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Ham radio!

Started by Danny_S, January 09, 2006, 08:44:26 PM

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Danny_S

Consider getting into Amateur radio! (Ham radio)  Is it ever fun. I only have basic qualification which allows me to use the 2 meter bands. I have a small handheld radio, and there are a couple of repeaters in my area. One that I can link up to and talk anywhere in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia..

There is a new thing in town as well, called echolink
This is the opening paragraph that explains it in a nutshell..

"EchoLink software allows licensed Amateur Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet, using voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology.  The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, or from computer to station, greatly enhancing Amateur Radio's communications capabilities.  There are more than 170,000 registered users in 158 nations worldwide!"

How much fun would it be to sit in your back yard or travel down the road, key in a few digits and be talking to your Forestry Forum Buddies all over the world! (Depending on location of Echolink equipped repeaters.) I am currently in the process of getting a Echolink "Node" set up at my residence that will work off of a local repeater nearby.

Some repeaters have a "Autopatch"... basically a telephone patch. As long as I am able to contact my local repeater, I can key the mic and punch in a digit, a dialtone sounds, key the mic again and dial up the local telephone # I want to call. Listen for the ringing and the answer, and then just talk as if you were on the phone! The only diff is you need to still key the mic to talk and let off to listen. This has been a handy feature.

This is just a few things that you can do with Amateur Radio, I believe most people think that it is a big complicated thing to get into, you don't need big radio towers and antenna's and thousands of dollars of equipment to get into it. That can all come later..heheh. I have around $300. Here in Canada there is only a 100 question multiple choice test to pass and you are on the air.

Some links to Amateur Radio sites:

www.qrz.com
www.rac.ca (Canada)
www.eham.net

This is my Yaesu VX-170 Handheld Transiever..



I expect to hear from you via Amateur Radio in a Couple months.... :D

73 de VE9DKS...  (Ham lingo ;))





Plasma cutting at Craig Manufacturing

ElectricAl

Danny-S,


We have a couple Uniden scanners that pick up 2 meter Ham.
144.000MHz to 148.000MHz.

Do ya think if you could hop enough towers to get to Iowa?

I programed 146.760 in just in case you want to try  ;)

It's 8:10 pm Central Time



ElectricAl
Linda and I custom saw NHLA Grade Lumber, do retail sales, and provide Kiln Services full time.

Danny_S

From a quick search for Iowa there are 6 different repeaters that I can link to directly.

I would connect to it and I can talk through my laptop's mic and listen on the speakers to anyone that is within range of that repeater. Or anyone else that is connected to the repeater with their computer. I was just talking to a friend of mine a few minutes ago through my computer, he was in is car on the road about 2 hours from here. Neat stuff.
Plasma cutting at Craig Manufacturing

ElectricAl

Well,  Danny_S was able to get linked up to a tower 100 miles from us. He was able to breifly chat with a Ham operator near that tower. Unfortunitly, we were unable to pick up his transmition, even though the tower is 2000' tall. :-\

It was fun to try ;D

Linda and I custom saw NHLA Grade Lumber, do retail sales, and provide Kiln Services full time.

Murf

Al, you do know that with a scanner you will only ever hear one side of a conversation don't you?

Ham uses something called duplex broadcasting through the repeater. Ham radios automatically shifts freq. when you key the mic. so that it transmits on one freq. and receives on another.

Also, scanners have notoriously poor reception, because of the little antennas on them, if you werer to hook up a good-sized outdoor ant. you you would get far better reception, but I think 100 miles is a little too far, even with a good setup.
If you're going to break a law..... make sure it's Murphy's Law.

Danny_S

As long as he has the repeater's transmit freq he will hear all the conversation. My handheld has the repeater's transmit freq and I hear all conversations. It is only when I key the mic, my radio drops or gains 600 mhz, depending on the repeater's offset. If he had the repeater's offset freq he would only hear one side of the conversation. Make any sense? :D
Plasma cutting at Craig Manufacturing

ElectricAl

Murf,

Danny had given me the repeater out freq.

We figured 100 miles was plenty far.

There are towers closer, but Danny did not have direct access to them.

I realised in the begining I would have to PM him and he could talk back.

It was all fun and games.......and no one got hurt ;D
Linda and I custom saw NHLA Grade Lumber, do retail sales, and provide Kiln Services full time.

Stump Jumper

just downloaded echolink now waiting for approval just what i needed another learning curve  :-\  :)

  KC8HJT

QuoteI expect to hear from you via Amateur Radio in a Couple months.... 

IT MAY TAKE ME THAT LONG TO FIGURE ECHOLINK OUT
Jeff
May God Bless.
WM LT 40 SuperHDD42 HP Kubota walk & ride, WM Edger, JD Skidsteer 250, Farmi winch, Bri-Mar Dump Box Trailer, Black Powder

Flyboy

 8)  Catch it Catch it, Pay Day Today.
-.. . -. .---- ..- --- ...  Was sittin  in traffic in Beautiful downtown Brattleboro last summer, talkin to a Bloke in Brisbane Aussyland  on 10 meters. RCI 2950 @100 watts, tuned Wilson 2000 Truckers on my Pete. No repeaters either. Good atmospheric probagation though. Got a Yaesu 301-D All Mode hooked to a 2100- B "Welder" wired for 220 right next to me now, I'd fire it up but makes the puter "Hum" The lights dim too ;D
Flyboy


A "Good Old Jack" -  DT 7500 Kubota 4X4 Farmi Winch - Norwood LM 2000 Band Mill - A Good Son, A Good Dog,

Danny_S

Just a note that the surviving miner down in Virginia is a Ham operator. I was reading in www.qrz.com forums that he is receiving hundreds and hundreds of QSO cards ( Like a postcard that confirms radio contact) from operators all over the world, many or most with cash donations. Great to see the support from all the ham operators.
Plasma cutting at Craig Manufacturing

Danny_S

Well tonight stump_jumper and I were able to have a little chat on echolink. Although there were no radios involved, it is still a aspect of ham radio. Would be great to have more of the ham operators try out echolink, just for fun.

Hopefully some of you other forum junkies will look into getting your Amateur radio license  ;)
Plasma cutting at Craig Manufacturing

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