XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated

Amateur/Ham Radio

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Identified North American MW stations over new year at KP13

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:26 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtqetp/identified_north_american_mw_stations_over_new/

submitted by /u/Judotimo
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Receiving image from the ISS

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 12:37 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtrxik/receiving_image_from_the_iss/

submitted by /u/JoshWithaQ
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LoRa and LoRaWAN amateur radio experiments

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 12:00 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtr562/lora_and_lorawan_amateur_radio_experiments/


I managed to get a couple of LoRa boards and Im curious to know how other amateur radio are using LoRa and what experiments are conducting. Other Amateurs in the area have a temp sensor, but we would like to extend the availability of the local coverage. I was thinking to develop a pager
service or a APRS type device that reports the position back to the
gateway. Also, what is the difference between a concentrator and a gateway
amd what horsepower needs a gateways to properly work. submitted by /u/EmergencyManager_555
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Wasnt pretty but it worked

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 03:11 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rt5r0b/wasnt_pretty_but_it_worked/

submitted by /u/janre75
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Am currently an RF engineer looking to get into doing amateur radio for
fun, any recommendations on places to buy old test equipment on the cheap?

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:46 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtqtw0/am_currently_an_rf_engineer_looking_to_get_into/


Im currently looking for a Signal Analyzer with a tracking generator so i
can easily sweep the RL of antennas without a huge amount of hassle. Surely there would be some old analog instruments with a reasonable BW for not too much right? submitted by /u/DragonicStar
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Portable slinky vertical

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 07:55 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtawzg/portable_slinky_vertical/

submitted by /u/ZzyzxFox
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First POTA Activation Attempt But...

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:51 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtof1i/first_pota_activation_attempt_but/


So I was at K-1842, Blue Spring State Park in Volusia County, Florida this morning, and I attempted to activate it for POTA. The problem is my own incompetence! For the first 5-7 contacts, I was on 14.156, which wouldnt be
a problem except for the fact that I am a General, and that is Extra
airspace! I feel so stupid for not realizing. I think I had it in my head
that 14.150-14.350 was General airspace, but its actually the 20m phone
band for both General and Extra. General is only 14.225-14.350. So now Im
torn. Should I upload the log completely with a note to the coordinator?
Should I remove the out of band contacts as invalid QSOs? Anyone else ever
done this? I cant imagine Im the first.
Edit: I want to make it clear that I dont care about the activation or
fewer contacts or whatever, I just feel bad for the hunters that responded
to the call. I appreciate your thoughts! I will remove the OOB QSOs and
submit the log. submitted by /u/CharlieBrown197
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Quality "BIFL" Handheld Spectrum Analyzer for the Yachtless

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 08:49 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtn4fr/quality_bifl_handheld_spectrum_analyzer_for_the/


Greetings, and Happy New Year!
My generally-quiet-ish QTH has intermittent (not obviously temporal)
problems with noise (e.g., 5khz-interval switching-mode spikes at a 20+dB
over my noise floor in the 40m band). Ive done the turn off the entire
house thing a couple times and the signals persist.
Im looking for tools to help me efficiently locate emitters roughly as
follows: ~5 mile radius with a car and some drive time to triangulate
250-2500 feet with a good pair of shoes (which house/pole/... in this neighborhood) 1-100 feet (Distinguish TV from CFL ballast; solar panels)
I care about 1800khz-5ghz. Bonus points if the unit will/can also help me
point a cellular-band yagi at a tower out of LOS or align horns for point-to-point wifi, but thats a nice-to-have.
8-10 hrs of battery life would be fine, though 120VAC and 12VDC (cigarette lighter) power cords would be welcome.
I figure I have a good 30-40 years left to enjoy the hobby, so Im looking
for a "Buy It For Life" spec-an that doesnt assume youll have berthing privileges at the local yacht club.
e.g. Rohde & Schwarz (https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/products/test-and-measurement/signal-and-spectrum-analyzers_63665.html)
will cheerfully lighten my wallet by 5-10K USD, but thats about an order of magnitude more than I was hoping to spend. What manufacturers or units
should I be looking for, either as a new purchase or on Fleabay?
Edit: typos, add battery life submitted by /u/OkayGolombRuler
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ARISS SSTV 26-31 Dec

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 12:17 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rteysf/ariss_sstv_2631_dec/

submitted by /u/jabertolin
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DXMaps says 10m is busy, but seems full quieting on the entire band.

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:59 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtr4c7/dxmaps_says_10m_is_busy_but_seems_full_quieting/


I’ve been monitoring DXMaps for 10m activity and there seems to be contacts occurring near my location, but my Anytone AT-6666 radio seems to be full quieting. My antenna is a 10m 1/2 dipole about 6 feet off the ground. I
plan on replacing this with a 1/4 monopole for better contacts, but I’d
think I should at least be hearing other stations. submitted by
/u/joe_rt
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6m 1/4λ mono with 4 radials?

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:23 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtqckc/6m_14λ_mono_with_4_radials/


When the weather is nice, I’m going to construct a 6m antenna in the
backyard raised about 6 feet in the air. I was wondering if 4 radials would
be fine to be omnidirectional or I would increase the radials to around 10? Thanks. submitted by /u/joe_rt
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Homemade 6m whip?

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 12:58 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtsd7s/homemade_6m_whip/


I dont have a 6m rig at the moment but Im curious to get into it for
potential back country mobile communication. On paper, 6m looks to provide
a significant range, propagation, and foliage penetration upgrade over 2m,
but with a more manageable antenna length than 10m.
I was thinking about taking a connector like this one, soldering in a
2.8458m long wire (copper for testing, flexible stainless for real use? SSB
to maximize range) to the center pin then making a custom mounting plate
that could bolt to the four holes, then to the vehicle. Im thinking I would
put it on the side edge of the hood, then bend it back, securing the end to
the roof rack to keep it out of the trees and horizontally polarized.
Would this work at all? Ive looked around for half wave 6m antennas like
this but I havent seen anything commercially available. submitted by /u/LorenWard
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At 2040 UHF SATCOM ANTENNA

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:07 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtq080/at_2040_uhf_satcom_antenna/


Reposting for title change… any use for these in amateur radio market? submitted by /u/Gresso_
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Found this old beaut in North Platte, NE an the airport.

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 11:07 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rt0wav/found_this_old_beaut_in_north_platte_ne_an_the/

submitted by /u/Ok_Yogurtcloset404
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Baycom BP- .

Posted: 01 Jan 2022 04:15 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtibaf/baycom_bp/


glad New Year folks! Have a question for which Ive searched and have not
been able to come up with a definitive answer. I have an old Baycom BP-1
TNC from many years ago. This little TNC was designed to run on DOS (will
NOT run on Windows DOS emulator) only. Dos computers are getting harder and harder to find as most have been scrapped. I would like to come up with a
way to resurrect this little unit to be able to use it in a‍ modern
setting. I dabble in Winlink and Outpost messaging as there is little live packet activity in my area. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to bring
the Baycom into modern activities? Anyone else on here have experience
with the Baycoms? I am really surprised that they did not take off bigger
than they did. Once I learned the ins and outs, you could change the
parameters of the software with a simple edit with a text editor. I could
set it up to have up to 7 screens and carry out 7 connections at one time.
When I discussed this with conventional TNC users they found it hard to
believe and I found it hard to believe they could only have 1 connection at
a time! Thoughts and ideas?? submitted by /u/thrilledPiglet3
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Speaking of antenna photos I built this. Can you guess what its for and
the name of the antenna?

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 03:43 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rt6duk/speaking_of_antenna_photos_i_built_this_can_you/

submitted by /u/Jazzsterman
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Continuing the janky shack theme (everything on the table has a purpose)

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 05:01 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rt7u2n/continuing_the_janky_shack_theme_everything_on/

submitted by /u/DarkButterfly85
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[OC] Leaving the hobby ...

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 06:00 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rt8w9k/oc_leaving_the_hobby/


The other day I came across a how to video on becoming a radio amateur. Its
a recurring kind of publication, the kind that Ive contributed to in the
past.
I wondered what it would take to leave the hobby.
First of all, Id have to let my callsign lapse. Thats easy enough, but I
paid for five years, so its going to take a while. When it has finally
ceased being mine, have I stopped being an amateur?
For one, my qualifications would still be in the regulators database,
likely well beyond my breathing years. I wonder if they implement the right
to be forgotten?
Another thing Id have to do is stop knowing about how antennas work in day-to-day situations. Id have to stop noticing the location of free to air television antennas, mobile phone towers, Wi-Fi antennas throughout the community and even the network in my home.
Id also have to say goodbye to all the friends Ive made around the place. Theres hundreds of people scattered around the globe who with a single word might lure me back into their world, and with that the risk of being sucked back into the community once again.
At a minimum Id have to stop using computers, or radios, or electronics
really. Id have to stop wanting gadgets and measuring equipment, not to
mention having to mothball my soldering irons and give away all my heat
shrink.
Id have to give back the space Ive eked out in the house and return it to
the general living space it once was. Id also have to sell all my radio
gear and antennas. Id have to rip out the coax, fix up any holes, cancel pending orders for new antennas and donate my books and magazines to the
local library.
Id have to stop looking at electronics magazines, cut up my loyalty cards
for the local electronics and hardware stores and start an online store to
sell all the connectors and adaptors Ive amassed over the time Ive been
part of the community.
Id have to forget the phonetic alphabet that I use almost daily and start
using crazy words to spell things over the phone like a normal person does. Experimentation would be a thing of the past and would be frowned upon as a fringe activity, one only suited to madmen and amateurs, and Id have to
stop investing my time in software and projects that might one day be used
in amateur radio.
One of the hardest things to give away would be my curiosity, the one thing thats innate to my wellness. Id have to stop asking Why? and How? all the
time. Id have to plead ignorance when someone asks how coax works and whats inside a blob of goop on a random circuit board they found on the side of
the road.
Then theres the other things like physics and general science. Id have to disavow all knowledge of these activities. Id have to stop looking at the
stars and stop wondering which radio frequencies were being emitted from
all over the night sky.
Id have to become ignorant of emergency services and communication, of
event management and club life. Id have to feign interest in anything that wasnt science or technology and Id have to keep a straight face and my
mouth shut when someone extolled the virtues of an irrational belief system.
I would likely have to give up my job as an IT consultant and start on a
more manual job. Perhaps Id take up gardening, though Im not sure how Id do
in the weather at my age.
Even if I achieved all that, and kept it up for the rest of my life, Id
still be an amateur, just one hiding from the hordes of humanity striving
to live on this ball of dirt, hurtling through the heavens on a journey
through the stars.
Im not sure I could do that.
So, for better or worse, as I see it, once an amateur, always an amateur
and if youre curious and believe in science and technology, Im here to say
that youre well over halfway towards being an amateur! Welcome to the club!
Im Onno VK6FLAB
TL;DR This is the transcript of the weekly Foundations of Amateur Radio
podcast - for other episodes, see http://vk6flab.com/ submitted by
/u/vk6flab
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Anyone else care to share their janky shack?

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 10:09 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rszpef/anyone_else_care_to_share_their_janky_shack/

submitted by /u/MrMcFisticuffs
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What is a good tripod for magloops?

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 09:34 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtciwr/what_is_a_good_tripod_for_magloops/


Hi! Ive been a ham since forever, and a member of this subreddit since the beginning. Normally I answer questions, but this time I finally have my own first question (yes, Q#1) for the group:
What is a good, solid, steady tripod that is not camera-oriented and can
handle the mass, torque, and wind-load of a magloop? Yes, I have already Googled and searched myself. Thanks.
Edit: I ask because the aluminum tripod I already bought from Amazon is far
too weak and flimsy. The least nudge can topple it, and the adjustments are insufficient and slip. it is a W2LI loop, only about 5lb. The torque is the
big issue,
submitted by /u/ishmal
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Getting started

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 03:38 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rt6a3p/getting_started/


I want to get into amateur ham radio. How and where do I start? I am very familiar with electronics. Suggestions, please. Thanks. submitted by /u/richgun
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Noob here, I've been listening to only FM recently, and since I have an upconverter, I decided to try it out and listen to some shortwave. I think
I am doing something wrong because there are a few lines but they are so
weak. I am in Toronto, Ontario (I show my setup at the end)

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 02:58 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rt5hir/noob_here_ive_been_listening_to_only_fm_recently/

submitted by /u/Ohgodmanyo
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Radio Options

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 09:38 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtckwk/radio_options/


I’m looking to get into the hobby and I need help finding a radio. I have some equipment and I’m not trying to buy anything new if I don’t have to. I have some headset equipment that I bought for military use and I’m
wandering if there are any civilian radios that have a military connection
for the audio output. Any recommendations are welcome. submitted by /u/Lowca613
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Running a website off my WSJT-X Raspberry Pi. Last questionable project for 2021. Just cause you can doesnt mean you should ;)

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 08:23 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rsxfb6/running_a_website_off_my_wsjtx_raspberry_pi_last/

submitted by /u/tcostello224
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Anyone have experience with Connect Systems CS580?

Posted: 31 Dec 2021 08:41 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/rtbnmc/anyone_have_experience_with_connect_systems_cs580/


Minus not being dual band, Im curious anyone has any experience with this radio? submitted by /u/jeepdudemidwest
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