What Do You Want For Christmas In Your Ham Shacks ?

  Well it's that time of year again, ham radio friends where we think about what we want for Christmas in our ham shacks. Yes many of us would like one of those $2000 dollar ham radios, but our budget limits us from that. So then we have to make a decision on what we want and what fits our budget. 

 In my situation, my wife works a good full time job and I have early retired. Yes due to the pandemic, my job did not call me back. In fact they only called me when they were short of help, because one technician was going on 3 weeks vacation and the other was going on a week vacation after that. You may be asking yourselves how did I know this.

 Well I kept in touch with another employee that they had coming in and helping during the pandemic. Yes the individual was supposed to stay out until the government said it was okay to go back to normal. I asked how they were practicing any protection from the covid 19. I was told they only wore a mask when a customer came in to the store. As far as back in service where I worked, it was business as usual. No one wore a mask and there was no self distancing.

 The employee asked me if I had talked to management. I said I had not spoken to them since they let us go. I was told that they were telling people that I told them I was not coming back. Nothing but more lies as this was always happening. I was told that they said they were going to call me. Well they called and I listened to the message on the answering machine.

 They told me nothing about what I already knew. They wanted me to come in to talk to them. They also said in the message that they would only pay me what unemployment paid. That would be 60% of my normal wage. Understand that I worked there for over 17 years, never had a raise or a cost of living increase. I was earning about $14 dollars an hour working as a Computer Technician. I asked the employee if they were paying everyone less, the answer was they were paying them the same amount.

 They were paying the other technicians $25 an hour or more. So they were going to only pay me about $7 an hour. This was basically a slap in the face to me. I decided to stay on unemployment as long as I could and look for a job as an Electronic Technician. I have my AAS Degree In Electrical Engineering with the Master In Electronics. I had worked as a Electronic Technician 12 Years before working as a Computer Technician. I found that jobs were scarce at the time and the ones being offered were not worth it due to the pandemic and pay.

 I decided to stay on unemployment until it ran out. I checked the amount I would have on social security and compered it to the amount if I waited until 65 to 70 to retire. There was very little in the amount, so I decided to retire now. There were other personal reasons why I did not go back to my job. I informed unemployment about all this and the reasons for not going back. I never has an issue with unemployment. My biggest reason was the lack of protection for the covid 19 pandemic.

 Okay, so back to the subject at hand about what do you want for Christmas. If your budget is small like mine, then I would look at purchasing low cost items on Amazon or Used Items On Ebay. I myself am getting a Baofeng Handheld Ham Radio. If you want a good ham radio, then I would look at Ebay for a used ham radio or gear. Ham Radio Operators tend to take really good care of their equipment.

 I have seen some pretty good deals on Yaesu, Icom and Kenwood Transceivers as well as other brands. My advise is to always check out the sellers rating and reviews, because there are many crooked people out there. Yes there are many scammers that are just after your money. So always make sure to protect yourself.

 

Ham Radio Antennas For Those Small Yards

  This is a dilemma that many of us Ham Radio Operators Face, The Small Backyard. I myself have suffered from this my whole life. When I was younger, living at home, we had very little space. What I did was to look over the area and then use my imagination. Now this was back in the late 70s and cb radio was very popular. I had a few different cb antennas over the years.

 I started out with a magnet mount antenna on a metal tv tray. Needless to say, it did not work very well. I bought a used 1/2 wave ground-plane antenna from a friend. I wall mounted it to the side of the house and it did a pretty good job. I wanted to reach further, so I bought a full 5/8 wave ground-plane antenna and mounted it on top of the roof on a tripod. It was basically just like the super perpetrator. 

 Well I still wanted to make further contacts, so I bought a 40 foot tower and a pdl II beam antenna. I cemented the tower on a hinge system, wall mounted it and had guy wires. Basically it was not going anywhere. The backyard had a small oval pool and very little space, but I did it. I did have a star duster antenna that came crashing to the ground. Later I did but a big stick antenna on the roof and it was good for local talk. I did get some excellent distance with the beam antenna.

 Now I was married in 1984 and we moved into an apartment. Now all I had was the mobile antenna on the my truck. We were in a townhouse for awhile, but no place for an antenna. In 1992 we bought a house and I had the 5/8 wave up and it did an okay job. I eventually got my Technician Ham License and then my General Ham License.

 I bought a imax 2000 vertical antenna, that can be used on cb radio and some ham bands. I also installed a multi-band dipole antenna, with the apex at about 35 feet. It did a good job until the bands faded out as the seasons change. The problem I have is that the backyard is small, maybe about 25 foot from the back of the house to the fence. The west side of the house has the power lines running through the middle and the other side has the driveway. The front yard has some space and 4 trees.

 Unfortunately I sold the 40 foot tower awhile ago, which I never should have. I have some hamstick antennas I am playing with. I also have a mfj cobwebb antenna that I would like to put up. I have a vertical 6btv, but the trees have grown and I am not sure how it will work with the trees. I would have to lay some ground radials down. The weather has gotten cold and I have to think about things.

 So if you are looking for some small space ham antenna ideas, here they are. The cobweb antenna is multi-band and works very well. Using Hamsticks is another good choice, especially with the mount by mfj. The comet cha250b is a good choice for a vertical antenna. I would also check out youtube for small space ham antennas.

Have You Ever Done Any Stupid Things As A Ham Radio Or Cb Radio Operator ?

  

  When I think back on all the stupid things I have done when I was younger and into the cb radio back in the late 70s, boy was I dumb. I remember installing a 1\2 wave ground plane antenna on my mothers roof to a mast that was wall mounted. I was holding 2 foot of the antenna, standing on the edge of the roof and installing it on the wall mounted mast. To top it off it was in a snow storm. Try holding that in the cold snowy wind. Yes I managed to do it and the swr was good. I used that antenna until I bought a star-duster cb antenna.

   This was my next brilliant move in the land of cb radio. I used some fence rails to put it up about 40 feet in the air. I had the mast was mounted to the garage. I had a boat winch set up with cable, so I could lay it over on the roof. My mistake, was that I used guy wire for the cable. I started to lay it over and then the weight took over. That mast came sailing down and the star-duster antenna crashed into the roof and landed on the driveway. All I could do was look at that poor twisted and bent antenna and say shi@#$%*.

   Then cam e my next adventure in cb radio. I bought a 40 foot tower and cemented into the ground with a tilt over system. I also had this wall mounted to the garage and used a number of guy wires as well. This would lay right over and onto the roof. I had a friend tie a rope to it and to his pick up truck. The back yard was right at the schools playground field. The tower laid over perfectly and I installed a PDL II Beam antenna on it. One time as I was on the roof , my friend was lowering the tower and I stood too close to the tower. A bolt or something caught my shirt and ripped it off my back. I did pay my younger brother 5 dollars to climb the tower and adjust it, so it pointed north.

  Well I have my own house and I don't do those crazy things as I have gotten older. I am much more careful with my ham radio antennas and gear. I much prefer to do everything from the ground.

Amateur Radio | Ham Radio Operators Are Silent Heroes

 

 

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Ham Radio Operators Are Silent Heroes

By Pim Lorenz  |   Submitted On September 13, 2013

Does it seem to you that sometimes, television has no shame? That the medium, which actually had its introduction nearly 100 years ago (the first photos were sent over the air from amateur transmitter to amateur receiver in about 1921) made its professional debut with the election of 1928 when the victor's speech was broadcast.

Early broadcast pioneers, such as Gen. David Sarnoff, who heard he sad plight of the HRMS Titanic as she sank in 1912 because he didn't have a license that allowed him to transmit (he soon remedied that), later founded the National Broadcasting Co.

Lee deForest invented the "valve" (triode tube) the allowed the miniaturization of radio, was an electrical engineer who wanted to see what would happened when he added a plate grid to a standard diode tube and the amplifier circuit was born. He allowed huge stations to put music and drama on the air. Almost immediately networks such as Sarnoff's National Broadcasting Company (NBC) were bringing advertising revenues hand over fist as quatrodes and pentodes were developed.

Maj. Edwin Armstrong, the "Father of FM Radio," figured out how to modulate the main frequency and put huge amounts of information on that frequency, adding lifelike sound. None of them were in it for the money, at first.

    They were in it for: The thrill they received to see if they could do something no one else ever had done before
    The ability to develop new technologies from the older technologies and then use the newer technology to develop still newer technology (the transistor never would have been developed without deForrest's work and the work of RCA and Motorola and we would never have had the laptops or desktops that we take for granted every day
    To assist the federal government with public safety work.

Indeed, by the mid-1920s, people were calling for licensure for ham radio operators who would:

    Provide a trained pool of operators in case of war
    Provide a trained base of technology to advance technology
    Further the radio arts
    Watch out for their families
    Assist the government in time of need

It's not the most stirring of credos, is it? However, every Ham Radio operator from 1AW (Hiram Percy Maxim who founded the American Radio Relay League) in the early 1920s, to this day is poised to service and support town, city, county, state and federal authorities.

The mission of the Ham Radio operator has, indeed, been expanded since the tragedy of 9/11 when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) named them official first responders. This was only the highest recognition that the Amateur community could receive.

It's not as if Hams were sitting by their radios waiting for new contests and contacts (there are some who do that, but when the time comes and lots of information has to be moved in a short amount of time, a skilled contester can move a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time and they use a microphone to do it.

There are those in the Amateur world who believe that using the keyboard of specialized software is the most efficient way to move traffic and there are those who believe that Morse Code is still the best way to go.

Each has its place in the world of response; however, Amateur Radio now works regularly with the:

    Military Auxiliary Radio System, acting as the Army's primary backup high-frequency network, if the Army's system fails. The same is true of the Marines, Navy and Air Force new mission

    Hams have working relationships with the National Hurricane Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to put "boots on the ground" observation through a trained cadre of Skywarn spotters, at each major weather service office. Indeed, a Ham, Rob Macedo, KD1CY, of Massachusetts, heads a major information retrieval and reporting system and makes sure it interfaces cleanly and works smoothly, reporting directly to the head of the Hurricane Center.

    Hams have also had working relationships with the American Red Cross and worked tirelessly when two terrorists tried to weaken our resolve by blowing up a couple of buckets of nails at the Boston Marathon. They did end up ending three young lives and we will never know whether any of them could have found the cure for cancer or diabetes, but the culprit (more like the cowards they were) but only ended up in showing the world that our backs are made of steel when we are attacked as the Boston community joined together to help.

    Hams were there during the race and directed runners to buses so they could be picked up and delivered to loved ones.

The list goes on and on and here's the kicker in this piece, Hams use their own their own equipment to do this "work." "Indeed, you want to know something we don't consider this work, at all. We're just helping out, returning to the community the ability we have been granted to enjoy a hobby and need like Ham Radio," said one local Amateur.

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Try Using Hamsticks For A Simple Stealth Rotatable Dipole Ham Antenna

 

  Hamsticks For A Simple Stealth Dipole Ham Antenna

 

 If you are trying to think of a simple stealth type ham antenna, why not try a couple of Hamsticks in a rotatable dipole configuration. Yes this would be a compromise type of antenna and the bandwidth would be small. Some antenna is better than no antenna at all. I have watched a few videos on youtube and they seem to do a pretty good job. They would be considered a mono type antenna, because they would be for a specific band, such as the 20 meter or 40 meter band.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP EBAY FOR HAMSTICKS

 They do come in a 250 watt or 650 watt configuration for power consumption.  Most hams run 100 watts, so the 250 watt version would do just fine. Generally on Amazon, you will find the Mfj Brand or the Shark Brand. Just remember that you are going to need two hamsticks for the same band and the mount to connect them. If you shop at DX Engineering, they will cost you about $21.95 Each and the Mount is about $24.95 . Now you can buy them on Amazon, Ebay, Dx Engineering and Ham Radio Outlet, as well as some other Ham Radio Dealers like Gigaparts. Gigaparts does sell them through Amazon.

 You can purchase the Hamsticks in a bundle, with maybe 5 in a pack or more. Another dipole mount that you can use is by connecting two mirror mounts together. Just remember that one isolating washer will need to be removed. You can also purchase the rotatable dipole mini package from Mfj. The other choice is the Mfj Octopus mount, where you can connect 8 hamsticks ( 2 for each band ) to have 4 rotatable dipoles on one mount. The mount is about $145 0n Amazon or about $120 at Ham Radio Outlet. You can purchase the whole Mfj Octopus Package With Hamsticks For About $405.

 My advise is to purchase a 38 foot telescoping fiberglass mast or a metal push up mast. The metal push up mast is going to be heavier to push up than the fiberglass mast. The Heavy Duty Fiberglass Mast should support the Octopus Mount with Antennas. It can be easily raised and lowered with no issues. You could use a MFj Tripod to hold the Mast. My other advise is to purchase a Mfj Antenna Analyzer when adjusting the Antennas for a proper SWR.

 If you really want to be adventurous, try using the Hamsticks in a two element or 4 element small beam antenna configuration. Click this link to check out this 3 element Hamstick Beam Antenna - CLICK HERE NOW.

Buying A Ham Radio On Amazon And Ebay

  

 Many Ham Radio Operators do not like buying a Ham Radio from Amazon or Ebay. There is nothing wrong with buy a Ham Radio or Ham Radio Equipment from either of these places on the internet. Amazon tends to have New Items and they may be from some reputable main dealers. I have found that Amazon may have items from Ham Radio Outlet and Gigaparts. I have noticed that Ham Radio Outlet items on Amazon may be slightly more expensive.

 

 Now Ebay will have New Ham Radios as well as Used Ham Radios. If you are purchasing anything from Ebay, make sure to check out the sellers ratings and reviews before paying any money to the seller. I have heard some horror stories of people paying money and getting nothing or just a boat anchor piece of junk. Unfortunately there are many crooked individuals on the internet. I have found that DX Engineering and Gigaparts are selling new items on Ebay.

 So if you are going to buy from Amazon and Ebay; just check out the seller for negative ratings and reviews.

What Do You Do When You Can't Afford An Expensive Ham Radio To Transmit On ?

  We all run into this dilemma at some point in our Ham Radio Hobbies. Yes you could apply for a big credit card and then make payments forever. I personally do not recommend this, because I have been down that road. I bought my kenwood ts2000 and put in on my credit card. Well I injured my back and was out of work for almost 6 months. My job would not let me come back until I was alomost 100% better. To make a long story short, we ended up in bankruptcy and it stayed with us for about 10 years. 

 So then the question is what are you going to do. Well if you just have your technician license, you could go with an inexpensive handheld 2 meter transmitter by baofeng or one of the other low cost handheld ham radios. Hey they may be cheap, but they will get you on the air. The other choice is to go on Ebay and search for the best deal on a used low cost handheld ham radio. You may see prices anywhere from $250 and higher. You can find deals on the baofeng handhelds on Amazon as well as Ebay.

 Now if it is a base Ham Radio Transmitter you want, Then it's Ebay in the used category. There are some pretty good deals on Uhf, Vhf and Hf Transceivers. You should thoroughly check out the seller before putting any money down. There are lots of scammers out there on the internet. As far as prices go, they vary all over the place. So check them out today and have some fun. 

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Ham Radio Is The Best Hobby In The World

 

 

Visit My Affiliate Ham Radio Website At https://hamradio123.wixsite.com/radio-ham

 

 If you are looking for a good hobby and want to make friends around the world. I suggest you look into the Ham Radio Hobby. There are many different ways to go in the hobby and things to do. You need to get your Technician License first, then your General Ham Radio License and if you want to go further, the Extra License. You can buy the equipment from local dealers on the internet, but you can also check out Amazon and Ebay for some pretty good deals. Visit My Affiliate Website Today and GIVE IT A LIKE ! 

 

 

Ham Radio - A Fascinating Hobby
 

By David Thorson  |  Submitted On September 13, 2010
 

 Ham Radio is a fascinating hobby. Since licensing was first issued, many millions of radio licenses have been issued. With the rapid development in radio and electronics in recent years, equipment has become cheaper, smaller and technically better. The hobby of amateur radio is still going strong with many new recruits joining the ranks every year.
 

 Becoming a radio ham is one of the most exciting, high-tec, educational and useful hobbies you could find. It includes many different groups of people around the world ie. pilots, sailors, doctors, scientists, students, astronauts, even celebrities. First Lady Betty Ford was a CB enthusiast with the handle 'First Mama.' You just never know who you could be speaking to next.
 

 Ham Radio is a licensed radio service. Operators take an exam to get their operating license and most importantly their call signs. The most wonderful thing about it is that no matter your age, color, creed, gender, or physical ability, all are welcomed into the fold with open arms.
Once you have your license you can use your radio station to make to make contact with the world without worrying about additional charges.  You can  make contact via satellites, use your computer for wireless connectivity, bounce signals off the moon for contacts, use small handheld radios for local communications, even contact the space shuttle astronauts and provide communications for public services.
 

 Radio amateurs have a lot of  fun, but there is a serious side to this hobby too. Amateur Radio Associations was founded to provide ordinary people with the means to intensify their operating skills, especially in times of real emergency. In disasters such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, accidents and search and rescue ham radio is often the only means of communication when telephone lines are down, cellphone masts lack power, and local radio and TV stations are off the air. It is the stalwarts of ham radio that everyone has come to rely on and they NEVER disappoint.
 

 Take Paul Mason, an Australian who in 1942 made a key contribution the defeat of the Japanese army at the battle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. He was the manager of a plantation on the Solomon Islands and being a radio ham was recruited to be a civilian 'coast-watch' by Australian intelligence. He set up his radio - which was very bulky in those days -on a high ridge in the south of the island. The Japanese planes had to pass overhead, in fact it is said he sent the most important message ever sent by a radio ham. The US had landed on Guadalcanal and were disembarking when 24 heavily laden bombers passed overhead Paul who sent
 

 'From STO - Twenty Four bombers headed yours',
 

 this gave the US 2 hours grace to get their planes in the air and they destroyed all but one of the enemy bombers. but the enemy knew he was somewhere on the island and even though he was hounded he continued to send messages, moving heavy fragile equipment on a constant basis and eventually was told to go to the north of the island where he would be picked up by submarine. 

 

 He was awarded the DFCby General MacArthur for 'his contribution to the war effort'.
 

 Acquiring your license is not difficult and there are study manuals for the 30 question test which you can buy from Radio Shack. It need not be expensive to set up your ham radio or does it have to take up a lot of room. If you are interested and would like advice on anything, the authority on Ham Radio is American Radio Relay League.

If you are interested in ham radio a good choice might be a 10 Meter Radio [http://www.thorscbradio.com/10-meter-radio.html]. You can find a 10 Meter Radio [http://www.thorscbradio.com/10-meter-radio.html] at our website ThorsCBradio.com
 

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