Ham Log #8 - Ham Licenses

 So you want to become a Ham?  Congratulations!  You will find many kindred helpful souls online (called Elmers) that will be thrilled to help you along the path.  

Ham licenses come in several versions, each progressing upon the next.

1) The basic ham license is the "Technician" license.  Put simply, this license gives you the ability to listen and speak using 2 meter radios on most of the repeaters in your local area.   Many inexpensive  handheld radios fall into this category, and can be used for both repeater connections *and* radio to radio communications via simplex.  

To get a technician ham license I suggest:

a) the ARRL study manual here: https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Radio-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/1625950829

b) Download a Ham test taking app for your smartphone (Ham Test Prep: Technician).  You might also check out http://hamstudy.org  online.

c) Go check ke70g's Ham Youtube guides: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL07A7D1C9D7BF7F48 to help as you read your book.

 d) schedule your test out about 4 weeks.  http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session  

 e) join a local ham club (you don't have to pass first!) and try listening to some remote ham conversations online!   You can often listen without a license online... example: https://web.psrg.org/listen/

2) The next license you can add is the "General" license.  The General license gives you access to more advanced equipment that lets you listen and speak and communicate digitally across the US or even across the world using HF (high frequency radios) and their associated antennas.

To get the general ham license, I suggest (after you get your Tech license):

a) the ARRL General study manual here:  https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-General-Class-License-Manual/dp/162595106X

b) Download a ham test taking app for your smartphone (Ham Test Prep: General).  You might also check out http://hamstudy.org online.

c) Go check out ke70g's Ham Youtube guide for the general class license here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0R9jy9LZw_35KimLiSIOH0YdNtCeYcRe

d) schedule your test out about 4 weeks.  http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session  

e) Join a local ham club if you haven't already!  And then go listen online to ham's working their HF skills here:  http://websdr.k3fef.com:8901/ and whet your whistle on what you'll soon be able to do :)  There's a bigger list here: https://www.hamradiosecrets.com/listen-to-ham-radio-online.html

3) The most advanced license you can add is now the "Extra" license.  The Extra license gives you some special access to frequencies you might not otherwise have with the other two licenses.  It also gives you bragging rights - because the test is too long to easily memorize.  Hopefully by this point, you have both experience and knowledge about the foundational electronics, antenna work, power and frequencies involved.  I am working on my extra license now - and hope to have it in the next month or two.

To get the extra ham license, I suggest (after getting your Tech and General license):

a) Get the ARRL Extra study manual here:  https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/1625951310

b) Download a ham test taking app for your smartphone (Ham Test Prep: Extra).  You might also check out http://hamstudy.org online.

c) Go check out ke70g's Ham Youtube guide for the extra class license here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0R9jy9LZw_3CHCH-5A8faeIA-H3e4ZNC

d) schedule your test out about 4 weeks.  http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session  

e) If you're a General license tech and don't have a peer group of hams, you're missing out.  There are lots of specialty groups - tinkers, emergency comms, DX competition participants.  Find your tribe.  And you may also want to play with some of the new online tools that reduce the cost for playing on the ham airwaves.  Check out some of the new Software Defined Radios (SD Radios), or online ham shack time that you can rent online for $100/year- folks like https://www.remotehamradio.com/pricing/

Ham Log #7 - Emergency Communications and Preparedness

Ki7QFV - Emergency Communications and Preparedness

I got my GMRS license today!  I'm now WRAX289 as well as Ki7QFV.  Why did I do that, might you ask?  Because in an emergency, not everyone is a ham, and part of our job is bridging from system to system.  GMRS, at least in my city, is used to provide communications between different sections of the city (known as community hubs) back to the Emergency Operations Center, and even to/from small neighborhood units.  You too can get a GMRS license (no test required!) by going here:  https://www.gmrs1900.net/blog/93-tutorials/122-getting-your-gmrs-license

So what's in your mobile kit?  I drive a station wagon... with a bunch of stuff:

My UHF/VHF radio gear: 
-Deep cell battery w/ pigtails for anderson power poles and cigarette lighter adapter
-Battery charger/tender
-DC/AC inverter (350 watt!)
-HT Baofeng UV-5R radio with extended battery
-Charger for my HT radio (AC power)
-Extra charged batteries for my HT radio
-Signalink for my HT radio for data transfers (mostly winlink)
-HT APRS to cellphone data cable (backup APRS option)
-Kenwood V71 dual band radio (for the higher 25/50 watt radio needs)
-magmount UHF/VHF antenna (with pigtail adapter to also support HT radio)
-downloaded and printed repeater list w/ offsets and tones
-downloaded radio manuals, FCC guide and other content on my cell phone (offline use)
-Printed paper contact list (phone numbers, email addresses)
-one-ear headset w/ microphone for the radio (for use while driving or sitting)
-paper copies of my ham license and GMRS license (and driver's license)
-basic toolkit (pliers, snap screwdriver with bits, cutting blade, anderson power poles, fuses, crimper)

My EmComm and support gear:
-Toughbook PC laptop, dc charger, AC charger
-HP Officejet 200 printer, battery, paper, and extra ink, charging cable
-Canon scanner
-Pen, highlighter and Paper
-Paper Maps and critical addresses printed out
-cell phone charger
-printed copies of critical emcomm forms
-ARES field manual
-GMRS radio, spare batteries, charger and headset

Other car go-kit emergency and overnight supplies:

(backpack)
-3 days of food and water, mess kit (metal fork/knife/spoon/bowl, cup)
-water purification tablets in a bottle
-leatherman
-first aid kit
-waterproof disposable "vacation" camera
-heavy gloves
-toilet paper and pads (can also help with first aid)
-rollup hat with a brim (waterproof is helpful)
-sunscreen
-quick change (spare underwear, socks, tshirt)
-small toiletries (toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrush, shampoo, face soap, tiny towel)
-duct tape, 3 garbage bags and zip ties
-wind up flashlight
-wind up am/fm portable radio
-small dust-mask
-spare glasses
-small whistle, mirror and old fashioned compass
-nylon rope (25 feet)
-sharpie and waterproof paper

-rain poncho (small, pre-packaged)

-small folding camp chair
-flares and jumper cables, spare oil, spare antifreeze, spare full-size wheel and tire

-sleeping bag and small tent with rainfly

-watershoes (can be used in public shower, and as spare dry shoes in an emergency)

Stuff I'm planning to add after visiting KE7HLR's page: 
http://www.bay-net.org/docs/personal_go_kit.pdf

-safety reflective vest
-laminated maps
-paperclips
-binoculars
-hand sanitizer
-heavy duty ziplock quart and gallon bags (2 each)
-clipboard
Download these Electronic printable Forms so I can print in the field
ICS 205—Incident Radio Communications Plan
ICS 205-A—Communications List
ICS 213—General Message
ICS 216—Radio Requirements Worksheet
ICS 217—Radio Frequency Assignment Workbook
ICS 309—Communications Log

Apps on my Toughbook PC:
-Winlink Express
-Soundmodem
-FLDigi
-Libre Office Apps (to open/edit Word/Excel/PPT type docs offline)
-PDF reader
-CutePDF (allows you to print to PDF files)
-OCR software for scanner
-Zip/Unzip utility
-Photo processing app (to crop, reduce DPI, color depth, for sending)

Apps on my iphone:
-repeaterbook (repeater/frequency list)
-Pocketpacket (aprs)
-ham square (to get grid code)
-echolink (internet/cell data connected to ham repeaters)
-PSK31 (for decoding audible psk31 messages with your phone)
-manuals, etc downloaded as local pdf files (in ibooks)

Ham log #6 - DC Power

Ki7QFV - DC Power and Anderson Powerpole connectors

So I got my deep cell battery (sealed, 35AH, 12v) to power my new radios.  My first attempt to connect my radio to power was a mess - clamps and wire nut twisted wires!  Yikes! 

So I asked a couple of Elmers for guidance and they suggested Anderson Powerpole connectors.  These little red and black adapters are amazing - they clip together in almost any configuration, and give you quick-connect access for anything you need.  To use them you need both the plastic housing, and the metal flange/lead.  The wire crimps into the flange, and the flange is inserted into the plastic housing.  The yellow adapters are just to attach the other end of the Anderson Powerpole to the battery terminal.   There's a great youtube video for assembling your powerpoles here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUPWKxPGRGI

My biggest challenge was crimping them tight enough - so I bought a crimp tool.  I don't have the hand strength to crimp with pliers.  The other challenge was in orienting the curved tip properly.  It helped to connect the black and red ends with the "A" facing up.  And then it was fairly easy to keep everything aligned.

Once the pieces were assembled, they created a neat set of quick-disconnect adapters I could use interchangeably.  Technically the clamps + anderson power poles would let me attach to any battery (not just my own) and attach any of my gear.  The other adapter was a cigarette lighter I could use to run my laptop's DC power plug.

My battery then needed some work - so I added a simple power bus to the battery terminals, and then ran the Anderson Powerpole off the bus.  The bus is attached with heavy-duty velcro to the top of the battery.  I can also use the more substantial spade connectors as needed.

Ham log #5 - I passed my General! Time to Radio hunt

Ki7QFV - Radio Hunting and Exams

I passed my general license test on January 28, 2018, in part thanks to an amazing class put on by W7DAO  at my local Red Cross office.  Taking the class was a fantastic boost to my confidence in taking the test, but it also backfilled a lot of missing math and basic electronics information I need to be a successful ham.  If you get a chance, I highly recommend taking a general class.  And you'll meet some great ham contacts!

As a result of passing, I now had to decide which radio I wanted, for what purpose, and in what form.  My little Baofeng was serving me well, but I needed an upgrade so I could do HF traffic.  Several wise Elmers warned me to avoid the all-in-one radios - if the radio promises to do everything, it won't be good at anything.  So for HF traffic, I went with a computer friendly Yeasu FT 891.  It's small enough to be mobile when I need it, strong enough to reach out and touch someplace far away, and smart enough to control with my laptop.  The big drawback is that it isn't a VHF/UHF radio, so I'd still need a second radio for those functions.

I bought the Yeasu online via Ebay, and it's also coming with something called a 63 foot end-fed antenna that says it doesn't require tuning (because of harmonics).  The real question will be if it works - but if it does, it's a very inexpensive solution compared to the other Yeasu antenna options, and one that could potentially be mobile, especially on RV camping trips in the woods.

For the UHF/VHF function in my vehicle, I've purchased a Kenwood TM-V71A.  It looks to be a powerful little mobile radio that can handle basic radio traffic with ease.  It can do 50 watts when needed, but can be throttled back to 5 watts when I want to play with low power testing.  I expect this to be a solid daily-use radio that should hold up well.  I'll use the mag-mount antenna for now, but I hope to install something more permanent later.

Ham log #4 - Antenna fun with the Baofeng

After playing around with my portable Baofeng a bit, I then linked up with some wonderful local mentor hams (often known as Elmers) that helped me learn more about what I could do with my little radio.  They recommended a new antenna (called a VHF/UHF magmount) that I could use either with a METAL cookie sheet or attached to the roof of my car to extend the reach of my little radio.   There are adapters that can make the "large" antenna connector fit the Baofeng's tiny antenna port available from Amazon.  The adapter is called a SMA Female to UHF SO-239.  You can get one here:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00COKNKS8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I then connected my Baofeng to the magnetically attached UHF/VHF antenna and set it magnetically attach to the roof of my vehicle.  The antenna (Luiton 27 Inch UHF(400~470MHz) Whip Base-load) greatly increases my range.  I will say that connecting and disconnecting this adapter is hard on the radio, and probably not the best long-term plan, but it works!
You can get one here:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQT044S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also joined a couple of directed communications "nets" as a visitor (it's good to practice communications and test your radio BEFORE an emergency arises).  Nets are formal or informal times when groups of hams get together to check in with each other over the radio.

Ham log #3 - APRS location services on Baofeng

Ki7QFV locating via APRS on my Baofeng UV-5R

APRS is a location service for hams.  Many see it as a great mechanism for tracking mobile stations, and on some radios, APRS can actually alert you when another APRS enabled ham is nearby, and even tell you which frequency they are on.

In my case, I wanted to make APRS work on my little Baofeng radio for transmitting my location.  I found an app online for my iphone called PocketPacket.  It has the ability to share my APRS geo-location information both by cell, and by radio.  It requires a special cable (BTECH APRS-K1 Audio Interface Cable) that looks like this: 

This cable, plugged into my iphone's headphone jack allowed me to configure the pocketpacket for "audio modem" mode.  After I configured all my personal settings/callsign information, I matched the radio to frequency 144.39, and connected!

You have to be careful with the app though - to really know you've made a radio connection you want to watch the packet log for the interface you're using. You should see the packet flow under the "audio modem" section.

By default the application wants to use the cell network to update your location information.  You'll need to intentionally disable the internet/IS connection, & *enable* the audio modem.  Then connect the cable, and set your radio to 144.39,  you should be good to go!

You also need to turn the VOX trigger down as far as you can, to prevent your updates from taking over the channel for longer than necessary.  Start with 100 if you can.  Once you have this fine tuned you should see your geo-location update if you check the web here:
https://aprs.fi

If things go well, you should see the default icon (a house) on the map in your location, but you can change that icon to reflect your aprs function (vehicle, etc).

My next step will be to get a more intelligent radio that has built in APRS so I can leverage more of the advanced features of this tool, but this has been a fun first step!

Ham log #2 - Winlink Express screenshots and settings

Ki7QFV Winlink Express and Radio Email

A helpful ham mentor/Elmer (N6NBN) taught me how to send and receive winlink email (think SLOW email over radio).  Pretty cool stuff! Remember that you can't use it for business purposes (the same ham radio rules apply, and the email is regularly monitored).  Adding winlink to my toolkit required adding some additional hardware to my little to-go bag:

a) a USB printer cable
b) a Signalink or TNC-x device  (I bought both but I could have just used the Signalink)
c) A custom cable to go from the TNC-x or Signalink to my radio
d) A portable and *durable* laptop (toughbook in this case) with Winlink and Soundmodem installed

I then customized the little jumpers inside the signalink box for my specific radio, with the handy little wire jumpers provided in the signalink package.   It ended up looking like this:

I then stepped through a fairly long configuration process put together by W6CDD here: http://n4ser.org/2016/soundcard-winlink-2-uz7ho-replaces-agwpe/.  Here's a snapshot of my winlink packet settings:

And here's a shot of my soundmodem settings once the signalink was attached.  The signalink MUST be attached before you'll see the USB Codec option.

 

I tested the whole configuration with internet access and the telnet option; but once configuration was complete,  I selected packet winlink and a nearby channel from the list,  and proceeded to test sending via radio!

Winlink could be VERY helpful in many situations - and one of the only ways you can communicate with non-Hams with your ham radio.  You can send to any internet email address, including the more obscure ones - so as an example, you could email a phone (example: #######@txt.att.net) etc.  Be aware that internet users can reply to your email, but may have problems sending directly to you without a //WL2K in the subject line.  

The next challenge was to make the signalink/winlink/soundmodem combination work on my Mac Laptop (because sometimes I have the Mac and not the PC with me).  That turned out to be more complicated, and I documented the process here:  https://wiki.psrg.org/wiki/Winlink-Mac:_Internet_Email_over_Radio_on_a_Mac

I'm looking forward to taking this to the next level, when I can send winlink over long distances with a HF radio after I get my general license.

------- stop here for regular Winlink------

[Epilogue - I got my general, and was able to make the mac work on an HF radio!  Here are the settings to *instead* connect the mac via a serial/usb to a Pactor modem via an Icom marine radio - which is functionally the same as it would be from a PC.]

Ham log #1 - Why can't I transmit? offsets and tones

April's Ham Log!  Ki7QFV

Hello and welcome to my little voyage of Radio Ham discovery.  I am a new participant in the wild and wonderful world of Ham Radio communications, and I thought I'd share a little about my journey.

I passed my technician test on 10/1/2017 and acquired a functional little Baofeng UV-5R with an extended whip, a spare battery and a DC car charger.  This was my first exploration into VHF/UHF.

The little HT (handitalk) radio allowed me to listen in on several local channels, but it soon became obvious that I couldn't transmit.  Why you ask?  Because I didn't yet know what offsets and repeaters were really doing.  Once I added the appropriate offsets and tone settings, I was able to communicate on the repeater frequencies.

The thing with repeaters is they send and receive on slightly *different* frequencies.  And although you can generally listen, unless you program your radio, you won't be able to send.  You can look up offsets and the tones/CTCSS online here:  https://www.repeaterbook.com/repeaters/Display_SS.php?state_id=53&band=14&loc=%&call=%&use=%.  That table can help you configure your radio appropriately, especially if you use the Chirp software application to first back up your radio settings, and then add the channels to your configuration, and finally upload the configuration back to your radio.  You can find Chirp here:  https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Download