Amateur Radio

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue May 25, 2004 9:20 am

Thought I'd open this up, since a few of us are interested in the hobby... Anyone feel free to chime in, if you're interested!I'm shooting for getting my technician license sometime in June, it is one thing that I've put off for years but have always had the desire to do. So, let's talk it up about all things ham - what kind of "rigs," antennas, and what not do you have in the Vibe? 73's.

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Tue May 25, 2004 9:37 pm

Gee....You beat me to it.... Well, here is my current setup in my Vibe.Rig: Icom IC-207H w/ newer micAntenna: 1/4 wave dual band mag-mountI will try to take some pics and post them here later....Also FYI for all you HAMs out there.... The new question pool for the General Class license goes into effect starting July 1, 2004. You can purchase the new study guide from the ARRL website.Guess I will have to get the new study guide and get to it!73

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Tue May 25, 2004 9:41 pm

Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»I will try to take some pics and post them here later....I'd really like to see that.Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Also FYI for all you HAMs out there.... The new question pool for the General Class license goes into effect starting July 1, 2004. You can purchase the new study guide from the ARRL website.Guess I will have to get the new study guide and get to it!73 Really.. i guess i'll either have to go ahead and take it or go buy some new books

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Tue May 25, 2004 10:30 pm

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»Really.. i guess i'll either have to go ahead and take it or go buy some new books Here's a link for ya....http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9205

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Wed May 26, 2004 8:05 am

Here are some pics..... They are kinda big though..... Can you spot my antenna in this pic... If you look REALLY close, you can see both of them.....

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spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Wed May 26, 2004 8:06 am

Here is a close up of the roof.....

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spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Wed May 26, 2004 8:07 am

Here is an interior shot....

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spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Wed May 26, 2004 8:09 am

And one more.... I was going to take a shot inside the center console so you could see how I did the power cable, but the battery died on my camera. Good thing for my CF card reader...... You can also see the mount I have on my shift console. It holds my iPod, PDA for when I am using my GPS and it also works for a mic holder... How's that for multipurpose!!

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ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Wed May 26, 2004 8:14 am

looks nice and clean.what path did you run the antenna cable?How do you like the 207H?i'm toying with the idea of making a mdf console to replace the center console between the seats, it should be easy enough. my problem is to find a way to cover it that looks and feels nice. Also the e-brake would be a challenge to work around.

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Wed May 26, 2004 8:15 am

Ok..... never mind about the pics...... They are working on my 'puter now. Guess I just didn't wait long enough.Anyway.... I REALLY love the 207H. It has plenty of features and I got it for a decent price on ebay. I also like the idea of the remote face, but I really couldn't find a good spot to mount it and still be able to operate safely. By the time I had it in one of the various storage compartments, it was too deep in them to be able to operate the controls easily. If you look in the "Do-it-Yourself" section on the forum, there is a take apart for the center console. It actually is really easy to do and you shouldn't have too much trouble fabricating something around the e-barke as it is attached to the car, not the console.Here is a pic of the back, you can see how I got the cable in the car.... from there it goes behind the rear trim panel, under the back seat, then under the trim piece on the floor at the rear door. Then it just goes under the drivers seat up to the radio. I can get you some more pics if you like, just let me know what you would like to see....

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ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Wed May 26, 2004 8:42 am

Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Anyway.... I REALLY love the 207H. It has plenty of features and I got it for a decent price on ebay. I also like the idea of the remote face, but I really couldn't find a good spot to mount it and still be able to operate safely. By the time I had it in one of the various storage compartments, it was too deep in them to be able to operate the controls easily.I had been looking at icom's website at the 207/208/2720 as well as the kenwood models to try to figure out what to get. i saw that they even has a HF that you could mount in a car, but its *way* up there.. Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»If you look in the "Do-it-Yourself" section on the forum, there is a take apart for the center console. It actually is really easy to do and you shouldn't have too much trouble fabricating something around the e-barke as it is attached to the car, not the console.Yeah, i dont think it'd be *too* bad, i bought a center console from a wrecked vibe on ebay so i've got some idea of what it looks like underneath. the problem i have is how to cover it and make it nice and durable. i dont have any kind of access to a upholstery shop or any experience in fiberglass stuff. I was thinking about a mdf frame, some kind of thin padding material and then a fabric / fake leather type material on top.Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Here is a pic of the back, you can see how I got the cable in the car.... from there it goes behind the rear trim panel, under the back seat, then under the trim piece on the floor at the rear door. Then it just goes under the drivers seat up to the radio. I can get you some more pics if you like, just let me know what you would like to see.... I see. Yeah, i just tucked mine under the trim around the doors and that worked pretty good. (i have antennas on the small rear windows)Right now i have my cb stuck to the dash right on top of the instrument cluster using superlock. Not the cleanest solution so thats why im thinking about making a center console replacement.edit: oops.. typo on the manufacturer name

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed May 26, 2004 9:25 am

You know, that's a darn nice setup you've got there, spoonman! I like the antenna! A ham friend of mine has a huge antenna on the top of his car - I was wanting to avoid that look. Yours looks like a good height. We'll see how the glass mount works out when I get it... May have to get one like yours!My little ht needs all the help it can get... I just bought a Yaesu VX2R, quite a nice radio. I figured it would be a decent start into the ham world, and I can't get over how tiny this thing is. This thing definitely has its disadvantages... Being able to talk on it is one of them. My ham friend came over to check it out, when he tried to hit the local repeater with that rubber ducky, dummy load of an antenna, it didn't work out so well, needless to say. I had my scanner on, and heard him hit the repeater, but when he gave his callsign, nada... So, I need a good antenna for the car, and something better to replace the rubber ducky with... Any suggestions on that one? Sadly, I'm in an apartment, so a nice outside antenna is out of the question. Can't wait to be able to key this thing up myself for the first time!

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ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Wed May 26, 2004 9:34 am

Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Here is a close up of the roof.....any problems with the antenna hitting things? I had a cb that was 27" and i hit that on parking garages, etc.

russ257 · Post by **russ257** » Wed May 26, 2004 12:21 pm

so whats the deal here this thing is like a cb only more powerful?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu May 27, 2004 12:56 am

Quote, originally posted by russ257 Â»so whats the deal here this thing is like a cb only more powerful?pretty much. plus there is a lot of different modes of communication. (from morse code to slow-scan tv)i first got interested in it in the 'pre-internet' days, it would allow you to talk to people in other countries. (some people actually bounce morse code on the moon to reach the other side of the planet).the main reason im finally getting back to it is the weather. i'm living in 'tornado alley' and so far i've only been listening to the storm spotters using my scanner but i'd like to join in and be able to talk to them as well.last night the spotters in a nearby town were out and taking positions in different parts of town to report any sightings of tornado's and hail. the night turned out ok, we did have some 3/4 inch hail, but that was all. no tornado touchdowns as far as i know.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu May 27, 2004 7:43 am

I'm in it for the weather as well... I hope to go for the Skywarn classes next spring.When the weather turns nasty, I'm always listening to the local ham repeaters to get a better idea as to what's going on out there. Like you, I'd love to be able to relay some storm reports of my own!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu May 27, 2004 11:48 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»I'm in it for the weather as well... I hope to go for the Skywarn classes next spring.When the weather turns nasty, I'm always listening to the local ham repeaters to get a better idea as to what's going on out there. Like you, I'd love to be able to relay some storm reports of my own!Exactly.I'm actually listening to it right now, we've got tornado's coming in tonight.. freaky stuff.Where are you at? I'm way north in KY, you anywhere close to evansville/owensboro? I saw that you are in southern indiana.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu May 27, 2004 3:21 pm

I'm in New Albany, across the river from Louisville, KY. A bit less than 2 hours from Evansville, I go out that way quite a bit.The weather radio was working overtime tonight! It was quite a ride. Had some significant damage around here this evening due to wind and possibly tornadoes, and now comes the flooding. Yikes.

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Fri May 28, 2004 4:41 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»You know, that's a darn nice setup you've got there, spoonman! I like the antenna! A ham friend of mine has a huge antenna on the top of his car - I was wanting to avoid that look. Yours looks like a good height. We'll see how the glass mount works out when I get it... May have to get one like yours! THANKS!! Sorry, I haven't been able to get on much yesterday.... I acutally thought about a bigger antenna, but it would have hit the top of the garage. It is a 1/4 wave dual band (19" tall, alittle over 20" with the mount). I actually sticks up just a little above the AM/FM on the car. Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»My little ht needs all the help it can get... I just bought a Yaesu VX2R, quite a nice radio. I figured it would be a decent start into the ham world, and I can't get over how tiny this thing is. This thing definitely has its disadvantages... Being able to talk on it is one of them. My ham friend came over to check it out, when he tried to hit the local repeater with that rubber ducky, dummy load of an antenna, it didn't work out so well, needless to say. I had my scanner on, and heard him hit the repeater, but when he gave his callsign, nada... So, I need a good antenna for the car, and something better to replace the rubber ducky with... Any suggestions on that one? Sadly, I'm in an apartment, so a nice outside antenna is out of the question. Can't wait to be able to key this thing up myself for the first time!Yeah, I know what you mean about the worthless rubber duck antenna. I have a Yaesu as well (FT-50R). I am currently using it in the house now that my Icom is in the Vibe. I have a couple antennas up in the attic that I built. I have an "HT Saver" cable that I can then hook the HT up too. Before when I tried to hit the local repeaters, I could barely do it with the HT set to 5W on the rubber duck. Now I run the HT @ 1W and hit the local repeater with full quieting.... MUCH Better battery running that low of power.

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Fri May 28, 2004 4:48 am

Russ...Yeah, like the others have mentioned, the weather nets are one thing that I am interested in. Anytime there is severe weather around here, they activate the weather net. Then HAMs all in the area check in a report current conditions that are relayed back to the closest Nation Weather Serivce Center. One other thing I also like is our local club provides various services back to the community. We provide communication services for parades, Duathlons, festivals and the like. It is a lot of fun.Here is a link to the ARRL website if you are interested.......http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.htmlIf you are not, that is fine too..... just being helpful in providing info....73!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri May 28, 2004 7:58 am

With the outbreak of tornadoes around here last night, the HAMs stepped in and helped in any way they could - relaying messages to folks who were without power and telephones. Definitely providing a valuable service to the community.When other forms of communication die, there's still radio!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Fri May 28, 2004 9:27 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»I'm in New Albany, across the river from Louisville, KY. A bit less than 2 hours from Evansville, I go out that way quite a bit.The weather radio was working overtime tonight! It was quite a ride. Had some significant damage around here this evening due to wind and possibly tornadoes, and now comes the flooding. Yikes.We got hit pretty hard the other day. Someone said 70 mph winds.. there were trees and powerlines down all over town. The fire dept was working hard putting out fires where the powerlines caught on fire.Atleast one house on fire and one transformer station got hit by lightning. Some people wont have power for another couple of days.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sun May 30, 2004 10:35 pm

So, any ham out there have any experience with the Kenwood TM-D700A?The plan is to get one of those installed in the vibe and then get a Kenwood TH-D7AG for handheld work.If my budget could support it i might have replaced the D700A with a HF rig from ICOM. I have heard really good things about kenwood. Would you hams agree?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sun May 30, 2004 10:59 pm

Anyone tried using this mount?http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/Adobe/TY-55-02.pdf

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 9:25 am

I can't say that I've heard anything bad about Kenwood's stuff, that's for sure. I like the TH-D7AG, just checked it out... Not too shabby! I looked at one of their lower model ht's before I got the Yaesu, liked it pretty well.Wish me luck folks, I've decided to go take the test on Saturday. I've studied the material and questions extensively, and have spent hours upon hours taking tests online for the technician license. I haven't made below mid 80's on the practice tests for quite some time, so let's hope I can repeat that in the real world.Then, I'll work toward General!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:28 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Wish me luck folks, I've decided to go take the test on Saturday. I've studied the material and questions extensively, and have spent hours upon hours taking tests online for the technician license. I haven't made below mid 80's on the practice tests for quite some time, so let's hope I can repeat that in the real world.Then, I'll work toward General!Good luck.I take mine on Sunday. I'm doing between 31-35 out of 35 on the practice tests now. You have to have a 26 to pass so i hope i dont screw up on the test.The part that i dont like are the block diagrams, i dont do very good on those.Not sure when/if i'll get to the general level, i dont think the theory will be *that* bad, but i dont care for CW. Its not that its hard, just timeconsuming to learn all the different characters.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:44 am

Yep, that's about what I'm averaging. Where are you taking the online practice tests?I'm using both of these: http://www.aa9pw.com/radio/index.html-a ... sting.plIf you have another to share, let me know! Good luck to you too, this weekend!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:49 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Yep, that's about what I'm averaging. Where are you taking the online practice tests?If you have another to share, let me know! Good luck to you too, this weekend! Since the questions are all the same i dont think where you take the practice test matters. i ended up paying for a software called "Five by Five", pretty nice software and it does the following tests:Amateur Radio Technician Class (EL 2A) Amateur Radio General Class (EL3A) Amateur Radio Extra Class (EL4A) Marine Radio Operator's Permit MROP (EL1) General Radiotelepone Operator's License GROL (EL1 and EL3) GMDSS Operator (EL1 and EL7) GMDSS Maintainer (EL1, EL3, and EL9) Ship Radar Endorsement for GMDSS (EL8) plus you get their PilotMorse software.I think it was $29.99, not too bad.I also have the "Now you're talking" books from ARRL.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 5:38 am

t's a done deal, I'm a ham now. The test wasn't too bad, I only ran across two that I was uncertain about. I just took my time and went over the test three times once it was complete. Didn't take that long, before I knew it, I was being handed my certificate.From what they were saying, it doesn't take the FCC that long to have your call sign in the ULS database, so I'll be checking that thing throughout the week. Then, I'll get to fire up the little Yaesu!Good luck with yours tomorrow, ullbergm!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 9:30 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»it's a done deal, I'm a ham now. The test wasn't too bad, I only ran across two that I was uncertain about. I just took my time and went over the test three times once it was complete. Didn't take that long, before I knew it, I was being handed my certificate.Cool, congratulations.Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»From what they were saying, it doesn't take the FCC that long to have your call sign in the ULS database, so I'll be checking that thing throughout the week. Then, I'll get to fire up the little Yaesu!Good luck with yours tomorrow, ullbergm!Thanks. yeah. i've been listening to my d7ag, there are even APRS stuff going on around here, pretty cool. (the d7ag has a 'tx inhibit mode'... so im safe to listen to it without worrying about transmitting anything)

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 1:37 pm

Quote Â»(the d7ag has a 'tx inhibit mode'... so im safe to listen to it without worrying about transmitting anything)Same here, one of the first things I did after taking the vx2r out of the box was lock out the PTT. It shall remain locked until I'm legal.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 9:29 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Same here, one of the first things I did after taking the vx2r out of the box was lock out the PTT. It shall remain locked until I'm legal. Any thoughts on what you are going to make your callsign?I'm going to try to get my initials and if that doesnt work try to come up with something fun.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 11:32 pm

I've thought about a vanity callsign, but I may just keep whatever the FCC decides to give me. We'll see what I end up with...

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 9:14 pm

It's official, im now a ham

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 12:53 am

Congratulations to ya! How many block diagrams did you have to deal with?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 3:35 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Congratulations to ya! How many block diagrams did you have to deal with? only one

Vibe · Post by **Vibe** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 4:02 am

Congratulations!!! I too want to get my ham lisence. But first I need to get the book and study. I have always been in to ham as my Dad is one--His call sign is K5STJ and he has held that call sign since the early 50's. He has the top rating.Triva------Did you know that the late great Chet Atkins was also a ham radio operator?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 4:12 am

Quote, originally posted by Vibe Â»Congratulations!!! I too want to get my ham lisence. But first I need to get the book and study. I have always been in to ham as my Dad is one--His call sign is K5STJ and he has held that call sign since the early 50's. He has the top rating.Triva------Did you know that the late great Chet Atkins was also a ham radio operator?thanks.its really not that hard, atleast the tech level isnt bad. i may start studying for my general, but i dont know yet.I used the ARRL books plus FiveByFive by dauntless software, pretty nice software.

rasermon · Post by **rasermon** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 5:47 am

Thanks for the info on this topic. I was looking into this back in 1991 and even bought a book on getting your Technician Class license. I picked up this book from the local Rat Shack (New No-Code Technician Class FCC License Preparation. Would this book still be any help or should I get something more updated? Lol, I took the online test and got 26 correct out of 35.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 6:04 am

Quote, originally posted by rasermon Â»Thanks for the info on this topic. I was looking into this back in 1991 and even bought a book on getting your Technician Class license. I picked up this book from the local Rat Shack (New No-Code Technician Class FCC License Preparation. Would this book still be any help or should I get something more updated? Lol, I took the online test and got 26 correct out of 35. i dont think that book will be current..looks like they changed the questions on july 1 2003.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 6:30 am

Yep, she's a wee bit dated! The "Now You're Talking" book is pretty good... Twenty bucks.http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi...07846

rasermon · Post by **rasermon** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 7:56 am

I will have to look into this again.

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 11:30 am

First, I would like to say Congrats! to both you and ullbergm!!While I will be the first to admit, the test isn't THAT hard, it still reqiures a fair amount of work to accomplish. As I am sure I have mentioned in the very thread, I have started working towards my General "ticket". I will have to check out that "fivebyfive" software. I wonder if it has been updated yet for the upcoming General test pool. Guess I will just have to see... Sorry for the late response to all of this... Haven't been able to check the forum in a few days.....73!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 12:17 pm

Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»As I am sure I have mentioned in the very thread, I have started working towards my General "ticket". I will have to check out that "fivebyfive" software. I wonder if it has been updated yet for the upcoming General test pool. Guess I will just have to see... 73!They have a July 1 2004 and beyond Version.Have you done your code yet?

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 8:03 am

nope, no code yet.... I have looked at the "FivebyFive" software. Kinda neat, hte only thing I don't like is that is seems you only get access to the question pool. While it makes for good practice testing, it doesn't necessarily help with actual LEARNING of the material. Sure, you do learn a little, but not as much as you could by getting various study guides and such... just MHO.... But anyway... I am hoping to do enough studying to get the code and general done at once...We will see how well I start to pick up on the code....

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 10:41 am

Anyone think this mount would work on the Vibe's cross bars for the roof rack?http://www.universal-radio.com....htmlI'd like to see if I can get some sort of mount for the roof rack - I wouldn't feel so bad if it got scratched up. Any suggestions?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 12:09 pm

Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»nope, no code yet.... I have looked at the "FivebyFive" software. Kinda neat, hte only thing I don't like is that is seems you only get access to the question pool. While it makes for good practice testing, it doesn't necessarily help with actual LEARNING of the material. Sure, you do learn a little, but not as much as you could by getting various study guides and such... just MHO.... But anyway... I am hoping to do enough studying to get the code and general done at once...We will see how well I start to pick up on the code....Very true. I used the ARRL books in combination with the 5x5 software.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 12:11 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Anyone think this mount would work on the Vibe's cross bars for the roof rack?http://www.universal-radio.com....htmlI'd like to see if I can get some sort of mount for the roof rack - I wouldn't feel so bad if it got scratched up. Any suggestions?looks interesting. good find. let us know if you decide to get one if you dont i may give it a shot. (after payday that is )

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 10:49 am

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»looks interesting. good find. let us know if you decide to get one if you dont i may give it a shot. So, it *should* fit the rack without any problems, wouldn't you think? I'm going to do a little more digging to see if I can find anything else like this before I commit. I figure I'll get the K550KM with the mount, the SO-239 connector, and the coax. Or, should I just get the mount? I'm antenna illiterate here, so I could use a little help with selecting something good. Any ideas on what would work good with this mount, or a mount like it would be most helpful.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 1:06 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»So, it *should* fit the rack without any problems, wouldn't you think? I'm going to do a little more digging to see if I can find anything else like this before I commit. I figure I'll get the K550KM with the mount, the SO-239 connector, and the coax. Or, should I just get the mount? I'm antenna illiterate here, so I could use a little help with selecting something good. Any ideas on what would work good with this mount, or a mount like it would be most helpful. My question is the 1/2" hole, most commercial antennas seems to have a NMO mount (3/4"). I've been recommended these:http://www.radialllarsen.com/d...F.pdf