Going for General

[alpmco]

I'm really not ready but Wednesday night I'm going to take the test to upgrade to general. I've bee practicing the online test and have been averaging 80%. I need 70% to pass. My problem is I can't remember numbers. 20M is what frequency? Damn! I was wrong. That's why I have charts! But I can remember formulas???

[T.B.]

good luck!

hope ya see stars.

[alpmco]

Last minute studying!
I leave in 15 minutes. The test is at 5:30.
I've been taking the online test and I either do really well, in the 90% range of crash and burn. Mostly I pass but it depends on the question on the test.
http://www.qrz.com/xtest2.html

[alpmco]

Woo Hoo! I passed. I missed 4 questions out of 35 for 88%. Max was 7 to miss. Friday the wife and I do our CCW class.
So I got about $1,200.00 squired away in my mad money drawer.
I'm thinking about the Yaesu FT-857D and maybe a Taurus Millpro M145 ... Not sure on the gun ... can't make up my mind until I see and hold all the options.

[FISTER]

Good job. Just make sure the Taurus is a New 3rd Gen...... the one with the stupid sights

[alpmco]

The radio I have figured out ...
the handgun is still up in the air ... I haven't found the right one at the right price yet.

[alpmco]

OK ... I'm now indecisive on the radio too. I thought a mobile rig but now I'm thinking base station.
It will be mostly used at home not mobile. HF antennas appear to be a bit of a problem on the go and I really don't need to be fiddling with tuners and such while driving.
Maybe a good base station that runs off 13.8VDC so if I want to take it with me camping or traveling I can do so. Then I need to make up travel antennas to pack up in the motor home ... in a small suit case so I can grab and go ... then set teem up when I arrive at my stopping points.

Ok ... 95% of HF use will be from my home shack. I have copious amounts of 12VDC battery power (plus two high amp 13.8 power supplies) at home. One or three weeks a year on the road ... remote need to bug out ... Suggestions?

[wy0mn]

Suggestions for SHTF HF antennas?
For eastern US I'd go with a G5RV or one of the B&W no tune multi-banders, even the Comet CHA250B. Trees make excellent supports, but don't facilitate rapid antenna retrieval if you must evac. These are expensive antennas to abandon in trees!

I've used ground mounted antennas to good effect for long distance HF (QRP backpack/bicycle mobile), not worth crap for short/med range, for that you want HEIGHT. Lakeview makes excellent monoband whips and market an "inducti-match" for their products too. The full set of Lakeview whips will fit in a 4"x4' piece of PVC, about the size of a flyrod case.

Here in my part of treeless WY, with the wind we have, ground mounts would be king.
I see small use for HF in SHTF, except for info & entertainment. Its much more important to have local info, ie; "who's coming over that ridge" than whats going on globally. On the other hand... most yokels won't have access to the lower bands, and they do become line~of~sight during the daylight hours!

Congrats on the ticket.

[tatersalad]

if you get an 897 you can use a straight wire in the trees as a good antenna.

congrats on the General.

just remember the amateur bands are not immune from DF, so Rx probably better than Tx.

[BobS]

Congrats on getting the General alpmco!

Best regards,

Bob

[mr slow]

One of my member of my group has military radio equiptment and he was trained in comunications in the Army. None of us have a licence. He is a electrican by trade. I can see how using this equiptment could come in handy if the SHTF.What kind of advantages will we get in using professional equiptment where a licence is required ?

[tatersalad]

well, you wouldn't be on the military bands, which will get you attention you probably don't want...

[alpmco]

You would learn how to communicate with other civilians on the amateur bands. You don't just key up a mic and talk.
Besides most milcoms are going satellite and leaving HF. What remains is going digital.
You would want UHF / VHF for line of sight communications and HF for short hop or long range depending on the sky. HF will work LOS too.

[BobS]

One of my member of my group has military radio equiptment and he was trained in comunications in the Army. None of us have a licence. He is a electrican by trade. I can see how using this equiptment could come in handy if the SHTF.What kind of advantages will we get in using professional equiptment where a licence is required ?
By tuning the commercial stuff to the ham bands or GMRS, the biggest gain is in durability. Motorola equipment will take a LOT more abuse than the toy CB's. For example, I have dropped one of my MT's several times getting out of my truck....the only damage has been some small scratches in the housing plastic. The radios are unaffected. Water repellancy is also much better on the Motorola's. A GMRS licence is (IIRC) $80.00 from the FCC and there are some limits on power output, BUT you ARE allowed repeaters at up to 50W (mine covers most of Metro Detroit, with one exception-where I696 drops below grade level. Going through the repeater makes mobile to mobile (at opposite corners of the coverage area, from Southfield/Livonia up to Romeo.

With the ham licences...you gain a LOT more versatility....and MANY more frequencies.

Best as always,

Bob