Re: Hams - Any Winter Projects?

27
featureless wrote:My winter project is to get a license. Any pointers or online/hard copy prep resources?

What does the brain trust think about this as an entry-level device?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MAULSOK/_e ... 3YHS&psc=0

I found that a ham radio would have been very useful during the fires here. Land line was down (connected via cable internet) and cell phone was spotty over much of the county. I'm 25 miles from home and would love another way to "phone home" should another fire or the overdue earthquake hit.
I have the UV-82 and it works to get me into the local repeaters with an 18" antenna. The Baofeng/Pofung radios are good entry level radios, and good spares. Can't argue with the price, either. ;)

I used the ARRL books when I took Tech and General - I'll send them to you if you'd like. PM a mailing address and I'll put them in a priority mail box. They're both for the current test bank. I didn't write in or highlight them, so aside from some cat-rubbed corners, they're ready to rock.

https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-L ... 1625950136
https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-Li ... 625950306/

Re: Hams - Any Winter Projects?

28
AndyH wrote:
featureless wrote:My winter project is to get a license. Any pointers or online/hard copy prep resources?

What does the brain trust think about this as an entry-level device?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MAULSOK/_e ... 3YHS&psc=0

I found that a ham radio would have been very useful during the fires here. Land line was down (connected via cable internet) and cell phone was spotty over much of the county. I'm 25 miles from home and would love another way to "phone home" should another fire or the overdue earthquake hit.
I have the UV-82 and it works to get me into the local repeaters with an 18" antenna. The Baofeng/Pofung radios are good entry level radios, and good spares. Can't argue with the price, either. ;)

I used the ARRL books when I took Tech and General - I'll send them to you if you'd like. PM a mailing address and I'll put them in a priority mail box. They're both for the current test bank. I didn't write in or highlight them, so aside from some cat-rubbed corners, they're ready to rock.

https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-L ... 1625950136
https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-Li ... 625950306/
Oh, cat rubbed corners! Very generous offer but I'd end up writing all over them. I may pick up the book in your first link.

Re: Hams - Any Winter Projects?

29
featureless wrote:
AndyH wrote:
featureless wrote:My winter project is to get a license. Any pointers or online/hard copy prep resources?

What does the brain trust think about this as an entry-level device?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MAULSOK/_e ... 3YHS&psc=0

I found that a ham radio would have been very useful during the fires here. Land line was down (connected via cable internet) and cell phone was spotty over much of the county. I'm 25 miles from home and would love another way to "phone home" should another fire or the overdue earthquake hit.
I have the UV-82 and it works to get me into the local repeaters with an 18" antenna. The Baofeng/Pofung radios are good entry level radios, and good spares. Can't argue with the price, either. ;)

I used the ARRL books when I took Tech and General - I'll send them to you if you'd like. PM a mailing address and I'll put them in a priority mail box. They're both for the current test bank. I didn't write in or highlight them, so aside from some cat-rubbed corners, they're ready to rock.

https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-L ... 1625950136
https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-Li ... 625950306/
Oh, cat rubbed corners! Very generous offer but I'd end up writing all over them. I may pick up the book in your first link.
The books will go to the home of a not-yet new ham one way or the other. Say the word and they're yours.
Attachments
studyguides.jpg

Re: Hams - Any Winter Projects?

33
If anyone's looking for a small CW/SSB project, the µBITX board is on the streets. 0.5-30 MHz, upper and lower sideband, with a digital display. 10 Watts on low bands; about 5 at 28 MHz. It ships as a kit, but since the board is complete, what's involved is preparing a case and wiring power, antenna, and controls.

A cool thing about the project, in addition to the radio itself, is that the project is open-source and also provides work to a collective of young ladies in India.

Before Christmas, they're $109. Afterward, they're $129.

http://www.hfsignals.com/index.php/ubitx/

Support is available from the group that formed in 2004 around the BITX20 and BITX40 projects, the single band forerunner of the microBITX.
https://groups.io/g/BITX20

Re: Hams - Any Winter Projects?

34
So...winter projects are out of control at this point. Got a new 40/20 fan dipole wrapped around my attic, the antenna analyzer made tuning as easy as it could be - especially since it didn't require many trips out of and back into the attic after checking VSWR.

I finished the Sweeperino and started sweeping just about everything I can get my hands on (the cat's lucky she doesn't have a place to install BNC connectors :lol: ). Made a couple of filters for the µBITX project. The low pass was good as soon as the solder had cooled. The first crystal filter (8 crystals in a G3UUR QER configuration) sucked...
V2_transformer.jpg
The second was a bit better...and it appeared I finally grasped the details as the third is a keeper.
SV3_Match.jpg
(The sweeper's not yet calibrated on the vertical scale...relative readings only for now.)

Then I found out about Winlink/Winmor and added a Signalink to the shack. Yes, it's like going back to the days of 1200 baud dial-up internet with the addition of S7 background noise, but it's a ton easier to get messages from point A to point B compared with spoken relays on the National Traffic System. I'm thinking digital with forward error correction is one of the ways we'll survive this solar minimum.

And then...I got a surprise µBITX for my birthday. 10 Watts of CW or SSB from just this side of sound to at least 30 MHz...controlled by an Arduino...with CAT access... I'm thinking this thing was made for digital modes and winmor and ALE. I'm also thinking there are more of them in my future...gotta get this one into a case first, though.

This has been a fun 'firehose' so far - bring on moar emcom stuff! :yahoo:

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