November CSC meeting to include HAM!

[Cee Fish]

During the November meeting we are going to spend some time talking about HAM radios. There will be several members present that are licensed and we will have a working demo to show some of the capabilities of the hobby.

If you have any questions about becoming a HAM (or already have your ticket) be sure to make it to the meeting on November 15th.

More details to follow.

73,
Mark

 

[nicholas]

What time is the meeting? Id love to attend this meeting as getting licensed has been on my list for the past 7 years but I might be out of the state that day.

 

[Rudster]

Official meeting starts at 730pm

 

[Stepmurr]

During the November meeting we are going to spend some time talking about HAM radios. There will be several members present that are licensed and we will have a working demo to show some of the capabilities of the hobby.

If you have any questions about becoming a HAM (or already have your ticket) be sure to make it to the meeting on November 15th.

More details to follow.

73,
Mark

Let me know what repeater you will be using and I'll listen for y'all from home.

 

[Cee Fish]

Let me know what repeater you will be using and I'll listen for y'all from home.

I'm KF7ZJX

We'll be on the Shaw Butte repeater which is linked to Mt Ord and Scottsdale Airpark. Make contact if you can!

Shaw Butte: 147.240+, PL-162.2
Mt Ord: 146.920-, PL-162.2
Scottsdale Airpark: 146.760-, PL-162.2

 

[murf]

There's a lot to learn...I passed the exam last weekend. If I can do it- you all will have no problems

so youre really saying...if the club fits...

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

4x4ham.com

For club interest, been around since 2008
IIRC a couple CSC members hold dual memberships

 

[Cee Fish]

The Technician license is not hard at all to obtain. There are smart phone apps to help get you prepared for the test. Most of the questions on the tech exam are common sense, I do admit I was a little overwhelmed when I was studying for the test though.

I know Yoshi very well, he introduced me to the hobby. If there is enough interest we can schedule a test during a future meeting.

The purpose of the November meeting (as I understand) is to educate the membership on HAM and to showcase its advantages over CB for trail comms and beyond.

I was part of a group that rescued a miner on a shelf road outside of Ouray, CO this summer. CB didn't even make it out of the canyon we were in, in fact, we had trouble maintaining contact within the group of 7 trucks.
With HAM rig(s) and knowledge of the local repeaters, we were able to make contact with base camp, 8000 feet below our position to help coordinate a rescue of the vehicle.

One topic of discussion will be APRS (Automated Packet Reporting System) and the capabilities of such. Here is the website info (my call sign is K2RBA-9, Don's is W1KDD-9) the dash-9 designates a moving, mobile station.
APRS is very useful for tracking a solo journey, or to just allow loved ones to see your progress during your adventures.

I am also a member of the 4x4HAM.com site

 

[Stepmurr]

One topic of discussion ... (Automated Packet Reporting System)...

Other technologies should left to the professionals. My loved ones would just be abusing my privacy

APRS is the primary reason I got into ham radio. I frequently go off on extended trips & cell phones don't help much in the boonies & I like my wife knowing at least what state I am driving around in.

I seriously considered getting a yuppie 911 system (Spots or similar sat systems) but never thought they were worth the investment.

APRS has major coverage gaps in the southquest, but it at least gets my last location to within a day.

If I disappear my wife can start the search based on my last reported location and my planned expedition route.

It really helps her to know if I was last seen in Albuquerque, Durango, or somewhere west of Phoenix.

I friend of mine says several of his ham buddies use APRS as a low-rent low-jack. They hide a cheap tnc & radio in their cars so they can track them if they are stolen.

APRS good - fire bad

 

[DSRTRDR]

I bought a very inexpensive radio, since I don't know what/why ham (also can be read I'm poor, it's all I can afford)...I bought this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009MAKWC0?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

I am wondering, what's the recommended shelf-aging time on that as compared to the Yaesu everyone seems to be raving about

If I disappear my wife can start the search based on my last reported location . . .

yeah, sure . . .

 

[Jim S.]

My hand held is a Yaesu FT-60. Good little unit. I purchased the adapter for regular batteries versus the rechargeable ones. If you are not near a 12V source the regular batteries will out perform the rechargeable battery pack every time.

The radio in Lorna's FJC is a Yaesu FT-7900 remotely mounted. Does everything I need at a reasonable price.

 

[Cee Fish]

I don't know anyone that raves about ANY radio...

JJ, I have a Kenwood TM-D710A. I have the Green Light Labs GPS module attached for APRS capabilities.

This is a fantastic setup for those that want a dual band rig that is able to run APRS. I realize it is almost double the price of some of the other options, but IMO it is the best radio available today for those who want to run APRS.

My first radio was a Yaesu FT7800R. While Yaesu makes a great product, the radio was not nearly as intuitive to program and use.

My HT is a cheap Baofeng UV5R . While not as sophisticated as some of the offerings from the major brands, the radio performs for its intended use. I use it to monitor a second channel when running APRS on the Kenwood, it also comes in handy around camp and when out of the vehicle to maintain comms.

We used HT's during the rescue in CO at the FJ Summit. nice to be able to talk to multiple people without being tied down in your rig.

Here are some pictures of my 710 setup. The transceiver is mounted under the driver's seat on a homemade bracket. The head is mounted to the dash of the FJC with HD Velcro. I can remove the head in 5 seconds if I desire. I ran the cat5 cable up though the center console and out underneath the FJ's gauge cluster. I made a relief in the bottom of the cluster to accept the cable and allow to sit flush on the dash.

 

[Jim S.]

In Lorna"s truck it's mounted under the Pax. seat. The detachable remote head is mounted to a small bracket above the rear view mirror when in use. Removed from the vehicle the rest of the time. Regarding the 80, a good location is behind the passenger rear panel. This will also work in the FJC if the factory amp is not installed.

Jim

 

[ttubb]

I have the Yaesu FT-7800R in both my 80 and 40. I chose it because of the remote head. Here are some pics of the install. Also have the Uniden CB mounted as shown. Terry

 

[Cee Fish]

JJ, have not used the Kenwood yet as a repeater. the HT has a pretty good range for 4 watts of power. The HT fills a short distance roll for me. Around camp, on the trail, etc. Remember, I loose one of the bands on the Kenwood to APRS when beaconing.

A Baofeng UV5R with a mag mount antenna, would make a good entry level rig for those that are unsure of the hobby and don't want to commit large funds.

I made contact from the top of Imogene pass (13,200') to Ouray FJ Summit base camp (7800'). I was using the Kenwood, a friend was in base camp using his Baofeng UV5R. Sounded like we were standing next to each other.

 

[Cee Fish]

Bump to get this back on the first page. Many at the meeting tonight were asking about info contained in this thread...

 

[Chuy]

Can we get a sticky on this please, I had no idea entry into HAM could be so inexpensive. What is the name of that handheld model radio?

 

[Cee Fish]

Baofeng, look three posts up...

 

[BrotherRob]

I must have missed the sandwiches. Damn.