Lscott
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Posts posted by Lscott
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4 hours ago, WRXE944 said:
When I built my Hallicrafters HT-40 kit 80 - 6 meter transmitter at 11 years old; I don't remember having to drag it down to the FCC for any Part 15 testing!
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6 hours ago, axorlov said:
I recently bought Collins 500Hz filter for FT-817, just the filter part, and will have to roll the board on my own.
There are some decent Chinese PCB houses out there that can manufacture the blank board for a cheap price. This is one we used at work here for making some quick prototype boards.
You just need a PCB layout package that can generate standard Gerber files.
A number of people have used KiCad to do their own boards. It's used for a number of public domain projects.
Before that the favorite was Eagle. However it has some significant limitations with the "free" version that KiCad doesn't.
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-install-and-setup-eagle/all
Were I work we use Altium Designer for schematic capture and PCB layout work. The projects and part libraries are cloud based. All you need is the software loaded on your PC and Internet access for the license server and the cloud server. Then you can work from anywhere as a team partner.
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9 hours ago, Sshannon said:
Would you like to sell the 706mkIIG?
I’m going to hang on to it. It’s one of the smallest DC to daylight multi mode radios I’ve seen that can do 100 watts PEP on HF through 6M. It also has a remote face plate option too. It also has the optional high stability reference oscillator installed and I think the 1.8KHz SSB filter too.
I’ve been thinking about just setting it up as a base radio
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1 hour ago, axorlov said:
GMRS is in the middle of business band, so the technical requirements are identical to Part 90. For example, stability must be 2.5ppm for 25KHz channels and 1.5ppm for 12.5KHz channels. Ham gear does not have such strict requirements. It is only recently (few years) when new ham HTs and mobiles started to satisfy that spec. Majority of older ham gear is drifty.
This thread shows quite well, that when "I know what I'm doing" is uttered, it is a very strong signal that person has no clue. :rolleyes
The commercial digital radios have better frequency stability spec’s.
It’s necessary due to the quad frequency modulation, 4 discrete frequency shifts, used. If the frequency drifts too far off the radio can’t detect the particular dibit, two bits encoded per frequency shift, being sent resulting in a higher bit error rate. That’s by the way why people have to tweak their hotspot frequency.
The other reason if the frequency drifts too much the RX radio will loose sync with the data stream if the transmission lasts too long, mismatch between TX and RX data rates. Then the communication fails. The same frequency reference use for TX and RX is also used for the data stream bit timing.
The various digital modes standards have spec’s for the above.
I wouldn’t be surprised that the cheap Chinese digital radios have a tendency to experience drop outs due to the above. Some of those radios have crummy frequency stability specs to save money on a better reference oscillator. For amateur use the dropouts aren’t critical. However for first responders it could be life threatening.
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1 hour ago, BoxCar said:
16K is also used by some.
There is a difference between “occupied” bandwidth and channel spacing. People tend to get the two confused.
25KHz channel spacing - typical 16KHz bandwidth (5KHz deviation)
20KHz channel spacing - typical 14KHz bandwidth (4KHz deviation)
12.5KHz channel spacing - typical 11KHz bandwidth (2.5KHz deviation)
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3 hours ago, WRQC527 said:
In 2008, a Metrolink accident happened in Chatsworth, killing 25 people, when the engineer was distracted while texting with a 16-year-old railfan, ran a red signal, and hit a freight train. It's a terrible idea to communicate with railroad personnel while they're operating trains.
People get distracted yacking on their mobile radio too. Sometimes that doesn't end well either.
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2 hours ago, WRXE944 said:
I purchased one of the 817's when they first came out and I was not successful with a good antenna and QRP.
Some years later I sold it on eBay and used the proceeds to buy my 857d, which I used for many years in a backpack and portable antenna I purchased on eBay for wonderful days in the sun!
It is now my "shack" rig.
I ran an Icom IC706GMKII mobile for a number of years in a van. That worked rather well. When the van got destroyed in a rear end accident I got another new one. It's never been used and still in the box. It has the MARS/CAP mod I believe.
The FT-817 hasn't been used in a few years. I need to program up the AT- D578UV III Plus with the Bluetooth remote speaker microphone and stick it in the new ride. Just been too lazy to do it.
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57 minutes ago, WRCZ387 said:
& [3] local rail frequencies programmed in, but I make sure that they are on 'NO TRANSMIT' before I unplug the h-t from the pc,
I know about some people who talk to the train personal when its in range.
They don't do it regularly. And if the train personal are using NXDN they won't be using a Baofeng to do it.
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12 hours ago, axorlov said:
I don't think TK-3170 is supported by Chirp, unless it's recent development.
I don't think it is either.
If somebody was looking for a small HT with a bunch of features to use for GMRS that radio is one I would recommend. It's also Part 95 certified.
https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/263-tk-3170jpg/?context=new
There is a similar model, TK-3173, that uses the same programing software, cables etc.
http://www.swscomm.com/kenwood/TK-3173.pdf
Both can be programmed out of their band split to get them on the Ham 70cm band. I have a number of Ham 70cm repeaters programmed in mine.
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7 hours ago, WRCZ387 said:
If I can't communicate on FRS, GMRS or MURS, forget it
Some people put a few of the marine band frequencies in their VHF radios when out on the water. Also hunters have been frequently known to use portable VHF marine radios when out in the woods. That's a dead give-a-way as what they're up to with local conservation officers.
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9 hours ago, WRXE944 said:
I'd love to see more 6 meter activity and if this HT helps drive it, all the more so!
There is a link above your post about a $63 HT antenna that covers 6 meters and hopefully the reviews are positive.
If I could find a 6m/10m FM/SSB HT, I'd buy it in a NY minute!
I don't believe Yeasu is making them any more but the FT-817, and the updated version FT-818, are multi band and multi mode QRP portable radios. You can still find them at various swaps. They aren't cheap even used.
I have the FT-817. I used it portable while travel while staying in hotel rooms with a portable antenna system. I usually asked for a room on the top floor for the height advantage and put the antenna near the window.
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1 hour ago, KAF6045 said:
I suspect 95% of the D75A is a direct borrow from the D74A, especially the firmware. Hardware modifications hopefully improve the battery life. I have FOUR batteries for my D74 that I cycle through -- granted, I'm mainly using it /in/ the house near a DV-Mega/Pi-Star hotspot that is on a rather busy reflector, so the radio never really goes idle; when it would be idle the hotspot is likely running a DMR talkgroup which the D74 has to keep sampling to see if it is decodable. Easily go through two batteries in <12 hours.
Kenwood is the only competition Icom has in the D-Star world, and the D74 easily beats the recent Icom 52 model for features (I think it holds many more D-Star repeater definitions for the "find nearest" operation; has true packet APRS and a KISS-mode TNC vs Icom only supporting DPRS embedded in D-Star data packets.).
I would tend to agree. I’m sure they envision the market are those Hams that waited too long to buy the D74A. Judging by the absolutely insane prices people are asking, and likely some getting it, for the D74A on the used market they might be right.
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21 hours ago, KAF6045 said:
Oddly, while Kenwood's discontinued F6A and D74A manage "full" power on 2m, 1.25m, and 70cm, Kenwood never incorporated 6m into the mix (the F6A /receive/ however was 100kHz [3000m or 3km] to 1.3GHz, less cell phone band)
Yeasu's VX8-DR is really a 6m, 2m, 70cm unit with 1.25m shoehorned into it -- but at flea power.
IMHO having 6M TX in an HT is a bit useless. You really can't put a decent antenna for that band on such a small radio. There just isn't enough of a ground plane. A loaded 1/4 wave antenna, to keep the length reasonable, is very inefficient. Also from my experience the band is mostly dead unless there is a band opening. Then most of the activity is SSB anyway.
I think Kenwood got it right with including 2M, 1.25M and 70cm in one radio. However I would have preferred DMR over D_Star in the new TH-D75A. Being most new radios are DSP designs, including the CODECS, offering two different firmware options for the radio would make it appealing to a wider customer base. They have the technology to do it, on the commercial side at least. For example the NX-1000 series offer either FM with NXDN, or FM with DMR depending on which firmware is loaded into the radio.
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Oh, you don't need to experience a direct strike to suffer damage. A near strike can do damage as well from the EMP generated.
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Here is some more info.
Grounding Tips for the Shack.pdf Lighting Protection Guide - 3rd Ed.pdf
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2 minutes ago, WRWH978 said:
I see quite a few Kenwood models listed in chirp -- is it better to find the kenwood software to program them?
YES!!! The commercial radios have a lot of options/features that chirp can’t adjust. Your only choice is the official Kenwood programming software. Most of the software can be found on the internet along with the installation keys.
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1 hour ago, pcradio said:
I forced three young people who had bought radios to get their license. They had no idea.
Then there are those who get “educated” but tell you to go pound sand and refuse to get a license. You report them to the FCC?
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This is what I have on file for one of those cheap Chinese Duplexers.
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5 hours ago, triode said:
SGQ-450A-D 50watt, duty cycle I am not sure but I am assuming duplexer should run continuously. I don't recall seeing duty cycle on the duplexer parameters list.
I wouldn’t assume a 100% duty cycle. Those cheap Chinese Duplexers were primarily designed for mobile applications, I believe, which are low duty cycle.
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3 hours ago, WRXN668 said:
It doesn't help that the amateur community both doesn't understand what a potential younger operator wants, or that some of their terminology irrespective of actual operations isn't helping either.
I'm in my forties, I grew up with BBSes before the Internet was generally available to consumers, and even back then we had Fidonet through some BBSes to exchange e-mail and forums across the globe. Granted, it took days for post to propagate across the entire net as BBSes only synchronized their messages overnight in waves, but even back then we could communicate with other people at distance without having to install massive antennas, buy expensive radios, and pass exams. Commercial services like Prodigy, Compuserve, and AOL started making it easier for the average person to get online, and then home Internet access made that easier still, with access to Usenet and then to web-based forums. And then cell phones became cheap and Internet connected.
My point here is that well-equipped radio shacks and rotating boom antennas for General and Amateur Extra licenses are not going to appeal to someone that isn't already interested in radio communications. They already have other ways of achieving communications at the sorts of distances that MF and HF radios provide. There's not a lot of appeal to an outsider to sit at a desk or bench or console to operate radios.
It probably doesn't help that amateur radio has been around for so long that it has established its own vernacular that is weird and foreign to outsiders, up to and including the language for those who would assist new operators. Elmers? Really? Who even wants to be referred to as an Elmer, let alone seek-out the assistance of a person whose informal title sounds more like glue or an inept cartoon character?
Despite already being on the cusp of cell phones I got into amateur radio in the early noughties because I had friends into ham radio, the cost to get into it was low, the test was comparatively easy, the utility was good for person-to-person and vehicle-to-vehicle communications outside of cell coverage or when cell would result in excessive roaming charges, and radios that would serve these purposes were fairly inexpensive. If GMRS had been popular back then, it might well have been a better solution since the lack of test would have been an even lower barrier to entry and it would probably have been easier to convince friends to get in on it.
If the existing amateur community wants to bring new operators into the fold, they need to look at how amateur radio will benefit those new operators. And the thing is, the way the amateur licenses are structured this is actually directly in-line with that tiering system. Technician class only just touches on HF and for only a very limited use, the class is largely structured towards local to regional communications. This automatically precludes worldwide communications since Technician-class operators can't use bands good for worldwide communications anyway.
So what sorts of things are local and regional communications good for? Pretty much stuff where the communications are outside of cell service or for those who still aren't yet able to use cell phones. Caravans/convoys where the group needs to communicate. Four wheeling groups that want to communicate. Four-wheeling spotters on difficult obstacles. Hikers in groups that either get strung-out along a trail or split-up. Families that go recreating in the wilderness and may split up. Groups that drive-up separately to four-wheeling or camping and want to meet-up. Even recreational boating on large lakes where there could be cove/shore/beach camping that needs to be coordinated. And of course there could be advantages for emergencies away from cell coverage, depending on how popular a given service is within a region.
GMRS is a nice entry-point, more power than FRS for a little more range, but ultimately range-limited due to the choice of band. GMRS now is what CB was intended to be early on, but while CB suffers because of the choice of an HF band that makes it ripe for abuse, GMRS has an upper bound on range almost no matter how much power someone would try to pump into their signal. CB was supposed to be regional but it was too easy to make go further, GMRS doesn't have that problem.
Amateur Radio Technician Class would be an excellent next step for those who've been big into GMRS but have found its technical and regulatory limits to be too constrictive. Multiple bands for less congestion, much further simplex range with similar equipment costs and power output, greater possible power output within the rules. Those going outside of cell coverage can talk further. And the advent of digital means they can use technologies that can transmit GPS information and other packet radio data for things like beaconing/locating, both for casual meeting-up and for emergency locating. Sure, it requires everyone to have passed the test and to have equipment operating on the same bands and modes, but that equipment has become far cheaper than it used to be and the range can be phenomenal.
On Field Day last weekend down in Phoenix I was talking to someone up near Flagstaff on a 25 year old mobile 2m 50W radio that I had just bought and was powering off of a cigarette lighter adapter with a mag-mount antenna with cable pinched through a car door. I have no doubt that the other operator's station had a really fancy antenna and the benefit of altitude and skip-wave for us to reach each other, but it was pretty amazing considering I had done nothing special at my end at all. It was eye-opening to my wife, she's now looking at getting licensed too.
Get people initially licensed into the hobby by giving them a reason to do it. After it's demonstrated useful, some subset will look at upgrading licenses. Some will look at longer distance communications for the novelty of it. But that only works once potential operators have gotten over the hump of it being useful to them to begin with and embraced it as something that already suits their own purposes. If the existing older amateur community can understand that and try to cater towards those groups, that will help to make new hams much more than demonstrating communications across oceans or elaborate ham shacks at home.
If a young person wants brain dead communication the. by all means use their cell phone.
If they want a technical challenge then Ham Radio is where it’s at.
Even a Tech class license you can get worldwide communications using various digital modes. Set up an internet connected repeater for digital and maintain it.
Then there is satellite communications to test skill level, moon bounce etc.
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Just a wild thought. What is the power and duty cycle rating of the duplexer?
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Just another idea.
New Wouxun KG-Q10H Quad Band Amateur HT
in Amateur Radio (Ham)
Posted
I've purchased stuff on eBay from some Chinese sellers, a few from Canada and once from Ireland. In all cases the seller took care of the paperwork. The most frustrating thing is when the package sits in the foreign country's export house for days. Then when it arrives here it sits in a custom clearing house for a week or two, if you're lucky, before it clears. So far I haven't had to contact customs or pay any additional import duty on purchases outside of the US.
I have seen several IC-706MKIIG's for sale at swaps. Most were really beat up but a few looked OK. If you go that route DON'T buy anything EXCEPT the 706MKIIG model! The older ones had various issues including poor sensitivity. I liked mine and the limited DSP features they had worked well for the era.
The disappointing thing is the power on UHF was a max of 20 watts. However I didn't find that a huge issue. I had some mobile power amps, Mirage and RF Concepts, that did 10 watts in and 100 watts out if I ever needed more power.
IC-706MKIIg.pdf RF_Concepts_RFC-4-110_RFC-4-310_user.pdf D-1010-N.pdf