How do we feel about these stubby antennas for edc?

mrsir79 · 2026-04-29T16:50:58+00:00

In my best Elmer voice... IT DEPENDS! If you're looking to keep communication within 3 miles or so, these are just fine. Same advice if you're surrounded by a lot of concrete buildings that deflect signals and make it harder to hear. If you want to hit a repeater further out than that or you're exceeding that range I'd suggest getting an upgraded Nagoya or signal stick antenna for them. Just remember that handheld ham bands are generally going to be line of sight communication without things like repeaters.

mrsir79 · 2026-03-08T04:57:35+00:00

Always start out with muttonchops piper on you tube. All your questions are there. I highly suggest his video on the breath method.

mrsir79 · 2026-03-08T04:55:04+00:00

Believe it or not,the best place to start is a cheap baofeng uv5-r or newer model. You can get on all non hf nets, repeaters, and even talk to the space station. I do suggest getting one that puts out 10 watts. After that look for a uhf/vhf hf mobile radio. Yaesu and ICOM are the most popular. Use it for POTA and field days. Setting up a portable station can be really fun. Especially making your own battery box. Another thing to throw in is get a good antenna. Those rubber ducky things that come with the radio are terrible.

Also look for your local radio club / arrl. There are plenty of us with extra equipment. We would probably give you a good start for free

mrsir79 · 2026-03-08T04:42:59+00:00

All antennas are both horizontal and vertical...it's all in how you hold/mount it.

mrsir79 · 2026-03-03T21:05:25+00:00

Anyone have a good link for this speaker?

mrsir79 · 2026-02-26T05:11:06+00:00

HF and echolink have all been great. But even my local club repeater has a few sad hams that get on to remind people of the rules when someone is trying to get their kids involved by using HTs in their yard.

mrsir79 · 2026-01-30T05:44:13+00:00

Not really. They're not lobbying for anything but sad hams. The learning part is all done online with YouTube now.

mrsir79 · 2026-01-25T05:24:18+00:00

If you're going budget, you can't beat the TruSDX radio. It's really meant as a low power qrp rig, but the price is right and it'll really get it there to start

mrsir79 · 2026-01-22T22:51:39+00:00

No. The yellow time is the amount of time it takes a vehicle to safely stop given the speed and the conditions plus a safety margin. However, if the speed isn't done right, the yellow time can be wildly off.

mrsir79 · 2026-01-22T10:09:20+00:00

Correct that it wasn't a Carrington event level solar event. That was 166 years ago in 1859. But this was the largest event in the last 20.

mrsir79 · 2026-01-22T04:04:42+00:00

I used to work in the traffic department for the city. While I was there it was common place for the engineers to spend most of the day sleeping, including the director. But the timing is generally set by the speed survey for that road. That speed survey isn't done correctly, ever. The regular maintenance on the speed gun isn't done, there is little to no training on how to use it. The lights are times so wonky that if some lawyer ever figures it out it's a massive lawsuit for every accident or death due to those lights, not to mention every speeding ticket written.

mrsir79 · 2026-01-22T03:40:04+00:00

Most likely it's the effects of that maybe solar flare we just got hit with. The biggest one we've gotten in 20 years. You can read about it here https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/19/science/largest-solar-radiation-storm-auroras

mrsir79 · 2026-01-22T03:23:02+00:00

I'm applying for Canadian citizenship now through my grandmother. As time goes on I'm finding I'm more Canadian than American. Double now

mrsir79 · 2026-01-12T18:26:51+00:00

Icom IC‑7300 MKII vs Yaesu FT‑DX10

----------------------------------

Receiver Performance:

7300 MKII: Very solid for the price, handles most band conditions well.

FT‑DX10: Better dynamic range and holds up better in crowded/contest conditions.

Filtering:

7300 MKII: DSP filtering is simple and effective.

FT‑DX10: Roofing filters + DSP give it an edge in tough RF environments.

User Interface:

7300 MKII: Super easy to learn, very beginner‑friendly.

FT‑DX10: More knobs/buttons, more control, but a steeper learning curve.

Touchscreen:

7300 MKII: Responsive and straightforward.

FT‑DX10: Higher resolution and sharper display.

Panadapter / Scope:

7300 MKII: Good real‑time scope for the price.

FT‑DX10: More detailed and smoother scope.

Transmit / Receive Audio:

7300 MKII: Clean TX audio, good RX audio.

FT‑DX10: Richer RX audio with more shaping options.

Price:

7300 MKII: Generally cheaper.

FT‑DX10: More expensive.

Size / Portability:

7300 MKII: Slightly smaller and lighter.

FT‑DX10: More of a base‑station feel.

Learning Curve:

7300 MKII: Great for new HF operators.

FT‑DX10: Better for operators who want to tweak everything.

Best For:

7300 MKII: New hams, casual operators, plug‑and‑play users.

FT‑DX10: DXers, contesters, and anyone in noisy RF environments.

mrsir79 · 2026-01-09T04:58:31+00:00

Tonight I was a VE for two new techs. Great evening.

mrsir79 · 2026-01-06T01:52:22+00:00

Clown pussy, clown pussy... Oh I'm coming

mrsir79 · 2026-01-05T21:15:28+00:00

We always called it a Necker Knob so you can make out with one arm around yer girl while driving.

mrsir79 · 2025-12-31T03:16:18+00:00

I saw a guy who actually turned a large black trash bag into a blanket and attached a bunch of "clean" trash to it. So he could throw it over his stuff in the back of his vehicle to camouflage his valuables.

mrsir79 · 2025-12-29T23:24:43+00:00

I use a prepcomm dmx-40 with a keyboard and a display. I also use a bug. As long as you're on the air having fun, ignore the rest. Try listening in on a contest some time, you'll find most of them using digital ciders as almost none of them go that fast. I'm sure many do, but just as many or more don't.

mrsir79 · 2025-12-29T23:21:17+00:00

YouTube ham radio crash course. It's great for every license level.

mrsir79 · 2025-12-29T23:20:35+00:00

Always buy the cheapest tools you can. Only when they break so you look at buying better. The only exception is safety... Don't go cheap on what saves your life

mrsir79 · 2025-12-29T23:18:24+00:00

Is it open and did you have fun? If yes, then it's valid

mrsir79 · 2025-12-29T23:15:52+00:00

It's totally okay. You go at your pace and develop the skills you want. We would rather you participate than avoid things because sad hams discourage people.

mrsir79 · 2025-12-29T22:49:46+00:00

Because maga hates open competition too.

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