Ham radio / amateur radio / shortwave / SDR general thread

[Anonymous No.659832]

Last thread died, so here's a replacement.

Anyone go to the Dayton Hamvention? Or find an HF transceiver that costs less than $800?

[Anonymous No.659839]

>>659832
I can see why a girl like her is into radio.

[Anonymous No.659843]

>>659839
See that telewave in the back? She is operator, would bang. That tidy shack. Hnng.

[Anonymous No.659851]

>>659843
She looks like a young Wendy Carlos...I mean, if Wendy were a Wendy when she was young.

[Anonymous No.659855]

My dad wants me to go into ham radio, even made me to get a license (shittiest possible, it isn't even recognised worldwide only inside my country) and donated me his old mobile radio (yaesu vx-6r) but I rarely turn it on to listen to something and never transmitted anything myself because spaghetti.

[Anonymous No.659856]

>>659851
I prefer this Wendy, if you know what I mean.

[Anonymous No.659957]

>>659832
> implying any of that gear is switched on.
> implying she the slightest idea what she's doing.
> implying she is not the operators sister, and the photo is not a setup to demonstrate that girls can into ham as well.

[Anonymous No.659981]

>>659832
is that airconditioner exhaust aimed directly at her head?

[Anonymous No.659997]

>>659981
im dying

[Anonymous No.660013]

>>659832
i can't stop looking at her.
fucking creepy weird

[Anonymous No.660020]

>>659832

real skin

vs.

>>659856

photoshop enhancement

[Anonymous No.660086]

>>659856
Beautiful, but has a personality that makes you want to punch her in the face.

[Swifts !WiNDUPyWhk No.660087]

>>659855
>tfw playing with a CB radio with dad
>tfw too spaghetti to talk

[Anonymous No.660088]

>>659855
Ham battlestations are greatest battlestations.

[Anonymous No.660090]

>>659855
wtf is that thing on the wall? Some sort of deadly electrical panel?

[Anonymous No.660104]

>>660090
Jumpers to different antennas. It's not a 10 watt shack, that's for sure.

[Anonymous No.660113]

> tfw I will never be this operator

[Anonymous No.660139]

>>659832
>female engineer thread general

[Anonymous No.660143]

>>660139
Yenta

[Anonymous No.660174]

>>660088
They look cool, but I never understood why they need more than one (universal) station.

Also old ham people hate computers for some reason.

[Anonymous No.660189]

>>659856
but is she into sdr?

[Radio Guy !PqLLOK0ckw No.660224]

>>659832
There are plenty of nice HF units for under $800. I got my Yaesu FT-817 for $400 (used). You've just got to look around a bit. Check out eham's classifieds, ebay, QRZ classifieds, and similar sites.

[Anonymous No.660237]

>>659839
Eh, would date and mate with.

[Anonymous No.660238]

>mfw getting a Kenwood TM-V7 off eHam for $220

[Anonymous No.660240]

>>659855
2 minutes in MS paint

[Anonymous No.660241]

>>660240
You'll never get those two minutes back.

[Anonymous No.660256]

>>660139
>wimmin in the control room

[Anonymous No.660257]

>>659855
>dat hidden kitty

[Anonymous No.660698]

>>660139
>Using the Littlite as a talkback mic
>wimmin

[Anonymous No.661349]

>>660174
I love how old hams refer to ANY form of online forum as a "reflector".

[Anonymous No.661423]

>>660237
You know thats a guy, right?

[Anonymous No.661430]

>>661423
Failbait. Its a picture from wikipedia that clearly states its a girl. 0/10, go back to >>>/b/.

[Anonymous No.661455]

>>661430
It's a shemale bro.
Congratulations, you are now gay.

[Anonymous No.661489]

Oh good a radio thread, can anyone with SDR experience give me a hand with a project? I have one of these generic remote controlled power strips a friend gave to me. It is actually more generic than the one pictured, the remote has two buttons, on and off...

I looked up the FCC ID and found that it works on 315mhz, and some people said that they got this https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10535?gclid=CKOO0bjnpb8CFRAV7AodgVsAFw to work with generic power strips by reverse engineering the protocol and having a micro-controller work it, but none of them have given details. One person said he used a logic analyzer but I don't have one, so would it be possible to use my SDR dongle to figure out the protocol and re-implement it on the linked rf transmitter. I don't know where to begin other than fooling around with SDR# and confirming that the signal is being transmitted on 315mhz.

[Anonymous No.661490]

>>661489
shit forgot picture, im sure you could have imagined it though.

[Anonymous No.661512]

>>661489
>E4K range: 52 to 2209 MHz
>E4K L-band gap: 1105 to 1239 MHz

Looks like you're in business. I forget what software people use to do waterfall plots but you should be able to find it easy.

[Anonymous No.661515]

>>661512
I also just found out that they both use ASK methods of communicating, the fcc docs submitted by the company show that it uses pulses of varying duty cycles to communicate with the power strip, unfortunately the docs don't tell me the pulse widths and the graphs aren't detailed enough to figure them out with.

[Anonymous No.661608]

>>659832
I want to fuck her asshole and lick her eyeballs.

[Anonymous No.661762]

>>661455
Source or quit projecting, faggot.

[Anonymous No.662557]

July issue of CQ magazine in PDF format


http://rapidgator dot net/file/aea188049753a8711675e76e8afb4b5e/CQ4m4t3urRadi0July2014TruePDF.pdf.html

[Anonymous No.662579]

>>661762
>wants to have sex with a man
>calls others "faggot"

kek

[Anonymous No.662597]

>>661489
Use SDR# and get the signal you're looking for in the spectrum view, then record in IQ mode using the recording plugin. View the output .wav file in Audacity and manually decode, prolly just manchester encoding.

[Anonymous No.662611]

>>661608
I want to fuck her eyeballs and lick her asshole.

[Anonymous No.662642]

>>662611
I love to Cruz the 10 meter band.

(Yes, I do look a bit like Freddie Mercury)

[Anonymous No.662683]

>>662642

[Anonymous No.662685]

>>662642
>(Yes, I do look a bit like Freddie Mercury)

You look like Ben Stiller in Zoolander, except with a 'stash

[Anonymous No.662697]

>>661608
What a blessing and curse anonymity is.

[Anonymous No.662790]

>>660087
CB radio doesn't have shit on ham

ham>cb

[Anonymous No.662806]

>>662597
Thanks for the tip, I have to try it. I have been busy but when I get free time I try and use this utility I found called rtl_433 which is designed to decode ism ask coms but I was having compile errors and I didn't feel like using linux at the time. Your method sounds simpler.

[Anonymous No.662909]

>>662806
I tried using rtl_433 and couldn't get it to compile, and even with a precompiled file it was pretty crap to be honest. The manual decoding method takes much longer but it will work for anything, FSK for example.

[Anonymous No.663232]

>>659832
I have general license, but i dont use it much.
I have a kenwood ts-820s works fine, i like cw but i dont like talking to people much as it is.
I find that all you do on ham is say call sign someone else says hi they say call sign and thats basically it, or they talk about radios with you. Only point to me in having ham is if you live in the middle of no where and dont have a phone. Or camp in the middle of no where and want a link to civilization.
I just dont find it as fun as other people seem to, but then again i barely like cellphones and only have one cause it has the internet.

[Anonymous No.663399]

>>663232
I've never been much for rag chewing, or anything voice-related, really. I have a lot more fun with digital modes, especially JT65.

[Anonymous No.663735]

I have too many handhelds.

>>663399
JT65 reminds me of that one scifi movie where the aliens played music to communicate. I find it funny the EME guys use it.

[Anonymous No.663738]

I have too many handhelds.

>>663399
JT65 reminds me of that one scifi movie where the aliens played music to communicate. I find it funny the EME guys use it.

[Anonymous No.663763]

How difficult is the Technician exam? I'm not really interested in HAM as a hobby. I'm from /k/, I mostly want a simple handheld unit I'll probably never use, just in case of SHTF

[Anonymous No.663765]

>>663763
See if there's a "ham cram" coming up in your area.

[Anonymous No.665161]

>>662790
Same. I'd rather just know how to communicate when the cell towers go down due to earthquakes.

[Anonymous No.665164]

>>663763
Fellow /k/ommando here, I passed my tech exam using this guide:

http://www.kb6nu.com/tech-manual/

And using the practice exams here:

http://www.eham.net/exams/

Studied for a week, and passed it the first time.

[Anonymous No.665178]

>>665164
Thank you /k/omrade, may the blessings of the cube be with you always.

[Anonymous No.666179]

Anybody recommend a good soldering iron? I'm going to make my own RG213 cables for my mobile and want to solder pl-259 onto them.

[Anonymous No.666950]

>>659839
I like cute nerdy girls, don't know shit about radios though.

[Anonymous No.668261]

Anyone have any plans on making your own base station antennas?

[Anonymous No.668383]

I've been interested in this hobby, how exactly do I get into Ham and what components do you need?
More importantly; how expensive is it?

[Anonymous No.668388]

>>668383
You need to get a license first.

[Anonymous No.668681]

>want to receive NOAA satellite weather images
>has software set up and ready
I can't find any specific antenna build guides for APT(137mhz for NOAA signals) antennas.

I've found a calculator for a QFH antenna, but I can't find info on how to wire one.
I'm also willing to try a turnstile if anyone can link me to formulas / build instruction.
Thanks for the help!

For anyone into / looking to get into SDR, here's a good starting point and general info bank: http://www.rtl-sdr.com/

[Anonymous No.669703]

>>660240
>>659855

[Anonymous No.669721]

>>659832
So I keep hearing that ham is nothing but pedos?
Ive heard this on multiple occasions.
sounds kinda creepy.

[StuPedasso No.669730]

>>659832
>E4K
wow, I didn't realize what these things could do.

got a serious question

I just helped my landlord (WA9GUH) move his tower and he's offered me an old ham rig, a swan cygnet 270, it works. is this a decent rig to start out on? I've been interested in ham for a long time but I haven't checked the regs in decades, I've heard that a novice license is no morse required, how is it for the upper levels? I've been into electronics since integrated circuits began and hold a broadcast tech cert from the SBE so the tech part of ham tests shouldn't be a problem but I've never learned code and I wonder if I'll need to in order to do anything interesting.

related question, what is the ham world doing for data these days? last I heard it was "packet" 1200 baud stuff is that all there is?

anybody do slow scan?

>pic is 40ft tower and antennas for landlord

[Anonymous No.669737]

>>669730
Tell Charlie I said hi...

[StuPedasso No.669746]

>>669737
damn! well it's a small world.
I'll see him tomorrow, who is saying hello?

[Anonymous No.669749]

>>669746
Kelly

[StuPedasso No.669762]

>>669749
ok...
and that is going to mean something to him ?
for all I know you are just some troll who got his name because I posted the callsign

I'm rather inclined to believe that is the case as you didn't see fit to answer any questions I posted, didn't list a name or callsign until I asked... so...

>i guess I'm not as dumb as you look

[Anonymous No.670088]

>>669730
>I just helped my landlord (WA9GUH) move his tower and he's offered me an old ham rig, a swan cygnet 270, it works. is this a decent rig to start out on?

Well, it's old, and it's analog, but they were very well-regarded at the time and most have held up well. And if it'll get you on the air, why the hell not? I say take it and give it a go.

>I've been interested in ham for a long time but I haven't checked the regs in decades, I've heard that a novice license is no morse required, how is it for the upper levels?

Morse is no longer required at any level. You never have to learn it if you don't want to.

Really, the only question these days is whether you're content with mostly making local contacts or want to "work the world". If it's the former, a Tech license is all you'll need. Otherwise, you'll have to pass the Tech and General exams.

>related question, what is the ham world doing for data these days? last I heard it was "packet" 1200 baud stuff is that all there is?

Packet isn't that popular these days. But you can do 9600 on UHF.

There's a zillion other data modes that are being used these days though. Just google "amateur digital modes". I'm especially a fan of JT65.

>anybody do slow scan?

I don't, but there's sure plenty of guys that do!

[StuPedasso No.670169]

>>670088
thanks anon, I like the old tube stuff. it can be a little ticklish to work on, but I understand it.

I don't think the tests will be a problem.

I'm really impressed with the things people are doing on RTL-SDR.com
I've been out of the loop for a couple of decades, and I'm just blown away what a $20 usb dongle and software can do.

as far as ham radio goes, I think it's "work the world" as you put it, and I'll shoot for the General or Extra class for the freqs and modulations it allows.

I am also seriously impressed with the JT65 modulation / encoding scheme

I'm very glad to find out the amateur radio world is still alive and kicking

[Anonymous No.670174]

>>669762
> thinking someone actually knows charlie
> earnestly rationalises out loud the potential that we dont actually know charlie.
> posting with a name on am anonymous board

I'm going to guess you are in fact significantly dumber than you look.

[Anonymous No.671152]

What's the oldest HF transceiver you could pick up on ebay that would let you do JT65 and/or other digital modes?

[Anonymous No.671789]

>>670088
I'll address this question to Anon,as it appears that you know what you're talking about, This is not about ham specifically, but I bet you'll have some ideas about this subject. I recently started a job as a delivery courier ( LOVE IT! ) and there are 2 ways we have our jobs dispatched. The first is by phone (about 10% of the time), and the second by two way radio (90% of the time), but there are times when you need to be away from your vehicle; ie. bathroom breaks, lunch etc. My question for you is this, is there any way to set up a smart phone to receive transmissions from the radio so my ass doesn't have to stay welded to the car seat? I'm getting tired of missing calls or having other drivers beat me to them. The radio is a motorola XPR 4350 and the spec are as follows:

Features: Capable of 32 channels · 12.5/25 kHz Switchable Channel Spacing · IP Site Connect · Versatile audio options · flexible menu-driven interface · Bright display · Compact, ergonomic design · Programmable buttons · Durable loudspeaker

Specifications: Frequency Range: VHF (136 - 174 MHz) UHF (403 - 470, 450 - 512MHz) · Power: 1-25W, 25-45W (VHF); 1- 25 Watts, 25 - 40 Watts (UHF) · Mil Spec 810 E & F
Please help a brother out.

The picture is somewhat related. The caption should read "A ham - droid?"

[Anonymous No.671896]

>>671789
Talk to the guy who runs the radio system and get yourself a portable radio. This would be the easiest way.

[Anonymous No.672281]

whats modern and commercially useful in todays world of radio telephony?

Im goimg for General Operators Certificate in VHF and then a HF cert with radar endorsement. all this is for watchkeeper / comms on private yachts. would rather operate than be the electrical engineer ( though the EEs earn double what id get ).

[Anonymous No.672283]

Three months without opening gqrx and now I'm going to kill myself while trying to get it to work it again. Oh, my dog...
I tryied to reinstall everything, and I get a single message "Segmentation fault" every single time I open it even when I build it with debug mode. Linux is so fucking funny. Everything worked a year ago when I had a dual boot with windows to do this.

[Anonymous No.672285]

>>659832

What do amateur ham operators even do? Just talk to eachother?

I see criminal/punk appeal in amateur radio but I don't understand the common recreational use of them.

[Anonymous No.672304]

>>672283
get a core file and gdb that shit.

[Anonymous No.672320]

>>672281
Circuit maintenance ds-3+ are carried over radio in rural areas.

[Anonymous No.672401]

>>672285
Just talking to each-other, there are so many arbitrary rules though, you have to identify after every transmission, and if you go for more than a 10 minute transmission you need to re-identify. Hell, hams get sent into a tizzy whenever you cross band repeat (using a low power, usually a handheld, radio to hit a repeater you own that transmits on higher power in a different frequency band) and don't identify on the downlink. Luckily all the old fart hams will be dead in a few decades and with any luck we can get those frequency bands opened up for something more useful. Anyone up to date on the new version of CB, a possible 200Mhz of spectrum at 3.5ghz, a new license free ISM band essentially. Exciting stuff.

[Anonymous No.672405]

>>672285
Most of them just talk about their radio hobby. There is the rare occasion where it descends to 4chin levels:

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/14747/web

[Anonymous No.672408]

>>672405
WTF is this, these guys sound like assholes, talking about jamming eachother and shit.

[Anonymous No.672411]

>>672408
Welcome to the 4chan of HAM airwaves of L.A.

http://your435.com/

[Anonymous No.672413]

>>672411
If there is an echolink or allstar in the area I would love to fuck with them, otherwise I will stick to my Pennsylvania repeater network.

[Anonymous No.672414]

>>672413
http://www.repeaterbook.com/repeaters/FeatureSearch.php?state_id=06&type=EchoLink

[Anonymous No.672429]

Is ham radio a thing in Australia?

[Anonymous No.672431]

>>672429
http://vkfaq.ampr.org/

[Anonymous No.672464]

>>672429
Too right. Plenty of them about. The only thing is licensing is done via the wia so you pretty much have to join a club to start with.

[Anonymous No.672546]

>>672413
435 does indeed have an Echolink connection. But I've never dared try it because I don't want those nuts knowing my call sign, lol....

[Anonymous No.672583]

>>672546
I read that they have a teamspeak not echolink because they didn't agree to the echolink service terms, they have to be courteous to echolink staff... You can guess how that went down. Teamspeak used to have a transmit function but it got removed because of abuse or something like that, Teamspeak would be amazing voip software but it is too easy for a non amateur to initiate communications without the knowledge of the owner (another stupid rule)

[Anonymous No.672703]

Not sure if I should make a new thread but I'm starting to look into making a small FM radio to understand how they work.
I'm thinking I'm going to experiment with them in a faraday cage to prevent any legal trouble.
Where the fuck do I start? Everybody can buy a small DIY kit, but I truly want to understand.
I have knowledge about basic AC and DC circuits.
After a bit of reading on the internet it seems that a changing current induces radiowaves on a conductor. How do I go from here?

[Anonymous No.672757]

>>672405
amazing, it's basically /pol/ on the radio

[Anonymous No.672792]

>>672757
Yeah, when the gov finally decides shut 4chan down, it'll live on in HAM form.

[StuPedasso No.672794]

>>672703
>After a bit of reading on the internet it seems that a changing current induces radiowaves on a conductor.

a bit of reading probably won't quite cover it anon. to start with it's poor form to say "radiowaves on a conductor", when it's in a conductor it is considered an alternating current, radio waves exist outside of what is normally considered a conductor (air, the vacuum of space etc...)

>How do I go from here?
resonance is the start
just because a conductor carries an alternating current does not mean it will radiate off into space as a radio wave. several things must occur. Low frequencies (50/60 Hz) are more difficult to get to radiate efficiently and high frequencies (GHz microwaves) are hard to stop from radiating away into space.
And once you have created a source for the particular frequency you want to use and are able to get it to give off radio waves you still have the question of how you have modulated (encoded) your information onto the wave, (the carrier).
Your choice of FM (frequency modulation) is not the simplest. FM means that the changes in the input signal (usually voice or music) make changes in the carrier frequency, small changes in the signal make small changes in the carrier frequency and large changes in signal make large changes in the carrier frequency. Now as you can imagine these changes have to be limited at the large change end to keep the radio waves in the correct channel / band, so that your signal does not interfere or overlap with other stations broadcasts.

there are many fine sources of information on the interwebz, I would suggest ARRL as a starting place

[Anonymous No.672795]

>>672405
>http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/14747/web

This ain't no amateur seen.

[Anonymous No.672801]

I'll just leave this here:

http://www.batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=2

[Anonymous No.672803]

>>672794
>resonance is the start
Well I know about resonance frequency from my AC course and RLC circuits. f= 1/sqrt(LC) in rads right? If I get that circuit it starts broadcasting at the resonance frequency if I were to attach a wire at the output? They never told me what resonance frequency is good for, just that impedance gets to infinite and electrons keep bouncing back and forth.

I just hate it when almost every source on the internet just gives you a schematic with no explanation whatsoever and tells you to build it.
I'll check ARRL for some more info

[StuPedasso No.672836]

>>672803
>If I get that circuit it starts broadcasting at the resonance frequency if I were to attach a wire at the output?
simple answer... YES

in real life you need to match the output of your device to a transmission line (coax) and that connects to the antenna. the impedance needs to match at each connection for good efficiency. That being said a poor connection and a poor antenna will still radiate something.

here is a website you might like
http://www.antenna-theory.com/

[Anonymous No.672913]

>tfw using an ICOM IC-T7H

Baofeng's are good for the money, but these older HT's are fucking solid.

[Anonymous No.673248]

I just want to be able to get on HF and do some digital stuff without shelling out $1000 I don't have.

[Anonymous No.673250]

>>673248
Should have added I already have a general license.

[StuPedasso No.673263]

>>673250
well, that's a start.
what other resources do you have?
I'm not familiar with the license levels, does a general allow you to build your own transmit device?
do you have space for HF antenna?

[Anonymous No.673341]

>>672794
>Your choice of FM (frequency modulation) is not the simplest

Teh fuck are you talking about

Audio source -> bandpass -> VCO, that's like 7 passives and a transistor at its most basic.

SSB, now there is a mode that is a major pain in the ass.

[StuPedasso No.673453]

>>673341
>Teh fuck are you talking about
straight AmplitudeModulation

[Anonymous No.673470]

>>673453
No.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-sideband_modulation

[Anonymous No.673511]

>>673263
> well, that's a start.
> what other resources do you have?

Roughly $500 and enough land around the house to put up a decent antenna. That part I could build myself.

> I'm not familiar with the license
> levels, does a general allow
> you to build your own transmit
> device?

Yes. A general gives you all US amateur privileges, except you're barred from using certain small portions of most bands that are held as the only reason to upgrade to an Extra Class license (the top of the line).

> do you have space for HF antenna?

Yeah. Plus under US law, the city, county and state can't put any restrictions on ham antennas.

[StuPedasso No.673735]

>>673511
from what little I know it sounds like JT65 might be something within reach.

I'm looking into the whole thing right now myself, and will try for license in next few weeks.

if you have a computer you are half way there.
I'd get one of those USB tuners for the receiver for about $20 (I found one on ebay buy it now 13.49 free shipping)
see for how to modify it and set it up to use the free software http://www.rtl-sdr.com/

and since JT65 uses the sound card for the mod / demod and uses 10~40 Watts max a simple linear amplifier circuit shouldn't be too hard to conjure up.

there are plenty of antenna web sites to help with design and construction hints for long wire type antennas which are pretty cheap, or build your own beam antenna if one of the omni rhombus designs won't do.

good luck