/ham/ dem cavities edition

[Anonymous No.1392029]

In this thread we talk about:
- ham radio
- projects you have going on related to radio
- baluns and ununs on salvaged cores
- compact all-band antennas that fit into matchbox
- SDR
- discussing how should a new general trhead look like.
FAQ: In this thread we talk about:
- ham radio
- projects you have going on related to radio
- baluns and ununs on salvaged cores
- compact antennas for 160m band.
- SDR
- discussing how should a new general thread look like.

Current data on propagation is here: http://wsprnet.org/drupal/wsprnet/map

Online SDR's networks: websdr.org sdr.hu

Learning morse code: lcwo.net www.justlearnmorsecode.com

FAQ: ftp://collectivecomputers.org:21212/Books/Cyberpunk/Tech/Radio/radio_FAQ_Preview2.htm
username/password is guest

What the hell is a cavity filter:
http://www.amateur-radio-wiki.net/index.php?title=What_is_a_cavity_filter%3F

Previous thread >>1369257

[Anonymous No.1392032]

>>1392029
Good work, except from a detail or two:

>FAQ: ftp://collectivecomputers.org:21212/Books/Cyberpunk/Tech/Radio/radio_FAQ_Preview2.htm
We are at Preview6 already. Just leave it at ftp://collectivecomputers.org:21212/Books/Cyberpunk/Tech/Radio and you will be future proof. That also shows the sub directories with more goodies.

>username/password is guest
FTP admin changed the configuration so username/password is no longer needed. It will still work though.

[Anonymous No.1392164]

>>1391405
Alright, I was wrong on the prices. Yaesu System Fusion radios actually aren't too expensive with single band mobile radios and dual band HTs being available for just under $200 (MSRP for their single band mobile is just $30 over the same radio without System Fusion support). D-STAR radios on the other hand will set you back just under $300 for a single band HT and a bit over $400 for a dual band mobile.

Also, on reading a bit more about DMR, it just plain doesn't sound friendly as almost all radios require you to actually have a talkgroup programmed in already just to listen to it. The only radios that seem to offer a promiscuous mode to listen to talkgroups you don't already have programmed are the Ailunce HD1, some TYT radios that the community has produced custom firmware for (though you still can't transmit on that talkgroup without programming it from a computer), and a couple radios from Connect Systems that supposedly lack in other features. If you want to use any other radio (such as a mobile radio rather than an HT), using a separate computer with an SDR or looking up the data for repeaters in the area would be necessary.

I really think I'd be best sitting this out unless I find myself wanting to buy a mobile radio from Yaesu and there aren't any better options I can get for spending $30 more (such as a dual band option).

[Anonymous No.1392189]

>>1392164
What is the use case you have in mind? Will making your own system do the trick?

[Anonymous No.1392211]

>>1392189
>What is the use case you have in mind?
I was mostly just interested in what's available right now, but was also somewhat curious as to what would be the most usable when traveling around the country/traveling away from my current location (DMR is the only digital mode there are repeaters for in my current city). My interest in programming without a computer was primarily due to me feeling that needing a separate piece of hardware to program the radio is a hassle no matter what situation you're in (I already got sick of it from using a Baofeng as a scanner at home while sitting at my computer), but also a bit because it would be impossible while driving without pulling over/having another person in the car. My first post was here: >>1391009

[Anonymous No.1392237]

>>1392211
If you want to go long distance there is always HF-ALE.

[Anonymous No.1392242]

I'm gonna repost this in hopes of getting more opinions...from >>1391777
Is this any good? https://chattanooga.craigslist.org/ele/d/two-yaesu-ssb-radios/6596212373.html

[Anonymous No.1392331]

>>1392029
>/ham/
Aren't we supposed to be /hrg/?

[Anonymous No.1392337]

>>1392211
Good overview about the state of affairs (updated Feb 2018): www.mikemyers.me/blog/2016/2/19/d-star-dmr-fusion-which-is-right-for-you-7nhdl
"One more thing... In a SHTF situation, the goto should always be analog."

>>1392331
/ham/ is better, /ohm/ /hard/ /ham/.

[Anonymous No.1392388]

>>1392337
I guess we don't use g for general here.

[Anonymous No.1392416]

>>1392331
/rfag/ - Radio Frequency Amateur General

[Anonymous No.1392492]

>>1392416
/urfag/ - Universal Radio Frequency Amateur General

[Anonymous No.1392512]

>>1392492
/gram/ General Radio Amateur Messages

[Anonymous No.1393798]

any one contest?

[Anonymous No.1393836]

can anyone suggest some good study guides or tests for getting my general in the us?

[Anonymous No.1393839]

IF YOU HAVE BEEN STUDYING FOR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSING, TAKE YOUR TEST BY JUNE 30TH OR ALL IS FOR NOT. WE ARE ISSUING NEW QUESTION POOLS THEN.

Inside this Newsletter:


New Technician class (Element 2) pool will take effect on July 1, 2018.
Important Reminder: Basic Qualification Question on New 605 Forms.
Exam Maker Software - Unavailable.
Resources for ARRL VEs.


========================================================================


NEW Technician class (Element 2) pool will take effect on July 1, 2018 will be valid until June 30, 2022.

On July 1, 2018 a new Element 2 Technician class question pool will take effect for examinations. VECs and VEs will have new test designs available for use at exam sessions effective that date.

The newly revised pool released in January 2018 (updated and re-released February 12, 2018) by the Question Pool Committee (QPC) of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) must be in use starting July 1. There are three graphics required for this pool and 423 questions in this pool, down slightly from 426 in the previous pool.

ARRL VEC will be supplying all its (near 1,000) Field Stocked VE teams with new test booklets about the 3rd week in June.
Do not destroy the 2014 versions of the Technician exams until June 30!
With the Technician class exam questions changing July 1, new test designs must be used effective that day. Previous ARRL VEC supplied Technician class exam booklet versions (2014 series) and computer-generated Technician class exams created from the 2014 question pool are only valid until midnight June 30, 2018. At that time VE Team leaders should destroy or throw away the old versions of the Technician exams (do not return them to VEC). To avoid a mix-up at the session, do not save old exam versions!

[Anonymous No.1393842]

>>1393836
http://aa9pw.com/

It is set up just like the ARRL VEC exams and I used these practice tests for my General and Extra.

Incidentally, when you get your General, become a VE and sit in/help three exam sessions at your local club. Once you have 3 exams under your belt, Hamradioliscenseexam will give you a free two year membership to help you get your Extra (I needed the help on Extra).

https://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/free-extra-course-for-active-volunteer-examiners.htm

[Anonymous No.1393844]

>>1393836

http://www.hamcollege.tv/
tommy and george crack me up

[Anonymous No.1393847]

>>1393839
got a list of current questions?

[Anonymous No.1393851]

>>1393847
Current? The pool of 426 is on aa9pw.com. The new 423 ones? They have yet to give us access. I'll probably see them at my first exam after June 30.

[Anonymous No.1393856]

>>1393851

are the questions the same 35 or do they rotate each test?

[Anonymous No.1393859]

>>1393856
It's a block of 4 different tests booklets for Tech. You might get "2014-01" or you might get up to "2014-04" (you will understand when you fill out your exam paperwork).

Our VE rules are weird. I can and have to give you your answer sheet if you failed and ask for it, but I'm not allowed to show you your question booklet again.

[Anonymous No.1393860]

>>1393859
thanks mang

[Anonymous No.1393862]

>>1393860
NP. Other questions?

[Anonymous No.1393863]

>>1393862
not at this point, i'm just dipping my toes in the water right now. The idea that the questions are about to switch is lighting a fire up though

[Anonymous No.1393865]

>>1393863
Good. At least find your local "Field Day" (June 23rd-24th) and check out operations. You're going to find it's full of wheezed old men, a bunch of IT nerds and a few some pompous rich guys but you will find all of them willing to help you understand the hobby.

[Anonymous No.1393880]

pretty good propagation tonight on 40m

[Anonymous No.1394027]

>>1392029
what a ham shack and hammer looks like.

[Anonymous No.1394031]

>>1394027
Quite unlikely. Look at his right thigh near the hip, there is a weird deformity going on there.

In contrast, a lot of the hams I know have military background and look nothing like that picture.

[Anonymous No.1394071]

>tfw there's an obscure situation where the only way two people can hear each other over a loud noise is by screaming morse at one another instead of shouting words
I wonder if this has ever happened before.

[Anonymous No.1394156]

>>1394071
>I wonder if this has ever happened before.
Milspark here. And yes. I was one of them.

This happened a while ago as you might guess but I'll obscure a little here if you don't mind.

>Big NATO exercise
>In the field, running a radio station, maintaining comms, voice only.
>US Navy floats in a ship with a gigantic radio jammer.
>Jammer lights up.
>Radio bands die. Immediately.
>Time for plan B, pretty pronto, for the Show Must Go On.
>Plot the direction to those part of the net.
>Set up a highly directive antenna, properly aimed. Being on the HF band this was B-I-G and took a lot of cable.
>Switch to CW, pull out the hand pump.
>Comms reestablished. Coulsd still hear the roar of the jammer but the tight CW filter kept it down to manageable levels while the Morse traffic burned through

So yes, it did work. Voice comms was completely out of the question. We never got the specs on that jammer of course but rumours were that they got close to putting the sea on fire.

And in the world of military communications this is not obscure. It is par for the course.

[Anonymous No.1394245]

>>1394156
>Set up a highly directive antenna, properly aimed. Being on the HF band this was B-I-G and took a lot of cable.
what did you guys use? yagis can get pretty big, id love to build an 80\40\20 yagi, but i think it would be too big or too costly

[Anonymous No.1394248]

>>1394245
>80\40\20 yagi, but i think it would be too big or too costly

You're right about that, your yagi would be a horizontal tower balanced on a vertical.
SOP

[Anonymous No.1394253]

>>1394248
yeah, i saw a video awhile ago and they had made one out of towers, it was huge. i believe it has fallen down.
my neighbor has a 10/15/20 yagi with traps. its not that big. maybe ill just look up plans for a 20m yagi, not too much on 10 or 15 these days

[Anonymous No.1394267]

>>1393839

I studied 2 weeks for tech test.
>Took test. 100%.
>Wanna take General, you are already here and paid fee? Sure. Only missed 1.
>Wanna take Advanced? Nah, I'm good.
>Are you a chicken? GIMME DAT TEST! Passed barely.
>MFW.
>MFW I have no face.

[Anonymous No.1394270]

>>1394267
I have only witnessed one person go from Zero to Extra in my 4 years of VEing. Good job, serkku.

[Anonymous No.1394275]

>>1394245
>what did you guys use?
Improvised V-antennas, beverage etc. It depended on the terrain. We had a big wire drum to make these antennas in the field.

>yagis can get pretty big, id love to build an 80\40\20 yagi, but i think it would be too big or too costly
This was in a terrain where a Yagi would be quite unfeasible. Part of field work is to find a solution that works within the constraints of terrain, time, low observability and available parts.

[Anonymous No.1394283]

>>1393839
Eh, most of the "new" questions are just rephrased and clarified versions of the old ones. Some are literally the same, just with new wavelength or voltage or whatever values to calculate. Unless you've been learning by heart and don't know two simple equations then you're good. And even then what are the chances that you'll get all the new questions that you're unfamiliar with.

[Anonymous No.1394286]

>>1394270
>from Zero to Extra
I might have tried last month but t.b.h. I didn't want to waste the VEs time because it would be either an extremely tight squeeze which I wouldn't really deserve to pass, or a gigantic embarrassing failure if I got the wrong set of questions.
>mfw still didn't even try calling the nearest repeater with my baomeme since my general got posted because I'm too anxious

[Anonymous No.1394289]

>>1394286
Join a radio club. Meet up with the Elmers. Also, find your local NTS traffic repeater and check in with "No Traffic" to get more comfortable behind the mic.

Big help to me getting used to being on the radio.

[Anonymous No.1394310]

>>1394275
yeah, i enjoy making 'tennas out of what i have on hand. most of my antennas are homebrew
>>1394286
jump onto a net if you have some. most people want to talk to new people, thats the reason most people get licensed.

[Anonymous No.1394317]

>>1394310
About 2 months ago, I made my first DX contact. It was a station in Croatia. It still amazes me that, on good days (the bands are fucking shit right now), that I can talk to the fucking world with the power of a lightbulb and a 102 foot piece of wire.

I just wish I could raise an Estonian station. I want to talk to an Estonian.

[Anonymous No.1394324]

>>1392032
.../Tech/Radio/radio_FAQ_Preview7.htm is up, the USMC_AntennaHandbook is in /Electronic_Warfare/ and there's some new stuff in /ham/.
/Antenna/Chicken Coop Discone Antenna.htm throws errors but the missing content is still available at www.sharc-ca.org/CC_Discone_Antenna/Chicken_Coop_Antenna.htm

[Anonymous No.1394408]

>>1394324
>radio_FAQ_Preview7.htm is up
Yup. FAQ editor here. I haven't announced it yet since I wanted to do so in a quiet lull avoiding this thread to 404.

Anyways, news in this issue is fleshing out the S-Pixie information with pointers to how to improve it (a lot!). Also a new section on general information is added.

Please let me know what more you want to see in the FAQ. And yes, the FTP site is rapidly filling up with excellent stuff.

[Anonymous No.1394550]

I want to learn morse code, but I'm not going to be able to afford a decent radio to actually use it for some time. How can I motivate myself to learn it now?

[Anonymous No.1394554]

>>1394550
country? and you can afford a radio.

[Anonymous No.1394558]

>>1394554
>country?
US

>and you can afford a radio.
No, I'm stuck with a shit job right now and have a backlog of expensive purchases that I kind of need that I'm trying to save up for.

[Anonymous No.1394560]

>>1394558
Do you want to learn by Koch or Farnsworth Method? Farnsworth is probably the best, imo.

[Anonymous No.1394562]

bands were great today, best in recent memory, had several dx qsos.

hope this isn't off topic, can anyone give advice for a younger ham who got really into the hobby? Working on finishing CS degree, wondering if I can find a career that is in rf without an EE degree. Would like to work on anything involving non-DOD SDR, and/or commercial wireless networking, wondering how open those career paths are to someone with my background

[Anonymous No.1394563]

>>1394554
>you can afford a radio

>inb4 pixie

[Anonymous No.1394564]

>>1394563
People are constantly trying to just give me TS-590SGs and 7300. I'd be drowning in so many radios right now if I accepted half the offers.

[Anonymous No.1394565]

>>1394563
he's not lying, QRP CW is very doable on a strict budget, and if you're willing to splurge even slightly, very old used 100W transceivers will do you well considering the age of the mode. We're talking about $500 for everything, including antennas, coax, transceiver, power supply, to get a decent 100W station up. If you can only budget like half that, you still can get on the air with something cheap from MFJ. If you go to a swapfest and put on your sad face, I'm sure there are hams who would take well under the value of the equipment if it meant being the difference between a a new ham getting on cw or not.

if you are licensed, just get a cheap SDR and try to get gud at copying on 40M, around 7.050-7.060, and especially listen around 7.114, that's the unofficial slow cw portion of the band.

[Anonymous No.1394566]

>>1394565
>about $500 for everything
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/22/fed-survey-40-percent-of-adults-cant-cover-400-emergency-expense.html

[Anonymous No.1394568]

>>1394566
40% + 60% = 100%

[Anonymous No.1394573]

>>1394568
Yes but how much of that 62% is trailer trash?

[Anonymous No.1394574]

>>1394573
I resent your label, I am posting from a literal trailer home.

[Anonymous No.1394577]

>>1394574
Well how many of your trailer brethren do you think could cover a $400 emergency expense?

[Anonymous No.1394578]

>>1394560
I already know about learning it, my problem is actually motivating myself to learn it when I'll have nothing to actually use it for any time in the foreseeable future. Right now it lands in that cool but no practical use for me category that I'm sure everyone has dealt with things in before.

>>1394565
I know QRP is cheap, but pretty much everyone says it's a bad idea for a beginner and I should go with a full power radio first so that's what I'm going for.

>>1394566
I'm not that bad off. I just don't want to spend unnecessarily and end up that bad off right now.

[Anonymous No.1394580]

>>1394578
>cool but no practical use
>Not learning Morse and tapping out messages in Estonian with your girlfriend so you can make fun of people at the bar

You're not even trying.

[Anonymous No.1394586]

>>1394578
are you in murica?

[Anonymous No.1394592]

>>1394586
Yeah.

[Anonymous No.1394594]

>>1394592
what are you using right now? what antenna? what interests you besides CW? there is so much out there. i also want to learn cw. even if its just to recognize repeaters

[Anonymous No.1394595]

Any recomended morse RX programs for linux. Preferably via sound card.

[Anonymous No.1394596]

>>1394595
they're in the repo under ham radio, i just use fldigi for listening and decoding

[Anonymous No.1394602]

>>1394594
>what are you using right now? what antenna?
Nothing really currently. I'm considering buying an RTL-SDR or a Baofeng to see if local VHF/UHF is worth getting into while I wait to be able to afford something for HF.

>what interests you besides CW? there is so much out there.
Sending data over radio/packet radio sounds kind of neat to play with, but I've heard that's pretty much dead today outside of people sending their locations over APRS.

[Anonymous No.1394603]

>>1394596
>fldigi

Ok. I already have this. Will have to check it out some more.

[Anonymous No.1394605]

>>1394602
SDR is online you have that now. Fire up gnu get fldigi piped to it and role play an op by typing back your annon call to all the contesters.
pic related is my listening station and 40 meters from the half moon bay sdr

[Anonymous No.1394613]

Seems to be doing something after getting the right audio input but makes little sense. Does any of this seem legit?

[Anonymous No.1394617]

>>1394613
yup you got it, you have the call signs and there is a contest on atm thats why they're all like cq annon then the 5 and 9 aka signal report ant their locator. All the e e's and ss's are static use your squelch and it will clear that up.

[Anonymous No.1394624]

>>1394617
>and there is a contest on atm

Ok. May as well try again another day.

[Anonymous No.1394777]

I'm up for a 40 meter ssb contact from an anon.

Any other anons want to schedual a contact?

[Anonymous No.1394799]

>>1394777
I'll listen for you from the millford pa sdr. I only have a cb modded for 10 meters and too far to make you.

[Anonymous No.1394811]

>>1394799
>I only have a cb modded for 10 meters and too far to make you.
How hard is this to do and how much utility does it have with the band conditions that are common today? Is there even much 10 meter AM traffic or do you need SSB? I'm wondering because I saw a CB radio for under $10 at a thrift store the other day.

[Anonymous No.1394815]

>>1394777
Want to try to carry on a QSO on 7.200 while ignoring K9RSY, AC1DD and K1LEM?

[Anonymous No.1394821]

>>1394811
I did it on an old president, it was just a couple of jumpers on the back of the board and a switch. Most traffic is in ssb but am is still here.
I'm leaning towards a pine board build that is am though, just for the utility of the power supply and tube pre for guitar.

[Anonymous No.1394846]

>>1394815
Maybe 5pm UTC?

or

7:00 a.m. Sunday, Eastern Time (ET)
11:00 a.m. Sunday, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
.

It's going to take me a half hour to untangle this antenna and get it set up.

How about try 7.18 and 7.20?

[Anonymous No.1394964]

Hello,

I am selling my rare backup on behalf of a friend. Larger starter! This device, the approximately 19xx radio has only been run for most 3/4 of the capacitance capacity (600 watts). This is absolutely no pet home radio. Very low radio transmission time.

This radio is $ 4 (if you pay paypal, add 3%). Shipping cost is $ 930.
Will not send to anyware outside the United States or North America (No Hawaii or Alaska).

Most minty fresh, mint radio you've ever seen. Comes in the original cardboard box.

Very desirable sale, please do not tire or timekeeper. Pictures on request.
"No Paypal, personal checks, verified views. Money, or Western Union only
This radio only releases QRP power now. A mild burned cat urine odor.

Please call by phone. Fast sale!

[Anonymous No.1395043]

>>1394846
I wrote am instead of pm, fug. Anyways. I have a very "obese" call sign. I'm going to be on the radio around those frequencies.
Anybody in this thread wants to drop in, do so. Mention diy in the conversation. or DIY-pole.
Polite Sage

[Anonymous No.1395052]

Speaking of scheduling contacts, any of you check in or at least listen to the Insomniac Net?

[Anonymous No.1395249]

>>1394815
I was going to not have this QSO, because I don't approve of talking over people. Then I listened to the frequency.

They talked about 12 yo "beaver" for hours. Couldn't get a word in edgewise. All with kilowatt amplifiers. It was like /b/ , but worse. It would have been worth working through the qrm just fo the challenge.

[Anonymous No.1395251]

>>1395249
You really didn't know 7200 and 3815 are the fucking /b/ of AR?

[Anonymous No.1395254]

>>1395251
I only knew about 14.313. I'm new to 40 meters. Wild, I'm suprised their antennas don't get pinned with modern df techniques.

[Anonymous No.1395284]

This is embarrassing to ask but with a pixie can you only receive cw or can you hear phone also?

[Anonymous No.1395295]

>>1395284
You could listen to ssb within the tiny tuning range of your crystal frequency but it isn't likely to find such a signal in the cw section of the 40m band.

[Anonymous No.1395334]

>>1395295
What if I use 7122 crystal?

[Anonymous No.1395386]

>>1395284
You might feed the audio to a stereo input and use Winrad or Linrad for demodulation. An extreme case of tail wagging the dog but it might work and you should be able to listen in on AM and SSB.

[Anonymous No.1395394]

Sorry for an entirely unrelated to possible current discussion post..

Saw an old set at my local dumpsite of what appears to be radio transmitter/receiver for a motor vehicle, assuming from a former trucker, with all sorts of bits in a box together. Are they worth saving? Any chance they will still work? What could I, a complete amateur, get out of it? Thanks for any sensible responses..

[Anonymous No.1395396]

>>1395394
Nearly all hams have a junk box. So load up, anon.

[Anonymous No.1395397]

>>1395394
If it's a modern thing it will be pretty highly integrated and probably hard to fix, but regardless I'd say it would certainly have some RF hardware worth salvaging. That's just from an electronics POV though.

[Anonymous No.1395465]

I've got a question I hoping someone could help me with, and I'm sorry if it's a stupid one, I tried my hardest to find an answer beforehand.
I'm currently using an sdr and would like to know if there is a clear cut source of information that would help me know which mode (NFM,AM,LSB,USB,CW) to select at any given frequency? I recently realized I was missing out on some traffic because I didn't realize AM was being broadcasted in a clump of frequencies located between FM and Narrow FM. Is there a chart or something available?

[Anonymous No.1395468]

>>1395465
Do you have a waterfall display? If you have a solid line with the modulation expressing itself for 3 to 5 kHz to the left, it's Lower Sideband. If it's to the right for 3 to 5 kHz, it's Upper.

If you have a central line with modulation expression to both sides for 10 kHz, that's AM.

[Anonymous No.1395470]

>>1395465
>Is there a chart or something available
in the op's ftp site there are a couple, the aarl site, this shit is everywhere. Key word arrl band plan.

[Anonymous No.1395481]

>>1395470
Thanks, not being familiar with the terminology is proving to be a real hassle. I really enjoy finding and listening to this stuff, but it's really hit or miss when you don't know what to look for and where.
>>1395468
Thank you. I'm a dunce and didn't have my waterfall zoomed in enough to see the details in the frequencies.

[Anonymous No.1395492]

>>1395481
Fldiji is ok for digital modes by sadly no jt or sstv.
In pic is psk31 being decoded in the top section.

[Anonymous No.1395495]

>>1395481
https://archive.org/details/MCRP3-403C

US Marine Corps manual for new operators. Should be very helpful if you're as intelligent as a Jarhead, meaning as long as you don't eat crayons and spell your name with a 3, you should be non-retarded enough to understand this.

[Anonymous No.1395517]

>>1395495
Thanks.

[Anonymous No.1395549]

>>1395465
>would like to know if there is a clear cut source of information that would help me know which mode (NFM,AM,LSB,USB,CW) to select at any given frequency
If you go to any of the sources shown in sdr.hu you will see a top bar with names of sources. Click on that name and the settings are updated for that specific radio emitter (CW, USB, LSB, AM etc.) Even if you cannoty receive a station on that SDR receiver you can still get the information.

Also, the waterfall will tell you the type of modulation. The FAQ has info on sources for more info such as Sigint Wiki.

And if that doesn't work let us know and we'll update the FAQ.

[Anonymous No.1395743]

Same anon as >>1390931 in the other thread, I finally got my RTL-SDR set up for decoding various digital voice modes just in time for more severe thunderstorms. Apparently almost all of the weather net/skywarn activity has moved over to DMR and only two or maybe 3 people still check in over on the normal repeater. I don't know why they didn't stay with analog voice for this or at least link the repeaters so that other people can still easily listen in.

[Anonymous No.1395767]

>>1395743
>get into amateur radio to get away from the internet bullshit and de-digitize my life
>find out radio amateurs have all moved to digital modes and do their stuff over the internet anyway
why even live

[Anonymous No.1395769]

>>1395492
>or sstv

QSSTV

[Anonymous No.1395770]

>>1395769
I've been trying to get QSSTV to work but no joy yet.

[Anonymous No.1395787]

>>1392029
Sauce on pic?

[Anonymous No.1395799]

>>1395743
Jesus, my Skywarn nets are huge. When we're Green, there's easily 50-60 check ins.

[Anonymous No.1395820]

I swear the band conditions this last 3 weeks is pure shit, most of my contacts are Sporadic E and lost in seconds. Can't hold a QSO with ECARS or GLARS.

Might as well take the time to learn U/V Sat Comms and antennas for it.

Anyone have a good newbie tutorial?

[Anonymous No.1395824]

>>1395770
From memory selecting the right audio input device got me going.

>>1395787
https://vk6uu.id.au/6-metre-repeater.html

[Anonymous No.1395832]

>>1395799
There was still a good amount of people on the DMR repeater, it's just the normal repeater that was mostly dead.

[Anonymous No.1395834]

>>1395832
I fucking hate DMR with every fiber of my being. Excellent idea, shit execution. I get on a statewide EMCOMM channel in normal amateur use mode and start a QSO that called CQ and within 5 minutes, some nasally faggot gets on saying we're hogging the time slot.

All fucking Skywarn should always be done on an FM Repeater, DMR shouldn't even be an option. Not everyone likes, understand or can afford a DMR radio, but even the poorest operator has a fucking memefeng. Shit, I have 6 in a SAR Go Kit.

[Anonymous No.1395845]

>>1395834
sounds like the kind of asshole who'd do the same on a regular FM repeater

[Anonymous No.1395852]

>>1395834
My biggest problem with DMR is how locked down the radios are in that the vast majority of them need a computer to make add repeaters or even talk groups, and you can't hear talk groups that you don't have programmed in even if they're using the same repeater as you.

[Anonymous No.1395871]

Anybody got tips for using a manual antenna tuner? MFJ-904 if anybody has that specific one.

[Anonymous No.1395875]

>>1395871
What is the problem exactly? Normal practice is to set power output to minimum and then tune until SWR is closest to 1.

[Anonymous No.1395897]

>>1395852
May as well use Discord instead.

[Anonymous No.1396118]

>>1395871
This video covers a good basic strategy

https://youtu.be/XRO4Tiashls

[Anonymous No.1396119]

Why should I pick up this hobby? Is this a hobby? What is this? Why are you doing this?

I am 12

[Anonymous No.1396120]

>>1396119
We take metal things and make them make invisible light with electricity and slightly change the and intensity of the light depending on our voices and we bounce it off the sky, and we listen for other people doing it as well and we convert their invisible light back into sound, and we use it to talk about the weather and our health problems.
It's pretty fun

[Anonymous No.1396124]

>>1396120
So it's like snapchat for old people?

[Anonymous No.1396125]

>>1396120
>and we use it to talk about the weather and our health problems.
Only after mentioning the radio we're using and every graphic detail of our homebrewed antennas.

[Anonymous No.1396126]

>>1396125
Sounds fun. Is there an app I can download an talk to you? I have an iphone x?

[Anonymous No.1396128]

>>1396126
Echolink, actually. I used to talk to Finnish guy names Sauli on the Pori 2 Meter repeater over in Finland all the time. He likes puukko as much as I do.

[Anonymous No.1396155]

>>1396119
>I am 12
This intensely cute lady is 10: https://youtu.be/0DQyLMkSk5I
And she knows how to work Morse code. And the FAQ tells you many reasons why people pick up this hobby, it is not just one single reason.

[Anonymous No.1396158]

>>1396155
>it is not just one single reason.
I got into it for Emergency Communications in the event of a cataclysmic disaster. I'm RACES, even.

The other parts of the hobby became entertaining to me as I learned the bands and traffic nets and such.

[Anonymous No.1396190]

Since starting with QRP is generally considered a bad thing when getting into HF, how well do beginners get by starting with SSB if CW at 5 watts is generally considered equivalent to SSB at 100 watts which seems to be the most you'll get out of a radio without a separate amplifier? Do people normally start out with an amplifier as well? What is the recommended output power for a beginner if starting out with SSB?

[Anonymous No.1396192]

>>1396190
Field Day is coming up (June 23-24). Find where your local club is setting up and there will be a QRP set there, likely. I'm running my TS-590 as a QRP station at mine.

The bands are just god awful recently, I hope they clear up by Field Day.

[Anonymous No.1396195]

>>1396192
>The bands are just god awful recently
Because I just set up babby's first HF at home, so I can't tell if it's my not-great setup, background noise (because suburbs) or bands just plain fucked that cause me to not really hear anything outside of strong nearby signals on 40 and 160m

[Anonymous No.1396198]

>>1396195
HF is shit no matter where you are right now. Guy in my club is in the middle of nowhere and has a full 160 meter loop and can't hear shit right now.

[Anonymous No.1396221]

>>1396192
>>1396198
How accurate is http://www.bandconditions.com/ for conditions? Their usage guide claims anything in the green is good for SSB at 100 watts or less and anything in the yellow needs an external amplifier.

[Anonymous No.1396235]

>>1396198
>shit no matter where you are

[Anonymous No.1396244]

>in shower with Baofeng on the counter scanning
>it stops with some static while I'm just getting out of the shower
>it's on the 70 cm simplex calling frequency
>get excited, throw on underwear while still slightly wet and run out to laptop with an RTL-SDR connected to an outdoor antenna to see if it can pick up the signal
>it's just narrow spike on the waterfall, squelch on Baofeng is still opening intermittently like it was
>to date, the only 70 cm simplex activity I've picked up has been a neighbor hooking up a new spurious emitter
God damnit, at least I finally heard something on 70 cm other than one local repeater that seems to get most of the activity and is the sole reason one can't get by with a single band radio in this area.

[Anonymous No.1396246]

>>1396235
Okay, I fired up the radio for the first time in a few days. WWV (I use that a propagation standard) is coming in MUCH better than the other day on 2.5, 5.0 but it's on the noise floor on 10.

Should be good for listening on 160 and 80 but 40 and 20 are gonna still be no joy for me.

I keep kicking myself that I don't have a good 160 TX loop.

[Anonymous No.1396247]

>>1396198
The thing that bothers me is that I'm not even hearing much local stuff, yet I know there's a lot of hams in my city.

I've got an autotuner mounted on my side fence with ~50ft of wire on each side of it, too low and too close to shit (house, power lines) to be all that useful I assume. Gonna go vertical later and use the wire along the fence as an extra RX antenna probably.

[Anonymous No.1396248]

>>1396246
Night time is low band time.

[Anonymous No.1396251]

>>1396247
Because of the way HF propagates, you won't hear HF ground wave transmission more than a few miles from your house and then you cannot hear anyone near you for a 70 mile radius or so, depending on conditions. I live in Ann Arbor and have a buddy in Ferndale and we can never hear each other when were on the ECARS net together. ECARS Control in New Jersey hears both of us 59 on most days.

UHF and VHF is a different story, I typically only simplex with another Ham about 2 miles away, and that's on accident when we check in on the National Traffic Nets or the Washtenaw County Skywarn repeater nets.

[Anonymous No.1396253]

>>1396248
I'm not even at Grey Line yet, so they should be great tonight, then, unless the band goes long like it did for me the other night.

[Anonymous No.1396386]

>>1396251
Yeah I get a ton of background noise especially on 80m. On other bands I'll often hear something (or think I am at least) but it's all beneath the noise. I've only heard stuff clearly enough to copy on 40m a few times and 160m once when I got bored and tuned around it for a bit.

I think I'd get more results with some better filtering and noise reduction trickery but my icom 706 is a bit old for that. Been eyeing a 7300 or similar for desk duty that should be a bit more capable and then I can get back to the eternal quest for the perfect antenna.

[Anonymous No.1396438]

>>1396386
Antenna(s) should come first, perfect or not. You will find that the IC-706 is more than good enough.

[Anonymous No.1396707]

>>1394577
I grew up in a trailer park.

Not many

[Anonymous No.1396738]

So tell me about Magloop antennas. I'm in a situation where I can't really set up a vertical or wire antenna, but apparently a loop of metal about the size of a garbage can lid and a variable capacitor will give me decent performance? It all seems very too good to be true.

[Anonymous No.1396983]

>>1395767
Linking of repeaters doesn't necessarily require use of the internet. The Rocky Mountain Ham Radio DMR repeater network spans from Wyoming to New Mexico and all the repeaters are primarily connected with microwave links with internet links only being available in the event that a microwave link fails.
https://www.rmham.org/wordpress/amateur-microwave-network/

[Anonymous No.1397097]

>>1396738
They pick up much more magnetic noise than a monopole, but yeah they work pretty well if done correctly. I don't want to be that one guy who shills the active mini-whip antenna every opportunity he gets, but it is certainly an option if you've got the space to mount it a few metres above your roof (or maybe out your window). It doesn't work inside.

[Anonymous No.1397102]

>>1397097
>It doesn't work inside.
does that have to do with metal houses?

[Anonymous No.1397106]

>>1397102
Something about the electric field being blocked by normal walls while magnetic fields are not. I don't really get it though since according to the limited amount of physics I know, changing the amplitude of the electric field will change that of the magnetic field. Also apparently small loop antennae are capacitive, so don't ask about that.

[Anonymous No.1397112]

>>1397106
ive been wanting to put up an actual loop not a mag one. but i would try that out ttoo

[Anonymous No.1397129]

>>1397097
An advantage is that a loop has a deep null at the sides so you can point the edge towards noise sources to eliminate noise.

[Anonymous No.1397138]

>>1396248
Last night was QRN time because Central EU was Lightning Central again. Visit en.blitzortung.org/live_lightning_maps.php to see/hear what's going on.

[Anonymous No.1397165]

>>1397138
It is still pretty ferocious in BeNeLux. Some lightening strikes are even detected across the Atlantic.

[Anonymous No.1397187]

>>1397129
Surely you could use a small whip antenna with a parabola or other shield for extra directionality.

[Anonymous No.1397196]

>>1397187
For the parabola to be effective the aperture should be 20 x the wavelength. If you are operating on the HF band this will be quite impressive.

The loop antenna, on the other hand, can be far smaller than the wavelength and still work well.

[Anonymous No.1397231]

>>1397196
I think 20 times is somewhat excessive, but either way the same order of magnitude is hardly attainable for anything below FM broadcasting frequencies.

Of course the radio waves will pretty much just ignore anything small compared to their wavelength.

[Anonymous No.1397271]

How does one perform frequency modulation on in-phase and quadrature components or IQ? Creating some SDR software because there seems to be a big lack of it in general. /g/ is too retarded for this.

[Anonymous No.1397289]

>>1397271
>Creating some SDR software
Good luck to you, friend. What do you write it in?

[Anonymous No.1397413]

>>1397271
just for functional inspiration

[Anonymous No.1398138]

[Anonymous No.1398198]

>>1397289
Writing it in C. I've figured out manipulation of IQ samples, but I don't know shit about DSP algorithms nor does anyone else on the internet capable of tutorials, apparently. There's a bazillion different FM equations that aren't relevant to my case, and I'm shit at maths.

>>1397413
>AND gates were presented in NEETS

Kek. Software DSP is unfortunately not really relevant to circuit building, or else this would be easy.

[Anonymous No.1398401]

I'm kind of interested in getting into HF, but I live in a basement apartment so I'm kind of limited when it comes to antennas. I've heard people say that magnetic loop antennas are good for someone living in a location like mine, but I have some questions. First of all, I know I need to be able tune it at the antenna if I want to transmit on a different frequency, but I also have the problem of neighbors with kids who might try to touch it if it isn't sufficiently off the ground and I've heard that you don't want anyone to be close by if you're running a decent amount of power into the thing, so how far off the ground/away from the building am I going to need to put it and would that put it up too high for me to easily tune it? Second of all, what exactly could I mount it on that I would be able to easily bring inside when not in use, yet wouldn't have a problem with 20 MPH winds that can be common where I live? Would a wood frame with a couple of sandbags to hold it in place be enough?

[Anonymous No.1398443]

>>1398401
https://www.nonstopsystems.com/radio/frank_radio_antenna_magloop.htm
Kilovolts. Recall what you learned about electrical safety in your exam preparations.

[Anonymous No.1398446]

>>1398401
Don in Windsor?

[Anonymous No.1398461]

>>1398446
???

[Anonymous No.1398468]

>>1398461
I know a Ham in Windsor, Canada with a similar problem.

[Anonymous No.1398499]

>>1398138
Wow there's so much boomer hate in this post you might as well join the Knight Sabres.

[Anonymous No.1398503]

>>1398198
All I know about DSP is the Z transform and FFT. I don't think the Z transform is too useful past creating filters, but who knows.

[Anonymous No.1398537]

So, this is the best place... I'm trying to recieve an AM broadcast that is originating around 300 miles away from me. at night it is fairly clear for being 300 miles away (it does fade, and has mighty static, but is listenable on a clear night, however I'd like to improve my reception. the station is almost due north to me, and on 840khz. what antenna could i build that would receive better than a loose wire antenna?

[Anonymous No.1398548]

>>1398537
It probably isn't the right place but it's where I ask the same sort of questions about FM so fuck it.
Loose wires aren't very good AM antennae, I'd start with a simple small loop antenna and go from there. Diameter doesn't matter much, and I don't think you need a resonant antenna (addition of a tuning cap) for a standard AM radio, though this changes if you're using a foxhole or crystal radio that takes its running energy from the radio waves themselves. Also google.

[Anonymous No.1398570]

>>1398537
Tell us about your receiver. What is it?

>>1398401
This thing works as you can see but rain would mess with the tuning cap big time so its not something to leave outside in all weather.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv_RnLpZ9gw

[Anonymous No.1398606]

>>1398570
That's the kind of antenna I was looking at, but the problem is a stand like that won't work since I wouldn't be putting the antenna in my yard, but rather a shared yard between a few different apartments that kids will run around in from time to time.

[Anonymous No.1398730]

>>1398570
It's a pos crosly. As soon as I get some money together it's getting replaced with a proper HiFi stack

[Anonymous No.1398732]

>>1398606
How do you not know this? Are you a bootlegger or just a lid?
Under 7 watts there's no exposure hazard to EMR so you probably got that going for you.

[Anonymous No.1398738]

>>1398537
I'd go with a Yagi. Since it's a Rx antenna, wavelength sizing isn't all that important. Just as long as you can point it in the direction of the transmitter high enough.

Now you can enjoy your Glenn Beck.

[Anonymous No.1398753]

>>1398738
C2cam, not Beck. Not a fan of the politico. The local station fm that hosts it is weak af and doesn't come in at all

[Anonymous No.1398801]

>>1398732
>Under 7 watts there's no exposure hazard to EMR
Yeah, I'd kind of like to run a bit more than just barely over QRP power, especially considering how magnetic loop antennas tend to be less efficient than a dipole from what I've read.

[Anonymous No.1398812]

>>1398730
More specifics
>external antenna connection?
>tuner RF stage?

Also what station are you trying to listen to?

[Anonymous No.1398815]

>>1398738
>A yagi for 840khz

You would want plenty of real estate.

[Anonymous No.1398819]

>>1398815
He could place it next to his Wullenweber.

[Anonymous No.1398909]

>got my license
>not anymore willing to spend thousands for a good radio, a good antenna, a good morse key to wander around 160m band
>mfw

tldr, bought a baofeng and it's been collecting dust because today talking on radio is basically "CB on some other frequency"

[Anonymous No.1398911]

>>1398909
>spend thousands for a good radio
You can spend a few dollars on a Pixie. Primitive stuff but still fun.

[Anonymous No.1398912]

>>1398537
>around 300 miles away
It should be possible. I'm currently (21:45 UTC) listening to JilFM ('Generation FM') on 531 kHz from a distance of about 1900 km with nothing but the built-in ferrite rod antenna. There's some distant lightning now and then but very little QSB. Transmitter locator is JM35qr, 300 kW during night time. Rig is a 2006 Redsun RP2100.

[Anonymous No.1398917]

>>1392029
the biggest argument against HAM is the need to publicly publish your full doxing details with your call sign. and basically no encryption so anyone can listen in. so basically you cant really talk to anyone except to say TESTTINNNGGGG!!!!1

[Anonymous No.1398920]

>>1398917
Like other hobbies, ham radio needs no 'arguments', it's just not for you. Use your phone instead.

[Anonymous No.1398925]

>>1398917
>is the need to publicly publish your full doxing details with your call sign
You can get a PO box. I do wish the FCC didn't publish everyone's info the way they do though.

>and basically no encryption so anyone can listen in
What exactly do you want to do where lack of encryption would be a deal breaker?

[Anonymous No.1398932]

>>1398925
in australia it has to be the primary place of operation. ie. your home address.

I think you underestimate the level of social policing in my country. once i talked to an autistic guy on a train. he just started ranting about hitlet then he ended up throwing an autistic shitfit on the train. because i was on my way to work and I was wearing my uniform, someone called the head office of the franchise to complain about it. I cant even imagine what would motivate someone to do that. encryption is to mostly protect me from random crazy bystanders who feel the need to cause trouble.

[Anonymous No.1398946]

>>1398932
ACMA used to only publish the postal address (still do, under 'client info' or some shit) but now the online register includes a PDF of the licence itself which has your station address on it.

As for sperging about hitler on a train, anywhere you'd take a train is a leftist-infested shithole where bootlickers think they're doing good by bothering companies and shit reporting everything that personally displeases them

[Anonymous No.1399033]

>>1398401
Alright, after doing some calculations it seems a 5 foot diameter magnetic loop antenna would need to be 5-6.5 feet away from people (for 25 watt and 100 watt operation) to comply with FCC exposure regulations. I'm starting to wonder how I'd be able to build something for this that could still easily be brought inside when not in use and if this is even worth pursuing as it seems like it would be a bit too large and going any smaller would make it even less efficient than it already is.

[Anonymous No.1399038]

>>1398909
Are you me? M-maybe we can simplex on our baomemes if you're in Bay Area somewhere.

>>1398917
Yeah it's bullshit, but a $100 for a year of PO Box[tm] is doable. Though if you did register with a home address then you're boned, because records of previous addresses are still available.

[Anonymous No.1399201]

>>1399033
If you have access to rain gutter, downspout and lightning arrester you can match that network to 50Ω and you have your invisible antenna.
http://www.sgcworld.com/raingutterinstall.html

[Anonymous No.1399420]

>>1398812
no external connection. anything will have to be modded in. 840khz WHAS bounced over a mountain range. it seams there is an internal ferrite, but i didn't see it, will have to open it up again.... i got literally no stats for the tuner.

[Anonymous No.1399548]

I want to spoof Kenny Chesney - Get Along to make a song about ham radio, I need help with the lyrics. Here's what I have so far:

>Met a man wearin' a t-shirt, says "QSL by Bureau"
>Had a Baofeng in his left hand and a yagi in the other
>He said "all you're really given is a license to keep learning"
>We both started laughin' when the bird started to fade
>
>Get along, here on the bands
>We've got so much more to learn
>You're a ham, until you die
>Bands ain't perfect, but we try
>Get along while we can
>Never tune outside the band
>Reduce your power, learn your code
>Call an OM, buy a rig
>Drink a beer, try a new mode
>Make a friend, can't we all get along

Need help with the second verse. Thanks guys.

[Anonymous No.1399661]

>>1398537
I'd suggest a tuned loop. Basically you place it next to your radio and adjust the capacitor until you get a signal boost. No need for a physical connection because the external antenna becomes inductively coupled to the internal one. Also helps cut down in interference because it's more directional.
https://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/auxiliary_loop_antennas_for_am_reception.html
https://aa7ee.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/a-tuned-loop-antenna-for-the-am-broadcast-band/

CCraine used to sell a ugly brown one that looked like a casserole dish but there's a couple more aesthetically pleasing commercial models now:
https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/mwant/6238.html
https://www.amazon.com/Terk-Indoor-AM-Antenna-ADVANTAGE/dp/B000069EUW

If you decide to upgrade your radio I've heard that the old GE Superradio series is very good for AM DXing and generally show up on eBay and in thrift stores for reasonable prices.

[Anonymous No.1399676]

>>1399661
>tuned loop

These do work pretty well. One of the locals hams has a business making those commercially.

The other thing that works, sometimes better, is pretty much a crystal set minus detector together with a long wire and earth. Place the coil in line with the internal ferrite rod of the radio.

[Anonymous No.1399695]

>>1399201
I don't know how I forgot about using a rain gutter as a long wire/random wire antenna. I'm going to have to check out the gutters on my apartment building tomorrow and try to measure them.

[Anonymous No.1400109]

>>1399201
>>1399695
Okay, the building I live in is rather old (there's only one 3 prong outlet in my apartment) and the gutter is visibly rusty at parts. I have a feeling this isn't going to work, and I don't have a ladder to get up on the roof to check if the hardware connecting the sections of the gutter is rusty as well. I'm also somewhat worried about efficiency since I'd be limited to a ground rod rather than being able to use radials (since there's all of a few square feet of dirt for a flower bed by the gutter before there's a concrete pad and then a parking lot).

I'm probably better off going with the loop antenna and either operating outside or putting a table somewhere inside where I could constantly watch through a window and just stop transmitting if someone starts going near the antenna. Maybe I'd be better trying mobile/portable operation and just driving to a park and throwing an antenna up in a tree.

[Anonymous No.1400202]

>>1400109
>there's all of a few square feet of dirt for a flower bed by the gutter
That's perfect. Garden soil is a great ground, as it holds moisture,and you've got a gret source of moisture from the gutter. Try it, what'll it hurt?

[Anonymous No.1400211]

What's everyone doing for Field Day? I'll be giving Exams at my club's Field Day and running a QRP station on 40 meters.

[Anonymous No.1400252]

>>1400202
>Garden soil is a great ground
I should specify it's what seems like it could be a flower bed, though it's in a bad spot for sunlight and has only held weeds and a bit of grass for the few years I've been in this apartment. Also, that still doesn't solve the problem of the gutter being rusty and the issues that can potentially cause.

>Try it, what'll it hurt?
Other than trying to get into HF with really low transmitted power which I've regularly and repeatedly been told will only turn off a beginner. Otherwise I'd be starting with a lower power kit radio and specifically going for portable operation since I enjoy building stuff and portable HF seems really neat.

[Anonymous No.1400307]

>>1399420
>bounced over a mountain range
Terrain eats ground wave. For the sky wave a tuned loop is your best bet.
www.google.com/search?q=medium+wave+loop+antenna+diy

[Anonymous No.1400604]

Here's something you all might get a kick out of, back in 1969 the US Army tried using trees as HF antennas.
http://dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/742230.pdf

[Anonymous No.1400704]

Can I just hook up a car antenna to a cellphone to increase FM reception ?

[Anonymous No.1400736]

>>1400704
Most cellphones use the headphone cord as an antenna.

[Anonymous No.1400747]

>>1400704
Yes you can, but you need a couple of filters to stop audio from going into the antenna and to stop your headphones/aux cable from acting as an antenna. I think I remember seeing something similar on a FM-radio IC's datasheet.

[Anonymous No.1400751]

>>1399548
I will give you a (((you))) because this made me laugh, although I have nothing further to contribute to your song at this time.

Have a rare 2012 Euro Gala model.

[Anonymous No.1400858]

What police scanner would you lads rec?

[Anonymous No.1400861]

>>1400858
The first thing to know is what system your local cops or who ever you want to listen to uses. Ours use encrypted P25 so no scanner will work.

[Anonymous No.1401724]

6 Meters was wide fucking open yesterday and seems to be good today. Made a DX in Europe with 100 Watts.

[Anonymous No.1401754]

>>1400736
Yes, for FM reception that is. For baseband, WIFI, GPS etc different antennas are used, these days all are internal.

[Anonymous No.1401839]

>>1401724
Yes, excellent Es season this year, reported by many. Which antenna did you use?

[Anonymous No.1402041]

>>1401839
My G5RV tunes to 1:1 with my TS-590 SG's internal tuner, amazingly enough. Yet is won't do 60 or 30. Go figure.

[Anonymous No.1402667]

>>1397413
>specifically designed gated-beam tube
Which one ? Got tube id ?
I wonder those might be on dollar sale because not on the muh_tubamplifyia partlist

[Anonymous No.1402789]

>>1402667
google.com/search?q=gated-beam+tube

[Anonymous No.1402793]

>>1402667
>>1402789
There were also rather similar enneodes/nonodes EQ40 and EQ80. They were pretty rare, but eBay has some.

[Anonymous No.1403017]

anyone have one of these? I think you can program right in the front endhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/263611108353

[Anonymous No.1403018]

>>1403017
I'm always leery of off-brand DMR radios. MI-5 kicks and bans some of the shitty Baofeng DMRs that claim to be dual time slot but just fuck up the reflectors across the entire service.

[Anonymous No.1403049]

>>1403018
i hear you. im in need of a new ht. its waterproof and seems to have a lots in a small package. and its in my price range

[Anonymous No.1403195]

>>1403017
More chinese shit.

[Anonymous No.1403440]

>>1403049
Happy beta testing. Did you read the bug lists? The consumer hypnosis bubble will quickly pop.

[Anonymous No.1403548]

>>1403440
i know 3 people that got them, one of them had problems right out of the box. he sent it back out to them and got it back within 2 weeks from chinkland. i would rather NOT buy their junk, but i cant find anything comparable with the top 3. plus something like this would be $1000 from icom, and id rather buy another icom hf rig or receiver if im spending that

[Anonymous No.1403630]

>>1403548
The TRBO Lords will find you
and in the darkness bind you.

[Anonymous No.1403725]

>>1403630
nigga you gay. i live in a deep valley so i cant reach any of the repeaters near me. this will give me something to play with

[Anonymous No.1403727]

Great fucking (rare) NVIS today on 40. I have a buddy I can never get with ground wave and he's usually just short of sky wave but we're booming into each other's headphones.

[Anonymous No.1403735]

>>1403440
>>1403548
Damn. I think that leaves Connect Systems as the only company you can go with if you want something that can be programmed without a computer. It's pretty sad that none of the big 3 are making DMR gear that isn't locked down.

[Anonymous No.1403775]

>>1403735
Because it's designed for business, not for amateur use.

Use DSTAR or something if you want amateur-friendly equipment and programming.

[Anonymous No.1403783]

>>1403775
there's literally no reason to use digital modulation if you're not encrypting

[Anonymous No.1403786]

>>1403783
>if you're not encrypting
now that would be against FCC rules and regulations, sir

[Anonymous No.1403793]

>>1403783
I don't know, the dual time slots and the talkgroups that DMR offers sounds like a pretty cool feature. DSTAR and Yaesu System Fusion on the other hand just sound like they only serve the purpose of pushing glorified IRLP/Echolink implementations that break compatibility with older hardware for no reason other than to sell something new.

[Anonymous No.1403846]

>>1392029
Ham Radio died long ago.

"Ham" just became this:
- buy some equipment
- use that equipment
- claim you're a hero

It's just like this:
- buy some Apple product
- use that Apple product
- claim you're a hero

A real ham would definitely create his own tools - radio, antenna... - but this require a lot of knowledge (theoretical - like electronics, maths (on a serious level), etc, and practical - like soldering, etching, mounting, etc).

Have look at Dem Herp Derp Digital Modes. Basically your handset is no more than a portable modem - just like a cellphone. You push your PTT, make the modem transmit packets to some server, and claim you're a hero. OMG.

Also look at those people that can "read" Morse at 20wpm without computers, earsets and whatever tools. Basically they're less than 1 out of 10,000 currently self-proclaiming "hams". And between these, only 1 out of 100 owns enough physical space to mount a real halfwave 160m-band antenna.

Also, old "ham" is just vintage.Software defined radios just rendered obsolete 85% of "ham science". You've got to be a systems programmer with even more knowledge of serious applied maths. And yet people buy a fokking cheap chink USB SDR for 5 bucks - less than half a pizza - spitting out more noise than RF, load an absurdly complex software in their own absurdly powerful computers (if compared to Apollo Guidance System which took men on the Moon with less than 64 puny kilobytes of memory) and they define themselves "hams". They can't even understand what a compiler is and how to discern between a 2nd grade equation from a 1st grade one, and yet they name themselves "hurr durr HAMS reeeee".

Being a Ham is no more than being an Apple Fan, a LEGO fan, a mountainbike fan... You just buy products created by others, waste some time using those products (and possibly learning their claimed specs), and then you think you're a Hero.

>TLDR: ham = just another pathetic niche for Chink products or Chink-components-filled products

[Anonymous No.1403850]

>>1403783
I'm guessing you haven't worked with any digital two-way stuff before.
The audio quality is fantastic. You get built-in features like text messaging and GPS/location.

2-slot TDMA means one repeater can do double-duty with two talkgroups, simultaneously. That's two separate transmissions on the same frequency at the same time.

Personally I prefer P25 when it comes to architecture, routing, and call quality, but DMR is great for commercial work.

[Anonymous No.1403889]

Okay so I'm finally setting up for HF (got a used and working IC-718 for a good deal, just waiting on a power supply) and I don't get grounding.

Here it shows everything hooked up to to a single strap that's then grounded out.
http://www.dummies.com/programming/ham-radio/how-to-ground-power-and-radio-wave-frequency-in-your-ham-radio-shack/

But here it says that doing that causes problems and I should ground everything to a single point instead.
http://kc.flexradio.com/knowledgebasearticle50426.aspx

[Anonymous No.1403894]

>>1403775
>Use DSTAR or something if you want amateur-friendly equipment and programming.
Serious question, what the hell does DSTAR (or System Fusion for that matter) do that you can't do with analog FM and IRLP/echolink? All I've found so far is the ability to call the last repeater someone connected to by their callsign with DSTAR and text messaging/GPS shit (which can already be done via APRS with a regular analog FM transceiver).

[Anonymous No.1403917]

Hey Ya'll, recently bought a used Kaito Voyager with a broken antenna and I decided to make an antenna for it.

Problem is, I'm a retard and decided to jam a fuckin' copper coat hanger down the hole inside where the antenna is broken off at. Then I took the rest of the copper hanger and electrically taped it to the top to try and make it pick up reception better.

I think I did something wrong.

See, I have no issues with FM or WB stations, but I can *kinda* pick up SOME SW stations, with interference, of course, but I don't know if its something I did to the antenna, or if SW stations are really that sparse. Did I do something wrong?

[Anonymous No.1403926]

>>1403917
Little antennas like that are virtually useless for LW, MW, and SW reception. Plus, it's inside. You need at least a "Randomwire" antenna. Take some length of speaker wire and get it as long and high as possible. Your radio should have a screw or press connect on it somewhere to connect the randomwire to.

[Anonymous No.1403960]

>>1403846
im guessing youre a wizard

[Anonymous No.1403980]

>>1403926
The simplest way is to just use a clothespin to clip it to the antenna.

[Anonymous No.1403985]

>>1403980
Eh, I always forget that fact since all my boat anchors and modern HF sets are connected to my antenna garden and none of them have internals.

[Anonymous No.1403995]

PSA on the new ARRL Tech exam question pool: Most of the correct answers are "C" if you're in doubt.

[Anonymous No.1404003]

>>1403995
help me get my general
us
what should i be looking at

[Anonymous No.1404062]

>>1403894
I'm the wrong guy to ask about amateur digital modes. Not really up to speed on all that stuff (majority of my work is public safety and commercial, P25 and DMR respectively).

Audio quality is the biggest thing, if both sides are in a good coverage area. Analog is better at the fringe where digital starts to lose packets, since your brain is a better filter than any DSP or codec is. But in a good coverage area, digital is much cleaner.

Text messaging, telemetry, and data are nice-to-haves.
Other features like private calling (vs. talkgroup calls) are nice, especially on the business side.

[Anonymous No.1404720]

>>1392029
i'm searching for a sdr software but I don't know what its name was.
it was able to analyze and manipulate digital samples.
Does anyone know what it might have been?

[Anonymous No.1404743]

>>1404062
>But in a good coverage area, digital is much cleaner.

I've used P25 on a job site in a situation you could almost throw tools to the other guy and it wasn't that good. And then there is the delay factor. 25khz spaced FM kills it.

[Anonymous No.1404749]

>>1404720
I use GQRX and it might have that sort of functionality, but I only ever use it for receiving FM broadcast stations anyhow. I think there's a fairly comprehensive list of SDR software somewhere, wikipedia maybe.

[Anonymous No.1404884]

>>1404720
it wasn't "inspectrum" was it?

[Anonymous No.1404937]

>>1404749
>>1404884
looking at some programs I think it was universal radio hacker
according to the description it's able to do all that plus fuzzing but I haven't been able to completely understand it yet

[Anonymous No.1405060]

>>1404720
sdr software implies the receiving portion of a radio, ham software like fldigi decodes modes of digital comms.

[Anonymous No.1405470]

Programming my own morse trainer here. I've got my python code to generate audio data and play it through my headphones as dots and dashes, and I've written code to turn strings like "... --- ..._... --- ..." into the appropriate noises (or lack thereof). Now all I have to do is make functions to convert sentences into those morse strings or vice-versa, to generate the sentences/strings for training (probably the strings since I'll be trying Koch first), and the main incremental difficulty game function itself.

Just a few questions about standards:
>Is there a preferred standard for writing down morse code? What I'm using is nice to program with since the letter and word spaces are both single characters.
>What are recommended time units (dot lengths)? 0.15s sounds nice to me but I've no idea what people actually use. Whether people use 5-unit spaces instead of 7-unit spaces at all might also be neat to know.
>Everyone uses international morse, right?
Thanks.

[Anonymous No.1405474]

>>1405470
For spacing between words, consider a "." (dit) to be one time space and a "-" (dah) be 2 time spaces. Use 7 time spaces between words no matter what speed your working with in Koch or Farnsworth.

[Anonymous No.1405561]

How durable/suitable for outdoor use are common HF rigs (as opposed to HF rigs like the Yaesu FT857 or FT897 that are made for out door use)? I've seen pictures of people operating them off a battery on a portable table outside, but I personally would be weary of bringing rather expensive electronic devices that are designed to just sit on a table indoors and not be moved around into such an environment. To me it seems similar to dragging my computer out into a similar environment, it just wasn't designed for it and it seems like it would cause problems.

[Anonymous No.1405570]

>>1394811
Hey, I got an old president too. I'm not licensed so I only listen. It has cb capabilities too.

[Anonymous No.1405572]

>>1405474
pretty sure it's 3 units for dah, not 2
3 units between characters

[Anonymous No.1405786]

>>1405474
Well I see 5 time spaces were used for setting some speed records (wikipedia - morse code), but evidently nobody does this in normal operation.

[Anonymous No.1405798]

>>1405561
"Big 3" rigs are durable and as long as they're not getting rained on, it's not an issue. Most are MilSpec or better. I drag my TS-590SG around to outdoor events (even in the winter) and I'm not worried about it. If you're contesting, those rigs will keep themselves plenty warm and dry and let you cook breakfast on them.

[Anonymous No.1405837]

>>1405470
It's pretty much functional at the moment, though it can only train with "ab", "abc", "abcd" instead of picking random letters as I figured it would be a pain to tell it to pick letters first and then numerals from the same list. I haven't written how I want it to increment the difficulty since figuring out how to return a % accuracy is a little baffling, so at the moment it's just manual. How many characters to test with and such is also a bit of a mystery, but at least I've figured out converting wpm to time spaces (t = 1.2/wpm).

[Anonymous No.1405871]

>>1405786
>evidently
Maybe you have no shortwave receiver or never used it to listen in on the bands. Readability rests on a good rhythm, not on the milliseconds. Many skilled operators develop a personal accent that pleases humans and derails (poorly made) robots.

[Anonymous No.1405890]

>>1405871
Of course, we're not robots. Well I figure if I can learn to the tune of a robot I can adapt to people well enough. Training at 20wpm and even 7 spaces can be tough at times, so I'll not be switching to anything lower any time soon.

>>1405837
The Koch trainer code is fully operational now, with a rudimentary error calculator and surprisingly good word string generator. It tries an initial amount of characters, and increments that until a set maximum provided you keep getting them correct, at which point it resets back to the original amount of characters but adds another one to the pool of possible characters in alphabetical order. Initial length of 2, length maximum of 30, and step size of 30 looks good to me. I've only got letters and numbers in there at the moment, but I'll expand it if I feel the need to, the code gives an option for an initial difficulty so I don't have to start over again.

[Anonymous No.1405975]

>>1405890
The good thing about the Koch method is that it starts with full character speed (60cpm or more) right from the beginning to discourage dot dash visualization and emphasize auditory pattern recognition. The overall speed is then set by adjusting the space between characters.

[Anonymous No.1405976]

>>1405975
Did you know free programs already exist?
What are you trying to accomplish that these existing programs don't have?

[Anonymous No.1406169]

>>1405976
You dialled the wrong number.

[Anonymous No.1406289]

>>1403846

[Anonymous No.1406290]

>>1405976
I tried a couple but half didn't work (on mac) and the rest required plugins or that sort of thing. If I hunted for another hour I'm sure I'd find one, but it made for a programming challenge pretty much perfect for my current limited knowledge level, if not a tad easy. Fun in any case.

[Anonymous No.1406299]

>listening on APRS for the past few days
>only activity is a single weather station, people with GPS trackers in their vehicles (why?) with a couple advertising what frequencies they're listening on or what appears to be the current charge level of their car battery, an I-gate advertising its existence, a couple VHF repeaters advertising their existence every couple days (really too spaced out to actually be useful when you can just look them up on the internet today), and a Winlink radio mail server advertising its existence (I may have to check this one out)
Is APRS everywhere like this? I mean, does no one use it for sending messages or anything else?

[Anonymous No.1406466]

>>1406299
During emergencies the traffic is quite different. That is when live GPS positions of vehicles become useful.

[Anonymous No.1406476]

>>1392029
Is there somewhere online I can listen to you geezers blabber online? Dunno if I want to get into the hobby or not.

[Anonymous No.1406488]

>>1406476
Had you read the FAQ you would find no less than 2 sites that aggregate such online radios.

[Anonymous No.1406491]

>>1406488
>websdr.org sdr.hu
Cranky old men and static. Pass.

[Anonymous No.1406521]

>>1406491
>not listening to eerie russian bleeping instead

[Anonymous No.1406541]

>>1406521
>... or spooky number stations
> or eerie military command channels

[Anonymous No.1406546]

>>1406521
>>1406541
>listening to shit you don't understand and aren't meant to understand
I think I'll rather listen to the cranky old men.

[Anonymous No.1406557]

Since Chris never fucking has the mcHF boards in fucking stock and 3.0 has absolutely zero customer service I've been looking for an alternative QRP set.

These are $129: http://www.hfsignals.com/

Only problem:
>The µBITX boards are hand-assembled by a collective of women. Each of the toroids is hand wound. This provides these women with livelihood.

Pajeetas assemble the boards so I doubt there's any quality.

[Anonymous No.1406643]

>>1406557
These youkit radios are pretty ok. http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Categories.php?sub=0&ref=71

[Anonymous No.1406648]

>>1406546
>aren't meant to
found the britcuck

>>1406557
then rewind the toroids yourself, prepubescent cuck

[Anonymous No.1406709]

>>1406648
Winding toroids is not hard. Assembling boards by hand makes me more sceptical.

[Anonymous No.1406805]

>>1395284
YouTube videos demonstrate you can hear voice with no problems.

[Anonymous No.1406808]

>>1406557
People seem to have tired of the situation and taken action:
https://github.com/df8oe/UHSDR/wiki/Supported-Hardware
They are edging as close as they can without complete copyright violation.

[Anonymous No.1406918]

>>1406466
So APRS is only really used by EmComm faggots/whackers these days?

[Anonymous No.1407007]

>>1406709
got any tips? id like to start amking my own baluns

[Anonymous No.1407022]

>>1406808
Chris is royally pissing me off. V3 requires a fucking $50 part through mouser. So much for a cheap QPR SDR.

[Anonymous No.1407033]

>>1407022
what, the foofoo VFO encoder? meh, buy a $12 chinkshit and work it in somehow

[Anonymous No.1407113]

>>1406805
I think that is for modified versions.

[Anonymous No.1407377]

>>1406557
eh I doubt it's any worse than most Chinese crap or MFJ's US-made garbage.

[Anonymous No.1407825]

>>1407377

[Anonymous No.1408278]

6 Meters has been great all weekend in daytime. Made several DX contacts bareback.

[Anonymous No.1408505]

>>1408278
>6 Meters
still open, multi-hop

[Anonymous No.1408513]

>>1408505
hmm i have a bunch of wire laying around... maybe i should make a 6m antenna....maybe just a vertical dipole

[Anonymous No.1408516]

can i solder a pl259 on the end of some ladder line? or should i solder the ladder line to some coax?

[Anonymous No.1408528]

>>1408516
>PL259 unbalanced
>Coax unbalanced
>Ladder line balanced

Should have a balan or some other matching device.

[Anonymous No.1408545]

>>1405837
>I haven't written how I want it to increment the difficulty since figuring out how to return a % accuracy is a little baffling, so at the moment it's just manual.
https://apps.ankiweb.net/docs/manual.html#new-cards

[Anonymous No.1408570]

>>1408545
I managed a rudimentary function that checks for a missing, extra, or wrong character by validating whether fixing it would cause the next two characters to be correct, but this won't work if I have sequential errors, in which case it just increments the "wrong" count by 1 for each wrong character with no corrections, resulting in a high count. I'm aiming for 100% anyway, and I wrote it to increment at 90% or higher, which is fine for me. I could make the function more sophisticated by also taking into account the total length, but ideally I'd want an algorithm that figures out the minimum number of (swap, add, subtract, change) changes needed to get the correct text, for which something might exist.

I'm unsure how your link is relevant, if I wasn't going to write my own code I'd hunt for an existing program, I know there's a java one I can dl if I upgrade my java version.

[Anonymous No.1408828]

>>1408570
consider looking up the Levenshtein edit distance
or consider giving the user a known number of characters in a block and forcing them to guess where they might not have been sure (they might have been right)
also consider the following http://www.nongnu.org/aldo/

[Anonymous No.1408874]

>>1408528
i had it going into a mfj901b, but sticking a paper clip on the back of the radio would hear better. i know what youre saying, i guess i should just pull it down and solder some coax to it.
ladder line is fucking annoying to work with for me, so far

[Anonymous No.1408883]

>>1408570
>I'm unsure how your link is relevant
Anki is one of the best spaced repetition software out there, thought you could get some ideas from reading their doc. It's also open source and written in Python iirc.

[Anonymous No.1408888]

any of you gay niggers use dmr?

[Anonymous No.1408937]

>>1408828
>Levenshtein edit distance
Oho thanks for that!

[Anonymous No.1409284]

>>1394566
Eliminate negroes and Mexicans from that survey and I wonder which way it'll go.

[Anonymous No.1409896]

Found a nice Koch Morse trainer at http://aa9pw.com/morsecode/

Screen player didn't appear and the .mp3 files had too many dropouts but the .au files sound good. My VLC wouldn't play them but the Quicktime Player did.

I'm not new to CW but somewhat out of practice. No problems with letters and numbers at the default 10/15 setting but I will certainly need to work on punctuation now. I noticed that while the di-dah-di-dah-di-dah dot is there, the dah-di-di-di-di-dah dash seems to be missing.

I like the RSS feature, tried BBC UK Politics at 10/20 and experienced 20 minutes of focused perseverance.. phew, I think I reached my current limit here. Don't get derailed by a bug that treats = as part of a word instead of a delimiter prosign. Example:

duchess of sussex attend royal ascot=legalising cannabis what you need to know

File conversion if needed:
http://www.convertfiles.com/convert/audio/AU-to-MP3.html

Another online trainer (which can also be downloaded) can be found at
https://morsecode.scphillips.com/trainer.html

55 to all the trainees.

[Anonymous No.1410095]

>>1408528
yeah, im trying to figure out something to make. ladder line is a real pain in the ass to work with

[Anonymous No.1410635]

Alright, I know it's not directly amateur radio related, but are FRS/GMRS/MURS really even used anymore? CB is still active in my area, but even when running rtl_power for multiple days there doesn't seem to be any FRS/GMRS/MURS activity. Have cell phones and texting killed FRS/GMRS/MURS?

[Anonymous No.1410698]

>>1410635
FRS/GMRS are used a lot recreationally... far more than CB or MURS (or amateur).

I know a few guys who run MURS gear, because they got a couple radios at a good price, and they're good/tough radios. Difficult when my crew rides with them since we're on different channels. I'm usually the one packing two radios and relaying messages. Not much activity on MURS otherwise.

FRS/GMRS equipment you can find everywhere for cheap, and they work well enough. Easy to use.

GMRS allows for repeaters, some day I'd like to put together a little pelican-case deployable (two mobiles, battery or three, charger, duplexer, controller, antenna). Not many consumer-level radios can do repeater split though.

Shorter tower in >pic related is one of the state dtr sites... which is nice. Not sure who's on the taller one (gray building on the right) but that's a nice new shack. Snotel and cellular left and back respectively.

[Anonymous No.1411075]

>>1410698
>>GMRS allows for repeaters
How popular are they really though? There only seem to be ~1300 publicly listed GMRS repeaters in the country which is slightly less than the 1444 repeaters that RepeaterBook lists on the extremely unpopular/dead 1.25 meter band. Also, there's supposedly a GMRS repeater in my city that I wasn't even aware of before today, but I've never noticed any activity on it while scanning and I'm considering trying to kerchunk it to see if it even exists.

[Anonymous No.1411091]

http://hsmm-mesh.org/just-starting-read-this.html
How would you set this up to stick it the FCC faggots
I mean seriously why is this a fucking LAW "Per FCC rules the encryption keys themselves must be published in a publicly accessible place if using WEP, WPA/WPA2 or any other encryption" -source https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_multimedia_radio

[Anonymous No.1411296]

>>1394031
That's his fat dick and massive balls bro

[Anonymous No.1411305]

>>1394027
Most hams I know have great set ups that look like Fine Business Operators. The guy I know with an IC-7851 (a fucking $14,000 USD radio with only 200 Watts) has an operation that makes professional radio stations look like shit.

The guy in the pic is clearly an ADS-B/aviation autist. Probably does MilComm DX also.

There's a reason this thread is popular (as popular as can be) in DIY. Slef reliant people love radio communications.

So, vid related: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQnYmC4-_1c

[Anonymous No.1411326]

>>1411075
>GMRS repeaters
Infrequent, but they are out there.
I suspect most of them are "personal" or "friend"-use, and only turned on as-needed vs. putting it on a good site, good antenna, and running it 24/7.

The most common channel/tone is "20/22", sort of like "channel 9" on CB for travellers-assistance.

Repeater itself never has to ID like commercial/amateur sites do.

[Anonymous No.1411328]

>>1394286
I've got a friend who recently got licensed. Kind of prodded him to go take the test.

He was always mic-shy... when we're out camping and I know of a net coming up, i'll grab him, fire up my radio, check in, then hand my radio to him and have him check in too. "Just say your call sign, name, where we are, and 'no traffic'. Just like I did. That's it."

Clubs/orgs are a good way to get into it too. There's a lot of 'tism in the hobby, you'll meet the sterotypical fat fucks on mobility scooters with three memefengs, but there's a lot of professionals that enjoy the hobby too.

[Anonymous No.1411442]

>>1411091
>seriously why
This is mentioned in the FAQ. Basically this is all about cold war rules, when radios were the preferred way to communicate between secret agents in the field and it was important to locate and kill them as quickly as possible.

[Anonymous No.1411460]

>>1411326
>Repeater itself never has to ID

FCC Part 95 § 95.1751 GMRS station identification.

Each GMRS station must be identified by transmission of its FCC-assigned call sign at the end of transmissions and at periodic intervals during transmissions (..)

Public repeaters have to ID on their own, 'closed group' repeaters can ID or be identified by the stations operating under their shared ID. Anonymous transmissions are not legal but it is perfectly ok to beep your call rather than speaking it.

Ref: docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-17-57A1.pdf

[Anonymous No.1411611]

>>1411091
>the encryption keys themselves must be published in a publicly accessible place
Just write them on the toilet wall at your nearest fast food joint.

[Anonymous No.1411797]

>>1411611
Write your keys in a booklet and give it to your local library to put in its reference section.

[Anonymous No.1412649]

looking for a good antenna switch. i have 2 antennas up, and 2 waiting to go up. also plans for a vertical. i also saw some tuners have multiple switches. my rig does hf+50 so maybe a duplexer? ive never seen anyones ham shack with multiple antennas, and i really dont need to spend more than i have have to.
i guess im just wondering what would be the smartest thing to do

[Anonymous No.1412651]

>>1411611
I'll be taking your pic, thanks.

[Anonymous No.1412675]

>>1412649
Alpha-Delta makes good switches.

Decent HF antennas usually have traps on the elements allowing the one antenna to be used on several bands. Cushcraft A3S can do 20, 15, and 10 meters.
Can get a 6m antenna and bolt it to the same mast as your HF antenna. Buy an appropriately-sized rotator now so you don't have to buy another one later.

When you start getting into 40/80/160m, start looking at wire antennas. Inverted V works well for 80 and 160.

>this radio feeds an A3S

[Anonymous No.1412737]

Saw a lot of these in Japan, some with 4 and some with 8 elements. Always pointing up. Perhaps some had 6 elements. Some may have also had a center element.

So what are these, DF antennas? There were a lot of these, this one is from the center of Tokyo.

[Anonymous No.1412809]

>>1412675
good to know. i have a 20/40/80 fan dipole, but i dont think i have the hight for 160. i have a light duty rotor, i think it can take 100lbs. built a 2m yagi to go up on there, but i feel i would get more use out of a hf antenna. i think the a3s would fit up there, but id like to find an older one before mfj bought cushcraft. was also thinking about stacking a 6m beam under the 2m beam on the rotor, but i think they might be too close, doubt i could get more than 10 ft between them
nice rig, i got the baby version of that. love it

[Anonymous No.1412936]

>>1412737
LTE phone cell antennas.

[Anonymous No.1412953]

>>1412936
Thanks! Seems the wavelength is rather long...?

[Anonymous No.1413081]

>>1412953
Similar to UMTS, about 13 cm. You can stack multiple elements inside one antenna to increase the gain by narrowing the beamwidth.

[Anonymous No.1413351]

>>1413081
The elements depicted were >1 m long so that would mean nearly 10 quarter waves stacked. Also, are the 8 elements used in beam forming?

[Anonymous No.1414180]

Funtenna by W6NBC rivals J-Pole.

[Anonymous No.1414185]

>>1414180
That's actually impressive. Nice flat SWR, just wish it was lower.

[Anonymous No.1414239]

>>1414185
SWR is rather flat because the two coat hangers form a wide band dipole. SWR=2 means -0.5dB. A loss of 11% is barely noticeable by the receiver.

[Anonymous No.1414549]

>>1414239
post that cock

[Anonymous No.1415110]

>>1404062
>I'm the wrong guy to ask about amateur digital modes. Not really up to speed on all that stuff (majority of my work is public safety and commercial, P25 and DMR respectively).
>Audio quality is the biggest thing, if both sides are in a good coverage area. Analog is better at the fringe where digital starts to lose packets, since your brain is a better filter than any DSP or codec is. But in a good coverage area, digital is much cleaner.
>Text messaging, telemetry, and data are nice-to-haves.
>Other features like private calling (vs. talkgroup calls) are nice, especially on the business side.

Lord Emperor Motorola

[Anonymous No.1415543]

We passed 310 and are about to fall off the end.

Meanwhile I found this in the news:
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/locating-various-hf-transmitters-and-number-stations-with-kiwisdrs/
>he is also working with an ionospheric ray-tracing model and electron density data to take into account propagation delays from skywave propagation

That looks a bit like the discussions we had earlier about using GPS delays to determine ionospheric propagation by raytracing as the satellites move over the sky.

I hope the next generation radios (Elecraft K4?) can make use of this using a good GPS receiver.

[Anonymous No.1415836]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Avantone-Pro-Active-MixCube-PAIR-Black/273319413415?hash=item3fa31b46a7:g:JfcAAOSw7j5bJWev

how would these be for listening?

[Anonymous No.1416320]

why does this general die during summer?
like you fat niggers are outside doing something

[Anonymous No.1416332]

>>1416320
We are past 310 posts so we are in auto sage. Someone will have to make a new OP.

[Anonymous No.1416425]

>>1416332
>auto sage
please stop this meme

[Anonymous No.1416562]

http://alexander.n.se/the-radio-station-saq-grimeton/the-alexanderson-transmitter/?lang=en

This is going now. Receiving it on a websdr now.

[Anonymous No.1416614]

New thread >>1416613
New thread >>1416613
New thread >>1416613
New thread >>1416613