HAM certification

I've had mine for about three years and just printed the actual license last week. I took a cram course, while I was going to school in Colorado many years ago I worked at a radio shop installing police, fire and industrial radios and a lot I learned from that job came back to me over the cram course.
 
While I was at the Tread Trainer course we got to talking about Ham Radios. The Yaesu VX-6R is what I'll be going with. In addition to being able to transmit on Ham bands it can receive AM/FM broadcast radio, Shortwave, CB, Police, Weather, GMRS/FRS, Aircraft & marine bands. Generally appealing for not having to immediately buy multiple radios to cover CB and Ham it's also just a good all around SHTF radio.
 
While I was at the Tread Trainer course we got to talking about Ham Radios. The Yaesu VX-6R is what I'll be going with. In addition to being able to transmit on Ham bands it can receive AM/FM broadcast radio, Shortwave, CB, Police, Weather, GMRS/FRS, Aircraft & marine bands. Generally appealing for not having to immediately buy multiple radios to cover CB and Ham it's also just a good all around SHTF radio.

Can the VX-6R transmit at 5watts when using the FBA-23? The was my main consideration, that if I'm using a AA pack, I can transmit at 5W. The only dual band HT that was reliable and affordable in that respect was the Icom IC-T70 series.
 
Can the VX-6R transmit at 5watts when using the FBA-23? The was my main consideration, that if I'm using a AA pack, I can transmit at 5W. The only dual band HT that was reliable and affordable in that respect was the Icom IC-T70 series.

Can't really say until I have one in hand but when searching for "transmit power" and "FBA-23" in the manual (attached) I did not find a mention of reducing power when using FBA-23. I did find a mention that if the input voltage goes over 14 and power is set at "high" (5W 144/430Mhz, 1.5W 222Mhz) it will automatically drop to the "Low 3" setting (2.5W 144/430Mhz, 1.0W 222Mhz) but that's it.
 

Attachments

  • VX-6R_E_OM_USA_EXP_EU_ENG_EH021M204_20111019.pdf
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Can't really say until I have one in hand but when searching for "transmit power" and "FBA-23" in the manual (attached) I did not find a mention of reducing power when using FBA-23. I did find a mention that if the input voltage goes over 14 and power is set at "high" (5W 144/430Mhz, 1.5W 222Mhz) it will automatically drop to the "Low 3" setting (2.5W 144/430Mhz, 1.0W 222Mhz) but that's it.

Yeah, I looked at that pdf before when I made my initial evaluation. But I found references to .3 W on AA power.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?105941-Amateur-Radio

I mean it's really not that big of a deal functionally, you can just get spare Li-Ion batteries. It's my personal preference to get AAs since I want to be able to find batteries if I ever need to and I don't want to be crippled as far as transmit power. The multi-band receive of the VX-6R is really cool.

But personally I'm standardizing on one radio for communication and I have a Baofeng UV-5R to listen in on analog police bands, Broadcastify to listen to radio streams, a CB radio to listen to CB. It's really piecemeal but I just consider what's actually useful for me and my friends.
 
Yeah, I looked at that pdf before when I made my initial evaluation. But I found references to .3 W on AA power.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?105941-Amateur-Radio

I mean it's really not that big of a deal functionally, you can just get spare Li-Ion batteries. It's my personal preference to get AAs since I want to be able to find batteries if I ever need to and I don't want to be crippled as far as transmit power. The multi-band receive of the VX-6R is really cool.

But personally I'm standardizing on one radio for communication and I have a Baofeng UV-5R to listen in on analog police bands, Broadcastify to listen to radio streams, a CB radio to listen to CB. It's really piecemeal but I just consider what's actually useful for me and my friends.

Yep. .3W confirmed in the AARL review (attached). "An optional battery case for two AA alkaline cells is available. With this option (3 V) the receiver works fine but the transmit power is limited to 300 mW or 50 mW." But transmitting at 5W with AA's? How long can you transmit if you have? Look how step the voltage drop on typical AA batteries at 1 amp over time. As soon as you key the mic to transmit at 5W on AAs your voltage is dropping like a stone.

Side note: I did find instructions on how to allow the VX-6R transmit on the 6m band making the radio quad-band. Not that I'm going to take a soldering iron to a new radio but that's useful info.
 

Attachments

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I've had absolutely zero problems.

The Icom IC-T70 came in 3 configurations:
  • T70A Sport - 6x AA Alkalines 9V w/ BP-263 Battery Case
  • T70A - NiMH 1400mAH battery pack 7.2V
  • T70A HD - Li-Ion 1900 mAH 7.4V
I currently have Three IC-T70A-HDs that I run with BP-263 cases using Eneloop Pro 2,500mAH NiMH cells. All the HTs out there that allow for 5W operation use 6 AAs or 6 AAAs. Another good feature is that the unit has increased duty cycle. It's not 100% continuous, but if you're running a net for ARES/RACES it's nice to have a unit that can handle a little more duty for checkins or coordination. If you really need near 100%, then you could always run at like .5w and use an external power amplifier instead.

I've been on trips before I had a mobile unit and ran this connected to a magmount on my roof. 30 miles of range at 5w is pretty decent on the lithium ion battery alone, and this is at the tail end of a 3 day Mojave road trip.

My FT-817ND for example comes w/ a 8x AA 9.6V 1400 mAH NiMH battery pack with the option to use AAs instead. Provides 5w transmit no problem. If I want to use digital modes that require near 100% cycle operation for several minutes, then I can attach an aluminum heatsink on the rear to help with heat.

Here's a list of 5W Dual Band AA-powered HTs that aren't made in China. ;)

  • Kenwood TH-D72A
  • Kenwood TH-D74A
  • Yaesu FT-60R
 
I'm sure I'm going to wind up with another radio :)

This caught my eye for use with a handheld. Thinking I can skip a mobile unit and just use an amplifier in conjunction with them.

Mirage Dual Band BD-35
• 45 Watts Output on 2 Meters
• 35 Watts output on 440 MHz
• New! D*STAR COMPATIBLE!
• Reverse Polarity Protection
• Free Mobile Bracket Included
• Works with all major brand Handhelds up to 8 Watts
• Auto RFsense T/R switch

$199.00 here
https://www.gigaparts.com/mirage-bd-35.html

Specs
http://www.mirageamp.com/Product.php?productid=BD-35
 
I have the BD-35 (non-D-Star) and it works great when you need that extra bump to get your signal out (shown on the lower right in this image).

bd-35.jpg
 
It would seem that network radio is only as good as your cell phone signal or wifi. Is that correct?
 

Seems to be nothing more than hardware that's designed around a set of specific apps. Kind of neat but really any android device with a network connection could do the same thing, just without the hardware button for the PTT feature. There have been other android devices out there for a while that will work on the FRS / GMRS frequencies and run these PTT apps for communication over a cellular network as well.

4s4sNjqA.jpg.thumb_400x400.jpg


https://www.chinavasion.com/china/w...s/Conquest-S8-Rugged-Smartphone-2017-Edition/
 
It would seem that network radio is only as good as your cell phone signal or wifi. Is that correct?

On the nose. But without the hassle of having to pull out a phone to call someone. It's accomplished identically w/ a Bluetooth PTT as well if you have one of those, but they're pricey, $100.

Seems to be nothing more than hardware that's designed around a set of specific apps. Kind of neat but really any android device with a network connection could do the same thing, just without the hardware button for the PTT feature. There have been other android devices out there for a while that will work on the FRS / GMRS frequencies and run these PTT apps for communication over a cellular network as well.

It was more a generalized question vs a specific product even though I included a product. But yes, you are correct in your assertion.

The nice thing about Zello is that if you're someone stuck behind you don't have to worry about missing out on the action on the road. Some people have been crosslinking network radio with their GMRS (though it would work w/ HAM and be legal as long as you fulfill the requirement to identify your station ID every 10 minutes).

Folks were using Zello through Hurricane Harvey which proved to be useful. When the cell towers were running on battery backup, they usually block services like traditional voice calling. Voice calls on VOIP apps usually use dynamic quality depending on bandwidth available but they usually suck because the quality changes chops up audio quality pretty bad. SMS is still good, but not as instantaneous as PTT voice plus you can hear the tone of someone's voice. So this has its place.

Additionally, in New York, after Sandy, our group was providing logistical support to Team Rubicon with assessment and reporting in the Rockaway. We skipped two way radios because there weren't any dedicated GMRS repeaters in the area, but mobile service was plentiful since Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T setup portable cell service trucks in the area. We had 3G data which helped the boots on the ground make status reports to our app which helped the rebuild effort.
 
Different HAM question so thread hijack on - got a solicitation from ARRL to renew my license. My first 10 years is up come July. Their offer was to join ARRL for $49 and they'd get my license renewed automatically 'for free'! LOL - free for $49 membership fee.

Does anyone know if the FCC sends out a renewal notice or if we can go onto the FCC site and renew? All I recall when I got the license was to make sure I kept my address current in the FCC database so that the renewal notice would get to me. Well, I haven't moved, so that's not a problem. Just wondering if/when in advance they send a renewal notification.

TIA!
 
I have two radios in Old Blue. A GMRS radio within my Rino and a CB Radio. Gonna switch to HAM when I get the time to get my license. I downloaded Zello since everyone I know has cell phones. The only problem I have is that where I like to wheel, there isn't any cell signal. I will give it a try though. I will have to con someone else into downloading it so we can give it a try.
 
On the nose. But without the hassle of having to pull out a phone to call someone. It's accomplished identically w/ a Bluetooth PTT as well if you have one of those, but they're pricey, $100.



It was more a generalized question vs a specific product even though I included a product. But yes, you are correct in your assertion.

The nice thing about Zello is that if you're someone stuck behind you don't have to worry about missing out on the action on the road. Some people have been crosslinking network radio with their GMRS (though it would work w/ HAM and be legal as long as you fulfill the requirement to identify your station ID every 10 minutes).

Folks were using Zello through Hurricane Harvey which proved to be useful. When the cell towers were running on battery backup, they usually block services like traditional voice calling. Voice calls on VOIP apps usually use dynamic quality depending on bandwidth available but they usually suck because the quality changes chops up audio quality pretty bad. SMS is still good, but not as instantaneous as PTT voice plus you can hear the tone of someone's voice. So this has its place.

Additionally, in New York, after Sandy, our group was providing logistical support to Team Rubicon with assessment and reporting in the Rockaway. We skipped two way radios because there weren't any dedicated GMRS repeaters in the area, but mobile service was plentiful since Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T setup portable cell service trucks in the area. We had 3G data which helped the boots on the ground make status reports to our app which helped the rebuild effort.

AT&T offers a Sonim XP8 with a dedicated PTT & SOS buttons. Verizon has the Kyocera Duraforce Pro with a dedicated PTT button. I've looked at them before mainly for their weather resistance.

For the emergency situations you mentioned Zello was optimal. Everyone pretty much has a cell phone and had the necessary equipment in hand already, there was infrastructure in place to support it, and access could be granted to people without special licensing requirements. Necessity favors network PTT as the solution.

Assuming that network PTT was your primary communication method you'd still need an alternate communication service in addition to it anyway because we like to go find places that generally does not get cell service or perhaps intermittent. That alternate communication service is now required. The network PTT becomes optional and the general trend would be to move away from this service as a primary method of communication. Necessity doesn't favour network PTT here.
 
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