Author Topic: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio  (Read 14631 times)

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Offline verga

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #25 on: May 13, 2021, 07:00:28 pm »
 :bkmk:
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Offline Elderberry

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #26 on: May 13, 2021, 07:01:10 pm »
Yeah but you don't need a HAM license for that. CB or FRS/GMRS radios will do in a pinch.

But how far can you communicate with those? And without a linear.

Offline Weird Tolkienish Figure

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #27 on: May 13, 2021, 07:28:10 pm »
But how far can you communicate with those? And without a linear.

CB radio is famously temperamental based on environmental conditions like skip, FRS and GMRS can go up to 30 miles in line of site, but way less under real world conditions. I watched a good video on it:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gyPC2AgIyQ

Offline Elderberry

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #28 on: May 14, 2021, 02:23:13 am »
I may be going about this all backwards, studying for the Extra test first. I just took my first practice test and only missed 2 questions. It made me feel pretty good. I think I'll start studying General now.

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #29 on: May 14, 2021, 03:02:22 am »
I may be going about this all backwards, studying for the Extra test first. I just took my first practice test and only missed 2 questions. It made me feel pretty good. I think I'll start studying General now.

If you have a background in engineering - especially electrical - you have a huge advantage over those who don't. I breezed through all 3 tests, but now I realize how much of that was due to the EE education; my wife is going through the book preparing for technician test, and even basic stuff like she metric units of measure prefixes (milli, micro, nano, etc.) are new to her.

Offline Elderberry

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #30 on: May 14, 2021, 03:18:30 am »
If you have a background in engineering - especially electrical - you have a huge advantage over those who don't. I breezed through all 3 tests, but now I realize how much of that was due to the EE education; my wife is going through the book preparing for technician test, and even basic stuff like she metric units of measure prefixes (milli, micro, nano, etc.) are new to her.

Well yes. I was a Navy Radar tech for 4 years. And even though I was Radar, they sent me to R1051 Receiver school. After I got out, I changed my Major from Organic Chemistry to Electronics Technology, Majoring in Computer Hardware. While going to school I worked and learned transformer design, OJT. My main client was Schlumberger. Once I got my BSET, I never worked hardware. I spent 31 yrs as an integrator, tester, CM, and QA, supporting the Space Shuttle. 

Years after I had gotten my BSET, I walked across the street to the College of Engineering and talked to a counselor about going for a MSEE. Well they hit me with around 32 hrs of prerequisites. I took that course list and went right to the bookstore and looked up the course books for each class on the list. Turns out for almost every class on that list, I had taken a Technology course using the same textbook. Its hell when one college refuses to recognize the course work using the same books, but not from Their College. I never went back. I came close to going back in the Navy as an Officer, but I came to my senses.
« Last Edit: May 14, 2021, 03:34:26 am by Elderberry »

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #31 on: May 18, 2021, 07:44:21 pm »
Well yes. I was a Navy Radar tech for 4 years. And even though I was Radar, they sent me to R1051 Receiver school. After I got out, I changed my Major from Organic Chemistry to Electronics Technology, Majoring in Computer Hardware. While going to school I worked and learned transformer design, OJT. My main client was Schlumberger. Once I got my BSET, I never worked hardware. I spent 31 yrs as an integrator, tester, CM, and QA, supporting the Space Shuttle. 

Years after I had gotten my BSET, I walked across the street to the College of Engineering and talked to a counselor about going for a MSEE. Well they hit me with around 32 hrs of prerequisites. I took that course list and went right to the bookstore and looked up the course books for each class on the list. Turns out for almost every class on that list, I had taken a Technology course using the same textbook. Its hell when one college refuses to recognize the course work using the same books, but not from Their College. I never went back. I came close to going back in the Navy as an Officer, but I came to my senses.

Yes, that is why I never went back and got my PhD. It's sort of worthless other than a personal point of pride, anyway.

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #32 on: May 18, 2021, 07:44:38 pm »
Am considering building an antenna similar to the one described here:


https://youtu.be/mH9_xW_QvVk

Offline Elderberry

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #33 on: May 22, 2021, 11:57:27 pm »
I took my first General practice test and didn't miss any. I'm off to studying Tech now.

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #34 on: May 23, 2021, 12:50:41 am »
I took my first General practice test and didn't miss any. I'm off to studying Tech now.

Congrats!

For anyone else wanting to take course, my wife has signed up for the course here:

https://hamradioprep.com/

You can use code "jason20" for 20% off.

I think folks with a comms or engineering background don't need that, but my wife needed a little help to get going.

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #35 on: May 29, 2021, 04:37:28 am »
Just did APRS for the first time. Pretty happy to see there is a lot of APRS activity around my house.

Offline Bigun

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #36 on: May 29, 2021, 01:28:33 pm »
Just did APRS for the first time. Pretty happy to see there is a lot of APRS activity around my house.

Back in the old days our local ARES group was regularly involved with search and rescue type operations in this area and often spent more time looking for the searchers than whatever we were originally called on to look for.  APRS has pretty much put an end to that.  These days we spend extraordinarily little time looking for searchers. @BassWrangler
« Last Edit: May 29, 2021, 01:32:38 pm by Bigun »
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
- J. R. R. Tolkien

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #37 on: May 29, 2021, 02:45:23 pm »
Back in the old days our local ARES group was regularly involved with search and rescue type operations in this area and often spent more time looking for the searchers than whatever we were originally called on to look for.  APRS has pretty much put an end to that.  These days we spend extraordinarily little time looking for searchers. @BassWrangler

Seems like a really useful technology.

I think my next fun radio project is going to be create a decoder and back-lit display for the 433MHz remote temperature sensor I have outside. Maybe with an RTL-SDR and a Raspberry Pi (massive overkill)

Offline Weird Tolkienish Figure

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #38 on: June 02, 2021, 06:23:24 pm »
Seems like a really useful technology.

I think my next fun radio project is going to be create a decoder and back-lit display for the 433MHz remote temperature sensor I have outside. Maybe with an RTL-SDR and a Raspberry Pi (massive overkill)

I just got my second rtl-sdr last week. They're pretty neat, and the FOS software you can get for it is awesome.

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #39 on: June 02, 2021, 08:59:58 pm »
I just got my second rtl-sdr last week. They're pretty neat, and the FOS software you can get for it is awesome.

I was thinking I would have some work ahead of me to reverse engineer the protocol for these temp sensors. But I discovered this program, rtl_433, that already does this. I stuck it on a Raspberry Pi, plugged in an RTL-SDR, and now it's spitting out my temp sensor readings (along with that of some neighbors).

Just need to figure out how best to display it.

Offline Elderberry

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #40 on: June 02, 2021, 09:35:10 pm »
I've been using this temp and humidity sensor setup for a couple of years now.

https://www.instructables.com/Raspberry-PI-and-DHT22-temperature-and-humidity-lo/

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #41 on: June 02, 2021, 09:50:02 pm »
I've been using this temp and humidity sensor setup for a couple of years now.

https://www.instructables.com/Raspberry-PI-and-DHT22-temperature-and-humidity-lo/

That would work for me, but I already have a Thermopro sensor outdoors, as well as one in my 3D printer cabinet, and so it's convenient to just add another way to view those.

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #42 on: June 11, 2021, 05:08:08 am »
@Bigun - you might find this amusing. I have one of those little SDR devices, and the other evening I saw this strange signal on 4.785 MHz. It was a sawtooth shaped frequency sweep, like radar, but with the low frequency, I didn't think it was radar. Well, some folks at work helped me identify it, and turns out it is CODAR, which is used for monitoring ocean waves and currents.

But that's not the funny part. What's funny is that tonight I tuned back to this area of the spectrum to see if the signal was still there (it was) and noticed what looked like a strong AM signal nearby (4.840 MHz). I tuned to this and it was the MyPillow guy! Seems like he was talking about the election.

Offline Bigun

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #43 on: June 11, 2021, 01:46:30 pm »
@Bigun - you might find this amusing. I have one of those little SDR devices, and the other evening I saw this strange signal on 4.785 MHz. It was a sawtooth shaped frequency sweep, like radar, but with the low frequency, I didn't think it was radar. Well, some folks at work helped me identify it, and turns out it is CODAR, which is used for monitoring ocean waves and currents.

But that's not the funny part. What's funny is that tonight I tuned back to this area of the spectrum to see if the signal was still there (it was) and noticed what looked like a strong AM signal nearby (4.840 MHz). I tuned to this and it was the MyPillow guy! Seems like he was talking about the election.

 :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly:
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
- J. R. R. Tolkien

Offline Cyber Liberty

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #44 on: June 11, 2021, 02:03:04 pm »
@Bigun - you might find this amusing. I have one of those little SDR devices, and the other evening I saw this strange signal on 4.785 MHz. It was a sawtooth shaped frequency sweep, like radar, but with the low frequency, I didn't think it was radar. Well, some folks at work helped me identify it, and turns out it is CODAR, which is used for monitoring ocean waves and currents.

But that's not the funny part. What's funny is that tonight I tuned back to this area of the spectrum to see if the signal was still there (it was) and noticed what looked like a strong AM signal nearby (4.840 MHz). I tuned to this and it was the MyPillow guy! Seems like he was talking about the election.

Spurious emissions from a commercial radio station?
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Offline Bigun

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #45 on: June 11, 2021, 02:11:52 pm »
Spurious emissions from a commercial radio station?

Ain't no AM stations operating legally at that frequency in the USA.
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
- J. R. R. Tolkien

Offline Cyber Liberty

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #46 on: June 11, 2021, 02:26:52 pm »
Ain't no AM stations operating legally at that frequency in the USA.

A spur is a harmonic emission at some multiple of the frequency of the original broadcast.  I worked at an AM station at 1260 Khz, and one could go up quite a few multiples and still pick up the station.  2520 Khz, and so on.  4.8 Mhz would only be a few generations and not unheard of.  The FCC cites stations that have too many.
For unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death — if you’re unvaccinated — for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm. Sloe Joe Biteme 12/16
I will NOT comply.
 
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BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #47 on: June 11, 2021, 02:33:40 pm »
A spur is a harmonic emission at some multiple of the frequency of the original broadcast.  I worked at an AM station at 1260 Khz, and one could go up quite a few multiples and still pick up the station.  2520 Khz, and so on.  4.8 Mhz would only be a few generations and not unheard of.  The FCC cites stations that have too many.

@Bigun @Cyber Liberty

It's not a harmonic. It's WWCR-3:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWCR

Offline Bigun

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #48 on: June 11, 2021, 02:33:47 pm »
A spur is a harmonic emission at some multiple of the frequency of the original broadcast.  I worked at an AM station at 1260 Khz, and one could go up quite a few multiples and still pick up the station.  2520 Khz, and so on.  4.8 Mhz would only be a few generations and not unheard of.  The FCC cites stations that have too many.

Yep! Has to be.
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
- J. R. R. Tolkien

BassWrangler

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Re: Getting Started with Ham Amateur (Ham) Radio
« Reply #49 on: June 11, 2021, 02:41:33 pm »
Yep! Has to be.

BTW, I was surprised they are licensed to operate at that frequency too - at least in the US. When I heard it there, after confirming with someone else that it wasn't a modulation harmonic in my receiver (I.e. That they were hearing it too), I assumed it was an overseas station. But a search on 4.84 MHZ turned up that Wikipedia article. I haven't checked the FCC FRN to confirm, but I assume it's correct.