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Thought I'd make a post and see if we have any other amateur radio operators here.
My radio days started 3 years ago during a move across the U.S. from NC to MO. A friend gave me my first CB radio and I immediately took a liking to having it in the car. The great chats I had along I-40 on channel 19 were priceless. Then later I learned (after arriving in the sticks of Missouri) how there's hardly anyone but truck drivers on the CB and some of them don't want to talk to you. Add to that all the electrical interference, hash and trash, skip (which can be both a good and a band thing), etc.
So I bit the bullet and studied up on amateur radio. I recently acquired my technicians license a month ago. I picked myself up a Yaesu FT7900R and a Tram 1180 mag mount. Been making lots of contacts on 2 meters and 70 centimeters.
I might go ahead and study for my general, not sure. What frequencies do you use and why?
Last edited by Bo; 08-24-2011 at 06:48 AM..
Reason: Moved from Entertainment > Radio.
I operate mostly on 20-10 meters. It's always seemed like more fun to see what I could get on HF. Go for the General, by all means! You can never tell what will be coming in. Now if we could just get some more sunspots so the 15 and 10 meter bands will be open more often.
Don't be surprised if this thread gets moved to Hobbies & Recreation.
Don't be surprised if this thread gets moved to Hobbies & Recreation.
Indeed it will. The Radio subforum of the "Entertainment" category is for discussing broadcast radio. Ham radio is a hobby, to be discussed in Hobbies & Recreation.
I hope we haven't lost Deez Nuttz due to the move. CQ Deez Nuttz...or any other amateur radio operators.
Nope you haven't lost me. I actually subscribed to this thread to see any new responses.
I spent tonight removing my 10 meter linear that I'm selling in hopes to help me buy a 2nd 2 meter rig. Also putting up for sale my 11 meter omni directional fiberflass base antenna and my 102 whips I will not be using.
Also looking at ways to mount up my 2 meter radio. Also looking into mounting my antenna. I was going to do a thru the roof mount but decided against it for now. And I really don't want to use a mag mount if I don't need to.
My truck is a '91 S-10. I've always been partial to mounting my CB antennas dead center of vehicle, but I saw where someone mouted his 2 meter antenna to a special fender mount, yet claims he's not hit any dead spots yet. His antenna is on the drivers side fender near the windshield. Certainly it must be directional.
The shorter wavelength of the 2 meter signal will have a correspondingly smaller requirement for an effective ground plane, so the antenna location on a vehicle is less likely to be directional. At least it seems that way to me.
I just read that the prediction for the next sunspot cycle peak (August 2013) is going to be 75, the smallest in 100 years, according to NASA. So the upper HF bands aren't going to be consistently great for a long time.
Got my tech and general in 2009, I love the hf bands and am studying for my extra and learning cw. Also work the fm satellites, and psk31 and rtty on 20 meters. GET YOUR GENERAL. Working a guy in some foreign country is really a thrill, you'll be amazed what a wire and 100 watts will do. Right now I have a Yaesu ft-60 ht for fm satellite work, a Yaesu ft-1900 2 meter mobile in the car and an old Kenwood TS-520s tube rig connected to a G5RV in the house.
I think of HF ham radio as the Outernet. It doesn't depend on anything between the communicating stations other than the ionosphere. "When all else fails..." I've been using my Yaesu FT-990 since 1992 with indoor antennas and have 150 countries (or "entities", if you prefer) confirmed. Definitely, get your General!
Thanks. I'll go up for general one day. For now I'm enjoying what little money can buy me. It's much better coming from the CB world where it seems no one was ever on, and skip was hit or miss....although i hear 10/11 skip has been really active lately.
Question though....would you say that 2 m and 70 cm are mostly "local" bands and that 10 m on up to 160 m are more for dx?
Also what about 6m? I hear there's not much action there, that it "comes and goes". And I believe I've also read 1.25 m is not a commonly used frequency....why not?
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Amateur Radio
