The Ham Radio Thread

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
I bought a "grab and go" unit from another HAM at the swap meet last sat. ICOM 2200 mounted in a case. I'll have to get some pics but it's a pretty handy little deal. I'm not sure how often I'd want a HAM in my hobby room but the grab/go would work pretty well for something like that if you didn't want to go whole hog like other guys building their "shack"
 

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
Thats kind of the idea Marc, I don't ever have the ham on while I'm driving around so its just to have a simple option for occasions like the net. From a perspective of being able to do it for a few bucks I think it might be worth the effort for me but I personally probably wouldn't spend $50+ to do the same thing.

I did just check the manual and it says I need a 13.9v power supply if using it as a base station and I was able to verify that that is what my hobby king power supply puts out.
 

lhracing

Well-Known Member
Location
Layton, UT
There was a post on the Facebook page for the Red Rock 4-Wheelers about repeaters in the Moab area and they mention the “Sinbad linked system”. Because I am new to all of this, with the repeaters all on different frequencies how are they linked? I assume that in an emergency this may be a good way of contacting someone for help.
 

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
There was a post on the Facebook page for the Red Rock 4-Wheelers about repeaters in the Moab area and they mention the “Sinbad linked system”. Because I am new to all of this, with the repeaters all on different frequencies how are they linked? I assume that in an emergency this may be a good way of contacting someone for help.

You assume correctly.

Back in the day, repeaters were typically linked via radio signals. Nowadays, they can also be linked via the internet. To you, the radio operator, there is no difference; both types of linking offer the same performance. (This linking is permanent, and differs from the way you can use one IRLP repeater to temporarily "dial in to" another IRLP repeater elsewhere on the globe.)

In case anyone reading this does not know: the idea behind linked repeaters is simple. You are close enough to one of them to 'reach' it with your signal, and you make your transmission. Your signal hits the nearby repeater, and from there it is simultaneously transmitted to every other repeater in the linked system... which means your signal is then simultaneously transmitted from every repeater in the system, over a broader geographical area (depending on the layout of the system). This is how I was able to chat with a guy who was driving in South Jordan while I was bouncing along the 3D trail in Moab, 200 miles away. It is also how I was stuck in traffic in SLC one day and was sharing my misery with a motorist who was stuck in traffic in Las Vegas at the same time.

The two main linked systems in Utah are the Sinbad system and the Intermountain Intertie. Sinbad is Utah-specific, and covers much of the central/eastern portion of the state. The Intertie more or less parallels I-15 from Vegas to Idaho, but does have a few 'branches' into Montana, Wyoming, and Arizona.

If you plan to venture off the beaten path in Utah, having every machine from both linked systems programmed into your radio in advance is a good idea. ;)
 

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
And now, a word about nets

A ham radio net (derived from network) is an on-air gathering of people with common interests. Those interests might include emergency preparedness, specific areas of the ham radio hobby, religion, location, or--in our case--four wheel drive recreation. Nets use amateur radio as their communication medium. During nets, people can check in, listen to a training topic, participate in a general ("roundtable") discussion, or share important information relevant to the group.

The vast majority of nets are directed. This means there is one person acting as Net Control Station (or Net Control Operator), and it is their job to maintain organization--think of them as a traffic controller. For a small net like ours, net control may also take on the responsibility of introducing the topic of discussion and/or sharing whatever information needs to be presented to the group. With a large group, net control may only direct the participants to speak in turn without actually sharing any information himself.

By definition, you can also have an undirected net. In that case, everybody who wants to share info is going to try and speak up at some point to say what is on their mind. I've never participated or even listened to an undirected net, but I imagine it would be much more chaotic than a directed net and would probably involve a lot of doubling. Even a small bit of organization can go a very long way.

You can also refer to nets as either participation or non-participation nets. In a participation net, everyone who checks in will be invited (and is expected) to take a turn keying up to address the entire group. Usually there will be a question of the day--how was your weather today, what has happened in your life since our last net, etc--and everyone will give their own answer in turn. In a non-participation net, everyone will check in but then only those participants with info to share will be asked to speak; the rest can simply listen without keying up again. Since the entire reason RME started our net was to (a) test/verify proper radio operation and (b) give practice time to each of us, I decided we should definitely be a participation net. That's why I try to have a question or topic handy each time.

As with many aspects of radio operation, the best way to familiarize yourself with proper net protocol is to listen to a variety of nets. Here are a few that I will join, schedule permitting:

  • The Utah 76ers net: 146.760 MHz (no tone), Wed 7pm. Non-participation net for the '76ers social group.
  • Lehi CERT net: 448.925 MHZ (100.0 tone), Wed 8pm. Participation net for Lehi CERT members and anyone interested in emergency prep.
  • Jackson Hole Area net: 146.760 MHz (no tone) Mon 8pm. Participation net that links to this Utah county repeater.

Of course, there are many, many more. Those of you who are LDS may have a stake-run net which happens every week; check with your emergency prep specialist for info. My friend Noji has a large list of nets compiled on his web page; you can see that info here:

https://noji.com/hamradio/hamnets.php

Like me, Noji lives in Utah county so much of his info may not help you guys up north. :(

What other questions do you have about nets? I'll do my best to answer them.
 

DAA

Well-Known Member
Will add... My decision came down to the Yaesu FTM-400 or the Kenwood 710. I thought that if I really wanted to geek out with packet radio, the Kenwood might be a better choice. But ultimately, I decided I probably wouldn't ever go any further with packet than just running APRS, so the sexy large color screen of the Yaesu tipped the scales that way.

And, I will say, for what I'm doing, just running APRS, that radio does seem to be the easy button. Had it sending beacons and seeing them on aprs.fi in no time at all.

Edit to also add - I haven't messed with programming mine much, but, the little bit I have, I really appreciated that it uses an SD card and that I didn't have to connect the radio to a computer - just pop an SD card in a slot.

- DAA
 

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Will add... My decision came down to the Yaesu FTM-400 or the Kenwood 710. I thought that if I really wanted to geek out with packet radio, the Kenwood might be a better choice. But ultimately, I decided I probably wouldn't ever go any further with packet than just running APRS, so the sexy large color screen of the Yaesu tipped the scales that way.

And, I will say, for what I'm doing, just running APRS, that radio does seem to be the easy button. Had it sending beacons and seeing them on aprs.fi in no time at all.

Edit to also add - I haven't messed with programming mine much, but, the little bit I have, I really appreciated that it uses an SD card and that I didn't have to connect the radio to a computer - just pop an SD card in a slot.

- DAA


The SD card would be a bonus. I can't believe they don't make a more "friendly" interface but I suppose the longtime HAM folks would shun something like that?
 

Kevin B.

Big hippy
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
Will add... My decision came down to the Yaesu FTM-400 or the Kenwood 710. I thought that if I really wanted to geek out with packet radio, the Kenwood might be a better choice. But ultimately, I decided I probably wouldn't ever go any further with packet than just running APRS, so the sexy large color screen of the Yaesu tipped the scales that way.

And, I will say, for what I'm doing, just running APRS, that radio does seem to be the easy button. Had it sending beacons and seeing them on aprs.fi in no time at all.

Edit to also add - I haven't messed with programming mine much, but, the little bit I have, I really appreciated that it uses an SD card and that I didn't have to connect the radio to a computer - just pop an SD card in a slot.

- DAA

So that Kenwood apparently has bluetooth, which I assume would let me link up to my tablet and display other's location info on Backcountry Navigator via APRSDroid. Will the Yaesu play that game? Or better yet, just display that data on it's own big sexy full color screen?
 

DAA

Well-Known Member
I've read that it can be done, and there are youtube vids about it I have not watched, but I don't think it's nearly as straightforward as it would be with the Kenwood. The Yaesu needs a separate BT module, for one thing. But I think that's just the start of it.

My very limited, possibly incorrect understanding, is that the TNC in the Kenwood is basically just a built in, stand alone that you can do pretty much anything you would with any other TNC in about the same fashion. The Yaesu built in TNC, is at least somewhat hidden, or accessed differently than a regular stand alone TNC. For the built in functions like APRS, it's easy-peasy. But to do "other stuff", it's not as easy.

I think...

- DAA
 

DAA

Well-Known Member
Oh, but, it will display others positions on it's own screen, but without the sexy maps. More just like a compass circle with bearing, distance, speed type stuff.

- DAA
 

moab_cj5

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
So that Kenwood apparently has bluetooth, which I assume would let me link up to my tablet and display other's location info on Backcountry Navigator via APRSDroid. Will the Yaesu play that game? Or better yet, just display that data on it's own big sexy full color screen?
I could be wrong, but I don't know that it comes with Bluetooth standard. I did a quick search on the Kenwood page and in scanning didn't see it pop up. I will have to look at that closer. You mind sharing where you saw bluetooth on the Kenwood?

I use an Ipad, but have an android phone I will will have to play with to see if I can connect to my Kenwood.
 
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lhracing

Well-Known Member
Location
Layton, UT
So as some of you know I have had some problems communicating on the weekly RME ham radio net using the 146.94 repeater. I believe I have narrowed my problems down to my antenna mount or its mounting location on the vehicle. I have a Larson NMO 02/70 antenna mounted on my spare tire carrier, I know this location is not the best but I thought it would work better than it is. With the antenna in this mounting location I need to drive out I80 to just west of the Salt Lake Airport before I and get the repeater to respond. With my HT I can get the repeater to respond from Farmington and communicate fairly well from Bountiful so my HT seems to be working better than my 50w mobile.

This week I placed the same antenna on a magnetic base on top of the 4runner and was able to hit the repeater from my house in West Layton and communicate fairly well from Farmington.

I am looking for some suggestions on how to determine if my problem is with my mounting location on the spare tire mount or do I have a problem with the NMO base/mount and cable? All suggestions are appreciated.
 
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