Date: Mon, 8 Nov 93 00:35:25 PST
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <info-hams@ucsd.edu>
Errors-To: Info-Hams-Errors@UCSD.Edu
Reply-To: Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu
Precedence: Bulk
Subject: Info-Hams Digest V93 #1320
To: Info-Hams
Info-Hams Digest Mon, 8 Nov 93 Volume 93 : Issue 1320
Today's Topics:
ARRL files to ftp..???
BAUD VS BAUDS
characteristic impedance
Fun with Radio Shack
Neat Feature on New Motorola Commercial Ha
Neat Feature on New Motorola Commercial Handheld
RACES Bulletin #299
Radio Shack HTs (4 msgs)
rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1 of 3)
sca adapter
Stereo Advice Wanted Please
Used Radio prices
Send Replies or notes for publication to: <Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu>
Send subscription requests to: <Info-Hams-REQUEST@UCSD.Edu>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to brian@ucsd.edu.
Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams".
We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1993 03:44:21 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!lynx!chaos.dac!wy1z@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: ARRL files to ftp..???
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <CG18Ko.A7r@inf.utfsm.cl> ce2usm@inf.utfsm.cl (Circulo de Radio Aficiionados UTFSM) writes:
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Path: lynx!noc.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!darwin.sura.net!uchdcc!tunga!ce2usm
From: ce2usm@inf.utfsm.cl (Circulo de Radio Aficiionados UTFSM)
Organization: Depto. de Informatica, UTFSM.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 1993 18:51:53 GMT
Lines: 17
'lo all!
I was snopping at arrl.org and I saw a lot of progs that I want to
come to my account... but the problem is that ARRL's BBS doesn't
support (does it?) ftp.... and a call from Chile to USA is too
expensive to do.. :)
I'm looking for a good ftp site where U can login as anonymous
(or guest or anything U like.. ) and get all teh progs U want.....
If somebody have a clue to do it please let me know.... please don't
e-mail to this account but to rrodrigu@loa.disca.utfsm.cl... and
please don't post replys on netnews 'cause I haven't an easy way to
acces news... :(
Thanks in advance for any information.......
ROD.
CE6NUG
rrodrigu@loa.disca.utfsm.cl
ce6nug@ce6fyt.radio.cl
You can anonymously log into world.std.com (192.74.137.5) and change
directory to: /pub/hamradio/arrl/Server-files
where you will find ALL of the ARRL files from their info server.
I receive updates directly from them, and when I do, I turn right around
and place those updates onto the World system.
While on the World, feel free to browse the rest of the hamradio area.
73,
Scott
--
===============================================================================
| Scott Ehrlich Internet: wy1z@neu.edu |
| Amateur Radio: wy1z AX.25: wy1z@wa1phy.#ema.ma.usa.na |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Maintainer of the Boston Amateur Radio Club hamradio FTP area on |
| the World - world.std.com /pub/hamradio |
===============================================================================
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 05 Nov 93 16:02:32 GMT
From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!netcomsv!bongo!skyld!jangus@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: BAUD VS BAUDS
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <msattlerCG0B3C.HCH@netcom.com> msattler@netcom.com writes:
> I've been trying to stay out of this discussion as best I could,
> but in studying for my No-Code Technician test next week I came
> across questions T1C03-T1C07 in Gordon West's Radio Shack prep
> book: he uses bauds again and again.
>
> My two cents worth.
What do you expect from a buffoon that drives around in a wanna-be
ambulance pretending to be hip?
This is like most pop stars, just because they are well known doesn't
mean they know shit from shinola.
Amateur: WA6FWI@WA6FWI.#SOCA.CA.USA.NA | "It is difficult to imagine our
Internet: jangus@skyld.tele.com | universe run by a single omni-
US Mail: PO Box 4425 Carson, CA 90749 | potent god. I see it more as a
Phone: 1 (310) 324-6080 | badly run corporation."
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 93 02:04:04 GMT
From: ogicse!emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: characteristic impedance
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <CG17IA.Hp@hpcvsnz.cv.hp.com> charlier@lsid.hp.com (Charlie Panek) writes:
>
> The impedance at the far end corresponding to minimum return loss is
>entirely a function of the electrical length of the line.
Umm, too true. When I tried it in the shop, I grabbed a random hunk
of RG-59, and the pot gave me a dip at 75 ohms. I should have tried
a different frequency, or a different cable. Your explanation shows
the error of my thinking, and Roy shows a simple resistance bridge
and variable frequency approach that *will* work.
Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV |"If 10% is good enough | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems | for Jesus, it's good | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way | enough for Uncle Sam."| emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244 | -Ray Stevens |
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 1993 23:12:54 GMT
From: mvb.saic.com!unogate!news.service.uci.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!darwin.sura.net!gatekeeper.es.dupont.com!esds01.es.dupont.com!COLLINST%esvx19.es.dupont.com@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Fun with Radio Shack
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <gregCFz6KF.DGz@netcom.com>, greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough) writes:
>Went into Radio Shack the other day, to see if their discone antenna looked
>like a worth-while investment as a broadband TX/RX antenna. They didn't
>have one in stock.
>
>In any case, I saw the '94 catalog and asked for one. "That'll be three
>dollars" says the sales droid. "What?" says I, "you're charging for them?"
>"We are this year," he replies. Seeing coupons for about eight bucks in
>the front, I fork over the cash.
>
I would not pay the $3.00. Instead I spent .29 on a letter of complaint to RS
at Fort Worth, TX and about 3 weeks later what came in the mail. A RS catalog
and a letter of apology for the "shabby treatment" I received in the store. It
was sort of funny, I never mentioned anything about shabby treatment at all.
Just that after purchasing thousands of dollars of parts and computer stuff I
refused to pay $3 for their catalog.
73, Tom WI3P collinst@esvax.dnet.dupont.com or collinst@world.std.com
***** The comments, opinions, belief, sentiment, views & scribblings ****
***** above this signature are mine, and mine alone. They do not ****
***** reflect the E.I. DuPont de Nemours Co., Inc., its subsidiaries,****
***** partners, employees or shareholders. ****
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1993 18:47:43 GMT
From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!grian!morris@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Neat Feature on New Motorola Commercial Ha
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
burke_br@adcae1.comm.mot.com (Bruce Burke Sp App) writes:
>In article AA24971@mbs.telesys.utexas.edu, miles@mbs.telesys.utexas.EDU (Miles Abernathy) writes:
>}Here's a neat feature of the new Motorola Visar handheld,
>}
>}The Visar has an LCD channel display mounted on top at a 45-degree angle,
>}so it is visible from above (if the radio is in your shirt pocket) or from
>}the front (if you have it in your hand). Of course, that means that the
>}display must be upside down from one or the other position.
>}
>}The neat feature is an invert button. Press it and the characters in the
>}display electronically invert! No need to read upside-down numbers!
>}
>}Hooray for Yankee ingenuity!
>}
>The MT1000 radios also would do that.
>Bruce, WB4YUC
There was a left-right switch on a late 1960's police radar gun so that
the speed display could be read in the rear view mirror if the gun was
mounted in the back window. I remeber it had Numitron displays.
--
Mike Morris WA6ILQ | This space intentionally left blank.
PO Box 1130 |
Arcadia, CA. 91077 | All opinions must be my own since nobody pays
818-447-7052 evenings | me enough to be their mouthpiece...
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 1993 05:53:02 GMT
From: nothing.ucsd.edu!brian@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Neat Feature on New Motorola Commercial Handheld
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <jfhCFzM1F.IuM@netcom.com> jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton) writes:
>When are the domestic thinkers at Motorola going to start paying attention
>to the ham market? (Taking out threatening ads in QST doesn't count.)
Probably about the time that hams start buying significant quantities of
$1200+ walkies and $2500+ mobiles.
Don't hold your breath.
- Brian
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 93 06:35:02 GMT
From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
Subject: RACES Bulletin #299
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
Bid : $RACESBUL.299
Subject : RB.299 Strike Teams 1/2
TO: ALL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES VIA AMATEUR RADIO
INFO: ALL RACES OPERATORS IN CA (ALLCA: OFFICIAL)
ALL AMATEURS U.S. (@ USA: INFORMATION)
FROM: CA STATE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES (W6SIG @ WA6NWE.CA)
2800 Meadowview Rd., Sacramento, CA 95832 (916)262-1600
Landline BBS open to all: (916) 262-1657
RACESBUL.299 DATE: Nov 8, l993
SUBJECT: OPS - STRIKE TEAMS - Part 1/2
Adapted from an article by Ted Benson, WA6BEJ, Deputy RACES Radio
Officer/Mobile Operations, San Diego County RACES as published in
TAC ONE, vol. 1, issue 2.
The Strike Team, What it is, and what it isn't.
In its simplest form, the Strike Team is a group of
specialists, ready to go anywhere on short notice, and able to
bring everything they need along with them. It is to provide
short-term support until a given situation can be evaluated, and
further resources called in. Our Strike Team is designed to
operate for 72 hours without outside support. By the end of that
time, the incident will either be resolved (the record is
currently one hour), or further support will have been brought
in. This is an important part of the Strike Team concept, and the
most often misunderstood.
The resources of a Strike Team could easily be exhausted if
it was called in to every incident and expected to remain until
the entire incident was over. Instead, its function is to provide
a bridge between the initial incident and the arrival of the
larger, but slower to mobilize resources. Once further resources
have arrived, the Strike Team transitions itself out of the
picture - ready to respond to another call. This technique has
been developed to a science by the California Department of
Forestry (CDF) which fields Strike Teams all over the state. It
was their example, in part, that was used to develop our Strike
Team.
(Concluded in part 2)
EOF
-----------------
RACES Bulletins are archived on the Internet at ucsd.edu in hamradio/races
and can be retrieved using FTP.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 93 15:40:11 EST
From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!news.delphi.com!usenet@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Radio Shack HTs
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
> Actually most HT's these days include all that standard. Why spend $250 for
> a 2m mono band RS HT and then another $250 (?) for a monband 440 RS HT when
> for way less that $500 you can get quality dual banders? My FT530 has no
> optional extras and the total price was $429. All of those features you
> mention plus a hell of a lot more are included.
>
> Anyone in the market for a monoband HT should really consider if one band
> is worth just a few bucks less than 2 bands. Recently I even saw an IC24AT
> (dual band ICOM) in the .swap newsgroup for $275.
The problem with dual-band HTs is they don't have very good rejection of
RF signals outside the intended frequency. I've run HTX-202 to HTX-202 simplex
in downtown Louisville during the HamFest without any intermod problems.
Unfortunately I can't say the same about the fancy dual banders. During peak
times of the day, dual banders in the downtown area are basically expensive
noise makers. :-( Of course some are better than others, but all have intermod
problems.
-- Greg KE4DPX
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 93 04:13:06 GMT
From: ogicse!uwm.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!news.delphi.com!usenet@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Radio Shack HTs
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
Bob Levine <levine@mc.com> writes:
> Yes, Greg, maybe. But you are also a very new ham and instead of hearing
> about "them fancy dual-banders", I am looking for real quantitative data
> from a lab. Not Rat Shack owners justifying their purchases as it seems
> is the case lately. Besides, all the Rat Shack owners ever want is "mods"
> to hear outside the ham bands anyway! What makes you think Korean HTs
> are any better than American (where?) or Japanese HTs?
I'm not attempting to justify the purchase of the HTX-202, and neither am
I saying the HTX-202 is better or worse than any other HT. For one thing,
"better" is a qualititive measurement based primarily on personal tastes.
I'm not looking for mods to the HTX-202 either. As I've said previously,
if I wanted a to receive out of band, I'd buy a scanner -- which is exactly
what I did. While this is obviously my personal preference, I wanted an HT
that operated exclusively in the 2 meter amateur band and that had DTMF
encode and decode, CTCSS encode and decode, and that was fairly easy to
operate on the highway.
-- Greg KE4DPX
------------------------------
Date: 5 Nov 1993 20:59:23 GMT
From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!jericho.mc.com!fugu!levine@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Radio Shack HTs
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article GREGL@delphi.com, Greg Law <GREGL@delphi.com> () writes:
-->> Actually most HT's these days include all that standard. Why spend $250 for
-->> a 2m mono band RS HT and then another $250 (?) for a monband 440 RS HT when
-->> for way less that $500 you can get quality dual banders? My FT530 has no
-->> optional extras and the total price was $429. All of those features you
-->> mention plus a hell of a lot more are included.
-->>
-->> Anyone in the market for a monoband HT should really consider if one band
-->> is worth just a few bucks less than 2 bands. Recently I even saw an IC24AT
-->> (dual band ICOM) in the .swap newsgroup for $275.
-->
-->The problem with dual-band HTs is they don't have very good rejection of
-->RF signals outside the intended frequency. I've run HTX-202 to HTX-202 simplex
-->in downtown Louisville during the HamFest without any intermod problems.
-->Unfortunately I can't say the same about the fancy dual banders. During peak
-->times of the day, dual banders in the downtown area are basically expensive
-->noise makers. :-( Of course some are better than others, but all have intermod
-->problems.
-->
--> -- Greg KE4DPX
Yes, Greg, maybe. But you are also a very new ham and instead of hearing
about "them fancy dual-banders", I am looking for real quantitative data
from a lab. Not Rat Shack owners justifying their purchases as it seems
is the case lately. Besides, all the Rat Shack owners ever want is "mods"
to hear outside the ham bands anyway! What makes you think Korean HTs
are any better than American (where?) or Japanese HTs?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 1993 22:21:40 GMT
From: munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!sdd.hp.com!hpscit.sc.hp.com!cupnews0.cup.hp.com!news1.boi.hp.com!riyadth@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Radio Shack HTs
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <2beerb$2m1@jericho.mc.com> levine@mc.com writes:
> Yes, Greg, maybe. But you are also a very new ham and instead of hearing
> about "them fancy dual-banders", I am looking for real quantitative data
> from a lab. Not Rat Shack owners justifying their purchases as it seems
> is the case lately. Besides, all the Rat Shack owners ever want is "mods"
> to hear outside the ham bands anyway! What makes you think Korean HTs
> are any better than American (where?) or Japanese HTs?
Well, I'm also a very new ham (who doesn't own a radio yet :-), but I do
have some lab data, courtesy of QST (not responsible for typographical
errors :-)
----------------------------------------------------------------
2m comparisons, from QST (Oct '92)
As measured in the ARRL Lab
RS Alinco Icom Yaesu Kenwood Standard
HTX-202 DJ-F1T IC-P2AT FT-411E TH-225A C168A
RX:
Sensitivity: -122.5 -123 -124 -121.5 -125.5 -123
(dBm)
Two-tone,
third-order
dynamic range: 70.5 62 65 43.5 67.5 74
(dB, 20kHz off)
Adjacent-channel
rejection: 72.5 58 70 63 60.5 57
(dB, 20kHz off)
TX:
Spurious signal
and harmonic
suppression: >70dB >60dB >60dB >60dB >60dB >60dB
Dual band comparisons, from QST (Jun '91)
As measured in the ARRL Lab
Alinco Icom Yaesu Kenwood Standard
DJ-560T IC-32AT FT-470 TH-77A C228A
RX (2m band):
Sensitivity: -122 -123 -124 -123 -123
(dBm)
Two-tone,
third-order
dynamic range: 53 58 53 60 69
(dB, 20kHz off)
Adjacent-channel
rejection: 57 62 65 67 62
(dB, 20kHz off)
TX:
Spurious signal
and harmonic
suppression: >60dB >60dB >60dB >60dB >60dB
----------------------------------------------------------------
It seems to me that these 'Rat Shack' owners are just trying to
spread the good word, and the owners of "them fancy dual-banders"
may be trying to justify their purchases.
And not all Radio Shack owners are looking for 'mods', either. It
seems like there are those who want a lot of features for a little
price, but they don't realize that a good radio is the best feature,
and that the extra stuff can reduce the 'goodness'. It makes perfect
sense to me that a tightly filtered front end would produce the
cleanest RF (in and out).
-Riyadth Al-Kazily
riyadth@boi.hp.com
--
{ Riyadth Al-Kazily KB7YWE DoD #295 '83 BMW R65 '77 Volvo 242DL }
{ riyadth@boi.hp.com | When am i going to have time to use all this }
{ (208) 396-4987 | stuff I'm collecting? More important, how can }
{ Boise, Idaho | I get more stuff? Amiga 500+ (+ stuff, that is) }
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1993 21:22:55 GMT
From: amd!amdahl!thunder!ikluft@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1 of 3)
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
Posted-By: auto-faq 3.0
Archive-name: radio/ham-radio/faq/part1
Revision: 3.0 1993/11/07 18:38:38
Rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions
Part 1 - Introduction to the FAQ and Amateur Radio
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a regular posting of frequently-asked questions (FAQ) about Amateur
Radio, also known as Ham Radio. It is intended to summarize some common
questions on the rec.radio.amateur.misc newsgroup and Info-Hams mail list
as well as to help beginners get started.
Please provide a copy of the FAQ to any new or soon-to-be Hams you know.
Regular FAQ postings can help save network bandwidth and maintain a good
signal-to-noise ratio in the newsgroup. However, they can't do it alone - you,
the reader, have to use them. If you are a new user, please print and review
the FAQ articles and look at the instructions in the news.announce.newusers
newsgroup before posting any articles. If you are an experienced user, please
help by refraining from answering frequently-asked questions on the newsgroup
if they are already answered by the FAQ articles. Instead, send e-mail to the
user who asked the question. (It will be helpful if you include the part of
the FAQ that answers their question, but not the whole thing.)
The FAQ cannot always prevent people from posting repetitive questions. But
even if hundreds of questions get posted, it saves you from having to answer
them hundreds of times. Also, a friendly pointer to the FAQ in your first
answer can help that person refer to the FAQ in the future. That is when we
can begin to get a real savings of network bandwidth.
To reduce the size of each article, the FAQ information is posted in 3 parts:
Part 1 - Introduction to the FAQ and Amateur Radio
Part 2 - Amateur Radio Organizations, Services, and Information Sources
Part 3 - Amateur Radio Advanced and Technical Questions
Table of Contents
-----------------
Dates indicate last modification.
Part 1 - Introduction to the FAQ and Amateur Radio
** Table of Contents (6/93)
** Introduction to the FAQ (11/92)
* How to Contribute to the FAQ Articles (6/93)
* Acknowledgements (6/93)
* Notes on "Netiquette" (1/93)
** What is Amateur Radio? (11/92)
** Who can become a ham? (6/93)
** Where can I locate information and books on Amateur Radio? (9/93)
** How much does it cost? (9/92)
** Where can I take the tests? (9/93)
** What are the tests like? (6/93)
** What can I do with a ham radio license? (5/92)
** What can't I do with an Amateur Radio license? (pre-4/92)
** I'm interested, who will help me? (11/92)
** Should I build my own equipment or antenna? (11/92)
Part 2 - Amateur Radio Organizations, Services, and Information Sources
** Where can I find Ham Radio information with a computer? (11/92)
* The rec.radio.* newsgroups (6/93)
* The ARRL e-mail server (1/93)
* The KA6ETB e-mail "HAM-server" (new 9/93)
* The Internet File Transfer Protocol (FTP) (9/93)
* Access to FTP archives via electronic mail (1/93)
* The Ham-Radio mail list: rec.radio.amateur.misc by mail (9/93)
* Telephone BBS's with Ham-related information (9/93)
* Callsign servers and geographical name servers (11/92)
* FTP access to FCC Part 97 and FCC Amateur Radio question pools (9/93)
* Lists of radio modifications and extensions (11/92)
** Can I send ARRL or W5YI electronic mail? (11/92)
** "Why doesn't the ARRL do...?" (11/92)
** What magazines are available for Ham Radio? (pre-4/92)
** How do I use the incoming and outgoing QSL bureau? (11/92)
** Are there any news groups for CAP? (11/92)
** What's the name of the QRP club that issues QRP numbers? (9/93)
** How do I become a 10-10 member? (9/93)
** How do I join MARS? (9/93)
** How do I join RACES? (pre-4/92)
** What organizations are available to help handicapped hams? (pre-4/92)
** I am looking for a specific ham, can anyone help me find him? (6/93)
** Can I post my neat new ham related program on rec.radio.amateur.misc?
(pre-4/92)
** Where can I get ham radio software for my computer? (9/93)
** Are there Dialup News services or BBSs for Amateur Radio? (4/92)
** Where can I find VE sessions in my local area? (9/93)
** Why isn't XXX available electronically? (4/92)
Part 3 - Amateur Radio Advanced and Technical Questions
** What are the different US amateur classes and what can each of them do?
(pre-4/92)
** What is the best way to learn Morse Code? (10/92)
** What is the standard for measuring Morse code speed? (pre-4/92)
** What is the standard phonetic alphabet? (new 9/93)
** I'm confused. What do all those abbreviations mean??? (6/93)
** What do all those "tones" mean? (pre-4/92)
** Where can I learn more about Amateur Radio if I live outside the US?
(9/93)
** How can I get a "reciprocal license" if I am a licensed ham from another
country or if I am a FCC licensed ham who wants to operate in another
country (on vacation)? (9/93)
** My apartment or housing complex does not allow outdoor antennas, now what
do I do? (9/93)
** I got TVI...HELP!!! (9/93)
** Did you know that you can get college credit for being a ham? (pre-4/92)
** On what frequencies do JPL and GSFC retransmit the shuttle audio?
(10/92)
** Can I take my HT on an airplane and operate it if I get the permission
of the captain? (4/92)
** How do I modify my current Amateur license? (9/93)
** I'm confused about XXX, should I ask the FCC? (9/93)
** Is there any information on antique radios? (pre-4/92)
** Where can I buy vacuum tubes? (9/93)
** What do I need to get started in packet radio? (9/93)
** What do I need to get started in satellite communications? (9/93)
** What is available to get started in ATV, SSTV and WEFAX? (9/93)
** What are these contests I sometimes hear, and how do I participate? (9/93)
--Rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently-asked Questions------------------Part 1--
** Introduction to the FAQ
* How to Contribute to the FAQ Articles
We accept suggestions from the Amateur Radio community. Please
consider that all new contributions need to be SHORT and concise
in order to be included. If a contribution is too long, the FAQ
editors can help you find a more appropriate FTP archive or mail
server for your article.
We always accept corrections. Please allow some time (often not
the next issue of the FAQ) because the FAQ maintainers do this as
volunteers so each must give higher priority to their employers.
Send correspondence to hamradio-faq@amdahl.com so that it will
reach all the FAQ coordinators: (listed in alphabetical order)
Ed Hare KA1CV ehare@arrl.org (Newington, CT, USA)
Jack GF Hill W4PPT root@jackatak.raider.net(Brentwood, TN, USA)
Ian Kluft KD6EUI ikluft@uts.amdahl.com (Santa Clara, CA, USA)
Michael Larish KD6CTZ nomad@ecst.csuchico.edu (Chico, CA, USA)
Paul Schleck KD3FU pschleck@unomaha.edu (Omaha, NE, USA)
Chris Swartout N6WCP cas30@uts.amdahl.com (San Jose, CA, USA)
Steve Watt KD6GGD steve@wattres.sj.ca.us (San Jose, CA, USA)
Rosalie White WA1STO rwhite@arrl.org (Newington, CT, USA)
Derek Wills AA5BT oo7@astro.as.utexas.edu (Austin, TX, USA)
* Acknowledgements
All questions listed as modified "pre-4/92" are entirely Diana
Carlson KC1SP's work or her editing of a contributor's work. Diana
established this FAQ and credit is due to her for founding this
project.
Thanks to Devon Bowen KA2NRC for accepting this FAQ in e-mail every
month to keep the FTP archive at ftp.cs.buffalo.edu up-to-date.
* Notes on "Netiquette"
The rec.radio.amateur.misc newsgroup and Info-Hams mail list have a
large daily volume of traffic. They can operate more efficiently if
the following netiquette guidelines are followed. Please take them
seriously.
* If you are new to UseNet, the introductory articles in
news.announce.newusers are required reading. Go to that newsgroup
now. Definitely, read the instructions there before posting
anything. Other rec.radio.amateur.* readers will appreciate it!
* Pick the right newsgroup. Use only the most specific newsgroup
for your subject. For example, a question about a homebrew antenna
only needs to be posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna. Also, don't
post to rec.radio.amateur.misc when the subject can go in another
rec.radio.amateur.* newsgroup. So, when there is a more specific
newsgroup, that's the one you want.
* When posting a followup article, ALWAYS try to minimize the number
of lines of quoted material from the original article.
* As a general rule when you try to determine whether to reply to
someone by e-mail or with a followup article, remember to "praise in
public, criticize in private." It's OK to disagree technically but
be careful not to attack the person with whom you disagree. Also,
be careful with your use of the word "you" when posting a follow-up
article. Many unnecessary flame wars have started that way.
* Use a descriptive subject. For example, a message subject of "Ham
Radio" tells the reader NOTHING about the contents of your article
since the whole newsgroup is about Ham Radio. Other examples of
subjects which are so broad that they become useless could include,
"Help," "A Question," "Antennas," or "Frequencies." Maybe "Books on
Antennas?" or "Where can I find Repeater Frequencies?" would be
better, for example. Remember, in a busy newsgroup a lot of users
decide which articles to read from the subject line alone. If you
post, don't deprive yourself of an audience!
* Before answering a question, check if the FAQ adequately answers it
or if someone else already answered it. If you have more to add,
make sure to reference either the FAQ or the related articles.
* If a user posts a question which is directly answered by the FAQ,
there is no need to post an answer - the information is already
available on the newsgroup. Instead, just send an e-mail message
which politely explains where to find the FAQ. They will probably
appreciate it if you include the answer to their question. (Don't
send a "nastygram" - that would just discourage future participa-
tion.)
* Pay attention to the size of your audience - use the "Distribution:"
header. If you leave it blank, your message will go to every civ-
ilized country in the world and occupy disk space in all news sys-
tems in all those places. If that's what you intend, that's fine
but make sure your article is relevant outside your country. (In
particular, Hams should already know there is more to the world than
just their own country.)
* If you have an item for sale, please limit the distribution area so
that, for example, an article about a radio for sale in New Jersey
won't get to California or Europe. If you wish, you may cross-post
your for-sale article to rec.radio.swap.
* Software sources should be posted to either alt.sources,
comp.sources.misc, or comp.sources.* for a specific machine type.
Software binaries should be posted to the appropriate subgroup of
comp.binaries.
** What is Amateur Radio?
Amateur Radio is a non-commercial radio communication service whose
primary aims are public service, technical training and experimenta-
tion, and communication between private persons. Amateur Radio opera-
tors are commonly called hams. Hams often communicate with each other
recreationally but also provide communications for others at public
events or in times of emergency or disaster.
** Who can become a ham?
The answer to this question differs in every country.
The answer for the USA is listed below. If your country has
a newsgroup specifically for it (i.e. UK, Australia, Germany)
the most accurate answers can be found there. See Part 2 for
the list of region-specific newsgroups.
If that doesn't help, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
may be able to help because they communicate with similar
organizations in other countries, probably including yours.
They can be reached by electronic mail or surface mail (see
Part 2.)
In the USA, anyone who is not a representative of a foreign
government can be an Amateur Radio operator. There are tests
that you must pass to get a license, however the tests are not
insurmountable. On that general level, the requirements are
probably similar in almost every country.
For more information on becoming a Ham in the USA, the ARRL
has a toll-free number where you can request information:
1-800-32-NEW-HAM (don't worry about the number being one digit
too long - the phone system ignores it.) Other information
can also be obtained from the ARRL e-mail information server in
the file called PROSPECT. Details on the server are in Part 2.
** Where can I locate information and books on Amateur Radio?
Your local Radio Shack sells some ham radios and Amateur Radio
license books. Books can also be obtained through the mail
from ham radio organizations, such as ARRL in Newington, CT
(203-666-1541) and W5YI in Dallas, TX (1-800-669-9594). There
may be one or two ham radio stores in the local area (ie,
within 50 miles). Try looking in the Yellow Pages under Radio
Communications.
For the Novice license, get a Novice License manual, plus 5-word-per-
minute Morse code tapes, costing around $25. For the Technician lic-
ense, get a combined Novice and Technician License manual, and an FCC
Rules manual, costing around $32. The FCC Rules manual is a good idea
for Novice also, but not necessary, since the Novice License manual
contains all the FCC Rules that are required for the Novice License.
The ARRL Education Activities Department has several programs to
help amateurs (or prospective amateurs) to get started. Ask for a
"New prospect package" available free of charge, from ARRL HQ,
Educational Activities Department, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
Information on Ham Radio can also be obtained with your computer.
Part 2 of this FAQ contains a significant amount of material on
that subject.
** How much does it cost?
To take the tests for any class of amateur radio license, there is
a small charge (around $5-$6 currently) to cover copying costs and
running the testing sessions. (Due to changes in 1993, Novice tests
are under same procedures as the others.) The cost of a radio is
really dependent on what you want to do. You can make your own radio
and antenna for under $150. You can buy a used single-band radio for
$150-$300. Or you can buy a new multi-band multi-mode radio with all
the doodads for $300-$3000. I'd suggest you learn more about ham
radio, talk to local hams, find out what you want to do with ham
radio first.
** Where can I take the tests?
The Novice tests Used to be given by any two qualified hams of General
class license or above. Now all the license tests are given by
three qualified Volunteer Examiners (VEs) who volunteer their time.
To locate an ARRL testing session in your area, you can contact
ARRL at 203-666-1541 x282.
See also the section "Where can I find VE sessions in my local area?"
in Part 2 because more information is available via UseNet.
** What are the tests like?
First off, come prepared to VE sessions. Bring: TWO forms of ID,
one of which has a picture on it; a calculator (if necessary); a pen
and two pencils; the applicable examination fee (around $5-$6 for
1993); the original AND a copy of your current Amateur Radio license
(if you have one); the original AND a copy of any CSCEs for tests
you've already passed (if you have any).
Each of the written tests (Novice, Technician, General, Advanced,
and Extra) are generally a multiple choice test of approximately one-
tenth of the question pool. For example, if the question pool is
approximately 300 questions, then the test will be a 30-question
test. You need to get 75% correct to pass. Note that they truncate
to determine the correct number of questions. That means for a 30
question test, you need to get 22 right, which is actually only 73.3%.
Once you've paid the small fee for Technician-Extra tests, it costs
no extra to take another test, so I'd suggest you keep taking the
next more advanced test until you fail. If you pass the written
but not the Morse code (or vice versa) for a specific class license,
you have up to one year to take the other test before you would have
to retake the written test again. Note that some VEs will not allow
you to take the written test unless you've first taken the Morse code
test.
The Morse code test is a receiving test only. The test run 5 to 7
minutes. After the test, you are given a 10-question multiple-choice
or fill-in-the-blank test. Passing grade is 7 or more. If you fail
the 10-question test, the examiner team will examine your copy sheet
to see if you have 1 minute of solid copy with no errors. For 5 wpm,
that's 25 characters, for 13 wpm, that's 65 characters, for 20 wpm,
that's 100 characters. If they can find 1 minute solid copy, you've
still passed.
Hints on Morse code tests: Generally, it will be a standard QSO
(conversation), and it MUST contain at least one of each of the
following:
26 letters A-Z, 10 numbers 0-9, comma (,), period (.), slant or
slash (/), question mark (?), double dash prosign (BT), end of
message prosign (AR), end of contact prosign (SK).
The letters count as one character, all others count as two
characters. There are a couple other prosigns which are worth
knowing, but will not be on the test, like "I'm done talking, next"
is K, "I'm done talking, back to you" is KN, "Please wait" is AS.
** What can I do with a ham radio license?
There are so many things, it's a difficult question to answer, but
here's some ideas:
* Talk to people in foreign countries.
* Talk to people (both local and far away) on your drive to work.
* Help in emergencies by providing communications.
* Provide communications in parades or walkathons.
* Help other people become hams.
* Hook your computer to your radio and communicate by computers.
* Collect QSL cards (cards from other hams) from all over the
United States and foreign countries and receive awards.
* Participate in contests or Field Day events.
* Provide radio services to your local Civil Defense organization
thru ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) or RACES (Radio Amateur
Civil Emergency Service).
* Aid members of the US military by joining MARS (Military Affiliate
Radio System).
* Participate in transmitter hunt games and maybe build your own
direction-finding equipment.
* Have someone to talk to on those sleepless nights at home.
* Receive weather pictures via satellites.
* Build radios, antennas, learn some electronics and radio theory.
* Talk to astronauts in space, or use the moon to bounce signals
back to people on the Earth.
* Experiment with Amateur TV (ATV), Slow-Scan TV (SSTV), or send
still-frame pictures by facsimile.
* Experiment with amateur satellite communications.
** What can't I do with an Amateur Radio license?
The most important thing you can't do is transact business of any
kind over ham radio. Interference to other hams or services, as
well as obscene, profane or indecent language is not tolerated and
is illegal. Music and broadcasting are not allowed on ham radio.
Some personal conversations may not be appropriate to Amateur Radio.
Do you really want the whole world to hear about Aunt Mabel's
hemorrhoids?
** I'm interested, who will help me?
There are hams who are willing to become "Elmers" (mentors, helpers)
in your local area. Look around and ask local hams. Search out local
radio clubs. As well, some people have volunteered to be an Elmer
over the Usenet. A list of UseNet Elmers and their e-mail addresses
is posted to the newsgroup monthly. If anyone wants to be an Elmer,
send e-mail to
elmers-request@unomaha.edu
There is also a lot to be said for exploring on your own. Take a
look around the FTP archives and e-mail servers listed in Part 2.
There's so much out there on UseNet, you'll find plenty of things
you're interested in.
** Should I build my own equipment or antenna?
[see also rec.radio.amateur.homebrew and rec.radio.amateur.antenna]
"Homebrewing" is a fun and educational part of ham radio. It is a
thrill to build your own transmitter and put it on the air. However,
building your own receiver can be quite complicated; if you don't have
electronics experience, you may want to buy a receiver instead. Most
homebrew transmitters are QRP (transmit very low power). That's fine
for an experienced ham with a very good antenna, but a Novice ham will
just get frustrated. Your first rig, therefore should NOT be a home-
brew.
Antennas can be much simpler projects than the transceiver, though
some types are also quite involved. Most hams build their own anten-
nas for base station use and buy antennas for mobile (car) use. Most
beginner ham books describe how to build different types of antennas.
Order of difficulty, from easiest to more difficult, for some common
antennas are: wire dipole, Zepp, Yagi, Quad, and Log-Periodic. Books
from many sources, including ARRL and several Hams, discuss antennas
in depth.
When building or even understanding antennas, it is good to know the
relationship between the antenna element length and the frequency or
wavelength it is designed for. An antenna performs best at multiples
of 1/4 of that wavelength, though 5/8 wave also has beneficial qualit-
ies. The wavelength is related to the frequency with the following
formula:
wavelength (in meters) = 300 / frequency (in megahertz)
You do not need a huge antenna or tower like ones you may see around
your neighborhood. Large beam antennas and 40-foot towers are very
expensive. As a beginner, a simple dipole antenna is perfectly
adequate. As you gain experience (and money :-), you may want to
invest in something bigger.
If you can afford new rigs and antennas, there are many mail order
stores that advertise in ham radio magazines. If you want to buy a
used rig, the best place is at a "hamfest" (ham flea market). You
should take along an experienced ham, since some of the used equipment
may be inoperative, overpriced or poor quality. You can also answer
ads in ham magazines or posted at ham radio stores, although often, by
the time you call, the equipment has already been sold.
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 93 00:51:00 GMT
From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
Subject: sca adapter
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
I am looking for a somple schematic for a SCA adapter. Thanks.
Richard Brittigham
PO Box 5425
Hampton, VA 23667
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 93 19:28:58 GMT
From: mnemosyne.cs.du.edu!nyx10!mlovoss@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Stereo Advice Wanted Please
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
I am looking to buy a bookshelf stereo system (CD, tuner, tape deck, amp,
no turntable) costing from $600 to $1,000. Any recommendations about the
best system in this price range that anyone mmight have would be greatly
appreciated.
E-mail to:
mlovoss@nyx10.cs.du.edu
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Nov 1993 04:09:24 GMT
From: pacbell.com!sjhawk2@ames.arpa
Subject: Used Radio prices
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
I heard someone talk about a list that was posted to the
Net listing prices for used radios. I must have missed it
if anyone has a copy would they be so kind as to Email it
to me. Thankyou very much. de Steve WV6U
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 93 04:46:15 GMT
From: ogicse!uwm.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!news.delphi.com!usenet@network.ucsd.edu
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
References <931105.56411.GREGL@delphi.com>, <2beerb$2m1@jericho.mc.com>, <CG1I45.L2D@boi.hp.com>net
Subject : Re: Radio Shack HTs
The chart from the October 1992 issue of QST seems to confirm the
specifications printed in the HTX-202 manual. For those interested, here
are the printed specifications on Page 37 of the manual:
Spurious response attenuation: 80dB
Intermodulation attenuation: 70dB
Adjacent channel rejection (25KHz): 70dB
Modulation acceptance bandwidth: 8KHz
Hum and noise: 50dB
The only "misfeature" I've found with the HTX-202 is that its mic gain
is way low for my quiet voice -- so low that others have to crank the
volume control to hear me. On the other hand, I had the very same problem
with an older Icon W2A. To get around the problem I adjusted the deviation
of my HTX-202 so I can now be heard loud and clear without having to yell
straight into the mic.
-- Greg KE4DPX
------------------------------
End of Info-Hams Digest V93 #1320
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