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Messages - gil

#2986
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.
#2987
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.
#2988
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.
#2989
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..

#2990
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.
#2991
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.
#2995
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Fitness.
September 09, 2012, 01:20:46 PM
Jonas, what if you need to run after them  ;)

Gil.
#2996
Digital Modes / Are digital modes practical for prepping?
September 09, 2012, 01:19:29 PM
I used to think that CW was the only practical data mode for preppers. I still think it is the most important one. There might be a place however for data modes in emergency situations. I am thinking of news bulletins and passing messages. ConfederateColonel got me thinking about this.. Some modes like Olivia can decode a message buried deep in the noise. You can't even hear anything but static, but the data comes through. These modes are amazing in that regard. With the abundance of sub-$300 laptops and the simplicity of connecting them to your radio via the earphone/microphone jacks, why not give it a try? A news bulletin can be typed, then cut-and-pasted into a program like fldigi. Some software will allow you to set your radio as a beacon and transmit the message at regular intervals. Even at QRP power, it will eventually go through... The biggest issue with digital modes is to agree on a standard. After reading about practically all of them, my vote goes to Olivia. I have yet to experiment though, so let's discuss possible modes and setups to achieve a practical solution.

Radio Preppers I hope will eventually end-up on the air. We won't call it that of course, it will just be another friendly net.. We could then practice voice, CW, and one data mode for our purpose. The main band will probably be 40m because some of it is accessible by all license levels and propagation works even in low solar activity. NVIS is possible as well for local contacts. 40m is the most versatile band in my opinion. The General exam is fairly easy..

For prepping purposes, I don't think it is a good thing to spread out to many bands and modes (except on receive). Having just a few "watering holes" would make it easier to find "like-minded" individuals, people who read this forum. Note that the goal here is not to form some kind of militia group. It is to exchange information on developing events between somewhat trusted individuals with whom we may have had prior contact and maybe even developed a friendship with.

So, do we need digital modes?

Gil.

#2997
From Wikipedia:
QuoteAd hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task.
Exactly what this site is...

Radio Preppers will be what it's members make of it. You want it to be a reputable source of information, make it so.
I am not taking offense. I have too good an opinion of my own work for that and too much self esteem to take it personally.

Scott does participate in this site quite a bit and does start new threads on a regular basis.
I can see Scott that you have strong opinions, and that's fine as long as they are expressed politely.
So far so good. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

I do not want RP to be a highly moderated site. There has to be a place for debate and disagreements.
What I will not tolerate is ab-hominem attacks and foul language.

Make no mistake, if moderation is ever needed, I will come down like the hammer of Thor.

Gil.
#2998
General Discussion / Re: The Postman Scenario
September 09, 2012, 12:29:38 PM
Well, Colonel, I have been looking into digital modes and they have my attention now. I connected my Mac to My K2 and ran fldigi.. Heard some PSK31 signals and was amazed at how well they decoded, even though I could barely hear the signal. I read the Olivia mode is even better and can decode signals deep in the static, that you can't even hear! I can see now, thanks to your post, that a digital mode would be great to send news bulletins. Cut-and-paste your text, set your software to behave as a beacon... It's a bit more involved than CW for sure, but with the abundance of cheap sub-$300 laptops, still a viable option. I will be looking into Olivia 16/500 on the K2. The problem with digital modes is that there are so many. We need a prepping standard!

Gil.
#2999
Tactical Corner / Re: So what's your plan?
September 09, 2012, 12:20:35 PM
QuoteVHF radios with MURS motion sensors.

Hello Frosty, sounds like you are awesomely prepared.. What are those motion sensors, you have a link?

Gil.
#3000
Hum, it wouldn't hurt any...

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