Ham how to

[B~C]

After talking to Pat up at Blakley, I have a craving for more info on Ham radios. Anybody know of some good web sites for the hamwannabe? Any recomdations on what and where to buy? Does that VHF antenna work without a bunch vodoo tinkering?

thanks...inquiring minds want to know

[Adeline]

Hi Ken, I carry a hand held 2 meter Kenwood (HT22-AT) that I use when boating, sledding, and dirt biking. Ten years ago my brother was injured in a dirt bike crash way up above Swift Creek Reservoir and we could'nt get out on his cell phone. We studied to become "no-code technicians" and took our exam to get our licenses. No-code means learning morse is not required. Amateur radio groups have "repeater" stations located atop many mountains to provide excellent coverage. Some also enable you to use your tonal key-pad to make non-commercial telephone calls @ no cost(if you join their group). I've been able to contact fellow HAMS from Mt. St. Helens and deep in the woods and out in the ocean. We use our hams to find each other when we're seperated and also in case of emergency. We always carry a portable GPS to tell help where to find us if we're hurt. I suggest you pursue your license with a friend or spouse. My brother and I made flash-cards to prepare for our exam. Exams are offered regularily @ many locations throughout the metro area. I recommend you begin here http://www.hamradio.com/ .They have a store in Tigard that has all the info. you need to get to get started. Pete

[B~C]

Thanks for the info, I'll have to venture down to Tigard and investigate that store....a mobile unit in the boat plus a handeld would be a pretty handy setup. Good idea on the buddy system for the test, I'll bet I could get M and the kid talked into joining me.

[Sneaks]

You can also go here http://www.arrl.org/ for online info on ham radio. Two meters is just a shade below marine VHF frequencies and many two meter hand helds are, or can be made capable of monitoring those freqs. Like anything else, redundancy is the safest route, so cell phones, vhf, and ham rigs really cover all bases.

WA6WKL

[Pat Anderson]

VHF and ham radios are close enough in frequency so that a marine VHF antenna works just fine out of the box with a 2 meter mobile radio. I have a Yaesu 50 watt 2 meter mobile rig mounted next to the Icom VHF on Daydream. With the system of 2 meter repeaters, these radios have a tremendous range compared to the VHF marine radios - the Lyman Hill repeater (145.19) near Sedro Woolley connects hams from up in B.C. (Thetis Island, actually) down to Lacey, WA - maybe further. I would really like to see if you could hit the repeater from down by Vancouver WA! 50 watts, good antenna and most importantly good line of sight, who knows? I also have a couple of different handhelds, and sometimes I take one of those along too. Getting the no-code tech ham radio license should be relatively easy for you (you already know the answer to many of the questions on the test). Probably the best site if you want to study online is qrz.com, you can take practice tests until you routinely get all or most of the questions right, then find an VE (Volunteer Examiner) session and take the test. I think you can find a VE testing session near you on qrz.com or arrl.com, if not, you can find a ham radio club contact in your area on one of those sites. As I recall the test is 50 questions. Hope to catch you on the air!

[B~C]

thanks for all the info...I always thought a Ham radio would be a nifty thing, and, now with us ranging farther out with the boat, it would be a sensible thing to have on board. I also though ham radio was a expensive hobby that required some 100 foot tall monster antenna and you had to be some radio brainiack to get a license, wrong, wrong, and, wrong..this is looking very do-able.

[Pat Anderson]

There are different categories of licenses - No-code Tech, General, Advanced, Extra (not sure which of those higher categories still exist, the FCC might have rearranged some of those) that have different privileges, each license having access to greater amounts of the bands allocated to ham radio. The monster antenna towers are for HF (high frequency) radios that let you directly communicate, when the conditions are right, with other hams around the world. These licenses have increasingly more difficult exams and a code requirement. The No-code Tech license restricts your privileges to mostly VHF (very high frequencies), and MOST of the action is on 2 meters, although you can do 6 meters, 220 mhz, 440 mhz and even something higher. The interesting thing is, the FCC is working on a rule to eliminate the code requirement, and when they do, existing No-Code Techs will automatically get General licenses, with certain HF privileges, at least that is what the deal was going to be the last time I checked. The Generals grumble, but I think it is great!

[B~C]

[Pat Anderson]

Yes, I paid $129 - $139 for my 50 watt Yaesu and Icom (have one of each). These were "special" prices, I think the regular prices were in the neighborhood of $200. You can't go wrong with either a Yaesue or Icom 50 watt mobile unit, they both work great.

[thataway]

High Frequency operation is also possible on the C Dory. The Icom 706 is an excellent 100 watt radio which will do 2 meters, 6 meters and HF.
Antennas can be mounted on the foreward railing or top of the cabin. There are a number which are from 4 feet to 8 feet in lenght. These include the Hamsticks, Outbacker, Hustler and Comet. There has to be a ground or counter poise--and this can be a wire to a small plate in the water--some have used the outboard or made a counter poise under the deck. You don't need the big antennas (although that certainly gives a much better chance for long distances). I have talked from my boats all over the world just using Ham Sticks.

Although there are a lot of 2 meter repeaters, there are many places where there is no coverage and then HF will give you both help and communication if necessary. Also there is a free E mail service called Winlink on HF ham radio.

So while you are getting the ticket--go for the general!

73's

Bob Austin
KA6PKB

[SeaSpray]

Hi,
I have a no-code license tha I mainly use for the RACES team at work.
I am planning a trip to Desolation in September. Can anyone tell me repeater requencies and setup info for that area and the San Jauns?
I have a 2band portable radio that I can take with me.
Thanks,
Steve

[B~C]

That HF stuff looks like something to grow into, that gear would put a serious dent in the Wallas stove budget. The 2 meter gear I can gather up without the CFO getting to wacky

I'll bet Pat or David will weigh in shortly with the info on the Juans

[Pat Anderson]

Can't argue with anything you said, Bob - except the part about "a lot" of places without 2 meter repeater coverage - in this part of the Upper Left Coast, there is almost nowhere you can go where you are out of range of a 2 meter repeater, from the crest of the Cascades out to the San Juans / Gulf Islands, South Puget Sound, etc. Probably the same on the coast around Portland / Vancouver...you would have to get east of the Cascades before you would start having coverage issues. And then there is the code issue - I assume ~BC (and I) could master the General written exam fine, but code requires, well, more time and effort than most people these days think is worthwhile, especially if they don't intend to USE code - I KNOW this is a religious issue, I have been through it with my morning net friends, about "real ham radio," etc. When the FCC gives me my freebie General, I probably will get an Icom 706 and a Hamstick...

[Pat Anderson]

THE repeater for the San Juans by me is the Lyman Hill repeater near Sedro Woolley. Repeater output is on 145.19, minus offset, 127.3 tone. Don't know about Desolation Sound, might be a hair too far north, but who knows, give it a try! There is a Saltspring Island repeater that would definitely work, I have two listings, not sure which one I used. One is 147.32, plus offset, no tone. I THINK this is the one I have used. The other one is 146.66, minus offset, no tone. Try them both from Desolation...

[Captains Cat]

There's a good repeater directory on line at

http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/states/Washington.asp

You can see other states if you poke around.

Charlie K4KBA