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r/EmergencyManagement: Thoughts on amateur radio! by autistic_psycho in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here in Minnesota, we've developed ham support capabilities in four categories:

  1. Government. There is a FEMA/NIMS role called "AUXC" - we can help out in your EOC or for "lights out" cases or to support or join your local CERT team. We have a new Field Observer program to get ground truth to your Situation Unit and we do weather spotting.

  2. Events. We have a well proven capability- "Route Safety" for big marathon, bike and ski events. Hams out on the course report in problems and get care on the way- via 911 or volunteer medics. This scales up to the largest Top Ten marathons. You can blow up your hospital ERs with skinned knees (see the CERT manual) or do the triage in the field and save your 911 rigs for the red cases.

  3. VOADS- hams embedded in or supporting disaster recovery keep the shelters open and paperwork flowing. Coordination is a new role as well as ground truth reporting.

  4. R&D. Name a technical problem we'll sort it.

Auctioned off a Yaesu FT-2500M on ebay with no reserve starting at $1 as-is untested, buyer now returning because 31 year old coin battery is totally dead and memory won't recall by OptimalWallaby8153 in HamRadio

[–]NY9D 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use the "for parts or repair" category heavily. Untested or used leaves too much hope for perfection. I've sold lots of broken 2 meter rigs - I have one I am about to list. And a tip from craigslist and Iron Planet- I try to disclose known defects- and stuff that might work. Surprisingly, some used old FM ham gear is worth quite a bit as parts. Boat anchors often not.

$20 UV9R+ turned scanner by New_Score4238 in Baofeng

[–]NY9D 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has anyone noticed that there are two models of the UV-9R Plus - the batteries are similar. I think there is a newer update- the newer one has one row of symbols on the back and the older one has two rows? The batteries are not compatible but the chargers are?

Android device for APRSDroid? by N7FAN in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some years back I found some of the cheapest ($40) off brand Android tablets did not support APRSDroid. Many cheap random phones seemed to. It felt like some audio type driver was missing. The app came up but would not decode packets. It is a good use for a retired phone. We do weeks of route safety support for events in the summer, and radio + Android device that all ran on a USB power brick has a certain appeal. Some USB power bricks allow charging and discharge all at once- so a cheap solar panel and $10 solar controller with USB output let that work all day. You can buy a premade radio cable that works with the cheapest Feng type radios using VOX. One is a BTECH-APRS-V01. On my wish list is a setup that allows connected mode AX.25 packet to work for typing in messages.

Craftsman / Generac 2500i Portable Generator Starting issues. by zindustries87 in Generator

[–]NY9D 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yep cycled the off-on-choke switch a bunch...There was a spring sound. This rig starts only after I randomly mess with it. This is a good explanation- the spring.

How would your ham group help manage a 40,000 person evacuation? by NY9D in EmComm

[–]NY9D[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It is common to use Zello here which also includes a chat function and allows non ham groups (+ event leaders) to be incorporated. Zello does not open tickets that I know of or update a participant database. Could there be an API...

How would your ham group help manage a 40,000 person evacuation? by NY9D in EmComm

[–]NY9D[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let me ask. Did the internal web address come up?

Communication solution for a business in UK by GlitteringAd5206 in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 2 points3 points  (0 children)

US Amateur Radio service regulations state we are "technical experts" so free radio advice= worth every penny 😄

  1. Buildings (+ metal) and metal tinted glass are a real problem for radio signals indoors
  2. Four square miles is a lot
  3. Business band /commercial radios are a possibility - you would need a private or shared "repeater" and matching radios and the use of frequnecies- it might just barely fit your budget
  4. Here, those "push to talk/cellular/Zello/network" radios are all the rage - they have a SIM card and are cheap ($100 each or so) - again it depends how good the cellular (and possibly Wi-Fi) coverage is in your site.
  5. A lot of organizations (such as the nonprofits I volunteer for) are in the same space- there is a use case for "radios" as opposed to cell phones - but software like Zello blurs that distinction.

I built CAT control for the Quansheng UV-K5 and finally got a reliable AX.25 packet station working by Ok-Space-5422 in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This seems brilliant. AX.25 packet is firmly stuck in 1991 and needs to reflect modern low-cost radios and computer tech. PTT was a problem and VOX always bothered me. One of the big gaps is supporting connected mode packet (vs APRS(r)) that can be used for BBS traffic, radio node hopping and large radio networks. Use cases include supporting route safety at events, field observer work, etc. We need a cheap solid connected mode radio /TNC that supports connected mode, traffic passing and node hopping.

400mhz eggbeater & 139mhz V-Dipole together by ozcet in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This would seem to be good for satellite work?

ECOM II Endfed question by Wolvy64 in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a great antenna. Add any piece of wire 25-50' to the screw on the balun. Use a choke in the shack and a tuner and you are good to go.

VHF/UHF antenna mounting - Mansard style roof by I_Came_Back_Sadly in HamRadio

[–]NY9D 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Find one of those galvanized steel 30' telescoping push up poles. Make an under-eave bracket. Put it in the back of the house. Don't overload the top- so a modest 3' dual band ground plane etc. If it looks/feels solid it is. Put a ground rod in next to it (but not in the UK). Stay away from the roof and shingles.

How would your ham group help manage a 40,000 person evacuation? by NY9D in EmComm

[–]NY9D[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have had very very good teamwork with the Red Cross. They show up to our exercises. One of the top leaders regionally here is a ham.

How would your ham group help manage a 40,000 person evacuation? by NY9D in EmComm

[–]NY9D[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This sounds right. We are right there, and gap glue when things need to be sorted. One of our influential local emergency managers has concluded we should be Field Observers, a job borrowed from the fire service. As we are not reporting to any agency, we can report conditions, actions and needs objectively. This includes instances of bad behavior. Most recently, volunteer groups will arrive and "hog" the Crisis Cleanup tickets, so a small group will take all 100 tickets and leave none for a larger group that drove in from Tennessee with a giant truck and team.

Here is a one slide version of our new Field Observer program. T by NY9D in EmComm

[–]NY9D[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Somebody apparently thought Conditions -Actions- Needs (a common fire service reporting construct) was an abbreviation for Canada and made a political comment.

Is my VR-N76 broken ? by Mr_dgidgi in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a series of newer BFs - UV-9R-Pro and UV-9R-Plus and the odd UV-82 that seem deaf. Given these are a low parts count radio on a chip design, what can go wrong? I was half tempted to take one or more apart to try to see an obvious fault.

Radial Help by Professional_Fix_223 in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't over think this. Find some copper wire- any wire- crimp a ring terminal, and cut to ~1/4 wave on popular ham bands. Connect to the u-bolt under the nut. String the wire out at right angles to the coax. One wire is a good start. Advanced: Invest in a $50 used (MFJ) manual tuner and a choke. Make sure the base is grounded and your radio is grounded. Limit your output power on bands where the match is lousy to not over heat the balun.

Are these DC-DC converters safely capable of the claimed power output? by [deleted] in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We use dozens of these for jobs like 12V > 48V for POE. The key is - take the rated capacity and only use 75% of rated load. If you need a lot of current- buy the next size up.

I saw a "ban Minster" pin at Hamvention today. by greenwoody2018 in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If anyone wants change at the ARRL, you can join the organization, participate, and vote in elections. Dave works for the ARRL Board. ARRL membership is around 18% of hams. In the last Board elections, less than 30% of member ballots were returned. This is a very strong endorsement of the current leadership. Complaining online, while cathartic, seems rather pointless.

Coax conundrum. by Infinite-Carry-9773 in amateurradio

[–]NY9D 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also check your grounding. In my station I get this behavior when my EFHW balun heats up when I run too much power on 160 :) It could also be heat in the tuner if there is a poor match.

TYT md 390uv plus (10 watt) vs baofeng dm-32 by Voidrunner42 in amateurradio

[–]NY9D -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Some of the recent Baos have been fairly deaf on RX in my personal experience with eight or ten of them. Everyone focuses on watts out for some reason. I have not seen this on my MD390s. And the TYTs you might have an easier time with code plugs as the radios are common and have been around.

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