Amateur Radio

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 9:57 am

Cool... I had my ht here on the desk scanning and noticed something... When it scans, every few seconds it scans all of the weather radio frequencies (for the weather alert.) I noticed it kept stopping for a second and the busy LED would turn on for several frequencies, normally it only finds the local transmitter on 162.475 here in the house. So I tuned in to investigate.With just that huge Diamond antenna, I'm picking up NOAA weather radio from Nashville TN, Bowling Green KY, London, KY. Wow, that's a heck of a distance!I'm such a geek, all excited over weather radio dx'ing. Gonna see what else I can pick up... May be a good evening to hit a distant 2m repeater!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 10:26 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»With just that huge Diamond antenna, I'm picking up NOAA weather radio from Nashville TN, Bowling Green KY, London, KY. Wow, that's a heck of a distance!I'm such a geek, all excited over weather radio dx'ing. Gonna see what else I can pick up... May be a good evening to hit a distant 2m repeater!pretty cool. I heard some of the local hams talking about that the 2m was open tonight, getting some long distance contacts. i may go run around calling cq on the mobile tonight been playing with APRS, pretty neat stuff.You can track me here

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:28 pm

pretty nifty. i heard people from illinois to tennesee to louisville.made my first contact tonight finally!the band was really busy, people all over the place. this is cool stuff.

rasermon · Post by **rasermon** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:35 pm

Cool!!That APRS is neat. I'm still studying for the exam and should be ready in two weeks.

CMcGowan · Post by **CMcGowan** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 8:51 pm

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»thats what i thought too.. i thought the negative on the battery was connected to the chassi all the time, not switched off when the ignition kicks in..i'm going to take a volt meter and check to see what kind of voltage drop i get when i hit the ignition, maybe its too low for the radio.If that is the case, do you think a bigger battery would make a difference?edit: hehe, maybe i should have read ColonelPanic's post before posting this ;-)A bigger battery would be my first step for this. The Vibe's base battery is pitafull at best. Last winter it was so cold here in Buffalo (suprise,suprise) that my alarm/car starter would not work due to low voltage. The car itself BARELY turned over and even then it took a 30 minute commute to work to charge the battery/warm it up to get the voltage up above 12 volts to work. Before spending $20-30 bucks on a cap, spend it on a battery. You'll be better off.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 9:59 pm

Quote, originally posted by CMcGowan Â»Before spending $20-30 bucks on a cap, spend it on a battery. You'll be better off.I ordered a optima 900 CCA for $99.00 including shipping and we'll see what that does for me.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 10:54 pm

FYI.. The band scope on the radio was great. I was able to run the scope and then you can tune to the frequency you find with the scope really easy.The scope has an indicator that shows you where you are currently tuned to and when you turn the nob the indicator moves. really cool. Thats how i found people yesterday since i havent got the repeater listing yet.

Attached files

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 11:18 am

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»FYI.. The band scope on the radio was great. I was able to run the scope and then you can tune to the frequency you find with the scope really easy.The scope has an indicator that shows you where you are currently tuned to and when you turn the nob the indicator moves. really cool. Thats how i found people yesterday since i havent got the repeater listing yet.Hey there!! Man, I need to check this forum more often, but as you said, "gee, just what I need is another forum to read..."the install looks GREAT!! You have the remote head sitting right where my 207 is installed. I am having troubles keeping the door closed right now though. I should have the parts I need to fix that by Thursday. I like how you found a way through the firewall for the power cable. Where is that grommet in relation to things on the inside of the car? There is also a grommet further up on the outside, but I can't seem to find it on the inside. Anyway.... Running the cable directly to the battery is what most people (and the user manual) say to do. My only other addition is to get fuses on the battery end ASAP!!!! This is the only way for you to protect the wires running up to the radio. If something were to ever happen on the wire run up to the radio, it could start a fire without being fused at the battery. Be sure to fuse BOTH the positive and negative wires. Check out http://www.k0bg.com for more info. This guy's site has ALL kinds of good info on mobile installs. Well, again, GREAT install and I will get off my soapbox for this evening....

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 11:39 am

Thanks for the link to k0bg, can't wait to spend more time reading it. Looks pretty good!Ullbergm, good to hear about the battery... Man, that's gonna be an improvement! Not a bad price, too.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 12:56 pm

Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Hey there!! Man, I need to check this forum more often, but as you said, "gee, just what I need is another forum to read..."the install looks GREAT!! You have the remote head sitting right where my 207 is installed. I am having troubles keeping the door closed right now though. I should have the parts I need to fix that by Thursday. I like how you found a way through the firewall for the power cable. Where is that grommet in relation to things on the inside of the car? There is also a grommet further up on the outside, but I can't seem to find it on the inside. Anyway.... Running the cable directly to the battery is what most people (and the user manual) say to do. My only other addition is to get fuses on the battery end ASAP!!!! This is the only way for you to protect the wires running up to the radio. If something were to ever happen on the wire run up to the radio, it could start a fire without being fused at the battery. Be sure to fuse BOTH the positive and negative wires. Check out http://www.k0bg.com for more info. This guy's site has ALL kinds of good info on mobile installs. Well, again, GREAT install and I will get off my soapbox for this evening....Thanks. Yeah, the fuses are definately on their way. I found some crimp on holders that use regular automotive fuses. I like that better than some of the automotive holders that have some 2" wires already connected. Both wires are fused close to the radio so atleast they are fused even if its not ideal (yet).As for the grommet, if you lay down on your back and look up under the dash on the driver's side you should be able to reach up and touch it. I guess its somewhere at the same level as the gauges, but im not sure. Attached is a picture of what it looks like from the inside. Get a flashlight and lay down on your back and you should see it.. its not very comfortable thou ;-)i like that website, very interesting.edit: after reading k0bg's site i now know why you should fuse the negative wire

Attached files

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 11:34 pm

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»Thanks. Yeah, the fuses are definately on their way. I found some crimp on holders that use regular automotive fuses. I like that better than some of the automotive holders that have some 2" wires already connected. Both wires are fused close to the radio so atleast they are fused even if its not ideal (yet).Good Deal!! Just thought I would pass that info along to you. I have learned you can never be too informed. If nothing else, it is a friendly reminder... Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»As for the grommet, if you lay down on your back and look up under the dash on the driver's side you should be able to reach up and touch it. I guess its somewhere at the same level as the gauges, but im not sure. Attached is a picture of what it looks like from the inside. Get a flashlight and lay down on your back and you should see it.. its not very comfortable thou ;-)Thanks for the info!! I will have to check this out. I think if you read earlier in this thread, you can see how I did the power for my radio. I did it that way to be a little more temporary since I did lease the Vibe. Besides, I wasn't sure if you could get any more wires through there....Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»edit: after reading k0bg's site i now know why you should fuse the negative wire Yeah. electricity can be a scary thing. Thought you would find that site interesting. He (K0BG) has written many good articles on eham.net and added lots of info in the forums there. Seems to really know his stuff.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 12:09 am

Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Thanks for the info!! I will have to check this out. I think if you read earlier in this thread, you can see how I did the power for my radio. I did it that way to be a little more temporary since I did lease the Vibe. Besides, I wasn't sure if you could get any more wires through there....It wasnt too bad to get the wires thru, i used a coat hanger to push thru the grommet and used it as the pull string. First i poked a test hole and after i pulled the metal stick out of it the grommet closed my new hole back up so it looks like i could pull the wires out and you'd (almost) not be able tell that it was ever there Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Yeah. electricity can be a scary thing. Thought you would find that site interesting. He (K0BG) has written many good articles on eham.net and added lots of info in the forums there. Seems to really know his stuff.I did see that he doesnt recommend doing what i did and reuse a existing grommet.. oh well, i think it'll be fine, especially with the fuses on the battery side of the firewall.I also found out that the icom wont run on anything less than 11.6 so thats why it fails when i start the car and the voltage drops to 11. Hopefully the new battery will take care of that.. but we'll see.. It's supposed to arrive on the 10th.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 9:52 pm

I moved the head for the 706 to the pocket to the left of the steering wheel. You can't look directly at it since the steeringwheel is in the way but i think i like it there.

Attached files

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 9:53 pm

To mount it all i did was to cut a 2x4 and then belt-sand the heck out of it until it matched the shape of the pocket

Attached files

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 12:12 am

Pretty crafty there! Like it!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 12:26 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Pretty crafty there! Like it!Thanks. It is not going anywhere. kindof a press fit If i end up using this as a permanent situation i'll make a few minor changes (sand off another 1/8" and paint it black so that if you peek in behind the radio you wont see the wood. But overall i'm pretty happy with it. Remains to be seen if it works while i'm on the road.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 12:45 am

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»Remains to be seen if it works while i'm on the road.Blah, just lean to the left a bit. That'll work! Thankfully, the display isn't where the knob is, then you would have a tougher time trying to see it. The Vibe's an awesome car but pity they didn't provide many good locations to mount our toys. I wonder if there is a mobile rig with a control head small enough to wedge down into the shifter pocket... Just find some way to mount it close to the top, open the compartment and there's the rig... Thinking of eventually going to a mobile so I may see what's out there.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 1:22 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»The Vibe's an awesome car but pitty they didn't provide many good locations to mount our toys. I wonder if there is a mobile rig with a control head small enough to wedge down into the shifter pocket... Just find some way to mount it close to the top, open the compartment and there's the rig... Thinking of eventually going to a mobile so I may see what's out there. yeah, there could have been more spots to put stuff in.. i didnt really think about gadgets when i was shopping for the vibe. the next car will definately be purchased with gadget placement in mind ;-)I thought about something similar for my scanner. I even purchased a center piece from ebay (it's pretty busted up so i wouldnt use it in the car or anything but it'll let me cut it up and see how it does.I was thinking that i'd cut a hole in the lid to the compartment where the cig ligher outlet is and then you could open the second lid to see the scanner display.One other idea i had was to get a piece of metal and cut it to match the pocket in front of the e-brake. and then weld a post onto it that would stick up and then put the head on that post. I was thinking that you could use the two bolts that hold the center piece to hold the post in place. But i havent thought too much about it lately since the 706 fits just fine to the left of the steeringwheel.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 9:06 am

got my general study guide from arrl today and i've started working on my code.. they suggest doing it in 30 minute sessions and i think thats a good idea.. after about 30 minutes it turns in to a blur for me :/

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 10:03 am

Good luck on getting your General ticket! Need to start studying code myself...

rasermon · Post by **rasermon** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 11:01 am

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»got my general study guide from arrl today and i've started working on my code.Good luck ullbergm, I'm halfway through my study guide (Now you're talking).

Attached files morse.wav (66.3 KB)

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 11:10 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Good luck on getting your General ticket! Need to start studying code myself...thanks. i got the arrl cd's and im going to use those first then i have a program on the pc to continue to work with.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 11:14 am

Quote, originally posted by rasermon Â»Good luck ullbergm, I'm halfway through my study guide (Now you're talking).thanksQuote, originally posted by rasermon Â»morse.wavlol, i could actually figure out what it was.. or i could figure out ".ood ...." and guess what it said ;-)i've done AERN+TIOSDHC so far, but i have to redo them again since im not very sure on some of them.. it's actually not as hard as i would have thought, even thou i havent come very far the initial feeling is that it wont be too bad.hehe, maybe if you ask me in a couple of weeks i'll have a different oppinion thou

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Jul 09, 2004 3:46 am

Made my first contact today (of a ham I didn't know) when I was out and about. Pretty cool! Unfortunately, for the first little bit I was driving in an area sloping downward with hills and tall trees on either side of the road, so he said he could only hear 50% of what I was saying.Got up the road and parked, had full quieting there. Time fer more power, methinks! Those three watts aren't getting me anywhere. Any suggestions on a cheap (~$200 range) mobile?

spoonman · Post by **spoonman** » Fri Jul 09, 2004 4:47 am

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»One other idea i had was to get a piece of metal and cut it to match the pocket in front of the e-brake. and then weld a post onto it that would stick up and then put the head on that post. I was thinking that you could use the two bolts that hold the center piece to hold the post in place. But i havent thought too much about it lately since the 706 fits just fine to the left of the steeringwheel.I originally wanted to do something similar with a block of wood or something that would sit in that same pocket and mount my radio on the wood so it could go in the house easier. However, I just gave up and mounted directly to the door on the shifter pocket. Also an FYI.... The control head of my Icom 207 will fit in BOTH the shifter pocket and the compartment to the left of the steering column where you "mounted" your control head. The problem I found was that by time time you set the control head deep enough to be able to close the door, it was VERY difficult to be able to operate the controls. It also was pretty hard to see since it was so far down in the pocket. Colonel, How do you like the "look who's talking" book?? Is the general one similar to the Tech book?? Meaning, does it actually tell you things other than just listing all the test questions?? I am one who prefers to learn the material, just just memorize the questions. Thanks!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Fri Jul 09, 2004 4:59 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Made my first contact today (of a ham I didn't know) when I was out and about. Pretty cool! Unfortunately, for the first little bit I was driving in an area sloping downward with hills and tall trees on either side of the road, so he said he could only hear 50% of what I was saying.pretty cool, isnt it?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Fri Jul 09, 2004 5:07 am

Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Also an FYI.... The control head of my Icom 207 will fit in BOTH the shifter pocket and the compartment to the left of the steering column where you "mounted" your control head. The problem I found was that by time time you set the control head deep enough to be able to close the door, it was VERY difficult to be able to operate the controls. It also was pretty hard to see since it was so far down in the pocket. I'm not worrying about closing the pocket, im just using as a shelf So far the location i have it now seems to work out pretty good, but i havent really used it much as far as scanning frequencies so i may change my mind after i try to use it that way.Quote, originally posted by spoonman Â»Colonel, How do you like the "look who's talking" book?? Is the general one similar to the Tech book?? Meaning, does it actually tell you things other than just listing all the test questions?? I am one who prefers to learn the material, just just memorize the questions. FYI.. I got item #9205 and it has the theory written like a book just like #8810 did for the tech test.http://www.arrl.org/catalog/lm/

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 9:25 am

Assuming that the battery showed up fully charged, a 900 cca battery did not make a difference as far as the radio resetting when you start the car. Figures..

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 9:39 am

Actually, I don't have the General book from ARRL yet... Plan on getting it one of these days!About the mobile head unit in the shifter storage compartment, I never thought about it having to sit down too low. Bummer. I suppose one could mount it up high and never close the thing.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 9:41 am

DOH! Well, you needed to get the weak lil' lawn tractor battery outta there anyway. Are you going to try a cap, or leave it as-is?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 10:14 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Are you going to try a cap, or leave it as-is?naah, its not that big of a deal. i'd rather spend the money on a hf antenna

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:01 am

The glass mount is off for the time being... Got my windows tinted today, FINALLY! Really helps compensate for that deficient A/C this car has, seems to stay so much cooler now. I didn't get anything too dark, just 35% all the way except for a small strip of 15% at the top of the windshield. The guy who tinted the windows for me was very particular about the work he does and didn't want to cut around the antenna So, I just took a putty knife and yanked that sucker off.I think I'll go the route you did, ullbergm, when I put the antenna back on - mounting it to one of the rear side windows. That way, when I choose to go to a different antenna, it wouldn't be such an ordeal to retint. Or maybe, since the paint sucks anyway, a magmount wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Attached files

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:17 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»The glass mount is off for the time being... Got my windows tinted today, FINALLY! Really helps compensate for that deficient A/C this car has, seems to stay so much cooler now. I didn't get anything too dark, just 35% all the way except for a small strip of 15% at the top of the windshield.I really like the way the car looks with tinted windows. The heat issue and the fact that it somewhat hides the stuff you have in the car is another plus.Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»The guy who tinted the windows for me was very particular about the work he does and didn't want to cut around the antenna So, I just took a putty knife and yanked that sucker off.Probably a good idea, that way you dont have a cut from where the antenna is and to the edge. The way i did it you can't even tell that i cut the tint.Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»I think I'll go the route you did, ullbergm, when I put the antenna back on - mounting it to one of the rear side windows. That way, when I choose to go to a different antenna, it wouldn't be such an ordeal to retint. Or maybe, since the paint sucks anyway, a magmount wouldn't be such a bad idea. I like the way the antennas attach to the back windows, it's really easy to hide the wires under the trim. I'm still thinking about trying a roof-rack mounted antenna, or maybe a trunk lip mount one but mounting it right in the 'bend', halfway down the hatch. but running the cable gets a little more complicated when the antenna is mounted on the hatch..I did see a neat mount that is motorized.. could use it on the roof-rack and then you could push a button to fold it 90 degrees to fit in the garage

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:45 am

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»I really like the way the car looks with tinted windows. The heat issue and the fact that it somewhat hides the stuff you have in the car is another plus.I really like it too, not sure why it took me so bloody long to get this done! Did you have to remove the trim around the rear side windows, or did you just pull it up enough to run the cable down? Probably going to remount my antenna to the passenger's side, and finally conceal the cable as it runs to the front. Not sure if I have enough cable to do it, but I'd like to run it completely under the carpet all the way to the front, then turn left and run underneath the dash, exiting at the shifter storage compartment. That way, I can just throw it all in that compartment and close whenever I need to... Pretty sure I have enough cable to get there, now whether there is enough cable to go back over to the driver's seat so I can actually use the ht is another story..About those motorized luggage rack mounts... Yep, those are cool! Saw an Escape with one the other day. Have you found any interesting luggage mounts recently? I still wouldn't mind going that route myself.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 8:32 am

The antenna's back on.... ugh! Soo glad I didn't decided to mount it back on the rear window again! Mounted the antenna base, which I ended up getting a bit crooked, which then again really doesn't matter since the antenna base being perflectly straight against the sharp slope of the top of the window makes it look goofy anyway. Hopped inside, cut the tint, *ouch!!!* I hated doing that. Hoping I didn't scratch the window during the process, that would suck. Scraped and peeled for a bit (man that stuff really sticks to the glass!) then mounted the inside piece to the glass.I wanted the antenna closer to the top front corner of that window, but yet again, had to accomidate for the coax and ground plane hook.Hope it doesn't look too bad...

Attached files

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 8:33 am

And from the inside. I'll be hiding that cable soon.

Attached files

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:54 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Did you have to remove the trim around the rear side windows, or did you just pull it up enough to run the cable down? Probably going to remount my antenna to the passenger's side, and finally conceal the cable as it runs to the front. Not sure if I have enough cable to do it, but I'd like to run it completely under the carpet all the way to the front, then turn left and run underneath the dash, exiting at the shifter storage compartment. That way, I can just throw it all in that compartment and close whenever I need to... Pretty sure I have enough cable to get there, now whether there is enough cable to go back over to the driver's seat so I can actually use the ht is another story..On the back panels all i did was to push the cable under the trim, i didnt have to remove it. ( i think i posted some pictures earlier in the thread where you can see maybe five inches exposed ). But.. I think that i'll eventually remove the trim and run the cable in under the trim between the trim and the window. That way it leaves less exposed.. But for now all i did was to push it under the trim and that worked fine. Then i ran it under the door seal and used the existing clips under the trim that you step on when you get in the door. Not very hard at all.Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»About those motorized luggage rack mounts... Yep, those are cool! Saw an Escape with one the other day. Have you found any interesting luggage mounts recently? I still wouldn't mind going that route myself.I havent done much research on it lately, but i may do some later on, i dont really want to use a magmount forever..But i've been actually using the radio lately (instead of just running cable..) so thats been fun

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:57 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Hopped inside, cut the tint, *ouch!!!* I hated doing that. Hoping I didn't scratch the window during the process, that would suck. Scraped and peeled for a bit (man that stuff really sticks to the glass!) then mounted the inside piece to the glass.Thats exctly what i did, that way you have the outside piece to use as a template for the hole you need to cut.Yeah, i know what you mean. I was hoping that i wouldnt mess up and slip and cut straight across the whole window Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»I wanted the antenna closer to the top front corner of that window, but yet again, had to accomidate for the coax and ground plane hook.Hope it doesn't look too bad... I like the way it looks with the antenna on the back window, looks like what you might expect a stock antenna to look like.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:32 am

Got my repeater directory and IC-706 Mini-Manual. I really like both of them, they both fit in the armrest and will be a nice thing to have when im on the road.As far as my CW goes i've started using the Koch method of learning CW, we'll see how it goes

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:03 am

I've got one of those mini manuals for the Yaesu as well. Pretty nifty, has every one of the menu settings described. Handy to have around. Also considering getting a second repeater directory:http://www.artscipub.com/mapbookYears ago, I had a repeater map book and really wish I had another one. Good luck with the code!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:46 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Also considering getting a second repeater directoryI like the fact that there are maps in it but as far as their directory it seems to have a lot more repeaters in the area than i'd expect and it has incorrect information for atleast one of the 5 they list in owensboro.. makes me wonder about the integrety of their database.. Do you have any experience in using their data as far as accuracy?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:48 am

Oh and you might find this interesting.. looks like a pretty easy antenna to make:http://www.radioreference.com/...11898

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:47 pm

I actually have most of their list for Indiana and some adjacent areas of Kentucky printed out, and like you, found a few dead repeaters. I haven't compared what their list says vs. the ARRL directory yet but will do that one of these days.Then again, the ARRL book has a few repeaters that I've programmed that I can't hit, nor have I ever heard anything on... Hard to say what the issue may be - is the repeater up anyway? Am I too far away? Do I not have the proper PL tones set to access the repeater? And many more variables. Does the ARRL have a similar map book? If they do, I'll give that one a shot. Only thing I don't like about their repeater directory is the way some states are arranged, but then again that's due to how the ARRL was given the information from the frequency coordinators, I do believe. Indiana, for instance- I like how it is arranged - Southeast, south central, southwest, etc... Makes it a bit easier for me to look for stuff in any particular region. Not too big of a fan of states that are listed with frequencies by city, particularly if I'm not 100% faimilar with the area. Had to go through the entire list for KY to make sure I had 'em ell. That's mainly why I would like to have an accurate map book.I miss the map book that Radio Shack used to sell.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:51 pm

That's quite the creative antenna there! I need something a little better for my scanner (Radio Shack PRO-2050 that I've had for several years.)I broke the telescopic antenna it came with, but right now use the telescopic antenna that Radio Shack sells (with a 90 degree BNC adapter so it stays upright.. lol) It works alright but always willing to try something new!

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:57 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»That's quite the creative antenna there! I need something a little better for my scanner (Radio Shack PRO-2050 that I've had for several years.)I broke the telescopic antenna it came with, but right now use the telescopic antenna that Radio Shack sells (with a 90 degree BNC adapter so it stays upright.. lol) It works alright but always willing to try something new!For my scanner im using a scantenna. It seems to work pretty good. Works better than the radioshack scanner antenna.For my car i think im going to build one of these antennas:http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/0004033.pdfLooks fairly straight forward and a lot cheaper than buying a mobile HF antenna..

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 11:07 pm

I like that scanner antenna... Arrgh, I gotta get out of this apartment and find a house out in the country, away from all this RF polution... And, finally be able to put zillions of antennas up next to the house.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 11:07 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»I actually have most of their list for Indiana and some adjacent areas of Kentucky printed out, and like you, found a few dead repeaters. I haven't compared what their list says vs. the ARRL directory yet but will do that one of these days.I havent compared them either, except for the repeater i use in town and the arrl lists the pl where the other guys dont.. i guess that makes me wonder..Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Not too big of a fan of states that are listed with frequencies by city, particularly if I'm not 100% faimilar with the area. Had to go through the entire list for KY to make sure I had 'em ell. That's mainly why I would like to have an accurate map book.Yeah, having a map would be nice.. I guess we could start yet another website listing repeaters. Writing the database backend and the mapping wouldnt be hard, the hard part is to get people to submit information and without acurate information it'd be useless..edit: I just remembered.. doesnt arrl sell a cd with the repeaters and a mapping software?

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 11:10 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»And, finally be able to put zillions of antennas up next to the house. And that 50 ft telescoping tower

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 4:27 am

Quote, originally posted by ullbergm Â»edit: I just remembered.. doesnt arrl sell a cd with the repeaters and a mapping software?http://www.arrl.org/catalog/in...atersYes, it would appear they do Too bad there's no Linux version, I'm outta luck. lol Gee, maybe it'll run under Wine. (yeah, right!) lol... I may still get a copy and install it just on the Libretto, it still has an empty Windows partition and is already set up for dual-booting. Running linux on it now. I tarred up the original windows 98 installation and stored it away for safe keeping, so would be easy enough to put back on there. That little thing is pretty handy to have around, the Libretto's only a 233 MHz Pentium w/ 64 megs of RAM, but it is the size of a VHS tape when closed. Put a 20 gig hard drive in it last spring. Oh yeah, I ordered an 18" cable extension yesterday for my cable-hiding project. Not sure when it will be here... But I think I'm going to go slap on some sunscreen, grab some water, and get started with hiding the cables. For now, I'm just going to try hiding the cable in the back, once I get the extension, I'll finish the rest.

ullbergm · Post by **ullbergm** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:27 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»That little thing is pretty handy to have around, the Libretto's only a 233 MHz Pentium w/ 64 megs of RAM, but it is the size of a VHS tape when closed. Put a 20 gig hard drive in it last spring. One of my friends has one, pretty neat little thing.I went to Lowes during lunch and picked up the materials needed for the mobile HF antenna i posted earlier, i'm going to give it a shot tonight.. I'm still missing some connectors but i should be able to get most of it done.