Repeater use

[rickp1]

Hey guys,
New here, it's my first post.
I'm really thinking about getting my HAM radio license but in the mean time I'm trying to educate myself on my own.

So my questions is this. If I have a HT do I have to program the local repeaters in be able to get some distance out of my HT and also to monitor the traffic from that repeater?

I've seen some lists with public repeater freqs on them but I'm trying to get an understanding on how to use them with a HT.

thanks

 

[KG4INW]

Yes, you program the HT to your local repeater frequencies but with most modern radios, it's easily accomplished from either the keypad or with software and a cable. Repeaters will definitely give you the greatest range. HTs are notoriously short-range because of the low power and small antennas, but they're not horrible.

As for actually programming, what you want to program in is the repeater output frequency, which is the one listed in databases. Any Kenwood, Icom or Yaesu, etc. (amateur rigs, not commercial) radios automatically know then to shift the transmit (reapeater input) frequency automatically. That is, if the particular repeater uses standard conventions. Most do.

I guess the best way to learn would be to find a local club and join them. If they're like most clubs, they'll be more than willing to help you out personally.

 

[KC5AKB]

Hi if I can be of any help drop me a pm

 

[rickp1]

Hi if I can be of any help drop me a pm

Thanks KC5AKB,
You know I can't even find the PM link. Not in the typical places or it's missing.

As I've mentioned, I'm very new to this. So let me ask another question about the repeaters. If I have a radio and find a list of public repeater in my city, to be able to use them I have to program the freqs in the radio right? So is that it? Will the radio just scan in those freqs and pick up all transmissions.

Also, how do I get info on phone patches. I did it a very long time ago using HF radios in Central America while in the military. For emergency reasons I think it's a must know how to do.

Thanks

 

[KC5AKB]

Hi my cell is 817-298-7937 and the e-mail is kc5akb at arrl.net I am out of my service area a lot .Lots of answers to your question's . There are not a lot of open autopatches left in Texas. Really not even very many patchs like there was in the 70's and 80's If you have a Lic and the Auto Patch is open you can use it . But a lot of Auto patches are for Club Members only ( They help pay the costs to keep it up and running ) As far as using a repeater How you get the Freq in the radio Depends on the Radio also the offset + or - and then you may need a PL tone so a lot depends on the Radio and The Repeater . There is also some other ways like ehco link . Monday it will be hit and miss if I am around the Phone But I should be around it all day and all night Tuesday feel free to call 24 hours on the cell .
Later,
Ric

 

[N1BHH]

To throw a monkey wrench into the mix, you might want to go with a mobile type rig at first. You may be totally unreadable on some repeaters. You'll have to educate yourself by listening to the repeater so that you hear it full quieting because if you don't hear it, it may not hear you. A good mobile rig and a power supply can be had for about the same as a hand held and a few of it's accessories.

The recommendation I can give you on a hand held would be get the radio and at least one extra battery and drop in charger, a speaker mic, a mag mount antenna if you don't have one and one of the quality HT antennas. You must remember when operating any hand held radio you will have to hold it upright and speak real clearly and close to the microphone. Get yourself an Elmer if you haven't one, the local radio club has many.

 

[AK9R]

To throw a monkey wrench into the mix, you might want to go with a mobile type rig at first.

Good idea, Clyde. So many new hams start out with a handheld, then they don't understand why people tell them they are noisy into the local repeaters.

A mobile radio on low power is usually running 5-10 watts compared to a handheld on high power maxing out at 5-6 watts. And, with a good power supply, the output power from the radio is stable and clean. You won't have to worry about your handheld's batteries running down or the handheld overheating during long conversations.

The microphones are better on most mobile radios, too.

Now, the antenna can pose a problem, but there are some simple and effective solutions. A mag mount antenna stuck on top of a metal file cabinet or refrigerator will often work very well on local repeaters. Another solution is a roll-up J-pole (find plans on-line or buy one from MFJ) that you clip to a drapery rod and hang in front of a window. The big advantage to either antenna is that it doesn't move around like the antenna on a handheld.

When I hear noisy, scratchy, signals that fade in and out on the local repeater, I think "oh, great, another new ham with a handheld". Yes, handhelds are inexpensive, compact, all-in-one solutions, but they do have their limitations.

 

[rickp1]

It's interesting that you guys brought the mobile solution up. I spent a good portion of yesterday at them.

What I would really want to build is an emergency go kit. It has to be portable and put together in the smallest package possible.

Now with that said, I have NO clue what my options are out there for a good radio.
I looked into the Icom 880H, the Yaseu FT-875 and the IC 208H.
What I need to find out from someone with experience is what would be a good choice.

Are these options available? Dual band UHF/VHF if possible also have HF. Do I need or is it a good idea to also have FM capabilities.

BTW, I pulled the trigger on a fully open the Kenwood TH-F6A, and i also got a Diamond SRH320A antenna to replace the stock one. So I'm looking forward to "making noice" just kidding. The last thing I want is to be "THAT GUY" if you know what I mean.

 

[AK9R]

Lots of choices among new radios.

Dual-band mobile (one band at a time) without HF
Icom IC-208H, ID-880H (can be upgraded to D-Star)
Yaesu FTM-10, FT-7900

Dual-band mobile (simultaneous dual receive) without HF
Alinco DR-635T
Icom IC-2820H (can be upgraded to D-Star)
Kenwood TM-V71, TM-D710 (includes APRS)
Yaesu FT-8800, FTM-350 (includes APRS)

Dual-band mobile with HF
Icom IC-706MkIIG, IC-7000
Yaesu FT-8900 (10m, 6m, 2m, 440 all FM), FT-857

I'm partial to Kenwood mobiles and have owned several of them.

I strongly suggest you narrow down your choices to a few radios that have the features you're looking for, ask fellow hams who have those radios for their opinions, and see if you can find a way to operate the radios before you make a decision. If there's a ham store near you, take a trip to visit the store in person. Most ham stores have a display area where you can play with demo models. This portion of the AES catalog has comparison charts that you may find useful:

http://aesham.com/PDF_cat/pages042-044.pdf

Also, most of the manufacturers have posted the manuals for their radios on-line so you can download them and study how the functions and menus work.

 

[John_S]

Radio choices

I can second the Kenwood TM-V71A. Very nice dual bander that performs well. You may want to search around for a local club to help you out and they'll probably be where you'll be taking your test. One key thing to do that can't be emphasized enough.... Do a lot of listening and learn who is who around your area. There's much to be learned by listening, if you get my drift.

 

[rickp1]

Hey guys,
thanks for all the info.

John, I couldn't agree more with you. This leads me to another question about monitoring.

I came across this site with a bunch of repeater freqs.
Amateur and GMRS radio repeaters Local to MIAMI, Florida

Do I need to add the freq in my city to my radio to be able to monitor?

R.

 

[John_S]

Rick, you might want to spend some time over on the ARRL site checking out some of their publications. There's one in particular that you'll find helpful... "Getting Started in Ham Radio". It will probably answer a lot of questions that you haven't thought of yet. There are some very good resources in their catalog. The Handbook is indispensible and worth every penny. But to answer your question... Yes, you can enter the frequency into memory to monitor, but you can also monitor the frequency by tuning the VFO to that frequency.

 

[rickp1]

Meaning for example everything between 141.00 to 142.00 (random numbers) or can i go between 141.00 to 147.00 for example?

I just started reading the manual for the kenwood. That will help.

THanks for the website link too.

 

[John_S]

All you really need is the output frequencies to monitor them. If you're going to scan the 2 meter band in one chunk, 145.000 to 147.500 will be sufficient. If you can find a copy of the band plan, you'll see where inputs and outputs are are allocated. I'm not sure where there is one on line.

 

[n5ims]

What I would really want to build is an emergency go kit. It has to be portable and put together in the smallest package possible.

Please be aware of battery service life in an "emergency go kit". If this sits on the shelf for months without use or service when it's taken out for use during an emergency failures are common (especially dead batteries due to self-discharge issues). It's often good to make up your kit with spare antennas, cables, chargers, etc., but keep the radios and batteries in normal use, but a place reserved for them in your kit. That way when you go to the emergency you can be pretty sure that the radio and batteries will work as you expect.

At the local hamfest I was at an emergency preparedness session given by the ARRL national emergency coordinator. They talked about a recent test where a simulated hurricane theme was used. Of the 6 "go kits" provided (all brand new and verified working when originally packaged by the ARRL prior to shipping and storage), 4 had major issues with 3 being unusable during the entire test (the forth worked, but had no display).

Are these options available? Dual band UHF/VHF if possible also have HF. Do I need or is it a good idea to also have FM capabilities.

While there are a few "all-in-one" radios, they're quite expensive and often more difficult to program and use. You will most likely save money and frustration (as well as having the use of a working radio when another one has a failure) with multiple radios, one for HF and another for VHF/UHF.

 

[n5ims]

Meaning for example everything between 141.00 to 142.00 (random numbers) or can i go between 141.00 to 147.00 for example?

I just started reading the manual for the kenwood. That will help.

THanks for the website link too.

It would be good to scan from 144 to 148 MHz (the entire 2 meter ham band) to see what may be in your area. You'll probably find several channels in use (some may be repeated if you can hear both the repeater input and output signals if the station is quite close to you) as well as some AX.25 digital signals (for APRS and packet operations).

Do your scan without any PL or CTCSS tones set so you don't miss anything. Once you find some signals that interest you, the necessary PL tone (if any) can be found using your radio when a signal is active (see your manual for how to do this).

Also check the web for repeaters in your area and listen to them to see which may be ones you may fit in with. Don't forget about the simplex channels (146.52 & 146.55 are two) for chatting with very local hams. Often times you'll find a few hams just chatting. You may also find a "controlled net" which may have specific rules on how, who, and when someone can transmit. Often times the net will pause for checkins as well as state who may (or who may not) join in. If it's an emergency net (especially during a real or practice emergency session) it's important to leave the frequency free (but listening is good!), but during a routine non-emergency net session they may invite new folks to join in to learn how to help out.

Just remember you have 2 ears and only 1 mouth so be sure to listen first and not just jump in with a transmission. Often times it'll just be folks chatting and another person will be welcome, but if it's a directed net or other organized communication (or possibly a closed group of folks) it may not be appropriate (or desired in the case of the closed group of folks) to join the discussion with a "Hi, I'm Joe. How's this radio doing. Blah blah blah..."

 

[rickp1]

n5ims,
All good points, really.
I think you're right about the multiple radios. I'm pretty anal as far as having a backup to a backup.

What radio would you recommend in the both systems (UHF/VHF, and HF)?

Also, i just thought about this. Do you guys (HAMs) work with any Sat Comms. I'm not sure if worth the trouble with the availability of Sat phones now. I had one when working in the Middle East and they are great.

BTW, no worries about how to use, I'm former military so I have some idea on how to use a comm gear.

Again, thanks.

 

[KG4INW]

I haven't personally worked the ham satellites but many people certainly do. AMSAT - The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation

 

[kb2vxa]

Why follow the herd when you can be an alpha male? There's more to starting out in Amateur Radio than repeaters or even FM simplex, a tech license noob can use SSB in the old Novice slice of 10M where you'll get the greatest range and when the band opens you'll be astounded where your signal can go. You'll have full privileges on all bands above 30MHz so you can use all modes with up to 1500W PEP transmitter output, you'll learn all about tropospheric ducting and why we call 6M the magic band. There's WAY too much to list here so the bottom line is why run with the turkeys when you can fly like an eagle? Oh and BTW, don't stop there when you can easily go up the ladder, on HF the world is at your doorstep.

But I don't have the money!
Get a job and a bank account, all things come to those who wait.