Well ... to a point.

Gave a shot at a 2m net that meets up locally on 146.520 simplex at a set time on a set day. Net control was using a yagi to tune around to see what was out there. Brought in operators 40 to 50 miles away running their base stations. Myself on a 5w HT (VX-6R in the backyard) couldn't get him to hear me 12-15 miles away on flat land. He could hear a word or two of my call but I was so weak that it was no joy. Nobody was close enough to relay to net control. Not enough antenna. Not enough power.

Next try is to put together a mag mount to stick on top of the truck with a Comet SBB-2 and see what that can do.

My ultimate goal is to communicate 400 miles with portable or go-kit equipment which will get me well clear of any normal SHTF scenario such as a hurricane. The HT is OK for very local comm or through a repeater but I need more powder and bigger caliber. The .22Short ain't cutting it. The Comet on top of the truck is giving a .22LR a try.

Success!

Did get the combo together. Comet SBB-2 which eventually will be the mobile antenna on a mag mount to the VX-6. Got a solid login on that Wednesday net and the rest of the net helped out with signal reports and distances. Solid to 15 miles quickly fading by 20 miles. That most were running base station antennas probably had something to do with pulling me in. One issue worked out was mic gain. Apparently for simplex work I was not speaking close enough into the mic. Receive reports were clear but weak. Brought it a bit closer and turned up the mic gain a bit and I now had a solid contact.

Just something to think about when you put your rig together.

Well, since no one more knowledgeable has replied, I'll take a shot at it... In a nutshell–– I personally wouldn't. The e-ham reviews were ok on that radio, but there are only three of them, and they don't go into that much technical detail. If your budget wouldn't allow anything higher then maybe it'd be ok to chance it, but if you have any problems you'll likely be stuck when you try to get any help. I try to stick to mainstream stuff–– at least then you can find lots of other owners who already had your problem, or can help you figure it out if not. Repairs on that radio might be non-existent if you have any trouble with it. You could probably find a used older Icom/Yaesu/Alinco/Kenwood in that price range if you shop hard. Then you'll have a supported and known quantity to start out with.

Just my .02 FWIW. HTH!

it's not that its "no good". it's just "not optimal". at 70cm/440MHz the PL-259/SO-239 performs "OK-ish", and in most situations "OK-ish" is good enough.


(1) the PL-259/SO-239 pair is cheaper, and (2) in-the-field performance at 440MHz is "good enough".


type N is good for the range of 0Hz to 18GHz or so. note that due to the limited contact area of the center pin on the N connector pair, the power handling capability of the PL-259/SO-239 pair is higher at modest frequencies (150MHz and down).

one nicety of the male N connector is that you only need a low power iron to solder it on; only the center pin is soldered to the coax; the heat-sucking braid is mechanically clamped. the other major benefit to the N connector pair is that, unlike the PL-259/SO-239 pair, it is designed right from the start to be weather-tight. and finally, a BNC female and an N male can be mated for a temporary, field-expedient emergency antenna connection.

btw, every single piece of (expensive) RF test equipment (e.g. spectrum analyzer, etc) has either N or SMA connectors on it. this type of equipment needs the performance of the N and this gear is sold at a price point that allows for the N.

ar-jedi

no.


an external antenna will help immensely. thread some thin coax (e.g. RG58) through the weatherseal in the door. just be sure not to slam the door on the coax, pinching it tightly.


see also the Ham Radio 101 thread.

ar-jedi

I did this saturday morning. Have to wait until Tuesday for my call to hit ULS.

Reading this thread (and this forum in general) helped a ton.

if you have not found it already,
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=22&t=604477


this is an excellent plan. even if you don't join, find out if the club(s) around you have "Field Day" plans for June –– this is en excellent way to get hands-on experience with various radios and meet some folks in the process.
see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_Day_%28amateur_radio%29
and
http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club


note that "all the bands" in practical terms includes HF, VHF, and UHF –– these all mode, all band radios (such as the Icom IC7000, Icom IC706MkIIG, and Yaesu FT857D) are generally fairly expensive and moreover you are going to need more than one type of antenna PLUS an antenna tuner for the HF side. these are small radios –– but not HT sized –– and are somewhat involved to operate as well compared to your average FM-only VHF/UHF HT.

ar-jedi

I normally recommend a mobile type radio instead of a handheld. Handheld seems desirable as an only radio because it's easy to use everywhere... but you usually rapidly discover that you need a speaker mic, power cord and external antenna to be very useful in the car... and similar in the house... then you end up just leaving it one place or the other because it's too much trouble. Mobile gives you a lot more performance in an easier to use package.

I don't think I understand just what you are saying here; are you talking about the 2 wires on the dipole antenna?

If so: If both wires of the antenna are equal lengths, they are EXACTLY out of phase. One side will be "positive" when the other is "negative."

If one wire is shorter than the other, then things get more complex.

a balanced (or in low level analog and digital electronics you could say "differential") transmission line differs from an unbalanced (you could say "single ended") in that there is no specific reference conductor in a balanced transmission line, and the impedances of the two respective lines are the same.

i could type for about a half hour here; instead, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_line
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_circuit


in relatively low-frequency RF applications (less than, say, 50MHz) , such as we discuss on this forum, a transformer makes it happen.

see also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balun




ar-jedi

This might have been asked before, so sorry if it's a repeat. I am looking at the pool of questions on this page: http://www.arrl.org/question-pools

Are those the actual questions that will be on the exam that I will take? Like, if I had photographic memory, I could remember these and walk in and ace the test? In my academic experience this seems like magnanimous charity on behalf of the FCC.

Is this real life?

Thank you!

Also, I know what I would like for my call sign to be and I understand you can request it is no one else has it. Can I do this the day I take my test or do I have to get mine and then request a change?


And when the license is renewed, do you retake the test?

Also, do they ask every one of these questions in the pool?