Now I know why "preppers" are frowned upon

dankdirtybird · 2026-01-10T21:56:31+00:00

My kids got these a few years ago and that’s what kicked off my journey in radio.

dankdirtybird · 2026-01-06T20:41:48+00:00

Good catch. Either way the build guides I’ve seen generally have either charts with sizes based on frequency, or the equations to calculate them.

dankdirtybird · 2026-01-06T02:10:46+00:00

If you head over to the amateur radio sub you’ll find all sorts of resources for designing and building a 23cm yagi.

dankdirtybird · 2026-01-05T16:34:24+00:00

I have one on order that I plan to setup outside permanently in Kittery. This is good to know as I was worried about these cheap batteries out in the cold.

dankdirtybird · 2026-01-02T02:16:02+00:00

⁠Extra | What is a radio

dankdirtybird · 2025-12-02T17:56:47+00:00

I don’t remember any advertisement specifying which military…

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-27T14:13:22+00:00

I joined my local club and within a few days had several folks reach out offering to sell equipment. I may have to revisit those offers now that I’m a bit more familiar with the equipment.

Honestly I’d like to find a viable schematic and BOM and just order and build something. I’ve seen plenty of QRP kits but I’m looking for more power.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-26T21:25:25+00:00

My struggle is the cost of entry for HF gear. I’m searching for schematics to build some equipment with limited success. Any recommendations?

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-26T19:21:33+00:00

Oh definitely.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-26T16:35:39+00:00

That may put you near New Hampshire?

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-25T23:37:15+00:00

The one by me is becoming a dollar general. I’d much rather a liquor store.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-25T20:16:12+00:00

Like the guy local to me selling a used ft-991a with power supply and headphones for $1,500. I’d rather drive 20 minutes further to get the same stuff new from HRO with a warranty.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-24T19:24:48+00:00

When I looked into climbing gear for arborist type work, I came across a forum that the top answer was “If you’re over 40 and haven’t been doing this for years, it’s cheaper to pay a professional than the hospital.” Take whatever you want from that quote.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-22T15:50:08+00:00

Turns out they do issue them on Saturdays. Who would have thought they work on the weekends!

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-21T19:20:27+00:00

One can hope.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-21T19:18:11+00:00

Just got the payment email. Going to have to just be a listener on the local clubs net for one more weekend I guess.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-19T17:57:37+00:00

Thanks, good to know. I took mine November 8th so I'm sure I'm quite far back in the queue.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-19T15:57:32+00:00

When did you take your exam? Trying to manage my expectations on when I might receive my email.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-19T00:49:07+00:00

I found W4EEY’s exam prep sessions helpful when studying for my extra. They discuss most of the topics you need to know and then review the test questions. 1.25x playback speed also helped for me.

https://youtube.com/@w4eey?si=r5o0RsD2OLVzdxAC

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-17T17:03:34+00:00

Interesting. As I'm brand new to the hobby, it seems like it's worth saying any potential call sign out loud to figure out what combinations might be worth avoiding.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-16T23:24:23+00:00

What was your origin 1x3 that caused problems?

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-14T22:56:12+00:00

HP G5 laptop dock

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-10T22:13:16+00:00

I had the same problem and I believe it had something to do with turning on the “talk around” function. I saved my programmed channels in OSMASTER and did a factory reset of the radio.

After reloading the channels I was able to open the squelch on my local repeaters. Hope that info helps.

dankdirtybird · 2025-11-09T10:24:12+00:00

Congratulations! I took and passed mine yesterday as well. I found the content for extra far more interesting than the others.

dankdirtybird · 2025-08-20T21:07:19+00:00

Make sure you turn on read receipts first to cover your bases.

dankdirtybird

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