Any hams here with HF?
- Thread starter PTT
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KAC1911
Member
I have a nice Yaesu 990 but don't have an ant up. Had a nice 1000' long wire when I live in NY. Kinda paranoid of all the lightning down here in FL where I live now. Do miss operating though. Hold a Advanced ticket.
73's
73's
dogrunner
Member
Well, PTT I've tried it several times on 240 and the SSB 40 M suggestions you made.............both voice and CW............I MAY have heard something on CW this PM, but I really can't say for sure. I am absolutely positive that somebody could have heard me at 1M watts using a Sterba pointed in your direction......................any further suggestions?
Incidentally, the high end of 40 is usually crapped up with FB in the PM...............at least on the east coast.
Incidentally, the high end of 40 is usually crapped up with FB in the PM...............at least on the east coast.
Ed N.
Member
I haven't been on the air for a few months now, and I need to get back to it. I'll try sometime in the next few days and see if anyone's around.
I have an Extra class license, but a very minimal station. Just a Yaesu 897 barefoot with an MFJ tuner into an 80m dipole. I'm feeding the dipole with window line, so it works pretty well on all bands. I work SSB most of the time but I also do some PSK.
I have an Extra class license, but a very minimal station. Just a Yaesu 897 barefoot with an MFJ tuner into an 80m dipole. I'm feeding the dipole with window line, so it works pretty well on all bands. I work SSB most of the time but I also do some PSK.
MattShlock
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I would listen in. Haven't used my station in about 15 years. Old Tech-Plus. Don't even know what privelages I have anymore -- lol. Sure not a lot of HF.
Kybill
Member
Used to be beginning when I was a freshman in high school N2ADG (don't want to date myself but I built my HW 101 at that time) Loved CW, let my license lapse in the mid 80's and now the gear is so expensive and time so limited but I do miss it at times.
I changed the night frequency to 5403.50 USB or PSK. Makes it easier to monitor for both voice and digital simultaneously.
See the frequency thread for details:http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=700208
See the frequency thread for details:http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=700208
hueyville
Member
I have five HF rigs in operation. Two at work shack, one in each truck and one at house but its unhooked as I am remodeling the gun room and shack. I have HF, UHF, VHF, D-Star, etc. I abhor 40 meters, and usually use 20 meters or digital modes on 30. PSK or OLIVIA on 30 most reliable communications. I have a purpose built 80 meter NVIS antenna that gives me complete coverage of east coast most any time. Lately my shack time has been short.
AA4BA
AA4BA
SleazyRider
Member
N2INT here. I'm just a lowly tech, so I guess I'll have to watch (listen) from the cheap seats. I'll have to look into getting my General, although last time I was motivated I couldn't find a mentor and club nearby. The other problem is I take down my Butternut vertical antenna a few years ago to re-roof the house, and my wife won't let me put it back up because it's an "eyesore." Winter's a bad time for putting up an antenna anyway.
Maybe this is the boost I need!
Maybe this is the boost I need!
hueyville
Member
Jerry et all:
Getting your Technician licence is currently quite easy. If you have a basic understanding of electricity, especially DC then you are one to two evenings of study away from your license. I teach one day classes where people walk in cold and walk out with a license. No morsel code is required now. I have had people from ten years old to 84 pass the class and have a 99.9% pass rate over hundreds of students. Only failure was a person who I don't know how they found the class or drove there. If you are smart enough not to shoot yourself then the Tech license is close. You would have some 10 meter privileges and D-star VHF/UHF irlp linking has you talking world wide. Google search your local area for testing sessions, all the study guides you need are free online and you can take free online practice tests. Testing fee is 10 to 20 bucks according to group. My guess is most people are 4 to 16 hours away from a Tech license. General gets you 90% of all available privileges. It does take some effort but once you start, the step to General is not as hard as you think. My one day General cram class runs 80% success rate. Most men with some electrical knowledge need about 24 hours total study time to ace General. Once again, all study material needed and practice tests are free online. Extra class is the top of Amateur Radio although the older Advance Class test was harder than current Extra. I also have my MROP, GROL and Radar Endorsement. My latest hobby is buying used and broken Marine radars for cheap on eBay, fix them then hack them into ground to air radar systems to watch those predator drones spying on me. Haha. Just watch the local airport traffic for kicks. For guys who think tweaking a rifle/handload combo to shrink a group to one hole, taking a radio the size of a cereal box, some scrap aluminum and wire for a home brew antenna and talk around the world is a blast. Also, hams are the most connected into situational awareness during any type emergency. Get your news from the source with your own two way equipment running off a car battery.
Getting your Technician licence is currently quite easy. If you have a basic understanding of electricity, especially DC then you are one to two evenings of study away from your license. I teach one day classes where people walk in cold and walk out with a license. No morsel code is required now. I have had people from ten years old to 84 pass the class and have a 99.9% pass rate over hundreds of students. Only failure was a person who I don't know how they found the class or drove there. If you are smart enough not to shoot yourself then the Tech license is close. You would have some 10 meter privileges and D-star VHF/UHF irlp linking has you talking world wide. Google search your local area for testing sessions, all the study guides you need are free online and you can take free online practice tests. Testing fee is 10 to 20 bucks according to group. My guess is most people are 4 to 16 hours away from a Tech license. General gets you 90% of all available privileges. It does take some effort but once you start, the step to General is not as hard as you think. My one day General cram class runs 80% success rate. Most men with some electrical knowledge need about 24 hours total study time to ace General. Once again, all study material needed and practice tests are free online. Extra class is the top of Amateur Radio although the older Advance Class test was harder than current Extra. I also have my MROP, GROL and Radar Endorsement. My latest hobby is buying used and broken Marine radars for cheap on eBay, fix them then hack them into ground to air radar systems to watch those predator drones spying on me. Haha. Just watch the local airport traffic for kicks. For guys who think tweaking a rifle/handload combo to shrink a group to one hole, taking a radio the size of a cereal box, some scrap aluminum and wire for a home brew antenna and talk around the world is a blast. Also, hams are the most connected into situational awareness during any type emergency. Get your news from the source with your own two way equipment running off a car battery.
hueyville
Member
Sleazy, I can send you links or pdf files with all the General study stuff boiled down to bare essentials. Most of my good contacts have come off a wire so thin wife can't even see it hung from a tree. You can buy a good wire antenna for 50 bucks or make it for 20. All you need is a tree with a limb 30 feet or higher to launch your signal.
Lj1941
Member
n3od
I am an extra class and I hang out on 40 SSB on 7.255 ECARS. I am located in EPA just south of the Pocono Mts.I am retired and my schedule is very flexible.I can operate all HF with TT Eagle and AL 811. Only have wire fed with ladderline-works fine on 40,60 and 75.
I am an extra class and I hang out on 40 SSB on 7.255 ECARS. I am located in EPA just south of the Pocono Mts.I am retired and my schedule is very flexible.I can operate all HF with TT Eagle and AL 811. Only have wire fed with ladderline-works fine on 40,60 and 75.
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Lj1941
Member
I will try 5403.5 after sundown tonight
Lou n3od
Lou n3od
SleazyRider
Member
I appreciate that, sir, and have PM'd you with my email and contact information. Is it possible to study the materials and take the exam at a local amateur radio club without formal classroom study and mentorship? Is code no longer a requisite skill?
sonick808
Member
fb OM 
amateur here since 08. However, I just moved from an apt with a compromise antenna to a house with a nice sized lot and NO HOA. So, It'll be awhile before I'm back on HF since I"m going to put up a tower of some sort.
After that, I'm always on during RTTY contests, frequently on Feld-Hellschreiber (member #1173) around 14.064. Also frequently on PSK-31 on 14.07. I enjoy JT-65 /WSPR as well. I am still very slow at CW so I occasionally visit the FISTS callling freqs since they slow down for me. SSB as well, just not as much.
73 de KE7VZW
amateur here since 08. However, I just moved from an apt with a compromise antenna to a house with a nice sized lot and NO HOA. So, It'll be awhile before I'm back on HF since I"m going to put up a tower of some sort. After that, I'm always on during RTTY contests, frequently on Feld-Hellschreiber (member #1173) around 14.064. Also frequently on PSK-31 on 14.07. I enjoy JT-65 /WSPR as well. I am still very slow at CW so I occasionally visit the FISTS callling freqs since they slow down for me. SSB as well, just not as much.
73 de KE7VZW
sixgunner455
Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2006
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- 3,052
Sleazy - yes, you can study on your own and test w/o a mentor or class time. I just took the Technician (passed) and General (um, not! lol) tests at the local club. Most of the people testing had taken the previous month's class, but there were several who just walked in. Most everybody passed whatever test they were on, too, and two folks who'd taken the Tech class had also actually studied for General (unlike me), and they both aced the General. Had a guy who'd self-studied for Extra show up, surprising the test examiners, but he passed that, too.
Just waiting on a call sign, and making up my mind on equipment. Don't know that I'm mentally ready to step up to this kind of distance comms, b/c my interest is primarily local emergency, community activity, and SAR - type stuff. Probably just gonna get a dual band HT and a decent antennae for now.
Just waiting on a call sign, and making up my mind on equipment. Don't know that I'm mentally ready to step up to this kind of distance comms, b/c my interest is primarily local emergency, community activity, and SAR - type stuff. Probably just gonna get a dual band HT and a decent antennae for now.
Dave Markowitz
Member
CQ THR de KB3MNK.
A THR net is a great idea. Several of us over on Arfcom have been doing SSB and Olivia 16/500 nets. I'm certainly willing to give MT63 a try as it's a mode I haven't used yet.
FWIW for those of you considering getting licensed -- I suggest studying for and taking the Tech and General class exams at the same time. The exams are similar. I wish I had done this when I first got licensed in 2005.
A THR net is a great idea. Several of us over on Arfcom have been doing SSB and Olivia 16/500 nets. I'm certainly willing to give MT63 a try as it's a mode I haven't used yet.
FWIW for those of you considering getting licensed -- I suggest studying for and taking the Tech and General class exams at the same time. The exams are similar. I wish I had done this when I first got licensed in 2005.
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