ldivinag

the license themselves are around $12 (maybe it's gone up one or 2 bucks since 4 years ago when i got mine).

edit: the FCC test you take from an approved place cost $12. when you pass the test, the license you get from the FCC is free.

it lasts 10 years.

also, remember, just because you can buy a ham radio from a store, you still need a valid and current FCC license to BROADCAST. you can listen as much as you want, but the second you key in that mic without a license, you are breaking the law.

do it enough times, and you can have people tracking you down... literally.

VSU_4runnin

awesome, ive been looking into it for a while, and never really seem to get answers. Thanks for your help it seems like a good investment considering no one on my CB ever wants to help/answer.

Also it may sound dumb, but if your in a bit of a stick on a trail or your lost or emergency or what have you, are there certain channels local help/assistance listens to like emergency bands like on marine bands, or do you just have to scan or put our a msg and pray you get lucky and get ahold of someone?

ldivinag

kinda...

take a look at the 2 meter band. it goes from 144.000 mhz to 148.000mhz in north america.

and no, unlike CB where channel 1 is techincally 26.965 MHz, there is no CHANNEL xxx.

normally, a group will pick a frequency that is free of area repeaters. after all, you dont want to pick freq that is being used by a repeater already.

that's why you would prepare your radio to hit the repeaters that would be in the area that you would be in.

and radio clubs, groups and organizations can setup their own repeaters, with proper licensing with a specific freq.


there are freqs set aside that would be used for "special" uses:
http://www.k0nr.com/rwitte/2m_frequencies.html

i was reading the HAM FOR DUMMIES book, and it talks about a national 2 meter freq set aside when you are traveling.

VSU_4runnin

sorry for all the noob questions, i think im gonna order that study book tonight, what is a repeater, or repeater band?

ldivinag

nah... there are no noob questions... just noobs...

jk...

a repeater is a special radio. it acts like a middle man between 2 people. usually to extend the range.

for example, if person A's radio can only "go" 25 miles. but person B is 50 miles away, they both would connect to the input freq of the repeater, which sits between A and B.

but the output freq of the repeater is usually diff. hence the term DUPLEX.

where as, like in CB, when you are on CH 1. and that is SIMPLEX.

now, in north america, each band has a pre-defined "REPEATER SHIFTs". for example, in the 2 meter band:

i bring this up because i worked a rally race earlier this year. and i forgot to program in the repeater shift.

so whenever i talked, i wasnt broadcasting to the input freq of the repeater, just the output.

so the only people that could hear me, was the ones close enough to receive me...

sigh.

i learned something new on my yaesu radio, that the AUTOMATICA REPEATER SHIFT feature was not available when you program in the frequecies, but in manual mode only... doh...

VSU_4runnin

thanks so much for all the help, the amateur radio sites are helpful, but they leave alot to be desired, i have a cb, and it hasnt been very useful, except it is great for sitting in traffic and figuring out the best way around by talking to truckers, haha

GSGALLANT

Here is the link for the writeup for my setup.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Good writeup GS, first time I have read it.

And guy's, pay attention to what Leo said.
Amateur radio is a lot different than CB where you hear swearing, music, and all sorts of wacky stuff.

Try that on amateur radio and they will track you down and you will get in major trouble.
Must have a license for this stuff.

I will probably have my whole setup down before I get to take my exam, so I will only be listening in, no transmitting until I get my call sign.

And I believe with the Technician class license, you can operate on the frequency to talk to the astronauts/cosmonauts up in the international space station.

GSGALLANT

Not to burst your bubble on this... because I'm not totally sure, but I don't think you'll be transmitting or receiving the ISS on a mobile unit. Your best chance of an ISS contact is by appling in advance for an ISS contact, through the ARISS program (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station). I know some schools get in on that... I'm not sure if random members of the general public can apply. I remember reading somewhere that you need a minimum of 75W on your setup, and certainly larger antennas than you would have on a vehicle to apply for a contact.

I've also read that the astronauts are encouraged to try to get random contacts on their "off" time on the ISS, but these contacts are totally random. Your best chance at listening in to the ISS and other NASA communications is to find out if there are any repeaters in your area that have permission to re-transmit the broadcasts. Otherwise, you would probably need some sort of directional antenna to stand a chance.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I was just listening to my Gorden West CD that came with my book, and he said the way they are contacting the space shuttles and ISS is with low powered two meter radios through satellites.
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/...dio/amsat.html

VSU_4runnin

one more lame question haha, how do you contact a call sign? do you have to both be already knowledgable to which channel they are on or what?

GSGALLANT

For us here in Canada, we can go online and see all the available callsigns for our province ahead of time. When you go write your test, they ask you to list the top three callsigns that you would like. Then, from your list of three, they assign you the first one that is available in the order that you ranked them. Since you are able to check availability before you write down your choices, it is very rare that you wouldn't get your first choice. This is for the normal 6 character callsigns... not the vanity callsigns.

GSGALLANT

Good to know, Corey. I hadn't read about that yet. Thanks for the info.

GSGALLANT

It's not a lame question... it's a fairly common question, actually. In amateur radio, they're not called channels, you just tune into a specific frequency ...and there are tons of different frequencies.

To answer your question, both operators have to be on the same frequency (or very close to the same frequency) to be able to hear each other. You can either talk on simplex (if you are within range of each other ...20-30 miles or so on a mobile unit... depending on how much power you have available and the quality of your setup.) Simplex means you just both select the same frequency (in the approved simplex frequency range), and talk to each other. Anybody else tuned to that same frequency can hear you.

Beyond that distance, you would start looking at communicating through repeaters (large antennas/radios that receive and automatically re-transmit signals). I've been able to hear certain repeaters several hundred miles away (if the conditions are good, and I'm not near anything that would cause interference), although I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to successfully transmit that far to the repeater with my 50W mobile unit. To communicate through a repeater, you both tune to the transmit frequency of the repeater, so you can hear what the repeater is transmitting. Your radio must be set up so that it automatically changes to the repeater's receive frequency when you push the "talk" button on your mic. Anybody within range of the repeater that is tuned to the repeater's transmit frequency can hear you.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I was reading about the repeaters in my Gorden West book last night.
Anyone thinking about becoming a ham needs this book.
He lists websites in it to for more information, and goes into great detail on many subjects.

He said with a repeater when you let go of the talk button, that the repeater will send a tone back to you?

He was saying also even though 2 meter is on the low end, many still talk to others on the other side of the planet through repeaters and through satellites.

Very interesting book and worth the read for an upcoming ham.

VSU_4runnin

Thanks soo much you have been very helpful. i cant wait to get started, ive already taken a couple of practice tests and passsed with better and better scores, ill let yall know when i get my call sign. Im scheduled to take my test here in 2 weeks

toyospearo

Not a lame question at all.
Program your rig to a frequency such as one on 2 meter or 70 meter. One of our local frequency's on 2 meter is 147.760. You simply make sure you are transmitting and receiving (all the correct tones and offsets set) and you call out your call sign. Usually a kind fellow ham is monitoring and will call back with his sign. Then you are off and running.
incidentally, it is illegal to transmit on any ham frequency without a amateur radio license.
Actually, GSGALLANT gave a more thorough explanation.

Good luck on your exam!! When you get your call sign and if you are ever behind the Redwood Curtain give me a shout out on the Far West Repeater 147.760
my call sign is K6ZXK

VSU_4runnin

nope dont have it yet, im gonna go take the test here in about 2 weeks

GSGALLANT

Some repeaters have the tone, others don't. When you're on a repeater with tones (they are called courtesy tones, by the way), you are supposed to wait until the tone sounds (after somebody else transmits) before keying your mike and starting to talk. Even on repeaters that don't have the tones, you should wait a few seconds between transmissions. This is to allow other people that might want to use the repeaters to signal that they are listening and waiting for your conversation to be over so that they can use the repeater.

The nice thing to do if somebody else needs to use the repeater would be to move your contact to a different frequency if possible, or finish your contact quickly. That's one big difference between CB and Ham... Courtesy towards others is expected.

By linking repeaters, I have talked to people approx 500km away so far with my 2m mobile setup... with the conversation as clear as with a cell phone. That's the furthest I've tried so far, but as long as there are repeaters along the way that are within range of each other (and that are linkable), I don't see what would limit you as far as distance is concerned. I have yet to experiment with satellite linking, and I haven't played around much with the 70cm band yet, although my system supports it.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the repeater info GS.

My two external speakers showed up.
I had ordered two Valor Big Mouths from Universal Radio, but they sent two Astatic VS4s instead.
Must be the same thing, they look good.

Amazon has pics of them.



I will remove my current CB external speaker and run two of these probably side by side.
Have not taken a look yet where to mount them.
I also may try and use the two way molding tape for emblems and mount them without having to drill holes.

They also sent me a HUGE catalog of all the gear they carry.
Yegads, glad I got my house work done a bit ago, I will be reading for awhile...

Also found out when the coax arrives next week that the wire in the middle of it will be held in with a set screw at the bottom of the GLP58 mount, but the outer braid of the coax will need to be soldered still to the mount.



Also the end that goes to the back of the radios UHF/VHF ports will have to have the end put on it with solder.

So two more shipments I am expecting to wrap this up for now.
I will do the ASAT-120A antenna sometime in the future, and maybe get that Budpole for DX work when camped or in the mountains for a day.