I do. Local, HF, DStar over hotspots, mobile, western US mostly.
>>949130456Yes a lot. I am also a VE
>>949130456ham radio is dead
>>949132210I run a lot of QRP, hope to catch you sometime.
>>949132532Cool. QRP is fun. I run both. It takes skill and patience to work QRP. Big Respect.
>>949132724I appreciate it. Cool shack, anon.
>>949130456I thought about getting my license but there's just nothing out there anymore.no SSTVno radio stations except some old dead preacher, and asian countries. old guys rambling about their equipment, and all sorts of totally boring shit.I've decoded radio fax, RTTY, ft8 pcsag/flex messed around with apco 25 reception to work right on my scanner, and decoding dmr. but talking to people over the air is beyond boring.Man I miss the 80's there was shit all over the bands. but now... meh.
Look at his ad! look at how fucking exciting it is, those police are after some criminal and you can hear it on your SW radio... oh, no you can't because the police mostly stopped transmitting below 30mhz in the 40's.Ok but that fucking super sabre now that's some exciting shit you can hear pilots talk to each other while they shoot down commies... no, no you can't do that either the air force is on vhf frequencies in the 50's. SHIT!OK OK those fucking drug lords, or contras or coffee farmers with grenades in columbia! Fuck yeah some action now! no, no, fucking third world revolutionaries don't have radios at that time. They certainly weren't transmitting play-by-plays of jungle battles, and it would have been in spanish so... FUCK YOU!well that leaves a fucking ship sinking in the north fucking atlantic! fuck yeah! nope.. while they did use shortwave on boats all you would hear is the SOS calls and maybe some search and rescue. but not anything while the boats SINKING because people on sinking boats are getting off the boat as fast as they can, not chatting with your happy ass.That kids face kinda says it all... HEY wait a minute! I can't hear any of this shit. I wasted $47.50 ($520 in todays money) on this shitty S-38 radio just to hear some boring ass mother fuckers talking about the weather and signal strength SHEEEEIIIIT!Maybe someday they will invent a 2 meter radio and I can hear the same boring conversations over repeaters YEAH! that's the ticket!
ere comes page 2 FUCK YEAH SCIENCE BITCHES!AUSTRALIA, FUCKING OUTERSPACE MAN! I have the weirdest boner right now!
Page 3!RAM IT IN ME! I CAN HEAR YODELERS IN SWEDEN! WEATHER STATIONSWWV! OMGZG!!~!1I just came!
>>949132494I go ham on that booty tho
Page 4STATION LISTINGS FINALLY! I'ma smoke a cig!
>>949133039Thank you very much Kind of you to say that.>>949133217There is SO much out there. You just need to know where to look.These are just a very few of the contacts I have made in the last few years.
>>949133523>There is SO much out thereI have multiple SDR radios. I have other radio equipment, I have spent hours, and days scanning the bands. I've used many types of antennas, and there's just nothing really interesting.
I have made over 15,000 contacts sense 2022 in 205 countries. Like I said. you need to know how to do it.
>>949133523wow the pedo network has really grown
>>949133700yeah I could not give a shit about contacting people, that is boring. I have no interest in talking to people.
>>949133677>shortwave radios and estes rocketsare you trying to do all the hobbies from the 1950s?
>>949133847my hobbies are many and varied. small engine repairappliance repairtool repairsolarbatteriesfixing old radios (over 60)computersmost things I fix I give to other people to sell, or I donate them.
>>949133795As he talks to strangers here.
>>949133677Some cool gear but your missing out. I just took this picture. Everything you see on the scope is people talking. Right now as we chat here. There are thousands of signals at anyone time. If you can't hear them you need to work out why. They are out there all the time my friend
>>949134025You read my mind
>>949134030yes yes, I have seen all that. boring. I can hear them. The most interesting thing I have ever heard in a long time is some guy on GMRS 16 who spends hours on tirades about some guy he hates. cussing and yelling and carrying on. he's been reported many times but the FCC does nothing about it. even though they know exactly where he lives.>>949134075not the same.
>>949133795Maybe its your antenna setup. Without good antennas you don't stand a chance.
I do amateur radioI live in a rural area so there’s not too much going on on the local repeaters but I’ve had great luck on 10 m latelyI can hit South America pretty reliably I’ve gotten Italy, Australia, I talked for a few minutes with this guy from Puerto Rico. That’s in dispute with his neighbors.He has solar power because that’s the only power they have there and they keep shining flashlights on his panels at night so his fucking electricity goes offI think he has an inverter set up to automatically switch to chargingI would like to meet a people maybe a younger crowd or something to talk about hobbies and what not over radio I’m sick of hearing about the weatherI’d like to meet somebody who just wants to bullshitAnybody in the northeast on 10 m?
>>949134256I can hear people I have no interest in talking to them. I can hear people all the way across the continent.
>>949134256Well I wish you luck. You do you. I have no problem hearing and talking with people all over the world. While others watch news stories I talk to people that are in those places and get the story first hand. Ukraine and the middle east are the most interesting right now.
I remember when CB was popular, and there were people all over the channels, now the only people I hear are on superbowl 6 and 11
>>949134315I will talk to you anon
>>949134432Yeah its not what it was but there is still some good stuff out there on CB when the conditions are right.
>>949134516It’s all American spammers and spics now
>>949134516>>949130456I'd still argue it'll always be worth having.They already gunk up all the other airwaves with enough that I'm pretty sure I have 2 levels of tinnitus now
>>949134516no anon. just joggers running illegal rigs.seriously in the last 10 years I have heard 1 conversation on CB involving 3 old guys talking about their family problems. I've taken a CB on road trips, and no one not even truckers are on CB anymore.
>>949134568Some for sure but there is some good overseas stuff also. Try the "free Band" just above CB.
>>949134568For once,spoken like a true retard from the west.Plenty of euroniggers still use cb.
>>949132724you've go to be over 40 that's too much money for anyone under that. also you have an analog clock on the wall. no one under 30 can even read one of those.
a good simulator https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/silent-key/id730847090
>>949134496no thanks. I don't care about your prostate, and what the weather is like in butt butte montana.
>>949134665I have friends all over the world. When the internet plug gets pulled we can still chat. lke nothing ever happened. Talk to the guys in Ukraine about it. It was a life line for them at the start of the war. But its not for everyone.>>949134778Fair point well made my friend.
>>949134912I'm talking in general there's still alot of people that use it, fs it's still a main use for fire police military and rescue units.Idk how they think Noone at all uses it when people scan them daily.
>>949134953I don't know. I never have trouble finding interesting stuff. Yeah hams can be dull like anyone but there is also some really cool stuff out there. I really enjoy pirate radio stations. those guys are clever and can be funny as all hell.
>>949134953I have a CB in my truck, and I'm serious there is almost no one in my city on it. it is not my antennas. I can receive the superbowl stuff loud and clear, but locally... nothing. I even tested to make sure my equipment was working by having a friend transmit and driving around and could hear that just fine. I have driven several states over in almost every direction and the only thing I ever here is joggers in alabama, texas, and georgia.
>>949135050I used to catch truckers on the line all the time, they get so fuckin bored they'd start surfing for other people too.And God damn do they say some wild shit.
>>949135110Like I said, its kind of hit or miss with CB. There are a fair amount of them where I am but they are not really people you want to talk to.
>>949135133Yes sir!
>>949135185Yea, I've run into that issue too.I'm nta, I'm the other one. The more wifi related shit got involved mfs got lazy af for CB. But there are still people out there. Like most things it's kinda a sifting process. The longer you use the sift in an already washed river, the more holes it gets and let's garbage thru along with the small treasures.>>949135110Yall have some of the most insane hours I've ever seen of most people, and mfs shit on yall too much for it. Thqt ahits mind melting just for me to be a passenger, nvm you guys driving. Honestly it might be better not having as many, I'm calling it a matter of time before tiktokers make a trend out of it and ruin your airwaves.
>>949134256I bought a house in the country with an antenna on top of a really tall wooden pole. I think it might be a ham radio antenna, because I don't know what else it could be for.I'm interested in this thread because seeing that antenna got me a little curious about looking into ham radio. There seem to be mixed opinions on whether it's worth using.
>>949136583I found a photo of the antenna that came with the house I bought, attached.Can anybody tell by looking at it what the antenna is for? Is it for ham radio?
>>949140348It looks like it's for ham or a repeater station but I honestly can't taell. you should make another thread to get more opinions on it. or post it on qrz
>>949130456Every day. I'm on 40M right now.
>>949140348
>>949143911Wow! great find,that looks just like it!Thanks!
>>949130456Hams are the worst thing about hamradio. https://fuckhams.com/b/
>>949145910You just haven't met me or my ilk.
>>949130456boomers need to go. then maybe.
>>949145910>https://fuckhams.com/b/Very little traffic at that site, but they did post a couple of interesting photos.>>949146451>You just haven't met me or my ilk.I'm sure you're a great guy but haven't the internet with its global reach, along with cellular networks, nearly eliminated the need for radio? (except in remote areas without internet)
Got an Extra class license just because I could. Have some handhelds and a SDR that I play with. I mostly have them for emergency comms after the phones and cell networks went down during an ice storm.
>>949136583>>949140348That is called a PDL2. It is a directional CB radio antenna. They are not too bad. To use it you need the control box that goes with it however there is a work around for that if you don't have it. You can use it on the 10 meter ham bad as well. They work pretty wellRadio can be a very fun hobby. However it can also be frustrating at times.
>>949130456I think it’s a cool hobby, it’s like IT survivalism or something.
>>949154656>That is called a PDL2. It is a directional CB radio antenna. They are not too bad. To use it you need the control box that goes with it however there is a work around for that if you don't have it.If it's what the other poster replied here:>>949143911It's Antenna Specialists Super Scanner, selectable between directional or omnidirectional with the control box (which I don't have). However I was wondering if maybe I can just use it in omnidirectional mode without the control box? I haven't started looking for control boxes or workarounds yet, since I still haven't decided if it's worth putting a lot of time into getting it working.
>>949154656>You can use it on the 10 meter ham bad as well.I found this article saying it's 11 meter compatible, and would need to be modified for 10 meter use or something? https://www.hamuniverse.com/10metersuperscanner.html
>>949130456I thought about it, as I do have my GROL (and a PE in electrical - ECC). But then I remembered I don't even like (physically) talking to coworkers or friends, let alone strangers.
>>949130456Yes we does. Does you?
/b/ has really slowed down. that threads like this stick around for a day.
>>949143911Someone on youtube tested one of those:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgR7uWRmCN0>>949156061>I found this article saying it's 11 meter compatible, and would need to be modified for 10 meter use or something?Yes it's for 11 meter. My understanding is you can use it for 10m ham unmodified, but it will work better after being modified for 10m. Right?
>>949134432Truckers aren't using CB radio anymore.BTW, I'm an extra class ham radio operator but they started charging $35 to renew licenses. I'm not about to pay that...
>>949154656THIS is a PDL 2. A horizontal and vertical two element beam antenna. It's nothing like a super scanner. The PDL 2 is the little brother to the Moonraker 4 and 6.
>>949133947Hey, can I replace the solar input fuse in a Morningstar Tristar 60 without micro soldering gear?
>>949163027have you tried googling it?
>>949165935Yes. Morningstar's SEO has made finding specific info about problems with their devices almost impossible. They say there are "no user servicable fuses", but I don't believe it. DeWalt says the same thing about their battery chargers & they're full of shit too, because I fixed one. "World leading" my ass
>>949166334That's frustrating.We need better "right to repair" laws, because so many companies seem to be screwing the consumer by making things too difficult to repair compared to the past.
>>949163027I hate SMD shit. if it has SMD then probably not.
>>949166334look on the circuit board for something labeled f1 or something like that. sometimes the fuses like like small glass fuses, sometimes they look like little green or orange resistors. problem is finding the correct value. tiny fuses don't have ratings on them.
>>949167247>little green or orange resistors>f1Thanks; there are no obvious glass fuses or anything. It's fried anyway, so I'll probably just bypass it to at least get it working if I can find it
>>949167475everything I can find online shows installing your own fuses before the connection to the device. the pics I can find of the unit show nothing at all like a fuse.
>>949167595Yeah, there's a combiner box with circuit breakers on mine, but the problem is they can't handle any power input if you disconnect the batteries before the solar input ... which I did because I'm retarded (I'd had it for 13yrs, a storm was coming & I forgot)
>>949167118Your a faggot SMD is great if you have the right toolsYou don’t have to flip the board back-and-forth surface tension pulls the parts and a perfect alignment for you Admittedly, you do need the right kit and also get magnification but if you have that it’s a cakewalk
>>949170941>micro soldering gear>the right kit and also get magnificationnta threads are hard
>>949134289>they keep shining flashlights on his panels at night so his fucking electricity goes offI've been on solar for 13yrs & have no clue how this can happen; if true, a full moon would shut off that guy's power
Anyone else heard about the cancerous ham net on the 80 meter band (3840 kHz) on the West Coast?
>>949130456this guy brought his shit to the shop one timewhen he wasn't there we were able to turn it on and some polesmoker on the other end started to demand who we were and our license number and shit
>>949175390A hobby where you can piss off grumpy old men anonymously sounds kinda fun actually. I'm inawoods in the middle of nowhere, so I wonder how long I could transmit without a licence until I was found
>>949176000>I wonder how long I could transmit without a licence until I was foundHAM radio operators have this game where someone sets up a transmitter and people try to find it.It's kind of easy if you have multiple people. Everyone can radio in the information about the signal (weak, strong, what direction, etc.) and then you just triangulate the location of the broadcast.
