glad your in 2sawn in the summer and not I.  

yes, phone ham radio phone patches are still used quite a bit. though alot of hams do have cells and use them there are still quite a few autopatch calls made. I can't count the times I've used autopatch to phone in a wreck when I wasn't in cell coverage.

As for field day, it's mostly american but it's my experience that people everywhere participate.

hope this helps. I assume the community wasn't happy with a 90footer?   let us know if you have any other questions.

zeb
kd7evs

Actually your quite wrong!

I've been there countless times. Better yet I used to live in Daytona Beach!  


zeb

ah, the FCC should love reading this one. While I sympathize with you and would have a couple of ideas I think it's best I stay on Mr. Riley's good side.

however,

most places have a distance law, if you can hear someone's car stereo from a certain distance it's illegal. I would suggest you get the support of other in your community and demand as a whole that something get's done. if a law isn't in place get one, if it is make sure that the law enforcement knows that the community isn't going to put up with it and want this law enforced.

get the entire community involved, whatever you do.

73
zeb

ok,  does anyone know a current website for information on ARISS? or PCSATs? everything I find is back from 2001.  

I'm wanting to try out APRS via the ISS and I need a bit more info.

thanks
zeb

My experience says that a well placed backhoe does the trick for a couple days.    hate splicing fiber in a wet muddy hole.

six inches absolute minimum. one foot perferablly and 18 inches comfortably.

years of mobile installs saw everything from 4 inches to 4 feet.

try to get at least a foot if the radios are going to be on at the same time. but if one is only on occasionally or there is a big freq span you can get away with closer.

I've experimented with this a bit. the square tubing with holes in it works great.   a hole or two below antenna you can homebrew 4 groundplane radials too. bout 19 inches folded down about 45 degrees or so. (key word: about) homebrew isn't a totally exact science. once you get what you think should work the real test is trying it. think, draw, build, try, rethink, rebuild, repeat.

good luck.
zeb

Hey! just finished my SW+40 and have been playing around with it.

I've got it hooked up to one of my bench power supplies right now but I want to build a small power supply for it. I understand theory and all and have built larger supplies before, I'm sure I have all the parts in my not-so-junk drawer.   but does anyone have schematics for a small 12V AC-to-DC powersupply or know a site that does.  
I thought of just using a wall wart from a past (dead) piece of equipment. but I want to build something into another project case that'll house an audio amp and other things that'll only be needed for this radio when it's on my bench and not portable.

so any small supply around 12V, I think half an amp is what some sites have suggested. I think I need to go back to my books on powersupplies, haven't played with them in a long while.

thanks in advance.
zeb
kd7evs

Get the echo station software. get an cheap old computer, homebrew an soundcard interface for your radio(s) and with one radio you have a simplex repeater with full controller add a reciever and you have a full repeater.    great for emergency setup with a coupld HTs or an mobile and an HT.  at the house it's still a great repeater controller.

zeb

I agree with W5RB.

it must be an absolutly non-commercial event.

assuming it isn't a commercial event, it's understandable that they don't want it a field day. but this shouldn't keep all your hams from wearing the same shirts or uniforms, hats, Call sign name tags etc.   any communications station set up should be labeled as such and should specify amateur radio.  We aren't in it for the PR, but we shouldn't be kept hidden either.


Do a good job, plan well, make sure you have enough people, equipment to cover the event. then after the event have a meeting and toss around feelings about the event, experieinces with event officials etc... at that meeting decide if you would want to do it again, then next year you'll know ahead of time when they ask.

either way; if you do it, do it right! no matter what the circumstances (should be a emergency ham radio motto)

Ole art thinks lots of things. is he or isn't he on broadcast am these days? one day he is, one he isn't. I can't keep up!    

you know... I never hear anyone running voice on 10 meters, maybe we should reallocate. though, maybe the fact that I never listen to 10m has something to do with it? hey, I don't even have a 10m radio.

though I bet art knows where the aliens hang out on the bands.

zeb

I tend to agree that water install installation isn't the best, plus in the rockies it just won't work. hitting a basketball sized rock at 6 inches under the grass with water won't do anything except make the grass grow.

What I suggest is use a heavy duty hammer drill. if you don't have one (I don't) you can rent the real thing at one of your local stores. These drills will either 'drill' 'drill and hammer' or just 'hammer.' They are used for drilling into concrete. get one that will easily fit over the ground rod, put the rod in just like you would a drill bit. START HAMMERING! This doesn't always work, but it'll kill most rocks. in hard pack clay with few rocks it'll drive a 8 foot rod in about a minute. in rocks it could take up to a few minutes.

as for pulling on up. lol. glad I'm not you! go with previous suggestions. or weld a tripod out of some really strong stuff put it over the rod and attatch a come-along to it or hoist to both. though, in the very rocky soil there are some that WILL NOT, come out.


zeb

Haven't noticed it. although alot of 2M hams (myself included) use 'we' when someone else (xyl) is in the car.    I don't know, that's the only way I've heard it.    Come to think of it, I don't remember it on CB unless some guy had his wife or dog.

hmm, maybe I'm deaf.

zeb

or you can download the free UIVIEW add on that will take mapblast maps and save them with an INF file automaticly.   all you need to do is plug in a center lat/lon (like of a city)  decide what size (in pixles) you want the map and what scale in mile you want the map.  
works great. for boise I've created a ton of maps down to a one mile scale up to a 120 mile scale.

zeb

greetings all.

I've decided to get out my junk box and go through it, one thing is of some interest.

I've got a Motorolla Radius P110. It was my grandfathers when he worked for in safty for a railroad. he retired last year and he gave me the radio as he had no use for it and knew I probably did.

I don't have much experience with motorolla.  I'm a Bendix/King, yeasu, icom type.

taking the battery off, on the back of the radio reviels the specifics.   it's model number p43qlc20b2aa.


seems to be a rugged little thing and since I have extra batteries and charger I'd like to get it working for me.   it's a 6 channel.  3 of them are railroad freqs and the other three are NWS radio freqs (rx only)

My question is, how hard would it be to get this radio in our ballbark? Mainly I want to put in two repeater freqs and also hook it up (via soundcard) to my laptop for APRS to keep my mobile for talking, and my fancy HT(s) for scanning other freqs.

anyone have any experience with this radio? is it computer programmable.   any notes about this would be great.  as of now I just use it as an NWS radio when I go twister chasing.

thanks in advance.
Zeb
kd7evs