/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Practice Tests: http://aa9pw.com/

Does anyone know if non-citizens can acquire the UK's Foundation license?

>>1627077
https://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/for-students/foundation/

I see nothing there that requires citizenship for the license. That said, maybe email the RSGB and ask. Hope that helps.

I recently received an IC-2730 (USA) to use as a base for 2M/440. I like it so far, has anyone had issues with it or do you have and neat tricks to use with it?

How can I get into this shit without meeting people and without waiting 6 months for a licence? I'm autistic as fuck so I can pass any exam but I also don't want to deal with gatekeeping faggots I just want to play with a cheap chink radio vhf without too mucy hassle. If I have to get involoved with some gay govt bureaucracy and talk to weirdo trainspotters and shit IRL for ages before I'm allowed to do anything I'll probably lose interest

>>1627215
all you do is go somewhere and take a test, pretty short and ~$10 later. Also fuck that guy, and fuck the fcc.

>>1627215
Find an exam, pass, wait 10-12 days, you'll have your license and you're good to go.

>>1627058
Our Mascot!

>>1627215
If you're in the US sign up on hamstudy.org and use their Find a Session feature to register for an exam in your area.

https://hamstudy.org/sessions

If none of these places are near you find out which ham radio club is closest to you and email them about VECs in your region.

All the government bureaucracy you'll have to deal with is the FCC's website. Register for an FCC License Number (FRN) here

https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/regEntityType.do

Then login with your password here

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp

You'll need to have your FRN when you take the exam anyway. Use your real name and address when registering with the FCC. If they send you mail (they generally do not) and it's returned they'll terminate your license. A P.O. box is fine.

>>1627126
Thanks.

Anyone here just an SWL? Not interested in getting license or talking to anyone, I just listen to International Broadcasters.

>>1627443
No, but just curious, what's your setup? Do you have a big SW antenna and everything? Or are you using an online service like UTwente SDR?

The inevitable buyfag question: what dual-band HT should I get, other than a Buttfag? People keep saying yaesu ft-60r, but that model is 15 years old now, is it really still the best in its class? Because these companies have engineers on staff, you'd think they'd make at least incremental improvements once in a while

>>1627676
Don' buy Yaesu.

>>1627676
Get a good 50 watt dual band mobile unit ($250 Icom) and go with a cheaper HT (TYT). You can use the mobile as a repeater for your HT if you live in the city/suburbs because your HT will have a difficult time in that environment.

>>1627678
Ok but given that I'm gonna buy something what may I have your permission to buy?

>>1627682
ICom or Kenwood.
Yaesus often have critical design flaws.

how 2 into phase II P25 on linux? i have two SDR dongles

>>1627703
Ok but which ones

>>1627712
Can you virtual machine Windows? There's a couple Windows programs out there.

I bought a HT with an upgraded antenna and live just outside city limits. I could hit a few repeaters and listened to a few nets, about 35 checkins and about 10 of them talked about mowing their lawn and the rest didn't have anything to say. Checked out another repeater and the net controller had a serious speech impediment, could barely understand him, 20 checkins and nobody said anything.
Swear to god I'm going to return this thing. Don't know why even bothered considering a license. Maybe I'm just in a shitty area.
Convince me to stay anons

>>1627737
Skywarn
National Traffic Nets
Local traffic nets

I can tag/hear 40-42 repeaters in my area and yes, many of the nets are "I had the most delicious toast yesterday" wheezed old white men but there's some gems out there. Met a few tech guys on repeaters and whatnot. It's made me a few drinking buddies and friends with a Homeland Security guy who got me out of a speeding ticket.

>>1627737
>I'm going to return this thing.
valid choice, no god required

>>1627742
>a dhs wagie got me out of a state/local speeding ticket
Bullshit, but I believe it.

>>1627767
State DHS, high ranking, officially a state police officer.

>>1627721
Whichever ones have the features you want at a price you can afford.

If you're not motivated to read device specs on a website maybe Amateur Radio isn't the hobby for you.

>>1627883
>just have several years' experience bro
>just don't need to ask the question

>>1627678
>>1627703
>I'm a retard

>>1627712
Open up browser
Navigate to universal radio
Purchase real scanner

>>1627891
Look at the models and their feature lists.

Ask yourself "do these sound like features I want?"

When you ask yourself "What the hell is this feature?" use google.

All Handheld Transceivers will have the base features you want: i.e. 2m and 70cm band support, dual-band/dual-watch; repeater frequency shift, CTCSS & DCS support, DTMF, and channel memory. After that it's how much memory do you want, and what other bells and whistles seem useful. Do you want to fuck round with the 6m band? Do you want to fuck round with digital modes? And "can I afford this?"

Amateur radio requires a lot of self-directed study. There is ALWAYS more to learn, and hams are constantly engaged in finding new things out. You have to actually enjoy this process to get somthing out of the hobby. This is why I say if reading through a bunch of specs for different HTs sounds like a chore the hobby probably isn't for you.

If you just want to have decent line-of-sight communication with friends during outdoor activities buy the cheapest ICom or Kenwood out there. Or just stick with your Baofeng, which supports all those base features. Or heck, just buy a pair of FRS radios at the sporting goods store. They actually work okay out of doors and you don't even need a license.

I can't just tell you what the good radio is. "Good" can only be defined by your interests and needs.

>>1627915
Sorry to hear that, anon.

>>1628032
>What is green text?

>>1628022
That's somewhat helpful in that you've said all available dual-band HTs have the bare minimum of features. In this case buying Baofeng is the obvious choice. But then you get responses like
>>1627678
>>1627703
which bring design and build quality into it. I have no idea what this guy's problem with Yaesu is but the fact is that these devices are not equal, and differ in ways you won't find in a spec sheet. Maybe they fucked up some bit of electronics, maybe the buttons fall off, maybe it stops receiving 70cm after a while, maybe the audio quality is quiet or loud or buzzy, maybe the thing is built like a tank and lasts 20 years plus a tornado. These are the questions that trouble a newbie and deserve some kind of definitive answer.
>>1627676
Not trying to dickride the Japs but the ft-60r is a near-ideal workhorse radio by the criteria above. Not actually sure why Jap companies haven't released a new radio in its class since 2004, maybe chinkshit is eating their lunch. Definitely follow the newer chink models from TYT or Wouxung too, since trying to undercut and replace ft-60r is an obvious next step for them

>>1627058
Recommended to be crossboarded to /k/

>>1627058
Should I get the HD1 as my first radio? I'm really interested in DMR.

>>1628161
Yaesu VX series had a very basic design flaw that they could have easily fixed but didn't, where they left out a small capacitor, leading to one of the filters burning out. Reparable but it should never have happened: http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~timc/e/vx7r.html

Haven't heard of this problem in their other series, however.

>>1628166
I really don't want to hear basement killers screaming ten four on ham bands, thank you.

>>1628207
So, an issue with one series of HT's means you should never buy any other Yaesu radio? They've (including Vertex) made literally thousands of different models of radios for decades.
>Better stick to the Chinese garbage, with their weeks of radio engineering experience, all based on one cheap chip.

>Fire up $30 SDR dongle
>Extend 10" whip
>Can't pick up 80m traffic at 13:00, in my basement
>HF radio sucks
>Better try to wideband my Baomeme to transmit on PS freq., just in case of an emergency!

>>1628303
>Fire up IC-7851
>Connected to G5RV
>Hear Japan on 80 Meters at High Noon
>HF radio is fine
>Hear two illegal operators on my IC-2730 simplexing on 2 meters
>Dead key at 10 times their wattage

>>1628297
If nothing else it's a reason to be wary of those particular models. However it seems likely that other radios, particularly cheap chinese radios, will ALSO have design flaws. The overriding point is that selecting a regret-free radio is not as simple as "read the specs to see if it does XYZ digital mode or not, and attach a dollar value to that feature"

>>1628325
>it seems likely that other radios, particularly cheap chinese radios, will ALSO have design flaws
Nah, they're perfect. The radios to end all radios.

>Hey guys, I passed my tech like 10 seconds ago! How long until the FCC updates the database?
>It's been like 6 days and the FCC hasn't listed my call yet, did they forget about me?
>Day 8 and no callsign in sight, took my baomeme out of the box and kerchunked 6 different repeaters to make sure it works. I didn't speak, so no one will be able to find me.
>Day 9, I can't get the repeater that's near me to respond to my Tx, what's wrong? Someone help!
>Day 12, I think the FCC or the VECs screwed up. Perhaps, the database is broken. Does anyone have a direct contact with the admin?
>Day 13, While doing my daily radio check (no call sign yet), some old guy immediately came on with his callsign and said monitoring. I guess I can't check there anymore.

>>1628039
It's often used to quote, or to mischaracterize the statements of a conversant. In many such cases it's psychological projection.

>>1628161
>I have no idea what this guy's problem with Yaesu is but the fact is that these devices are not equal, and differ in ways you won't find in a spec sheet. Maybe they fucked up some bit of electronics, maybe the buttons fall off, maybe it stops receiving 70cm after a while, maybe the audio quality is quiet or loud or buzzy, maybe the thing is built like a tank and lasts 20 years plus a tornado.

In the case of Yaesu it's most of these things. I have two Yaesus that I have to repair because of electronic engineering flaws that should have been avoided. Whenever I hear hams complaining about a design problem with a transceiver it's inevitably a Yaesu. They ARE built like tanks, however. Construction and materials are always good, which is why they seem like a good choice and maintain market share.

I don't have any experience with the FT-60r, so maybe it is the "good" radio. If it's truly reliable I want one. But then I want a lot of things.

>>1628397
Yaesu are not MIL-SPEC810. I only buy MIL-SPEC810 radios.

>>1628401

>>1628303
>>1628342

New to this whole thing, sorry if CB is not accepted here.

Found a 1991 Cobra 148GTL at a thrift store and decided to get into radios.

Found a good deal on a Hustler IC100 antenna, and want to make it my first one. Going to mount it on the roof of my Xterra.

Has anyone had issues with clearance when roof mounting a CB antenna?

Help me DIY this guys. I bought 2 small pieces of land in MX and live in a town near-by. No cellphone signal at the farms and I need radios for communication. I bought a pair of Baofengs and from up the hill to another high place they work just fine for about 7 miles.

Problem is it's mountainous terrain so by the town's creek where my house is, and by the farm's river where I have a little cabin I can't get signal. I'd also need them sometimes to get in touch with people at the other property but I haven't tried them that way yet.

I made some calls and I need to get a 5-year license (concession, I guess would be a better term) with a Mexican gov agency (IFT) and pay a fee, but also I talked with a store that sets these systems up and they say it's like $5k usd to set up a repeater and there would also be another fee because I'm in the middle of nowhere.

Can I do this myself with less money?

I know nothing about this but I'm patient and willing to google/read stuff.

>>1627058
how do i find the right external antenna for a Grundig Satellit 750?

>>1628600
>Grundig Satellit 750?
What do you want to listen to?

>>1628597
The higher the frequency the more the radio wave propagates as light, requiring line of sight. Correspondingly a radio on the HF band will overcome obstacles.

An important question is what the use is, is it voice, data, alarms etc?

>>1628597
>not just getting los zetas to do it

>>1628568
It was common to take out lights at gas stations / drive throughs etc with 1/4 waves. Height is always an issue. Anything under 3 foot is very shitty on 27mhz

>>1628568
>>1628737
CB radio works on a wavelength of about 11 meters. That's a long wavelength and is going to need a long antenna with a big groundplane for good reception: the ideal would be an 11/4 = 2.75m antenna mounted vertically in the center of your roof. Of course that's crazy and you shouldn't do it, but it's helpful to consider that with a 3ft antenna you're ALREADY making big compromises, perfection is out of the question. The question is, do you want to talk about Bigfoot in crystal-clear quality to a long-haul trucker 5 miles away, or is a bit of static OK?
>Going to mount it on the roof of my Xterra. Has anyone had issues with clearance?
Well yes, duhhh. Add the two heights together and you're at 8 or 9 feet: you'll probably bump tree branches, garage doors, all kinds of things. These days the antennas are flexible and probably nobody's getting damaged, but it'll be annoying at least. You can consider a different mount point at the cost of a few dB gain. Down by the passenger mirror is popular if you can take the static.

>>1628792
>the static
switch to FM

>>1628798
Nigger we're not skipping waves off the ionosphere to talk about how Obama is from Kenya with Bubba down at the truckstop

>>1628798
Nigger we're not skipping waves off the ionosphere to talk about Obama's birth certificate with Bubba down at the truckstop

>>1628798
>AM waves are influenced by the sunspot cycle, FM waves are not

>>1628832
What are you taking about? Truck stops are ideal for HF propagation.

How do I ensure sure the hombrew antenna I want to make has a 300 ohm impedance?

>>1628876
$7 Harbor Freight multimeter.

>>1628879
I thought a multimeter only measured resistance. Is AC impedance truly equal to DC resistance?


Do I just add resistors in series until I get the right impedance/resistance?

>>1628876
Math
>>1628879
No
>>1628883
No. No.

FT-60R is fucking fine after you replaced it with lithium battery. Literally one of the best you can get for a newbie.

>>1628798
I clicked the wrong image, should have been this one.

>>1628792
What about a 13m dipole mounted with stand-offs along the upper edge of the trailer?

I mean, polarization would be perpendicular, but wouldn't a half-wave antenna more than make up for that loss?

>>1628978
>polarization would be perpendicular, but wouldn't a half-wave antenna more than make up for that loss?
No, you lose about 20dB for cross polarization comms. This applies to local VHF/UHF and when using CB. Look into the hustler mobile antennas, specifically the 27MHz resonator. Otherwise the standard 102" whip is where it's at.

>>1628985
To add, loss for microwave, WiFi for example, cross polarization is >50dB.

>>1628985
>>1628988
Are you sure? I thought the loss was only 3 to 6db. 20 to 30 db is like not having an antenna.
If the loss on wifi cross-polarization is 50 I shouldn't be able to shitpost in bed with my laptop stood on my chest.

>Look into the hustler mobile antennas
neat. thanks

>>1628978
>13m dipole
Why 23 MHz, why directonal plus wrong polarisation?

>>1628711
It's voice, sorry if I wasn't clear.
>>1628736
You're joking but I also have to be wary to not use the narcos' channels.

>>1629058
You should be able to figure out what part of the spectrum they're using with a halfway decent scanner.

>>1629014
>directonal
shit, I forgot.

>>1628990
Yes, I just looked it up in my copy of ARRL Antenna Book.

I know this isn't Ham related but I have a question about an antenna and no one else can help.
I bought a house that has an outdoor antenna for television mounted on the peak of the roof, except there's no wiring. I have the coax cable run and now have to connect it and the 300 to 75 ohm transformer like pic related to the antenna itself but I see no place to wire the 2 terminals. Does it matter as long as it's connected to the main beam of the antenna? Thanks anons.

>>1629159
You need the opposite one like pic related. You run the ladder line to the two screws.

>>1629163
There are no wires coming out of the antenna though. I was told by a cable guy that I needed a 300 ohm to 75 ohm transformer and to wire it to the antenna at the connection point.

>>1629174
Can you post the connection point?

>>1629175
It's one of these, probably 10 years old or so. It has no wires or any sort of obvious connection point

>>1629178
Okay, there should screws on either the base of the sideways "V" shape or on the first really long radials just behind it.

See where the wire is here? Yours should be just about the same,

>>1628624
sw, usb, lsb

>>1629196
I took the whole thing down so I could get a better look and take some pictures. Is this it? I saw that earlier but that U-shaped piece is connected to the main frame by a piece of what looks like black plastic. As you can see this is just inside the V right behind where the pole mounts

>>1629201
What bands (frequencies)?

>>1629203
Yup. You're missing the lug on one side, though, but I'm 99% positive that's your connector.

>>1629203
Check this out, anon.
https://voxxintl.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/225435748-Assembling-Terk-TV38-HDTV-Antenna-Pro

>>1629207
Here it is from the top. It feels like the brackets don't actually connect to the antenna body with any meaningful connection but I've never messed with anything like this before.

>>1629218
They're connected to the main folded dipole. That's the only part thy should be connected to. All the other arms are reflectors and directors, intended to guide the signal to the folded dipole. They need to be electrically isolated from each other.

>>1629215
>>1629207
Thanks for all the help by the way.
See what I mean though or does that not matter? The little brackets are pinned to those round aluminum pieces that fold out, both of which are mounted to that black plastic piece. Is the connection really supposed to be isolated like that or am I just stupid?

>>1629224
Thank you so much anon

>>1629225
You're not stupid, friendo. You've just never played with an antenna before, whereas for hams, antennas are 90% of the battle.

>>1629225
Not stupid, you have to learn somehow. Though surely whatever book/course you used for your ticket had a part about yagis??

>>1629225
>Is the connection really supposed to be isolated like that
Yes, in a beam or a yagi antenna most of the elements are not electrically connected to the receiver/transmitter. They actually direct/reflect the EM waves at the connected (wired) element. Similar to how a satellite dish works.

As much as I love our hobby, I can see why it turns people off. I have my radio scanning my local 2m/440 repeaters this morning (usually don't listen in the morning) and there's one guy who has been going on for 10 minutes about getting a pair of pants let out and how great his omelette was while he was waiting for his pair of pants to be tailored. And the guy he's talking to is saying "there" every third word.

Don't be these guys, fellow hams.

>>1629488
And he's talking about his pants and omelette to someone else now...

*Radio off*

>>1627058
Big 10/4 Rubber duck

>>1629488
>>1629529
I heard u like midkipz

Where can I get ham gf? Calling freq? Local club? Field day? Help me out I find ham girls rly cute

>>1629600
>local radio club
>asking for girls on local repeaters
>field days
I think you've got it covered. Serious question though, are there any ham girls? Never seen one myself, at least not one under 50.

Also, checked

>>1629600
>>1629609
There's one really pretty chick in my club who just turned 18 and wants to be an engineer (stupid STEM) but her father happens to be a colonel in our local white supremacist militia and he doesn't consider me to be white because I'm part Finnish.

>>1629623
you are literally a mongoloid

>>1629623
>her father...doesn't consider me to be white because I'm part Finnish.
Ok, but does she like you?

>>1629571
I just turned my radio back on, found him on ANOTHER repeater praising his omelette. I guess I need to go try this fucking diner he's talking about.

>tfw I'm just trying to see if they're going to activate Skywarn for this approaching front and now have Saturday breakfast plans.

>>1629702
Very similar to this thread.

>>1629702
Whenever a skywarn net is activated here, they clearly tell you several time what they want reported. There's always a couple of idiots that will get on and announce shit like "it's starting to rain here" or "the wind picked up." They don't do it quickly either, it's like a 2 minute key to announce one of the prior statements. I'd like to strangle them with their mic cords. Seriously, it's every time there's a net.

>>1629702
Have you tried it? Report back.

>>1629600
>>1629609
When I was taking a short course towards my ticket in 2010-ish there were not one but TWO perfect-bodied, smart and talented women. The blonde was some kind of zookeeper or zoologist and wanted the ticket to use VHF in the field, the brunette was some kind of christfag missionary and wanted to set up HF shacks for a tribe of african pygmies. I bet they're both happy and with kids now and don't own any radios. Anyway: two eggs over easy, multigrain toast, no butter, instant coffee reporting into the net.

>>1629204
i'm not sure, i want to listen to HAM radio,, pirate radio, numbers stations,, The Voice of America,, whatever

>>1630167
Refer to page 18 of your owner's manual.

>>1630098
>the blonde was some kind of christfag missionary and wanted to set up HF shacks for a tribe of african pygmies
RIP aryan goddess, hope she tasted good at least

>>1629797
Our training is very specific and our Skywarn guys are not as bad as some of the other sectors. I've heard the stories. I guess we're lucky.

>>1629992
Nah, realized the diner is 2 counties north and over an hour away and I have too much shit to do today.

Same guy is on again, complaining about his eggs from Bob Evans that he had on his way to home depot.

>be me
>picked up an RTL SDR on a whim
>made a simple wire antenna and ran in the length of my attic tacked to the inside peak of the A-Frame (I know I should have measured)
>spent last evening delving into shortwave and ham bands for the first time in my life
>first frequency I tuned to was fucking Alex Jones
>also found some antisemetic preacher, a bunch of latino music and talk, and Radio Greece
>had an absolute blast
Where do I go from here lads? This is all new to me, but I want to learn more.

>>1630331
>found the alex jones channel
>found a kino antisemitic preacher
What more do you need?

>>1630331
>Priyom.org

It lists Numbers Stations (they send coded messages to Spies) and what time the broadcasts are.

Hit or miss. Sometimes you hear 'em sometimes you don't.

>HFGCS (4.724, 6.739 MHz USB at night, 8.992, 11.175 MHz USB, day (US Hours)).

United States Air Force Command frequencies. Not always broadcasting but a "Skyking" is an ominous message that seems to be a "Go Word" order. With tensions going on with Iran, it could get interesting.

Special note: a few weeks back, a call that had never been heard before went out, "Rollaway, Rollaway, Rollaway" was sent and nobody knows what the fuck it means.

Also, go to Repeaterbook.com, find your local repeaters and give them a listen. Most of it will be old men talking about their fucking delicious omelette for days on end, but you might hear some fun stuff. Especially find your Skywarn and APRS repeaters.

>>1630182
>read the instructions

>>1630331
>>1630352
I want to know what frequencies those were.

>>1628401
... such as?

>>1630835
A majority of ICOM and Kenwood. A few Yaesu mobiles are MIL-STD 810G but I couldn't tell you which ones.

>>1630098
This, ham chicks are rare but they usually get into it for outdoorsy shit rather than out of engineering autism and therefore skew attractive.
>>1630842
>MIL-STD
Durability is always good, but what is it about this particular cutoff that is important to you?

>>1630903
>this particular cutoff that is important to you
Eh, my 'Elmer' was an ex military comms guy who was autistically obsessed with EMI shielding. His autism rubbed off on me and I like having a minimum -72 dBI shielding in case of a Carrington Event. I live near the 45th Parallel and we would receive an EMI of -64-68 dBI so I just want the shielding.

>>1630908
Oh, it's the EMC aspect. That makes sense I guess.

>>1630842
compliance to MIL-STD-810 can essentially be self-certified and then used as a marketing ploy to target gullible customers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIL-STD-810#Applicability_to_%22ruggedized%22_consumer_products

>>1630708
Alex Jones is broadcast on WWCR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWCR


This is certainly a stupid question but can I solder a piece of wire to an alligator clip and clip that to the collapsible antenna that came with my radio? I want to get in on this too.

>>1630987
Yes, as long as your radio is using the whip for it's signal.

>>1631037
It is, but it's a double ended dipole antenna. Is that going to affect signal reception any?

>>1631075
You need to add the same amount of length to both ends. It works ok for receiving but obviously not as well as a real antenna. I don't recommend transmitting over such an antenna as a beginner, because there will (usually) be an impedance mismatch between the old and new parts, which can reflect power and damage your transmitter.

>>1631082
Thank you, there will be no transmitting as I don't have my license yet (working on that).

>>1627443
Kinda, I just thought antennas and software radio was cool, figured I'd find the band I liked, but don't really care and just listen most of the time.

>>1627479
Not him, but I got a cheap Discone multiband and just use one of those SDR Radio things, seemed cheap and easy, kinda wish Lime or some other radio gave me more bandwidth and maybe let me get into sending so it was worth researching.

>>1628303
Lol, basically, prob why I didn't stay in the hobby long, was hoping my home setup would be better (nicer outdoor antenna etc) but the cheap whip antenna higher up at work seems to perform better.

>>1627058
OP is this still a Hobby ?

>>1631612
It's a public service, not a hobby.

>>1631614
How so anon ?

Its just fat old rednecks talking shit right

>>1631618
See it as a controlled public entertainment service.

>>1628922
>>1627676
>>1628161
Not to be that guy, but how much better and why vs the baofengs?

>>1630207
Well, in his defense, how do you fuck up eggs?

>>1630331
This is part of why I got into it, cheap sdr just scanning around and I hear school buses and some gravel delivering business or something (but I heard them give credit card numbers with full names, addresses, phone number, and security codes etc over the air... Wish I wrote it down to call the customer and tell him.) I can also listen to my work radios and so many other places around me, just kinda neat. (People on vacation a few times too, with their handheld walmart radios)

>>1630940
So many certs seem to be like this, think THX is just like $7k and just makes sure you can do certain freqs. We use to print UL labels even though we aren't really UL certified. But I guess I can write guarantee on the box if it makes you feel better kind of thing.

>>1631628
>how do you fuck up eggs?
It's Bob Evan's. They fuck up water.

>>1631075
Quick story, made a dipole TV ant out of coax and stuck it on a TV at work, it was pretty meh but got a couple channels, just funny because they bought an HDTV flat antenna on amazon and it was worse than the one I made, funny how shit works.

>>1631612
in much the way taxidermy and disco dancing are hobbies.

>>1631638
True, I got a bad burger from there, even mcdonalds can do a passable burger for $1, but bob evans fucked it up.

>>1631641
>disco dancing
Disco just got to Finland. They've always been a few years behind.

This is from last week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJj6d5QSYaE

tubes? do you lads still use tubes and linear power supplies? would be cool to build a 100Amp linear power supply and attempt to dissipate all that heat. i hate SMPS faggotry with puny transformers. Transformers should be massive and heavy. I really like retro stuff. Anyone into that? Please make a confession I won't tell anyone.

>>1627373
>Use your real name and address when registering with the FCC.
Fuck so I can't just say 'anon' and use a burner email? Why do they need my real name? I don't give it to anyone.

>>1628792
>do you want to talk about Bigfoot in crystal-clear quality to a long-haul trucker
>talking about bigfoot
>talking to a trucker about anything
>talking to people
Is there another way to enjoy the hobby? I really like electronics but I hate people.

>>1629488
imagine some shitty board like /pol/ goes ham. a bunch of people screaming simultaneously fuuuk kikes long live god emperor drumpf
that would be something.

>>1631964
>Why do they need my real name?
As mentioned in the FAQ there are a lot of cold war rules in this area.

>>1631966
Well, just work on the electronics then, or signal processing, or RF engineering, antenna theory, transmission protocols, beam steering/DF etc. You really have a lot of possibilities that do not involve talking to people.

>>1631967
imagine /ham/ goes ham
omelette squared

>>1632016
Ditditditdit-dit-llo thank you for the call my name is John my QTH is fuckall nowhere my rig is a Liuxiaoung STD-69 and my breakfast was Denny's 3 egg grand slam. Your report is 5 9 and bigfoot is real I seen him once or a skinwalker. 73

Can anyone tell me a walkie talkie model I can legally use without a license on FRS channels that isn't bright yellow or some shit? Like a BF-888 but what I'm reading for laws says it's too powerful and I need a grms license or something. I'm in the USA.

>>1632271
Eh, I think Cobra and Motorola have low power units in black or camo.

>>1632134
>imagine: /ham/ does Denver
>One ham's quest to find the perfect Denver omelette.

>>1632328
Hell, I'd be open to a nightly HF net for that. North American Omelette Hunters' Amateur Radio Net. NAO-HARN.

How about we meet at 7.290 USB every night (except Sundays) at 2000 Eastern?

>Got my cb rig going
>get to listen to a bunch of basketball Americans on super bowl rapidly descend into insanity

Worth it

>>1627215
>don't want to deal with gatekeeping faggots
Your only option is CB until you grow a pair, spend a week on HamStudy learning all the answers, then going to a hole in the wall test site where three blind old VOLUNTEERS give you a paper test, grade it, then everyone gets the fuck out of Dodge.
I was in and out for my General in half an hour.

>>1632365
You're on to something. Can we mock the Pastors NET?

>>1629224
This.
And do remember to unfold the dipoles before using. I've seen things you wouldn't believe.

>>1632639
>Can we
can you?

>>1632744
Fine.
The For Christian HAM Absolution Net (4CHAN) will meet on each Thursday night at 7.269 at 9EST.

The net control for tonight's innagural meeting will be led by me, Reverand Anon. I am ordained through a non-demoninational church and have been practicing for over 7 years. I believe all of God's children deserve to be gay, but faggots go to Hell.

Ezekiel 37:9-10
>Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Join tonight and let us know life.

>>1632631
I thought there was an oral part?
I have crippling social anxiety so I haven't gotten my license and have simply been transmitting illegally for years. No one has called me out on it.

>>1633321
[OPENING THE NET]
Is there any further business for the repeater before we begin the For Christian HAM Absolution Net? This is [YOUR CALLSIGN].

[IDENTIFICATION / INSTRUCTIONS]
Calling the For Christian HAM Absolution Net, calling the 4CHAN. This is [YOUR NAME], [YOUR CALLSIGN], I am located in [YOUR LOCATION], and I will be net control for tonight’s net.

This net meets most Thursday at 9 pm Eastern Time on the 7.269 USB. Those frequencies can be found listed on the club website www.4CHAN.org/diy.

The purpose of this net is to discuss For Christian HAM Absolution and items of general anon and amateur interest. All anon amateur radio operators are invited and encouraged to check in.

[NET CHECK-IN]
When checking into the net, please give your call sign, name, and location. If net control does not list you as being heard please call again.

This is [YOUR CALLSIGN], net control for the For Christian HAM Absolution Net, and at this time I will accept check-ins. Please call now. (Record all check-ins for the log.)

>>1633331
So far we have ____________, _____________, _____________, ____________, and ____________, are there any more youth check ins? [Repeat until no more check ins.]

[NET BUSINESS / DISCUSSION]
(Be sure to let everyone check in first before allowing discussion.)

Are there any last check-ins before we open to discussion?

Hearing no other check-ins, I will turn the discussion over to __________ first, then to others in sequence. This is [YOUR CALLSIGN].

[FINAL CALL FOR CHECK-INS]
(After discussion) This is [YOUR CALLSIGN], net control for the For Christian HAM Absolution Net. Are there any last minute check-ins?

[CLOSING]
Is there any further business for the net before I close? Please call now.

Hearing nothing, this is [YOUR CALLSIGN] closing the For Christian HAM Absolution Net Thursday evening net.

Thank you to everyone who checked in to tonight’s net and a special thanks to Christopher Poole and Hiroyuki Nishimura for their support, as well as Jeff for fixing our club dock. 73 to all and have a good evening.

I now return the repeaters to normal amateur use. This is [YOUR CALLSIGN].

>>1633325
No oral, no vaginal. Not even Morse code.
It's like a grad school exam. Sit down, they pass out a paper test, you turn it in, they grade it and give you a 'atta boy' paper.
1/2 of HAMs are spergs.

>>1633333
*Grade school

>>1633333
>>1633334
Is there any reason to even take it? I've just been using my father's callsign for the last 6 years even though I'm on the opposite side of the country.
There is literally no enforcement, despite what all the turbohams on all the forums say.

>>1633337
The penalty doesn't seem like it'd be harsh. AARL just published an Extra who was playing 'sad trombone' sounds on a police freq. was confronted about it by the FCC, stopped then started again and the FCC caught him on camera. He lost his license and $12,000.

A wrong callsign seems like it'd go unnoticed, but why not? Do it, be done with it, and grow people you know and try for DC awards.

>>1627215
Unless you get into digital modes ham may be a waste of time for you unless you can interact with people. I have radios here but 99.9% of the time I just listen. If you can't talk with people your baomeme may as well be a scanner.

>t. Someone in a similar situation.

Whats a good uhf/vhf radio to plop in my 03 silverado?

>>1633723
Cheapest mobile rig you can get from one of the "big three" name brands: Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu. The more expensive ones just have more features and knobs and buttons, they don't really "transmit farther" or anything, except through expert use of those knobs and buttons.

>>1633723
They're all the same overpriced 1980s tech.
Get the cheapest on eBay in case it gets stolen. The important things are antenna and installation.

>>1633817
>>1634039
What should one look for in antennas?

>>1634229
Mobile? VHF/UHF? Fuck if I know. They're all the same, just a little metal. I have a MJF which I bought off eBay. Initially was with a magnetic mount, but I thought it'd be more stealth if I put it where my am/FM antenna is - Lord knows I don't need any more ads anyway. Key is good cable, grounding, and get that antenna high.

Is all this activity just outside of the band because I'm using a $20 SDR on direct sampling mode? Any way to avoid this?

>>1634269
It's probably Citizen's Band traffic (11 Meters).

>>1634280
With USB modulation in the 24.8 Mhz range?

>>1634269
FT8 amateur traffic. In the US the 12m band is: 24.890 MHz - 24.990 MHz
>>1634280
No.
>>1634282
It is not.

Just started getting into HAM and checked out the licence prices in Australia, they're $90. There goes another hobby.

>>1634432
>nointy wallabees for a multi choi examzam
Whew mate.

>>1634234
Thanks mate

where can i get a uhf vhf antenna that will go from 30 mhz to 600? Is this possible? If not how do i get the widest possible range?

>>1634432
>90 roobux
Lmao it looks like you need to take 2 or 3 of those tests before you can get a licence. And then you have to pay again for the loicence itself, pic related. I swear to god our governments are openly hostile to the hobby.

>>1634432
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UHF_CB
What else do you need.

Anyone have a semi-permenant tower/mast?
I'm starting to outgrow my mobile setup and wouldn't mind having a strong tower in the backyard I can put up, leave for the weekend, then take down to keep my neighbors happy.

>>1634455
30mhz = 10 meter = HF.
You'll have a helluva time finding an antenna that broad and a radio that accepts both in 1 input.
From my studying multiband antennas capture everything, then you have to do everything in your powers to weed out the garbage.
I've got a MJF 1402 which is a VHF/UHF (144-444?). It can't pick up FM stations. You're asking for a lot.

>>1634522
Case in point - HF and VHF inputs

>>1634455
Tall order.

Best options I can think of at the moment:
Option A).
1). A three way antenna switch connected to a good tuner.
2). A stand alone 10 Meter antenna on slot 1
3). A Diamond V2000A in slot two (6/2/440)
4). A homebrew for anything higher than 440 (but until you hit 902 MHz, there's nothing for you to TX on, so this should be an easy RX-only made from a modified old car cellular antenna or something).

Option B).
1). Forego 10 Meters. With the solar minimum, the band is not very popular atm so you're not missing much for another few years.
2). Comet GP-15 tri-bander (6/2/440) or similar
3). Homebrew/mod for 440+
Again, on a switch

It's not optimal and you best be damned sure you're on the right antenna for the right band when you TX.

Why exactly do you want 440 to 600 MHz?

>>1634519
>keep my neighbors happy
No need to take down.

Hello lads.
Recently, I recorded a transmission of that sounded like morse code on around 10540 kHz. Now I don't know shit about morse or how to record it, so I figured that this might be the best place to ask: What, if anything, does this convert to?
https://vocaroo.com/i/s1n6Pr6bMD9x

>>1634791
>Recently, I recorded a transmission of *what sounded like morse code on around 10540 kHz. Now I don't know shit about morse or how to *decode it
Holy shit I'm retarded

>>1634791
sounds like numbers

>>1634809
http://stream.priyom.org:8000/stream14.ogg

>>1634567
thanks, Im new to radio and im interested in listening in on plenty of frequencies, and dont want to be unable to access one that seems interesting. The figures i gave in my post were just for illustrative purposes that i want to have a wide range of frequencies available to me.

Thanks for the help

CQ field day CQ field day
This is alpha negro omega negro
Please respond

Hello hello is this frequency clear? Break break break hello is this frequency clear? Break break CQ CQ over and out.

>>1634795
>>1634791

Why is this hobby so expensive? This time I'm bitching about antenna switches.

>>1635072
QSL!!!! FIVE BY NINE! FIVE BY MINE 73'S!!!

>>1634457
>GST
Is that a tax? Do they really charge a tax to take a fucking test?

>>1635196
It's not bad if you go used. I got a 6 month old TS-590SG for $150 with an MC-90 mic.

>>1635072
You must be one of those retards that can't even get a tech ticket.

>>1635196
look pal, you gotta be prepared to pay the premium for MFJ quality

>>1635301
>I got a 6 month old TS-590SG for $150 with an MC-90 mic.
I'll give you $200 for it right now anon. Let me take it off your hands.

>>1635339
Only way I'd get rid of it is to trade for an IC-7300, FT-991A or comparable unit with a waterfall.

I live so damn close to an AM Mexican Radio station, that when I turn on the DRV to run a panadapter to my computer for HDSDR, it bleeds harmonics every 500 kHz and I really, really want a waterfall.

>>1635340
What makes you think the little mscope on the 7300 would not be affected?

>>1635457
Good point, but my TS-590 is only effected when the DRV is on. Doesn't do it when it's off, but what you said warrants further study on my end.

>>1627058
My dad has coffee with this fucking asshole who has like 5 antennas on his car and carries around 2 police scanners

I was going to add a new antenna to his car every week and see if he notices and tell him "Men in suits" were looking for him

Any kinda harmless scam I can do to this guy u guys know of?

>>1629609
Yesterday I made field day friends with a redhead who would have been super cute twenty years ago, and would still be within my wheelhouse today if she hadn't let herself go.

Why do single women in their forties not get in shape? It's not like it's hard.

ANYWAY, who contested yesterday? It was my first time on HF and I managed to make 46 contacts. I thought contesting was lame but it's as addictive as fuck.

>Dinner break from working in my woodshop
>Turn on radio, scan local repeaters
>Jerry, the most boring Ham in the World, is talking about a pair of shoes he bought in 1986
>Scanner moves on
>Comes back to Jerry
>He's still on about his 1986 loafers
>He talks about these shoes the entire time I'm eating
>Back to woodshop, radio off
>Come back just now
>Jerry is talking about his favorite types of cows
>Another guy on another repeater is talking about cutting his lawn

These guys make me miss the other guy raving about his omelette and turns me mic shy because I really don't want to get stuck in a conversation about dairy products.

>>1635632
That's what channel lock-out is for, anon.

Also, you can just stop transmitting. It's not like being stuck in a room with some drone. Those repeater campers who go on about lug nuts and hip replacements for 90 minutes will do it no matter who's listening.

>>1635632
If take Jerry over Pajeet on local repeater literally doing technical support for someone's shit reception right now. God fucking damn it, it's like I was calling my cable provider or some shit.

>>1635658
I got that guy on our tallest repeater but I only hear him on weekday drive times and evenings.

>>1635632
Sometimes when I think it's bad I tune to the CB bands. Ocasionally I can even understand what they're saying.

I'm about to get my tech license, I'm interested in getting into packet radio. Does anyone use that anymore, other than APRS? I'd love to try connecting to a BBS over packet radio, but I highly doubt anyone runs those in 1990+29.

>>1635741
https://opensource.com/article/17/9/packet-radio

>>1635606
Jeri Ellsworth is 44 and is cute, CUTE!
Not sure if she is single.

>>1635861
>Cute
Looks like the crazy mom from Malcom in The Middle

BEEP BEEP B BEEEP BEEP BEEP
YOU ARE LISTENING TO THE A-N-O-N REPEATER
THE TIME IS 11 O CLOCK
BEEP

>>1636003
The time is... (one second delay) CLOCK NOT SET.

>>1627302
>model planes everywhere
Nice. I can't even really tell how much of that clutter is actually functional and how much is just model planes.

>>1635881
Heathen! You must have spent a long time searching for an unflattering image. Try
https://youtu.be/adJp1zO9qfo

>>1636035
She's not attractive in this either. She likes electronics and ham radio. Don't fool yourself into thinking she's cute because of this. I'm pretty sure she's a lesbo too.

>>1636035
She cute.
If I look at this and squint real hard I can pretend we were both working 40m together.

>>1636050
>sour grapes
I hope you're right. Both for your jealousy and mine.

>>1636054
Traps post yfw

>>1636071
I saw ALH in this vid with Jerri: they were building a 40m loop at JE's house.

When something passes the Bechdel Test it's usually because everyone involved is a dyke.

>>1627215
Just use ISM bands

>>1636083
Deff a trap

>>1636105
How do you tell the difference between a 44 year old lesbian and a tranny?

The lesbian is actually 44.

Can I use cheap baofeng to listen on number stations or other HF?

>>1636349
No. HTs are UHF/VHF (130 MHz-902 MHz)

Number stations happen way down in the 1.8 MHz to 30 MHz range. You need something in shortwave like an IC-R75 or just a $25 RTL-SDR with as long of a wire antenna as you can put up.

>>1636369
not that anon but i assume if you can get an hf antenna and attach it and can program the radio with chirp you can in fact listen into those? I havent tried and dont know though.

>>1636454
There are at least 2 requirements for listening HF.
1. Your antenna supports it
2. Your demodulator and filter support it
Even if you got the antenna and the software ready, it doesn't guarantee that you can demodulate the signal and therefore listen to it. There is a reason why different radio got different price.
t. Newbie

>>1636085
Funny thing is, around here the ISM bands are some of the quietest bands there are. One could hide traffic using spread spectrum modulation but if nobody uses these bands, not even for unavoidable RF emissions I wonder who would care.

>>1636349
>listen on number stations
Number stations are incredible boring. Go to priyom.org to see the actual schedule then connect to a web sdr of your choice and listen to it. Priyom also offers 20 or so web streams.

>>1636489
>quietest bands
all of them?

>>1636454
No. Those Baofengs do not have the capacity to operate that low or listen to a sideband (most numbers stations use sideband). Trying to program in 11.175 would just give you an error message.

Just get an RTL-SDR

>>1636454
>Durrrr, I don't know or understand anything about this subject, here's some advice.
When will you fags learn to shut the fuck up? You don't need to comment on everything, especially about shit you no knowledge of.

>>1636596
>shit you no knowledge of.
this phrase no verb.

>>1636596
>. . . you have no . . .
>>1636608
Nice punctuation, fag.

>>1627058
I wanna fuck around with microwaves. How do I get started on the 2.4 GHz or higher bands? I really want to make a modulated retroreflector. I saw some dude who was using a wifi amplifier to power LEDs with a rectenna, how do I do that?

>>1636640
look up magnetron horn antenna

European Hams, you're about to lose the 2 meter band: http://www.arrl.org/news/no-strong-opposition-to-144-146-mhz-reallocation-proposal-at-cept-meeting

>Spend half hour throwing up a 40m dipole
>Wait til dark
Suspense builds
>Listen to stations one State away circle jerking '5-9!5-9!!!! Seventie treeees!!!!!
Urge to troll intensifies

How are those HF frequencies these days /ham/? Enjoying that 2000km ionospheric skip effect?

>>1637102
That is the most autistic image i have ever seen. Jesus.

>>1636547
I only checked the 3 first bands.

>>1637102
Sat in my car last night drinking and listening to 40M with a 67' dipole hanging in the backyard, aka this guy
>>1636983
Prolly out there til 10 or so. Best I heard was 300 miles away. Everyone was blaming propitiation and storms.

>>1637170
40 and 80 have been shit lately; 17 and 20 have been even worse. 12, 15, 30 have been barely worth it. I haven't been motivated to get up early to try 6m, but there seems to have been some openings. I haven't bothered with 10m or 160m.

>Fucked off getting my license
>Only thing I'll be able to get until next year is Technician

Fuck's sake.

How do I tune into 120mhz range? Are there handheld radios that can do this?

>>1635196
So make your own. Google "homebrew antenna switcher" and there are like half a dozen different builds on the first page.

>>1637706
Look for air band, 118..136 MHz (not millihertz), mostly AM.

>>1637386
As a newb, I'm struggling to find out the levels of bad and how regular this is.
In other words on a scale of 1-10, how bad is it usually, and where are we now?

>>1637783
1. We're at an extreme Solar Minimum close to the Dalton Minimum and might even hit Maunder Minimum before it's over.

We won't see good levels for at least another 3 years.

>>1637783
It entirely depends on your location anon. Here in Maine last night I was listening to a bunch of Canucks and some guys from Louisiana. Skip is weird.

>>1637788
>Skip is weird.
Typical NVIS condx, 80-60-40 m.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_vertical_incidence_skywave

>>1637783
It's like a 1 right now. There will still be openings, but they will be in minutes and not spectacular in regards to distance. Usually you'd be able to hit anywhere in the continental US from North America on 20 or 40, with a decent antenna and 100w. During band openings, I could hit Eastern Asia, Europe, and the bottom half of South America on <5w.

>>1637787
Could be a lot more than 3 years
http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2019-June/268537.html

Check out my rtl-sdr antenna /ham/. Made out of stuff I found in father's garage.

>>1637800
The current consensus is that cycle 25 will be similar in size to cycle 24.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/solar-cycle-25-preliminary-forecast
The NVIS antenna may be a good choice.

I am new to HAM, no licensed... Yet.
Anyway, I would like to setup a VHF/UHF in my car. I'm looking at the Icom 5100 because it gets good reviews, and I like the general interface, a lot of cool features, and Dstar sounds like fun.
But, how is Dstar these days, is it worth spending the money on it?

>>1637843
>>1637787
So we're at 1 - what's the historic normal? 5?

>>1638083
Depends on the area. Dstar has 4-5 repeaters near me, Fusion (a competitor) has 3 and fuck if I know how many DMR reflectors are around here.

As far as I can tell, DMR is the most popular digital around me. Might be different where you live. Ask around or get a $30 Baofeng and listen to the repeaters and see which digital mode gets talked about the most. Or, see if any of your repeaters are on Broadcastify and listen to them to see what digital gets used.

It feels like a VHS/Betamax war to me and I'm waiting to see who comes out on top.

Just passed the Technician test lads, I got every question right :) I went for the General too, because why not, but I bombed it because I hadn't studied for it
Looking forward to joining in on the fun

>>1638093
>historic normal
Propagation follows sunspot number. Now find your 'historic normal'.

>>1638096
There are 3 repeaters near me. With both dstar and dmr.
As I see it, dstar is more versatile than dmr as there is callsign routing and whatnot.
Fusion is pretty dead in my country.

>>1637873
If you plug the copper end into a wall socket you can turn that into an active antenna to boost weak signals.

>>1638120
Grats. Keep going and get the General. When you look at the band plan, you'll quickly realize Tech is useless. You shouldn't be but 1-3 weeks away if you got them all right.

>>1638171
Is there anyone monitoring whether you transmit on amateur bands that you are not allowed to, and is it enforced?

>>1638176
Just do it and be done with it for life.. Are you the autist?

You're probably fine unless you do something retarded like play sad trombone sounds on the police dispatch channel.

>>1638183
>Are you the autist?
W-what?

>>1638187
The one spazing out about going and taking a simple test and instead, breaking federal law and using his daddy's sign as if nobody can tell the age of a voice.

>>1638189
Nope, that's not me. I was just asking out of curiosity because I know nothing about your laws

>>1638183
this guy: >>1638176
is not me: >>1638120

>>1638184
>sad trombone
But the key fob dude was amazingly sucessful.

>>1627058
Can someone help me with grounding? I read all day and now I'm more confused than ever.
Grounding in order of importance:
>Surge protection (lightning)
>Current dissipation (shock)
>RF waves

Shack is being assembled in the basement - nothing is grounded or plugged in.
I'm going to run a 13.8v mobile HF/VHF transceiver off of a MJF 4230MV power supply. I have very basic, temporary antennas - whips and a 40M dipole. The PS is a 3 pronged cord. That leaves my transceiver and antenna ungrounded.
First thought
>run a ground to the incoming copper water, which the house uses as a second ground.
Well, now I'm reading that'll turn the house into an antenna and do funny things. Plus a lightning strike would fubar the radio.
Second idea
>Run isolated grounding rod just for the radio and use a coaxial lightning surge arrestor before the coax goes inside.
I'm reading all grounding rods should be bonded.
This second run would cross the water pipe as well as the grounding wire for the house.
Am I headed in the right direction?
Current thinking
Continue with idea #2, then tie the grounding bar into the house ground wire somehow. That's take care of surges and shocks, then I can play and adjust rf grounding as needed.

>>1638503
Maybe just an arrestor to its own grounding rod and call it a day?
If the 12v dc radio didn't take a ground in the car and it's still being fed 12v DC, what has changed? Protect from light I g and get on the air.

tell me why it's a bad idea to use an active opamp or transistor amplifier to amplify the signal going into an RTL-SDR

>>1638547
Tell me why your manual is broken.

since there is going to be a ban on certain radios what baofeng radio should I get before the ban?

>>1638597
Ham rads will not be outlawed in Euro , dates back WW2

>>1638604
Im talking about this https://survivalblog.com/baofeng-sales-ban-countdown-continues/

>>1638606
Sorry anon no dis meant they Cannot stop Free speech .

>>1638613
but Im an amerifat

>>1638616
Its ok m8 :)

>>1638597
You've got some replies over in /gq/, my guy.

>>1638703
Yep I see em

What would be a god FM transmitter to buy
For a starter

DA 18-980
September 24, 2018
Enforcement Advisory No. 2018-03
Amateur Radio Exception:
Two-way radios that can only transmit within the ham bands can be used by licensed operators and do not require an FCC equipment certification.
Any two-way radio that can also transmit outside of the ham bands (e.g. 136..174MHz) requires an FCC equipment certification.

Do typical Fengs have such a certification? The HD1 has not.

>>1638606
>Guys!! You gotta get a Baofeng so you can transmit 5 watts on a 2 watt max channel! Loophole! Government! Do it or we're all going to die!! Buy five!!

>>1638881
>Have license
>Not good enough, so move to FPS and tx at 2X max power
Or
>Don't have license
>Over tx on FPS
>Inevitably move to 2M/70CM and tx without a license
Seriously. What's with the sales pitch?

>>1637788
Last night I was listening to CB tards in the Miami area, I live in New Hampshire. I didn't think this was even possible.

My omelette nigga is back on the air. He woke up at 5:30, couldn't go back to sleep, so he went to the gas station and bought a bottle of water. I'm now getting a review of how Aquafina is not as good as Desani.

>>1638944
Everyone runs illegal 11 meter amps these days. There's a dude in Pontiac, MI that can be heard on the Twente SDR in the Netherlands.

>>1638547
SDR's overload very easily with local RF as it is. What you're suggesting is like listening to classical music at jet engine noise levels. All signal quality goes out the window.

>>1638503
You can set a ground rod for your equipment, but it should be bonded to the house ground. Run any antenna arrestors to that ground too.

>>1638946
Ah,I suspected they were doing something like this.Thanks.

>>1638954
He want to be lazy and use a garbage antenna.

Listen to the renegades
https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/14747/web

>>1638976
That place is fucking always amazing.

>>1638955
Would I need to tie the grounding rods together if it we're just used for the antenna arrestor?

>>1638976
I'm imagining the FCC SWAT team gearing up to destroy that repeater and bring those rule breakers to Justice.
>WE SAID MUSIC ONLY WHEN INCIDENTAL TO A SPACE LAUNCH!!!!

>>1639027
Liberal fascism? The FCC has a clear policy: Your Repeater - Your Rules.

>>1639041

>>1639072
Only during full moon and by certified lunatics.

>>1638976
A few months ago I caught some of them rag-chewing about the "old days" and holy fuck it was amusing and I don't even care if it was true or not.
>Wife-swapping/swinging/orgies
>Drunk driving
>Fights
>Shootings
>Riot shenanigans
>Drug smuggling
>Vandalism

Listening for ten minutes would give you enough for a movie and listening for half an hour would give you enough for a TV show.

>>1639125
At 9 or 10 PM Cali time, every Sunday, there used to be a guy who 'hosted' "The Bong Rips Hour" where people would key up and transmit their rips and all talk about the strains they were smoking. I don't know if that still goes on or not.

>>1639127
You're thinking of the 4:20 bong hit network. That still goes down daily at 1620 pacific.

>>1639129
Wow, okay, you're right, my bad. I think I'm mixing it up with some conspiracy net on HF?

>>1639131
Perhaps Liberty Net on 3950kHz?

>>1639137
No, I'll be on that one tonight. My brain isn't working right today. I think I inhaled too many acetone fumes this morning in the shop.

>>1638900
/k/ likes them for larp combat comms. When their SHTF or whatever happens they won't care about licenses I guess

>>1639219
The amount of money /gq/ spends on plate carriers I'd expect them to at least shell out for something from Harris

would it be illegal to get a licenses and use the bands to host a post apocalyptic fiction hour?

Like say an hour every night I bring the report from a time when the wars have ravenged ect ect

like if I have a license can I be a pirate radio so long as I don't play licensed shit?

>>1639296
>Pirate radio
>License
Pick one

>>1639296
Ham radio is for two-way communications, your idea sounds more like a broadcast. In practice you would just need to follow the rules about transmission length (pause transmitting every few minutes) and identifying youself (announce your callsign at the appropriate intervals) and you would probably be fine.

>>1639296
You'd have to at least nominally make it a two-way contact.

>>1639362
So turn it into a larp and ask for reporters to give their boots on the ground insights

>>1639129
>the 4:20 bong hit network
Rrrrrrrrrright. Is there a list of such "shows" ?

>>1639368

>>1639362
>two-way contact.
That can be arranged by having two participants telling the story to one another. If done right it would resemble a normal QSO. Silent repeaters there are enough and many even have web feeds.

Dubs picks my new callsign

>>1639790

>>1639790
F4GGT

>>1638503
>Plus a lightning strike would fubar the radio.
a lightning strike will fuck everything up. only unplugging coax will prevent that.
grounding can be a real cunt, there is an arrl book for it.
i only have my hf rigs grounded.
>>1638725
>HD1
my nigga
>>1638944
those fags run a ridiculous amount of power
>>1639244
a decent carrier is around 300, not that bad.
plus plates, so yeah its up there

>>1639244
If you can even find a Harris there well over $3K

I bought a Baofeng UV-5R5 last night on impulse thinking i could talk on FRS bands with it how badly did i fuck up? I never intend on having a license i just needed a cheap radio to communicate with people in my 4x4 group.

And i thought having weather channel and police/fire/rescue would be cool.

Is there a way to communicate through this POS by turning the wattage down?

>>1639938
You may have got a knock off BTECH but that's whatever. No one can tell what your radio is by the sound and a few watts isn't noticeable enough to draw attention either. Get the programming cable and program in MURS, GMRS, FRS and NOAA weather channels. Don't transmit on the NOAA channels or GMRS only channels. You may also want to create a frequency list that includes Ham and public service frequencies so that in a disaster you can reprogram the radio on the fly.

>>1639953

thanks

>>1639953

I bought the radio off amazon and i bought the cable off ebay "BTECH PC03 FTDI Genuine USB Programming Cable for BTECH, BaoFeng, Kenwood" it was $17. I also bought the battery eliminator that you can plug into a cig lighter/ power port

>>1639938
You're fine, just know where you can talk and what not to do.
Get a radio-pc cable to make programming easy.
Consider upgrading your antenna (I run mine as a mobile rig and use a mounted MFJ-1432.)
You can listen to ham, so program them in and know not to tx.
You've got a great, inexpensive tool to keep tabs on what's going on, whether current events(hams are notorious for that) or the weather(NOAA), or keeping in touch (FPS, GMRS). I'll always keep one of these cheap things in my car 'just in case' or for entertainment.

>>1639938
All equipment used on FRS must be certified according to FCC regulations. Radios are not certified for use in this service if they exceed limits on power output, have a detachable antenna, allow for unauthorized selection of transmitting frequencies outside of the 22 frequencies designated for FRS, or for other reasons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio_Service
Pic: All FRS channels are now considered shared with the GMRS service.
Conclusion: Low power, low profile, no other channels. Twilight zone.

>>1639979

so this chart is no longer valid? I was thinking 1-14 would be somewhat ok?

>>1640004
New rules issued by the FCC in May 2017 clarify and simplify the overlap between FRS and GMRS radio services.

No FRS unit shall exceed 0.5 watt ERP (Effective Radiated Power) on channels 8-14. FRS Channels 15-22 are shared with GMRS also under 2 watt ERP limit. However, if the device includes any of the following channels (467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz) a GMRS license is required.

Says the wikipedia.

>>1640028


It says in the description of the Baofeng radio "High/Low Power Settings (5W/1W) ". So does this mean i can turn it down to 1 watt on FRS channels?

>>1640033
I would generally turn it down to 1W because the battery lasts longer.

>>1638980
Fun on K6MWT again.

>>1640036
>I would generally turn it down to 1W because the battery lasts longer.


I bought the battery eliminator so i can plug it into my jeep so i am not concerned about battery life i am concerned about staying somewhat legal.

As i said i bought this thing on impulse and then started researching it and finding out these things were illegal without a license. I just want to communicate with the group im with on 4x4 trails nothing more. 1 mile would be enough for me

How far can I create a fence top rail antenna mast without guy lines?
I created one yesterday that's +/- 20 feet and help up well in a storm last night. I'm thinking if adding 1 more section.

>>1640047
>staying somewhat legal.
Not possible because FRS requires an FCC ID on the radio and e.g. a fixed (not detachable) antenna. All you can do is fly under the radar. 5W is always to much for FRS, 1W is 2W-3dB and 0.5W+3dB, a reasonable tolerance. "Under normal conditions, with line of sight blocked by a few buildings or trees, FRS has an actual range of about 0.5 to 1.5 km (0.3 to 1 mile)." If not then try 1W+7dB=5W if that helps.

>>1640049
>a fence top rail antenna
what's that?

>>1640041
Very artistic, currently 35 followers.

>>1640166
Regulations state ERP, so you need to take in account your antenna gain too.

>>1640166
>All you can do is fly under the radar. 5W is always to much for FRS, 1W is 2W-3dB and 0.5W+3dB, a reasonable tolerance. "Under normal conditions, with line of sight blocked by a few buildings or trees, FRS has an actual range of about 0.5 to 1.5 km (0.3 to 1 mile)." If not then try 1W+7dB=5W if that helps.


ok, so i can fly under the radar if i run it at 1 watt. The chance of getting caught is slim and none right? I dont want to piss off other radio users if i had any idea this was a bad radio to buy i would have bought something else. I blame /k/

Would i be better off with a CB radio? I had one years ago but i had no idea how to tune the antenna and it always kinda sucked.

>>1640168
mast, aka nigger-rigged tower. How high before it gets too high?

>>1640213
This pic is way too big, could you size it down by at least half, please.

>>1640213
>>1640216
You love looking at poles, homo?

>>1640217
Just small ones, like yours.

>>1640219
I know, that's what your mom said. That's why I want to grow it from 16 ft to 26 ft. I just don't want a third hand, if you know what I mean,

>>1640198
I too have a UV-5R and use it for a couple things like NOAA weather, but also as a Walkie-Talkie on FRS channels.

>ok, so i can fly under the radar if i run it at 1 watt
This is what I do. I also live in a rural area, so there's not much competition for bands.

>The chance of getting caught is slim and none right?
Short answer? Yes.
Long answer? Depends. If you're not transmitting on police/fire/ems or ham bands, the number of people who care drops to damn near zero. Have you ever seen an FCC cop? Local PD isn't going to come after you for violating a technicality on a public band, even if grumpy ham fudds complain to them. If you only Tx on the radio when you're wheeling with your 4x4 crew, tracking you down becomes even more difficult as you'll be mobile.

>Would i be better off with a CB radio?
You could try one on, but AM bands have their own challenges, like getting skip from some bonehead 2 states over running an illegal amplifier. Personally I'd stick with the Baofeng: it's easier, audio quality should be much higher, and the chances of you getting caught are essentially zero.

>>1640249

So should i run it at 1 watt or 5 watts?

If i run the FRS at 5 watts would it be useful or stupid? Will it extend my range some to get though trees and hills?

>>1640256
Run it on 1 watt and if you have any trouble you can bump it to 5 watts.

I can talk to my neighbor 1.5mi away (and behind 2 hills and a bunch of trees) on 5 watts, but not 1 watt.

..and then there is MURS:
"MURS range will vary, depending on antenna size and placement. With an external antenna, ranges of 10 miles (16 km) or more can be expected."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Use_Radio_Service

>>1640256
Always try with the minimum power that gets the job done. If you need long distance or far from line of sight you might want to try HF bands.

>>1640256
Or just buy a GMRS loisence. No test, and you can use your 5 watts - or up to 50w on mobile units (cheap on Amazon and elsewhere) - https://quality2wayradios.com/store/GMRS-FCC-License

>>1640460
Equipment must be FCC certified
UV-5R is not
Application will doxx you

>>1640493
UV5R is not, correct, but many commercially available moble units and HT's are, and they aren't that expensive. Plus the license is good for like 10 years, and your whole family including parents, siblings, kids and in-laws can operate under the one license. It's just a way to get past the low-power thing. Besides, I don't think there are that many FRS or GMRS police out there, especially any looking to discern a 1-5 watt violation.

Anyone trying for 13 Colonies?

>>1640249
>>ok, so i can fly under the radar if i run it at 1 watt
>This is what I do.
The chance of anyone getting caught, prosecuted, or license-revoked for using the UV5R on the FRS is nil. Nada. Nothing. Not even if you do transmit at the HP's full 8.

Sanction for this stuff is so rare that it's top news when a ham loses a license. Take this guy, whose case was transmitted over hundreds of repeaters across the country last week.

And what did he have to do to get slapped? Troll local fire and rescue frequencies in his small town for YEARS. Everyone knew who he was. Enforcement is just that sparse.

I know old hams who run venerable clubs who set up Baofengs on FRS for their kids. They give no shits. No one cares.

>>1640615

NEW

>>1640615