Intro to Radio Communications

[Doc. Holiday]

Went to the meet and greet today. Learned a lot of cool tid bits! I'm definitely going with the Yeasu FT 60r. Hoping to grab it next month or so. Boy...I felt like a toddler there due to me not knowing jack about this hobby and two, most of these guys were in their 60s! Lol. All were very knowledgeable that's for sure!

[tb-av]

... most of these guys were in their 60s!

So no old timers..... that's too bad.

[Doc. Holiday]

I guess not! All I gotta say is that I'm grateful for their experience. It's going to take me a long time before I can even get to their level.

[Outlander Systems]

Solid choice.

I got depressed at my first hamfest when I realized I was the youngest dude there. When the old folks go to ham heaven, we're all going to have to carry the torch.

It can be overwhelming, for sure. I look at it like there's ALWAYS something to learn. Which is fantastic. I could be involved with amateur radio for the next 30 years and still not know everything. It's pretty cool stuff.

Went to the meet and greet today. Learned a lot of cool tid bits! I'm definitely going with the Yeasu FT 60r. Hoping to grab it next month or so. Boy...I felt like a toddler there due to me not knowing jack about this hobby and two, most of these guys were in their 60s! Lol. All were very knowledgeable that's for sure!

[TXBK]

I have reached the point to where I am going to have to make contact with my local club. I am using a VX-6R, and from my living room I can receive clearly. However, my transmissions are not being received well enough for them to even make out my call sign. The local club has a weekly net, and I have attempted to join a couple times with no luck. I haven't gone mobile with my HT yet, but that is on the to-do list. It could be a programming issue with my HT, but to the best of my knowledge it is programmed correctly to do what I am trying to do. If I don't get it figured out soon, I will have to search out some help. I have a long way to go before I have even a firm grasp on what's going on, but I am still enjoying myself, nonetheless. My only regret was taking so long to get started.

[Outlander Systems]

I would bet my paycheck you're not pushing enough wattage to get past the noise floor/break squelch on the repeater.

You're in the pickle I was in when I first got licensed, where you're trying to take 100-yard shots with your "pistol".

The first thing you could try is a better antenna. That may give you enough gain, over the rubber-coated dummy load that comes with most HTs. You could also try installing a tiger tail on your antenna to act as a counterpoise.



The above video is your cheapest, easiest fix. It might cost you $2.00 and a few minutes of your time.

An antenna will make a very big difference.

For example, a mag mount on the roof of my truck will hit the repeater, where my HT antenna would not. There is a particular repeater that I used to frequent, and out of my pile of HTs, only one of them could get full quieting. I would chalk it up to a much better antenna on that radio.

If you have a ladder, break it out, climb it, and try transmitting to the repeater. With VHF/UHF elevation is your best friend, followed by antenna gain.

Typically, you will be able to receive a lot further than you can transmit. If you're able to hear the repeater, you could, as a last ditch effort, pick up a directional "Yagi" antenna. If you know where the repeater is, in relation to your house, and point the Yagi towards it, I would almost guarantee you will get a positive signal report from any station listening to the repeater.

I have reached the point to where I am going to have to make contact with my local club. I am using a VX-6R, and from my living room I can receive clearly. However, my transmissions are not being received well enough for them to even make out my call sign. The local club has a weekly net, and I have attempted to join a couple times with no luck. I haven't gone mobile with my HT yet, but that is on the to-do list. It could be a programming issue with my HT, but to the best of my knowledge it is programmed correctly to do what I am trying to do. If I don't get it figured out soon, I will have to search out some help. I have a long way to go before I have even a firm grasp on what's going on, but I am still enjoying myself, nonetheless. My only regret was taking so long to get started.

[TXBK]

I need to check the wattage setting on my radio. I have brought my mag mount antenna inside, but it hasn't made a difference inside the house on the transmission side. I haven't even messed with the HT outside yet. If my radio isn't set on the low wattage setting, I'm sure transmitting from my truck with the mag mount antenna should work. I'm am only ~6 miles from the repeater, but I don't have a good line of sight due to the trees and rolling hills. There is sporadic chatter throughout the day, but I haven't taken the time to get my setup mobile during the day, yet. Around me, the net kicks off at 1930, and the most sustained chatter is in the evening. By that time, my rear is thoroughly parked in my chair monitoring the radio and m4c so. I have a setting to check, and maybe that will allow me to transmit with the HT from inside. Otherwise, I will have to go outside, mobile, or erect an antenna.

[tb-av]

I guess not! All I gotta say is that I'm grateful for their experience. It's going to take me a long time before I can even get to their level.

Not sure if you know who Bob Heil is. He used to design the giant sound systems for the big rock shows of the 60's. He has a Ham Radio show and they get posted on YouTube. He's probably the 'youngest-old timer' if that makes sense. He and most before him actually built everything they used. He just happened to design it all too. The old Ham Radio guys are sort of the original hackers.

You can YT search and find him with Charlie Daniels talking audio and Joe Walsh talking Ham Radio. His shows can be really long and they generally just talk a lot, but you might hear a subject you want to research. Sometimes though they actually teach a lesson or have a 'how-to". I've never been able to find a 'table of contents' though for his shows. So it's hard to find things.

For instance this is an hour plus show... but at 38:00 this one guy teaches a nice lesson a 10 meter antenna..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_J5jFTnv5A

Here is a pretty cool segment on a slot antenna at 18:40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MUWc9qt90Y

[TXBK]

It turns out that my issues were between my ears. I have both of my HT's working well for me now. I am keeping the vx6r in my vehicle, and Baofeng in my house. I am currently studying to upgrade my license, but I'm not really in any hurry. I have just about decided by get an FT-857D as my mobile rig, and will have to explore a new antenna setup as well. I don't currently have any plans for a base station, but I sure that will transpire at some point.

I am going to attend the local ham club meeting this week. I have been checking into the local net regularly and talking to the younger guy in the club, which is only a few years older than me. Most of the guys are retired, but all of them sound pretty normal.

[Outlander Systems]

Good to hear your gear is up and running well.

Look into Anderson Powerpoles.

https://powerwerx.com/anderson-power...-sb-connectors

I cut the supplied power cables from mobile radios, and bridge them with Anderson powerpoles. If you ever want to operate in the house, you can just pop the the radio out of the bracket and bring it inside, and hook up to your power supply.

If you decide to go that route, hit me up, as almost no one installs powerpoles correctly, and then they bitch that the connections come loose.

Mobile HF can be challenging. Hell, mobile anything can be difficult.

It turns out that my issues were between my ears. I have both of my HT's working well for me now. I am keeping the vx6r in my vehicle, and Baofeng in my house. I am currently studying to upgrade my license, but I'm not really in any hurry. I have just about decided by get an FT-857D as my mobile rig, and will have to explore a new antenna setup as well. I don't currently have any plans for a base station, but I sure that will transpire at some point.

I am going to attend the local ham club meeting this week. I have been checking into the local net regularly and talking to the younger guy in the club, which is only a few years older than me. Most of the guys are retired, but all of them sound pretty normal.