-
Be sure to read this post! Beware of scammers. https://www.indianagunowners.com/threads/classifieds-new-online-payment-guidelines-rules-paypal-venmo-zelle-etc.511734/
INGO HAM Radio Club
- Thread starter redneckmedic
- Start date
The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana
Member Benefits:
Fewer Ads! Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership Discuss anti-gun legislation Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses Discover free outdoor shooting areas View up to date on firearm-related events Share photos & video with other members ...and so much more!
Member Benefits:
Notalentbum
Expert
No good reason to not go for your general. I just got my Extra last Saturday. Still have yet to key up an HF rig.
It’s easy to start cheap with a Baofeng. They are a decent disposable radio. Or you can go bigger with a FTM-400 Yaesu mobile rig. They are running around $500 plus you’ll need an antenna and power supply if you are going to use it as a base.
pretty much any current radio from the big 3 is going to be good. Just need to figure out what works for you and your area of operations.
As far as a suggested rig...what do you want it to be able to do? If you are just interested in UHF/VHF I'd get a 50 watts mobile, dual band radio. Based on your location in Fillmore, I see one repeater in your area on 2m. It is the one at (147.3300 +0.6 MHz NXDN in Greencastle, Putnam County EOC)....there are two repeaters on 440 Mhz in Cloverdale.
I don't think a HT is going to do you much good in your location, so I'd buy a mobile and use it as a base at home.
So you need:
Dual Band 50w radio for 2m/440 - typically comes with Microphone, mobile mounting kit
Power Supply capable of delivering 13.8 VDC at 15-20A
A dual band antenna (like the ones from Comet) (Dual-Band | Comet Antenna)
Coaxial cable from the radio to the antenna feed point (LMR400 would be great)
If you are interested in getting HF then by all means go for your general as soon as you can.
My first rig was a 2m mobile (TM-261 then but I'd get a TM-281 today). $140. 50 watts out. Power supply is another $60. Build yourself a copper J pole for $20. Some rg-8x and you're done. 2m is almost always more busy than 440 and once you're comfortable you can upgrade. You'll lose $30 on the radio selling it to the next new guy and you can re use your power supply for a dual band radio. Might get lucky and find someone in a local ham club selling their old gear for cheap. I've used the QRZ forums to buy radios, it's basically Armslist level of trust. You will get screwed eventually there so I can't recommend it over a local guy you meet F2F.
And go for your general sooner than later. You're motivated now and in the studying mood. HF opens a ton of opportunity to talk to the world that YSF, DMR, or D* just don't compare to.
WO9G
And go for your general sooner than later. You're motivated now and in the studying mood. HF opens a ton of opportunity to talk to the world that YSF, DMR, or D* just don't compare to.
WO9G
I don't buy anything from QRZ these days. I have had great success with the classified ads on QTH.COM though. Face to face buying and selling can't be beat though but seems like all the hamfests this year are canceling. Bedford is supposed to be in November this year and so is Ft Wayne. So far they have not been canceled.
The HOOSIER HILLS HAMFEST (1 Day)
is NOVEMBER 7th, 2020
Ft Wayne Hamfest (2 Days)
is NOVEMBER 14th and 15th
The HOOSIER HILLS HAMFEST (1 Day)
is NOVEMBER 7th, 2020
Ft Wayne Hamfest (2 Days)
is NOVEMBER 14th and 15th
congrats!
I made the mistake of not going to General and put off getting into HF For too long that I lost interest for a while. Don’t do that.
I’m having a lot of fun on HF, and I have my extra now. Go for it!
what to get depends on budget... you can start with a very cheap baofeng, and go up from there. What you can do is fairly limited, especially if not a lot of repeater activity near you.
I’d recommend a Fusion or d-star digital mode capable radio for a little extra ... you can add a zumspot and talk to the world... a good way to wet your appetite to get into HF. Something like the Yaesu ft-70dr won’t break the bank and you can get a lot of use out of it.
if your budget is bigger and you know you want to get that General soon, you can get something like a Yaesu 991a or Icom 7100 that will get you 2m, 440, 6m, 10m, and HF all in one box, plus fusion. Add a cheap HT for mobile use and you are completely covered when you upgrade. You can do more with your tech license than you can with a handheld or mobile unit (eg 10m and 6m privileges, plus some CW privileges on the lower bands). And you can listen to all the other bands. A good way to maximize your tech license while preparing for the General. You won’t have to buy another radio when you upgrade, and having it will give you motivation to study.
lots of options out there. Deciding what works for you is part of the fun.
-rvb
Last edited:
i didn’t specifically work field day, but I did do a POTA activation during this time so I gave my class exchange to field day ops I worked.
I tried to set up Friday night to do a late-shift activation, but I learned I can’t set up near my camper, it’s a noisy mess with the power converters, AC motors, etc. So Saturday I set up for a few minutes on the other side of the park away from the campground.
-rvb
yes it is! I’m really enjoying POTA. Between starting at a new company, kids, etc I only have 4 activations in so far. but I got a radio (7300) and some gear specifically for it so hope to start getting out more.
This time I was at K1953 Grand Lake Saint Mary’s in Ohio. Just the way it worked out with my late-shift failure and weather, I only had 15 minutes of air time. But I got 14 contacts in.
for the new guys POTA = parksontheair.com
-rvb
This time I was at K1953 Grand Lake Saint Mary’s in Ohio. Just the way it worked out with my late-shift failure and weather, I only had 15 minutes of air time. But I got 14 contacts in.
for the new guys POTA = parksontheair.com
-rvb
That's excellent...we went up to K-4183 (Atterbury Fish and Game) and activated there a while back. It's really a blast activating parks AND hunting them when stuck at home or in the office.
There are about 13 or 14 sites near Lake Monroe....a ham could spend a week in southern Indiana lighting them up.
yes, hunting is a lot of fun also. I just hit 300 unique parks hunted today.
It took awhile, but I finally took my tech test. I have been studying material, and doing practice sessions on Hamstudy.org. I passed 5 practice tests in a row, the worst I did was 3 wrong. So I went to test Saturday.
I started reading the test questions, and about a third of them might as well had been Klingon. My mind went completely blank. So I made my best guess at the ones I couldn't remember, and managed to squeak out a passing score.
I don't know who I'm going to talk to, but I've already started studying for General.
As a side note, there were 7 people testing, and at 58 I might have been the oldest. There were a couple close to my age, and 4 way younger. It was good to see guys getting involved who were not near retirement age.
I started reading the test questions, and about a third of them might as well had been Klingon. My mind went completely blank. So I made my best guess at the ones I couldn't remember, and managed to squeak out a passing score.
I don't know who I'm going to talk to, but I've already started studying for General.
As a side note, there were 7 people testing, and at 58 I might have been the oldest. There were a couple close to my age, and 4 way younger. It was good to see guys getting involved who were not near retirement age.
Congrats!
Thanks!
I have been thinking about getting in to amateur radio for awhile. This spring a friend talked me in to dipping my toes in the water with a Baofeng so we can talk to each other off-roading. The more I read and studied, the more convinced I was that I will want to get into HF. As soon as I get some medical bills paid off, I will be looking at real radio gear.
I have been thinking about getting in to amateur radio for awhile. This spring a friend talked me in to dipping my toes in the water with a Baofeng so we can talk to each other off-roading. The more I read and studied, the more convinced I was that I will want to get into HF. As soon as I get some medical bills paid off, I will be looking at real radio gear.
congrats!
Notalentbum
Expert
Last weekend of June I found there was a test session in Rushville. I had been studying for Extra and I knew this was last chance to get the old questions. I got there and the VE’s were ready to go. I was given an answer sheet and test booklet and jumped in. I finished up and thought I had done reasonably well but I knew it would be close on passing.
The first VE gave me a grim look and a thumbs down after a short time. He quit checking as I had missed 14 out of the first 21. I knew I didn’t do that bad so I started questioning things. We finally figured out I had been given the test booklet with the new question pool but he was checking my answers with the grading sheet for the old booklet. After that was figured out, they gave me a new booklet with the old question pool and a new answer sheet. So I go back and take the test again. As soon as i handed in my second text answers they told me I had passed the test on the new question pool but it wasn’t valid because they couldn’t be used until July 1. After a few minutes though they told me I had passed again and was now a legal Amateut Extra class operator!
I gotta say, the extra test is on a whole other level than the Tech and General!
Matt
The first VE gave me a grim look and a thumbs down after a short time. He quit checking as I had missed 14 out of the first 21. I knew I didn’t do that bad so I started questioning things. We finally figured out I had been given the test booklet with the new question pool but he was checking my answers with the grading sheet for the old booklet. After that was figured out, they gave me a new booklet with the old question pool and a new answer sheet. So I go back and take the test again. As soon as i handed in my second text answers they told me I had passed the test on the new question pool but it wasn’t valid because they couldn’t be used until July 1. After a few minutes though they told me I had passed again and was now a legal Amateut Extra class operator!
I gotta say, the extra test is on a whole other level than the Tech and General!
Matt
Site Supporter
Members online
- Steve
- DoggyDaddy
- BP84
- Joniki
- SEIndSAM
- Cavman
- wesnellans
- Creedmoor
- swamptick
- Timjoebillybob
- WhitleyStu
- NHT3
- HoosierHunter07
- 812 rimfire
- Jarvitron
- bloodandgutsmurphy
- TREETOP
- Aggar
- SnoopLoggyDog
- Ted@
- snapping turtle
- papa6x
- jbm1521
- farva118
- yetti462
- hopper68
- blueskies
- Gabriel
- DDadams
- 10mm
- Floivanus
- 762god
- Smith& W
- wabash
- Steel and wood
- porchedealer
- mac45
- radar8756
- loudgroove
