/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1416613
Why get a ham license when I could just use a CB?

The result is the same - cranky old men using shit technology.

>>1416626
yeah, and you would make a perfect cranky old man

If you want to start with this, you can buy an RTL-SDR on Amazon for $20, you will also need an antenna kit.

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME

For $30 you can have an SDR that hooks up to your computer, cover 1GHZ of spectrum, Does all modes essentially, free open source software available.

You just can't transmit.

If you want to transmit, you can buy a $40 Uniden CB radio (or the $100 to get SSB) and a Wilson antenna on Amazon.

>>1416626

This is a valid point, although the HAMS have no power in CB. CB is basically the wild west.

>>1416626
>Why get a ham license when I could just use a CB?
Check the FAQ. A ham can legally communicate across the entire globe. A CB operator cannot.

>>1416746

When was the last time the fcc went after a cber? Ever hear channel 6?

so what's the best mobile option for a 2 way radio? CB, VHF, UHF, FRS or GMRS, I'm looking for a hand held but not interested in a Baofeng.

Mostly want it for camping and ideally finding out if a logging truck is coming the other way on a forestry service road

I understand that handheld CB can be adapted to a decent range when in the truck

>>1416788

Murs

>>1416746
But I can already do that on 4chan. And see boobies.

>>1416889

Only advantage to analog non cellphone radio is that you don't need an intermediate point like a cellphone tower or isp. But a lot of hams use repeaters so that point may be moot

>>1416613

>>1416788
Find out what the trucks use.

>>1416965
>that diaper

Newfag here i'm working on my license i was wondering what radio to start with. I've been looking at the UV-5R but i'm wondering if the UV-82HP or BF-F8HP are worth the extra $30. Leaning towards the F8HP because it seems compatible with most accessories and stuff from the other models.

breaker breaker good buddy we got us a convoy keep the shiny side up and the greasy side down pedal to the metal 10-4 OVER

>>1416965
what a fuckn PIG TRIGGGGGERED

>>1417017
"8 watts" (probably 5 in reality) is a lot to put right next to your face.

UV5R is a decent babbys-frist-ham-radio. The UI is fuckawful, chirp makes it at least tolerable, it'll do what you need it to do as a ham radio, but it's a shitty radio. There's a reason they're $30.

If it's something you're serious about, pony up the cash and go for a Yaesu, Kenwood, Icom, etc. The cost is worth it.

>>1417017
they are shit. they break easily, and youll just be buying more of them. theyll get you on the air, but youll sound awful and itll break down sooner than you think. i own 4, and each has a different problem with the radio

>>1417061
I love mine

>>1417052
I want something to get into it before i shell out that much money. Is there a significant difference between the UV5R and the F8HP?
>>1417061
The only people who go hard against them are angry boomers from my experience, i just want something to get into it.

>>1417144
Ham radio is so lame you probably will learn everything you need to know about the tedious autistic boomers who engage it from a Baofeng. Don't waste your money on anything more expensive.

>>1417147
I wont until i get into it, i'm doing it for prepper autism so i need to learn it anyway, just asking a simple questions.

I'm trying to study for the HAM technician test and using a quiz app. Everyone says the test is easy, even my braindead friends, but these questions are hard! Am I just more retarded than a braindead person? Or is the test easier than practice stuff?

>>1417180
I passed my Extra exam just by rote practice, and back-filled the theory as it came up. if it were not for the Extra exam I would not into complex impedances today

>>1417144
>only people who go hard against them are angry boomers
Not an angry boomer. I do commercial and public safety infrastructure, and support hams as-needed.

The cost of baofengs has brought more people into ham radio, which is great, except...
...the people it's brought in are people with an extremely limited view of radio (read: preppers) that don't want to learn and don't care about using them properly. To them, it's all a "SHTF" fantasy world.
So you end up with fucking retards shitting up the airwaves, with minimal understanding of the radio in their hand. They fuck up repeater inputs, they fuck up repeater outputs... some other hams are helpful, but you can only help someone so much who doesn't want to help themselves.

And now with DMR handhelds in the $100 range, the hamsters are going digital too.

Borrow a Motorola, Harris, Kenwood, Vertex Standard, any higher-end radio. Give it a try. Fingerfuck it for a while. Toggle the buttons/switches/dials. Drop it on concrete a few times. Scroll through the menus.
Then turn it off, and go pick up your baofeng.

The only thing baofengs are good at is being cheap.

>>1417144
im the youngest person in my club, and a baofeng was my first radio. now i just keep them around to give away to a new ham or to monitor public safety channels while im working outside. itll get you on the air, but its a bitch to program, you should use CHIRP.
i would suggest finding out where your local radio meetings are and attend a few, people were giving me older HF receivers and VHF/UHF radios. you can turn an older computer PSU into a power supply for your gear if you want. antennas you can make out of copper pipes, or even clothes hangers if you want.
and if youre getting this for prepping, wouldnt you want to get a radio that isnt going to break on its first drop? or a bit of water?
>>1417210
>And now with DMR handhelds in the $100 range, the hamsters are going digital too.
i just got a dual band DMR for $200. not that into using internet to communicate, but i figured it would let me see whats out there. so far im pleasantly surprised with the battery life and the radio over all. its still cheap chink garbage, but itll let me at least monitor some DMR traffic and see if i want to get into. cheap radios have their place, but its always going to be at the bottom of the pile

Might be of interest:
>Despite FCC's Promise To Take Aggressive Action To Stamp Out Radio Pirates, Illegal Stations Are Flourishing
https://radio.slashdot.org/story/18/07/02/1427234/despite-fccs-promise-to-take-aggressive-action-to-stamp-out-radio-pirates-illegal-stations-are-flourishing
>Transmission equipment has only become cheaper and more sophisticated. "The problem, as I see it, is that the technology has gone beyond what the law has been able to do," said David Goren, a local resident who works as a producer on licensed radio shows. Between 87.9 and 92.1 FM, Goren counted eleven illegal stations, whose hosts mainly spoke Creole or accented English. Pirates, he said, "offer a kind of programming that their audiences depend on. Spiritual sustenance, news, immigration information, music created at home or in the new home, here."

>>1417390
Slashdot is a faggot site. New Yorker article is interesting though:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/09/mapping-brooklyns-diverse-pirate-radio-scene

Maybe some of these could move to am radio and shortwave legally? Might rejuvenate some dying bands

>>1417413
If pirates leave the carrier on to "reserve" the frequency I am not sure they care enough about rules to be granted a license.

>>1417413
"Trial & innovation" licenses have happened in the UK a few times for that purpose.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/06/open_source_hacks_dab_to_the_masses/
It's a good idea. Even a 100W FM "local/personal broadcast" license could open it up a lot, given the requirements for a community radio license are pretty high.

>>1417355
I'll buy one for $200 eventually but you don't start driving in a Mustang.

This is at a local consignment shop for 29$
what is it? I cant tell if its ham or not, I am not in the hobby but have halfway thought about buying a radio

>>1417841
Could you give us a close up of the dial, especially the units measured?

Long shot: this is a valve tester where the valve is plugged in at the lower right

>>1417962
Looks more like a mic plug of some sort than a valve plug, though I've little experience with either. It could be either with its "audio" plug and dial, though I suppose the "filaments" switch does sound more akin to a tube tester. In what universe would you turn off the heater in a tube though?

I think tube testers usually have a multitap transformer in them, think that's what the big dials are doing?

>>1416613
this thread

>>1418002
>One of the most popular generals on /diy/
>A dead horse

One pick and one pick only, Vasily.

>>1416626
Is CB even a thing anymore? I bought a combo CB/weather radio for $5 at a garage sale. Nice weather radio. But when I switched it over to CB, nothing. Not one redneck trucker breaking squelch for hours. And I live a mile from the interstate.

>>1418056
Monitor 19 and 6.

I listen to 19 sometimes on my TS-590SG (no MARS mod on this radio so I can't TX) and it's usually busy.

>>1417965
>>1417962
Antenna tuner?

>>1417965
I've seen radio sets before that use a filament/heater switch to allow you to leave the tx/rx off, but pre-heated. Only ever seen it on large sets though.

>>1417962
I was in a hurry and took a pic not really thinking much of it, may be a day or two before I can go look at it again
The dials didnt say anything but went 0 - 450

>>1418070

>>1418066
Tuners don't need high precision graded dials, just numbering 1 - 11 is good enough. Also I cannot remember to have seen a tuner with a filament before. The OB-2 valve was popular for tuning but does not have a filament as it does not need heat to use.

>>1416626
Basically this. I have extra class and commercial licenses. Used to be able to copy and send Morse at 35 wpm. I have not used the ham bands for a very long time. Mostly what you have are old men who get confused if the conversation strays from what type of bullshit radio they are using.

>>1416996
Omg I was just about to post this. Unless of he has one incredibly big ball.

>>1418056

Does the radio have sideband? Antenna is key? On channel 38 - 40 you should be able to at least hear Donald Duck voices (side band). What radio model is it?

>>1417210
>the people it's brought in are people with an extremely limited view of radio (read: preppers) that don't want to learn and don't care about using them properly. To them, it's all a "SHTF" fantasy world.
This is really the main problem with Baofengs. That, and the Baofeng operators who never operated anything other than Baofengs and get the same attitude of talking up the only product for that purpose they've ever used and get offended when other people state that it's at the bottom of the pile as far as those products go (similar to Hi Point owners when it comes to guns, or plenty of people when it comes to their cars). This is especially annoying when you hear people buying Baofengs for use as a scanner because all the people talking them up when other cheap options like the RTL-SDR blow them out of the water for that purpose.

>>1417355
>its still cheap chink garbage, but itll let me at least monitor some DMR traffic and see if i want to get into.
If you just wanted to monitor traffic, you would have been much better off with an SDR of some sort.

>>1418056
Depends on where you live. CB where I live is actually quite active, especially on channel 19.

>>1418367
>Does the radio have sideband?
If he got a CB radio with SSB for $5 then he's one incredibly lucky bastard.

>>1416626
because cb is for retarded truckers, good buddy.

>>1416788
probably vhf.
>not interested in baofeng
youre stupid. get a yaesu handheld if youre not gonna get a baofag though.

>>1417052
while nothing you just said was wrong, i find it odd that people bitch so much about the ui. it really isnt that bad, it wasnt hard to program my repeater in. its not hard at all

>>1418756
>If you just wanted to monitor traffic, you would have been much better off with an SDR of some sort.
ive been thinking of doing something like this with a mini whip to show off some HF stuff at some club events. just trying to show people how cheap they can get listening for

>>1417210
>>"So you end up with fucking retards shitting up the airwaves, with minimal understanding of the radio in their hand. "
which is why he have a licensing system so that we know retards like that at least know what theyre doing and how basic operation works

>>1417148
if youre doing it for prepper shit, dont bother getting a license. we dont want you on the air. when shtf licenses wont matter

>>1417180
yes, youre retarded. but so am i, i missed 9 on my first technician exam. thats the maximum you can miss and still passed. i missed by a fucking pube hair and that day convinced me that jesus is real

>>1418767
There's a couple preppers who are licensed and regularly do NTS with my section. They practice radio relay with us for the same reason I do; shtf radiograms.

>>1417390
>fcc doing anything
the fcc realizes ham radio is largely self enforced. they dont do anything because hams will

>>1418056
i hope not

>>1418340
hes the kind of guy who would show you his ham then molest you while talking to his buddies about how plump your ass is

>>1418770
as long as you know what youre doing. ive seen too many prepper dudes with baofengs "oh hey when did you get your license man?" and then they go "what license" and i have to explain to the retard that you need a license to transmit and you cant use it for airsoft or whatever fag shit youre doing

>>1418775
can you legally use them for murs or frs? or is the wattage too high

>>1418780
the wattage is way too high and most radios arent type accepted for it but yes, you can. honestly, nobody will notice either. its really hard to tell your wattage or kind of antenna. chances are if youre 15 and go airsofting and use a baofeng on walkie talkie frequencies, nobody will notice or care

>>1418780
Most prepares buy them for a shtf scenario so in such a case the FCC probably won't have enforcing the bubble pack frequencies as a top priority

>>1418784
yeah, i doubt anyone would care. on the cape in MA they have some kind of net on one of those frequencies, was a bunch of little kids talking, was actually pretty neat. found it randomly scanning, but was good to hear kids getting involved. you could hear the parents coaching them, it was pretty funny
>>1418790
>Most prepares buy them for a shtf scenario
>shtf scenario
well, great. have fun dropping your piece of shit once and it breaking. great prep job

>>1418791

Baofengs are so cheap you could buy two for the price of a premium ham handheld.

>>1418794
>shtf scenario
>Baofengs are so cheap you could buy two for the price of a premium ham handheld.
>you could buy two for the price of a premium ham handheld
>premium ham handheld
just make a belt out of baofengs to attach your real radios to

>slowly getting into amateur radio with HF being the main part that catches my interest
>pretty much burned out on interacting with people
>the few people I do know really aren't interested so I can't talk with them
>digital modes like FT8 that don't involve really interacting with people just seem boring to me due to how easily they could be automated
>SWL doesn't sound too interesting since supposedly all you can pick up for the most part is religious stations, stuff like Alex Jones, and maybe number stations that you can't actually understand
Is there much interesting rag chew to just lurk and listen to on the amateur bands? There hasn't really been any interesting rag chew to listen to on local repeaters if those are something to go by. Building something from a kit or running a WSPR beacon seems interesting but those really aren't long term option. Main thing I'm doing currently is just scanning VHF and up to see what local activity I can pick up.

>>1418804

Someone here mentioned that ham radio is mostly old people talking about their old people problems. Sure enough I got on 11 meter ssb channel 38 few nights ago, and there was a ham a few towns over talking about his last doctor visit.

Frankly I find better conversation on zello and you don't need to worry about if the other person can hear you because you don't have a powerful enough linear amplifier

>>1418796
>just make a belt out of baofengs
I wouldn't trust a Baofeng to something as important as keeping my pants on.

If you're going to get a Baofeng, get the "USA Warranty" refurbished ones on Amazon ($30). I have 4 of them and they work just fine, have a harder case and I won't cry if I lose one.

I take them biking and boating. I wouldn't do that with my ICOM or Kenwood HTs.

>>1418811
>I take them biking and boating.
exactily theyr throw away radios.
i have a few, to give out.. and just because.
but i would NEVER rely on it, ever

>>1418815
I had 5, but there was this nice old guy who came to our club meetings, friendly but not that bright and obviously on disability, all the time and our VE exams 3 times in a row before he passed tech (last field day) so I gave him one as a congratulations present.

I have never seen an old dude that excited about anything. His license finally posted and he was chatting up a storm the other day.

Felt good to do something nice.

>>1418820
good for you anon. i enjoy doing the same things as well.
glad to see people put the effort in to get licensed.
> how did i get here

>>1418820
this is wholesome. anon, you did good.

>>1418794
>two
5. minimum. show me a quality $60 handheld and ill show you a unicorn

>>1418831
>>1418837
Eh, I had brought my radios for simplex field day ops in my "Go Kit" (waterpoof rubbermaid) and realized that one had only ever been taken out of the box to CHIRP it so I figured, 'what the hell' and gave it to him.

I hope he joins our radio club, this seemed like such a big deal for him.

>>1418883
they usually do join. you just gotta find a job for them in the club so they stick around

>>1418890
We're the second biggest club in my city with 55 active members so it's difficult to find something for everyone to do. Maybe I can put him to use at the club's booth at the county fair.

>>1418895
>Maybe I can put him to use at the club's booth at the county fair.
easy now, if hes retarded and annoying you dont want him as the flagship of your club.

>>1418897
No, he's neither retarded (probably just not good at tests) or annoying. He's certainly enthusiastic about the hobby, jovial and friendly.

>>1418899
well that sounds perfect. were trying to recruit the same type of people. as a younger person in the club, i sometimes find it difficult to stick older people to shitty tasks, and often end up taking them on myself. this sounds like a great way out of that.. new recruits

>>1418899
>probably just not good at tests
this is why i dont think ill ever get my extra. i bet i could pass it, but i dont think i know the theories and math enough to do it.

>>1418912
like 4 different dudes who talked to me during field day told me they all just memorized the answers without retaining anything and just started reading books after they got it

>>1418367
>Does the radio have sideband?
No. It's a Cobra 38 WSX handheld. I bought it primarily for the weather radio.
>Channels 6 and 19 are dead. I put the thing on scan for several hours and not a damned thing. It does work because I dug out an old GE dash mount CB and I can talk back and forth between the two.

If I need to listen to SSB, I have a Kenwood R-5000 here.

>>1418992
>Cobra 38 WSX
Cobra 38 WXST (fucking lyzdexia).

>>1418991
yeah, i think i could pass it. i just dont understand it, and thats what i really care about.

>>1419004
thats why you read books. if theres any material you dont understand behind it, like math or electronics, pick up a book about simple math or pick up a book about electronics. you can 100 percent do it, it just depends on how willing you are to reach for it

>>1418991
and where is our 4chin freq? we need one

>>1419005
>like math
i dropped out of highschool because i couldnt into math. its just really tough for me. i can do it, just takes me a lot longer. my main issue with the test.

Channel 6 is know as the “Super Bowl” or “the black channel”. It’s active 24/7 and heard “worldwide” (which is why they shout “worldwide” over and over again). If you’re radio can’t pick that up there’s something wrong with it.

>>1419007
1.888 for /pol/ and use USB to piss off the old dudes.

>just realized that the Summer solstice has passed
>the band conditions are still consistently shit
>it's all down hill from here for the rest of the year
And they tell me of a time when the 6 meter band was regularly open during the summer without having to wait for sporadic E.

>>1418056
>>1416626
What is the range of CB radios anyway? 3 miles? 1 mile? 10 miles?

>>1419016
Channel 6 on what? CB radio?

>>1419097
Yes

Why are so many tiny QRP radios, especially kits, made for 40 m band only?

>>1419942
40M is a good band for QRP when you consider things like mobility and mobile antennas. Especially when the solar cycle or space weather is in a solid state (right now is not that time).

If fucking Chris wasn't such a cunt, the mcHF is a great 'all band' QRP if you can ever find the boards in stock, but that hapless fucker can't be assed to fucking understand what supply & demand means. Fuck him and steal the plans.

>>1419951
get a used 817

>HAM thread
>no boomerposting

>>1420000
>reeeeeee back in my day you could work the world on 10m qrp!

t. licenced right before the peak of cycle 24

>>1420008
VK on 30m

>>1419951
>40M is a good band for QRP when you consider things like mobility and mobile antennas.
Well, a "whip" at 9 m is hardly easily mobile... A dipole at 18 m is also quite the beast.

>Especially when the solar cycle or space weather is in a solid state (right now is not that time).
True. However I thought 10 m and 20 m tended to be better for range than 40 m.

>If fucking Chris wasn't such a cunt, the mcHF is a great 'all band' QRP if you can ever find the boards in stock, but that hapless fucker can't be assed to fucking understand what supply & demand means.
I thought the project had been forked, legally, by now.

>>1419095
Depends on location, antenna, noise floor and band you are using.

I've got 50+km non skip on 27mhz with a legal 12 watts into a half wave vertical.

Ive got anywhere from less that 500 metres to 150km on 477mhz with 5 watts depending on location. 30km is typical on flat open ground with decent gain antennas. Many countries don't have that cb band though.

>>1420017
>40 and 30 pretty good
>everything else shit
VK3 here, can confirm

>>1419951
>Especially when the solar cycle or space weather is in a solid state (right now is not that time).
Hell, even now http://www.bandconditions.com/ puts it as being good for QRP operation more often than any other band.

>>1420033
>A dipole at 18 m is also quite the beast.
Not really when you can make it out of wire, roll it up, and shove it in your pocket.

>>1420062
>Many countries don't have that cb band though.
Only Aus, NZ and Malaysia iirc

>>1420068
>30
>vk3

Anything much happen on there?

>>1420225
It's all digital stuff that I can't decode yet.

Getting a 7300 in a couple weeks and then I can start messing with it. Though I'm more interested in 40 and 20 because I'm allowed to transmit there.

>>1420348
You're not allowed to TX on 30? What country and what class are you?

>>1420378
standard class vk, don't get 160 or the warc bands on hf

>>1420381
Ah, well, if it's any consolation, I'm a US Extra and I can't work 160 because I don't have an antenna that will work for it and I'm on a city lot, so no room for one.

>>1420387
I am scoping out places where I can string up a dipole. Using detailed elevation maps (Not Google maps) I found one area where I can string one up across a gully. What gauge copper wire is required?

>>1420659
There's a list in the FAQ.

>>1420684
youre fucking useless.
>>1420659
i would use 12 gauge copper welded wire. or use stranded copper wire if you can

>>1420703
Stranded only. Solid wire doesn't hold up to being constantly flexed in the wind. It will bow and break.

>>1420704
i use solid for experimenting sometimes. and no, they dont last. but its free for me, and i have hundreds of ft. maybe ill make a beverage antenna, but im not sure if i have the space for that, especially the directions i want

>want to get into radio
>already have RTL-SDR
>figure I might as well use a CB radio in my car instead of investing a ton of time and money getting a ham setup and license
>find out Alberta government banned "recreational" use of CB in in vehicles because of muh distracted driving
FUCK

>>1420703
>i would use 12 gauge copper welded wire. or use stranded copper wire if you can
Thanks.

>>1420684
I knew. However there are issues not part of that FAQ like portability and humongous length. I will have to climb trees and stretch this beast across a gully so portability is essential. Those are issues you don't have if you use your own back yard.

If I get this working I will take pictures.

>>1420872
also if you use wire with a coating on it, make sure its UV resistant.
> I will have to climb trees
you could get a sling shot, tie some decently strong fishing line to a nut and fire it over some branches. pull that over, and tie the fishing line to some paracord or dacron rope and pull that up. attach that to you insulator on your antenna, a pull half that 'tenna up. just gotta do the same for the other half.
in the middle at your balun, or whatever your center piece is, try to get that up the highest. you can use the same method as before
you could also use a bow and arrow, or compressed air cannon... or climb. if you do climb you could put pulleys up there, and your antennas will last a lot longer.

>>1420774
What country is that?

It's legal in mine.

>>1421007
I'm going to guess Canada, by virtue of the fact he said "Alberta"

>>1421007
jesus, the worst part is i know youre american, because youre too fucking lazy to search alberta

>>1421009
>Canada
Yes. The Canadian safe driving rule is from 2014. If you're caught driving with your microphone in your hand you pay a fine starting at about C$200. You are supposed to use the VOX function of your radio. There's a similar rule for for cell phones, only hands-free calls allowed. You are not supposed to watch TV while driving either. Many countries have such prohibitions.

>>1421078

Sucks. Do they have hands free cbs?

I only use my radio when parked anyway.

>>1421078
Lol I know, I'm from Ontario. Niggas get busted hard for that here. Was trying to point out to dumbass there if he read the post he would know where they were from.

>>1421080
>I only use my radio when parked anyway.
I was pulled over by a Statie one time for "Driving while distracted" (using my mic, I won't change freqs while driving). I showed him my Ham license, cited the Motor Vehicle Code subsection that explicitly exempts AR users from the distracted driving thing if they're using their radios, recited the whole thing to him (very politely and not in a smug manner when he asked), he went back to his prowler, looked it up, came back (after running my DL, of course) and said he learned something and that I was free to go.

Only trouble I've ever had.

>>1421131
what state m8? i think in a lot of states its left up to their decisions, at first.

Since there has already been a bit of talk about CB radio in this thread. How much SSB traffic on CB frequencies is regular talk/ragchew like you see with the AM CB traffic vs trying to make contacts like amateur radio? I'm listening with my RTL-SDR andI haven't picked up much, but what I have picked up seems to be mostly short amateur radio like contacts complete with fake call signs. I'm wondering because I'm considering getting a CB radio for my car.

>>1421506

Most SSB is home base stations, with applications very similar to amateur radio. AM mode is for "practical" uses (although that is certainly questionable) and ssb is for long distance entertainment, hobbyist stuff. Less idiots on SSB mode but they're certainly still there.

I don't find SSB useful for car, after using it for a few months. If you are stationary and in a good location, it will be fine, but I find that contacts will go in and out of range if you are moving.

>>1421528
What is the idiot ratio on CW then?

>>1416626

Why post on /diy/ when you can masturbate on /d/ and whine into your medalert system when something breaks?

>>1421612
Heard some on air discussion of that last week. Seems there are some but not many. Mostly speed show offs.

>>1421078
>>1421080
Incorrect.
http://ontruck.org/mto-extends-limited-exemption-for-handheld-cbs-two-way-radios-until-2021/
https://wp.rac.ca/distracted-driving-in-canada-an-update-december15/

Carry a print out of the excemption with you. When you get pulled over, show them.
If you get a ticket, don't argue. If it was RCMP go to the local cop shop and speak with one of them. Maybe they were just having a bad day.

>>1421528
How about actual activity? Does stuff more interesting than normal amateur radio style contacts happen regularly? Also, given people use it with home base stations, is running significantly above legal power common enough that normal power won't actually be able to reach the people you're hearing most of the time? Would the experience be comparable to trying to do QRP SSB voice on the amateur HF bands or are there enough people not running significantly over legal power for that to be an issue?

A nice resource to toss at G5RV haters:
azara.
org/documents/AZARA%20-%
20G5RV%20Antenna%20Patterns%20-%20Complete.
pdf

pdfwarning

>>1421731
I'm invoking O. Reg. 366/09, s. 14 (2), the exemption for pressing buttons: A person may drive a motor vehicle on a highway while pressing a button [...] to transmit or receive voice communication on a two-way radio or a hand microphone or portable radio.

>>1421834

I run a stock radio, I usually park at the beach, overlooking one of America's biggest cities, and I'm able to converse with people regularly. That aspect of SSB is pretty neat.

About 50% of the time I am unable to communicate due to people using amplifiers. Whatever. I just switch over the Zello at that point.

I'm not a ham, but have listened to ameteur radio on Shortwave in SSB (HF) and I would say the experience is very similiar. Although in CB people are not as reserved as it's basically unregulated.

I see an Elecraft KX3 with PX3 and KXPA100 for USD 2500, used.

Good price? Pull trigger?

>>1422318
What year, what firmware?

For anyone who has a General class or higher but no HF rig, try RemoteHams dot com. You can use another station's radio to transmit.

>>1422324
I don't know yet. What are the pit falls to look out for?

If N1PEB then sold.

>>1416746
I thought the FCC just changed the rules where CB'ers can now use skip with no limit on transmit distance.

>>1422944

Yes they did. Not that anyone ever followed the rules in CB anyway, or that the FCC ever cared.

>>1422944
>FCC just changed the rules
No, that was in April 2017. The FCC finally accepted that they can neither regulate the ionosphere nor the CBRS.

>>1423614
>predicted 0 sunspot activity for the next year
This is a troll image, right?

>>1423614
nigger, they couldnt enforce ham regulations if they wanted to either

>>1423722
not in the slightest if the current trend continues

>>1423979
Yes, the trend of the last four minima points to insignificant activity at the end of cycle 24 which also was the weakest for more than a century. Still I sometimes hear Russian CW signals around 28015 kHz.

>>1424084
Filtered trend is filtered. End of story.
The plot also includes error margin (or whatever) in gray. You're just too easy to trigger.

>>1423722
You might want to look into "Maunder Minimum" for historical perspectives on this.

so i've had a shitty baofeng for a while, just listening to boring as fuck sunday night nets and junk. sometimes i hear people talking about interesting things on repeaters, like once there was an hour long detailed conversation about linux (sup /g/). i'm studying for my tech (and hopefully general) and in the mean time i said fuck it and got a cb to stick in my truck to satiate my radio obsession. holy FUCK half those trucker dudes on there are unintelligible between the shitty echo effect and their deep south southern drawls (i'm not even in the south). motor mouth maul on channel 6, beaners on 7, rednecks at the flying j near me on 17, and then the occasional conversation between a couple friends. i feel like i wasted my money with the cheap as fuck radio, and a moderately priced antenna....but i'm a fucking sperg so i'm not getting rid of it. i guess i'll keep it mainly for listening to traffic and cop info from truckers. on the up side, i learned a good bit about antenna installation, tuning, and making sure i have a good ground plane.

>>1424634
you can use that antenna for 10 meters once you get your ticket. or you could cut it and use it for 6 meters. i still have a cb at my base, it just gets old fast. mostly all youre gonna hear is shitty skips and faggots clogging the air

>>1424634
I rarely check into nets. I'm an Extra, Volunteer Examiner, Skywarn and ARES/RACES and on the board of my radio club. I check into the County ARPS net mostly just since that's the Emergency/Disaster Net, NTS nets since those are the last lines of communications in the event of a disaster and the club's net.

I rarely use 2 meter/440 for casual conversations. I mostly work HF if I feel like gabbing.

Rarely, I'll be scanning 2/440 and hear a conversation on a repeater I'm interested in. If it happens, I'll try to break in and join.

You gotta remember this is a niche hobby so you're going to get guys who talk about their gear and then the old dude talking about their lunch a lot.

I may sound negative, but I'm not. I do love the hobby for more than Emergency communications, and would never get rid of my gear (not even my 6 Baofengs in my 'Go Bag') for anything.

>>1424670
jump into some nets if you have the time, just to pass knowledge on to some new hams.

>>1424676
My ten year old nephew has been studying for his Tech this summer (his parents are both engineers, he's smart enough, trust me). Mostly because he thinks it would be cool to be able to talk to his Uncle without a phone.

He's in England until the end of the month, but he took his study materials to show his grandparents and keep studying. He's going to try at my club's next test session in August. (Obviously, I have to abstain from checking the test, but I think he's gonna pass.)

I'm going to give him a Baofeng (USA Warranty one of Amazon, those are all I own when it comes to Baofengs, but I'm getting him a red one since that's his favorite color) and one of my older Kenwood HTs (not sure which one yet).

The Baofeng will mostly be for simplex when we go kayaking. The Kenwood will be for repeaters and intended for him to not take off the property. He's responsible enough.

Interesting news:
>KIWISDR TDOA DIRECTION FINDING NOW FREELY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/kiwisdr-tdoa-direction-finding-now-freely-available-for-public-use/
Essentially the GPS allows for multilateration of signals to locate transmitters. Perhaps this could be coopted into use with blitzortung.org to do the same for lightning.

Something for Elecraft to add to K4?

>>1424634

Channels 37 - 40 on Sideband are sort of a good "middle ground" between the CB idiots/rednecks and the HAM geezers.

>>1424918
>do the same for lightning
Do what for lightning? Blitzortung is already a mature system, far from guess & fiddle. Activate the detectors and see for yourself.

>>1424670
i'm hoping to get my general on my first try, because even though the vhf/uhf bands aren't too active i'm fine with it. don't get me wrong, mostly just bitching about how crazy CB is. i wouldn't want it to go away though, i find it interesting the dynamic between free-for-all CB and strict rule adherence of most of the ham bands. i'm barely started in the hobby but i love all of it already.

>>1424920
i figured ssb would be better, but i bought the cheap as fuck cobra 19 III at walmart and i don't have ssb. next payday i'm definitely going to buy a better radio, especially one with ssb.

>>1425103
>Blitzortung
I know this system. Trouble is, coverage is not good enough and where I live much of the lightening is simply not registered. Adding contributions from hams would be a help.

>>1422324
>>1422862
Any updates? The KXPA100 is gone so the price is reduced to USD 1500.

>>1425794
why do people like those so much? what am i missing?

You guys might know how to do this, I'm building a double cross antenna and it's about 6ft tall with a 2inch diameter PVC core, how would I go about mounting this to my roof? I was thinking of instead of mounting on the roof and messing up my shingles, just going through the side and using a lag bolt or something straight into the, I don't know the name of it, but like roof gable? overhang?

Just found it, looks like it's called a fascia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascia_(architecture)

>>1425913
Oh here are some SDRplay RSP1 received NOAA weather sat images if you are interested.

>>1425916
fuck, also forgot to mention the antenna, it's a very shitty v dipole sitting in the bushes out my window because the cord isn't long enough to get to the roof.

>>1425917
last one because they're quite boring.

>>1425913
Not sure how heavy and how much wind load your thing will be but where I live it's normal to use one of the hockey stick style fascia mounted masts for tv antennas. I've got one here with a ~6ft long 2m/70cm vertical on it for when I get desperate enough to listen to local repeaters.

We got this guy in Boston called "Archie Bunker" on CB. Heard him a few times. Pretty funny shit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eaNcv7eFB4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOC8cYADn6s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV2mpZzCgnE

>>1425805
Performance according to Sherwood Eng. seems pretty good. What would you recommend?

>>1426182
>listening to a net on the 40 meter band
>tons of people calling in
>nothing actually happens other than people calling in
How common are nets where nothing happens other than people providing their call signs? Pretty much every net I've tried to listen to has been like that outside of local SKYWARN nets.

>listening to a net on the 40 meter band
>tons of people calling in
>nothing actually happens other than people calling in
How common are nets where nothing happens other than people providing their call signs? Most of the nets I've tried to listen to have been like that outside of local SKYWARN nets.

>>1418275
>being upset because radio enthusiasts like to talk about their radios

>>1426348
Wait, I just found a net with something actually happening. It's apparently a net for advertising radio related shit that you're selling.

I'll just leave this here

>>1426664
antenna would be more interesting

>>1426721
Unlike all the braggers I wont give up my secrets That's why I can I have control

>>1427130
post 'tenna porn fagit

>>1427181
don't have to son you've heard me loud and clear

>>1427181

>>1427217
get your old ass up on that tower and take some pics for me, boomer
>>1427232
got one in my camp bag, but 400ohm twinlead
copper ones up on my roof

I'm going to be doing a good bit of traveling soon, and I was wondering about throwing a VHF/UHF radio in my van to play around with. Only problem is that I've been hearing that repeater activity in the US is dying. How much FM traffic is there on the 10 meter/6 meter/2 meter/70 cm bands between repeaters and simplex when you're not inside a city or on the freeway? I figure there'd be more traffic than CB simply due to the coverage repeaters have, right?

>>1427279
go to radio reference and look up the counties youll be going thru. load them up thru chirp

>>1427281
I'm not asking how to find repeaters and program them into my radio. I'm asking about how much activity I can expect on the different bands. I can see that there aren't nearly as many 10 meter and 6 meter repeaters as there are 2 meter or 70 cm repeaters, but at the same time I've read that those generally cover significantly more area so that really doesn't give me much of an idea about what to expect.

>>1427293
10 and 6 meters are shit right now due to the solar minimum. 2 and 70 are your best bets.

>>1427293
there reallly is no 10 or 6 right now.

>>1427297
>>1427307
So no one is using FM on the 10 meter and 6 meter band, despite repeaters existing for that purpose and major companies bringing quad band HTs and mobile radios to the market that include those bands?

>>1427313
yeah man. i have a ft 8900. i hear one repeater on 6, and thats it.

>>1427313
i hear linked 10m ones, but they dont count

>>1427313
....anyway, im looking to sell a used quad band, you interested?

Balloon is still alive.
10.14MHz (30m) +10dBm (10mW)
20180717 4000km to SM0EPX/RX2 (top)
20180716 8700km to AI6VN/KH6 (bottom)

>>1427427
Is this using the new TDOA feature? I have trouble getting it to work, never get the output map.

>>1427470
No, this is the old and robust weak signal propagation reporting system.

Are there any ham or just radio related podcasts out there?

>>1416613
Are there still brazilian pirates using the us military communication relay satellites? Shits funny as fuck

>>1427837
Plenty. Go to qrz.com and look in the Radio News forum. That will link you to some of the better ones.

>>1427881
Tell me more

>>1428118
solarix.net/tag/pirates/

>>1427470
OK, I can get trilateration for AM stations but get "Octave error" for CW traffic. Weird. And 30 seconds recording for CW seems excessive.

>amateur radio operators are already experimenting with using IQ recordings of entire bands along with software that automatically demodulates and analyzes all CW QSOs from IQ data fed into it as a way to enforce their rules on the air if they didn't catch you as you were transmitting
>this was 6 years ago
>this is only going to become more common
There was never any hope, was there?

http://cqww.com/blog/sdr-recordings-help-with-log-checking/

Newfag here. I live out in the boonies so im almost 30 km from the nearest repeater. Would it even be possible for me to use it this far away? Would i be able to hear anything from it?

>>1428814
If you have line of sight you have a very good chance. If there are minor obstructions a good antenna will help and you still have a chance.

>>1428817
There would be quite a few trees in the way.

>>1428818
Trees doesn't have to be too much of a problem at VHF bands. Get a RTL-SDR, wire up a cheap Yagi and give it a try.

>>1428524
At least that capability being used for some good things as well, such as Reverse Beacon Network which scans the CW portions of all bands to show bands are open and how much activity there is.
http://www.reversebeacon.net/index.php

>>1428173
Why build a converter to double frequency to transmit to the satalite why not just use radios that transmit 200-300mhz?

Trying to listen to trunked radio with a RTL-SDR in GNURadio. I know there's software out there such as op25 and SDRTrunk that already does it but I want to learn. What do I need to read to understand what's going on in pic related and set up some blocks to get it working? Tried reading a DSP textbook but it had too much electronics stuff in it.

>>1429008
The converter is simpler and lets you reuse the modulator/demodulator, user interface, audio path and more.

>>1429463
Perhaps you could take a look at the source code of an existing solution?

>>1429679
I think I need a basic understanding of what all those parameters in those boxes mean first.

>>1416613
ham radio is the most boomer thing in existence

>>1416613
>wsprnet.org/drupal/wsprnet/map
Does anyone else see this or is it just me?

>>1430126
I've got it too. Looks like something the owner needs to take care of. Legacy code or something, must just be an update.

>>1430133
Tnx. A few days ago a spot from southern Spain (IM76) appeared in Antarctica..

>>1429463
>Tried reading a DSP textbook but it had too much electronics stuff in it.

Well that's kinda the point.

>>1430197
It was talking about implementing filters using electronics with op amps... don't really need that for SDR.

>>1430126
>>1430133
everyone gets it, google changed some shit and fucked over a whole bunch of sites

>>1430125
hows your tight jean shorts and flannel shirt cutoff working out for you?

if i have to bake new bread, its gonna be some antenna porn,
prepare, get your fat asses out there and get some picture of 'tennas while its nice out

>>1430530
>antenna porn
Amateur please, not commercial. A nice contest farm would be good.

>>1430549
Sadly the only picture I can take is this

>>1430549
Son, I am disappoint.

>>1430559
and its sideways...
>>1430560
fucking l337

Can someone legally construct their own equipment to transmit on the unlicensed ISM bands under Part 15? If so, which ISM bands (as I'm pretty sure some are reserved for other purposes) and where can I find the power limits? All I was able to find on some quick searching applied only to 900 MHz/2.4GHz/5.2GHz and I'm pretty sure there's more than just that.

>>1430560
I'd like to see an analyzer trace from that setup.

>>1431515
No, there are no 'unlicensed ISM bands', there's only the permission for individually unlicenced _use_ of type-approved equipment. Part 15 handles communication (what you found) and Part 18 handles the rest, e.g. your microwave oven. Pic: Excerpt from a sucessful Part 15 related request of approval regarding a 2.4 GHz motion detector.

>>1431515
>>1431864
I tried looking again and found an actual document from the FCC this time (though not specifically pertaining to the ISM bands, at least some are listed), don't know how I missed it last time.
https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet63/oet63rev.pdf
Important excerpt from page 6:
>Hobbyists, inventors and other parties that design and build Part 15 transmitters with no intention of ever marketing them may construct and operate up to five such transmitters for their own personal use without having to obtain FCC equipment authorization. If possible, these transmitters should be tested for compliance with the Commission's rules. If such testing is not practicable, their designers and builders are required to employ good engineering practices in order to ensure compliance with the Part 15 standards.
Pages 12-29 contain a quite large table for all the bands Part 15 devices can operate on and the maximum allowable power for a transmitter on those frequencies (though max power is listed as field strength rather than watts for the most part). Using the formula listed in the document for estimating transmit power based on field strength, you'd pretty much need to be transmitting under 1 watt into a dummy load on most of those frequencies VHF and lower with the exception of 160-190 kHz, 525-1705 kHz, 13,553-13,567 kHz, and 49,820-49,900 kHz. On a bit more searching, those first 3 bands are referred to as lowfer, medfer, and hifer by people who experiment with them. Interestingly enough, the section of the law about transmitters around 49 MHz actually gives separate design criteria for home built transmitters by unlicensed hobbyists:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/15.235

>>1431957
A quick addition. Under Part 15.231, transmissions on 40.66-40.70 Mhz and above 70 MHz can only be control signals or control signals with data, "Continuous transmissions, voice, video and the radio control of toys" is not being allowed. So that puts an additional damper on messing around on higher frequencies without a license if the low power limits aren't enough. I'm guessing there's some sort of exception elsewhere for higher frequencies used for bluetooth/wifi and whatnot though.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/15.231

>>1431957
A quick addition. Under Part 15.231, transmissions on 40.66-40.70 Mhz and above 70 MHz can only be control signals or control signals with data, "Continuous transmissions, voice, video and the radio control of toys" are not allowed. So that puts an additional damper on messing around on higher frequencies without a license if the low power limits aren't enough. I'm guessing there's some sort of exception elsewhere for higher frequencies used for bluetooth/wifi and whatnot though.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/15.231

>>1428524
>KiwiSDR software now allows TDoA based direction finding to be performed using the large, distributed network of KiwiSDRs
IT NEVER ENDS. How long until this gets automated for the sake of enforcing contest rules or something else? Maybe those who don't want QSOs one made while remote operating to count toward their DXCC will go psycho given a way to easily enforce such a rule. Does the new frontier for amateur radio experimentation need to be LARPing as the NSA?

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/kiwisdr-tdoa-direction-finding-now-freely-available-for-public-use/

>>1432056
>TDoA

They are working on that for the local 2m repeater to deal with beomeme fags.

>>1432060
Is it actually bad enough where you live for that to be worth it? I figure you'd need to have the antennas for the receivers on towers to get a decent level of accuracy in an urban area.

>>1432075
>to be worth it?

Opinions may vary on that but they are doing it non the less.

>>1432060
>In his experiment he set up two RTL-SDR receivers spaced 9 km apart and was able to obtain an accuracy of about 3.5m
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/tracking-wildlife-with-tdoa-direction-finding-and-rtl-sdr-dongles/
That's in a rural area, but holy shit that could be pretty accurate if they set it up well. Also, I guess this is a good way to gauge the accuracy of cell phone location capabilities.

>>1416613

gay.

>>1432056
>>1432056
Alphabet agencies already have their system in place and have had these since before WWII.

I finally got the TDOA to work, found a suspicious short sweeping signal on the 40 m band, and found the source just off the Newfoundland coast.

>>1431993
>>1431957
Good catch! Thanks for posting.

>>1432211
>Alphabet agencies already have their system in place and have had these since before WWII.
They didn't have a decent level of capabilities until much later, and there are only so many feds that can go after people. The chances of a system available to the public (and therefore companies and local cops as well) being abused in a way that would affect you is much higher, more so when it can be used from the comfort of your own home and especially if it can be implemented in a passive way (which could very well happen in the near future in this case).

On a side note, maybe we'll get to see interesting projects for lowering probability of detection by someone other than the intended party if this does become a serious issue in the near future.

>>1432211
>suspicious short sweeping signal
New to priyom?

>>1432305
The Wullenweber was made by Germany in WWII and was plenty good to find and localise emitters. Currently the problem is more that FCC does not go after noise sources unless it impacts governmental systems, and local police care even less.

>>1432305
>On a side note, maybe we'll get to see interesting projects for lowering probability of detection by someone other than the intended party if this does become a serious issue in the near future.
Those are among the things you learn in military signal service.

>>1432365
>New to priyom?
I know their emitters but not by that name. And considering the position, possibly inside Canadian territorial waters, I would not suspect Russians in this particular case.

>>1432365
>priyom

Man I haven't heard UVB-76 in ages. Maybe 2010-2011?

Also posting in QTDDTOT.

I work at a place where we cut thing with a CNC laser. I have always wondered if I could cut the layers of a PCB with the laser. I am fairly certain we could.

My questions is, is there a relatively available board out there that I could download for kiCAD or Eagle that would be easy to source parts for?

Ideally, I was hoping that there would be a kit somewhere for all the non-PCB components for something (Arduino? HAM?). That way I wouldn't have to source a lot of little fiddly bits.

Any ideas where to get started? I just want to download a file and buy the components in a kit.

>>1432663
I don't advocate stealing someone's work but fuck Chris's incompetence and lack of caring about demand, so get the board designs for the mcHF QRP radio.

Mouser build is < $200.

>>1432305
>On a side note, maybe we'll get to see interesting projects for lowering probability of detection by someone other than the intended party if this does become a serious issue in the near future.
What all can be done for this on HF other than directional antennas/phased antenna arrays for aiming your signal (which would run into major space issues) and not using significantly more power than you need (which I don't see helping much unless you're just talking locally)? There'd probably be too many to many receivers online if people started building a network specifically for locating everyone for simply not pointing your antenna at them would be a solution. There's already a receiver online in a town of ~200 people in Montana.

>>1432614
The Buzzer live
stream.priyom.org:8000/buzzer.ogg
Now S28, still 4625 kHz
RX QTH locator KO04SD

I am trying to recover my Morse skills, pretty rusty these days. Can you recommend a band where Morse operators are not trying to brutalise their Morse keys? Nice and slow is what I want.

>>1433070
3 cm band, rain scatter. Or aa9pw.com/morsecode/ until you're fast enough.
I like the Live RSS News Feeds feature, e.g. 5 groups of Slashdot at 10/20. Download the file and you have enough for one session. Be aware that there's a bug that treats = as part of a word instead of a delimiter prosign. As background I recommend stream.priyom.org:8000/stream11.ogg ..
The best CW band is 30 m, mostly 5nn QSOs though, as usual.

>scanning local repeaters
>hear some people talking about a local linked repeater network
>I previously knew of 3 repeaters in the network, but there are apparently 2-3 more
>no online repeater directory lists any more repeaters as being linked to the network
>none of the local clubs who operate the 3 repeaters I knew about have anything on their sites
>find out that the third repeater in the network that I learned about earlier this year when one of the clubs updated their site had already been a part of the network for a few years according to another source
>while doing this I also noticed other issues including broken links to other club's web pages, repeater tones listed on the club page not matching up with other resources, and repeaters that straight up don't exist being listed on club pages
What the fuck is the point of these online resources if they're this poorly maintained? I guess that explains the nets that I kept trying to listen to that never actually happened. Now I'm really wondering why people complain about repeaters IDing so that you can easily confirm they even exist in areas without much traffic.

>>1433325
Ideally radio systems and resources should not have to rely on Internet to work. It would be best if the nets were self organising and also self advertising their services. Much of that is available as Internet related protocols, it is just the question of someone adapting these to radio nets.

In some ways the radio world is too conservative.

>>1433485
It would be easy for them to distribute that information over APRS with a cheap Baofeng, a battery eliminator, and anything capable of playing prerecorded audio at whatever interval they choose to regularly send the information. I really don't know why this isn't done, although they'd have to keep that up to date as well.

How durable are older Kenwood/Yaesu/Icom HTs that are meant for amateur radio use? I've regularly been tempted to buy an older used Motorola HT simply because I like the idea of an indestructible brick, but I'm turned off by how much functionality you sacrifice for that. It seems for Motorola HTs you either get something that has a good amount of channels but isn't reconfigurable without having a computer on hand so you're screwed if you need to deal with inaccurate repeater listings, or something that is reconfigurable without a computer but would still require you to carry support information such as repeater listings due to low numbers of channels (only 16 on the JT1000 vs 160 on an MT2000 or 255 on an Astro Saber) and a scanner/Baofeng to find new repeaters/make adjustments for inaccuracies in repeater listings (especially since you have to enter the PL/DPL manually when programming Motorolas rather than selecting them from a list which makes brute forcing them a no go since they aren't at regular intervals and nonstandard PLs/DPLs greatly outnumber the standard ones).

>>1433804
As longs as they weren't abused (running a high SWR) and the paper capacitors aren't dried the 'Big Three' are great radios.

I know a guy running a 25 year old TS-470 (or 560?) in a smoke filled room and it runs just fine. Buddy has an old ICOM 7100 in his truck and makes DX with his screwdriver and it's gone off calibration by a XIT of 0.00003 mHz.

I run a used TS-590SG I managed to get for $200 and love it.

>>1433485
>Ideally radio systems and resources should not have to rely on Internet to work
That mindset explains why most ham web pages haven't been updated since 1997.

>>1434124
The radio net is, well, a net and should therefore be self sufficient. Especially in case of emergencies when the Internet no longer is available should the radio net remain resilient.

And all the components are really there, from self configuration to notifications. Many can even be lifted from Internet technologies.

FCC Announces Nationwide Emergency Alert Test

I've had my tech license for over year and still haven't transmitted. Just mostly listen to a net every four months. Am I a shit ham or what.

Also I only have a handy.

>>1435885
I've listened for years but don't even have a license. Can pass online test for full call.

>>1435885
I'm licensed but haven't transmitted in prob 10 years

>>1435885
Lel I don't even listen. I even renewed my license, Guess I just like having my name and address on a publicly available database of geeks.

>>1430530
>antenna porn

Finally, my first Skywarn activation just happened.

>>1436422
Had to look it up.
Which event did you activate?

>>1418056
I personally think CB is better, mostly because it's not policed as hard compared to the Victorian decency laws imposed on amateur radio operators. If you want to talk with people across the globe for fun, PC and internet feels much cheaper (and more freedom) in that regard. Otherwise, get good at CW or open your checkbook to thousands in setup costs.

So... what is the fun of all this shit?
I dont get it

>>1435885
I haven't done anything at all other than buy a baofeng and listen to some boomers drone on about mundane shit once or twice
still planning on upgrading up to an amateur extra license anyway. fuck it
I feel like learning more will make me interested in it more, you don't need to know much to get a technicians license, but that also sadly means doing anything interesting with your license is hard since you have no idea what the fuck is going on

Hey guys, I live in Yurop and I want to listen to longwave radio.

Is there any loop antenna I could buy that works with LW? I have only seen AM antennas so far.

>>1437702
Build one.

Also your longwave is AM just at a different frequency.

If you can't be bothered building then there is this.
http://www.amradioantennas.com/longwave_antennas.htm

>>1437709
Thank you. Do you think an AM loop antenna like pic related would improve LW listening in some way? Or it would have no effect?

>>1437714
Wrong frequency range on the tuning.

Have you even googled this?

First result on google:
http://www.vandenbalck.eu/webdata/LONG%20WAVE%20PORTABLE%20LOOP%20ANTENNA.pdf

>>1437737
Yes yes, I have looked it up. What I mean is if a loop antenna made for another frequency range can work in the longwave band? Or, in other words, if I tune my antenna into a frequency and the radio into another different frequency, what will happen? Is that going to improve the signal, it will worsen it, or it will have no effect whatsoever?

Sunday I take my tech level test. Wish me luck.

>>1437869
noice

reminds me i need to get off my ass and study for the final upgrade

>>1430530
How about the AX1?
https://www.icqpodcast.com/news/2018/7/1/elecraft-announces-ax1-whip-antenna

>>1437879
What was the best way to learn CW?

>>1438071
Koch method

>>1438071
don't need it where i'm from, entry level is super basic shit and then the mid and top levels are just more electronics and radio theory

code requirement was dropped many years ago

So what is the reason we cannot have HF radios in small portable form factors as in pic. related? Is it the inductors?

>>1437755
No effect.

>>1438506
You probably could if you were prepared for a very low power device. It would be too low to be much use. The antenna won't fit inside for obvious reasons.

>>1438506
>how long is a 30cm wavelength
>why cant i fit an antenna that needs to be 360x larger into the same size?

>>1438533
Low power is fine with me.

>>1438540
It is not as if the entire antenna is inside most modern HF radios. If you look closely above and left of the rear camera lens you will see a cap for a miniature coaxial connector.

>>1438540
seriously? "how long is a 30cm wavelength". care to guess?

>>1438506
one could probably fit a single-band QRP sideband rig into a pocket, assuming an external antenna and a reflow oven

I have two CB (27MC) radios that only work on 12V, I could get an inverter but I wonder whether that's worth it. I also need to buy an antenna.

>>1416965
Is his hair fucking matted?

Hey /ham/ I need some advice,

My grandfather is 92, he just lost his wife of 70 years and I'm trying to get him some hobbies, he was in ww2 as a radioman in the navy, got the highest score for radio studies in the country in 43 and spent his entire life working with radio and electronics. He's good with technology for someone his age, he loves using his ipad. His hearing isn't super great, he can talk on a phone with speaker phone with some difficulty.

Now he has his own apartment, one bedroom in an assisted living facility and i'm trying to get him a new hobby. Would HAM be a good one for him?

>>1439234
Tech wouldn't be bad. A small antenna in a window would be better than just an HT rubber duck and he could chat on the local repeaters.

Transmitting on the HF bands would be exceptionally harder due to antenna restrictions.

>>1439236
You could make a loop antenna for the upper end of the HF bands that would fit in a window frame.
https://youtu.be/0DQyLMkSk5I?t=3m50s

>>1439352
True. I'm just a longwire/dipole kind of guy and forget that. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I talked on 17-6 meters and I have never heard another station on 10.

>>1438506
You can, you just need to deal with them transmitting at under 5 watts. The AT Sprint has a VFO, uses changeable band modules, and fits in an Altoids can.

>>1438126
>>1437879
Well I passed my tech today. The VE's reccomended I take general, so I did. I missed my general by one.

Now the waiting game begins.

>>1439440
Congrats. The FCC will have you on file in no more than 10 days. You'll get an email from them at Midnight EDT when they file it.

Bummer about missing General by one, but hey, you don't seem like you were prepared for it so it should be easy for you next time with a little study. When you're a General, you can become an ARRL VE and score Tech class exams. I did that and really enjoyed it before I got my Extra.

>>1416613
So I've had the Kenwood THf6a for about ten years. THe other day, the antena connector snapped. Upon examination it appears the metal was die-cast like the cheap matchbox cars. I for got what I paid for it, maybe 200 dollars.

It still tx/rx but I have to hold the antnna in. Anyone know a good repair method? If I cant repair it, whats a good cheap priced tribander that can also act as a scanner.

Some of the fun I've had with the kenwood:
listened to satelittes, packet work, listen to space shuttle/space station. Listen to sounds from the moon/sun. All the listening was done with a directional yagi.

One fun and illegal thing I did was piggy back my car remote signal with a directional burst and started my honda from 1/2 mil away. Again with a yagi.

All in all I am pleased with it, but it's a bit flimsy for 200 dollars. Any ideas on repairing the ant connector?

>>1439440
congrats senpai

missing by one is always annoying but at least you know you're close and should nail it easy next time

>>1439447
>>1439562
Thank you guys for the support, look forward to being on the air.
Oh yeah, it was annoying that I didn't make it. BUT, I never did study for it. So, with a little diligence and some work it will be a breeze. Right now, I'm going to enjoy my victory and learn as much as I can from the experienced guys. I would have been very embarrassed having my general but having to be humble about my experience and lack of knowledge about RF arts. I'm content with working my way up. It also helps me not having the pressure of what most consider a more experienced HAM than a tech.

Initially I just wanted to be legal when it came to flying RC, but I've learned a lot. It makes me want to take pride in having good RC signals. But set a good example for those who want to fly RC. I'm tired of drone pilots making an ass out of themselves because either they dont know or just being dumb. I know this isn't RCG but there is so much overlap between RC and HAM.

I'm trying to understand how RF gain vs volume control works. How does lowering the RF gain lower the noise floor without lowering the signal you're trying to listen to by the same amount? How does reducing RF gain and increasing the volume give you a different SNR?

>>1440001
>How does lowering the RF gain lower the noise floor without lowering the signal you're trying to listen to by the same amount?

It does lower the wanted signal. Doing so is only effective provided the wanted signal is larger than the noise.

>>1440087
>It does lower the wanted signal
But does it lower the signal by the same amount, or does RF gain work in some non linear fashion? And if the signal is lowered by the same amount as the noise, what purpose does it serve?

>>1440104
RF gain is for weak signals. Reducing the RF gain can prevent over-driving the following stages of the receiver and so reduce their intermodulation products. Switching off the pre-amp has a similar effect, especially in case of strong adjacent signals. RF gain always decreases the dynamic range of a receiver.

>>1428524
>software that automatically demodulates and analyzes all CW QSOs from IQ data fed into it
Why aren't they already doing this with SSB phone? I've already seen scanner software for SDRs that automatically demodulates all FM and AM signals that an SDR receives (ham2mon), and I've seen software that automatically streams received FM signals to speech to text software. It seems like it would be trivial to combine those two pieces of software and add the ability to demodulate SSB, and there'd be motivation for doing so as well since it would save the people who go back and listen to those recordings a significant amount of time.

>>1416613
getting a HAM license is the ultimative cuck. you acknowledge that a bunch of bureaucrats have the power to forbid you to generate electromagnetic waves. you must be totally bluepilled to agree with that.

>>1440001

It amplifies the signal. Volume amplifies the sound.

>>1440202
I think a reason is that the ham world is not well connected to the DSP groups. So cell phone manufacturers do a lot of heavy duty DSP have a major edge on ham radios. This is of course also a potential for hams. Unfortunately the bottom has fallen out of the DSP job market.

We could have had HF gear in this form factor: >>1438506

>>1440367
>We could have had HF gear in this form factor: >>1438506#
That's more related to the lack of a market for something that small since due to people wanting more power and features, which keeps larger companies from entering the market, and the smaller companies that do produce things like that (the AT Sprint that was mentioned in response to that post or the slightly larger LNR Precision Mountain Toppers) can't afford to go all out with custom hardware. There was a company in the 90s called Mizuho that was making 2 watt single band HF HTs that could do SSB/CW, ran on a 9v battery, and weren't much larger than a modern HT with an extended battery, but they stopped being produced due to poor sales.

>>1440367
4G LTE WLAN DMR VHF/UHF 4W GPS IP67 and more..
All in one for professional use, since 2015.
Toy market is too small, way too small.

>>1440367
>HF gear in this form factor
>HF gear in this form factor
Why don't you post your 80 m band pocket antenna with a built-in 100 W PA.

>>1440467
>QRO
>2018
anon, I...

>>1440467
>Why don't you post your 80 m band pocket antenna
It was mentioned earlier that the antenna is a separate issue. A long spool of antenna wire is not a problem. In any case there are plenty of HF bands with far shorter wavelengths. This idea that one-thing-must-fulfil-all-niches is just silly.

>with a built-in 100 W PA.
What is QRP?

>>1440526
On short wave qrp means that you will not be heard.

New ham here (still waiting on my call). Was listening to a conversation the other day in the 70cm band. One of the guys is a telescope expert. He was talking about using different freqs to observe the doppler shift. And said it could be seen in a hook shape.

I am curious what kind of radio allows you to see that kind of thing? Also the meteor shower over NA is supposed to be around 10 to 15 per hour this weekend.

Hey /ham/, I want to make a small transmitter to send morse code but I don,t really have that much idea about radio to know how to make it. AM or FM? What components should I use? I want i to be as small as possible, too pls halp

>>1441519
>observe the doppler shift
The Doppler shift of what? Is it a radio telescope?
For this year's Perseids (Aug 11-13) I will listen to meteor radio, a meteor scatter Doppler radar run by UK radio amateurs.

>>1441589
If I understood him correctly it was the doppler shift of the meteor. He was explaining it as bouncing a 6m or 10m radio wave off of it with a yogi

>>1441566
>>1441566
You already got your answer: pixie. In the US you'll have to fly under the radar because for you it's not legal. Educate yourself about the conditions in your country before you do anything else.

>>1441613
Yeah, it's not strictly legal in my country either, I'd have to pay tons of taxes to import it. Is there any way for me to do it by myself?

>>1441619
>do it by myself?
Sure. Did you know that you can legally transmit at frequencies above 300 GHz and that you most likely already have the necessary equipment?

>>1441732
Tell me how, if you don't mind

Would pic related work?

>>1441842
That would make a train of square waves which are full of harmonics. It would be a horrific mess unless you added a tight band pass filter.

>>1441927
What should I do then¿

>>1441983
Connect a headphone and start to transmit.

>>1441983
1: read the FAQ - the issues are mentioned there
2: get a radio amateur license, reasons given in the FAQ.
3: with the skills gained in point 2 you will make a band pass filter that stops the harmonics.

>>1442214
>you will make a band pass filter that stops the harmonics
of your 800Hz code practice oscillator.

This is kind of a wild shot but here it goes:
If you want a system capable of RF directional blocking (against jamming) what would you do?
It cant be nothing top of the line and something you can easily build. Anyone with experience on this?

>>1442518
*MCU's with some type of RF module set.

I'm new to all of this and looking to get 4 devices for communicating with friends over around a 2 mile distance and I was looking into the baofeng uv5rs, but reading everything online has just confused me between them being okay for use as long as you're on the right channels and them being totally illegal.
Are they something I should get or is there something else I should be using. Can anyone walk me through this in laymans terms? Pls no bully.

>>1442575
You pretty much can't use them legally unless all four of you have at least a Technicians licence, they can transmit on FRS/GMRS/MURS channels however since they aren't part 95 compliant they can't legally be used, now weather or not anyone would report you to the FCC is a whole other question.

In my area there's another ham that makes it his personal crusade to harass anyone using the GMRS bands without a licence and he presumably keeps an eye on the FRS/MURS bands as well, if someone like that found out you were using a non compliant device they would probably try and report you, but it would still be hard to prove anything and the FCC may not even really care or do anything.

>>1442581
Is there anything you suggest then? Also, where do i start with attaining my license?

>>1442587
Just get any old FRS radio if you only want to talk with your friends it might get a bit spotty at the full two miles but should work fine in an open area and you don't need any special licencing, as for getting your Technicians Licence you'd have to find a test session near you and go to it.

http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session

I'd recommend you study for it as a number of the questions are specifically regulation related so if you just have a knowledge of electrical and radio theory you might pass but it would be a close call, there are several study guides available around the web you just have to search for them.

>>1442581
>In my area there's another ham that makes it his personal crusade to harass anyone using the GMRS bands without a licence
He must be disappointed that the FCC expanded FRS to cover the GMRS specific frequencies and to allow for transmit power up to 2 watts last year.

>>1442575
I would get a used MURS radio and monitor the channels for traffic. Listen before talk. You can legally use an external antenna if need be. 10 miles range is possible.

>>1442587
Is there a direct line of sight? In that case you can use optical links. Check out RONJA. Bandwidth can be pretty good and you can make it safe from intercept.

>>1442518
>>1442520
Seems the pictures were wiped, I never saw them so I cannot tell if they were relevant.

In any case you need two antennas half a wavelength apart and connected. There will be a deep null along these that you aim towards the source of the jamming signal.

Alternatively you use a directional antenna that you aim in the direction you want to communicate. Place it on a servo platform so you can map the RF traffic as a function of angle.

>>1430530
>if i have to bake new bread, its gonna be some antenna porn,
We are past 325, now is your chance.

I'd like to get into it but knowledge = 0. UHF/VHF/HAM/CF/SDR/RTL-SDR, confusing.

I just want to get or build a powerful indoor antenna and see what I can pick up. Number stations, local chatter, weird shit. Maybe if it can transmit as well it could be useful in an emergency or I could make a program to get free internet or something.

i'm guessing I should start with RTL-SDR and a good antenna? Any recommendations? Recommendations for online guides or good books that cover just about everything?

>>1442956
Budget: $100-1000

>>1442956
>Recommendations for online guides
ftp://collectivecomputers.org:21212/Books/Cyberpunk/Tech/Radio/radio_FAQ_Preview7.htm

>got really into ham, got my license, got an hf rig
>oh boy this is going to be fun
>just old bastards going '5 and 9, 73s' all fucking day
>no actual talking or discussions, just the same shit
Was really disappointing, I sold my rig a while ago. I'm still into radio but prefer the theory and shortwave listening to being an active ham.

>>1443125
During contests the traffic is heavy and the chat cut short. Try when reception is bad, might be easier with rag chew when there are few people around.

>>1443125
>got general few months ago
>still clueless about everything especially practical
>no hf rig or will to drop a few hundred on one
>no fucking clue how to build an antenna
>no motivation to go out and hang with old hams at a local club
>just listening to bs ragchew from local repeater on my memefeng
>didn't even switch tx back on on memefeng after getting licence
Why the fuck did I even bother.

>>1443339
>>1443125
Consider to not renew your lisense. Ham radio is best for active, motivated experimenters who do not seek to wallow in self-pity.

>>1443339
This hobby is not necessarily about talking only but equally importantly about technology. be it antennas, RF electronics or DSP. No reason to give up yet, anon.

>>1443381
I'm gonna cram and get extra next month just to spite you.

>>1443394
I'm not, but I'm hitting a wall - there's a huge disconnect between theoretical knowledge and actually doing it in practice. Not without dropping a couple grand on a bunch of equipment and figuring it out from the comfort of that. I gotta do it on budget but literally don't know where to start.

>>1442878
>>1442764
>>1442617
RONJA looks awesome but I need mobility and there's no clear line of sight. Pretty much every radio I see is FRS/GMRS and I dont want my one friend who's an idiot to go on a GMRS channel and piss people off/get us reported.

>>1443403
We discussed here earlier the disconnect between ham and DSP, the relationship between radio nets and the Internet. I have a few ideas for a project (no logo please), how about doing something that bridges this? Not sure it would have to be expensive. It would involve a new protocol.

>>1443465
As an alternative you could make a RONJA backbone network where each node connects to a short range radio, giving you a backhaul net.

>>1443125
>shortwave listening
What do you all listen for? Just number stations? I really want to enjoy HF, but I can't justify getting into it for actually transmitting considering the cost and how I wouldn't be comfortable using it for anything beyond signal reports with stuff like this: >>1428524 becoming more common.

>>1443753
Not that guy, but I SWL for different world news perspectives (mostly just propaganda, but amusing nonetheless), and some cool music. I also just enjoy band scanning at nite with an ultralight on the couch. Shortwave Radiogram is fun to try and tune in and decode every week. It's nice to know we can still send one another memes if the Internet dies.

>>1443753
I've got nothing but an sdr dongle and a wire antenna but I enjoy listening to 20 meters and 2 meters not only for voice, but I also enjoy decoding CW and POCSAG .Once i get a handle on the software, I wanna try satellite stuff.I really like how sdr's have opened up a whole new realm for me as a computer nerd. It's nice to get away from the internet now and then.

>>1428524
>>1429006
How do you record entire bands? Don't you need to tune into a specific frequency?
Also, if you already know CW, have a station and a callsign, why the fuck would you even tx out of band AND give out your call? Other than by honest mistake or at worst ignorance?

>>1444097
Look at your image.

>>1444111
>give no help
>thinks hes better than everyone
yep, boomer detected.
>donkeygetthecamera.jpg

>>1443753
I am recovering my ageing Morse code skills.

>>1444097
Essentially you record the output of the ADC in real time. So if you want to cover the entire HF band you have to sample by at least 60 MHz (Nyquist) and record that. We are talking about 60 or 120 MB/s which is quite feasible.

We are just one step from falling off the last page. New bread baking soon?