My Small Apt Shack

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macdude22

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My small apartment shack. Maybe thinking about moving to a bigger place, might grow the shack. If I pass my Tech test on Sunday this will defiantly grow to include a FT-60. Right now a meager PRO-162 and Midland 75-822 CB (this thing is great with a lil wil on the road). The PRO-162 has a Radioshack 20-034 on it. This works pretty well for me, I live several miles out of town and I always get the police station, and most of the time the cars, as well as HAM repeaters located 8 and 15 miles from my location.\

I have the Butel Sofware package for the 162, that is a LIFESAVER. I had to go to Des Moines the other day (and by had I mean I played hooky) and programming this thing would have taken hours for there, a click and a click and I was ready to poplocknroll.
 

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xpawel15x

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Good lookin apartment shack. :cool:

How far can you receive and transmit using that cb radio and that ducky antenna ?
 

macdude22

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Good lookin apartment shack. :cool:

How far can you receive and transmit using that cb radio and that ducky antenna ?

Sometimes I can get maybe a mile up to the interstate if I'm out on the balcony. I usually use it in mobile mode with a magnet mount antenna. I liked this model because it was versatile like that.
 

macdude22

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Ya, fight the power!

Seriously though, good luck with the ham ticket. I think you'll do fine.

Well I passed with flying colors, I decided to order a VX-170 for now since all my local repeaters are 2M and that VX-8R is super tempting so I might get that when it's released. I'm heading cross country (my precious Star Trek Experience in Vegas is closing down) first week of August so I'm hoping to exercise my newfound Ham privileges along the way.
 

steveh552

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Well I passed with flying colors, I decided to order a VX-170 for now since all my local repeaters are 2M and that VX-8R is super tempting so I might get that when it's released. I'm heading cross country (my precious Star Trek Experience in Vegas is closing down) first week of August so I'm hoping to exercise my newfound Ham privileges along the way.

Congrats. My first trip as a ham was to Vegas. If you are driving, I suggest getting a mobile antenna, they make a nice quarterwave with SMA or BNC mount for 20 bucks from MFJ. Also, get the ARRL repeater directory, it is a life saver, you will have lots of talking. I drove from Ohio there and back and was amazed at the range and what all I heard.
 

macdude22

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Congrats. My first trip as a ham was to Vegas. If you are driving, I suggest getting a mobile antenna, they make a nice quarterwave with SMA or BNC mount for 20 bucks from MFJ. Also, get the ARRL repeater directory, it is a life saver, you will have lots of talking. I drove from Ohio there and back and was amazed at the range and what all I heard.

I was considering getting the Diamond MR77SMA, I read it's pretty solid. And maybe an external speaker mic.
 

macdude22

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Not too shabby, we all start some where.

My wife is less ecstatic about another "hobby" to take up space. While probably not the cup of tea of most here if video games counted as a shack I'd have one to the moon.

To be perfectly honest I've had a passing interest in Ham Radio for years (or radio in general, I worked @ a couple stations in my short years) but never bothered with the test. In recent years the weather in Iowa has taken to obliterating the power for days at a time and during this "down" time is when my scanner and CB light on fire. Internet is down, Cell phones are down, TV is down. Radio waves are still flowing. I'm partly getting into this to have a valuable communication resource in times of extremes.

Last year I bought that CB, best thing I ever bought as I got caught in a few storms to and from work. I was always "in the know" and in communication with various people via that. For me Ham Radio looks to be an extension of that. Now if that VX-170 would hurry up and come :)

As far as scanning goes I'm already eying up a base unit to do some more monitoring.
 
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