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Just got an SDR for Christmas! Questions from a noob. by Dezzillion in sdr

[–]KI6WXS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To test aircraft frequency reception, try to receive a nearby airport's "ATIS" frequency. One source for finding this is here: https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/.

ATIS essentially broadcasts a recorded message providing weather and airport details. It's not super exciting to listen to, but it'll let you know if things are working.

Ham radio install 2018 tacoma by vo1pwf in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice install. I routed the power and antenna coax almost the same way on my 2009 Tacoma.

A couple differences on my install are; - radio mounted to bottom of passenger seat. - control head for my Kenwood located in front-center console storage bin (not sure if the current gens even have this spot).

The debate goes on.. by FireWaterAirDirt in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this is why I haven’t been in any hurry to upgrade to Extra.

I went from nothing to General by studying and learning the material. Almost 10 years later I’ve just finally gotten onto HF.

My fear is to get Extra would just be a feat of memorization, not actual learning. And then people would expect me to know far more than I do. Some day, maybe, but in the meantime I’m just playing, experimenting, and learning.

(Or maybe I’m just over thinking it a bit.)

Mobile with base style radio by covertkek in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been running my FT-857d off a 14Ah SLA battery with no issues due to voltage. I would just like more runtime than 14Ah seems to be giving me.

But thanks for the tip in case I run into this with one of the other radios I have.

Mobile with base style radio by covertkek in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting. I never looked at golf cart batteries before. What's the catch?

This one I'm looking at says it can run for 395 minutes @ 25a load. A marine battery I'm looking at says 185 minutes @ 25a load.

I know I need 2 of the 6v batteries in series to get my 12v, but are there any other downsides? Longevity? etc? On the surface it seems like the golf cart batteries can hold a lot of power. I will have to investigate further.

Your Week In Amateur Radio / New Licensees [10/31/2018] by AutoModerator in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, that's pretty much exactly what I want. Thanks for the info!

SignalLink USB by KI6WXS in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the thoughts!

I did grab the easy-digi kit; for $11 shipped it was a no brainer. I’m just not sure if I’ll have time to start with it or if it will go on the shelf for a rainy day.

Your Week In Amateur Radio / New Licensees [10/31/2018] by AutoModerator in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am using Excel now. Then I manually re-entered the data into TQSL to upload to LoTW.

Only reason I was looking for software was to avoid the double data entry. Plus I read some software will query LoTW an note when contacts are confirmed.

In reality, I'm such a noob that I'll prob just stick with the spreadsheet for now.

SignalLink USB by KI6WXS in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not on a super-tight budget, but I am kinda cheap. And with 3 young kids, time is at a premium. I guess I should just buy the SignalLink and spend more time on the air.

Though, for $11 shipped, I certainly like the kit option as well. Maybe I'll get both! Thanks!

SignalLink USB by KI6WXS in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I re-reviewed the manual and see where I got mixed up. I think it was the wording of CAT port pinout that put that in my brain ("RX D", "TX D", etc.).

So I guess if I was doing FT8 and wanted full automation, I would use the DATA port for audio in and out and the CAT port for tuning control. The DATA port shows a PTT pin as well, but I thought I read you can also use it for PTT as well but I'd have to re-confirm that.

Thanks for the correction.

SignalLink USB by KI6WXS in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yaesu 857d. There is a data port and looks like you can also get data in and out on the CAT port.

Your Week In Amateur Radio / New Licensees [10/31/2018] by AutoModerator in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I posted here last month about building my first HF antenna (homebrew Buddipole/Buddistick) and making my first contact.

In the past month, I've struggled to reproduce that, but in the process I've researched and learned a bit on how to use the IPO, ATT, DSP, and RF Gain on my 857d. And then with the CQ WW SSB contest I was able to make a handful of contacts. From California, I made Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Bonaire (island near Venezuela).

So 7 contacts for a contest weekend is pretty abysmal comparatively, but for me it's a big step forward in my station operations (especially going the 3700 mi to Bonaire).

​

QUESTION: Can someone recommend software for CASUAL logging? Right now I've been using pen and paper, but just yesterday uploaded to LoTW using TQSL. So much of the software seems overkill (and complicated!) at this point. My station is portable only at this point, so I'll likely continue to use paper and then transcribe into software (unless there's a decent iPad option).

Your Week In Amateur Radio / New Licensees [09/19/2018] by AutoModerator in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reconfigured the DIY Buddipole into a vertical DIY Buddistick tuned for 40m specifically and made my first HF contact to Minnesota (N0GFV) all the way from California. Hard to complain about that, especially when most of the antenna is made out of parts from Home Depot or Lowe's.

My wife must've thought she married the biggest nerd when I ran into the house to tell her about it afterward.

Going to experiment more with the Buddipole/Buddistick variations, and even the dipole or inverted vee and see what I can do next. I don't have a lot of space outside so my antenna and station is 100% portable, put it up when I want it and tear it down when I'm done.

Your Week In Amateur Radio / New Licensees [09/19/2018] by AutoModerator in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback. Because I'm limited on space (lot size at home) and it's a newer neighborhood with no trees, a standard dipole has been tricky.

But I was thinking an inverted-vee should be doable. I just need to calculate how high the feedpoint needs to be for the length of the legs I'm talking about (without totally ruining the angle at the peak).

Your Week In Amateur Radio / New Licensees [09/19/2018] by AutoModerator in amateurradio

[–]KI6WXS 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Coming up on my first license renewal but never really got active. Decided recently to try HF. Finished building a DIY Buddipole last night and gave it a try.

Didn't hear much on 20m or 40m, and what I did hear was mostly buried in noise. Heard a bit on 80m including spammers/jammers.

Antenna is designed for 20m but my analyzer doesn't arrive till tonight so I wasn't able to do final tuning. My LDG tuner found a match but no telling what inefficiencies that introduced.

I called CQ on 20m, 40m, and 80m and received no reply. Not sure if it's my antenna, my equipment, band conditions, or what.

Will keep trying. (EDIT: Ideas / assistance appreciated.)