First radio and other Ham stuff

[N0IU]

I am only confused over two things... everything else has been of great help!!

"What it means is that if you want to talk to a specific person who might be listening to the repeater, you would say that person's callsign, NOT the repeater's callsign, and then your own callsign. I can see where you might be confused by the way it is worded in the study guide."

first off, why WOULD you call the repeater's call sign at all?? After all, you are not contacting the repeater itself, but a person using that repeater as well.

I guess I wasn't clear on that either... There is no reason to use the repeater's callsign. You are only responsible for your own transmissions so you only have to use your callsign.

And... using all of these digital modes, do you have to be connected to computer? For example, with SSTV, how would you view the picture?

Yes, a computer is required for all of the digital modes. There is a lot of software out there for the digital modes and the good thing is that most of it is free! The only other thing you need (other than an HF rig and a General or Extra class license) is a sound card interface. These are used to get the sound from your radio into your computer's sound card so the software can do it's thing. Then you also need to take the output of the soundcard and get it to the input of your radio so you can transmit the data (text and/or pictures) through your radio.

Clear as mud, right?

 

[eastrocks400]

Gotcha. And i am assuming i would need something like WIRES II to connect it to my computer. Are there any other devices that would do the job?

 

[N0IU]

WIRES (Wide-Coverage Internet Repeater Enhancement System) is something developed by Vertex Standard (the parent company of Yaesu) and it has absolutely nothing to do with digital modes such as PSK31, RTTY and so forth. To be honest, I don't know anything about the WIRES system, but here is a link to Vertex Standard page with a rundown on what it is, how it works and what sort of equipment you need: http://www.vxstd.com/en/wiresinfo-en/

In order to do the more common amateur radio digital modes, all you need is an HF radio (and a General or Extra Class license), a sound card interface, software (like Ham Radio Deluxe and its companion program Digital Master 780 - sometimes called DM780 - and it is FREE) and of course a computer. The great thing about the DM780 program (besides being FREE!) is that it will do almost all of the most common digital modes (and even some of the more obscure ones) which means you don't have to download a separate program for each mode.

There is tons of stuff on the Internet about amateur radio digital modes. A good place to start is here: http://aintel.bi.ehu.es/psk31.html. PSK31 is a very common digital mode with more activity than just about any other mode besides RTTY.

Hopefully this is making things clearer instead of more confusing... I hope!

 

[eastrocks400]

Well how do you hook up the radio to the computer?? When you say soundcard, do you mean just use a regular 1/8in phono plug to connect the two?

 

[N0IU]

To get the sound from your radio to your computer's sound card, it is just that simple! But that is only half of the picture since it will only allow your computer to receive signals. In order to transmit, you need to get the output of your computer's sound card into the microphone connector (or some radios have an auxiliary input port) on your radio. In order to complicate matters even further, you also have to tell the radio when to key up or transmit and this is where it can get complicated.

Although it is possible to make your own sound card interface if you are good at that sort of thing, but many people just buy one ready made. One of the most popular brands is called a RigBlaster and is made by a company called West Mountain Radio. There are several different models with a variety of features offering various levels of flexibility.

Here is a link to their web site that describes the different models and their features. This will either make things a lot clearer for you or make you more confused!

Here is the link: West Mountain Radio - RIGblasters

There are other brands out there, but the RigBlasters are very popular. I am only mentioning them as an example, not as an endorsement of the company or their products.

 

[sfgiantsradio]

I haven't read everything that has been posted on here, but it seems like the topic has drifted away from what it originally was. Anyways.....

I passed my tech test, 33/35, on Saturday and am waiting for my call to shop up in the ULS.

73 to all

 

[eastrocks400]

Awesome!!! Do they grade it right there?

 

[N0IU]

Your test is graded on the spot. If you pass, there is some other paperwork you will need to fill out, but be advised that just because you passed the test, you CAN NOT GO ON THE AIR UNTIL YOUR NAME APPEARS IN THE ULS DATABASE! You will be issued a callsign by the FCC and you must use it to identify yourself according to the rules.

If you do not pass, you may or may not be given an opportunity to take a different version of the same test. If you missed passing the test by just a couple of questions, the VE team might let you take the test again, but you will have to pay the testing fee again. If, however, you really bombed out and failed miserably, the VE team will probably just advise you to go home and continue studying. Also be advised that the VE can only tell you your score, they can not tell you which questions you missed!

So let's take this a step further. If you ace your Technician test, the VE team might offer to let you take the General test. You DO NOT have to pay extra for this. You might as well go ahead and try it. Even if you totally blow it, you will still have an idea of what is on the test. OTOH, you might just get lucky and leave the test session as a General!

Clear as mud, eh?

Good luck!

 

[sfgiantsradio]

you CAN NOT GO ON THE AIR UNTIL YOUR NAME APPEARS IN THE ULS DATABASE!

I am aware of this because it was one the the questions we had to know before taking the test and they told us.

I did try the General Test and scored a 14/35. The think the VE said that I didn't quite pass. Anyways what's most important is that I walked away as a ham.

Thanks and 73

 

[eastrocks400]

On average, how soon after does it appear in the database?

 

[sfgiantsradio]

On average, how soon after does it appear in the database?

On the CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination), it says to allow 15 days, but I hear about usually 4-5 business days (ex-take test on Sat, be in ULS on Thurs or Fri). I'm sure someone else will have a different answer, it just depends.