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Cb Thread

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Central VA Chapter

17 March Dyno Smyrna TN DTR

So thats all there is to it, huh. Clear as mud:-laf I will read up on it and who knows i may just jump in w/both feet.



My wife loves when i get new hobbies!:rolleyes: I already get the "LOOK" when i mention something new i want to do to my truck. Its just money right?
 
I have not seen one post that is related to the thread topic of CB radios:confused:



Post #2 Galaxy 33

#3 Coax

#15 tower/Galaxy 99's

#16 tower

#17 tower/coax



There's some CB talk posted in here;) :-laf , but 'ol Prez. had to come in here and clutter it up with his HAM talk. :rolleyes:



1500 watts LEGAL!? :eek: :--) ..... see I read ;):-laf
 
Ok I stand corrected.

I bet he is one of the guys that get all upsetOo. when a poor boy stumbles on to a freq totaly by accident on his 10 meter & tries to make friendly conversation;)
 
Ok I stand corrected.

I bet he is one of the guys that get all upsetOo. when a poor boy stumbles on to a freq totaly by accident on his 10 meter & tries to make friendly conversation;)



No, I WUZ a CB'er. Hmm, I think I had a Cobra 29 driving a Texas Star Modulator driving a Texas Star 500V into a 102" whip. I've knocked out small electrical circuits, talked through refrigerators, and generally annoyed the heck out of entire neighborhoods with CB band stuff.



I ain't mad at CB'ers who use dirty equipment and run out of band--it's just like I ain't mad at the border crashers coming into the country. I AM peeved with the federal gubbermint for not taking care of bidness!:-{}



Yall have all the fun you want to on the CB. But I do have one suggestion, and it's for your own good. :p STAY in band. That means on the channels assigned to CB, and not over/under or between. The FCC does (every now and then) enforce some of the laws and the fastest way to get busted is to interfere with a licensed user(s) on frequencies not allocated to your use. And I'm not talking about the hams. Yes, the 10-meter ham band starts at the top of the CB band, but I don't know who is legal on the bottom side of the cb freqs. And I used to talk there! But I repeat, the FCC gets real pissy when you interfere with specifically licensed spectrum.



So what I'm saying is that you'll probably be safer from getting into trouble running 3000 watts on channel 26 than you are running 4 watts on 25. 675 mHz.



AND the hams that you've may have "bumped" into can't LEGALLY talk to an unlicensed station. That means they put their license in jeopardy if they engage in conversation with anyone who does not have a ham call. Of course some might spit and cuss before they stop talking, but you know there's Aholes in every crowd. :-laf
 
LOOKOUT more ham

So thats all there is to it, huh. Clear as mud:-laf I will read up on it and who knows i may just jump in w/both feet.



My wife loves when i get new hobbies!:rolleyes: I already get the "LOOK" when i mention something new i want to do to my truck. Its just money right?

Well, one of the major difference between ham radio and CB radio is that women and children use ham radio. Husbands and wives regularly use ham radio to talk to each other. Moms talk to their sons and daughters. Yep they do. Howsat?, you might say. Well, the VHF and UHF frequencies of ham radio are exceptionally clean. There is none of the "hash and trash" you find on the CB. 90 percent of the "traffic" (communications) is handled by repeater stations (this is how we cover the mid-state area mobile with 50 watts). Repeater stations are remotely controlled by the station licensee. If conversation gets beyond "PG-13" the system shuts down. Because, somebody is ALWAYS listening.



There is some "hash and trash" on the HF bands, but overall it's about 96. 25% cleaner than CB.



Hey Mark. Wattage. The basic 2-meter rig is 50 watts and you hardly ever need all of that. (repeaters). The basic HF rig is 100 watts and you'll hardly ever need that if you don't try to talk through bad conditions.



Of course you can buy an amplifier (or even build your own-legally) for almost all the ham frequencies (one is limited to 200 max). Hams are allowed to build one amplifier per year without "type-acceptance" regs. And big towers and big antennaes and big amps are fun--but good grief that stuff is expensive. And you'll eventually learn that a big antenna and good conditions is all you really need to make spectacular contacts 'round the world.



Anybody still interested in ham? Tell me where you'll have access to a scanner (home/mobile/work) and I'll list you some of the more popular ham frequencies in that area. MOST of you folks in the middle of TN can probably hear the systems I talk on mostly. Listen for a bit. You might not like it--and that's O... K... . :-laf



On the 146. 910 we have a "old codgers" net on Monday nights. Have a swap net and an information net on other nights.



The swap net is just what it implies. Hams sit around and listen to other hams list items for sale/trade of ham radio equipment--OR closely related.



The information net is usually a listing of club meetings, swap meets, special events, testing, etc.



And after all the info is listed, most of the hams listening will "check in".



The codger net is a less formal net where we just shoot the bull.



Anytime you see anybody with a ham tag (EMERGENCY with callsign-no extra charge), tell them that you're interested in ham radio. See what they say. Most hams are like me. They'll talk your ear off about it. :D



Gotta close the shop.
 
CB and HAM

Obligatory CB (and CTD) comments: I run a Cobra WX-75 in the truck, and Cobra LTD-29 in the Jeep.

More current Ham comments: With the elimination of the code requirement (I know, I know... ) I finally upgraded my privileges from Tech (I'm still waiting on the new license--just checked the FCC's website, and it hasn't been upgraded yet). I took the General test at the Orlando HamCation, and filed the paperwork on February 23rd (the first day it was allowed).

I also finally bought a mobile rig--an Icom IC-2720H, that I can set up in the Jeep as a cross-band repeater. In the process of digging up the info on how to enable cross-band repeat, I discovered that my original radio, an Icom W32A, is even capable of it--but it doesn't make much sense with an HT.

As for HF, that's a long way off, just because of the expense (of course I've started paying attention to the price of that Icom V700... ).

Mark, K4MAG
 
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Don't get all hung up on a brand new radio. They're nice, but they seldom work any better than a good used rig and are always three times the price. With that said--never buy gear from someone who isn't #1 a ham, and #2 someone who has a reputation (locally preferred) of being a good trader.



Equipment I have now: Radios only. Kenwood 3-band HT, Icom 2m, Yaesu 2m/440, Alinco 220, Yaesu FT-900 (HF), Yaesu FT 920 (base). Only three of those were new. I've had TenTec Corsair, TenTec Omni V, Icom 229, Icom 2m-HT (JUNK-and it was brand new), Yaesu HT. When I'm fully outfitted in the truck I can cover 440, 220, 2m, 10-160 with three radios and three antennaes (well one more for 160m)--and have the 3-band HT for walking about--which will crossband back through the truck.



So I need one more radio for 6m! Not really. The 920 has 6-160. That's a nice HF rig that ain't that pricey-and there should be plenty of used ones around. For the new folks: The Yaesu FT 920 is an "HF rig" plus 6-meters which is a VHF frequency. The radio covers the bands of 6, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 30, 40, 75/80, and 160 meters and operates in AM/FM/SSB/CW with 100 watts PEP on SSB. It does that and a bunch more, but that's the basic gist of a "modern" HF rig. It's far cry from the Yaesu 101-EE or any of that old dials/tubes stuff thats still going strong on the CB freqs. ;)



Back to the 920: It's a desktop "big radio" that retails around 1300. But it has a good reputation around here with experienced users like W4IV. Have no idea what the used market is. HF mobile is fun, but don't get too excited about 75/160 unless you're going to run CW and or big amps and as much antenna as possible. OR wait until conditions are perfect.



And I had a 148 and a 29 and now I have some pawn-shop prize CB in the truck.



You can look up any licensed amateur you ever meet. Go to QRZ.com and put their callsign in the little box at top left. You'll get their basic license information and maybe they will have added information and photos like I have.

QRZ also had forums and other ham info.



I have traded at eHam with good results. Always check out your other party on the "bad trader" boards.
 
Dern, done skeert everybody off the chaaannel !

Back to the basics.



How I normally use ham radio daily with 2m mobile rig in truck. I turn it on, listen to my favorite repeater frequency. If anybody is talking, I might chime in, or I might listen without saying anything. If nobody is talking, I'll "throw my call" and usually get a response, or not. If I don't get a reply, then I might change frequencies and try again. Or I'll sit on the original frequency and wait for something to happen.



The range is dependent on the users radios and the repeater location, many high-profile repeaters in the mid-state area will allow you to cover just about the entire mid-state area. Some linked systems will take you into east TN or west TN. There are shadow maps online that give approximate coverage areas of many mid-state repeaters.



No matter where you live, you're in the shadow of a least a few amateur radio repeaters.



Here's an example. Mark is near Gallatin. I'm near Woodbury. Not only can he hit repeaters on Short Mountain from there with a mobile (50w) rig, he can use a hand-held (5w) rig and get into any of Tom's machines on Music Mountain. Either way, once he's "into the machine" he can talk to me here in Cannon Co. any time of day or night. Likewise, I could use less than one watt to get into any of the Short Mountain machines and Mark would easily hear me in Sumner or Wilson.



And then if Mark and I were chatting and Ken (N4HWL) in Murfreesboro wanted to chime in, he could. Then another station or two might join in and we'd talk about the weather or diesel trucks (Ken and two or three more "local" radio guys have CTD's) or fishing or whatever...



That's what I do on the Ham most of the time.
 
Linked Repeaters

Colorado has a great set of linked repeaters across the state (the "Colorado Connection"). I've stood on Engineer Pass down in the San Juan Mountains, in the southwest part of the state, and talked (with my HT) to someone in Boulder!



Then again, another buddy and I have used the HT to talk to each other on Simplex across thirty miles or so, line of sight from up in the La Sal mountains to out on the "3D" trail near Moab, UT.
 
Cool info Wade! ;)



I picked up some goodies tonight! :D



30Ft. of tower, IMAX 2000 antenna(already sold), 100Ft. heavy gauge coax (no #'s :confused: ), and an old midland 23 channel with extra 40 up/40 down box for a grand total of $75! Oo. Oo. Oo. :D



Willing to part with the coax and radio if anyones interested. ;)
 
New ham buyers guide

More cool stuff--since the license issued to you by the FCC has your address on it, and the FCC needs the money--all the ham radio discount houses will send you catalogs.



I just got the "Texas Towers" catalog. There's also "HRO" and another one I forgot the name of. They're the "biggies. I like Texas Towers, they run prices just as good as the rest.



So, I don't need anything, but I checked some prices for yall.



A brand new 2-meter rig is $140 shipped. Choose from Yaesu or Icom. The entry-level Kenwood is $159 shipped. That's dog cheap. When I gots my license, a new rig was around 300 bucks.



Anyway these rigs will get anybody started and I use one in that class daily (when not out of service--I gotta fix that).



If you nose around in the TT catalog you'll see that HF rigs--(High Frequency, multi-band, do it ALL radios) run from around $800 for a mobile to $10,000 for a I-won-the-lotto-and-only-have-one-hobby model. Don't let that turn you off. Nobody needs a brand-new HF rig to get started and MANY folks never even use an HF rig. Plenty of used ones too.



So I was looking for the next thing you need to get started--a 2m antenna. TT doesn't list an inexpensive 5/8 like I recommend. Might have to go online to find a "MFJ 5/8 mag mount" or any mount. I highly strongly recommend never going shorter than a 5/8 wave on 2 meters. That's somewhere around four feet. The 19" antennas are 1/4 wave and they're very marginal if you want to stay in contact while you drive around.



The baddast ever 2m antenna I've ever run (proven by tests in the field) IS in the TT catalog and if you're going to spend extra money--BIGGER antennas is always the place to do it. It's the Diamond 7900A. It also covers the 70cm (440) band. And it's $125. :eek: And it's too big for a single magnet base. I ran mine on triple magnet base. I'll mount it different next time I put it on.



Don't worry about SWR meters and towers and rotaters and all that HF stuff. You may never need it.



W1ADE
 
rigging with duct tape

Well, I don't have the CB hooked back up yet, but I do have the 2m going. AND I've got it on that bigarse 7900 Diamond antenna.



The rigging is the fact that my three-magnet base is fubar at the threads and a single magnet won't hold this antenna. So I've got the single mag mount up under the triple mag mount. For right now. :-laf



Great thing about radio is that you can't hear all the duct tape, black tape, cable ties, muffler clamps, hose clamps, and baling wire holding a station together... a good signal is just that. ;)



Now to holler at Lakeview Antenna Co. for parts to rebuild my mount.
 
The bigass 7900 needs a good ground and you WILL hit the lights at the drive thrus and tree limbs and it has a tendency to break off at one of the insulators. I love the antenna but it requires extra care and awareness. If you want to put on a "forget it" antenna, ie always works well and is not obvious/ a PITA, get an NR770 Diamond. It requires no ground but will do better with a ground and it will handle 200 watts and is dual band. I like the UHF connector version.

I run an Icom 706MkIIG in my PU with a Kenwood D700 on aprs and 2 meters. I also run a Uniden 2510 on a Wilson 2000 antenna. Outbacker 500 is my HF antenna and the aforementioned NR770 for 2m/440. I have been licensed since 1988. Grounding/strapping is EVERYTHING in a mobile setup.

You can take practice exams on QSL.net,QRZ.net ARRL.org and several other web sites. It's easier than ever to get a license now and good luck.

Grady de WE4UT

Look up WE4UT-14 to see me on APRS.
 
I've always run the 7900 on a three-mag mount. The magnets attach it to a Dodge. Pretty good ground. It's on its third "stinger".



I don't put much faith in manufacturers specs. I (we) learned of the 7900's superiority when running nose and tail with another 2m station equipped with the venerable 5/8-wave mag mount. We were talking simplex across a couple of counties to a fixed station. The 5/8 antenna couldn't make it where the 7900 did. That was enough for me. And it works on 440 too. :p I haven't run it head to head with the "co-linear" type, but then you're back to a single band antenna. Still can't beat a 5/8 for the $ (provided it's MFJ money).



So, I've run back in to the old gang. Stations all over middle TN, talking mostly about nothing. :-laf
 
Talked to N4SSD today on the 2m--he's the Methodist Minister who conducted our wedding. The principal of our girl's school is KC4GUG.



Hamfest tomorrow in Tullahoma.



If'n you don't ask me no questions, I cain't tell you no lies!



I'll get my antenna analyzer up here at the store for you guys who need to lose some SWR. :p
 
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