Zombie Squad Amateur Radio Club

[Hatch]

While I am getting way ahead of myself. I was doing some math and it looks like a 20 meter Dipole antenna needs to be approx 33 feet long. I live in a top floor apartment and I have a balcony that has an "opening" of about 17 feet. I am wondering if there is a way to shorten a dipole to fit in smaller spaces?

Just thinking ahead....

-- Jeremy

Yes, you can use a bent dipole. Trace the perimeter of the opening with your wire so that you have 17 feet horizontal and then the rest bent down at a 90 degree angle on each end. You can get plastic insulators at Home Depot or Lowes, that are intended for use on electric dog fences to hold the hot wire, and use these to stand your antenna off the surrounding building by about three inches.

The biggest problem I would see in your situation would be grounding concerns for lightning.

--Hatch

[Doctor Jest]

There are many ways to use an antenna shorter than a half-wave dipole. You could use an end-fed quarter wave "zepp" antenna; a quarter-wave ground plane antenna; a linearly loaded antenna; a trap antenna; etc.

Look on the ARRL's web site. There are a number of books on antennas. There's one on hidden antennas that might be good for you. Or, if you give me more details, I might be able to suggest a more specific design.

http://www.arrl.org

[jeremya]

When I get a chance I will take some more measurements and possibly some photos to help explain my situation. I will put it in another post as to not derail this thread.

Also anything antenna I use is going to have to be able to be taken down and stored.

My studying is going well. If I don't pass this test I will be shocked. I will keep taking the practice tests until Saturday.

So if purchasing a radio I could use with my Tech License would, because of money, prohibit me from getting a single band HF rig when I get my General License should I even bother?

If/when I pass this weekend I plan on studying right away for the general and taking that next month or as soon as I possibly can.

-- Jeremy

[Hatch]

So if purchasing a radio I could use with my Tech License would, because of money, prohibit me from getting a single band HF rig when I get my General License should I even bother?

That's a decision you'll have to make, I guess. Personally, I wouldn't go with the single band HF rig, because it is pretty limiting. I like having a wide range of options, so I'd save the money and put it towards a multi-band rig later.

Also, no offense to anyone here, but this ZSARC thing may never get much farther than a fart in the wind. So, if you're making a choice to buy the single band rig solely to work the ZS radio net, you'll probably get more mileage out of a VHF/UHF rig and your local repeaters. However, if your interest is primarily DX on the 20m band, maybe the single band rig is for you. In any event, don't buy a single band rig until ZSARC nails down what band the net will be on.

--Hatch

[jamoni]

I think Hatch is right I think it would be easier to get people to get their General License than it would be to have them learn code.

-- Jeremy

While this is true, it also misses the point. The reason to learn code is it's useful.
That said, can we move the discussions of equipment to another thread? This is for the ZS-ARC.
Oh, and:

Also, no offense to anyone here, but this ZSARC thing may never get much farther than a fart in the wind

[jeremya]

I think Hatch is right I think it would be easier to get people to get their General License than it would be to have them learn code.

-- Jeremy

While this is true, it also misses the point. The reason to learn code is it's useful.
That said, can we move the discussions of equipment to another thread? This is for the ZS-ARC.
Oh, and:

Also, no offense to anyone here, but this ZSARC thing may never get much farther than a fart in the wind

True, but while useful if it limits the number of people who are interested has it really helped?

Sure no more equipment talk...

-- Jeremy

[jamoni]

I think Hatch is right I think it would be easier to get people to get their General License than it would be to have them learn code.

-- Jeremy

While this is true, it also misses the point. The reason to learn code is it's useful.
That said, can we move the discussions of equipment to another thread? This is for the ZS-ARC.
Oh, and:

Also, no offense to anyone here, but this ZSARC thing may never get much farther than a fart in the wind

True, but while useful if it limits the number of people who are interested has it really helped?

Sure no more equipment talk...

-- Jeremy

How does learning code limit people's involvement? It increases the number of people you can contact. Maybe I'm missing something.

[jeremya]

I think Hatch is right I think it would be easier to get people to get their General License than it would be to have them learn code.

-- Jeremy

While this is true, it also misses the point. The reason to learn code is it's useful.
That said, can we move the discussions of equipment to another thread? This is for the ZS-ARC.
Oh, and:

Also, no offense to anyone here, but this ZSARC thing may never get much farther than a fart in the wind

True, but while useful if it limits the number of people who are interested has it really helped?

Sure no more equipment talk...

-- Jeremy

How does learning code limit people's involvement? It increases the number of people you can contact. Maybe I'm missing something.

Well if you have 10 people interested and it's decided the club is only or mainly going to do CW. Then if 5 people say forget it I don't want to learn code. Then you just lost 5 people... No?

Same reason they dropped the code requirement.

Anyway I am just a n00b what do I know...

-- Jeremy

[Apollo-11]

I'll try to keep this on topic:

Jeremy, one thing you will need to know because of your balcony-mounted antenna. If you are attempting to communicate with ZSARC people, you will want to look really hard at the directionality of the antenna. If the ends of your antenna are oriented N-S, then you will get good reception/transmission to the E-W and vice versa. In my example, I live in Washington state. In order to talk to you in middle America, I need to transmit just about ESE. So my antenna would be oriented 90 degrees to that heading, or almost N-S (NNE-SSW). This will strongly affect who you are able to talk to on the ZSARC.

[Hatch]

I think the first step should be to break down how to get people on HF so we can have meetings outside of just St. Louis.

We have the bases covered in here as far as explaining the details of getting a license. I think a lot of the new hams in here are probably clues less when it comes to knowing what kind of equipment they need to get them on the HF airwaves and how to set it up.

This is why we started the equipment discussion, and I think Kyle makes a valid point that needs to be addressed if ZSARC is ever to become more than a fancy idea. What I've seen so far on this thread is a lot of interest from a number of people, but many either lack a license, an HF rig, or both.

So we need to address the reality of equipment. If 50 people are interested in ZSARC, but only 5 of them are General licensed, own an HF rig, are ZS members, and are members of ARRL - we're going to have a pretty small radio club.

I think we need to organize a Skype QSO to discuss the club idea at length. Let's schedule a meeting for 9:00pm EDT this Friday. Anyone who is interested in joining/forming ZSARC reply to this thread with a Skype name and either a commitment to attend the QSO, or a suggestion of an alternate date/time.

--Hatch

[Mrearp]

Does it have to be on HF? there are options to use IRLP or echolink..

Even with 5 its a start, start small and dream big. While I dont have a HF station at home. I do have a full HF station available to me in our EOC at the Dept. So I could poke into a net. But the echolink / IRLP would give everyone access as long as they are a ham and have access to the internet or a repeater with it on there.

- MrEarp

[Apollo-11]

Let's schedule a meeting for 9:00pm EDT this Friday.

Which Friday? I was off the board for a couple of days.

[jamoni]

So we need to address the reality of equipment. If 50 people are interested in ZSARC, but only 5 of them are General licensed, own an HF rig, are ZS members, and are members of ARRL - we're going to have a pretty small radio club.
--Hatch

While a national Net will rock, that's not the only point of the club. Disaster communication of all sorts, introducing noobs to amateur radio, learning neat stuff, and having a whole lot of fun is the point. The list of things above have nothing to do with membership or participation in this club. We still have not discussed all of the requirements for membership, but the general outline is that there will be at least two different levels: voting members and non voting members. The voting members will need to be at least technician grade hams, and ARRL affiliated. Chances are that non-voting members will not even have to be licensed Hams.
Other than that, we're still discussing.
People, please be patient. This club is not a stand alone entity. It needs to fit seamlessly with Zombie Squad's mission and organizational structure. This will take a little time to get set up. In the meantime, consider this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V9Qkd3dElw

[Hatch]

Does it have to be on HF? there are options to use IRLP or echolink..

Even with 5 its a start, start small and dream big. While I dont have a HF station at home. I do have a full HF station available to me in our EOC at the Dept. So I could poke into a net. But the echolink / IRLP would give everyone access as long as they are a ham and have access to the internet or a repeater with it on there.

- MrEarp

The only issue with using Echolink or IRLP to build the net, would be that in an actual SHTF event - it will likely be unavailable. If this is a resource that we want to use for emergency communications, we need to make it independent from any infrastructure that is likely to fail when the SHTF.

Using HF to build a net, any station that can communicate today with grid power can (in theory) communicate when the SHTF with a generator, or with a car battery and a solar panel to charge it.

That's my $0.02 worth, anyway.


On a completely unrelated topic, I came up with a motto for ZSARC, should it ever actually come to fruition:

"Superesse nos communicamus." -- Latin, meaning "To survive, we communicate."

Anybody with a better grasp of Latin conjugation, feel free to correct my grammar.

EDIT: I was writing my post while jamoni was posting his.

--Hatch

[Hatch]

Let's schedule a meeting for 9:00pm EDT this Friday.

Which Friday? I was off the board for a couple of days.

Well, it was last Friday. But if we want to try to get a Skype QSO together for this coming Friday (April 11), we could do that.

It's really jamoni's call. He's the one organizing this gig, so I'll defer to him.

--Hatch

[jamoni]

Hatch, check your PMs, please.
Edited to be a little more polite.
Edited again because I like the slogan.

[Hatch]

Per jamoni's request, I'm going to organize an Internet conference call for interested parties to discuss ZSARC. For this conference, we'll use the Skype VoIP application, which can support a conference call with up to 25 participants.

The tentative date for the conference call will be: Friday, April 11.

The tentative time of the call will be: 9:00pm EDT (GMT -4).

Expected duration of the call: 60 minutes.

If you would like to suggest an alternate schedule, please PM me with a date and time. We'll go with the consensus.


About Skype:

Skype is a free, very user-friendly application which allows voice and video conferencing with other Skype users, using a computer and the Internet. Skype is cross-platform, easy to install, will work around most firewalls, and provides good quality voice and video communication.


What you need to use Skype:

1. A computer. There's a Skype version for Windows, Linux, and Mac, so that should cover most of us.

2. An Internet connection. Skype may work over 56k dial-up, but ideally, you'll want to have ISDN, DSL, or cable Internet.

3. A microphone. Fer talkin'.

4. Speakers or headphones. Fer listnin'.


How to get Skype and get started:

1. Go to Skype.com. Click on "Download." The site should point you to the right version based on your operating system.

2. Download the Skype application. Windows users, run the downloaded program. The installation Wizard will walk you through the setup. For Mac users, drag the Skype application to your Applications folder. Linux users -- hey, if you're smart enough to use Linux, you should be smart enough to figure out how to install it. In fact, why are you even reading this part?

3. Once it's installed, run Skype. If you don't have a Skype account, the Create Account wizard will walk you through setting one up. It's fast, and you don't need to give a bunch of personal information. As a suggestion, you might want to use your ZS forum name, or some variation thereof, in order to prevent confusion on the call. For example, the Skype account I'm using for this conference is hatch.zs.

4. After you've created your Skype account, Skype will launch and log in with your new account. You're now ready to call!


To join the conference call:

1. Once you've created your Skype account, send me the Skype name via PM. Please do this no less than 24 hours prior to the conference -- at this time, no later than 9:00pm EDT Thursday, April 10.

2. 24 hours prior to the conference, I'll post the attendance to this thread. If you sent me a PM and you're not on the list please let me know via PM. I will be using that list to start the conference, so if you're not on it, you won't get called.

3. Login to Skype at least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled conference.

4. I will start the call promptly at the scheduled time. All you have to do is answer the phone when Skype rings.

Prior to the conference call, I'll try to post an agenda to this thread for us to work from.

I hope to speak to many of you very soon.


--Hatch

[kyle]

Mind if I add this to the monthly announcements?

[Hatch]

Mind if I add this to the monthly announcements?

Fine by me.

--Hatch

[Apollo-11]

Thanks for the setup instructions. I'll try to be there.

BTW, I like the slogan too.

Slightly related:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHm1ecBCgw

[HurricaneDad]

Question for the thread: who else currently has a working HF rig, and what are your operating capabilities?

--Hatch

Yaesu FT-897D with full accessory load-out except upgraded mic (2x batteries, antenna tuner, internal PS, etc)

Maldol HVU-8 but it's not tuned for xmit, since I'm only tech and don't have privs yet.

de KC9DHX

[Hatch]

Thanks for the setup instructions. I'll try to be there.

BTW, I like the slogan too.

Slightly related:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHm1ecBCgw

Quid pro quo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKd5hupXJVo&NR=1

I wonder how they'd feel about zombie hunting ham radio operators?


--Hatch

[HurricaneDad]

The tentative date for the conference call will be: Friday, April 11.

--Hatch

N.B. This weekend starts the Mock Bug Out, and some of us (at least me) will be out in the field. Just sayin.

[jamoni]

Perhaps those who can't make it can team up with someone who can, and give them an outline of talking points before hand. If someone can't make the Skype meetup, drop me a PM with some well formed thoughts for discussion, and I'll introduce them.