Amateur Radio
#1
Posted 30 September 2007 - 09:11 PM
http://www.qrz.com/testing.html
www.hamtestonline.com
http://www.aa9pw.com/radio/
http://www.eham.net/exams/?ehamsid=22226bd...1e203c7f65eeabb
http://www.radioexam.org/
http://www.w8mhb.com/exam/
http://www.kb0mga.net/exams/
http://www.radioqth.net/exams.aspx
There are no secrets on the test. The books have all questions and answers in them. After reading the book, I suggest taking a few trial test to see where you stand. This will give you a good indicator on your weak areas if any.
If we can get a count on books, I will order them after the next meeting. The price is $18.71 each. I suggest getting together the following Saturday to issue the books and answer any first questions. At this time I will also give a short session on general radio operations, antennas, and technology used in Amateur Radio. This will not be considered as part of the class.
It will not be necessary to attend this, but it will give you a good start. If you are not interested in getting your license, you are still welcome to come. I will cover some general antenna theory that holds true for all communications...works for CB also...
A park would be a great place as we could build a couple of different antennas and I can allow you to operate with my radios if any are interested.
There are several testing VEC's accredited by the FCC. We will be using the ARRL VEC to test under.
www.arrl.org
current question pool:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/pools.html
There is a link you can listen to on the internet.. It is the MMSN net.
www.mmsn.org
Just for kicks I had Tim to stop by my jeep after the last meeting. The first contact we made was in Alabama. The second was in Michigan. Ham Radio is the real thing....
Robert...N9NQ
#2
Posted 01 October 2007 - 07:51 AM
JeepTalk is not a club forum. If this is a club event Moderators might need to move this to the correct club section.
El Niño
Experience is defined as something you get, after you need it.
Give the world the best you have. The best will come back to you...
There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." 9th Commandment.
"Speak not Evil of the absent for it is unjust." George Washington, Rule 89 of Civility and Decent Behavior.
Wheeling Gallery ----- E-Mail
Life Member: South Florida Jeep Club
#3
Posted 01 October 2007 - 11:53 AM
I don't know any other way to get the information to the members wanting to get their Amateur Radio license. I also stated that the class is free and anyone is welcome to attend it whether they are a club member or not. I found a previous post on the class and it could be moved to that post if necessary.
I still intend for the class to be for anyone. There are other issues such as where are the classes being held. If the normal club meeting location can't be used, I can make arrangments for a location.
Please advise,
Robert N9NQ
#4
Posted 01 October 2007 - 12:02 PM
Quote
I still intend for the class to be for anyone. There are other issues such as where are the classes being held. If the normal club meeting location can't be used, I can make arrangments for a location.
Robert,
Your are correct, and yes it is good that we can have this for everyone. However please as I said on my first post.
Quote
Keep in mind that when you are posting this to the open forum rather than the club section, others have no idea what this is about that were not at that meeting. Give us more info and I'm sure others will be interested as well. Most see it as a brand new post.
Btw, if you ever need to get information about anything else to the SFJC members just go ahead and post in that private section which we all read.
With regards to this Amateur Radio, I think it would be excellent to anyone that wants to come who lives near the area and can attend and should not be held just for the SFJC. We need to know location, times, etc. though.
El Niño
Experience is defined as something you get, after you need it.
Give the world the best you have. The best will come back to you...
There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." 9th Commandment.
"Speak not Evil of the absent for it is unjust." George Washington, Rule 89 of Civility and Decent Behavior.
Wheeling Gallery ----- E-Mail
Life Member: South Florida Jeep Club
#5
Posted 01 October 2007 - 02:09 PM
The library will sometimes allow the classes. Fire departments are also sometimes open to it.
I'll check out a couple of posibilities.
Robert
#6
Posted 02 October 2007 - 08:54 PM
So here it goes...the first.
Here is a link to the repeaters for 2 meters and 70 cm in Florida. The "wide" coverage repeaters will usually cover 100 miles or more. Linked repeaters can go further. IRLP Repeaters "Internet Radio Linking Project" can link repeaters anywhere in the world.
www.irlp.net/
http://florida-repea....org/dblist.htm
Each band is described as in meters...2 meters = 144 to 148 MHz..etc...
This is based on the speed of radio waves which is the speed of light.
1c or the speed of light = to 299,792,458 ,meters per second. Since we refer to radio frequencies as MHz (megahertz) we can shorten the math. We round off 1c to 300 and (for CB 27.185 MHz..channel 19...MHz means megahertz...) we shorten that to 27. The wave length is the actual peek to peek distance of the radio wave it travels. So we divide 300 by 27. That = near 11 meters...CB Radio.
There is a list for other bands such as 1.25 meters...220 and 23 cm. The 2 meter / (70 cm...sometimes referred to 440) are the most popular.
One advantage of 70 cm is the physical size of the antenna. The higher the frequency the smaller the antenna. This could be advantageous in the woods or under a lot of coverage. 70cm also does better through concrete and steel. FRS and GMRS are in the 70cm band, however ham radios will not transmit on the GMRS and FRS frequencies legally.
The lower the band such as CB in the 11 meter band has problems near any objects. Any low band transceiver has this problem, whether it is CB or HAM. A half wavelength antenna for CB center frequency is over 17 feet in length. When you shorten an antenna by loading coils, you raise the "Q" rating. This creates a condition where the antenna will couple to nearby objects. When this happens the SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) will go up. This is the ratio of forward power to the reflected power back to the transmitter. This will greatly affect the transmitting capability of the transceiver. So the smaller the antenna the less the possibility of it being affected by tree limbs..etc....
One case where bigger is not always better. OK for those of you that have seen my Jeep, the one antenna is 13 feet from ground to the tip of the antenna. This antenna will tune from 10 meters all the way down to 80 meters...3.500 MHz.
A half wavelength antenna refers to a dipole antenna. The formula is 468 divided by Frequency in MHz = the length in feet of the antenna.
A dipole antenna is a center fed antenna with equal lengths of wire. The length is measured from tip to tip on the antenna. This brings up another issue. Polarity. Vehicle mounted antennas are Vertical polarized. A dipole is Horizontal polarization. Up close...a few miles of transmitting distance, when you mix the polarity, you will only get approximately 1% of your radiated power to the other radio. You may have noticed this while using with hand-held radios. Over longer distanced this changes and does not have the same affect.
A 80 meter antenna 1/2 wave length is 126 feet long. So that says there is one huge coil associated with this antenna. It also wants to "couple" to any nearby objects. Out on the open highway, it works great. I can work stations around the world with it.
By the way...this is more advanced than what is required for you tech license. It is just good stuff to know.
Next time a quickie on propagation and why we use so many different bands....
Robert N9NQ
#7
Posted 09 October 2007 - 07:31 PM
N9NQ, on Oct 1 2007, 03:09 PM, said:
The library will sometimes allow the classes. Fire departments are also sometimes open to it.
I'll check out a couple of posibilities.
Robert
Not sure on Tim or anyone contacting any facility as we all thought you were going to set this up. Library sounds good and even some of the fire houses in Davie.
El Niño
Experience is defined as something you get, after you need it.
Give the world the best you have. The best will come back to you...
There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." 9th Commandment.
"Speak not Evil of the absent for it is unjust." George Washington, Rule 89 of Civility and Decent Behavior.
Wheeling Gallery ----- E-Mail
Life Member: South Florida Jeep Club
#8
Posted 09 October 2007 - 09:13 PM
I have plenty of help to teach the class. If the class is run in a couple of days, I would not be able to talk that long by myself. With that in mind, it may be possible to run 2 different classes at the same time. I'm not against that, and I'm sure there would be support from the other instructors.
We will try to iron this all out tomorrow.
Robert...N9NQ
#9
Posted 15 October 2007 - 03:02 PM
For now use the link below. With the class starting Nov 10th, you will need to read the first 15 chapters before the first class. I believe there are 22 chapters in the book.
http://kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/0...lStudyGuide.pdf
Good Luck,
Robert...N9NQ
#10
Posted 19 October 2007 - 07:46 AM
For those in NC, I will be available when you return. Email me N9NQ@ARRL.NET and I will set a time with you to get your book. You need it by next weekend. You will need to read a minimum of the first 75% of the book before the first class. The reason for this amount is there is only 1 week before the second / last class.
Contact info:
Post questions in this forum. Chances are most will have the same questions.
You may also email me. I will give out a sheet during the book issue that will have all contact info…phone numbers…etc…
Robert
N9NQ
#11
Posted 19 October 2007 - 10:29 AM
#12
Posted 19 October 2007 - 09:37 PM
So you will remember who Iam ,you let me take a book and agreed to collect the money at the first class.
Again Thanks for all the time and effort.
To make this more clear to all, this class and test was first offered at a meeting of the SFJC.
However it is open to all, even outside of this forum.
This is a great opportunity and I for one am going to take advantage of this offer.
I encourage anyone reading this to do so as well.
#13
Posted 20 October 2007 - 02:01 PM
Also, if anyone has contact with the group coming back, have them contact me about the same.
Thanks,
Robert.....N9NQ
N9NQ@ARRL.NET
#14
Posted 27 October 2007 - 07:00 AM
Beloi is the email from Robert Broderick WE4B
Robert N9NQ
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ed Kashuba got us this confirmation for a conference room to conduct the class.
This room is on the 6th floor and is a nice conference room that the doctors use.
We put in for 20 people but more can fit in at least 10 more.
Event Confirmation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Event/Meeting Name: RADIO CLUB
Event ID: 62321
Date: 11/10/2007 to 11/17/2007
Client:
Contact:
Activities
Activity Name: RADIO CLUB (20 attending)
Date/Time: 11/10/2007 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Booking: Scheduled
Reservation Status: Confirmed
Location: MRH
Room/Space: 6 NORTH CONFERENCE ROOM
Seating Style: Theater
Activity Name: RADIO CLUB (20 attending)
Date/Time: 11/17/2007 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Booking: Scheduled
Reservation Status: Confirmed
Location: MRH
Room/Space: 6 NORTH CONFERENCE ROOM
Seating Style: Theater
________________________________________________
Robert Broderick, WE4B
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Linux and Intel inside!
#15
Posted 01 November 2007 - 07:44 PM
Oakland Park, FL
Collins Center
3900 NE 3rd Avenue
Div: Southeastern
Sect: Southern Florida
I will bring the rest of the books to the Towers Shop tomorrow.
Robert...N9NQ
Dates Type Event and Contact Location
3 Nov 2007 + CY Harris Free Flea
Broward Amateur Radio Club
http://www.eagle3.net/barc
Talk-In: 146.79 (-600)
Contact: Jeffrey Depew, KI4FFG
221 SW 53rd Avenue
Plantation, FL 33317
Phone: 954-562-5391
Fax: 954-791-8118
Email: j4244@aol.com
Oakland Park, FL
Collins Center
3900 NE 3rd Avenue
Div: Southeastern
Sect: Southern Florida
#16
Posted 02 November 2007 - 07:47 AM
N9NQ, on Nov 1 2007, 08:44 PM, said:
Oakland Park, FL
Collins Center
3900 NE 3rd Avenue
Div: Southeastern
Sect: Southern Florida
I will bring the rest of the books to the Towers Shop tomorrow.
Robert...N9NQ
Dates Type Event and Contact Location
3 Nov 2007 + CY Harris Free Flea
Broward Amateur Radio Club
http://www.eagle3.net/barc
Talk-In: 146.79 (-600)
Contact: Jeffrey Depew, KI4FFG
221 SW 53rd Avenue
Plantation, FL 33317
Phone: 954-562-5391
Fax: 954-791-8118
Email: j4244@aol.com
Oakland Park, FL
Collins Center
3900 NE 3rd Avenue
Div: Southeastern
Sect: Southern Florida
Robert I will call you later to discuss. i have everyones number who signed up and will call them to remind them.
'03 Tomb Raider Rubicon (#0986)
4.88 gears, Bellyup, oil pan skid, 1 ton high stearing, SYE with Tom woods RE adjustable upper control arms, Rubens 4130 heat treated lower adjustable control amrs with greasible johnny joints, OX outer axle seals, 1" MM lift, 1-1/4" BL. and maybe more but I cant remember
'98 Grand Cherokee
Ru•bi•con n.
A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment.
#17
Posted 03 November 2007 - 09:55 PM
Few Dents/Scratches From Roll @ Tellico
...and that tree in Ocala
Caloosa Jeepers Florida Jeepers
"Good News, If you woke up breathing. You have another chance"
#18
Posted 07 November 2007 - 11:16 AM
Class will be held in the 6th floor NORTH CONFERENCE ROOM
3501 Johnson St
Hollywood, FL 33021
[map=http://maps.google.com/maps?q=3501+Johnson+St,+Hollywood,+FL+33021,+USA&ie=UTF8&ll=26.019573,-80.180175&spn=0.007887,0.013626&t=h&z=16&om=1]Memorial Regional Hospital[/map]
'03 Tomb Raider Rubicon (#0986)
4.88 gears, Bellyup, oil pan skid, 1 ton high stearing, SYE with Tom woods RE adjustable upper control arms, Rubens 4130 heat treated lower adjustable control amrs with greasible johnny joints, OX outer axle seals, 1" MM lift, 1-1/4" BL. and maybe more but I cant remember
'98 Grand Cherokee
Ru•bi•con n.
A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment.
#19
Posted 13 November 2007 - 03:07 PM
Robert ...N9NQ
#20
Posted 13 November 2007 - 03:17 PM
For those in the class on Saturday, if you still have any questions on meters, look at my post #6. If this does not help, ask me at the meeting Wednesday night.
Ohms Law...Ohms Law
NASA Ohms Law Tutorial
Thanks,
Robert...N9NQ
#21
Posted 14 November 2007 - 12:23 AM
N9NQ, on Nov 13 2007, 03:07 PM, said:
Robert ...N9NQ
I think I remember Steve bringing one in.
Lulu - Black & Tan German Shepherd - can read: Fun with Lulu, RIP May 25, 2021
Blue - '01 TJ Wrangler Sport - 2.5" lift on 33's sold when I moved to Italy
Frieda - Our first "Jeep" in Italy was a '98 Honda Civic, but Lulu didn't know it was really a car.
Rosie - '11 Jeep Compass Limited
"Well-behaved women rarely make history." - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
#22
Posted 14 November 2007 - 08:20 AM
#23
Posted 19 November 2007 - 09:11 AM
Now we just wait for our licenses number which we might receive this week.
Thanks Robert for getting us involved.
'03 Tomb Raider Rubicon (#0986)
4.88 gears, Bellyup, oil pan skid, 1 ton high stearing, SYE with Tom woods RE adjustable upper control arms, Rubens 4130 heat treated lower adjustable control amrs with greasible johnny joints, OX outer axle seals, 1" MM lift, 1-1/4" BL. and maybe more but I cant remember
'98 Grand Cherokee
Ru•bi•con n.
A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment.
#24
Posted 19 November 2007 - 12:19 PM
You two should be commended for your dedication and professionalism.
The class was both informitive and enjoyable, I didn't even get kicked out for horsing around.
I must be out of touch - not like the old days.
Anyway,
Thanks and see you around, :sneak: :sneak:
Steve
#25
Posted 19 November 2007 - 12:41 PM
Wardie, on Nov 19 2007, 12:19 PM, said:
You two should be commended for your dedication and professionalism.
The class was both informitive and enjoyable, I didn't even get kicked out for horsing around.
I must be out of touch - not like the old days.
Anyway,
Thanks and see you around, :sneak: :sneak:
Steve
I thought they were going to keep Otis when they couldnt find the test though. Luckly it was just misplaced
'03 Tomb Raider Rubicon (#0986)
4.88 gears, Bellyup, oil pan skid, 1 ton high stearing, SYE with Tom woods RE adjustable upper control arms, Rubens 4130 heat treated lower adjustable control amrs with greasible johnny joints, OX outer axle seals, 1" MM lift, 1-1/4" BL. and maybe more but I cant remember
'98 Grand Cherokee
Ru•bi•con n.
A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment.
#26
Posted 19 November 2007 - 06:34 PM
Your license will show up in the ULS within 4 to 5 business days. I did get it in the mail before 6:00 PM Saturday. It may have a chance of being listed in the ULS by Friday. Thanksgiving may have an affect whether it makes it in by Friday.
Site for lookup:
http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=...p;page=daily#am
Look under Amateur Radio Service and the daily downloads. Save the file and open the EN file. There you can search for your name.
We are making plans at the Palmetto Amateur Radio Club to have an event one weekend to cover design and build of antennas. This would be a good chance to build a few field antennas for Amateur Radio and CB. Anyone is welcome to attend if you are a "Ham" or not. We'll help you out with your radio installation issues and show you some good , cheap, and easy antennas you can build for portable use. The next time you are in Tellico or just off road and camping, you'll be able to erect a temp antenna that will greatly extend CB use for others in the field.
Again, Congratulations to everyone and good luck,
Robert N9NQ
#27
Posted 27 November 2007 - 08:26 AM
You should receive the license from the FCC within the next couple of weeks. For now, you are legal as HAM operators.
Congradulations,
Robert N9NQ
KJ4ARG Haney, Otis B
KJ4ARH Bernstein, Matt R
KJ4ARI Tuck, Timothy W
KJ4ARJ Ward, Steven J
KJ4ARK Miles, Stephanie C
KJ4ARL Davis, Charles W
KJ4ARM McKenna, Michael J
#28
Posted 07 December 2007 - 02:37 PM
There is also the remote install cable kit included worth an extra $40. The radio was never used in a vehicle. This radio is in like new condition....sold for ~$300 new.
This would be a great first radio.
Robert…N9NQ
#29
Posted 10 December 2007 - 09:00 AM
The next Club Meeting
and Holiday Party will be
December 10th, 2007 at 7:30 PM
at Shoney's Restaurant
2500 S.W. 64th Avenue
Davie, FL 33317
Just off I-595 and Davie Road
There is an exam session begining @ 6:00 so anyone wanting to test for any class of license or upgrade is welcome. It is OK to show up late for testing, but try to be there before 6:30
Happy Holidays,
Robert...N9NQ
#30
Posted 17 December 2007 - 08:33 PM
With some of you getting radio's there is one consideration you need to be aware of.
Most new amateur radios pull from 20 to 30 amps. Because of this you have to connect directly to the battery. This also help reduce ignition noise and other factors that can affect amateur radio. Nearly all radio's are provided with it's own power cord. If you notice, it has 2 fuses. One for the positive and one for the ground. The common thing is to wonder why you need a fuse on the ground, and a lot of people will remove it .
Do not remove the fuse on the ground!!! The reason is, if you ever loose the ground from the battery to the engine, the current will travel across the ground to the radio for what ever needs a ground. Your radio has a ground from the chassis and also at the base of the antenna forming the counterpoise. If the engine ground is lost, the current required by the starter will fry your radio or the wiring to it and / or the shield of the coax. Some computers and GPS in cars also have a separate ground and hot wire. Depending on the circuit, this also could cause a problem in your vehicle even if you don't have a ham radio or CB.
The fuses should be as close to the battery as possible. A .01 UF capacitor can also be installed parallel with the power cable to help with electrical noise. Twisting the power cable will also help. Also, always use resistor type plugs and wires. This will be even more critical on HF radios...CB is 11 meter HF. In one installation I actually had to run the power through flex conduit to shield it.
Get in the habit of turning your radio off before cranking the vehicle. This causes static and can cause Gremlins to come alive in the radio...especially in the settings and memory. Look into a cloning cable and backup your frequencies, power settings and PL tones to a computer. That has saved me a lot of time in the past.
For lower current devices you cna use a resistor in series to limit the current across the device...Remember Ohms law???
I hope everyone has Happy Holidays.
Robert...N9NQ