Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Cool man! Once you get on the air, we can totally get a conversation going over the intermountain intertie. Basically a connected net of repeaters that goes from Vegas / Northern Arizona up to Montana. Hit one, and we can hear you on all of them.

Print the below PDF and stash it in the truck. Good for if you get stuck and need help a ways from anywhere.

http://rexburghams.org/assets/IntermountainIntertie.pdf

 

5 band vertical test

 

@m603holden
Do you tap your FTDX and feed it into SDRPlay to get full screen waterfalls?

 

Not sure if it you can sample every band all across at once. Haven't really tried to be honest


I do have the sdr connected through the radio. That way when I click a signal on the screen it'll snap the vfo to it.

 

I’d be interested in how that connection is made.

Is it
Yaetsu RX Out—> SDRPlay
Omnirig drivers
RSync in SDR Uno

 

Yup

 

Here's the pigtail

Fit TS590SG TS-590SG Amateur Radio and SDRplay RG58 SMA Male to RCA Male Pigtail Jumper RF coaxial Cable 50ohm (3feet)

Fit TS590SG TS-590SG Amateur Radio and SDRplay RG58 SMA Male to RCA Male Pigtail Jumper RF coaxial Cable 50ohm (3feet)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SB58K2N/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_8g9tEbN6EKEVE

 

This is absolutely awesome!

I love how you can tune from either the Yaesu or SDRUno or both!

Thanks for the confirmations. Took me all of 15 min to get working. Love it!

 

Pretty sure you can drop it down to 6m as well, fyi, if you ever want to.

 

Yup

 

I mean, I wasn't wrong. I was pretty sure.



And completely oblivious lol

 

Hey all!

I have decided to get my HAM license. Been interested since high school more than 20 years ago, but I am a lazy fuck. Finally gonna do it. Studying for my test. Was gonna take it today, but was not happy with my practice test results yet, so I am gonna go in next week.

Anyway, I bought a Baofeng VV-5R. Been playing around with it (listening only!). I am very much a hands on learner and not having a radio was a big part of why I never decided to take the test. Since this was so cheap ($23, crazy) I went ahead and got it. I know it broadcasts a somewhat dirty signal, and I will be upgrading once I know I am going to be into this.

In the mean time I am having a hard time getting anything to come in with the stock antenna. Looking for recommendations for a replacement antenna so I can actually use this thing when I pass the test. For the Tacoma I was considering the Nagoya UT-72 mag mount and or the Nagoya NA-771 / NA-701 screw on. Don't want to spend much right now till I have passed the test and decide upon a mobile unit. This will be what I am using for the first few months. Should I go with one of these, or are there better options in the price range?

NA-701
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KBZLOHC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AA3MGRC7F9EI2&psc=1

NA-771

$21 Authentic Genuine Nagoya NA-771 15.6" Whip VHF/UHF (144/430Mhz) Antenna SMA-Female for BTECH and BaoFeng Radios

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KC4PWQQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=AA3MGRC7F9EI2&psc=1

Second question. Programing this thing from the handheld is tedious. I am getting a programing cable. Is the BTECH PC03 FTDI cable the one to get? There is a option on Amazon that is $10 instead of $20, and they look the same, but I don't really know anything about them.

Edit added some links.

 

After you get your license, scrap the rubber ducky antenna. It honestly is junk. For the truck, with the HT, get the mag mount you noted. I’ve used it with very good results. For an HT (handheld) only application, the 1/4 screw on also is good. I use that on mine. I don’t recall which programming cable I used but the one I use works with the CHIRP programming software.

 

Where did you get you QSL cards? or do you just print them on your printer via a PC?

 

@GHOST SHIP

guess who's getting a mobile ham? and needs a add on?

 

Text incoming..

 

Changing the antenna on the handheld makes a massive difference. I purchased a knockoff

$21 NA-771 15.6" Whip VHF/UHF (144/430Mhz) Antenna SMA-Female for BTECH and BaoFeng Radios

NA-771 on Amazon. I was trying to talk to a neighbor less than a mile away and if either one of us had the stock rubber duck on the radio, we couldn't communicate. Once I gave him my second knockoff Nagoya, we can have a full quieting conversation. I also got the TECH PC03 FTDI cable but a cheaper cable should work fine. I programmed mine with CHIRP. A mag mount antenna would be great for the truck. Much better than dealing with a whip in the truck under the metal roof. You can get cheap SMA to PL-259 connectors too if you want to use a permanent antenna on the truck with a more standard connector.

 

Anyone have their ht switched out to bnc connector? Looking for a better setup for when the ht is connected to a mag mount

 

There are some radios with BNC antennas at work that are floppy. I don't really like them if the connection is prone to moving. Might be okay if you mount the handheld and don't touch it.

 

For me it's a compromise between that and the sma to Pl that always comes undone. Need a solution.