Zombie Squad Amateur Radio Network: part 3 - Equipment

[CutterJeff]

Looking forward to the review on the VX-7R -

My test is this weekend. Going to go for the Trifecta - Tech, Gen, Extra in one go. I can do it reliably on the QRZ website..

ANYWAY, that aside, been looking at the VX-7R as the thing I'm hungering for. I'd really like to see that review :)

[MICKPORNO]

well i've been drooling over this HT for about 2 years now....my friend (chainsaw on this forum) bought one in feb 07 at a local hamfest...i'm pretty sure he's liking his...

i'll be using his programming cable and software this evening (eventually i'll get my own) and using it thoroughly over the coming weeks....

definitely get the ct-91 cable if you get the VX7R, then you can use other manufacturers speaker mics and also use it for packet if you so desire....also it is needed for the programming cable (ct-29d)...and i also picked up the FBA-23 battery pack (2xAA)...

so far i think it's going to be a very nice addition to the ham radio arsenal....

[jamoni]

Mick, any reviews on your VX-7R? Have you dunked it yet?
I never did get that radio for the bike ride, and since I'm
A. taking my general exam tuesday
B. scoring 85% on average on the practice tests
C. solvent
I'm thinking of getting a rig with HF capability. I'm looking at the Yaesu FT-817ND. Does anyone have any opinions or, more importantly, first hand experience with this radio, or the FT-817?

[Doctor Jest]

Seems like a nice little rig, though it's not easy being QRP.

[jamoni]

Seems like a nice little rig, though it's not easy being QRP.

Oh, shit, "up to 5 watts."

[kyle]

Seems like a nice little rig, though it's not easy being QRP.

Oh, shit, "up to 5 watts."

That's what a portable amp is for.

[jamoni]

Yeah, but I'm having trouble finding a portable HF amp that will take 5 watts and kick it up to a useful level. 200 watts seems about it. UHF and VHF is no biggy, but this thing won't be so hot on HF. Still, I should have access soon to a nice HF base station. Hmm.
I suppose I could always practice my morse code.

[Doctor Jest]

Don't knock 200 watts on HF. That's a good amount of power. If you can get 200 watts in a portable affordable package, get it. I worked more than 100 countries with only 100 watts, often with compromise antennas. And I always used voice.

The antenna will be the big decision, as far as I am concerned. Any thoughts in this direction yet?

[MICKPORNO]

Mick, any reviews on your VX-7R? Have you dunked it yet?
I never did get that radio for the bike ride, and since I'm
A. taking my general exam tuesday
B. scoring 85% on average on the practice tests
C. solvent
I'm thinking of getting a rig with HF capability. I'm looking at the Yaesu FT-817ND. Does anyone have any opinions or, more importantly, first hand experience with this radio, or the FT-817?

that 817 looks pretty sweet but i know nothing of them....

i own 2 of the vx-7r's now...really nice, have gotten them wet but haven't dunked them....they seem very durable and i use them everyday....still crossband repeating from both home and in the truck so the ht's are running all day and sometimes all night....

battery life is good and they get out really week with the diamond antennas i am using...the stock antennas are not very good but they function ok if you're close in....i am hitting repeaters with the diamond very well that the stock antennas wouldn't touch...

good luck on the general exam i am almost ready to take mine as well...been a tech for 17 years, thats too fuckin long...

[jamoni]

Don't knock 200 watts on HF. That's a good amount of power. If you can get 200 watts in a portable affordable package, get it. I worked more than 100 countries with only 100 watts, often with compromise antennas. And I always used voice.

The antenna will be the big decision, as far as I am concerned. Any thoughts in this direction yet?

I'm thinking a Jpole for 2 meters, and a 1/2 length dipole for whichever HF bands I decide to go with. I'll just improvise supports for it.
I like that the rig has two antenna ports, so I can switch modes easily.

[Doctor Jest]

Sounds good...J-poles are nice for 2 meters. I like dipoles, too, though there are some considerations to keep in mind. Dipoles have to be a certain height above the ground (generally one-half wavelength) to be effective and not have all the radio energy go up at high angles. And you'll need a slingshot to get the string up over the tree, so you can pull up a rope so you can pull up your wire. Dipoles work well, though, and are small and light.

In retrospect, I should have brought a dipole to Z-Con instead of that aluminum antenna - the one I brought was not finished yet and did not work as planned. I forgot the k.i.s.s. rule.

[jamoni]

On second thought, I can't see spending that much cash on what is basically a big HT that has shitty HF capability. I'm going to rethink this.

[jamoni]

Check THIS shack out.

[Doctor Jest]

Yikes. He's the hk33k of radio.

[jamoni]

And he's a local.

[jamoni]

Score! Yesterday, a friend of mine brought over a couple of boxes of hAM gear that someone gave to him. He doesn't have a license yet, so he's letting me use it til he does.
So, without further ado, a list:
Aston RS-12A power supply
Aston RS-35A power supply
Yaesu FT-2500M 2 meter mobile transceiver, setup as base station (attaches to RS-12A)
Icom IC-735 HF transceiver base station (attaches to RS-35A)
Icom IC-W32A Dual band HT. The battery takes a charge!
MFJ Versa Tuner 3 HF antenna tuner (word on the street is that this thing is a piece of junk)
GE mobile CB radio
Comet CM-200 SWR meter
A ton of hardware and wires
An armload of old manuals, logbooks, licenses, and docs.
Several morse code practice cassettes.
I've got everything set up in the shrine of nerd-dom known as "The Man-room". Now I just need some antennae.

[Doctor Jest]

Nice!!

If you need any antenna info, I might be able to help.

[bgnad]

In my experience, for point to point simplex (no repeater) 2 meter (144 Mhz) works better in rural or country side type area better and 70cm (440 Mhz) works better in urban areas around large buildings. I've noticed in down town type areas where there is a lot of RF noise, that you get more inter-modulation problems on 2 meter than on 70 cm and that in the country side the vegetation seems to be harder on the UHF (70 cm) than it is on the VHF (2 meter) signals.

If you are using repeaters, you will still get the inter-modulation around the skyscrapers, but they help a lot in the rural areas.

Just my two cents.

-Brian

70 cm is, in my opinion, only partially useful. If you can get it as a free extra on a handheld, okay, but don't pay extra for it.

There are also repeaters for the 70 cm band, and the 1.25 meter band (440 MHz and 220 MHz). There are not as many 70 cm repeaters as there are for 2 meters, but there are a lot. If you had a dual radio you could talk on both sets of repeaters.

If your local ham buddies gab on a 70 cm repeater, you may want to invest in the dual rig. But 2 meters is more popular and it seems like not quite enough return for the extra cash to me.

This really depends on the location. Around big metro areas all of the 2m repeater pairs have been taken and activity "swarms over" into 440.

Around here, there are probably about 2 times as many 440 repeaters as 2m. And many of the "high level" repeaters have their 2m and 440 MHz sides linked.

In general, if I've got a choice of 2m and 440 MHz bands, I stick with the higher one as the noise levels are lower. But that's a pretty specialized quirk...

TFU

[jamoni]

Would it be possible to use a phone cord handle as a loading coil, and a katana for the whip?
Cause, GODDAMN!

[jamoni]

kay, I'm looking into homebrewing, and I need to know what kind of test equipment I need. I have a good soldering iron, glue gun, hand tools, blah blah blah.

Test gear I have currently:
a cheapo sperry analog multimeter, a 2 meter-rated SWR meter.

Things I have access to:
Ancient Oscilloscope

Things I think I should get:
Third hand w/ magnifier
breadboard for testing circuits/components

I'm going to be starting out by putting together an 80m pixie 2 and a dipole for it. I'll probably then put together a VXO so I can work multiple bands.
After that I'll either work on amping it to between 1-5w or buy a more powerful TRX kit.
So, tell me what I need, guys!

[Politenessman]

I would add a good bench supply; Output up to 15V @ 2A, variable down to 3V. Doesn't have to have a fancy display as you have the multi meter.
You might want to pick up a couple of cheap digital multi meters; you can get them for ~$10

Also, make sure you have some good scope probes.
What is the band width of the 'scope and how many channels does it have?

[jamoni]

The only thing I know about the scope is that it exists and supposedly works. It's under the bench at my school's radio shack. It may be holding up one end of the bench.
BTW, I purchased a breadboard, a third hand, and a 6m FM receiver kit from Gateway electronics.

[bgnad]

The only thing I know about the scope is that it exists and supposedly works. It's under the bench at my school's radio shack. It may be holding up one end of the bench.
BTW, I purchased a breadboard, a third hand, and a 6m FM receiver kit from Gateway electronics.

Jamoni,
I'd be very interested in hearing what luck you have with the 6 meter kit.
We don't use it much around here, because we have a channel 2 TV station and they are so close to the 6 meter band, it is really hard to avoid harmful interference.

A whole lot of the old military VHF gear can be adapted to HAM use on the 6 meter band.

-Bubba

[jamoni]

They had a 30m receiver and a 20m transmitter, too. I chose the 6m receiver because I already have an HF rig that covers 10-180m, and some VHF/UHF gear. So 6m is about the only band I don't have covered.