The cheap garbage baofengs did more for amateur radio's growth than anything else in the last 10 years
Obviously just my opinion here. But I see the love/hate relationship with these junker baofengs. I have a few myself, they've been fine. But it's a great way for people to take the tech license, learn where their local club is, and just in general learn about amateur radio.
My buddy, in his 30s, smart guy, has absolutely no clue what a ham radio is or what you do with one. I think the little baofeng army is for guys like that to have an easier path to getting into it, if they choose.
So yeah, that's my defense of the oft maligned baofeng.
what do you use your radio for? [noob question]
hi everyone. i've been lurking this forum for a few weeks now since i started thinking about getting into amateur radio. the amount of information on the web is incredible.
one of the problems i find with all of the information is that it requires a bit of knowledge already in order to understand it. yes, i know, studying for the test will explain a lot of things but most of those are technical. bands, antennae, analog & digital, and so on.
what i'm really curious about is what people are actually doing with their radios.
some of the things i have found are:
emergency preparedness, when nothing else is working, hams can still get through so they can be used for communication when phones/internet don't work
conversation, chatting with other hams just for the sake of chatting
seeing how far you can reach, is that what is called contesting or is there another name for seeing how far away you can speak to someone
what else do hams do?
one of the problems i find with all of the information is that it requires a bit of knowledge already in order to understand it. yes, i know, studying for the test will explain a lot of things but most of those are technical. bands, antennae, analog & digital, and so on.
what i'm really curious about is what people are actually doing with their radios.
some of the things i have found are:
emergency preparedness, when nothing else is working, hams can still get through so they can be used for communication when phones/internet don't work
conversation, chatting with other hams just for the sake of chatting
seeing how far you can reach, is that what is called contesting or is there another name for seeing how far away you can speak to someone
what else do hams do?
Why is it called ham radio?
Why is it called ham radio?
“Ham radio” is a nickname for amateur radio. There are many theories about how our hobby came to be known as ham radio, but the one I like comes from the days when all radio communications was in Morse Code and many men (and women, too) made their livings as professional telegraphers. These telegraphers were proud of how well they could send Morse Code. They chided the amateur radio telegraphers as being “ham-fisted operators,” meaning that their sending was awkward and inefficient. Along the way, this got shortened to “ham operators” and the hobby became known as “ham radio.”
Whether or not this story is true, the ham in ham radio is definitely not an acronym, and should never be spelled HAM. Nor should the hobby be referred to as simply “ham” without the word radio. I prefer to call it “amateur radio” myself, and even that term doesn’t describe all that we do.
“Ham radio” is a nickname for amateur radio. There are many theories about how our hobby came to be known as ham radio, but the one I like comes from the days when all radio communications was in Morse Code and many men (and women, too) made their livings as professional telegraphers. These telegraphers were proud of how well they could send Morse Code. They chided the amateur radio telegraphers as being “ham-fisted operators,” meaning that their sending was awkward and inefficient. Along the way, this got shortened to “ham operators” and the hobby became known as “ham radio.”
Whether or not this story is true, the ham in ham radio is definitely not an acronym, and should never be spelled HAM. Nor should the hobby be referred to as simply “ham” without the word radio. I prefer to call it “amateur radio” myself, and even that term doesn’t describe all that we do.
What do hams do?
What do hams do?
If I haven’t lost them at that point, I try to tell them about all the services that amateur radio provides and all the other fun stuff that amateur radio operators do. This includes:
Emergency communications,
SkyWarn,
Operating Morse Code,
DXing,
Building kits,
Contesting,
Experimenting with computers like the Raspberry Pi,
EchoLink and IRLP,
Satellites,
Vintage radio,
QRP (using low-power transmitters),
Etc., etc., etc.
Of course I never have enough time to tell them all about amateur radio. So, that’s what I’m going to try to do with this book. I want this book to not only serve to get folks interested in amateur radio, but also to help newcomers get involved in our hobby. If I do my job right this book will be a combination of Ham Radio for Dummies, AC6V’s DXing 101, and the ARRL Operating Manual.
There’s a lot of nonsense floating around out there about amateur radio, and I’m making it my job to get it straight, so that the amateur radio can be both the public service and the hobby that it was meant to be. That’s my “no-nonsense” approach to ham radio.
If I haven’t lost them at that point, I try to tell them about all the services that amateur radio provides and all the other fun stuff that amateur radio operators do. This includes:
Emergency communications,
SkyWarn,
Operating Morse Code,
DXing,
Building kits,
Contesting,
Experimenting with computers like the Raspberry Pi,
EchoLink and IRLP,
Satellites,
Vintage radio,
QRP (using low-power transmitters),
Etc., etc., etc.
Of course I never have enough time to tell them all about amateur radio. So, that’s what I’m going to try to do with this book. I want this book to not only serve to get folks interested in amateur radio, but also to help newcomers get involved in our hobby. If I do my job right this book will be a combination of Ham Radio for Dummies, AC6V’s DXing 101, and the ARRL Operating Manual.
There’s a lot of nonsense floating around out there about amateur radio, and I’m making it my job to get it straight, so that the amateur radio can be both the public service and the hobby that it was meant to be. That’s my “no-nonsense” approach to ham radio.
DAPNET POCSAG Post Office Code Standardisation Advisory Group
POCSAG is an asynchronous protocol used to transmit data to pagers. The name is an acronym of the POCSAG (Post Office Code Standardisation Advisory Group)
FCC DA 18-980 Chinese BaoFeng Radio Ban Will Regulate USA Amateur Operators
FCC DA 18-980 Chinese BaoFeng Radio Ban Will Regulate USA Amateur Operators
The FCC has issued a Public Notice called an "FCC Enforcement Advisory," Number DA 18-980, dated 24 Sept 2018. It essentially makes worthless nearly all Chinese-made UHF/VHF ham radio handhelds imported into the country over nearly a decade that can also transmit outside the ham bands (which is nearly all of them). Watch this video for details and an interim update.
The FCC has issued a Public Notice called an "FCC Enforcement Advisory," Number DA 18-980, dated 24 Sept 2018. It essentially makes worthless nearly all Chinese-made UHF/VHF ham radio handhelds imported into the country over nearly a decade that can also transmit outside the ham bands (which is nearly all of them). Watch this video for details and an interim update.
DMR Network in Toronto CANADA : jamming | interference ** SHUT DOWN **
DMR Network in Toronto CANADA : jamming | interference ** SHUT DOWN **
Southern Ontario : Presently May 2018, most area accessible repeaters have been disabled due to jamming / interference / abuse.
Analog FM : Presently May 2018, many area accessible analog repeaters have been disabled due to jamming / interference / abuse.
https://twitter.com/dmrnetcanada
https://twitter.com/hamradioscanada
This is a disappointment !!!
VE3WZW ANDRE
Southern Ontario : Presently May 2018, most area accessible repeaters have been disabled due to jamming / interference / abuse.
Analog FM : Presently May 2018, many area accessible analog repeaters have been disabled due to jamming / interference / abuse.
https://twitter.com/dmrnetcanada
https://twitter.com/hamradioscanada
This is a disappointment !!!
VE3WZW ANDRE
LED Bulb RF Pollution - Elektor Magazine investigates
LED Bulb RF Pollution - Elektor Magazine investigates
DARC, the German national amateur radio society, are requesting amateurs to send LED bulbs which pollute the RF spectrum to the magazine Elektor for investigation
A Google English translation reads:
Elektor-Verlag GmbH calls all readers and especially all radio amateurs to send non-compliant LED bulbs including power supplies. Elektor wants to investigate this EMC-technical and then forward it to the competent market surveillance of the BNetzA.
The reason for the action: As a result of a press release of the DARC in September 2017 on the significantly increasing interference of radio communications, other radio services and the DAB reception by non-EMC compliant LED bulbs Elektor had investigated such lamps (as well as LED strips). The result showed a progressive electromagnetic pollution.
DARC, the German national amateur radio society, are requesting amateurs to send LED bulbs which pollute the RF spectrum to the magazine Elektor for investigation
A Google English translation reads:
Elektor-Verlag GmbH calls all readers and especially all radio amateurs to send non-compliant LED bulbs including power supplies. Elektor wants to investigate this EMC-technical and then forward it to the competent market surveillance of the BNetzA.
The reason for the action: As a result of a press release of the DARC in September 2017 on the significantly increasing interference of radio communications, other radio services and the DAB reception by non-EMC compliant LED bulbs Elektor had investigated such lamps (as well as LED strips). The result showed a progressive electromagnetic pollution.
QRZ Service Update - Biography Pages
QRZ Service Update - Biography Pages
Changes to Call Sign Pages
QRZ is announcing today that the availability of certain features pertaining to the display of user biography pages will be undergoing changes that promote greater security and better uniformity between listings. These changes will affect the way in which customized user biography pages are shown. Most users will not be affected by these changes, which affect only those who have elected to use features provided by the Expert Options and CSS Styles menu and in particular, those who have styled the upper part of the call sign page.
What is Changing?
Call sign pages on QRZ are shown using a Tabbed interface that overlays a few different sub-pages of data for each call sign. These tabs include Biography, Detail, Logbook, and possibly Web Contacts. The changes announced today affect only the data shown in the Biography tab, and only if you have made use of certain Expert options.
Call sign pages are typically spread across two distinct parts of the page. There is an upper area, called the Callsign Data Block followed by a tabbed section which holds the Biography, Detail, Logbook and other features. With this new security update, the information shown above or outside the tabbed section will be restricted to QRZ Use Only. This means that users will no longer be able to style, apply colors, background images, or other enhancements to the part of the page that lies outside of the tabbed area. Inside the Biography tab, users will be able to stylize their pages as before, including the use of Expert options and CSS.
fred AA7BQ
Changes to Call Sign Pages
QRZ is announcing today that the availability of certain features pertaining to the display of user biography pages will be undergoing changes that promote greater security and better uniformity between listings. These changes will affect the way in which customized user biography pages are shown. Most users will not be affected by these changes, which affect only those who have elected to use features provided by the Expert Options and CSS Styles menu and in particular, those who have styled the upper part of the call sign page.
What is Changing?
Call sign pages on QRZ are shown using a Tabbed interface that overlays a few different sub-pages of data for each call sign. These tabs include Biography, Detail, Logbook, and possibly Web Contacts. The changes announced today affect only the data shown in the Biography tab, and only if you have made use of certain Expert options.
Call sign pages are typically spread across two distinct parts of the page. There is an upper area, called the Callsign Data Block followed by a tabbed section which holds the Biography, Detail, Logbook and other features. With this new security update, the information shown above or outside the tabbed section will be restricted to QRZ Use Only. This means that users will no longer be able to style, apply colors, background images, or other enhancements to the part of the page that lies outside of the tabbed area. Inside the Biography tab, users will be able to stylize their pages as before, including the use of Expert options and CSS.
fred AA7BQ
Amateur HAM Radio and Boy Scouts and Girl Guides Canada
Amateur HAM Radio and Boy Scouts and Girl Guides Canada
I typically hear Amateur HAM Radio operators complaining about many things, however rarely taking action or involved in change. So as a result of a conversation I felt needed investigation I accepted it as a new intuitive.
The topic of why is Amateur HAM Radio not included in the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides curriculum?
The claims was as follows, but how true this claim is, is uncertain :
I am optimistic with the start and this public intuitive here that many will copy this public project that is outlined.
I have since followed up with the Executive Director of the Boy Scouts Canada.
RESEARCH START HERE ::
I typically hear Amateur HAM Radio operators complaining about many things, however rarely taking action or involved in change. So as a result of a conversation I felt needed investigation I accepted it as a new intuitive.
The topic of why is Amateur HAM Radio not included in the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides curriculum?
The claims was as follows, but how true this claim is, is uncertain :
- Boy Scouts and Girl Guides are not allowed to have technology in the curriculum
I am optimistic with the start and this public intuitive here that many will copy this public project that is outlined.
I have since followed up with the Executive Director of the Boy Scouts Canada.
RESEARCH START HERE ::
How Amateur Ham Radio Could Save Us | NBC Left Field
Hawaii's Communication Breakdown and How Going Amateur Ham Radio Could Save Us | NBC Left Field
Hawaii's recent false nuclear missile alert showed us how reliant we are on cell phones and modern technology—and how unprepared we are if they become inaccessible. But in case the unexpected happens, an unlikely group of hobbyists—ham radio operators—are standing at the ready and may save us all.
Hawaii's recent false nuclear missile alert showed us how reliant we are on cell phones and modern technology—and how unprepared we are if they become inaccessible. But in case the unexpected happens, an unlikely group of hobbyists—ham radio operators—are standing at the ready and may save us all.
IRN or Zello This Is Not HAM Radio
IRN or Zello This is not HAM Radio.
Will IRN replace conventional ham radio?
This is so common and claimed all the time.
But IRN, Zello, Team speak is fun, but I wanna see what you will do when the cell tower is down!
This is bullshit! I get 99,999% of cell signal no matter where I am.
Will IRN replace conventional ham radio?
This is so common and claimed all the time.
 |
| Radio-Tone RT4 |
But IRN, Zello, Team speak is fun, but I wanna see what you will do when the cell tower is down!
This is bullshit! I get 99,999% of cell signal no matter where I am.
I wonder if you can reach a VHF or UHF repeater for 10% of the time
of your traveling with a typical 4 Watt handheld with its rubber duck
antenna. And if GSM is not available, I could use a global WiFi hotspot.
Disclaimer: You may be excommunicated by the ham radio community for using satellite wifi hotspots.
Ham radio is a hobby. We don’t have to be like the ultimate emergency communications service providers. Leave it to the pros. Of course we can help with our HF and VHF/UHF as an additional resource. But on a daily basis, for the sake of talking to other hams, about technology and discussing ham topics, IRN, Echolink, Allstar, and others will do just fine.
Did you know that you need to hold a hamradio license to use IRN too, if you want to use the available hamradio RF Live channels?
Every city has, in Toronto Canada (ham club TFMCS) common claim by that one disparaging ham, we all know the disparaging ham that trolls that repeater.
Ok, but Zello, IRN and Echolink is not ham radio!
Yeah sure, it is written in the holy book of ham radio. “They” tell you that such systems are not ham radio, so stay away from such little systems of the devil !
As explained here, to use the IRN, or Zello, a GPRS connection will do just fine. Many hams, that are still reluctant to try the IRN, always have the same old-school speech: “In case of a crisis, where cell networks are down, the IRN radios will be useless”. Well my friends, it is true. The network radios will be useless. No one is saying that IRN is here to replace conventional ham radio. It is an add-on. And now tell me.
During the course of your entire life, how many times did you experience a network shortage due to a natural disaster? I know, as hams, we always have the spirit to be the last resource in providing emergency communications. Well, keep the spirit, but let yourself enjoy the IRN for the 99,9999% of the time that cell towers are at service. Take a backup VHF handheld with if you think it’s going to save your ass. Live more in the present because technology is giving us hams a whole new playground that we never had access to before.
In our city of Toronto Canada we also have the bitter elitist and purest, one comes to mind that is holding on to the Baofeng and FM analog ham radio or HF only. He seems to be wait on the repeaters for that conversation to explode with his bias views, this occurs often when speaking to the newer ham operators and is so quick to preach FM analog and stay away from .... But to each his own and to those bitter elitist and purest :
The main point and fact here is :
Here is hoping that we enjoy it all. Even digital, ie DMR (Brandmeister).
Link here : HamRadio.tk
Disclaimer: You may be excommunicated by the ham radio community for using satellite wifi hotspots.
Ham radio is a hobby. We don’t have to be like the ultimate emergency communications service providers. Leave it to the pros. Of course we can help with our HF and VHF/UHF as an additional resource. But on a daily basis, for the sake of talking to other hams, about technology and discussing ham topics, IRN, Echolink, Allstar, and others will do just fine.
Did you know that you need to hold a hamradio license to use IRN too, if you want to use the available hamradio RF Live channels?
Every city has, in Toronto Canada (ham club TFMCS) common claim by that one disparaging ham, we all know the disparaging ham that trolls that repeater.
Ok, but Zello, IRN and Echolink is not ham radio!
Yeah sure, it is written in the holy book of ham radio. “They” tell you that such systems are not ham radio, so stay away from such little systems of the devil !
As explained here, to use the IRN, or Zello, a GPRS connection will do just fine. Many hams, that are still reluctant to try the IRN, always have the same old-school speech: “In case of a crisis, where cell networks are down, the IRN radios will be useless”. Well my friends, it is true. The network radios will be useless. No one is saying that IRN is here to replace conventional ham radio. It is an add-on. And now tell me.
During the course of your entire life, how many times did you experience a network shortage due to a natural disaster? I know, as hams, we always have the spirit to be the last resource in providing emergency communications. Well, keep the spirit, but let yourself enjoy the IRN for the 99,9999% of the time that cell towers are at service. Take a backup VHF handheld with if you think it’s going to save your ass. Live more in the present because technology is giving us hams a whole new playground that we never had access to before.
In our city of Toronto Canada we also have the bitter elitist and purest, one comes to mind that is holding on to the Baofeng and FM analog ham radio or HF only. He seems to be wait on the repeaters for that conversation to explode with his bias views, this occurs often when speaking to the newer ham operators and is so quick to preach FM analog and stay away from .... But to each his own and to those bitter elitist and purest :
The main point and fact here is :
"Live more in the present because technology is giving us hams a whole new playground that we never had access to before."
Here is hoping that we enjoy it all. Even digital, ie DMR (Brandmeister).
Link here : HamRadio.tk