/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Previous Thread
>>1698614
>>1698614
>>1698614

Tic toc, boys.

>>1708211
>I hear ya, but we aren't dealing with a technologically savvy set of orgs.
>The ARRL and FCC websites stopped advancing around 2003.
Which is a shame. Guess it's the joy of one of the more minor gov agencies.

>>1708272
.-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. -. --.- .-. .--.

>>1708200
I’m that guy from that last thread. Thanks for using my image lol. Still on the hunt for a crystal

.. -.-. -....- --... ----- ..... -- .- ... - . .-. .-. .- -.-. .

>>1708200
Just got an RTL-SDR, been playing around with it for the past couple of hours.
Pretty nice desu. Any way I could monitor multiple freqs at once? Kind of like an HT radio does.
Also been having issues trying to decode digital with it. My main issues are coming from the virtual audio cable thing, I'm so new to all of this.

WHY DON'T YOU YOUNGSTERS LIKE RADIOS!

>>1708380
The future is now, old man
Day of the pillow, when?

>>1708352
Question, if I can’t get the exact crystal frequency, is there such a thing as an external clock generator (that I can power separately) that I can just wire the output to the two pads of the crystal location on the board? And won’t cost me a ton of money?

>>1708367

>>1708385
Use the Si5131 that was mentioned last thread. Use a short length of coax to mount it wherever and a 5V regulator to power it.

>>1708407
>Use the Si5131
It's dead as a door nail.
Connect a microphone and talk to it?

>>1708415
This sounds dumb but can I just output a 4.26mhz tone from a computer/audio device and feed the audio out leads to the crystal pads?

How does a radio listen on different bandwiths?

>>1708418
> 4.26mhz
>audio
Ah I see, you're retarded.

>>1708425
I know, that’s why I come to /diy/

>>1708200
Would the only options for someone who is interested in contacts with people who aren't friends/family, lives in a place where any HF setup would be an expensive compromise that wouldn't be worth it, and isn't interested in repeaters be getting into mobile/portable HF or getting a CB radio? It seems that simplex on the VHF/UHF bands is dead these days unless you count EME and 6 meter sporadic E. All activity on those bands these days outside of the occasional contest seems to focus around on amateur operated infrastructure which doesn't really interest me.

>>1708434
might as well just echolink lmao

>>1708418
There is a not too subtle difference between milli Hertz and mega Hertz, a factor of 1 billion.

What measures bandwidth in a radio? im new

>>1708463
well fuck me and my m vs M

Omelette Bro has been MIA for nearly 2 weeks, bros. People on the repeaters have not been able to reach him by phone or email.

I think the World's Greatest Reviewer of omelettes, oil changes and dry cleaners has departed This Mortal Coil, leaving us a Silent Key in the Ether that shan't be matched again in our lifetimes.

>>1708531
The Squelch coefficient

>>1708601
..-.

>>1708463
>milli Hertz and mega Hertz
No, millihertz (mHz) and megahertz (MHz), like milliohm (mΩ) and megaohm (MΩ). Hertz and Ohm are names of people, hertz and ohm are names of units.

>>1708601
>>1707992

>>1708721
>K9RSY's Halloween antics
I'm the anon who announced it and recorded him for over an hour.
Lots of rambling and antics. Not that much that was exciting - I do like how he flipped a switch and talked to other hams in a very normal and respectable manner.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/owhvo86lieowq1n/k9rsy_Halloween_2019.mp3

>>1708200
Happy weekend, anons.
I'm looking for a racheting tool(s) for crimping Powerpoles and standard ring terminals. Any recommendations? Was about to pull the trigger on the Iwiss AP-153045 and IWS-30J for $60, but thought I'd ask you experts first.

>>1708740
Thanks, that was interesting.
~ 28:30 do you want to qrz de n4sdg k

I want to listen to the radio channels on Windows. I used to have RadioSure, but I'm sure you know some good apps for PC.

I bought a Xiegu x5105 in the mail, but when I got it in the mail it was completely dead. This morning I attached the ends of the power cord it came with to a small (13.8v-2.5amp) power source but there was still nothing. What should I be doing/using? Did I get a brick?

>>1708896
Press this button for one second to turn on or off the radio.

>>1708908

...the on/off button?

>>1708272
Are all new ham radios about to look the same?

>>1708943
Watching radio on Waterfall-TV™

>>1708943
Are you trying to make a fashion statement with equipment? Need to stand out in a crowd? Gotta have that sweet attention? Put some slutty clothes on your radio to empower it.

>>1708200
Cleared my tech and Gen in one shot. Waiting for my BaoFeng :D

>>1709023
It was through Laurel BTW

>>1709031
Suck cocks

>>1709001
>Are you trying to make a fashion statement with equipment?
No.
I would however prefer some minor changes such as not too high contrast front/graphics and avoiding blue light. And even if you prefer to keep it dark, a slight illumination in the main knob would be nice, there are already 4 LEDs above it.
While touch sensitive display can be nice it the peripheral buttons invite all wear in a small region. In that case it is better to have push buttons around the periphery.
The embedded computer is supposed to be rather powerful and I hope it will be possible to make apps for it and replicate functionalities in in pic. related.

Hi senpaitachi, I'm looking for a cheap SDR transceiver primarily for the HF band. Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I should get? My goals are to have email capabilities on my sailboat, while also getting weather data from the NOAA sattelites.

>>1709032
Who hurt you?

>>1709078
mcHF

>>1709160
Icom. I bought into the IC-705 meme.

>>1709233
>Sat on Icom's lap, uncomfortably, as a child.
>Blame Icom for all faults in life now

>>1709210
Fuvk Kevin. Piece of shit only puts out 5 boards every few months. I normally wouldn't say this, but get a cheap Chinese mcHF knock off because Kevin is a faggggg.

>>1709299
Naw, it's a Japanese company. Can't even fit in a kid's bunghole and have them notice.

Why are there so few Special Events stations today? This is boring.

>>1709305
How about the clones?
https://github.com/df8oe/UHSDR/wiki/Supported-Hardware

How'd I do for $70?

>>1708832
arent powerpole connectors a meme?

>>1709412
That's alot for a jug of dawn

I'm looking to get into HF for less than 500 bucks. Should I get a shack-in-a-box type unit from a big manufacturer, or should I get a chinese qrp sdr unit + amp, filters, etc? I live in an apartment so probably the best antenna I could do is some speaker wire hanging out the window :(

>>1708352
You're gonna need an external oscillator or MEMS circuit of some kind, if the crystal really is borked. Given how simple crystals are, failures are extremely rare. You could also do some math and see if there's a series-parallel combination of new crystals you can find that'll give 4.67 mhz.
>>1708434
> VHF Simplex is dead
> I don't like repeaters
This is like being mad a horse and buggy isn't as good as a car. Simplex has a range of 5 miles or less on VHF and above, save skip conditions. Repeaters mean more people to talk with.
> HF setup would be an expensive compromise
Every antenna is a compromise, that's the laws of physics for you. Hook up a lead to your gutters, or worst case get a magnetic loop and see what you can work with it, you might be surprised.
>>1709628
You need to price the system as a whole.
> Antenna
> Accessories (Connectors, cable, PC hook up, etc.)
> Radio
> Power Supply
Apartments mean compromise antennas, either wire out the window, tuning up a nearby metal object, or a magnetic loop (the best option, but you'll probably have to build one)
>>1709514
TriCrimp for the power poles, and whatever you want for ring terminals. There is no combo tool.
Anderson Powerpoles are awesome. Completely replaced the mess of raw wire and terminals I had before, and great for other applications too.

>>1709650
>This is like being mad a horse and buggy isn't as good as a car
If I was interested in just programming a device to work with someone else's infrastructure, then I wouldn't even need an amateur radio license. The repeater situation is also a complete clusterfuck and can become very difficult to work with once you start leaving the city you live in.

>Every antenna is a compromise, that's the laws of physics for you. Hook up a lead to your gutters, or worst case get a magnetic loop and see what you can work with it, you might be surprised.
Yeah, I could use a shitty antenna with 30% efficiency indoors in a multi floor apartment building and turn 100 watts into the antenna into about 5 watts or less actually leaving the building, or I could go with a portable option with a dipole and get the same ERP at a significantly lower cost.

I'm going to take it as your answer to my question is "no".

>>1709650
>>1709628 this is me
I should have mentioned that ideally the setup is pack-and-go. I'm only in this apartment for a year after all. Almost tempted to say fuck it and get a PRC 320 manpack. There are a variety of homebrew transceivers, amps, and power supplies that could be hooked together to get something going. I guess my question is if somebody has done something like that for a grand total of less than 500.
Thx for the reply

>>1709671
> shitty antenna with 30% efficiency
You don't know what you're talking about. tuned mag loops have an intrinsic radiation efficiency of over 90%, and you're coupling to the magnetic part of the EM wave - which happens to go right through most types of shielding. They literally use them to talk through solid rock underground. They resist e field noise as well. And even if it was "shitty", which it's not- it's still better than no antenna.
> someone else's infrastructure
I mean, since you don't believe in programming baofengs except by hand either, don't cry about it being "too hard" to change frequencies. In the old days we made lists of repeaters we might hit traveling, and manually tuned the radios. If you had a radio with memories, you could do that and save some time. No internet, just a pocket repeater book with frequency lists, and memorization. I'm not here to change your mind though, you do you.
>>1709672
you have a couple of options, excluding price.
> Xiegu X5105
> Xiegu G90
> Elecraft KX3
> Icom IC-705
> Yaesu FT 817/818
> MC HF Clones; Ex Recent RS-918
The Icom comes out next year. The Xiegus are OK but can have QC problems, leaving you with the KX3, Yaesu's or MCHF. The MCHF and clones are the only option coming in under <$500, but I don't admittedly know a ton about them. MCHF sells kits, but has no idea how to manufacturer/ship for the life of him, and the few runs they do make tend to sell out quickly.

>>1709690
>Elecraft KX3
How do you get one for less than 500?

>>1709699
You don't

>>1709699
> options, excluding price.
> The MCHF and clones are the only option coming in under <$500
Reading comprehension m8

>>1709723
>Reading comprehension m8
Sure. And >>1709672 asked
>for a grand total of less than 500
Bringing up KX3 seems misplaced then. And Tentec would be more relevant.

>tuned mag loops have an intrinsic radiation efficiency of over 90%
Not in anything I've ever read about then.

>In the old days we made lists of repeaters we might hit traveling, and manually tuned the radios. If you had a radio with memories, you could do that and save some time. No internet, just a pocket repeater book with frequency lists, and memorization.
Yeah, there also wasn't the ridiculous amount of repeaters there is today for how little use they see, nor the issue of tons of inaccurate online listings. There's significantly more activity on CB channel 19 where I live than all repeaters combined, and what little repeater activity there is is divided between a few different repeaters with more than three times as many other repeaters that are never actually used getting used for you to waste time calling on since I don't think anyone else even monitors them. Things wouldn't be as bad if the community admitted that most repeaters weren't being used and took them down, along with some of the active repeaters that have almost no activity. We could go from 10 repeaters to 2 repeaters with one being designated for net use and see no negative effect.

>>1709690
>tuned mag loops have an intrinsic radiation efficiency of over 90%
Not in anything I've ever read about then.

>In the old days we made lists of repeaters we might hit traveling, and manually tuned the radios. If you had a radio with memories, you could do that and save some time. No internet, just a pocket repeater book with frequency lists, and memorization.
Yeah, there also wasn't the ridiculous amount of repeaters there is today for how little use they see, nor the issue of tons of inaccurate online listings. There's significantly more activity on CB channel 19 where I live than all repeaters combined, and what little repeater activity there is is divided between a few different repeaters with more than three times as many other repeaters that are never actually used getting used for you to waste time calling on since I don't think anyone else even monitors them. Things wouldn't be as bad if the community admitted that most repeaters weren't being used and took them down, along with some of the active repeaters that have almost no activity. We could go from 10 repeaters to 2 repeaters with one being designated for net use and see no negative effect, we could even go down to 1 as there isn't any other activity during the 15 minute 6 AM weather net or the short EMCOMM net that happens once per week anyways.

>>1709729
Ten-Tec dosen't list anything currently for under-500 beyond a CW only, QRP Transceiver on their site. For a likely first radio, that's not going to be a good experience.
>>1709752
> wasn't the ridiculous amount of repeaters there is today with inaccurate listings
It was worse in the past. No internet, and that latest guide you had might be out of date. The 90s and early 00s were a crazy time. People had packet repeaters and BBS systems all over the place, on top of standard FM. There is no official database of repeaters either, just repeater coordinator groups with no true enforcement power, that submit to directories.
> No one likes me on repeaters
I've seen this before. Assuming you're not a total sperg and locally blacklisted, some repeaters seem to be just up so a few old timers can talk to their friends. They're "Open" but beyond that hardly anyone uses them. The coffee-club-members-only problem is a real one in ham radio, but self-limiting as the worst of them pass on.
> Mag Loops
Source is "An Overview of the Underestimated Magnetic Loop HF Antenna", pic related. Even really trash backhand math gives 80%+ efficiency, better than many multi band dipoles.. Since you're coupling to the B-Field, they tend to reject high local noise and can give great performance where a normal dipole would work poorly. MFJ sells a "Box Fan Portable Loop Antenna" that while ridiculously priced, is an example of a mag loop for limited space.

I've seen hams make EH antennas. Nary a homebrew HZ antenna. I admit I'm a brainlet, but I'd love to hear from anyone else with an interest in this

>>1708601
..-.

Also, friendly reminder to those trying to learn morse to check out "lcwo" (google it). Koch method is ok. But it took me a long time to get good.

>>1708200
>>1708352
just to give you guys some closure. turns out the crystal was fine and the frequency counter was giving bad readings. the problem seemed to be with the 688khz resultant frequency that was out of sync somehow, and after hours of fiddling finally got some color

Could someone more familiar with VSWR help me out. I have my Abbreeeeee TNC antenna hooked up to my NanoVNA, and I wanted to check and see if this chart looks right, or if my calibration looks off.
The blue is with an 18" top, red is 42" both the same base unit.

>>1710026
Show us what the charts look like with the coax shorted, open, and terminated with a 50 ohm resistor.

>>1710031
here it is

>>1710032
The results aren't what I was expecting. What type of coax are you using and how long is it?
polite sage

>>1710032
The results aren't what I was expecting. What type of coax are you using and how long is it?

Could you please do the same again without any coax, shorted, open and terminated with 50 ohms.
Based on those results, we may learn something about the calibration and maybe something about your coax.

>>1709753
>It was worse in the past.
No, it wasn't, because there was actually a decent amount of activity for the number of repeaters that would exist in an area.

>No one likes me on repeaters
That's not the problem you dipshit.

>>1710048
>>1710051
sorry went to dinner with family and just got home. I'm connected straight from the antenna to the NanoVNA, no coax. I did the same when I took the results for the short, open, and load.

The one oddity I have seen is sometimes when I do the calibration process it says my antennas have something like an swr of 9+. This was even the case with the stock Yaesu VX-6R antenna.

>>1710127
not >>1710051 but I think antenna analyzers don't always work so straightforward with HT antennas because the radio and your hand form a counterpoise or something

>>1710145
I wonder if I should make a rat tail then, or just hold the unit.

>>1710145
>>1710147
I'll give both of those a try in the morning and see if it has any effect.

>>1710145
I think it does have to do with the counterpoise. I need to come up with a better solution, but you can see here the difference keeping my hand on the antenna makes.

>>1710240
>a better solution
for what?

>>1710259
A counterpoise that works with the device. Holding the antenna isn't really very accurate, and barely repeatable.

>>1710270
>barely repeatable
True, but closer to reality. If you want to test a L/4 tail you have a similar situation, it depends on how you position it. Still interesting because not all stock antennas like tails.

>>1710286
For HT antenna I mostly just wanted to know what difference the top part of Abbreeeeee antennas had with a shared base so, which is why repeatability is more of my goal on this particular use case, than real world application (if that makes sense).
Generally I'd planned to use this to tune HF antennas.

>>1710288
I think what really counts is radiated power, VSWR can come later.
https://www.hamradio.me/antennas/ht-antenna-comparisons.html

Hello, I'm 23 years old. Can I use a railroad rail as an antenna? Would I get in trouble if I transmit while a train is passing through, our would the railroad be fined by the FCC?

>>1710418
The railroad would fuck you in the ass if it caught you. Then the Feds, then the FCC.

>>1710418
>Can I use a railroad rail as an antenna?
No.

In addition to the legal problems, the rail is meant to be grounded and thus ill suited for emitting radio waves.
The ground level is however far from perfect and some systems use rail currents to detect the presence of trains. This could kill you.
And if you succeeded in making use of an enormously long conductor as an antenna compared to the wavelength of your signal, the radiation pattern would be along the length of the rail and not outwards and thus be quite useless.

>>1710449
Lightning arrester works well.

>>1710456
See?

>>1710435
Don't forget the local leo since all rails are on private property.

>>1710127
The 50 ohm vswr reading is correct.

With an open, or short I would expect a high VSWR, a reading well over 3 for sure.

There is something off with your readings.

>>1708434
Simplex on 2m is dead in a lot of places. 2m propagation is a thing though - in fact last night in my area of the US there was a lobe extending 200 miles or so S/SW. This isn't that common though, and when it does happen a Baofeng won't cut it. I'm not a Baofeng snob either, I own 6 or 7 - but they are not the tool for 2m simplex.

>>1709031
Congrats on your ticket(s). Your VEC doesn't matter. You'll get bored with 2m FM real quick. Find a HF rig.
t. ARRL VE

>>1709412
Holy shit good-buddy! With a good antenna you can hear the Super Bowl.

>>1710505
He'll get his call sign in a few days instead of over a week though. For whatever that's worth.
t. licensed through ARRL

>>1709628
Your antenna will matter more than your rig. Aside from your radio you will need an antenna tuner and an end-fed un-un. Ebay search end-fed. The guy that makes stainless units is legit (he does not ship you wire). Any other end-fed matchbox will work though, they go from very affordable to ridiculously high.

>>1710507
I'm far from knocking other VEC's - we snail mail our CSCE's and it takes about 10 days. I'm just a VE, and not a coordinator at that. I just sign off on the tests, and only do that when the locals can't gather enough VE's for a session.

>>1710517
Yeah, Laurel doesn't snail mail, they use email iirc was my point. In the time from passing my exam Laurel ran two exams in my city, and both groups got their call signs that Monday.
Not really sure why ARRL uses snail mail, given email is free, and fast.

>>1710524
I'm not sure either, hamanon. I just roll with the flow and volunteer to give back. Our local elmers are all ARRL, so that's what I did. For what it's worth, My AE came through in 5 days. My Tech/General took about 10.

>>1710541
At some point I think I'll end up getting my gen and doing VE probably for the group that licensed me (which use ARRL), but yeah just an oddity.

>>1710506
Ok I didn't mean to shit on your purchase>>1710566
If you are studying for Gen go ahead and knock out amateur extra. If you get General though you will be very happy on HF - if it ever comes alive again.

>>1710573
Mixed post responses there. CB dude - if you have a friend within 30 miles and a good antenna - have fun!

Hambro - Gen will take you through some fun times. Extra just lets you spin the dial a bit more.

>>1710435
>>1710449
But the FCC and ARRL have by back, right? I'm 23 and a new Technician. The Engineer doesn't have a license and is interfering with FCC licensed communication

>>1710589
It's a shitty antenna model. It's worse than people who tune up their house gutters, or those who use a slinky or a screen door.

>>1710589
Try to tune your gutters. Try to tune your cable TV line. It doesn't work that way. Your goal is to dump as much power as you can, out on a wire, without that power coming back in. A lot of noobs will be ruining finals.

>>1710621
Better still - buy an expensive HF unit. Send out your call at 100w and ignore the SWR light.

Buy a new radio next week.

>>1710592
>>1710621
Anons, I'm just trolling that I'm 23 and <insert some dumb idea> because some moronic kid thought it was relevant to say that he was 23 a thread or two ago.
>I have a new tech license
>Therefore I can transmit on whatever metal I come across
>The FCC and ARRL will protect my ass
>Durp durp durp prove me wrong
Christ, go reverse your IC-705s, you fucking retards.

i need help with programming software for my whistler ws1040 scanner, im not looking to spend like 30 bucks on software and thats the cheapest i was able to find for it, i can program it on the device but i would like to try out programming through my pc but i cant find any free software or torrents, does anyone here know of any free software that i could use

Train tracks? If you guys would please take some time to read a bit about the EH and HZ antennas, I'd appreciate it. I see great potentials in these systems, and I hope others will find this fertile ground for innovation. If you would take the time to read the last paragraph of the image in my last post, I hope the largest change of antenna theory in 120 years will spark an interest.
http://archive.is/LHFsh
http://ehant.qrz.ru/book.pdf

>>1710629
That reminds me of seeing some chick requesting like 9 vanity call signs that were all wildly out of the requirements. Like she heard what they were, but didn't bother spending a few seconds reading the structure of them before typing in 9 variations of her name.

>>1710629
PLEASE go tune your gutters or a screen door with your new radio. PLEASE do this! Then bitch about how you have roasted your finals and ruined your HF transmitter. A dumbass ham will not be a ham for long, he can't afford it.

SLASH DELTA INDIA YANKEE SLASH

PREPARE TO RECEIVE RADIOGRAM

ONE, PRIORITY, ALPHA NOVEMBER OSCAR NOVEMBER, TWO, INTERNETS, ZERO ZERO ZERO TWO, TWO ZERO ONE NINER NOVEMBER SIX

BREAK FOR ADDRESS

ALPHA NOVEMBER OSCAR NOVEMBER SIERRA
MIXED GROUP FOUR CHARLIE HOTEL ALPHA NOVEMBER

BREAK FOR BODY

DICKBUTT

DICKBUTT I SPELL DELTA INDIA CHARLIE KILO BRAVO UNIFORM TANGO TANGO DICKBUTT

XRAY

BREAK FOR SIGNATURE

ALPHA NOVEMBER OSCAR NOVEMBER
MIXED GROUP FOUR CHARLIE HOTEL ALPHA NOVEMBER

END OF MESSAGE

>>1710674
My gutters work pretty well on 40-10, actually. Screen doors can give fun results on 2M and up. The whole point of a tuner is so you don't blow up anything, tatertot. You still can have EMI/RFI issues, though.
>>1710636
real world testing says they're rather inefficient radiators, with a large amount of the antenna being the feedline. The author disputes this (muh feedline choke). It's unclear what kind of polarization this antenna has as well, and would be interesting to experiment with.
>>1710418
legal issues aside, train tracks are literally grounded, and you'd be transmitting into the dirt. It's not worth the hassle.
>>1710116
You shouldn't see anything that crazy with an abbree, even a fake one will show dips IIRC. Did you calibrate the unit in software before measuring? I'm actually working on my own software for the NanoVNA, but VNASaver is pretty OK.

>>1710674
I talked to Antarctica with my gutter antenna. PLEASE, you don't know shit.

>>1710839
The problem isn't your gutter - it's how they are connected (downspouts, other gutter) - you can go from matched and tuned to a SWR nightmare in no time due to oxidation, a loose pop-rivet, water, whatever. This is fine for listening. I use my gutters for my SDR recieve dongle almost daily. I wouldn't xmit that way though. You be you with your expensive HF equipment though.

>>1710886
Thanks, but my IC-770 and I are fine. I am, after all, twenty three years of age.

>>1710633
There is none, you need to buy it. It's worth it.

>>1710808
>what kind of polarization
Vertical probably, but that only matters for ground wave connections. There's a lot of literature about the CFA/EH antenna. What I'm missing is an instruction about how to build a pure Hz antenna.

>>1710986
What the hell is an eh antenna and where to I read more about them? Is it some kind of active antenna?

>>1710996
It started here >>1709754 and here >>1710636 are two links. Suggest the book.pdf. If you're into physics you may want to study the writings of Vladimir.I.Korobejnikov. Image is from Ted Hart's patent application.

>>1710886
The people who use gutters long-term recommend bonding the sections with conductive material, and having a non-conductive section in downspouts. Some people set up co phased gutters much like CB antennas, to get some measure of directivity.
>>1710986
wish you would have linked that eh-hz antenna pdf, original site is down.
> archive.org/web/20141023055045/http://www.unconv-association.org/sites/unconventional/files/publications/EH_HZ.pdf
The HZ, it looks like it's an antenna with a primarily magnetic component, but not quite? patent US20070013595A1 lays it out. The EH-Hz antennas are strange things though, I'm tempted to build an EH antenna in the future and see for myself.

>>1711016
>patent US20070013595A1
Thanks. I think I'll have to read that more than once.

>>1708380
i'm 19 and and my club is exclusively men over the age of 60.

>>1708200
alright guys, i've bit. Cleared my tech/general/extra in the same exam session, and don't have a radio. What do I do now bros?

>>1711289
I'm really interested in amsat and long range contests specifically

Any anons into amateur radio astronomy?

>>1711289
Plan your antenna, and buy a HF rig. Bands are in suck mode right now, but 2m will get you local yokels. With the bands the way they are, concentrate on 20/40/80m if you wish to talk ssb.

>>1710505
>>1710524
This is correct. I took the test on Saturday and my call posted on Monday

>>1710505
Yeah it's become kinda boring. I'm trying to get HF but it's too expensive :(
I've spoken to some nice people over 2m for the past 2 days but all of the them are very old

>>1711338
man I wish 2m simplex was bigger... going to take a long car ride soon and I hope I can talk to some trucker or somethign

>>1708379
If you're going to do digital audio, look into SDRAngel. The digital plugins need to be compiled, but the guide works and it does the best job of of everything I've used.

>>1711016
>original site is down
eh-antenna.com no longer exists
Theory of the EH and HZ Antennas
ftp://borg.moe/pub/EH_HZ.pdf

>>1708200
I tried posting this on /ohm/ but got little info until a hambro responded and pointed me here. I like to listen to 650AM, a 50kW broadcast clear channel out of Nashville. I live in South Carolina. I can receive the station (kind of) at night (bc skywave propagation, I imagine) but during the day not at all. I have an old solid state console stereo tuner and my radio in my early 90s nissan truck. I am an electronics technician by trade but have little experience in radio, although it is fascinating from outside.

Will rigging up an antenna allow me to receive this station well during the day or is groundwave propagation too weak and a new antenna a pointless gesture? I am probably 400-500 miles away from Nashville. If so, what kind? Thank you.

>>1711292
Go on.

>>1711522
Try a random amount of wire from a tree or high spot down to your radio.
If it improves your reception, then you know that you can benefit from a better antenna system.

>>1711522
During daytime hours when ionospheric reflection does not occur to any great degree, AM signals travel principally by conduction over the surface of the earth. This is known as "groundwave" propagation. Useful daytime AM service is generally limited to a radius of no more than about 100 miles (162 km), even for the most powerful stations.

However, during nighttime hours the AM signals can travel over hundreds of miles by reflection from the ionosphere, a phenomenon called "skywave" propagation.

>>1711468
Thank you.

Does anyone run a Windom style Offset antenna?
I have a 30' tall mast that's +/- 40' from one property line and 100' from the other, so something offset would be a better solution for 80m than my 40 meter dipole, and I like the idea of something that can be used for 80m-10m.

>>1711618
You'll have a high take off angle on 80m and 40m but that can be great from 20m to 10m

Anyway, the best antenna is the one you can install in your property

>>1711621
I see - I do only have the dedicated 40m dipole right now.
I'd like to maximize my options for DX on the lower bands given winter is coming and the sun cycle. I also like the idea of multiple bands, single antenna.
Should abandon the Windom for something like a fan dipole, G5RV, or perhaps figure out a way to fit a dedicated 80M dipole on the property?
Rough sketch of the backyard. 2 sheds, a tree, and a 30' piece of galvanized plumbing pipe in the air lol

>>1711627
Maybe you should consider a multi-band vertical.

>>1711648
Worth exploring as well - I had some MFJ whips antennas that were pretty successful.
Only headache will be the tree since it's 40' away and the mast tilts towards it, or the property line and shed with radials on the ground.

>>1711612
The image at >>1710986 is from EH_ANTENNA_FOR_HAMS.pdf which contains instructions on how to diy the EH antenna. I you want it, let me know. Voodoo physics is always interesting.

>>1708200
are there any female hams? I've literally never heard or seen one

>>1711726
dmr must have some lgbt talk group

>>1711726
There's a few in the Portland area. I also heard someone talking to their daughter over one of our local UHF repeaters.

>>1711726
When I took my tech, there was a 7/10, or 10/10 in ham terms who was there for some sort of college credit.

>>1711726
I've talked with some grandma's

>>1711289
If you have the money, buy HF. Otherwise BaoFeng and stick with 2m or 70cm repeaters. Depends on your area

I once used my GF to talk for me during a contest.
A female voice at a hundred watts works better than a kilowatt. Go figure.

Out of the twenty hams I know, two are female.

>>1711726

http://morsecode.me/?room=1

Talk live morse code with you favorite /diy/ers.

>>1711562
http://www.radio-astronomy.org/node/248\

Some radio telescopes are cheap assembly units that are great for beginners. Some amateurs have been known to repurpose old satellite dishes for use in radio astronomy.
The most well known frequency in radio astronomy is the so-called "Hydrogen Line" at 1420.4 MHz, which is the frequency at which hydrogen naturally emits radio waves. There are agreements around the world to not broadcast at this frequency as the Hydrogen Line is thought to be the most likely frequency at which an extraterrestrial civilization would attempt first contact. The famed Wow! Signal was intercepted at 1420.4 MHz by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University, and remains the strongest radio candidate for artificial extraterrestrial origin.

>>1711794
I live in central florida. I'm really fascinated by amsat communication, will the baofeng work for it?

>>1711874
Barely. I have had a QSL with the ISS using a Bao and a purpose built Yagi, but it was brief. Spend the money on an IC-2730a ($200 which is great for a 50 watt radio)) and get the data cable for it. Much better RX and TX and you can decode weather sats as well.

>>1711575
So there is basically no way to receive the station over the air during the day? Shucks.

>>1711564
I'll have to do some schematic studying to find the existing AM antenna, I reckon. Thanks for the suggestion.

>>1711793
Back in the day, many merchant navy telegraphists were women, some were also hams. I guess all are over 60. Similarly many military telegraphists were women.

>>1711821
also, morse code can be sent over mumble with a little ingenuity

>>1711821
I'm there now.

>>1712135

>>1711648
What are your, and others, thoughts on the Hustler 6 band verticals?

There's young kids in this chat ;_;. Scarred for life.

>>1712135
>>1712142
>>1712170
Post your LARP escapades somewhere else.

>>1712172
Compared to the rest of the nonsense that gets posted, this is tame.

I'm in an amateur radio thread, on /diy/ posting about morse code chats in a shill effort to get more interested in the hobby and /diy/ radio.

Nah, I'm good. :)

>>1711286
This is me.
This hobby can be suffering.

>>1712175
>'nigger' screencap from a chat room.
>shill effort to get more interested in the hobby
Please, you're overrun the airwaves, retard.

>>1712180
I'll take, what is the FCC for 2500$ Alex.

You have to make the kids feel cool and edgy.

Want to get a kid in to amateur radio? start them with pirate radio.

Want to get redditors on morse code? Say n*****.

Polite sage.

>>1712185
>reddit space to fit in

Lads, I need some help with my SDR decoding digital.
>pic related
Can still hear the scrambled transmissions from my local repeater, for some reason it's not decoding it.

>>1712230
Are you using Virtual Cable?

>>1712327
Yes, followed this guide
>https://youtu.be/Je2WUfYY0xI

>>1712333
You set something up wrong, because mine works, and I get no sound until the messages are decoded.Have you tried the SDR# community package with all of the extras built in? That's what I use and it works pretty well. Also, I think you want to fatten up that bandwidth to about 12,000.

>>1712350
No I haven't, I'll install that and report back

>>1712350
I should have pointed out that you can have both versions of SDR# installed, it wont cause an issue.

>>1712354
good to know, I'm honestly occupied with this thread. Redpilling anons on ham and getting more people into the hobby

Feel free to join >>>/pol/232556720

>>1712354
Wow, it's working. No virtual audio cable required, no nothing.
So simple.
Thanks anon

If I get one of those Baofeng transceivers can I listen to CB as well?

>>1712386
No problem. I like helping, when I can.

>>1712436
No. CB is 11m AM. Baofengs are mainly FM, 2m and 70cm bands (and broadcast FM as well). The Baofeng will get all your local Weather broadcasts though, worth the 20 bucks just for that. Oh, and they have a LED flashlight.

What a way to start my weekend
>Moved my 40M dipole into an inverted v configuration in an attempt to hear further out stations instead of local nets
Now I can't hear a single thing
>Drilled out a hole in the back of the riser that my transmitter sits on
Had to glue a 5" piece that flew off and I kicked over a trash can full of metal shavings
>Swapped out the electrical connections to powerpoles in my car for my CB and 2M and redid the pl259 connections
Now my 2M doesn't have scan functions and I wonder if the CB receives.
>Got up at 4am and tried to listen to anything
Best I got was Brazil and by the time I tuned up, everything was gone again.

>>1712562
Don't get discouraged anon.

Do you have a dedicated room as a shack ?

>>1712576
Thanks, I don't have a dedicated room, just a desk in the corner of a basement.
I've only been interested in the hobby since April. I have my General and have found the hobby to be an exercise in patience and knowledge.
After I posted that, I started checking wires and found a jumper from the antenna turner to the antenna was bad.
There are 9 Special Events today - I'm hoping to make my first ever connection (tried last week but my transmitter was off frequency and I think it's adjusted)
Just a bit disappointing since I could hear so many European stations on 20M from my car this summer, and now that I have a 40M dipole hung, I mainly hear local stuff.
I'm also >>1711627 whose contemplating swapping it out for a Hustler 6btv
Oh well. Seemed like I couldn't do anything right yesterday. Hopefully today will be the opposite!

>>1712592
How do you run your cables inside ? Through a wall ?

>>1712594
LMR400 through conduit to 2 bulkheads in the wall.
2 coax go 80' across the yard to the 30' mast. One has the 40M dipole, the other currently has a Tram discone.
The third coax just stays at the LB on the house. I can use that to attach my whip antennas or experiment (need a switch to tie it into the bulkheads).
It's a work in progress.

>>1712601

Chicken scratch of today's events in Eastern time -

>>1712592
>swapping it out for a Hustler 6btv
https://www.qsl.net/ek6do/hustler_6btv.htm

>>1712668
Thanks, that was a good read. I do live in a temperate climate (flyover USA).
For $230+/-, it'd be relatively inexpensive.
For radials, I thought it'd be fun to experiment with the shed's metal roof or the fence

bump

>>1711830
>http://www.radio-astronomy.org/node/248\
Worth adding to the FAQ?

>>1712562
This is all part of the fun anon, lol. It's a frustrating mess until it works, and when it does it's super gratifying. Try a factory reset on the mobile rig that won't scan, changing power connectors wouldn't affect anything else; unless the rig has other problems.
> 40 dipole
Are you picking up any FT8 / WSPR station DX? 40/80 have tons of activity during the evening. Checked grounding, antenna swr, etc?
I got my first HF rig in 2015. I threw a sloped V antenna made from old telephone wire out the window, and worked France on SSB with 40W. Radio will always be magic to me.

Any decent wire antenna designs I can use for an apartment complex?
I can dangle it from the 15th floor out of my windows, if that matters.

>>1712983
forgot to mention, this is for 20-40 meters

>>1712899
If you like, astronomy-inclined anons might find some use in it

>>1712983
The dipole antenna for the 20 meter band is 32.73 feet.

After 60% length you can zig-zag it around without much change.

You may have to make it shorter or longer.

A magnetic loop may work well for you.

>>1708200
hey guys I just had an idea on the /pol/ HAM thread but it go archived before I could post it.

What do you guys think about setting up visible light 'HAM' communication channels? We could simply use IR or UV-C lasers to communicate to our perpetual repeaters chilling in the ionosphere and fed by electrical induction to swirl in specific coordinates. It's possible. I like the idea of visible light communication because it can't be regulated by the FCC or any other gobermental entity. Let me know what you think. Look up Li-Fi or Light Fidelity if you don't know about it already.

>>1708943
It's just like the phones, large screens result in similar design

>>1713018
already exists
http://www.modulatedlight.org/Modulated_Light_DX/OpticalComms4Amateur79.html

>perpetual repeaters chilling in the ionosphere and fed by electrical induction to swirl in specific coordinates
what?

>>1713018
>communicate to our perpetual repeaters chilling in the ionosphere
I don't get it. Also how expensive are the IR devices capable of reaching the ionosphere?

>>1713024
It was just a kind of far out idea I had. I'm not trolling, I just like to think outside the box. Imagine large drones that use electrical induction to stay in certain latitudes, longitudes, and elevations, like the F2 layer. Maybe we could get the government to pay for it, as a backup to their backup that is HAM. All you would need to invest in is the laser array to communicate. IR wouldn't hurt anything. It could revolutionize the internet

>>1713033
How about instead of drones, you use weather balloons?
Much cheaper and time tested.
I saw some videos of baofeng repeaters being launched with weather balloons and used to extend the range to a 100 miles, just out of 5 watts

>>1713033
Well I guess my point was that these ham boomers have tons of time and their kids college funds on their hands, so they've tried stuff like this before. As far as the drones thing, hate to burst your bubble but the ionosphere is basically space. At that point, just use satellites to communicate, which of course we already do. Amateur radio enthusiasts have launched satellites with vhf/uhf repeaters on them too. Also, atmospheric absorption (+ refraction from pockets of hot air) of IR and visible wavelengths is pretty significant.

I think something like ad hoc wifi networks with parabolic dishes might serve your purpose well.

>>1713036
balloons might work. good idea. it wouldn't be hard to add photoelectric cells and even induce electricity from the ionosphere itself. They can't suppress that idea forever. Plus it wouldn't interfere with their satellites at all as that's all radio shit. The purpose of using the F2 layer is obvious, but simply put it's not being used at the moment and minimizes atmospheric refraction of light.

>>1713039
They can screech about it interfering with airplanes, if in 1 in a billion chance it hits a plane

>>1713039
Also, weather balloons eventually pop or deflate. So keep that in mind

>>1713038
the F2 drones could repeat both HAM and visible light. Why just stick with one medium when you can have it all? And the visible or IR bands could be the free speech enthusiast bands, anarchy alongside your oldschool freedom hating HAM fox hunters. If it's been done before it can be done again. Except this time with even MORE free speech.

>>1713040
>They can screech about it interfering with airplanes

Then we could just use ELF or HF to relay from the F2 repeaters to more purely visible lower atmosphere drones or even better, visible light repeaters on cell towers. Then you would just need to build a tower in your backyard. It would require loicences that way, so everyone could be happy. Actually, if we piggy backed IR lasers on cell towers we wouldn't even need the F2 repeaters.

>>1713048
Or you could just use some kind of drone to achieve the height necessary to communicate using IR with the cell towers. With current battery technology and photovoltaic cells, you might be able to achieve perpetual 200ft elevations for just a few hundred dollar investment. or towers. This would benefit those of us who hate comcast or many other ISPs.

>>1713048
>>1713044
Seriously, take a look at that modulatedlight website. Here is a writeup of "Operation Red Line", where a bunch of engineers created a laser radio system.
http://www.modulatedlight.org/eos/Operation_Red_Line.html
It's some very impressive stuff, especially since it happened all the way back in 1963. But this site should help to understand some of the difficulties of using light to communicate in the way you describe.

>>1713052
Thank you sir. I will look into that. Thank you very much.

>>1713052
I am very interested in li-fi, so that's why I'm thinking about visible light communications. The bandwidth is 10k times greater than RF, so its inevitable that we utilize the bandwidth

>>1713030
>how expensive are the IR devices capable of reaching the ionosphere?

This is /diy/. One could simply construct their own, if they were so inclined.

>>1713052
>http://www.modulatedlight.org/eos/Operation_Red_Line.html

This is why /diy/ is the best board on 4chins

>>1712928
Thanks for the advice, I'll give the reset a try.
I've yet to dabble in FT8/WSPR/RTTY, and most nights I've got other obligations(kids) or call it a night early. I do have the chance to play in the morning (4-5am), but without much luck.
I distinctly remember setting up a 20M mobile whip in the middle of the day one day in April this year and hearing Germany and India, so not getting that with a dedicated 40M antenna has been a bit of a bummer.
It's assuring to hear you can dx on a phone wire V antenna. I'll start sniffing out grounding and other issues. With a tuner, I have a 1:1 SWR.

>>1713174
euro here, I do all my modest DX on 20m. on 80m I only have local traffic and neighbor countries on 40m.

Antenna is a 16m long wire with 9:1 unun, SWR below 2

>>1713176
Thanks, Euro-anon. I sold my mobile HF rig, but can recreate my setup with an SDR and laptop. I currently have that 20M whip on the side of the house and am not getting anything - perhaps the car had something to do with the antenna.
I also have a 20M dipole that I made hanging up which I need to tweak as it was only on par with my 40M dipole and for some reason wouldn't allow me to transmit!

>>1713191
>perhaps the car had something to do with the antenna.
Cars provide a great ground plane, that's why mag-whips aren't utter dogshit when they're attached.

>>1713018
>>1713033
>I take drugs and think I'm a genius: The post

>>1713241
I take drugs but don't think I'm a genius, really. I like thinking outside the box, and since I'm learning about a lot of new tech shit, I have an outsider perspective which is maybe more fresh than more embedded people have. What is wrong with using visible light to wirelessly transmit data? What's wrong with trying to get away from the current internet? Do you even remember the way the internet was in the 90's? I do. It was cool. Now it's not. I hate regulations and rules. I hate how pozzed RF is and how easily it's manipulated remotely. I want more security and more freedom. Visible light communications (VLC) offers a cogent solution to many problems.

>>1713262
>Thinks line-of-sight point to point links are revolutionary

>>1713263
Ok, so I was high. So what. And it would be revolutionary, for those that live in the middle of nowhere where only HueHueNet reaches them. Imagine the cost of the installation of F2 layer repeaters and an IR laser array as opposed to laying thousands of miles of cable.

>>1713264
http://ronja.twibright.com/
http://www.koruza.net/

It's not new, it's not revolutionary, it's not practical for most applications. Take your meds manic Mike.

>>1712986
Done.

Preview 9 of the Radio FAQ is now up at
ftp://50.31.112.231/pub/radio_FAQ_Preview9.htm

>>1713018
As mentioned elsewhere this is not new but it does work well and provides plenty of bandwidth. IR works best and UV is absorbed and scattered in the atmosphere. LED works better than laser.

>>1713292
>review9.htm
change log?

>>1713294
I don't think that I'm reinventing the wheel. I just want to escape regulations. I am literally only interested in a higher state of freedom.

>>1713317
Sorry, I never add one but you can diff the last preview to see.
I added a link to the radio astronomy site (>>1711830 ) plus the Live Morse site (>>1711821) and one comma.

>>1713264
>Plane flies by
>link drops
>5 minutes, of re-negotiation, later back to youtube
>rains/snows
>fucked

>>1713318
>I just want to escape regulations.
>I want to scream about minorities and the government, or trade "data" without consequence

>>1711821
I have serious problems in keying this site, seems latency varies enormously. Any suggestions? The concept is fun, though.

>>1708200
Extreme Retard here: where to find a good guide on building a radio?

Did you guys see my reddit post? It got tons of updoots

>>1713425

Was it the one bitching about rightwingers taking over the hobby you just discovered?

>>1709650
>>1710449

>>1713052
I've done this on a much smaller scale using an audio modulated laser pointer as the transmitter and both photosensitive transistors and solar cells as receivers. It did work to an extent, though I probably should have used an amplifier on the receiving end. Aiming the beam and hitting the target (on a single transistor receiver is) is a real test of patience, even over a relatively short distance. I still have the devices, and I'll post a pic tomorrow. They're really nothing special, the most exotic parts are the transistor and the audio transformer.

>>1713339
The air itself, distorts the light beam pretty quickly, especially if there are warm and cold air masses mixing. I can sometimes even see distortions in the air through my telescope at night.

>>1713569
That's impressive, and it sounds like it was a lot of fun (makes me miss my old electronics lab). I wonder what the current research on light based communications is.

>>1713018
Visible light communication channels?

Sure, you could do that. People have done laser bounce off of microwave tower drums.

IR or not, It would probably be best to pick a light source that doesn't match with light absorption in the atmosphere and is cheap.

Repeaters chilling in the ionosphere.
We call those satellites and they are a lot higher than the ionosphere.

The ionosphere is in layers 70, 100, and 250km.

Satellites are 600-35,000Km.

I'm sure this somehow ties in to privacy. Remember, the united states has satellites to capture RF point to point links, and there already exist satellites military and commercial with the ability to detect various types of light.

Can't be regulated? Just like how RF is regulated, light will also be regulated. The framework is already in place. If you are thinking of freedom of speech, they would just ban it as "light pollution" or "safety for aircraft".

>>1713033

Ah, an interesting idea. RF power transfer would be too inefficient.
Power transfer with lasers was looked at by the military. Don't know if it's feasible for the the hobby budget.


TL;DR
Crossband repeaters on balloons, airplanes and drones can work.
That's probably not the way to go....

>>1713571
If you have a really small laser or light beam that is a significant problem.
It's called scintillation.
If you diverge the light really large first, like 1meter across.
Then on the other side the effects of scintillation are mitigated as well as the dispersion of the beam is less.

Turns out that lasers aren't always the best way to go (Engineers like them).
Non-coherent light sources will penetrate those distortions you see! You will find, that except for extremely accurate laser links, LED's and non-coherent light sources make the best links.

>Have my ICOM scanning all local repeaters
>2300 rolls around
>THIS. IS. THE. KD8XXX. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KE8XXX. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KD8XXY. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KE8XXY. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KD8XXZ. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KE8XXZ. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KD8XXA. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KE8XXA. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KD8XXB. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KE8XXB. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KD8XXC. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>THIS. IS. THE. KE8XXC. REPEATER.
>Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP BEEP
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH DAH
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH BEEP
>Scan resumes
>THE. TIME. IS. ELEVEN O'CLOCK
>Scan resumes
>THE. TIME. IS. ELEVEN O'CLOCK PM
>Scan resumes
>THE. TIME. IS. TWENTY. THREE HOURS
>Scan resumes
>(FEMALE VOICE) THE. TIME. IS. ELEVEN O'CLOCK
>Scan resumes
>(FEMALE VOICE) THE. TIME. IS. TWENTY. THREE. HUNDRED
>Scan resumes
>THE. TIME. IS. TEN O'CLOCK. PM.
>Scan resumes
>(FEMALE VOICE) THE. TIME. IS. NINE. THIRTY-SEVEN. PM
>Scan resumes
>(FEMALE VOICE) THE. TIME. IS. (MALE VOICE) CLOCK. NOT. SET.
>Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP BEEP
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH DAH
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH BEEP
>Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP BEEP
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH DAH
Scan resumes
>BEEEP-DAH BEEP BEEP DAH BEEP
Scan resumes
>"Last station calling? WD8XXX monitoring."

>>1713618
Did you talk to them?

>>1713419
The FAQ has links to all you ask for.

>>1713419
Crystal Sets to Sideband
It's a free book. Takes you from zero to hero.

Could I use a balun for ground radials?

>>1713174
>With a tuner, I have a 1:1 SWR.
What do you have with the tuner off? An ATU only matches your radio's impedance, it won't improve your antenna at all.
>>1713191
Whip antennas usually need a ground plane of some kind. Any conductive surface can work. Either radials, or something large and metal like a car. Sounds like you need radials, anon; but hard to say without more info.
>>1713746
No, this won't make up for a lack of radials.

>>1713797
I actually posted all three you replied to - thank you for your time and care.
I don't have an antenna analyzer, but only now realized it might be possible to get a glimpse of my antenna by reading the SWR with the tuner in 'bypass' mode.
Radials - I've spent the better part of this morning reading up on them. I appreciate their significance and that most commercial towers use them in the US (though the FCC is rolling back their requirements) and how a ham should set it up, but haven't fully understood the concept of why it's needed.
I do see my car was acting like a great radial, though, and I did come across a video this morning of someone on a deck with a few wire radials talking to Germany, which I'm going to experiment with when I can get home and set it up.
If it were only a matter of 'grounding', I would have thought a step down transformer (balun?) would help balance the antenna.
I'm ok with covering my backyard with radials - I'm contemplating experimenting with vertical wires or getting a Hustler 6BTV.
For context, I do have a 30' mast with a 40M dipole. All I hear are stateside NETs and rag chewing, but I'm much more interested in DX. Perhaps I'll lay down radials and make a 20M vertical wire, then if I'm not happy, move to the Hustler

I have had a ts480 posted on the net for sale in ireland for 6 months, no bids. what the fuck is going on? I can't put it on ebay as paypal is being retarded.

>>1713893
No problem m8, that's literally what this place is for. Radials are all about giving your antenna an RF ground, and "encourage" your signal to be radiated as RF instead of being absorbed as heat. Is your station grounded as well, Ex. do you have an RF ground for your transmitter?
With the tuner off, turn your radio down to very low power (5W) and try to transmit. If you have a modern HF radio of any kind it'll tell you in some way if you have an SWR mismatch. Even better is an SWR meter, or if you can get a cheap analyzer like the NanoVNA.
> Easier test.
Tune up your radio like normal. Go to sdr.hu and find something close by. Key up your 20M antenna and see if you can hear yourself. It's entirely possible your antenna is fine, but band conditions are just mediocre.

>>1710026
You either got a super wideband antenna or something is very wrong with your calibration or whatever.

So I got gave some repeaters. Anyone got any good ideas what I should do with them? Start my own repeater? Give it to a local ham club? Run a pirate radio station?

>>1714314

>>1714314
maybe keep one or two for your own repeater, and donate the other two?

>>1714065
I bet you were too greedy and was selling for lots and lots of $$$. Ain't gonna happen

>>1714387
This. Retired boomers buy new or warrantied refurbs. The rest of us buy shit like the uBITX and DIY. The general used market is just people looking for cheap deals.

>>1714065
If you have a club, try to sell it for a couple of euros below the market price to the members ?

>>1714065
Could see what price Radioworld will give you as a last resort.

>>1714388
>The rest of us buy shit like the uBITX and DIY.

I guess the new SDR radios like IC-7300 for under $1000 make old gear obsolete. Waterfall display, DSP's with variable BW filters, blah-blah-blah.

>>1714400
Yeah, pretty much. I just can't picture someone someone spending 500-600 on a used Kenwood TS480 when you can get a brand new Alinco DX-SR9 with fancy SDR features and a years warranty for the same price.

>>1714408
Definitely. I did check local market few weeks ago. People are charging insane money for the used rigs. It's fucking hilarious. C'mon, get real.

>>1714400
If you look at 3rd order dynamic range and other ARRL stats, the IC-7300 comes within 10% of radios costing 6-10x the price. Possibly the best "entry level" rig in decades. I don't know why Icom still sells the 718.
>>1714435
The boomer hams always though ham gear was an "investment", but didn't realize now it's like PC hardware. No way a TS-480 is worth $600 in today money. I like playing with older gear, but the modern digital modes and other nice things like DSP filtering make the old gear a hard sell.

>>1714393
I'll look into them thanks. I had hoped a freebander would be interested because they're not damaged by going out of band and aren't locked out by dsp chips.

>>1714400
Not him but I am a young beginner and I like 80s-90s stuff. All functions accessible directly via switches and pots, that's my thing, like on FT-900 or FT-450.

>>1714114
I appreciate it.
I do have all my gear connected to a busbar and RF grounded to the incoming copper waterline.
I also have an MFJ-941 tuner which has an SWR meter, I'll see what I'm working with when I have the chance. I do think I have an SWR meter on the shelf I can use as well.
I have monitored a local (60 miles away) online station and I was capable of picking up more stations than they were on 40 meters - my frustration is that they're all local/stateside NETs and rag chewing. Some of that may be on my end with a dipole running east to west instead of something vertical (takeoff angle) and being on 40M instead of 20.
I was able to make a 418 mile contact this weekend with my 40M dipole in bad conditions around noon, but am much more interested in 4,000 mile contacts :)
I do have a 20M dipole I made which I'm going to hang vertically just for the fun of it and see what happens. I'm also kicking around getting a $30 radial plate from eBay and pouring a little concrete pad in front of my mast for a vertical wire connection, or in anticipation for a vertical pole (pic related).
I also did read up on soil conditions and radials - I have fertile soil and on the FCC Ground Conductivity map it was rated an 8, so I think I have good soil for radials and a worthwhile experiment.

>>1714464
Hah I was actually gonna say that but baleted it from my post. Most used rig sales I've encountered are 80s Yaesu or Kenwood or early 90s Icom like the R71. I nearly bought an R-5000 for ~200 recently but bought a transverter for QO-100 instead.

>>1714457
DDC/DUC radios are kind of much simpler than conventional ones, no narrow band filters no VFO's just a bunch of band pass filters, ADC, DAC and a PA. And that's it. Easy to manufacture (less parts and no alignment is needed).

Prices for FPGA's are going down as well as prices for ADC's/DAC's. We should expect few comparable SDR radios but cheaper in no time. Well I hope so. Don't have money at hand for the 7300.

>>1714464
Well I used to be like that until I played with SDR receivers. Autonotch, variable BW filters, waterfall display, all that jazz. It's so convenient and so addictive, you can literally see what's going on on air in real time and tune with a mere click anywhere. I can't fathom getting anything but SDR these days. My dream is the IC7300 or anything along these lines (like FT991 or whatever). I'm browsing local classifieds and looking for a used rig. So far no luck.

>>1714489
I have a raspberry pi for SDR with a hackrf and a sdrplay but I enjoy to be "blind" and only hear what is going on
the raspberry pi is also useful for digital modes with fldigi and flrig

>>1714489
I'm waiting to save up, but until then I'm rocking an FT-101 and RDL-SDR on a switch.
>Listen on the PC
>Want to join in? Warm up the finals and flip the switch
It's getting the job done for $220.

>>1714465
Sounds like you have a handle on things anon, keep us updated. Again, connect your audio to a PC and see what you pick up on digital modes, notably FT-8 and wspr. I think you said you had a 7300, it's literally one cable and not complicated in the least.
> 40m DX
Your station sounds like it works. What time of day are you looking for DX? 40 Meter DX has a heavy grey-line component, and you should hear the band open up around sunrise and sunset each day. Otherwise "local" Stateside only NVIS in a 400-800 mile ring from your station is normal.
>>1714483
I specialized in FPGA dev in college. I can extol the virtues of SDR all day long :D. Baofeng tier cheap isn't going to happen ever, but solid radios like the 7300 and (probably) the 705 to come will really be popular in the coming years. Save up the coin anon, it's worth it.
>>1714493
> I enjoy to be "blind" and only hear what is going on
You're free to drive a Model T, but don't for a second think it's comparable to a modern car. Waterfall displays mean more time operating and less time turning a knob around a dead band. That's why they're popular. Rpi based solutions seem to exist for everything now, but tend to be a bit convoluted to setup.

>>1714508
>turning a knob around a dead band
bu-but I like that white noise, it's like taking a walk and discovering some pretty things after a turn.

>>1714514
lol, you're far from being shamed anon. It's what people did on radio for 80+ years. Like all hobbies, you do you.

>>1714400
i love my 7300....but i always find myself wanting to use a rig with more buttons and knobs

>>1714798
Are you going to sell it and get sometihng like IC-7610 then? It got twice as many knobs and buttons ;)

>>1714872
haha, no. i am so happy with it. i bet theyll have a deal on it near xmas or black friday, around when i got mine last year

7610 is too pricey for me.....(so far....)

I got a pack of baofeng handhelds for my guards did I dun goofed?

>>1714886
May I wonder how much did you pay for it back then? It sells for $999 (well it goes for $1099 you get $100 rebate).

>>1714508
>Baofeng tier cheap isn't going to happen ever
Chinks have Zynq 020 boards for under $100, 100W PA are on sale for like $50. ADC/DAC boards are well under $100. Add a bunch of low pass filters, a decent clock source and you a good to go. I bet chinese could source the whole BOM for well under $200. Including a display.

>>1714508
The time I listen is usually either 4am-7am and 7pm-9pm, or noon-2pm on the weekends. I tried learning RTTY this weekend with CubicSDR and FlDigi, but didn't have much luck finding a signal.
>Don't you have an IC-7300
You've got a good memory. I was about to pull the trigger - even wrote a program to monitor all the prices - but decided to hold off. I'm going to 'pay my dues' and learn with the FT-101. If I can make contacts, moving up to something like the IC-7300 will only make things more fun and enjoyable. Plus, if I screw up and cause damage, it's a $700 less expensive mistake.
I've got a switch from the tuner's transmitter feed so I can go from SDR to FT-101. The heater sucks as does the lack of options and the receive noise, but it's a $200 beginners setup.
I found out my 40M commercial dipole, with approximately 120' of coax through a meter and switch has an SWR of 2.5:1. I like to think I'm in the ballpark there. I couldn't pick up much last night for the few minutes I could listen.
Hopefully I'll get some time the rest of the week to play with that homemade 20M dipole and orientations.

>>1715112
The SDR screen looks suspiciously quiet and empty. Are you sure you got the antenna plugged in?

I've got a random wire running from the balcony to the nearest tree. I think it's about 30', 40' at max. I get lots of digital stuff here and there and lots and lots of AM stations. I use DIY 1:9 un-un for the antenna, DIY 3 ... 22 MHz band pass filter, DIY upconverter for RTL-SDR.

>>1714959
The PA is the cheaper bit, The ADC/DAC network and FPGA tends to be what's pricy. My senior project was an an attempt at getting basic SDR functionality working from scratch, here were the big parts:
> ZedBoard with Zync 7Z020 - $450
> Xilinx AD9476 Dev Kit - $400ish
Now those are dev kits to be fair, and ADC/FPGA comms via the FMC connector were was drove the price up. once you have the basic system worked out you can reduce cost via manufacturing a little bit, but even the raw parts are still expensive. Needing things like 6 layer boards to get RF isolation drives up price as well. The upside is once you get the RF digitized, working with the signal is just data processing; something modern computers are extremely good at.
>>1715112
2.5:1 SWR is OK, you have around 20% loss in the system. It's likely the antenna has some local effects and is getting influenced by your feedline, or nearby metal. Maybe it's a little too short? Hard to say without looking at it.
RTTY and PSK are still around, but sadly FT8 is the digital mode everyone uses now. Fast contacts and automation were too much for the boomer hams to ignore. I'd happily QSO with ya on RTTY if we could figure out a schedule (and once I get the data lines on my FT-450D fixed... I um, blew them up)

>>1715117
I had probably flipped the switch so the FT-101 was receiving the signal. In hindsight, not great for a photo ...
I have been able to hear from Florida to Connecticut to Texas and California. Even pick up some Hispanic AM stations, but what gets me excited is the DX - how badass could it be to be able to send your voice across the world?

>>1715120
20% loss is good to know. I'll check all my cables and connections (bulkhead and arrestor), then play around with antennas and positioning to see how it can drop. The shed (12'x30'?) does have a metal roof, and as you can see there are branches and a fence.
I don't think the FT can do digital, but when I get a few DX under my belt and upgrade, I'd be down to explore that.

>>1715120
https://ru.aliexpress.com/item/33058788000.html
https://ru.aliexpress.com/item/32696095056.html

I haven't bookmarked a module with the adc but they aren't that pricey. You can buy few modules and rig yourself an SDR for cheap. Like $200-250 cheap.

>>1715134
Here's an SWR to power loss table for you. It's just maths, but matters a lot when you crank the power up. That 20W or 200W+ at legal output needs to get dissipated somewhere, be it dissipated in the radiating elements or setting bushes on fire.
> firestik.com/Tech_Docs/SWRLOSS.htm
>>1715150
$250, and 6 months of work once you know what you're doing. Nearly anyone can hook up an RTL dongle; but Actual SDR design in software is *not* trivial. You need not only a solid command of DSP math but of communications systems as well. It could change in the future as new tools and techniques come to exist, but "making it work" with only hobbyist level knowledge is going to be a painful experience. Even with an engineering background, it's challenging stuff to do on your own.

>>1714957
i think it was around that.

>>1714314
A typical for amatuer use these transmit in VHF and receive in UHF. What are the frequency ranges?

>>1715218
All I know about them is what you can find looking up the model number which is here.
>>1714316

>>1715218
I found what I'm pretty sure is a close enough manual if you wish to sate your curiosity.

https://fccid.io/O6E713050B/User-Manual/users-manual-128194

They weren't originally used for amateur use they were used as repeaters for a government agency.

>>1715196
>but Actual SDR design in software is *not* trivial.
There are open source DDC/DUC implementations fitting small FPGA's like EP4CE22. EP4CE115 board from alixpress is dirt cheap.
You don't need to develop everything from scratch, just piece few modules together. Staying with the same FPGA family as a the original project and reusing all of the IP's should make it a walk in the park.
I've seen few SDR TRX's built solely from modules from Aliexpress.

>Listening to a Club Net on Monday
>Net Control operator is sluggish
>Starts sounding drunk
>Says, "Oh, goodness!"
>Mic drops
>Net kind of just over
>He had a diabetic episode, I find out tonight
He's okay, but what a Ham incident to have

Yet another question from the yellow pad poster...
What's the relation between the distance of a vertical antenna and its ground plane?
In the pic, there are 2 1/4 wave wire antennas, 20M(16' 4.5") and 40M(32' 1.4").
With radials in the ground, would the 20Mantenna be better served on the ground or elevated?

>>1715682
How do you expect the 20m antenna to work hanging in free air? [Radials != Ground Plane]

Also: http://www.chem.hawaii.edu/uham/radials.html

hello anons, santa is coming.
is there a better sdr for the price for hf than the rsp1a yet?

>>1715707
For HF? Nah, plus the filtering included on the sdrplay gear is great for the cost.

>>1715704
I figured I would connect it with its own mast, maybe an EMT/PVC conduit that housed the coax as well as the connection to the radial plane. So kinda a cross between a vertical wire antenna and a vertical pole.
But would that extra grounding distance hamper the effects of the ground plane?

>>1715716

>>1715716
Yes, if using radials, your antenna needs to be on the ground. If using a ground plane, in needs to be at the base of the radiating element.

>>1715704
Thanks for the link ;)
So a vertical wire would be better at ground level despite how awesome I hear it is to get dipoles up at 1/4 or 1/2 wavelength increments

>>1711618
Have one, made it myself including winding the dual core 4:1 BalUn. Works great with wires cut for 80M on most bands. You will need a tuner though because most of you pure SWR readings will be between 3 and 5:1 most likely.

>>1715682
>>1715716
Just put the shorter 20M element on the ground. You're getting low take-off angles anyway with a vertical so the difference is moot.

Look up the DXCommander antenna, it looks like essentially what you're doing. The idea of a "fan-vertical" multi-band antenna.

>>1715738
I suppose it is!
I had seen something like this and thought about adapting it to my situation, but in the back of my mind kept hearing 'higher is always better'.

>>1715682
>What is a sloping vertical

>>1711522
This reminded me of another station in a similar situation.
Anybody else like to listen to and pick up AM 740 up in Toronto? They go by ZoomerRadio and their call sign is CFZM.
50,000 watt transmitter, total monster. I pick them up better than some local stuff in my area, I'm about 900 miles west from them in Wisconsin.
On good nights I can pick up the same station you get out of Nashville up here too. WSM 650.
I should listen to WSM more, they seem comfy. CFZM has become a quick favourite.

>>1708200
Almost dead... shitty thread...
boring subject...
give me head...

>>1715901
what way does the signal go on these?

>>1716082
perpendicular directly into the OP's penis.

>>1716086
very helpful, nigger

>>1716082
perpendicular to the the radiating element itself, in all directions around its circumference. Because of the slope orientation, there is a bit of directivity of maximum output mostly up and to the right as you see it in the picture. The signal that goes down and to the left mostly gets attenuated by the ground, but some might bounce back and get out of the "bad side".

Also the reason they put the feed-point in the air rather than the end closer to the ground was to get the counterpoise off the ground (avoiding coupling to the earth and messing up the impedance). you also have more power comming off the end of an element closest to the feedpoint, so that gets it up in the air. Being a sloper, it will have more low-angle gain than a horizontal dipole, but less than a vertical, so it'd be a good close-to-medium range setup, with a slight chance of some DX. Inverted-vee's also have this nature.

>>1715762
20m / 60 ft mast is fucking insanity squared.
You can get about the same performance with top loaded vertical.

>>1715762
It can be done. All the quarterwave sections are electromagnetically coupled (no longer independent) and form a single compound antenna. Model it in NEC if you can. You will still need a network analyser to tune the monstrum. Either resonant or buried radials. Image: MW tower in the desert with radials.

>>1714508
>I specialized in FPGA dev in college. I can extol the virtues of SDR all day long :

RTL-SDR has 8 bit ADC running at 2.4 MSPS max.

Does it mean that getting a generic STM32F4xx controller with 12 bit ADC running at 1 MSPS largely surpass dynamic range of the RTL ADC if we are interested in 100 khz bandwith? like 13.5 vs 10.5 bits?

>>1715134
>I have been able to hear from Florida to Connecticut to Texas and California. Even pick up some Hispanic AM stations, but what gets me excited is the DX - how badass could it be to be able to send your voice across the world?

What SDR receiver are you using? If you start using FT8 / JT65 you can work with all continents in no time (like it'll take you a day or two).

>>1716113
>mostly up and to the right

>>1716237
>send your voice across the world?
https://www.sigidwiki.com/images/8/8e/FT8audio.mp3
FT8 uses 8-FSK modulation, transmission takes less than 15 seconds.
https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/FT8
https://www.sigidwiki.com/images/5/5e/JT65A.mp3
Each transmission begins at t = 1s after the start of a UTC minute and finishes at t = 47.8 s. Each transmission must begin within the first 4 seconds of the minute to be decoded.
https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/JT65

>>1716237
I'm using the highly proclaimed Yaesu RTL-SDR Analogue Edition ;)
>>1716166
>60' mast
1/4 wave - I already have a 30' mast up.
I'm pretty much sold on going in this direction, basically a DX Commander antenna, but more permanent.

>>1716214
>Coupled together
That took me a few hours to accept that the wavelengths find the path of least resistance
>Radials
Yea, game on. I've got +/- 700' of 14g to start off with.

NEW THREAD
>>1716314
>>1716314
>>1716314

>>1716233
Right, an 8 bit ADC gives you 2^8 discrete voltage levels as input, so 256 possible values. An 12 bit ADC has 2^12, or 4096 possible input levels- giving much finer granularity between each level "bin", thus increased dynamic range. There's other techniques as well such as adding dither, oversampling, etc. to increase your dynamic range at the cost of something else- usually bandwidth, computing power, bit resolution, or all of above.

>>1708434
>I want to talk to people
>I don't want cb or HF and I don't like the ham community
Whelp, guess you should stick with 4chan

>>1716113
neat. thanks. would be neat to have a few off the sides of the tower, maybe use them for guy wires