• DCRC 2024

Proposed ham radio get-together to play with radios

TurboMinivan

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
I just picked up a comet mini whip antenna, so no need to contact Richard for now. Once I decide on my second HT, I'll get in touch. Thanks again. I'm glad I transmitted tonight, that first one is nice to have out of the way.
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
I dove back into my amazon shopping history and found the little accessories that I had bought for my Baofeng. I'll list them below with links and current prices.

BaoFeng UV-5RE $29.99
Hand Mic + Speaker $3.99 (ships from china...)
Extended Rubber Ducky Antenna $9.99
AAA Backup Battery Case $5.88 (this is the one that needed some help to keep the batteries in line)
12v Car Battery Adapter $6.49
Programming Cable $1.97 + $1 shipping (ships from china...)

Also, here is a link to the mobile radio that I bought. Yaesu FTM-400XDR If you decide to get this one you need to make sure you're getting the "xdr" version. It was just a minor update but apparently makes the GPS lock way faster than the first run of them. The other mobile which is a direct competitor with the FTM-400 is the Kenwood D710A. In all honesty several places I read said that if you were trying to decide between these two mobiles to go with the Kenwood because it apparently has a bit easier layout and button navigation. I ended up buying the Yaesu because I liked the color touch screen. Its probably a silly reason to pick one over the other but it is what it is. The Yaesu right now is about $500 after rebate, the Kenwood is $580-ish so the price difference is basically the cost of an antenna. Also, the only reason you'd buy one of these two radios over one in the $250-350 range is because it has the built in APRS and is dual frequency monitoring capable. If neither of those were important to you then it likely wouldn't be worth the premium price.

Finally, here is a link to a module that you can use to make your own APRS setup to piggy back on a "dumb" radio. It also talks a bit about APRSdroid. (Side note there, I installed APRSdroid on my Note4 from a APK from their website rather than buying it in the Google Play store for $20. Something like a "try before you buy" kind of thing.) The other popular module for APRS is the TinyTrak4. Here is a link to their website.

Here is the website to see all of the APRS beacons: www.aprs.fi . I need to spend a lot more time figuring out all of the APRS stuff but it does seem like it would be pretty for others to see where you're at on trips and whatnot.
 
Bart

Bart

Registered User
Location
Arm Utah
Sorry I couldn't make it last night. Sounds like it was a good session. I picked up a couple of the things that Nate got for his Baofang, the AAA battery pack, and a programming cable, but I upgraded that cable to a $20 one that doesn't need the outdated drivers.

I hope that next spring we can put another one of these meetings together before EJS.
 
TurboMinivan

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
sixstringsteve said:
Is there a website that acts as a receiver, where I can tune in and listen to the 76, for example?
Click to expand...

Not that I know of. However, there is a free app for your phone called Echo Link. It gets its name from the Echo Link hardware, which is one way of connecting a repeater to the internet. If you have the EL app on your phone, you can use your phone to connect to any EL-capable repeater around the globe, essentially turning your cell phone into a global ham radio. You can just monitor, or you can (of course) transmit and talk to somebody as desired. Your phone needs an internet connection for this to work, so don't count on this to save you when you're stuck out in the boonies.

When configuring the app, you'll need to pick the 76 repeater from the list of those in your area. It is listed as: W7SP-R (Utah ARC, SLC/Provo).
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
nnnnnate said:
...Here is the website to see all of the APRS beacons: www.aprs.fi . I need to spend a lot more time figuring out all of the APRS stuff but it does seem like it would be pretty for others to see where you're at on trips and whatnot.
Click to expand...

I love playing with APRS. In addition to near real-time tracking, it's useful for sending text messages to a ham that is otherwise out of range and out of cell service. Here is my track from the recent ExpUt Ghost Town Run:

image.jpg
 
TurboMinivan

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
Bart said:
Sorry I couldn't make it last night. Sounds like it was a good session.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was sad to see you couldn't make it. Scheduling is always a wild card, though.

Bart said:
I hope that next spring we can put another one of these meetings together before EJS.
Click to expand...

Next spring? There is no reason to wait that long. I will be happy to let you (and the whole forum) know when I'll have another open evening to do this again soon. I'd be glad to come to your house (if you're willing to host), and I promise I won't utter one insult about your Baofeng radio. ;)
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
Kurt, I couldn't remember how exactly you have your APRS set up in the Death Star. I'm pretty sure that your Kenwood is the version before they added the built in chip but what is the external module that you attached to get it hooked up?

I'm also wondering if you obscure your exact position at all like I'm seeing that I'm able to as I go through my setup.
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
nnnnnate said:
Kurt, I couldn't remember how exactly you have your APRS set up in the Death Star. I'm pretty sure that your Kenwood is the version before they added the built in chip but what is the external module that you attached to get it hooked up?

I'm also wondering if you obscure your exact position at all like I'm seeing that I'm able to as I go through my setup.
Click to expand...

Correct, the old one had a module on the back to allow APRS action. The new one in the 200 is the G with the built in APRS. No, zero latency or obscuring
 
Bart

Bart

Registered User
Location
Arm Utah
If its in the evening and scheduled ahead of time we could hold the meeting in my conference room at work (UVU). It seats 12, is easy access from I15, and there's lots of parking close by.

TurboMinivan said:
Yeah, I was sad to see you couldn't make it. Scheduling is always a wild card, though.

Next spring? There is no reason to wait that long. I will be happy to let you (and the whole forum) know when I'll have another open evening to do this again soon. I'd be glad to come to your house (if you're willing to host), and I promise I won't utter one insult about your Baofeng radio. ;)
Click to expand...
 
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