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Messages - gil

#2971
Licensing / Re: Do you REALLY need that ham license?
September 12, 2012, 06:49:19 PM
QuoteIt's probably gil ratting us all out anyway.  Think about it.  Lowercase "g", obvious alias.  Posts at all hours of the day/night, there's probably 5-6 "gils"" monitoring the forum 24x7.

;D    LOL!

I wish I could sleep better, I wouldn't be posting round the clock!  ::)
My photo is right here for face-recognition softwares to prove I am real.. Hehe.
Anyway, let's not get into a "them watching us debate."

Gil.
#2972
Licensing / Re: Do you REALLY need that ham license?
September 12, 2012, 02:29:44 PM
I am not worried about being on "the list," because soon enough EVERYONE is going to be on it.
Growing the databases is how you get your budget increased for the next year...

Gil.
#2973
General Discussion / Re: Hello
September 12, 2012, 02:27:22 PM
Hello Rick, and welcome aboard  :)

Gil.
#2974
QuoteAre export rigs illegal due to the wattage or some other reason?

Both power and frequency range... As far as I know just having them on the premises is illegal, even if you are not transmitting! Same goes for CB RF amps.

Gil.
#2975
Like Frosty says, spending more on a good antenna makes better sense. Export rigs are illegal (do not suggest it). Using a high gain antenna, you could multiply your output power. Placing the antenna higher will also give you much better results. Also, using horizontally polarized antennas (dipole, Yagi, quad) will cut down the noise compared to verticals.

Gil.
#2976
Hello rg,

I don't think you will be gaining much by spending more on a CB radio. The only more expensive ones are the fake "10m" CBs, which you can buy but are illegal. The Galaxy does everything a CB is going to do, and legally... I would suggest getting it, then saving a bit of money for a Ham radio. You can get an awesome HF radio on Ebay for $200. The license isn't hard to get.

Gil.
#2977
Licensing / Re: Do you REALLY need that ham license?
September 11, 2012, 12:57:19 PM
About antennas, there are many ways to make them not look like antennas. Thin wire, green spray paint, flag poles, clotheslines, etc. My 24ft Imax2000 is painted camo green and brown. You can't see in in the trees unless you look very closely... I can string up a wire inside the house on the 2nd floor and use a tuner.. My 40m end-fed has a very thin wire you can barely see from any distance.

Gil.
#2978
My opinion is that a new Ham will eventually want to use HF, probably get a General license later.. Lots of dual band vhf/uhf have all kinds of bells and whistles I have no use for, like APRS and such. The only VHF radio I have is the FT-270R, which I agree isn't enough. I might get a Yaesu FT-2900R, a simple and rugged 2m at $160 with a 75W output, or find an all-mode 2m SSB/FM radio on Ebay. If I had the money, I would get an FT-817ND or FT897D, which have all the bands you might want, and general receive. That for me would be the ultimate radio. Add an amp for VHF (FT-817ND) and you're all set.. The question is, do you want to  stick to VHF/UHF local communications, or expand to worldwide contacts on HF? Honestly, most conversations I hear on 2m are rather lame, with lots of people bickering and cutting each other off with keying-over. There are good ones for sure, but there is always some idiot on VHF to mess it all up. So, if you want VHF/UHF/local, get what Scott suggests. If you want it all, see my suggestions above, either an all band model, or a cheap VHF radio plus an HF model, which there are plenty of new models and a ton for cheap on Ebay..

Gil.
#2979
Licensing / Re: Do you REALLY need that ham license?
September 11, 2012, 11:56:06 AM
TAPRN is a great resource. Thanks for the link. I didn't know about it. I like their , especially the 7,242kHz frequency suggestion. We might piggyback on that one.

Gil.
#2980
Hello,

I found the MST400 on http://ozqrp.com. It is a nice single-band 40m LSB radio with a digital frequency display and a DDS VFO. It will be a nice backup to my K2 or something to take along with my K1 on hikes. The kit is partial only, with the hard to find components included. Everything else, you can find online. At $75+shipping, it is a cheap way to start on building your own radio. The circuit boards are of excellent quality and the manuals, downloadable, very easy to follow. I can't believe this kit isn't famous yet, but I think it is pretty new. I probably should have soldered the ICs at the end, but I couldn't resist...

It would be great if the kit had a built-in iambic keyer and 400Hz filter for CW, but oh well.. That's what the K1 is for..

#2981
Morse Code / Re: Starting the Morse Code Board.
September 10, 2012, 03:44:48 PM
One thing I am going to do after I get the Morse pat down is learn to send a receive a radiogram... I can see how useful it would be for a hiker on a week-long hike away from any cell phone tower... Just to send short reports to family and friends...

Ray, I can't believe you were a sailor. I used to own a 32ft. steel ketch, but never finished the restoration because it was ransacked and everything of value stolen from it, including all ten bronze ports.. I plan on building a smaller boat, 18ft... http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jw/swaggie/index.htm But that's for another forum  ;)

Gil.
#2982
Morse Code / Re: Starting the Morse Code Board.
September 10, 2012, 12:17:18 PM
My smallest CW radio fits in my shirt pocket  ;)
Can't beat that!



Gil.