XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated

Amateur/Ham Radio

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Passed General!

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 03:36 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slk2y0/passed_general/


Not extraordinary to some, but I would like to personally pat myself on the back for passing the General exam today. I look forward to making QSO’s
with some of you! submitted by /u/saga846
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My humble, but functional, home station

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 07:11 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/sl957z/my_humble_but_functional_home_station/

submitted by /u/Impossible_Act_6506
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I've made an oscillator only out of household materials,you just plug it
into an AC power supply(Ruhmkorff Coil in my case),the capacitor is also homemade and can withstand around 100V or so.Whatcha think of the Tesla Coil-like dipole design?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 01:41 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slhixk/ive_made_an_oscillator_only_out_of_household/

submitted by /u/ZatannaIzSwag
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QSL card etiquette?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 05:00 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/sllvz6/qsl_card_etiquette/


Asking for opinions on what is appropriate, specifically for including
SASE. In the past when sending out cards I included a self addressed
stamped envelope with every card. Unfortunately this meant I went through
twice as much postage and only got a card back about 5% of the time. When looking up a callsign on QRZ to get the operators address, if they mention
SASE and I haven’t already gotten a card, I still include one. Otherwise I don’t. I’ve also been asking in my message on the back of the card if they can confirm the QSO on LoTW if they use it. I don’t feel like that’s an audacious request.
Should I keep including SASE with all cards I send out in hopes of getting
one back? Can you think of any other cases when I should include one anyway? Thanks and 73. submitted by /u/Steve_but_different
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Follow up: The Ham Radio Elevator Pitch

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 07:55 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/sla3th/follow_up_the_ham_radio_elevator_pitch/


Last week, I posted this thread. I was in the final run-up to teaching a
Tech workshop for engineering students at my University.
Class day was great. We expected 15-20 students, booked a classroom for 30,
and had about 40 show up. We had to pull in chairs from an adjacent
classroom. Everyone was engaged and asked good questions as I worked
through the 130-slide PowerPoint. My final few slides were some replies
taken directly from my previous thread; you all helped inspire them!
At the end of the workshop, several students came up and asked about the equipment I had set up on a table in the front of the room: Icom 7300,
Kenwood 710GA, WRC, mag loop antenna, end-fed wire, DMR HTs, Baofengs. We
then took the 7300 and mag loop to the top of a parking garage and I let a
few remaining students spin the dial around 40m (it was 8pm).
All this week, the students were using HamStudy to prepare. Granted, were engineering students so they made what time they could.
Thursday was our VE session. We had 35 students show up, nearly everyone
who attended the workshop! Much better turnout than expected. At the end of
the night we passed: - 25 new Techs - 1 new General - 1 General upgrade
The students should receive their calls early next week in time to attend Orlando Hamcation. Ive also made arrangements with Tampa ARC for a tour of their facility/radio room and TARC is very excited to welcome them to their activities.
With any luck, well have a few more Generals by Field Day time :)
Thanks everyone for your input! Corey/N4FQ submitted by /u/N1COR
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CQ XE TEST (RTTY) until 2359z Feb. 6

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 06:29 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slnnmz/cq_xe_test_rtty_until_2359z_feb_6/


If anyone is interested, the Mexico RTTY contest is going on right now,
until 2359z Sunday February 6. Fire up them diddle machines and make some contacts!
BTW, does anybody know which band segments RTTY is allowed on in Mexico? Particularly 40m and 20m? According to the IARU, digital modes are allowed
in 7040-7050 and 14070-14099 in Region 2, but I know the US and Canada
allow digital modes on other areas of these bands as well. I cant seem to
find anything specific to Mexico. submitted by /u/StevetheNPC
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Compact SMA-F antenna for a HT

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 06:06 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/sln7d9/compact_smaf_antenna_for_a_ht/


Im planning to buy a new HT radio and along with it a new antenna. Im
looking for something compact enough to fit inside a pocket (together with
the radio), while not losing much on performance. I think telescopic is the
way to go. Untill now ive been using Nagoya NA-773 and its pretty good -
good FM quality, able to hit repeaters ~50km away, even able to recieve
satcom clearly.
What are some antennas youd recommend?
PS. The radio ive been using it with is Baofeng UV-S9 Triband (220-260 Version). submitted by /u/MNNGRFA
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US extra class exam

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 04:18 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slkz69/us_extra_class_exam/


Hey yall! Whats an easy way to learn the things needed for the extra exam?
So far, Im struggling a lot with studying for and passing my extra exam. submitted by /u/KimberlyMcBlaze
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10 meters is wide open right now. will this start happening more often now?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 11:14 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/sledpo/10_meters_is_wide_open_right_now_will_this_start/


Today I logged on to the Northern Utah WebSDR and saw that 10 meters was
packed with SSB, FM, CW, etc. when will we start seeing this daily? I would love to give 10 meters SSB and FM a try but since I work portable only its always a gamble if 10 will be open or not.
Hope to work you all soon! 73. submitted by /u/Midnight_man_
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Delivered today, looking forward to seeing what may be practical for me....
one day.

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 08:57 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slbjbb/delivered_today_looking_forward_to_seeing_what/

submitted by /u/neededanew1
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Waiting over 2 years for license due to felony - any suggestions? ALJ maybe?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 07:24 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slop7d/waiting_over_2_years_for_license_due_to_felony/


I passed my exam over 2 years ago and I am still waiting for license due to
a felony on my record.
I have read a lot of the posts and most say I have to sit and wait.
Has anyone heard about getting a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge ("ALJ")?
Has it worked and if so, anyone have a lawyer they recommend to go through the process with me?
The felony conviction was in 1986 and I have been completely clean since.
The offense took place 42 years ago and I was convicted 36 years.
My father would like to give me his call sign, and being in his late 80s, doesnt have much more time in order to see this happen.
Over a year ago I contacted my Congressman, with not much of a response.
They basically state the submitted an inquiry and thats all.
Any suggestions would be very helpful.
Thanks submitted by /u/mancillaj
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Icom ID-880h slowly becomes unintelligible and I'm not sure how to fix it

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 06:36 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slnsuq/icom_id880h_slowly_becomes_unintelligible_and_im/


I have an Icom ID-880h that I bought off ebay in very good cosmetic
condition. When it arrived, I performed a factory reset and programmed in
my local repeaters with CHIRP. I quickly found it not to be working as expected...
On a cold start it will work like normal for a few seconds. It can pick up nearby stations and hear audio from the built in speaker as normal. As the device warms up over the course of about 90 seconds the audio will quickly become soft and then muted to the point of unintelligibility. I thought it might simply be a case of the internal speaker failing. Unfortunately, I
get the same behavior from the device when I plug in a headset. A warm
start produces just leaves me with a muted and crackling speaker that I
cant understand.
Ive tried turning the squelch nob all the way off, moving it to about 11 oclock, disabling the squelch attenuator, etc. No joy. This is my first
non-HT so I could just be making a mistake but Im starting to fear I might
have bought a lemon.
Has anyone seen this before and how do I fix it? At this point my Baofeng
is more reliable than the Icom. submitted by /u/s-ro_mojosa
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Anybody want to try 10m or 6m?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 01:46 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slhmyp/anybody_want_to_try_10m_or_6m/


Think Im gonna step out to the shop and set up the radio. Think Ill try 10m
or 6m anybody else want to give it a go? submitted by /u/FlyFreak
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Trilectric 2m Commercial FM amplifier (see comments)

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 12:05 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slfeop/trilectric_2m_commercial_fm_amplifier_see_comments/

submitted by /u/Professor_Stank
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Decoding X band

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 02:43 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slix7b/decoding_x_band/


I tracked aqua, using open source decoders from GitHub, I have successfully installed all the libraries. Can someone please help me to understand how
to proceed ?
I cannot see signals getting demodulated properly using standalone
demodulator, as I observe that the baseband signal format which I am
selecting is 8bit .wav, whereas I recorded it in 16 bit format and stored
it in .wav file format (SDR console). submitted by /u/Surbhi0520
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Is it possible to work amateur radio satellites with a monopole antenna
pointed straight up?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 07:02 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/sloaf3/is_it_possible_to_work_amateur_radio_satellites/


Title pretty much explains it all! What I mean is like, can I work
satellites with a monopole antenna straight up, or do I have to orient the antenna sideways so it kinda radiates upward? I know yagis are ultimately
the best, but I dont have one. I am using a very high gain monopole
though! submitted by /u/MaxBattleLizard
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Android tablet for SDR listening on HF while still charging?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 06:53 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slo3x4/android_tablet_for_sdr_listening_on_hf_while/


This isnt *really* a ham radio question, but Im hoping someone has set up something similar and has some tips. Seems like a reasonable setup.
Im trying to set up an HF listening station with a random longwire on an android device for HF listening in the kitchen.
Here are the main pieces I have: Nooelec NESDR Smart Nooelec ham-it-up upconverter Nexus 7 tablet

I dont have any issues with the general setup - I plan to use the RF
analyzer app, which supports frequency offsets for the upconverter, and I
have the connectors to hook up the longwire. Ive used a similar setup with laptops, Linux and Windows with no problems. I know I can do this other
ways, but since I already have the expensive pieces here...
Heres what I cant figure out - I want the setup to be able to run
constantly, and I cant figure out how to keep the tablet charged while the NESDR is hooked up to the USB port. Has anyone figured out how to charge an android tablet while using an SDR dongle with an OTG cable?
An alternative would be a cheap (<$50) HF receiver that has a built-in
speaker that lets you hook up an external antenna, but it would be *much* better if it was a touch screen with a panadapter and all the tasty
features of SDR. Any ideas? submitted by /u/TotesTheScrotes
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Neighbor's motion-activated light coming on and going dim during APRS
transmit?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 06:39 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slnuw6/neighbors_motionactivated_light_coming_on_and/


I have a very odd problem.
So, I noticed some blinking out of the corner of my eye tonight while doing some APRS transmitting on 144.39. I realize that my neighbors outside light
is actually being triggered by my APRS transmissions. This is a motion activated, (looks to be) solar powered floodlight. Dont know if its
actually a camera also, maybe, or if its hardwired to power.
Essentially, if the light is off, an APRS transmit will make it turn on. If
the light is on, an APRS transmit will make it go noticeably dim for the
during of the transmission. I have a TM-D710GA, and it only happens on high transmit power, not low or medium, which have no effect (i.e. if the light
is on, medium and low power so nothing, and cant turn the light on either).
My antenna is approximately 30 feet from their light. At 144.39 I could get
it to turn on and dim during a normal high power empty transmission
(holding the PTT open), while at 145.825 I could only get the light to turn
on at high power, and not dim (though packets will work to cause both of
the above behaviors at 145.825).
What is happening here? submitted by /u/RandomTerrariumEvent
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How to remove cigarette smoke scent from VFO knob?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 08:02 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slaa6b/how_to_remove_cigarette_smoke_scent_from_vfo_knob/


I purchased a used rig yesterday from a gent who was a heavy smoker. Using
a mixture of vinegar and water, cleaning wipes, and electronic contact
spray, I was able to remove the flavoring from the rig.
Yet, the rubbery part of the VFO knob with its little grippy grooves is
proving difficult to mitigate. That single part is removable. Ive soaked it
in the vinegar/water mix, gently scrubbed it with a brush, sprayed it with
the spray. Its certainly better but the aroma still lingers and is then on
my fingers after my furious dial spinning while chasing all that DX.
Any suggestions? submitted by /u/HerpieMcDerpie
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Easy way to convert to DMS to TinyTrak4 decimal degrees format

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 11:35 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/sleupr/easy_way_to_convert_to_dms_to_tinytrak4_decimal/


Ive done it before, but every few weeks/months when I pick my TT4 project
back up, I"m stumped by how to convert from the degrees minutes seconds
format of coordinates to Byonics weird four-digit, decimal, four-digit
format.
Please dont just link directly to the FCC dms<->dec.deg. calculator. Ive
been there, and it doesnt support this format.
Is there something simple Im missing? submitted by /u/schlottmachine
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Is it better to focus on imlroving antenna or get an amplifier?

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 08:42 AM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slb707/is_it_better_to_focus_on_imlroving_antenna_or_get/


Hello, I am fairly new to the HF bands. I have an Icon IC-7300 and a 66 ocf dipole on my roof in an inverted v configuration (its the best I could
manage at the time and its longer than my roof). During this recent winter field day I had a ton of fun making QSOs on 20m and 40m, however over half
the people I could hear couldnt hear me. Which is better (and more
economical) for trying to make myself heard better... getting an amplifier
or trying to improve my antenna situation? I dont want to be blasting out 1500W, but I think it might be nice to have 250W or so. I think I will have trouble convincing my wife to let me get a new amplifier and an antenna, so
I need to pick 1 for now and the other can be my next toy.
Thanks for any advice and input/recommendations you can provide!
submitted by /u/Aimingforsuperior
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Just got the SDR play RSP1 would the sma male to female adapter in this kit work to connect my sma male antenna? Says for tv just want to make sure
before I order and dont mess up my new toy

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 04:15 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slkxl0/just_got_the_sdr_play_rsp1_would_the_sma_male_to/

submitted by /u/humanperson011001
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Impedance

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 12:27 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slftmb/impedance/


How come in circuit diagrams for radios if they include a speaker the
impedance is usually specified? Why does it matter what impedance of the headphones/speaker are? Also I think an audio transformer is used just to
step up the AF output of a radio but I may be wrong but, but what is it’s advantage over a regular amplifier circuit? Thanks. submitted by /u/noahthemower
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As heard on 12 meters today in Massachusetts.

Posted: 05 Feb 2022 03:50 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/slke9w/as_heard_on_12_meters_today_in_massachusetts/

submitted by /u/ArthurJS1
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