XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated

Amateur/Ham Radio

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I find it ironic just how bad the FCC website is.

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 04:32 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u8lh7y/i_find_it_ironic_just_how_bad_the_fcc_website_is/


Im about to rant about the GMRS license process. I know this is
r/amateurradio, but we both deal with the FCC and their website is just embarrassing.
[Before submitting this, I noticed many of the screenshots I used still
show my FRN. I originally meant to redact that out, then I realized you
already have my amateur call sign, you can find all the same information
from that as the FRN, so.... meh]
After forever and a day, they finally got the GMRS license fee charging properly. To apply for a new license you go to the ULS page, login with
your FRN number and chose the license you wish to apply for from a
drop-down box that includes every license they have ever sold (except ham licenses). Eighty-four (84) options for everything from commercial TV and radio, to aviation and marine communications and navigation uses, to over 2 dozen land-mobile and public service radio licenses, all listed
alphabetically by a two letter code. If youve looked at your license on
ULS, youll see your license is either HA or HV. HA is sequential issued
call sign, HV is vanity call sign. Care to guess what the General Mobile
Radio Service code is? ZA, the last entry on the list. Im scrolling
through, one at a time, by the time I get to YW (Public Safety Pool,
trunked) I thought I must have missed it and went all the way back up, and
all the way back down to find it. (btw, I first misread that as Public
Pool, trunked, and thought why do public swimming pools get their own radio service, but I digress)
Ok, found it. Now you hunt the page looking for the continue button, all
the way on the far right of the window and nowhere near anything of
context, just poor layout. Maybe it looks better on the mobile version of
the site, but whos applying for a new Intelligent Transportation Service license on their iPhone?
Next there are a couple simple questions, are you exempt from fees, is this
a Special Temporary Authorization, simple enough. The page after that, you
see little gem of a warning: ... only individual applicants may file for a
new GMRS license. Non-individuals (i.e. businesses) are not eligible...
(This will come back up later) You enter your name and address on this
page... Remember, only 4 pages ago you were required to log into the site
using your FRN. So why are they asking for your name and address? That information is part of the FRN registration, if they are going to show you these fields, they should be auto-populated with the information from the
FRN. What happens if you enter a different name and address? (Forgive me
Glenn, its for science!)
They remind you that Glenn Miller needs to enter an email address, but not
a phone number, and it allows you to continue. I hope the process isnt automatic, and I deleted that application there because I didnt want to
find out by committing a felony. The next page however would have you
verify your information, then you sign it electronically. Strangely, the signature page has a field where you are expected to give your title. I
thought this license is only for individuals, not businesses. I hope I gave them the title they were looking for.
Now, its time to pay. You know, like on Amazon, where you log out of the account, and log into a separate but linked account on the same domain, but
a completely different part of the site. This part of the site is called COmmission REgistration System (CORES) and was written by an idiot. I mean,
the whole site was written by idiots, but by the standards of idiots, this
guy is an idiot. This entire system is the equivalent to the shopping cart
on every other web-commerce site.
If youve never had to pay the FCC a fee before, but you have an FRN, you
know, like an Amateur Radio operator, you first have to register a user
name, and a password. The username must be an email address. Before you
proceed they warn you to "check the availability of your username." Its an email address... and they will send you a verification email to the address
you use as your username. I dont know about you, but how many non-unique
email addresses have you seen? Even 10 minute mail, the temporary throwaway email site creates a unique address for every request. Why do I need to
check the availability?
Next you need to associate your FRN with the account you just created, and
give the password associated with the FRN. Both accounts exist on the same server, why did I need a second account? Why not just use the FRN and
password you just asked for? On the same page, where you enter the FRN you
want to associate with the username, there is a box where they want you to explain why you want to associate this FRN with this username. I chose not
to enter, "to try to take over the world."
While I was deleting that from the box, the session timed out. Again. As
long as youre trying to use the COmmission REgistration System (CORES), you cant have any FCC.gov site loaded on any other tab in your browser, or you
will be redirected to the CORES login page, and the system times out after about 47 seconds, so dont waste time trying to figure out what they want
from you.
Now, this last part isnt only the FCC being bad at communicating. You see,
I dont want anyone who dislikes something I might say on the radio to look
up my home address and pop-over for an impromptu in-person conversation. I
also have a neighborhood problem with porch pirates. Luckily, the USPS has
me covered on both fronts. Once upon a time, the post office wouldnt accept deliveries to your PO box from UPS or FedEx. They do now. (I was surprised too!)
Heres the trick, first, UPS and FedEx dont know which post office PO Box
123, Phoenix, Arizona, is in. Second, the post office doesnt want you to
use a PO box to impersonate your residence to other government agencies. So
you have to sign up for the "Street Address" service with your local post office, its free with your PO box rental, and they will give you the street address to use. And your mail must be addressed correctly or it will not be delivered. They are strict about this, they have to be. States dont want
you to use a PO box to get around things like where your car is registered
or what school district you live in. If you follow the format provided,
youre not going to fool government agencies into thinking you live where
youre getting your mail.
That format? "123 N Main St. #1234" Its the street address of your post
office, and your box number. They must be on the same line, and you must
use the [#] symbol. You may not use Apt.1234 or Suite 1234, or some other variation. Why am I on this tangent? Because CORES insisted on reformatting
my address, putting "Unit #1234" on a separate line, despite my license in
ULS showing the address correctly. How hard is it to just use the data I provided, as I provided it?
I understand, most of the people who do business with the FCC are not individuals, but even the DMV, the poster child for screwed up government bureaucracy, has this process 100x more streamlined than this for
commercial operations. How is the Federal Communications Commission so bad
at communication? submitted by /u/airbornchaos
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Intro to TCP/IP over Packet Radio

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 03:17 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u882o5/intro_to_tcpip_over_packet_radio/

submitted by /u/xssfox
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Anyone operating Scrotal-Portable?

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 05:23 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u7va69/anyone_operating_scrotalportable/

submitted by /u/HerpieMcDerpie
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K8TJR FT8 Live Stream

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 06:53 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u8o6jy/k8tjr_ft8_live_stream/

submitted by /u/TechJeeper
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JW0X out of Svalbard on 14.285

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 06:43 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u8c75y/jw0x_out_of_svalbard_on_14285/


Relatively rare DX from a de-expedition coming in to most of the
continental US right now if anyone is interested. Hes working split
listening five up submitted by /u/DC5932
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Can a dipole be hung in a inverted staple configuration?

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 08:26 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u7z1zz/can_a_dipole_be_hung_in_a_inverted_staple/

submitted by /u/triple111
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Got this old cb amp for free, obviously not going to power it up or use for intended purpose. Ideas on what to scavenge? those variable caps and
switches seem useful for homebrew

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 12:40 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u84n0l/got_this_old_cb_amp_for_free_obviously_not_going/

submitted by /u/mr_noun
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acquired 3x Moto xpr7550 radios.. what can I do with them?

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 02:10 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u86may/acquired_3x_moto_xpr7550_radios_what_can_i_do/

submitted by /u/jc61990
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I Love Amp

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 11:17 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u82to4/i_love_amp/

submitted by /u/FuckinHighGuy
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Legality of holding 2 call signs in the US.

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 01:07 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u8igqj/legality_of_holding_2_call_signs_in_the_us/


I have a dumb question.... I was originally licensed as a Tech over 20
years ago. I was fairly inactive because of life. A few months ago I
started having a lot more free time and I wanted to get more involved as a
ham.

I started to study for general and extra and was making good progress. My
wife was invited to be the maid of honor in a wedding a few states away
from where we live. She had the bridal shower, the bachelorette party and
the rehearsal. I had nothing to do so I found a local VEC testing site that took walk ins.
I was at the testing site at the appointed time and asked to for a general
test to upgrade. The staff said they wouldnt allow me to upgrade without a physical copy of my tech license. However, they agreed to let me take the
tech test and start from there. They also had me sign up for a new account
with the FCC.
I passed tech, general and extra at that site. I ended up getting a new
call sign and a second license. I like my old call sign so a few weeks
after we returned home, I scheduled another VE session with my local club.
I passed the general test with no problems but managed to fail the extra
test twice.
So now I have my original license at general and my new license at extra.
Am I in violation of any rules or is holding 2 licenses legal? submitted
by /u/BigIglooBoomer
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2m/70cm j pole antenna grounding

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 10:53 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u8gkxa/2m70cm_j_pole_antenna_grounding/

submitted by /u/bradyd06
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Pleasantly surprised with my first HF project. My primary objective is to
work NVIS. Tips, thoughts?

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 02:09 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u86ly9/pleasantly_surprised_with_my_first_hf_project_my/

submitted by /u/FitTransportation48
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How to Design a Take Apart Mag Loop Antenna

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 08:36 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u8ebmh/how_to_design_a_take_apart_mag_loop_antenna/


Hi Im trying to figure out how to design a magnetic loop antenna. That uses 1"OD, 25.4mm for the rest of the world, aluminum tubing for the primary
loop, and 8 gauge wire, 3.26mm, for the induction loop. A octagon shape
with "circumference" of 166",~5.029m, and a side length of ~2¾", ~628mm. A high voltage variable capacitor that has a capacitance range of >500 pF,
<30 and a RMS voltage thats >1700 W, and must be disassemblable to fit in a back pack or something similar. Any advice, or prior experience would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely the OP submitted by /u/Independent_3
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Strongest X-ray Flare So Far in Cycle 25

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 04:49 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u7uo75/strongest_xray_flare_so_far_in_cycle_25/


Strongest X-ray Flare So Far in Cycle 25
At Universal Time 03h57m, a flare event peaked at the level X2.2, causing
an R3-level radio blackout on shortwave (high frequency; HF).
This was not Earth-facing, so we do not expect any geomagnetic disturbance
in the next few days, from this event.

X2.2 X-ray Flare
The effects of a solar flare arrive in approximately eight minutes, at the speed of light. Later, if directed toward Earth, there might be coronal
mass plasma ejected and that might intersect with Earth within two to four days, depending on how much speed is involved. The 8-minute-speed-of-light arrival time is what causes a radio blackout (shortwave) on the SUNLIT side
of Earth, when a flare erupts.
This X2.2 flare caused an R3-level radio blackout on the sunlit side of
Earth (i.e., NOT over the Americas).
73 de NW7US dit dit submitted by /u/NW7US
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what is the name of this type of antenna connector? It is 8mm in diameter
and has a small hole in the threads for a plastic plug for friction. It
is/was used on the PRC-77 and propably other radios of that era.

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 08:17 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u7yumk/what_is_the_name_of_this_type_of_antenna/

submitted by /u/pikkuhakki
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Mobile vs Portable

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 06:29 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u8bx56/mobile_vs_portable/


If I am using an HT and am on a bicycle is it:
Mobile cause a bicycle is a vehicle; or
Portable cause it is a HT? submitted by /u/jake9wi
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Hi there - I could use some guidance!

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 12:20 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u847iq/hi_there_i_could_use_some_guidance/


I’d like to make a kit where I have a mobile 70/2m set up for my car, that
I can then remove easily enough to operate as a base station at home. My
plan was to use a pelican case to house the DC power and the transceiver
and there would be two antennas, one for ground use and one antenna for
mobile use. Anyone done this? submitted by /u/Blandc0uver
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solar activity

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 11:43 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u8hbb9/solar_activity/

submitted by /u/Significant-Tiger531
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Help troubleshooting ARDOP connections

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 06:25 AM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u7wgqn/help_troubleshooting_ardop_connections/


For some reason, I am having a really hard time getting an ARDOP connection
to Winlink. I have yet to make a connection. I am using a Xiegu G90 with
CE-19 adapter. I am using a random USB soundcard. I am using a Raspberry Pi
to control everything. I am able to make connections at will WSPR, FT-8, JS8Call. If I connect this set up (as-is) to a windows computer, I can
connect to Winlink via VARA HF. I am setting the tuning in all cases to
~97% ALC All the stations that I try to connect to via ARDOP look to be available (geographically) when looking at my WSPR reception report
Any further ideas for troubleshooting?
TX ES 73 DE KB8QPT submitted by /u/sergio_101
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IC-7300 Bad TX Behavior with Internal Soundcard

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 04:28 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u89jj3/ic7300_bad_tx_behavior_with_internal_soundcard/

submitted by /u/root_127-0-0-1
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Xeigu G90 Output Power Low

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 02:44 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u87d7x/xeigu_g90_output_power_low/


Title pretty much says it all. My G90s power output is set to 20W, but the built-in wattmeter and waterfall both confirm Im putting out less than 5W,
and I saw the wattmeter drop as low as 0.2W. I was on 20 meters USB phone.
The radio receives fine; I heard a couple of conversations and some CW on
the same band.
Specs: 13.8V/10A linear power supply with 13.5V shown on the radio, 29
random wire antenna strung from 20AWG stranded wire, 9:1 unun with a
powdered iron core wound from the same gauge wire. Radio shows ability to
tune the antenna as well as SWRs down near 1:1.
Could this be a radio issue? I found something saying its a connection
between the radio head and body thats to blame, but cant test that at the moment since Im not at home. Or could it be an incorrectly wound unun?
TIA submitted by /u/airbusman5514
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jtdx on ft8

Posted: 20 Apr 2022 02:27 PM PDT https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/u86zk3/jtdx_on_ft8/


A hone else using jtdx on FT8? I have a question.
Does it suddenly start answering cq calls from other stations? I will
happily be calling cq and then it will answer a cq without me selecting the station calling cq. submitted by /u/noddy51
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