The ARRL elections this year are a sham by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@lemmy.radio
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 7 points 3 weeks ago

I let my membership expire after they unilaterally cancelled my paper QST. I'm still mad about that, and the steady trickle of other news doesn't make me want to go back.

19
Quansheng UV-K5 (lemmy.radio)
submitted 3 months ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/vhf@lemmy.radio
2 comments fedilink

As you've probably heard, the Quansheng UV-K5 is the hot new HT. And there is a good reason it is so popular. I've been having a lot of fun with mine, and I would highly recommend getting one. 2m FM is fun, and 2m SSB or CW is even funner. And if you choose the same firmware to load as I did (uvk5cec), it will transmit APRS and SSTV.

I made a video going over how mine is setup. Hopefully it helps if you have one. And I'm sure there'll be more videos coming with it in use. The CQ VHF contest is just a week away....

MFJ is ceasing its on-site production by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@lemmy.radio
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 4 points 5 months ago

Hopefully someone or some other business will buy them. Hate to see them go.

Regaining interest in amateur radio by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@lemmy.radio
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 2 points 6 months ago

Some clubs meet in person and on zoom simultaneously, does your local one? I'd get in contact with them anyway, someone might have a loaner rig you can use to get on the air and see what interests you the most.

Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air are popular an a lot of fun, but you'd need a radio first.

With some basic tools you could build your own radio from a kit.

3
Capacity Hats (lemmy.radio)
submitted 10 months ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/homebrew@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

I made and tested a couple of capacity hats for my loaded whip antenna to see how they'd do in the real world. Could you use one instead of paying Elecraft for their 40m coil? Maybe. Could you get on 30m and 40m with your KH1 whip? Might be a stretch... https://youtu.be/uYH9yit8jEo

Anyone who knows antennas that can explain this j pole to me? by ham_bitious in c/hamradio@lemmy.ml
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 2 points 11 months ago

A j-pole is a half-wavelength vertical with a quarter-wavelength matching section on the bottom.

It turns out that the 70cm band is about 3x the frequency of the 2m band (150MHz * 3 = 450MHz, close enough to each band). So the 2m the long leg of the j-pole is 3/4 wavelength (1/2 + 1/4 matching section), and on 70cm the long leg is 2.25 wavelength (3/2 + 3/4 matching). Both are an odd number of quarter waves, as we expect. The ham who made that briefing probably discovered in their testing that the matching stub wasn't good for both bands, so they added a second one for 70cm.

This is not a novel design, Arrow Antennas has been selling one like it for years (https://www.arrowantennas.com/osj/j-pole.html)

Baud rate replaced by bandwidth limit by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@lemmy.radio
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 3 points 11 months ago

I'm excited to see the new digital modes people bring to ham radio, or invent.

*Permanently Deleted* by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@sh.itjust.works
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 2 points 1 year ago

This has been my experience using multiple HTs on the same band.

*Permanently Deleted* by ham_bitious in c/digitalmodes@lemmy.radio
2
10GHz and Up Contest (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/vhf@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

The first weekend of the ARRL 10GHz and Up Contest starts tomorrow (August 19) at 0600 local. https://contests.arrl.org/10g/ There will be plenty of activity in California, and probably other regions. It's a fun contest, and everyone should get on the band!

I'll be on a SOTA summit (W6/NC-151) on Saturday, not sure if I'll be able to get out on Sunday.

2
222 and Up Contest (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/vhf@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

The ARRL 222MHz and up contest is this weekend: http://www.arrl.org/222-mhz-and-up-distance-contest

I'm planning to get on from a summit with the lower four bands. Probably won't be as much activity as the regular VHF contest, but should be fun

[US] ARRL's gone done it. Raising dues. by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@sh.itjust.works
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 2 points 1 year ago

This is the reason to support ARRL

KPH Enigma Crypto Broadcast by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@sh.itjust.works
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 1 points 1 year ago

MRHS (the group running KPH) has a newsletter you can sign up for. Check out https://www.radiomarine.org/

7
KPH Enigma Crypto Broadcast (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/amateur_radio@sh.itjust.works
5 comments fedilink

The KPH coastal station near San Francisco sent a special message this weekend. It was encrypted with an Enigma machine and sent for everyone to try and decode. If you missed it, and want to try I posted a video of it: https://youtu.be/IgbggcpxrC0

Have fun!

Enigma Crypto Transmission from KPH - July 22 by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@lemmy.radio
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 2 points 1 year ago

If you missed the broadcast, I got a recording: https://youtu.be/IgbggcpxrC0 The CW ends ~4:22 and I decode it after that, so stop there if you want to do it yourself.

Old school grass roots: where are the classic circuits one could build from RadioShack basic discrete components? by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@lemmy.radio
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 2 points 1 year ago

If you're just looking to build stuff, there are plenty of circuits to find on the web.

And +1 on building being more fun than operating!

Old school grass roots: where are the classic circuits one could build from RadioShack basic discrete components? by ham_bitious in c/amateur_radio@lemmy.radio
[-] ham_bitious@lemmy.radio 4 points 1 year ago

What do you want to do? Just build anything?

2
CQ VHF (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/vhf@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

The CQ VHF contest starts soon. Sadly, I'm not able to get on the air, but if you have 6&2 meters you should give it a try. https://cqww-vhf.com/

1
Kits and Parts back in business (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/homebrew@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

Diz W8DIZ has retired from running kitsandparts.com, and KU4QO had taken over.

Good news if you need toroids and other small parts. And the 5watter is a great radio if you need a kit.

2
10MHz Video (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/vhf@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

Finished cutting together some clips from my 10MHz reference box construction: https://youtu.be/aVKIIHGPXMA

1
RF Power Meter (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/homebrew@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

I was inspired to copy W1GHZ's power meter from April QST (pg 52). Seemed like it would be nice to know if my 10GHz rig (or any of them!) was putting out power. Got some bargraph boards from him, the rest of the parts from the internet, and finally built it today.

I had a bit of trouble cutting a square hole with only a hand drill, but I can see the bars. (If anyone likes designing and printing cases, let me know!)

Turns out I don't have any 9v batteries, so testing will have to wait until I go to the store. I don't expect to have any problems though, since the bargraph circuit is pretty simple, and the AD8317 board had everyone on it already.

1
Learning Morse (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/cw_talk@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

How are you learning CW?

Self study? CW Ops class?

2
New 10MHz Box (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/vhf@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

Finally mounted the 10MHz OCXO in a box. Now when I go do microwaves, I should be on frequency. 🥳

Now I have to set up the 10GHz system and look for the local beacons to see how it works.

1
Your Projects (lemmy.radio)
submitted 1 year ago by ham_bitious@lemmy.radio to c/homebrew@lemmy.radio
0 comments fedilink

Anyone working on anything fun or interesting?

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ham_bitious

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