Who else thinks ham radio is annoying

reply to post by Rocketman7

Not really "rocketman" dits and dahs are too slow for any kind of efficient data transfer other than the simplest by hand.Modems use various modulation schemmes check out the link I provided: some switch frequencies (FSK: frequency shift keying), some shift phase( psk); some change amplitude.

reply to post by Rocketman7


I realize it is a waste of my time to reply to this "Troll-Like" post regarding Ham Radio but I am irritated now.

Like any hobby, you get out of it what you put in. If you had put any real effort into understanding what an amateur radio license authorizes, you would have known that the Wouxun radio pictured accesses just a single frequency band of the 29 bands available to licensed operators. Using my radio knowledge and experience I have two forward scatter experiments operating to monitor real-time meteor/space debris reentry events (and something big is up because earth is experiencing too many reentry events for this time of year). Using junk disposed by others I tap into geostationary satellites to obtain real-time images of earth at multiple wavelengths before the government repackages the images for posting on the internet. Your limit is your imagination.

If the guy that purchased the radio from china had bothered to study the technician-class material and not just study to pass the exam, he would have known to research the local repeater frequencies if he wanted to listen to other hams. Ham radio is not a game, an improperly installed linear amplifier could burn down a house or subject family to dangerous electrical fields. Ham radio is for those who want to get out the enjoyment of accomplishment proportional to the effort they put in.

Best regards,
Z Extra-Class

i found your post pretty amusing. i use to wonder the same thing. my guess is the whole being part of a "special" crowd syndrome.

they are useful in emergencies but not very entertaining to listen to when your bored.

Originally posted by DrZrD
reply to post by Rocketman7

 

I realize it is a waste of my time to reply to this "Troll-Like" post regarding Ham Radio but I am irritated now.

Like any hobby, you get out of it what you put in. If you had put any real effort into understanding what an amateur radio license authorizes, you would have known that the Wouxun radio pictured accesses just a single frequency band of the 29 bands available to licensed operators. Using my radio knowledge and experience I have two forward scatter experiments operating to monitor real-time meteor/space debris reentry events (and something big is up because earth is experiencing too many reentry events for this time of year). Using junk disposed by others I tap into geostationary satellites to obtain real-time images of earth at multiple wavelengths before the government repackages the images for posting on the internet. Your limit is your imagination.

If the guy that purchased the radio from china had bothered to study the technician-class material and not just study to pass the exam, he would have known to research the local repeater frequencies if he wanted to listen to other hams. Ham radio is not a game, an improperly installed linear amplifier could burn down a house or subject family to dangerous electrical fields. Ham radio is for those who want to get out the enjoyment of accomplishment proportional to the effort they put in.

Best regards,
Z Extra-Class

I think it has lots of potential as I said in an earlier post and you are obviously really using it beyond the standard modus operandi.
Sounds very scientific.
But then, for that guy in the video, and most people who do not make it their life's work, if TSHTF and power goes out, the repeater goes down, now most people who are probably using a repeater, will once again only have a 3km range, and would know as much of what is going on, by looking out the window, as they would by talking to someone 3km away.

Is that not correct?

Originally posted by UnrelentingLurker
i found your post pretty amusing. i use to wonder the same thing. my guess is the whole being part of a "special" crowd syndrome.

they are useful in emergencies but not very entertaining to listen to when your bored.

Well I am thinking of getting maybe a scanner, for emergencies, or maybe a ham radio, but I think Ham radio doesn't do much to make it worth my while when the Internet does everything.

Look at how many people have joined this thread and how in a short time we have exchanged views. People from all over the world.
And there was no hissss noise and playing with squelch buttons and repeating everything and just making contact basically. I might be wrong but I think what they talk about most is just talking about talking. Like working the bands and stuff whatever that means. And using acronyms, to talk about working the bands.

Here, people already know the topic, and can contribute.

At this point I am still thinking of just getting a couple mobile radios, for 39 dollars, that have a 30 km line of sight range like walkie talkies, that don't require a license or anything and toss em in the bug out bag.

Maybe a scanner though, to find out what was going on if TSHTF but i think they are expensive.

Anyone know a good cheap scanner from China maybe that is a real good deal for the buck?

I agree, ham sandwich is better

Originally posted by Bullcookies
I agree, ham sandwich is better

Why don't they have mobile radio clubs, with repeaters, that you don't need a license for?

Is this all just a prestige thing? "Ham radio operators are standing by 24 7 in case of emergency, and in case your government and military fall down and the national guard and the public broadcast system, are also down."


I think marine band radio is better because you don't need a license and you don't need to know a thousand acronyms.

CB radio used to be cool. I wonder why that went out of style?

"Any truckers out there with their ears on this is big duke cmon" "Yo big Duke, I am right behind you good buddy, you got my six cmon?"Ten 4 I got yer six alright, right here in the cooler behind the seat good buddy" "Eeeeeeeehaaaaahhhh" Let them truckers roll.

The airwaves are suppose to belong to the public, a license is nothing but a revenue stream for the government.

Originally posted by Bullcookies
The airwaves are suppose to belong to the public, a license is nothing but a revenue stream for the government.

There is something fishy about this whole ham radio thing I think.

"you workin the bands (Alpha Bravo DeltA 6 9er over" "Yeah I'm workin the px and the cx, Foxrot Mary Bravo Charlie 2 over"

Yeah and you need a license for that.

Originally posted by Bullcookies
The airwaves are suppose to belong to the public, a license is nothing but a revenue stream for the government.

You must be right. After all, a license costs something like. Oh, wait..... It's free!

So much for your theory.

Originally posted by Rocketman7
Is this all just a prestige thing? "Ham radio operators are standing by 24 7 in case of emergency, and in case your government and military fall down and the national guard and the public broadcast system, are also down."


I think marine band radio is better because you don't need a license and you don't need to know a thousand acronyms.

I guarantee you I am not standing by in an emergency to help you. I have the setup for my own survival, not yours. As far as marine band, the problem is that you can only talk to other people with marine band radios. It's not like people in Colorado care much. It's not anywhere near universal, theerfore it's not as useful.

Originally posted by Rocketman7
You missed my point.

I know you use computers with the hobby, so why not use ham radio as a modem too?

Only because it was so obscure. Why would I ever want to do that? It's a lot of hassle for zero advantage.

Originally posted by Rocketman7

Originally posted by UnrelentingLurker
i found your post pretty amusing. i use to wonder the same thing. my guess is the whole being part of a "special" crowd syndrome.

they are useful in emergencies but not very entertaining to listen to when your bored.

Well I am thinking of getting maybe a scanner, for emergencies, or maybe a ham radio, but I think Ham radio doesn't do much to make it worth my while when the Internet does everything.

Look at how many people have joined this thread and how in a short time we have exchanged views. People from all over the world.
And there was no hissss noise and playing with squelch buttons and repeating everything and just making contact basically. I might be wrong but I think what they talk about most is just talking about talking. Like working the bands and stuff whatever that means. And using acronyms, to talk about working the bands.

Here, people already know the topic, and can contribute.

At this point I am still thinking of just getting a couple mobile radios, for 39 dollars, that have a 30 km line of sight range like walkie talkies, that don't require a license or anything and toss em in the bug out bag.

Maybe a scanner though, to find out what was going on if TSHTF but i think they are expensive.

Anyone know a good cheap scanner from China maybe that is a real good deal for the buck?

First of all, all your Iphones and cell phones are actually just radios. Walkie talkies. That's all they are. The radio in that moron's video is basically just the same thing as a cell phone.

Don't forget, you are all PAYING to have this internet usage. And they can JACK UP THE PRICE ANYTIME. Judging by the way everything else is going, they definitely will, and way higher than you think

HAM RADIO IS FREE. That's the big deal. You could make one yourself, it's pretty much just a coil and an antenna. 13 year old boys used to make them themselves, back when that was cool. Now you have to play vidoe games I guess.

Packet radio already exists. It is another internet. Totally free, and always will be. It's a little different. I can download weather maps and satellite weather data in the middle of the ocean. I can check my email from the top of Mt Everest. It's pretty awesome.

You've also got D star which is basically linking the two together. This costs MONEY, though. But still, with this I could twitter away from the middle of the ocean...not that I would want to, but I could.

I live on a boat, so this stuff is kind of important to me. Once you get more than forty miles or so offshore, cell phones are out of range, so is VHF marine radio. Ham or single sideband will reach anywhere. Plus, on a sailboat I have a built-in huge antenna. There is a guy up in Canada, an amateur, who spends all his time collating all the weather reports from basically every ship and boat out there. Everyone logs in every day and tells him what the wind direction and speed are, wave heights, etc. He collates it all together and comes up with weather reports that are way better than even NOAA puts out, based on real time data, and he gets more data than NOAA does. All for free, all thanks to ham radio.

And, since this a doom dreading conspiracy website, when TSHTF how are you gonna communicate with ANYONE outside of earshot? If you don't have ham radio equipment, you are going to be completely cut off. Or when the evil govt institutes martial law, and shuts down the internet and the phone system, how are you going to hook up with the other rebels to destroy their evil empire without some kind of comms?

Originally posted by schuyler

Originally posted by Rocketman7
You missed my point.

I know you use computers with the hobby, so why not use ham radio as a modem too?

Only because it was so obscure. Why would I ever want to do that? It's a lot of hassle for zero advantage.

So then what about APCO-25? Is your Ham radio capable of listening in to digital emergency broadcasts from local police, fire etc? And are they not encrypted some times?

Originally posted by CaptChaos
And, since this a doom dreading conspiracy website, when TSHTF how are you gonna communicate with ANYONE outside of earshot? If you don't have ham radio equipment, you are going to be completely cut off. Or when the evil govt institutes martial law, and shuts down the internet and the phone system, how are you going to hook up with the other rebels to destroy their evil empire without some kind of comms?

Short wave?

Smoke signals?
"Fire a shot into the air when you get there"
"Shoot one zombie for yes, shoot two for no"

Two cans and a string works for short distances. Oh I think that if TSHTF, and I see a ham radio, in the fingers of a skeleton on the side of the road, I will pick it up.

I think with a scanner, one that is APCO-25 like the Home Patrol 1, I can find out what is going on, without giving away my position, because it does not have the GPS add on. Although you can get one. Then unplug it if TSHTF.

Something you might not be able to do. Hide from pirates.

Originally posted by Rocketman7

So then what about APCO-25? Is your Ham radio capable of listening in to digital emergency broadcasts from local police, fire etc? And are they not encrypted some times?

A HAM radio uses different frequencies, so no, a typical HAM-oriented radio would not be able to pick those up. And yes, you're right, some of the police communications are intentionally encrypted. Most HAMs I know have a police scanner, so you can pick up some stuff, but if things get hairy and the cops don't want you to hear what is going on, they'll revert to a cell phone for 'privileged' communications. Some of the more expensive scanners (like $500 instead of $89,95) can pick up APCO-25. There is plenty of analog still in use, but my guess is it will all move to digital sooner or later.

Originally posted by schuyler

Originally posted by Rocketman7

So then what about APCO-25? Is your Ham radio capable of listening in to digital emergency broadcasts from local police, fire etc? And are they not encrypted some times?

A HAM radio uses different frequencies, so no, a typical HAM-oriented radio would not be able to pick those up. And yes, you're right, some of the police communications are intentionally encrypted. Most HAMs I know have a police scanner, so you can pick up some stuff, but if things get hairy and the cops don't want you to hear what is going on, they'll revert to a cell phone for 'privileged' communications. Some of the more expensive scanners (like $500 instead of $89,95) can pick up APCO-25. There is plenty of analog still in use, but my guess is it will all move to digital sooner or later.

Well thats the thing you see. If I spend a fortune well 700 bucks on a FT-817ND and then need to climb a mountain, to get away from city buildings and get some range, and I need to pack a portable antenna, AND be able to tune it, know how to use the radio, have to get a license, have to know also what bands do what, and configure the whole thing and name the favorites, you know, and then still not know what is going on in my own city, or the next, or the one past that because its not APCO-25.

It has APRS but then all that does is allow other people to know where you are. Like GPS.

By contrast, check out this little marvel right here. The Home Patrol One

Here is what it can do...
* Instant Replay – lets you play back the last transmission.
* Recording Sessions – record events as they happen for later review.
* 2 Gigabyte MicroSD Card – provides plenty of room for recordings and favorites lists.
* USB Connection – provides a high-speed connection for database updates and recording file transfers.
* HomePatrol-1 lets you hear transmissions on most commercial and public safety communications systems, including Motorola, EF Johnson (EDACS), LTR, and the latest digital APCO 25 systems. Better yet, you don't need to know what any of those systems are to be up and running, hearing your local agencies.

And I throw one of these in the bug out bag...

BC72XLT

and 4 of these Uniden walkie talkies

And one of these Acoustic couplers I already have one that I have had for years.

Then man I am good to go. Throw a CB radio in the van, get a gun rack and some guns, a six pack in a cooler and eeeeehaaaah ride em cowboys bring on the doom.

What do you think of that setup? Just skip the Ham radio and let other people do that and listen in with the BC72XLT hand held scanner. It picks up ham radio.

Originally posted by CaptChaos

First of all, all your Iphones and cell phones are actually just radios. Walkie talkies. That's all they are. The radio in that moron's video is basically just the same thing as a cell phone.

Don't forget, you are all PAYING to have this internet usage. And they can JACK UP THE PRICE ANYTIME. Judging by the way everything else is going, they definitely will, and way higher than you think

HAM RADIO IS FREE. That's the big deal. You could make one yourself, it's pretty much just a coil and an antenna. 13 year old boys used to make them themselves, back when that was cool. Now you have to play vidoe games I guess.

Packet radio already exists. It is another internet. Totally free, and always will be. It's a little different. I can download weather maps and satellite weather data in the middle of the ocean. I can check my email from the top of Mt Everest. It's pretty awesome.

You've also got D star which is basically linking the two together. This costs MONEY, though. But still, with this I could twitter away from the middle of the ocean...not that I would want to, but I could.

I live on a boat, so this stuff is kind of important to me. Once you get more than forty miles or so offshore, cell phones are out of range, so is VHF marine radio. Ham or single sideband will reach anywhere. Plus, on a sailboat I have a built-in huge antenna. There is a guy up in Canada, an amateur, who spends all his time collating all the weather reports from basically every ship and boat out there. Everyone logs in every day and tells him what the wind direction and speed are, wave heights, etc. He collates it all together and comes up with weather reports that are way better than even NOAA puts out, based on real time data, and he gets more data than NOAA does. All for free, all thanks to ham radio.

And, since this a doom dreading conspiracy website, when TSHTF how are you gonna communicate with ANYONE outside of earshot? If you don't have ham radio equipment, you are going to be completely cut off. Or when the evil govt institutes martial law, and shuts down the internet and the phone system, how are you going to hook up with the other rebels to destroy their evil empire without some kind of comms?

You see that DSTAR you mentioned sounds like what I was hoping Ham radio would be. Sort of.

Except all it does is use the Internet. Now if you live on a boat at sea, ok, you need that to access the Internet.

I like this radio here that is handheld DSTAR capable

EXCEPT, if TSHTF the repeaters will be down as soon as the power goes out and now it is a paperweight.

Just when you need it the most, it is only good for one shot. To throw it at a zombie as you run for your life. Thats annoying.

If you want to get technical, you can get 4.8 Kbps peer to peer with that radio between it and your other radio if you have 2 of them, you can send a text message "good bye" and 3 pictures from a web cam, one as the zombie grabs you, one as he bites you and one of you wailing in pain.

So 4.8 kps if I buy two of those radios, and just for fun lets see how much that is going to cost me...

So $540 for one! And I need two of them to be able to link with my sidekick or home base or vehicle. The vehicle unit is probably more expensive. And so then its 5 watts and gives you 3 or 4 km range in the city.

Thats annoying. Why is that annoying?

Because if I take 4 uniden mobile radios, total cost 80 bucks, and I get one more acoustic modem, since I already have one, its 74 bucks but lets say I don't have one, so I get 2.
So 150, and 80 is $230 and THEN I will get a baud rate of 24 to 26 Kbps.
With the same range.

So 4.8 k data transmission rate as opposed to 26k data transmission rate. And with the acoustic modem I am fully connected to the lap tops, using com software and can make any sort of hosting site I want.

You know a BBS or a forum or website all with WIndows and just let the caller log on, OR log on remotely myself. You know to detonate the charges or whatever you do in a SHTF situation.

And I don't have to do anything except turn them on, and tape the buttons down on two of the radios.

Windows sends the signal through the radios to the other lap top. And connects.

Battery power ok, I have to connect the radios to a car battery or truck battery like if it was a base station I have to leave 2 radios on if it is unattended but I can also for another 39 bucks, merely have a voice set of radios, and tell the sidekick or partner at the base, ok, turn on the radios, I am logging in.

Up to 39km away. With those cheapy mobile radios. Or as someone else suggested just get a 99 dollar wi fi bridge for the home base. Then log on within 40 km. Run them off batteries.

I think the only thing ham radio is good for is if you run into the bush and climb a mountain then you might not need a repeater but you won't have DSTAR then. Since it needs repeaters and the Internet.

So even technically speaking, its annoying because its not as good as a home made setup with a few cheap radios and a couple old acoustic couplers but it costs you over a thousand dollars.

Originally posted by Rocketman7
What do you think of that setup? Just skip the Ham radio and let other people do that and listen in with the BC72XLT hand held scanner. It picks up ham radio.

Your assuming there will be something to listen to. Everyone has a different concept of what SHTF actually means.

Let me put it this way......

I am a card-carrying volunteer member of my local county's "disaster response team." I've been background checked and that little card with my picture on it will get me into the local CENCOM building during a disaster so that I can 'help coordinate' whatever the hell it is we're supposed to be doing.

Now, if there were a real disaster, a SHTF disaster that was widespread, I figure I won't be going to CENCOM. I figure I'll be home helping to protect my family. I'm guessing the cop that lives next door will be home, too, and that together we may be able to keep our act together. I'm not bugging out anywhere into unknown territory; I'm staying here.

You have to pick the equipment that will keep you as well informed as you want to be. Your list is an interesting one, but it is likely to be different than mine. If I live in Colorado, a marine radio is of little use to me. The HAM gear is set to an international standard and caopable of very long distances. It's an integral part, but not the only part of my approach.

Initially you were discussing how annoying it was. I think we'be both moved beyond that initial declaration to an understanding that a lot of this stuff, including HAM radio can prove very valuable.