Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Also, just wanna call out @Gunshot-6A for helping me get up and running tonight, definitely have a much better feel for it now. Thanks man!

 

Glad I could help! I had a little bit of difficulty hitting the repeater myself so it was good to get some practice getting the settings right

 

Not at all. Run aprs on one side, chat on the other. KISS .

 

@m603holden is 9ne of the main reasons I purchased the TM-V71A as my first radio. The gigaparts guy told me I wanted the FTM-400 but I was leery. I like the option to run other data modes through the data port on the TM-V71A and it is a simple enough radio, I'm not overwhelmed. Simple to use while on the move. I don't regret it at all. I already had a cheap Samsung tab 3 for APRS and spend a couple dollars building my own mobilinkd with bluetooth. I don't use proprietary digital modes.

 

And no, I don't find dedicating one side to APRS to be a hindrance. If I'm not running APRS, I shut the second side off anyway.

 

They're neat to explore, but I'd still take a good Fm signal when push comes to shove and the conditions suck.

The digital modes sound different, but I don't think they really sound better.

 

@BEAR_KNIFE_FIGHT if you like go-kits, you'll probably like this guy's channel.

Oh the beauty of having a general ticket. Lol.

https://youtu.be/kPlBMJ86Z4E

 

this appears to combine two interests -- radios and gratuitous amounts of 18650 batteries (i can only assume)

 

Oh boy does it.. at one time i had 5 V/Uhf radios some where in this thread i listed HF rigs ive had, thats not including Antenna trans match, power supplies, coax, meters, antenna analyzer or Antennas.... its a black hole once you get addicted

Got amped up cause yall posting up about APRS i turned on the modem

 

If you install a 2nd radio for VHF, it will de-sense the FM voice radio on 2m each time it transmits. Not a huge deal. I used to run a Motorola CDM1250 dedicated to APRS with a mobilinkd and ft-8900 for voice. It was a great setup.

Nothing beats that tm-d710g. Even if you don't use the APRS, I love the control head.

 

Before we move on from APRS, I want to add that there are a lot of advantages to running an handheld APRS setup. Especially if you get out and hike (I know, exercise is not a topical HAM activity). I have a Kenwood TH-D72a that for a while I had hooked up to an AvMap GPS in my truck. Kept it in my center console, had an external antenna and plugged into power. Wasn't 50w transmit, but in my travels across my state, the 5w worked 98% of the time (less is more). The other benefit with the 72 (they have a 74 out now with color and more things) is taking it hiking, using it's built in GPS and digital compass. Got a furry friend or kid, put a cheap APRS tracker on them and use your radio to track them if they get lost. I like dual function things, use in truck on trail and trips, pull it out and use it on trails. Kenwood has the ability for some HTs to control their mobile radios.

AvMap closed up it's N American ops (Except Farm and aviation) and I couldn't get any help from them. There are some models of older Garmin you can connect up to radios, I didn't go that route, so not sure what all is involved.

You don't NEED a dedicated APRS radio, but I found it nice to have one. I volunteer with a HAM radio group and we often have traffic going on two nets. Also, I don't always want APRS turning on when I turn on my radio. For trails and stuff, I don't always travel with HAM only folks, so I set one side to the trail freq and the other to monitor the FRS freq that the none hams are using. Nice to have APRS doing it's thing out of the way).

edit: I also use the HT APRS on my motorcycle and packed it on flights so I had it with me

 

The advantages to digital modes such as Fusion, DMR, P25 and especially D-STAR and NXDN, is they use spectrum more efficiently. So 6.25KHz or the equivalent (e.g. time or frequency dividing a 12.5KHz channel for two information streams) of bandwidth is sufficient for nearly the same audio clarity as we use for 25KHz of analog FM. That's why it exists commercially. We don't have as much issue with needing narrowband to fit everyone like they do with public service and business radios so it's not as much of an advantage for us.

It handles fringing a bit better, e.g. it doesn't audibly fade at the margin. Although when the bit error rate gets high enough the audio goes from clear to garbled so it's far from perfect. But there's a region where analog gets noisy that digital remains clear until it just stops working.

The main reason I think people like tinkering with digital (I'm a DMR user) is the ability to network repeaters over the Internet. Analog can do it with IRLP and Echolink and D-STAR has always had this but Motorola IPSC and C-Bridge made it relatively simple with their DMR repeaters and of course Brandmeister with all brands has created tons of talk groups.

Another reason I run it in mobile is so that I can use DMR HTs. The good thing about that is the battery lasts considerably longer, digital modes use the transmitter more efficiently.

 

I find having dedicated APRS stations better.

 

I truly feel sorry for the non hams. Kinda like a bad lift or changing oil too often.

 

Yep. Once again though I think it's community and location based.

To pair a feature that requires internet, repeaters, (<~~~~~2 features mostly found in populated areas) or other users to have the same brand radio as you with a feature (APRS) that is best utilized In Remote areas or with grid down / emergency situations (Ares, traditionally require external tnc access) has always just been a bit of a questionable move for me with the ftm line.

Digital is nice, but it's very conditional. I'm a DMR guy as well and it's great as a stand alone feature like in A HT as I mentioned above, just not sure I'd ever want it paired with a mobile.

 

Mobile DMR (really any digital mode) only becomes useful if there's on the air DMR repeaters with a network bridge. I use a local DMR repeater (I'm in western Colorado, about 200 miles west of Denver now) to kick on a talk group that's been linked across several others with various modes (even analog). It lets me keep in touch with some ham friends back over in Denver.

http://skyhublink.com

Basically I just dislike hot spots and streaming over your cell phone. What's the fun in that? An HT is essentially just a wireless mic for a computer. Meh.

 

Brandmiester.

I can be driving with my HT in NH getting into the net and coming out the repeater in Alabama to my buddy @medic2230 as he drives around In his truck. That's probably the biggest advantage of a hot spot. And also large groups coming together for an event can all hop on one Tac channel (dmr).

 

They get the bubble pack treatment. Haha. Sucker sits right in my cup holder.

I roll with the ham mobile, the cb, and a bubble pack ht in the back of cubby cup holder.


9/10 I respond on the cb radio after my name it called for the 5th time and I catch it with the volume at 20%

 

My local repeater (W0BX) is a node on Brandmeister. I understand why people use hot spots, I'd just rather not. It's a finessed distinction since a DMR repeater is just a hot spot on steroids but I like the idea that others around town can hear and we could chat locally if no one else happens to be in the wide area talk group.

 

I guess my point is that most places that have digital repeaters also have cell phone service. So unless you're specifically looking for a digital mode radio that you can use at over 20 miles out, I'd argue looking at other mobile radios with other features, and that pairing digital with a locked aprs rig was a terrible idea haha.