Ham update

I haven't been doing a lot with the radios lately. Worked a lot of overtime, got MrsZ moved out here permanently, closed on the old house, etc. I've finally started making efforts to correct this.

Our duplex has a DirecTV dish up on the roof that we don't use - and have no intention of doing so. I'm going to remove the dish from its little mast, and put an antenna up there. I've ordered a smallish (in the scheme of things) Arrow GP antenna to use, along with the necessary cabling and seals.

In the same vein, a co-worker does stormchasing but doesn't have a communications guy to go with him... so I'm putting together a portable mobile kit. I've got a Yaesu FT-90, which is one of the smallest VHF/UHF mobiles ever made - smaller than a VHS tape. I've got a little faux-Pelican case to mount it in, and a magnetic antenna to stick on a roof. I've ordered a small battery and a 12V cigar plug to add into the case...

Stay tuned. (Pun fully intended.)

ham status

With "life" happening around me (and a boatload of overtime) I've not had much time for radio stuff lately. When I had the short-notice trip home, I stripped all the valuables out of the truck, including the radio gear.

It hasn't gone back in yet.

On the plus side, I've got the 120-12V power supply in hand and it works beautifully, and I've just ordered a small Rigrunner power block to make this stuff easier to connect and disconnect.

I've installed EchoLink on my laptop; still sorting out the networking stuff necessary to use that at home.

I also sent in an application for a vanity callsign.

Overtime should be drying up shortly, so I hope I'll get in on some nets and rag chews soon.

Antenna thinking

I would dearly like to put a Real Antenna on the duplex. I don't think the landlord would be a real fan of me drilling new holes in the roof... but while walking the mutt, I was noticing the mount for the Dish that's up there.

It looks like the dish is friction-clamped on to the roof mount, which looks like a 1-1/2"-ish piece of gray pipe.

I need to pop up there when I have a day off and see if I can take the dish down, maybe put up a 8' piece of fiberglass extension, and then a 2m J-pole on top of that.

Only issue I see ... if said antenna came down, it stands a more-than-even chance of landing on Important Wires. Hrm.

Power Supply...

I did some ebay digging and have a 30A power supply (Jetstream 31MB) on the way. It's way more than I need for the time being, as the FT-90 I'll be using as a base only draws about 10A when transmitting. Of course, that leaves me room to grow/add.

My co-worker who dumped a box of radios on me found another one in the closet, and I should have a 6m rig shortly. No antenna for that one, and not sure if I'll have one anytime soon - the downside of duplex life.

I'm fully intending to make the core of the "base" radio system 100% grab-and-go - unplug two cords and close the box. Photos of that process will also be posted...

"Rag chew"

I've been doing plenty of listening on the radios the last few days. It's the anti-social version sitting in a barbershop and half-reading a magazine as the conversations flow around you.

Made a few more contacts today; the mobile at 20W is handily hitting the Raytown repeater as soon as I'm on the highway. If I bumped it to 50W I'm sure it'd reach from the driveway, but no reason to from there.

I've got another mobile waiting to be set up on a desk, just need a power supply for it.

Project: Truck

I've started to dig in on the truck. I found my extension bar and deep-well sockets, and got three of the four bolts off the "40" on the 60/40 back seat. The fourth one ... proved a bit reticent. It came part way out, and that was the stopping point.

Solution? Impact gun.

A few moments with the air power, and the last bolt came out. The reason it was so difficult? It goes through the body and is exposed to the elements underneath - and thus thoroughly corroded from six and a half years of New York salt. I sprayed it down with a bit of oil and worked it in and out of the threads a few times, and it's still gritty but moving freely.

Most of the stuff I want in my GHB has arrived and it's starting to come together.

The mobile radio in the truck was tested today, and even with the inexpensive Tram Antenna I'm using I made a contact on the K0GQ repeater (~16 miles straight-line) on 20W output. ("You're pretty snowy, but readable," sayeth the call sign on the other end.)

I'm getting excellent reception with the BaoFeng portable and N9TAX SlimJim, although I haven't made any contacts OUT - the 5W it's pushing just isn't enough to reach the nearby repeaters from inside the house.

Next on the list: mounting the remote head for the mobile in the truck. I've got a few locations in mind; I just need to find a piece of aluminum strap to bend as appropriate.

Also received a Bulldog Vaults BD-1100 ($22 at Buds Gun Shop), which is a VERY nice little vault. It is too small for a full-frame 1911, probably too small for a full-size M&P, but is plenty big enough for a J-frame, PM9, or similar. Only negative is the chintzy felted plastic lining; I'm going to pull that out and get some foam egg crate instead. It's a MUCH sturdier safe than the NanoVault boxes (I also have one of these), and once it's secured in the truck it should be both discreet and nigh-impossible to force open.

Stay tuned for pictures in the coming weeks. :-)

Callsign assigned

I got my callsign assigned.

No, I won't post it here. It's been put on the book of face, if you know me there - or you can send me an email and ask.

KD0***

I've CQ'd a local 2m repeater a few times with no answers. I need to find a power supply and set up my second mobile in the house, then see about jumping in one of the nets in the near future. The next two weeks are a bit nuts, so it may not happen right away... but I'll get there.

I also ordered the programming cable for the mobile in the truck - no more entering letters with the knob; just set it up on the laptop and zap the radio. I'm sure that will help, as I only have two of the local repeaters in; there are closer to a hundred to get set up.

Gear dump!

A coworker found out I was getting into ham, and said, "Hey, I've got a bunch of stuff I don't use anymore - I gave up my license a while ago - you want it?"

Well ... yeah!

He brought in a box o' radios today and handed it to me. It's mostly last-generation stuff, but that doesn't change how well it works!

In the box:
- an iCom IC-T2H portable (2m, I believe?)
- a Kenwood TH-F6 tri-band portable (2m/1.25m/70cm)
- a Kenwood TM-D700 "digital communicator" mobile (2m/70cm, packet radio)
- a Yaesu FT-90 mobile

Some VERY nice gear in this box, and I have plans for some of it already. Stay tuned as that develops...

In a side note, the re-funding of the .gov means that the FCC should be processing applications again - but they'll have a two-week backlog to get through. Still, I'm hoping to have a callsign in the next ten days or so.

I've been playing with the BaoFeng UV-5R portable radio I got, combined with a roll-up J-pole antenna from N9TAX... Nice combo, and a very inexpensive entry into ham. (Radio plus antenna will set you back less than $60.) Reception with the antenna is crystal clear, and I hope to be transmitting soon.

A few radio thoughts

Now that I've had a few hours sleep (seriously - I got up at 4pm on Friday, worked overnight, took my test at 9am, and wasn't in bed until almost noon Saturday, then up again at 5pm for work stuff...), a few more thoughts.

The tests weren't hard at all. The test material is publicly available, so it's entirely possible to cram and regurgitate. That's roughly what I did, and I'm OK with that. The learning process sent me on a few wiki-wanders as I tried to figure out things like NVIS and Beverage antennas, a bit of electrical engineering, MOSFET, and so forth. There are a lot of folks that won't bother those wiki-wanders, and that's OK too.

The Extra exam definitely got into the hard-science side of radio - antenna radiation patterns, much more complex circuit diagrams, etc. Way over my head for the moment, but I'll pick it up. I'm hoping to have Extra nailed by the end of the year.

Back to the testing... it was at a public library about an hour from the house. The test team was four guys well into retirement. I think one other guy took the Tech exam, and there may have been a few others - I think the exam coordinator said there were four scheduled. I was out of it and didn't look around.

The examiners were a chatty bunch, which was moderately distracting. I found myself reading and re-reading questions a few times as key words in their conversation infiltrated my bubble.

I finished my exams, got my scores and CSCE ("you dun passed" paper), and an attaboy from the examiner. He noted that it's, "Much easier now, since they don't have the code test anymore. Back when I tested, Extra had a 20-wpm [Morse code] test, but I was a CW operator for the Navy so that was nothing." That was the first real-world taste of Ham Snobbery I've gotten.

Tonight in some down time I've done some reading on the demographics of hams. It's mostly anecdotal, but the popular wisdom is that many operators don't pick up a license until they're in their 40s and beyond. I'd believe it. Ham is not necessarily a cheap hobby to get into. Sure, a 2m set can be had for under $200, and with IRLP that'll reach most anywhere - but a good 10m (or longer wavelength) HF rig will easily run over a thousand dollars. Plus space for an antenna, etc... can it be done in an apartment? Sure. Many do. But having the space and financial wherewithal to do Serious Ham means it tends to be a Real Adult thing... or even more common, a Retired Adult thing.

... And then I managed to find this article discussing the fairly static numbers (per-capita-wise) of operators. And lo, the FIRST comment on the page:

I think (opinion, not statistics) that about a third of [new Tech licenses] would be the EmComm Whackers that get tech licenses so they can use ham radio in their jobs. They don't progress to an HF license because all they care about is Saving The World with minimal investment in the hobby.  

Another third are the CBers who get their Techs so they can use their modded CBs on 10 & 12 meters but don't want to invest anything else in the hobby. They're just sitting around and waiting for the sunspots to come back so they can shoot skip on their "extree channels" and in the meantime are still on CB Hamsexy.com.  

The rest are just the usual ones who once they get their license have no interste in ever getting on the air. Those will all go away in about 7 to 10 years. In the meantime they spend their days on Hamsexy or EHam under anonymous logins.

Ouch. The next comment sums up my opinion nicely:

Sometimes I am surprised there is any growth at all in amateur radio. 

With attitudes like the preceding, it should surprise you. Grumbling about the no-code testing, bashing people who get a license because it's a job requirement, or who want to use radios differently from you... This attitude is the Fudd of radio. ("Those Cowboy shooters just want to play dress-up and pretend." "Those Modern Warfare kids don't know what a real rifle is." "Who needs more than a pump gun for anything?" "I'll never carry a plastic pistol.")

(I should note that the comments on that article are long and troll-filled, and come down on both sides of the fence.)

Here's my short piece of advice to long-time hams out there:
If you want to grow ham as a hobby, talking down to the new operators is not likely to help your cause. Belittling the new operator for buying a cheap Chinese portable without all the bells and whistles is not going to encourage him... It's going to get him to throw up his hands in frustration and stick the radio on a closet shelf and forget about it. Teaching him how to get the most from that portable until he can afford something nicer will take the hobby a long ways down the "growth" path, instead of slow death by attrition.

Indeed, I followed the herd in some regards and ordered a Baofeng UV-5R handi-talkie from Amazon. It's a $35 2m/70cm portable, with a fairly small memory bank and slow scan speed... but it's cheap, functional, and did I mention cheap? I added a programming cable for eight bucks, and now have all the local repeaters available in a radio the size of two decks of cards. More on that at a later date...

Ham update

Tested this morning.

The constant practice exams seem to have sunk in. I passed the Tech exam with a perfect score, and went on to General.

I did not ace General... I got a 33/35.

I took a swing at Extra. My lack of sleep and distractions in the test area caught up with me - along with the fact that I had done NO studying for it. I logicked my way to a 28/50, which was good but not passing.

Maybe in a couple months.

Of course, the FCC isn't processing licenses right now, so instead of being on the air by the end of next week, I'm in limbo until the government decides to start running again. *eyeroll*

But at least that's done.  :-)

Esoteric hobbies

I should have known HAM was going to be a rabbit hole.

Started with the mindset of, "It'd be nice to have the 2m/70cm stuff for aw-shit."

Then I started reading about HF and DXing (outside-the-US contacts), and realized the General exam isn't much of a jump from Tech.

Now I'm reading about QRP (how far can you reach on as little power as possible) and finding things like the SmallWonder Rockmite.

And SOTA (Summits On The Air).

There is something decidedly nifty about the idea of wandering up a hill/mountain with a half-watt CW transceiver and reaching out to someone a thousand miles away.

My Yaesu 7800 is here. A coworker has offered me some of his used gear, including a FT-90 ... which looks to be a nice size for a desktop/kit box setup.

Yep. Dangerous.

Except now I need to learn CW.

A human being...

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."  -- RAH, Time Enough For Love

This is likely to be one of those introspective-type posts. Feel free to skip it by if that sort of thing doesn't interest you. Gun content has been at a low lately.

Somewhere along the line, I realized I was slowly ticking off the things on Heinlein's list... and specializing at nothing. It's been a routine for me throughout my life: find a new hobby, interest, etc; learn it well enough to be competent; shelve it as "can-do".

Sometimes this is useful, other times frustrating. I'm not ashamed of any of my skills. There are people out there who are far better writers than I. There are people who are far better photographers. Better shooters (with some overlap to the previously-linked!), better cooks, better healers, better seamstresses, better builders, better farmers, better hunters, better radio operators, better most anything you can name.

And I'm OK with that. No matter how good you are, no matter what level you're working or playing at, there will always be someone, somewhere, somehow, who can and will be better than you. Cassius Clay and Mike Tyson lost bouts. Tiger Woods lost tournaments. Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Hank Aaron, the list goes on and on. They've all lost to someone. Records shatter, streaks break - that's the way of things.

I just need to be "good enough". I think, in general, I am. I can wire and plumb a house. Change my oil or brakes. Butcher a critter. Be field-accurate with a rifle out to several hundred yards. Avoid botulism cultures in the fridge. Handle basic first aid. Fell a tree. (Useful concurrent skill set, there.) Do enough advanced math and physics to get by. Dig and plant a garden. Preserve food. Make cheese. Make bread.

Am I ever going to be another AD, Marko, Roberta, Tam, Jay, Peter, Robert, MrsZ, Pediem, or Brigid?

Of course not! That's them, and I'm me!

Am I envious of their abilities sometimes? Of course. Marko and Peter have people buying their work. Jay has a new gig that's damn near perfect for him. Roberta talks radios in ways that are WAY over my head. Brigid (aside from being a wicked smaht secret squirrel) is a fantastic cook. Pediem can set a bone, then go home and bake a couple dozen cookies that are to die for. I'd love to be able to do the things they do... but they're them. I'm me.

And I'm OK with that.

The latest tick-mark on the skill list? HAM. I'm studying for my Tech and General tests, sitting for them in just under three weeks, and fully expecting to pass both with no trouble. I've got a nice used dual-band (2m/70cm) mobile on the way and will eventually start looking for a HF for the long-distance stuff. If I'm comfortable with the General this week, I'm going to start cramming for Extra - because I might as well have it if I can get it. I might even learn CW - just so I can try it. Something about "talking" halfway around the world with a set that I can stuff in my truck is pretty damn cool.

Stay tuned. (Pun fully intended.)