Okay,  I am a fifteen year old ham in San Antonio, Texas, and I am running an IC-2100H 2 meter FM mobile.  I will soon have a computer in the ham shack, and I am hoping to try sound card packet radio with it.  I understand that I have to build or buy an interface to go between my radio and my computer's RS-232 port.  Being the type of person that wants to get as much as possible with the smallest amount of money, I have found instructions for a homebrew interface.  The only question is, how do I try APRS with my computer and my radio without a GPS reciever?  I understand that there is some software that will allow me to manually input my location (latitude and longitude) without the need for a GPS.

Where do I find this software?  How do I use it to send my location over the air automatically?  I am planning to use this setup in a fixed location.

Thanks,
KI4ENY

Thank you for your information.  I was hoping to not have to buy a commercial amp, but from what it sounds like, I would need some good experience in homebrewing to be able to build this.  I was not looking for ant particular price range, just to get in for as little money as possible.  

I have little experience in homebrewing anything.  I have some of the tools necessary to build my own gear, but have little time in which to use it.  However, maybe I should try something a little simpler until I gain experience in this area.

I looked at some of the plans on the internet for 2 meter amps, but none of them seemed to fit my needs.  Most of them were very high power, and all of them were too complex for me to build...

Thanks for your help and information, though!

73,
de KI4ENY
Chris
San Antonio, Texas

Does anyone know where I can find parts lists and plans for a homebrew 2 meter brick amplifier?  I want it to be EASY to build, and also CHEAP(money wise).   I am looking in the range of 100-150 watts, and I am planning to feed it with an Icom IC-2100H 2 meter FM radio.

My name is Chris Lube and I am a technician class ham with a call sign of KI4ENY.  I was surfing through eham, and I came across this thread.  I would be very interested in using the '900 band, and I would like to modify a baby monitor to do this.  I have been licenced for about a year.  Does anyone know how I can do this?  you can email me at ki4eny@satx.rr.com
73

de chris KI4ENY

My name is Chris and I have been a ham for about a year now.  I am 15 years old.  When I first heard about ham radio, I wasn't sure that I would be able to get the licence.  It looked really hard, and it didn't seem easy to find an exam session near me.  I guess the real question is, is there a ham radio store or communications store near you?  If so, and you have access to a car or someone who will take you, go to the store and buy the ARRL book called "Now You're Talking".  This is the book theat will teach you the basic fundamentals that you need to know to pass your technician licence exam.  If you are good at studying and learning things, then you should be able to read the book in a few days and know the material well.
Next, do an Exam session search on the ARRL website (www.arrl.org) to find an exam session near you.  If you can get to the exam session and take the test, then you will recieve your licence in a couple of weeks from the FCC.
It is entirely possible to learn the material and pass your licence exam in a couple of days.  However it will take a couple of weeks for the licence to actually get to you in the mail.
As far as earning an amateur radio licence in time to use it for your school project, it really depends on how much time you have on your hands.  Most of the time, unless you are working as or at a special event station, or you are in a contest, then you will not be working 15 hours straight.
Whatever you decide to do, whether or not you are able to use ham radio in your project, you should seriously consider getting your ham ticket for your own personal pleasure.  It will open up many opportunities for you in your future, and it is great fun at the same time!
Good luck on your project, and I hope to get to talk to you eventually on the air.
If you have any more questions or need more information, feel free to email me at ki4eny@satx.rr.com

73 de Chris KI4ENY
San Antonio Texas

Are there any hams age 15 or so around San Antonio Texas?

DX is great in San Antonio!  I just recently moved to this city in the beginning of January.  There are many nice hams who are willing to assist you in any aspect of the hobby!If you would like to know more, you can email me at
ki4eny@satx.rr.com
Good Luck, and I hope to talk to you on the air!

I just recently purchased an Icom IC-2100H and I am interested in trying sound card packet with it.  I have all the necessary software, and all that is needed now is a suitable interface cable to hook the radio up to my PC.  Does anyone know where I can find plans for the construction of the interface? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I just recently became a ham about a year ago.  I was not sure either on what kind of radio to buy as a first rig.  I ended up using an old Kenwood TH-25AT, and it seemed to work fine.  After saving my money, I bought a brand new IC-2100H.  I have it set up in the attic room of my house with a Cushcraft AR-270 vertical.  I found it easy to take the rig out of the attic and use it in the car.  I bought an inexpensive cigarette lighter plug at an electronics store, stripped and attached the wires to my rig's DC power cable, and stuck it in the car.  I used a mag mount antenna on the roof with the feed line coming in through the car window.  This type of setup had some limitations, however.  I found that I could only use a 10watt maximum power (even that was pushing it) on the rig so I wouldnt overload the DC lighter socket. Most of the time, however, I kept the rig's power down at 5 watts so that I would be absolutely sure that I would not have any problems.
    However, it depends on whether or not you want to be able to take your radio out of the car and use it somewhere else. If this is the case, then you might want to consider a handheld.  When you use the  handheld in the car, a mag mount antenna and a VOX headset or other small speaker mike for the HT will allow you to get a reliable signal out and keep your hands on the wheel at the same time. It is a possibility that you could an inexpensive cellular telephone holder on the dash to hold the radio so that you could easily push the buttons on the go.

                 Good Luck!

What kind of sound card packet software do you have?

I just recently bought a brand new ICOM IC-2100H (Ive had it for only 3 weeks), and I am interested in trying soundcard packet radio with it.  Does anybody know what kind of interface that I can use with this radio to connect it to my computer?  I dont want to have to buy a TNC, but I will if necessary.  Also, is sound card packet fully compatible with TNCs(i.e.  could I talk with sound card packet to someone who is using a TNC)?  Also, does anyone know of some good FREE downloadable sound Card Packet software that is compatible with Windows XP?  I am looking for an interface in the 40-60 dollar range.  Help!

I own and use a Cushcraft AR-270 dual band antenna at my QTH.  It recieves and transmits on 2m/440 very well and has a very low SWR.  If you are wondering about other peoples' opinions on this antenna, check out the eham.net product reviews.  
I found this antenna very easy to put together.  It is approximately 3.75 feet high, so it is great for limited spaces and for emergency use or field operations.  
The listed price of this antenna is around $85,although you can usually find it for lower prices at a hamfest, dealer, etc.
If you have any question, you can check out the Cushcraft web site (www.cushcraft.com)

Good Luck!

Thanks for the sugggestions-I'll check out those web sites.  Yes, this will be my first yagi, so I'm glad I can get an easy one to build.  Thanks!
                                       -KI4ENY

I have a Kenwood TH-25AT handheld.  It is pretty old, but I'm sure that I could hook it up to a TNC.  What jack does the TNC cable hook into?
                                    -KI4ENY

Does anyone know where I can find a good plans for the construction of a 2meter yagi antenna?  I did some google searches on the web for this type of antenna, but I was met only with useless pictures and gain figures.  I have plenty of aluminum tubing and rods that can be used for the yagi, but I have yet to find a good source for plans.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

                                         73 TNX