[raghu.t.k]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

...
The price for these Chinese radios are much lesser when compared to more established brands like Kenwood, Motorola etc.

Sachin Thx. There is a meet this weekend at Mahabs, let me meetup with others and then will get some gear.

Originally Posted by bejoy

Congrats Raghu!

As Sachin mentioned, a Wouxun or Baofeng offers good VFM. I too use a Baofeng for the last 5 years without any trouble.

If you have space on your terrace, you could put up a dipole antenna for HF (40m/20m) and let your signals cross continents! Have a look at http://www.hfsigs.com/ for a fully functional radio for the 40m band. PM me if you need more info.

Bejoy Thx. I stay in an apartment. Let me see what can be done reg the antennae. The Bitx40 looks interesting. It long since I had assembled something.

[raghu.t.k]

Finally got my radios. For the VHF got the FT2900R and for HF FT991A. The Antenna for the VHF is a CP22E from diamond. I have just got the FT991 A and not setup the HF antenna. For testing, its is connected to the CP22E and tuned to VHF. Since Im a bit busy, it might take some time setting-up the HF rig.

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by raghu.t.k

Finally got my radios. For the VHF got the FT2900R and for HF FT991A. The Antenna for the VHF is a CP22E from diamond. I have just got the FT991 A and not setup the HF antenna. For testing, its is connected to the CP22E and tuned to VHF. Since Im a bit busy, it might take some time setting-up the HF rig.

Hey, congrats... good choice! you really splurged on those rigs Did you import them? I guess the FT2900R goes to your mobile. Remember to disconnect everything (not just the antenna) even at the slightest hint of a rain or a lightning.

[pickdj]

I never realized this thread even existed! Good on you guys to restart this one.

I am finally going to appear for the ASOC exam here in Pune one of these days. I could have appeared many years earlier but peer pressure is tough. Both my parents have been HAMs for about 40+ years and dad has been pretty active all the time. I used to assist him in his various home-made antenna projects and boy there are stories I can tell
Studying started in earnest a few months back but have taken a back seat to life unfortunately. All that electronics is frying my brains! Last I read all that was in BE and that was about 20 years ago! Mostly worried about the written test - I understand it's all objective type these days?

Morse is coming along. I follow the K6RAU videos on youtube. They are indeed dated but good enough. Hopefully I will be ready soon with help and blessings from all the OM/YLs out here.
73's

[raghu.t.k]

Originally Posted by bejoy

Hey, congrats... good choice! you really splurged on those rigs Did you import them? I guess the FT2900R goes to your mobile. Remember to disconnect everything (not just the antenna) even at the slightest hint of a rain or a lightning.

Thanks. I generally prefer to get a good rig the first time, instead frequent upgrades. I generally upgrade when something is no longer usable or totally out dated.

I was using the FT2900R till the FT991 came in. Need to see about the mobile bit, without impacting the aesthetics. For Warranty sake did not want to go down the import route. I went through their importer, thankfully the same person was dealing with both Yaesu and Diamond.

Sure will disconnect everything, the lightning strike, is the biggest fear I have. The next being the strength of the vertical antennas!!

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by pickdj

All that electronics is frying my brains! Last I read all that was in BE and that was about 20 years ago! Mostly worried about the written test - I understand it's all objective type these days?
Morse is coming along.

Yes, its all object oriented. I hope you know that the electronics paper is waived off if you have done electronics/communication in your BE. Also, morse is not needed for Restricted license. Of course, if you can take morse test and appear for General grade lic, nothing like it.

All the best for your studies and exam! It seems there is a very good Ham activity in Pune with regular eye-ball meetings happening.

[pickdj]

Originally Posted by bejoy

Yes, its all object oriented. I hope you know that the electronics paper is waived off if you have done electronics/communication in your BE. Also, morse is not needed for Restricted license. Of course, if you can take morse test and appear for General grade lic, nothing like it.

All the best for your studies and exam! It seems there is a very good Ham activity in Pune with regular eye-ball meetings happening.

Yes I do. Unfortunately my engineering was in mechanical which means a lot of studying now. I will try for the general grade. Let's see.
Pune is indeed happening. My dad is very active in the group (PHARC) and they meet up every weekend. The net is also a very well attended event I believe. What's your handle if you don't mind me asking?

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by pickdj

What's your handle if you don't mind me asking?

Same as the handle here Call is VU3 B O J

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Just got my results today. Cleared Restricted Grade. I had applied for both Restricted as well as General Grades. However was too busy so didn't get time to practice Morse. I answered the theory though just for the heck of it. Theory paper was common with 50 questions. Restricted Grade candidates needed to answer only the first 25. If you need the Restricted Licence you need to get the pass percentage within the first 25 questions.

I just received my licence today. I'm now officially a HAM.

CQ CQ CQ DE VU3OHG.

Once again thanks Bejoy and Jaguar and all the other HAMS for the assistance and guidance.

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

I just received my licence today. I'm now officially a HAM.

CQ CQ CQ DE VU3OHG.

Once again thanks Bejoy and Jaguar and all the other HAMS for the assistance and guidance.

VU3OHG U R 599++, DE VU3BOJ

Congrats Peter. Hope to hear on the bands soon.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

CQ CQ CQ DE VU3OHG.

Great!! Will watch for this call sign now . These days I am generally Mike Oscar during the evening nets on 145.650Mhz.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

I just received my licence today. I'm now officially a HAM.

CQ CQ CQ DE VU3OHG.

Once again thanks Bejoy and Jaguar and all the other HAMS for the assistance and guidance.

Congrats Peter. Did you buy a radio already?

[bejoy]

A team of 6 Radio Amateurs are 'activating' Kavaratti islands (Lakshwadeep) from 11 till 20th of this month.

Called IOTA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islands_on_the_air), hams around the world look forward to make contacts with these rare contacts for adding to their logs.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/natio...er-on-air.html

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A land and its people devastated by a disaster of Biblical proportions will have no need for the Avengers or the Guardians of the Galaxy or the Fantastic Four. A ham radio operator is their best bet. When hurricanes and earthquakes snap modern communication systems like they were dry twigs, hams alone keep the communication going. A crack team of hams or amateur radio enthusiasts, three from Kerala and two from Karnataka, will reach Kavaratti Island, the capital of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, on October 11 to activate ham radio operations for 10 days, till October 21. Their brief: “Demonstrate amateur radio operations and its benefits during natural calamities.” “We would like to show how during an emergency, when all communication systems have failed, ham radio operations can be used as an effective alternative,” said Manoj Kumar Warrier, a commercial pilot who leads the five-member team. Last November Manoj had travelled to Lakshadweep to scout for an ideal location to set up stations. He zeroed in on a relatively lonely beach in Kavaratti.

There is a reason why a beach has been selected. “Because of the presence of salt, the radio waves will get a low-angle radiation taking it to the farthest places. The sodium and chloride ions in sea water will bend the radio waves, making it move in a horizontal wave of sorts instead of vertically,” said Ravi Gopan, a Kerala-born IT professional based in the UK and a team member. A ham operator, like a camper or a mountaineer, is also fired by the thrill of adventure. “Ham operations are normally done in closed, secluded environments, like inside a home. But at times we would like to move out of our comfort zones,” Mr Manoj said. It is a huge challenge for these DXers (ham jargon for long distance radio operators) to set up radio stations in an alien location. “In this case we have to set up three stations on a beach, all in half a day’s time,” said Ravi Gopan, a Kerala-born IT professional based in the UK.

The most problematic would be the erection of four antennae to receive and transmit radio waves. “When four antennae are erected in close proximity to each other the trouble is their frequencies could overlap and cause huge disturbance. So we have to space them in such a way that the harmonic of one does not enter into another's space,” Mr Gopan said. Each antenna will be tuned to operate in one particular band. All the three stations will be operated 24X7 during the 10 days on a shift basis. The other DXers are Siddhalinganesh Basawanal (software professional), Kiran Padiyar (a BI analytics architect), and Sangeeth S. Musaliar, a Kollam native based in Muscat. Paul R Hardcastle, a flight simulator engineer working for Emirates, will be part of the team as remote support and coordinator.
Once the DXers begin transmitting, a global wooing game of sorts will ensue.

The DXers, by setting up shop in a remote area where hams have only dreamed of visiting, position their station (known in the ham world by the ‘callsign’ VU7T) as an object of desire. (The ambition of any ham worth his salt is to get in touch with the remotest of stations. It is like in rock climbing where climbers aspire to reach the farthest point on an increasingly difficult route.) But by being in one of earth’s most obscure coordinates VU7T also plays hard to get. VU7T, therefore, becomes all the more tempting for a true-blue ham. (VU stands for India in ham world, 7 is the number assigned to Lakshadweep, and T is an alphabet the DXers had chosen.) For the hams around the world, getting in touch with VU7T has already become irresistible. Within an hour of the news of their ‘DXpedition’ was flashed on QRZ.com, which houses almost every ‘callsign’ in the world, their page had logged nearly 800 ‘lookups’, a pre-internet equivalent of ‘hits’. “If they can get in touch with us, they will accumulate points and win awards,” Mr Gopan said.

VU7T follows a pre-planned course

VU7T has its activities charted well in advance. Time slots have been assigned for each continent. If mornings and evening are set apart for North America, the rest of the day is divided between various parts of Asia and Europe. “The time slots are so designed because the propagation of radio signals to these areas is strongest during these slots,” Mr Gopan said. The mode of communication with contact has also been set. The ‘dot and dashes’ of Morse Code during certain periods, and voice messages during the other. Once transmission begins, 'callsigns' across the world will try to tune into VU7T’s frequency. “In a particular time slot, we will give preference to contacts from the lands assigned that slot. So if someone from Asia tries to get in touch with VU7T during the early mornings and evenings set apart for North America, we will invoke the operational ethics laid down in the DX Code of Conduct,” Mr Gopan said.

Since the objective is to get in touch with as many hams across the world, the meeting will be kept extremely short. The caller will first introduce herself with her callsign. If she is from United States, her callsign will begin with ‘N’, the way a person from India’s begins with ‘VU’. “In return, we will identify them with their name and give them their report,” Gopan said. The caller, too, gives his RST Code report. The report refers to the RST code or the readability, strength and tonality of the to and fro signals. The varying quality of each of these parameters is measured in a scale of one to five or one to nine. If the signal is unreadable, the value is 1. If perfectly readable, the value is 5. As for strength, if the signals are faint and barely perceptible, the value is one.

For very strong signal, the value is 9. So if the signal is readable with considerable difficulty and the strength is fair, the value will be 34. The third parameter of tonality is taken when Morse Code is used. If the tonality is very rough and broad, the value is one. And if it is a perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind, the value is 9. All this information will be simultaneously logged into the computer and passed on to a central server that will validate the findings. The exchange of information - the assessment of the RST code and the deciphering of the Morse Code - will last for barely 20 seconds.

[mathur2012]

Hello, needed a little help, Can I use this antenna

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B073X1TMQK

with this UHF radio

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B074ZDM84L/

to extend / boost signal strength ?

I was planning to mount this antenna on my car.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by mathur2012

Hello, needed a little help, Can I use this antenna with this UHF radio to extend / boost signal strength ?
I was planning to mount this antenna on my car.

I couldn't find any info on the antenna connector of the radio to be sure if this antenna will work. But I am pretty sure you'd not get any improvement with this antenna.

PS: This walkie-talkie usage is not allowed in India, even for licensed HAMs.