Ham Radio for Non Techies was created for those interested in getting into HAM radio and for those who have just gotten in the hobby/art. As of the time of this writing, I am also new to HAM radio and this is my journey into the hobby. I have discussions about radios and try to translate the technical terminology involved with HAM radio to help make it easier to understand. If you are looking to get your Ham Radio license, I have excellent resources to help you pass your test.
I will from time to time have product reviews on the equipment I own and use and things that I think might be worth your time. My opinions will always be honest for any products I review. I hope that you will find the channel informative, engaging and useful in your journey into the world of HAM radio. Please remember to subscribe and hit the bell to be notified any time I post a new video or do a LIVE broadcast!
Here’s a conundrum… you have several dual band radios and want to transmit on one radio while simultaneously listening on the other dual band radio. Antenna switcher is not the solution as it disconnects one of the radios.
I cant find a budget friendly hobby to save my life 😅 I like the side by side price list, that was helpful. Unfortunately both of those radios are still out of my price range 😅 I was looking at the Anytone 778UV, but idk if its HF though. Currently studying for tech license so once im ready for gen, maybe my budget will be different by then. Thanks for this!
Im in the UK. In the 1980s i had CB radio, i also had a midland 2000?) AM 12v rig. I made the antenna from Rg58 coaxial cable, hung outside my bedroom window. I had problems with my neighbours as it was interfering with their radios. My friend was a HAM enthusiast, his room completely covered in cards from all over the world! Im in my 50s now, ive been an outdoorsman, bushcraft and survival fanatic for over 40 years now. Im thinking of getting my licence and a portable radio. Im going in hospital next week for a total hip replacement. I will continue my outdoor activities when im back on my feet (my climbing and mountaineering in Scotland might take a while though 😂) I was thinking it would be great as i usually wild camp alone. I do understand power in wats, i remember with my am set i was given a "burner", i cant remember the power output but lets say when i keyed the mike to talk it blocked out most people in my town ! Any suggestions on a cheap portable handset appreciated. Im off work for now until i recover. Thanks for the information 👍
New folks, look into the online testing options if local testing sessions do not work for you. I took my Technician test online for $5 (most are $10-$15, just like in-person). No excuses! :)
You put in your location and distance from your location (10 miles, 43 miles, 100 miles) you want to search. It will show you all the repeaters (2m/70cm or whatever you selected) in that area. Thanks for posting. 73 kf0alt
I heard an old episode from 1996 on Saturday August 31st 2024. There was a man from Denver who called in and was asking Art about how to get in to ham radio. Art told him there was probably a ham radio store in Denver and he should go there and ask someone about how to find a club. He advised him not to try to learn everything from a book. Of course that was before social media and the internet as we know it today. I knew who Art Bell was and I listened to him occasionally over the years when I was out and about late at night. I knew he was a ham radio guy but I had kind of forgotten about that until I heard that old episode. I agree. Art Bell was a cool, interesting and very smart guy. RIP Art. You are missed.
What happened to me? Got interested in amateur radio, got my license in 2017, when I got my call sign all I had was a cheap HT, I ordered a mobile unit and while waiting for it to be delivered I tried making a contact on the HT, a guy told me someone was using my new call sign that I just got and was causing a bunch of problems, a couple days later I got a visit from some ham guy but I wasn't home, I don't know what he wanted or wanted to say to me, that really discouraged me, had my license less than 2 weeks and I was already in trouble and didn't even have a radio yet, I got my mobile unit and never keyed it up, my wife of 21 years passed away 11-2022 and I got bored, so 7 years later, I decided to give it another go, I have zero friends interested in ham radio and the learning curve is huge especially tying to learn and doing it by myself, starting to get discouraged again but I'll keep trying to learn, KC3JJY OVER.
At that point, you would have to resort to paper if you cannot use a hotspot through your phone or something similar. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Yeah I try to think of practical solutions that don't cost the moon to reproduce and this seemed to be a good one and it works! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
History: Bought 100 Amp Battery-Failed at 6 Years. Bought 2 Pure Sine Inverters-Both failed within Three Weeks.One of them failed THE FIRST DAY! Bought SEVERAL 40 Amp Batteries- 2 of which failed and you replaced them. Bought 2 20 Amp Charge Controllers 1 Failed. I believe you replaced that, but do not have the records to verify this. Yesterday, the SECOND 20 Amp Charge Controller Failed. Installed the new 30 Amp you sent me. We'll see what happens. 10 Amp Bioenno Charger now says new 200 Amp Battery if full. Surface voltage across Battery Leads is reading.13.37 Volts. I BELIEVE THIS BLF1220AS IS ALSO DEFECTIVE! WHAT-THE-%@@$#$#?! I'm very sorry, Kevin. This SEALS IT! Here is what I would like to do. A. Return EVERYTHING! Both Charge Controllers, Both sets of 50 Amp Jumpers, and BOTH Batteries. B. I want a Refund Check for $862.49, the current price of the BLF1210AS. I have lost faith in your products. Bruce A. Forster Show less Reply
Sorry you had that experience. I have four of their batteries as well as the solar panels and charge controllers and never had an issue to this day. I hope you find a solution that eventually works for you! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Go for it! They are fun projects and easy to make. It will start you down a rabbit hole of wanting to make more! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Could be location, could be that you are only pushing 5 watts and maybe not high enough for line of sight. Experiment. That is the only way to find this stuff out. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
i put the ground plane kit on my antron 99 it really helps the recieve . i bought a 8 foot copper clad ground rod at lowes less then 10.00 i need to hit it into the ground i have a 3 pound sledge hammer. water level is 6 feet down here in florida
What happened to me? I'm giving radio another go, I got my license in 2017, when I got my call sign I still didn't have a good radio, just a cheap ht, I ordered a mobile unit and while waiting on it to be delivered I found out someone was using my call sign and causing problems, I tried to make a contact on my ht and someone told me someone using my call sign, I ended up getting a visit at my house from some hammer but I wasn't home at the time, not sure what he wanted or was gonna say to me, that discouraged me bigtime, had my license less than 2 weeks and I was already in trouble, I never keyed up my new radio ,7 years later I thought about giving it another go, I have zero friends in ham radio so it's overwhelming info to learn and I'm starting to get discouraged again, I'll keep trying and hope I have a better experience, KC3JJY, OVER.
You're beginning to sound like the dingbat at the ARRL telling anyone that would listen, that grounds a myth ! Not to throw the Baby out with the bath water, you are of course correct about a Direct strike ! I read where a Broadcast station spent upwards of $40,000 on the grounding of their Station, only to receive a Direct Strike ! Those grounds did little, if anything ? But looking at what I believe to be your station ground, you may want to rethink the size of wire used, as yours looked horribly undersized ? And for your particular installation, it may be more about RF grounding, as opposed to grounding for lighting protection ! 👍😉 Just Say'n !
I think my solution I presented in the video works fine. Not saying that grounding doesn't work, I am saying it may not be necessary to drive yourself nuts trying to make it absolutely perfect. Unplugging the gear when not in use is a solid solution. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Thank you for the update. Living in a 1940’s home in Portland, OR, the only ground I found on the house is tied from the panel to a cold water pipe. I have since added two grounds to be safe, one at the panel and another on the opposite side of the house at the AC unit. It may be overkill, but with all the unusual and unsafe work I’ve found, I feel better. As you have mentioned, I just unplug everything when not in use anyway. Thank you for the update.
I have to say it does work. The old way of grounding to water pipes seems dangerous to me aside from being very outdated. I think your solution is sound. Best of luck. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Thank you for the comment. How much db? Probably not a lot. As with any antenna like this, height will be the key to reaching out, so the higher u the antenna, the more it will hear within reason. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
would have been good to try texting the phone to see if that works as texting on iphones are via data and not cellular. Also if the "find my iphone" app works
I may have to give that a try. Since this video there have been mixed reviews on its effectiveness, so I am on the fence about it as of now. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Sorry about that. Not much to the pouch. It has an inner lining that seals up and then the outer zipper to make it waterproof. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
I will be taking my technician license exam on September 12th and this information will make it easy for me and less nervous to make my first ever contact. It's always good to be prepared. I am definitely looking forward to making my first contact once my license officially shows up in the FCC database. Thank you very much for this information. 73!
I just took mine. My license posted on the fourth. Luckily the guy that mentored me lives close so my first “contact” was him. Congrats brother. Maybe we’ll contact each other one day
I took my exam early online but my first contact was WT0V a day after I got my license. We will be meeting up sometime next week as he will be gifting me an ICOM IC-765 HF transceiver for when I upgrade to my general license. I highly doubt we’ll come in contact on VHF but if you eventually upgrade to general, I’ll catch you on the shortwave bands for sure. Until then, 73. Have fun.
Best pota start up video I've seen so far. Haven't seen a single one that mentioned how to use the "Add the park now" feature to add your spot.. kept watching videos and thinking that I am missing something , this isn't adding up. Cheers!!
I just put up a Comet GP9N on a 30ft mast this last weekend. Currently has a Kenwood TM281A connected to it but I will be replacing that radio with one of these FT2980R's in a few days. I am amazed at all the new repeaters I am hitting with the GP9 already. Cant wait for the FT2980R to arrive.
Definitely! That antenna is just awesome and with the gain you get form it you can really reach out there even on simplex and make some good contacts. Glad you are enjoying the antenna! Thanks for the comment an for watching. 73!
Well, it isn't that simple for all frequencies. If you have a VHF/UHF antenna, the higher up the better the reception for use on simplex, whereas a dipole DOEs have an optimal height based upon the type of dipole antenna it is. On the End Fed Half Wave antennas, having the end of your wire up about 30-50 feet is more than sufficient to reach around the world provided that band conditions are favorable at the time. Vertical antennas like the DX Commander are a fixed height to the size of the pole provided with the antenna and again will reach around the world with favorable band conditions. I hope this helps to clear up your question a bit. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
I am not sure I understand the question. Are you talking about the thickness of the wire to accept 100 watts? If so, then I have used 28 gauge and up for successful use on 100 watts. I hope this helps. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
FYI, some repeaters have what is called a phonepatch, which allows you to hop onto a phone call from your radio. Keep in mind: you are tying up the repeater, so be efficient and everyone is listening. Anyone can use the repeater for free, but you need to be part of the local club to have the code to open up the phonepatch. Great to know in case of emergencies. The nearest repeater where we hunt just so happens to have a phonepatch.
That is very interesting. I just learned something new...LOL I had no ide that was a feature on repeaters. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
That's why I would have one prerecorded a "just in case you don't hear form me...this is where I am" type of message. Preparation is key. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Ok so to be fair. the 15 filters on the 7300 are bandpass filters. They are not kicked in all at once. The 7300 is a direct sampling radio and the 991A is a superhet. Bandpass filters are often needed to reduce the load on the a.d converter. The superset doesn't need that, because the IFs are the bandpass filters.
Many places now have 3D printers that the public can access. Am having fun just printing off various things I need that other hams have already designed and saved the STL files for downloading. But am already thinking of some items that I might have to create the template for myself. You have shown how that is possible. Many thanks. 73's
I can't speak to the 991 specifically, however every one of my VHF/UHF radios are Yaesu just because they are reliable.. Maybe they dropped the ball a bit cramming everything into the 991, but for the time I had mine, it seemed to work just fine. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Bought my kids one of them for their battery jeep and they keep telling me people keep asking for their sign. I keep telling them they are Aquarius and to let them know. Something wrong b with them radio folk.
Got my sub. I just started my Amature radio course and can't wait to get my first radio. I'm located on Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦. I'm currently saving for a G90 set up. Love the content and the start wars art work, lol. Looking forward to watching more content.
Thanks for the video and your web site; very helpful. Have a question though; why for example today (8/19/24) when the numbers are looking good at SFI-231 K index 1 and A index 12 and the MUF listed as 26 why is the 20 meter band, in the section called HF conditions, listed as poor for the day time? I thought those numbers would imply very good?? There does not seem to be a correlation between the numbers and the so called rating of the HF conditions. Why is this?
Certain bands perform better within certain conditions. On those charts you will see a reference to MUF (Maximum Useable Frequency) That number indicates the max frequency that can be used based on the conditions. As with anything on this chart, take it with a grain of salt as it is a reference, not gospel. I have seen the chart show lousy conditions for a band and I was operating that band successfully all day long. Your location and the band conditions can vary a lot. Get out there, get on a band, you will know if it is lousy pretty fast after seeking out QSO's with others if it is going to work or not. I hope this helps. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
It can be. Once licensed you can talk to whoever about whatever as long as the topic is mutual. I hope this helps. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
I did this same setup for a friend last week. A GP 9 at 20 ft and the 2980. He lives 50 miles away. I was hitting our local repeater on 80w full quieting . You're correct this is a good setup. de KO4MAQ 73
You mentioned negativity on social media. I’m not on social media and I don’t watch news channels. Guess what? I’m a very happy guy. I was at a party and was talking with a psychiatrist. He said when he sees a new patient who has depression and or anxiety the first thing he requires is that they get off social media and turn the TV off. Social media is not social. It creates the opposite effect. You want to be social then talk to people. Face to face. That’s old school but it makes a huge difference!
