Fascinating.
I knew this cat who was a CB head back in the 70’s and he would prattle about a phenomenon called “skip”. Is this related?
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HAM Radios
- Thread starter dangerousdon
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I knew this cat who was a CB head back in the 70’s and he would prattle about a phenomenon called “skip”. Is this related?
OpusX
TSC’s Master of Warp Cores, Alchemy, Ale, & Cider
Oh most certainly. For hams it is referred to as "propagation", which can come in many forms, including ionospheric bounce (aka skip).
supertrunker
Shave Member
It could well have been - my father went from CB radio to becoming a radio ham, so he could annoy people much further away and very successful it was too. But you have to register your call-sign when you get into the high powered stuff.
His call sign had the letters HFI in it that he said meant 'high flying individual'. My mother said it meant 'hopeless F inebriate'
T
His call sign had the letters HFI in it that he said meant 'high flying individual'. My mother said it meant 'hopeless F inebriate'
T
Gasman
Shave Member
I was/am a truck driver. I have used CB Radios all my life. I wanted to learn how to fix and tune my CB Radios. I met a Ham whi worked in the basement of an electronics shop. He said for me to get my Ham lic and then he would teach me radio. In 6 months I was an Extra Class, and started repairing radios.
Im still the only one in the area who repairs CBs. I do it for the fun of it and wont work on modified 10m rigs. So Im big into Skip. Lol. I have plenty of confimed contacts to Indonesia of over 9000 miles. Its all part of the fun in chasing DX. Austrailia and Antartica are over 8000 miles away. I dont know my farthest as my logging peogram doent work that way. BTW, those are on 100 watts. Not qrp. But not with a big foot warmer either.
Im still the only one in the area who repairs CBs. I do it for the fun of it and wont work on modified 10m rigs. So Im big into Skip. Lol. I have plenty of confimed contacts to Indonesia of over 9000 miles. Its all part of the fun in chasing DX. Austrailia and Antartica are over 8000 miles away. I dont know my farthest as my logging peogram doent work that way. BTW, those are on 100 watts. Not qrp. But not with a big foot warmer either.
Most excellent.I was/am a truck driver. I have used CB Radios all my life. I wanted to learn how to fix and tune my CB Radios. I met a Ham whi worked in the basement of an electronics shop. He said for me to get my Ham lic and then he would teach me radio. In 6 months I was an Extra Class, and started repairing radios.
Im still the only one in the area who repairs CBs. I do it for the fun of it and wont work on modified 10m rigs. So Im big into Skip. Lol. I have plenty of confimed contacts to Indonesia of over 9000 miles. Its all part of the fun in chasing DX. Austrailia and Antartica are over 8000 miles away. I dont know my farthest as my logging peogram doent work that way. BTW, those are on 100 watts. Not qrp. But not with a big foot warmer either.
Gasman
Shave Member
BTW, I too am a VE. Or I should say used to be. I haven't kept up with it recently.
Now it's time to show off a little...
Me on my antenna a few years back...
The keys I like to use when I'm in the mood. I've got a few others that collect dust.
The main part of my Radio Room. I mean, Don't we all have a room just for the radio? LOL This is an old picture as my shack has changed over the years.
I have QSL Cards from all 50 states and from 223 Entities. Not sure where my DXCC standing is on Log Book of the World but I'm sure it's more than the number of cards I have confirmed.
Radio can be fun. And sure, It can cost you a lot if you let it. Right now the conditions are not the best so a lot of newer Hams are doing Digital modes so you don't have to have big power or antennas. But then the day comes that conditions are good, and you want more power, bigger antennas, and more than just one radio on the air. My Radio system is computer controlled. I see someone spot a guy in a country I haven't chatted with in a while, I mouse-click on the spot and my system does the rest. I just have to talk or key up. Takes a lot of the fun of the hunt out of it but it's nice too when it's so much easier.
K1ING
DX Chaser
Now it's time to show off a little...
Me on my antenna a few years back...
The keys I like to use when I'm in the mood. I've got a few others that collect dust.
The main part of my Radio Room. I mean, Don't we all have a room just for the radio? LOL This is an old picture as my shack has changed over the years.
I have QSL Cards from all 50 states and from 223 Entities. Not sure where my DXCC standing is on Log Book of the World but I'm sure it's more than the number of cards I have confirmed.
Radio can be fun. And sure, It can cost you a lot if you let it. Right now the conditions are not the best so a lot of newer Hams are doing Digital modes so you don't have to have big power or antennas. But then the day comes that conditions are good, and you want more power, bigger antennas, and more than just one radio on the air. My Radio system is computer controlled. I see someone spot a guy in a country I haven't chatted with in a while, I mouse-click on the spot and my system does the rest. I just have to talk or key up. Takes a lot of the fun of the hunt out of it but it's nice too when it's so much easier.
K1ING
DX Chaser
Too cool.
Gasman
Shave Member
The HOA can sure cramp a Hams Fun. But the Attic wire works.
I've had a few 706's in the past. Great all-bander for sure. I like my rigs bigger nowadays. Although I don't have 6 meters any longer.
Here is a recent picture of my bench. I had to downsize and move my bench so I could have new windows put in the house. It took me two days to get my room back together.
Its hard to see in the picture but look under the bench. No Wires or Coax.
I've had a few 706's in the past. Great all-bander for sure. I like my rigs bigger nowadays. Although I don't have 6 meters any longer.
Here is a recent picture of my bench. I had to downsize and move my bench so I could have new windows put in the house. It took me two days to get my room back together.
Its hard to see in the picture but look under the bench. No Wires or Coax.
supertrunker
Shave Member
Looks like mission control there - very impressive!
i'd run trunking for hospitals and offices so all those cables are tidy, hence my name, so i'm assuming that's what you've done too?
T
Gasman
Shave Member
Sort of. I made 3 wooden trays the length of the table 2" square for the wires to lay in and put up high. AC/DC/RF kept seporated.
Oh, and a copper 1/2" pipe under those for grounding cables to connect. The two white doors on the left is hiding and insulating the feed-through in the wall and Sub-panel.
Oh, and a copper 1/2" pipe under those for grounding cables to connect. The two white doors on the left is hiding and insulating the feed-through in the wall and Sub-panel.
FarmerTan
Sr. Shave Member
Missed it again this year. Nearly ALWAYS falls on my wedding anniversary. No excuse, just always busy with stuff that weekend.
OpusX
TSC’s Master of Warp Cores, Alchemy, Ale, & Cider
Christmas was very kind to me. Ok more specifically @kcjeepguy was very kind to me and gave me a great DMR handheld upgrade. This Anytone D868UV is very nice VHF/UHF dmr digital and analog with digital APRS. I will probably hack it to upgrade it to the 878 flash so it can also do analog APRS. Fun nerdy times ahead.
Very nice. My wife got the entire family Rugged Radios R1 handhelds for our Jeeping and off road adventures. All we really wanted/need were some radios that could allow us to run in larger groups on common channels/frequencies but the R1 has a lot of additional capability once I figure out all the different ways to program it. Not exactly powerful or long distance but a far cry from the radioshack line of sight radios I've had for so long.
FarmerTan
Sr. Shave Member
I REALLY need to get back into playing radio. Just got so busy with the whole RN thing for 20 or so years and fighting health issues that radio-ing slipped away from my priorities.... I need a new resolution doggone!