it all... and better than most. I can communicate w/ppl around the world with it. AND its mobile, although I use it at the house.
BUT... I suggest that if you cannot afford a ham radio, just get a good CB radio with SSB. With SSB ( single side band ) you can communicate hundreds of miles, even thousands. Cost for one of these is about 200 bucks...

 

hmmm... I'm not familiar with that model but it makes me think of the illegally modified ham rigs that were made to work on CB, that will get you in trouble. You normally are limited to the neighborhood of 25 miles on CB, but that may be only if you're using the legal 4 watts? I'm not sure.

In any case a 'real' ham transceiver will be able to use 160 meters probably, and certainly 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, and 10m, to cover the 'traditional' HF spectrum. It would be illegal to use on 11m even if it was physically capable, of course. Anything made since the early '80s should also be able to use the WARC bands added in the '80s of 12m, 17m, 30m, and 60m (I believe 60m was added even later than the '80s so there are a lot of WARC-capable rigs that don't do 60m)

Many few-year-old used rigs such as the wildly popular Icom 706MkIIg can do all of those HF bands (even 60 with a modification) and for only a little more money than that RCI mentioned - and also can do 6m, 2m, and 70cm in the VHF and UHF bands. A little older 706MkII (no 'g') is a little cheaper and doesn't have the UHF 70cm capability, but otherwise a fine rig for starts that will last you for a good long time before you 'hanker' for something better. A lot of folks don't especially like the idea of including the UHF and VHF into a HF transciever, and I don't mind it being there but I don't especially want it there either, so a HF (maybe including 6m) only is just great.

So, just to reiterate, I'd be real careful with anything that claims to include the 11m CB band, there's trouble to be found there.

 

yeah but that's not what he said:

 

The radio is modified for 11 meter ( CB ).
The legal range for CB is 155 miles. ( maybe that's ssb ) And the wattage is adjustable.
Is it 'legal' ? no... But I do not use it on CB, and it is primarily a 'SHTF' scenario radio. And honestly, if SHTF I wouldn't give a S*** about the FCC, and will be damn glad I have a modified radio in that situation.
But, unless that situation occurs, Ill stay off of the CB bands with the high wattage.
As for ham... Im studying for my ticket now. I did kinda jump the gun. I didn't know there would be alot of Ham "meters" that I wouldn't be able to access with this radio... oh well.

EDIT : I don't want ppl to think I'm a 'radio pirate' or anything...lol. The company that I purchased it from modified the radio for me before it was even shipped. Apparently it is legal for them to do... just not legal for me to use ( on CB ) in the U.S. That's why these are sometimes called "export" radios... theyr'e only legal to use outside the U.S.
But, as stated... if the shtf, who cares ??

 

Yep... and good article by the way.

However, we are talking about comms in a survival situation right ? So, I don't think anyone will be concerned if they are in compliance with the communications act of 1934... am I wrong here ?

I think we would all agree that if SHTF that we would all do whatever it took to give ourselves and our families the upper hand when it comes to survival. Law or no law...
For example, killing game "out of season"... or jug lining or trotlining for fish, or even using explosives for fish, Running snares for small game... etc etc etc... And why ? Well because it is our basic right as humans and God's children to take advantage of available resources to provide for ourselves and our families. And if your in a SHTF situation you're not going to care which game etc is "in season". Yet, it's in violation of some law.

In my mind in a situation like that you just have to be of the mind set that the government doesn't own the water, game or the AIR WAVES.