209 ham radio check in

[mdib870]

ohh man how do you think i feel working in a gun shop…. i don't have a paycheck all my money practically goes to guns …..lol will work for guns

[jbolton]

Just ordered a diamond x300a and a kenwwod D710g for my office. This is the third radio and antenna I have purchased in two months. This is getting as bad as buying guns.

[wildjase]

Congratulations on everyone getting their ham ticket!!! I'm new to this forum but not new to ham radio. I got my ticket 20 years ago...when I was 19.

I agree that the Baofeng is a great little radio for the price. As posted before, for $40 dollars there is no reason not to have a couple of these radios floating around your house or vehicles. And if I take a spill on a trail and wipe out a $40 dollar HT I'm not going to be as upset as if I just destroyed the latest and greatest Yaesu or Icom. Outside of the antenna upgrade, I would also recommend getting the 3800mAh battery. I have left my HT on with the 3800mAh battery, tuned to a public service frequency with high radio traffic, and it lasted over 72 hours. Granted, the radio was only in RX.

If anyone needs some help I have the programming software and appropriate cables. I had a difficult time at the beginning trying to get these things programed. Just let me know and I will help if I can.

I still can't believe I've found a place to talk about guns and ham radio...is this heaven?

73,
Jason, N6KFL

[mdib870]

114.8 for the pl tone…. hey jason heres a coincidence for you I've got a twin brother named jason and like you brought up before our callsigns are sequential . small world!

[jbolton]

here are the frequencies I was telling you about. The Tracy one may be linked to a repeater in Stockton.

146.6550 -0.6 MHz 100.0 Tracy
443.5250 +5 MHz 107.2 Modesto, Mt Oso

[mdib870]

If anyone cares to chime in I'll be hanging out on 147.090mhz on the lodi repeater. So if ur in the San joaquin valley lets gab

[Jason95357]

I've got the uv5r with a nagoya and its actually pretty good i was listening to a repeater from mt oso 37 miles away. i also set up my yeasu ft2900 as a base station using a diamond x30A antenna

I have hit the SARA repeater on Mt. Oso on 80 coming into Sacramento from Reno with my UV-5R and a $30 Diamond mag mount. Very impressive little radios for what they are. Plus having nice highly mountains on both sides with many repeaters is a big plus here in the SJ Valley.

[Jason95357]

This Baofeng UV-5R is $29.00??? Is this price correct? I've been gone awhile but I don't think I was gone THAT long for handhelds to be this cheap. I know it looks like a Chinese brand. Probably won't compare with the Yaesu's, Icoms and Kenwoods of the world... but dang!

http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5R-1.../dp/B007H4VT7A

Yes, they are less than $40 all day long.

You can get a nice Baofeng UV-5RE+ for $40 or less on Amazon (I only recommend that specific model so that you get the latest firmware). Get a Nagoya NA-771 whip to replace the stock antenna for less than $20. Get a Diamond mag mount for the car for less than $40 and a battery eliminator (basically replaces the battery pack while in the car and powers from the Sig lighter) for less than $10. Very inexpensive setup. I ended up with a Baofeng in each car and a pair for home/hiking (plus we can take them from the car if we want) just because I tired of having to bring it with me to/from the car. This way I always have an HT with me (as does my immediate family).

These are not licensed for, but work just fine on FRS/GMRS frequencies as well. Great for use with non-HAMs who have bubblepack FRS/GMRS radios.

As far as programming these goes, it is not easy from the HT itself. It can be done, but is fairly technical. Also, you must program from the "A" position, not the "B". For this reason, I highly recommend the USB cable to program from a PC using free CHIRP software which makes it much easier. Plus you can just import whole lists of repeaters/frequencies.

I have a fairly extensive list of repeaters programmed in mine now, and add them on the fly when traveling as well. One should learn to program/manipulate them in the field, but the less than doggedly technical will struggle.

[Jason95357]

http://www.eventbrite.com/o/californ...inc-1923912773

It is great to see that Tracy also has these Ham Crams. Many places only have the Test available.

I got my call just this July at a Ham Cram. It is the way to go to get a Jumpstart and get on the air quickly.

I highly recommend these Ham Crams to anyone wanting to get going (or to get your ticket back). If you a have 3rd grade reading level and can sit still and read and focus for 45 minutes at a time, you can get your Technician license in less than 9 hours at a Ham Cram.

The Stanislaus Amateur Radio Association (SARA) has a Ham Cram about twice a year in Modesto. Sign up now as they are always booked and filled up 30 days before. Cost is $20, only $5 more for the Ham Cram vs. the Test-only fee ($15). Next event is February 14. I plan to go and upgrade to my General, with the rest of my family trying to get their Techs.

http://www.stanares.org/hamcram

[Jason95357]

Found my callsign on arrl
Kk6qxr
Kilo, kilo 6 Quebec x-Ray Romeo

Congrats on getting your ticket!

[mdib870]

Found my callsign on arrl
Kk6qxr
Kilo, kilo 6 Quebec x-Ray Romeo

[mdib870]

I've got the uv5r with a nagoya and its actually pretty good i was listening to a repeater from mt oso 37 miles away. i also set up my yeasu ft2900 as a base station using a diamond x30A antenna

[jbolton]

This Baofeng UV-5R is $29.00??? Is this price correct? I've been gone awhile but I don't think I was gone THAT long for handhelds to be this cheap. I know it looks like a Chinese brand. Probably won't compare with the Yaesu's, Icoms and Kenwoods of the world... but dang!

http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5R-1.../dp/B007H4VT7A

That's cheap. I would look at the uv82 or the higher powered BF-F8HP. I have the uv82 with a nagoya antenna and have been pretty happy with it.

[jbolton]

Tracy here! Anyone who can help me get my Ham license again? It expired beyond the recovery period and I have to retest! bummer.

73s.

http://www.eventbrite.com/o/california-emergency-volunteers-inc-1923912773

[bst1208]

This Baofeng UV-5R is $29.00??? Is this price correct? I've been gone awhile but I don't think I was gone THAT long for handhelds to be this cheap. I know it looks like a Chinese brand. Probably won't compare with the Yaesu's, Icoms and Kenwoods of the world... but dang!

http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band/dp/B007H4VT7A

hey guys i just got a beofing uv-5r.

i was wondering if there were any ham radio operators in the 209 area, maybe we can meet up and and someone can show me a thing or two about this radio