INGO HAM Radio Club

[PistolBob]

Just a bought a BITX40 kit ( HF Signals - The home of BITX transceivers ) for a cheap, QRP SSB on 40M.

Can't wait to assemble it and play around.

nice....what kind of antenna will you be using with it?

 

[Lebowski]

nice....what kind of antenna will you be using with it?

Probably just an end-fed 40M longwire antenna. I need to get a fiberglass pushup mast and some more coax first, though.

 

[rvb]

Probably just an end-fed 40M longwire antenna. I need to get a fiberglass pushup mast and some more coax first, though.

For an inexpensive mast idea, I’m using this.... https://www.united-states-flag.com/telescoping-flag-pole-kit.html
only 21', but working to hold up the center of my dipole (on my deck, which gives it another few feet elevation)
-rvb

 

[Wolffman]

I'm interested in link to talk also. I am a Tech, KD9ARE, but I don't get on very often. It would be nice to have a group of people to talk with. I pulled out my general book the other day and started reviewing. Sure will be handy for SHTF.

 

[PistolBob]

I'm interested in link to talk also. I am a Tech, KD9ARE, but I don't get on very often. It would be nice to have a group of people to talk with. I pulled out my general book the other day and started reviewing. Sure will be handy for SHTF.

Have you joined the Hamilton County Amateur Radio Club?

HCARES/CIARA Club

Loads of help.

 

[rvb]

For you amateur radio guys with younger kids or grandkids, you can give Santa a call. His call sign is N0P. (https://www.qrz.com/db/n0p). My kids thought this was really cool.

edit: we discovered this when our Elf on the Shelf was caught with one of my radios...

-rvb

 

[Lebowski]

Just had a nice QSO with a fella from Washington, DC over 2M using the recently launched AO-91 amateur radio satellite.

Who says you can't make non-regional contacts via 2M?

Had a QSO with a fella in Texas over AO-91 the other day, though he didn't confirm it. He copied most of my call and I put him in my log but haven't heard back about confirmation.

SO-50 was dead quiet the other morning. Had a great pass, the coverage area included the US west and east coast as well as part of Canada as it passed over at about 3AM. I could hear myself clear as day coming through the bird but never had any responses. Was a little bummed out as they're typically hard to get through during daytime hours when normal people are awake.

Working satellites from inside my house using nothing more than a TYT-9800 transceiver and a Diamond x200A omni directional antenna on a small mast outside. I do have a handheld yagi I can take out but... brrr, it's cold. No thanks.

 

[PistolBob]

Great way to track the birds so you always know when to get on the air.

Raspberry Pi Satellite Tracker

Pretty good stuff

 

[Lebowski]

Great way to track the birds so you always know when to get on the air.

Raspberry Pi Satellite Tracker

Pretty good stuff

I use GPredict on my Linux desktop and laptop. Works great. I'm tracking a lot of sats right now that just beam telemetry data but I don't do much with it. In 2018 there will be a lot more amateur radio satellites for us to work. https://www.amsat.org/fm-satellite-frequency-summary/ Lot of SSTV capability too, which is probably my favorite thing to do when the ISS participates in SSTV transmissions.

 

[PistolBob]

Lebowski...I use GPRedict to sit there and just watch the stuff flying around up there. I have never tried to make a satellite QSO...I don't use UHF/VHF much but I do have a 75w dual band 2m/440m mobile rig I could put into action maybe....I need to do some more research...I guess I need to do it once so I can say I have. I'm more of a CW op than anything else.

 

[Cameramonkey]

For you amateur radio guys with younger kids or grandkids, you can give Santa a call. His call sign is N0P. (https://www.qrz.com/db/n0p). My kids thought this was really cool.

edit: we discovered this when our Elf on the Shelf was caught with one of my radios...

-rvb

My elf was caught with my radio too. We do Shawn the Shepherd (a religious version of the elf) and the scripture that day was spread God's word far and wide.

On an unrelated noted, I took advantage of the nice WX yesterday to finally get my Diamond 50 out of the attic at a funny angle and up onto the roof where it belongs.

 

[AngryRooster]

Been looking at the Diamond antennas. Right now I've got an Ed Fong antenna about 30 feet in the air. A few years ago out TV tower crashed down and we had it replaced. They put 2 TV antennas on top of a 45' tower and were supposed to put the Fong at the tip. They didn't do that. They put it on the side of the tower about 30' instead.

This spring I'm going to have them come back out and drop the TV antennas a foot or two and put a Diamond at the top. As it stands now, I can hit the Kokomo repeater and sometimes the Frankfort one with my Yaesu 8800. Not bad considering where I'm at, 2 miles away from Ohio and 25 north of I70. I'm expecting the Diamond to do better when it gets 15' higher.

 

[Lebowski]

Lebowski...I use GPRedict to sit there and just watch the stuff flying around up there. I have never tried to make a satellite QSO...I don't use UHF/VHF much but I do have a 75w dual band 2m/440m mobile rig I could put into action maybe....I need to do some more research...I guess I need to do it once so I can say I have. I'm more of a CW op than anything else.

You can probably hit AO-91 with that rig. I use a TYT-9800 @ 50W and a Diamond x200a antenna mounted outside. AO-91 is pretty sensitive and can be received even with a HT and whip antenna. I haven't tried it from my mobile rig but I'd encourage you to give it a whirl.

Been looking at the Diamond antennas.

Can't go wrong with Diamond. I have a Diamond x200a 2m/70cm sitting outside only about 10' or so off the ground (need to put it up on a permanent mast but haven't climbed on my roof yet...). Works great. Earlier this summer I made a 180 mile contact, reaching a repeater in Juliet, IL with some VHF ducting action. Sitting in Madison though I can reliably work Louisville and Cincinnati stations without issue. I can reach Indy most days but not always, depends really. I can't wait to get it up higher though...

I've been looking at some Diamond 6M beam antennas as well, that'll probably be my next antenna purchase.

 

[Lebowski]

Just worked KE8GDD out of West Virginia via the AO-91 satellite. Another pass coming this way soon so will try to log another QSO with someone else.

 

[Lebowski]

Just worked KR5TTU out of Texas and N4YHC out of Kentucky via AO-91. Two good passes in a short time, next pass wont' be until after noon and I'll be in bed. AO-91 is almost impossible to work during normal waking hours, but pretty easy to work at night. Working satellites is a blast!


Since this is a 'Survival and Disaster Preparedness' forum, I'll let you guys use your imagination on why being able to reliably hit and communicate with others over amateur radio satellites is a good skill to possess. They only give you 10-15 minutes of coverage to send/receive messages as they pass over the horizon but being able to know what is happening outside of your region in a SHTF scenario is pretty neat. (Of course, you can do this more reliably on HF frequencies with speaker wire and a tuner... but whatever. Not everyone has a HF rig)

 

[dnurk]

Tagging for future info. Just starting to research HAM stuff

 

[Cameramonkey]

I cant find the link to the group doing the general upgrade class on Thursdays... Anyone? Feeling like upgrading.

 

[PistolBob]

I cant find the link to the group doing the general upgrade class on Thursdays... Anyone? Feeling like upgrading.

May have been the Indiana Elmer Network...they operate out of the Aviation Institute of Maintenance on the west side. They currently have no classes running....but they are doing free VE testing this Saturday Jan 27th at the Marion County EOC building in what used to be Eastgate shopping center...be there at 1PM if you want to test.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Took the classes and need to go test for my General. Planning on doing it in April at the Hamfest in Peru.

HAMFEST/CONVENTION
04/28/2018 | North Central Indiana Hamfest

Location: Peru, IN
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Grant County ARC, Miami County ARC, Cass County ARC, & Kokomo ARC

 

[igotdiesel2]

I'm going to take my Technician on the 10th of February in Greenfield. Indianapolis has one on the same day but Greenfield is 3 hours earlier and I am a early bird. -Jason