Hello from Finland!
IMG_20210717_162234-01.jpg
WWFF mostly, but starting to have a smaller and off grid setup ready.
Hoping to buy smaller rig like that KX2 someday. Now i have a Xiegu G90.
73 de OG3E
Hello from Finland!
IMG_20210717_162234-01.jpg
WWFF mostly, but starting to have a smaller and off grid setup ready.
Hoping to buy smaller rig like that KX2 someday. Now i have a Xiegu G90.
73 de OG3E
Not ham per se, but I have had a couple of HF Commradio CR-1a communication receivers that were fantastic for eavesdropping. I've owned oodles of HF receivers. The only transceiver I've owned was a Elecraft KX3, but I bought it for receiving and not transceiving. My primary interest was DXing BC or MW. The Commradio and Elecraft were small enough to use camping.
Id love to try... what do you recommend for a beginner who hasnt got alot to spend?
That depends on what you want to do. Are you currently licensed? If not, you'll need to get licensed first (this is a good starting place).Originally Posted by Crawldaddy
Most new hams (Technician class license) get their feet wet with a 2 meter hand held radio. They can be inexpensive (under $200 for a good name brand model, under $100 for a cheap Chinese model) and are good for communicating around town. But if you prefer remote camping locations, a 2 meter hand held will probably not work as they have a limited range, so you'll need to upgrade to a General class license and get a radio that can operate in the HF portion of the spectrum.
At that point the sky's the limit. There are voice modes if you like to chat, digital modes (computer to computer) and the venerable morse code (still very popular!) with radios ranging in price from ~$60 to >$10,000.
Also, look around for a local ham radio club. Ham operators very, very often have extra gear they've accumulated and are willing to sell. I have gear that is decades old - works just fine. Like any new undertaking - hammock camping, ham radio, kayaking, etc. the gear you start with is probably not the gear you end up with after a year or two of experience. So I wouldn't invest a lot of money in something new. Just get something that works. Also, there's almost an exponential increase in features for the gear that is coming out. You could pay top dollar for some new gear today, only to have it come out with many new features tomorrow. Better to pay half that amount for the same piece used, play with it for a while, and get a sense of what areas you are interested in - HF, VHF, Satellite, digital modes, CW, etc. Then you'll have more knowledge/experience if you decide on a larger investment.
Aside: Once I visited an Air Museum in Denver. Off a side room they had communication gear. When I walked in there I was puzzled because what they had behind glass as "museum pieces" I thought was still viable gear; gear I'd used before and would still use today. One of my friends still collects WWII transmitters/receivers he can use on the ham bands. They are NOT UL.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
No but that's awesome. I'm just glad this thread is not about a sandwich. I have a CB radio but it disappoints.
DE W2SWA
SOTA is my happy place.
"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true." Robert Wilensky
Please move this thread back to a discussion of hammocks and ham, not just ham. Thank you
Deb
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"The older I get, the more I appreciate my rural childhood. I spent a lot of time outdoors, unsupervised, which is a blessing." Barbara Kingsolver
While not in a hammock, this was myself and AA2FD at a hang a few years ago. https://youtu.be/5vyyheV79Q4
Retired US Navy, 10-year Stage IIIb colon cancer survivor. I believe my last words will be "Hold my beer..."
somewhat considering getting licensed. I got into hammocks and audio way too late in my life. as a child, I used to fall asleep to a shortwave radio, waking up to bizarre numbers stations broadcasts completely enthralled. whether it was just someone replaying the conet project collection, or legitimate early 90s numbers stations, I've no idea.
In the real world, I manage analog and digital comms, radio frequency microphones, and large scale audio distribution. I've helped build mobile/packable ham radio setups for friends, and I've restored vacuum tube ham radios for people, but never got into the hobby myself (not much of a talker). that said, I'm slowly warming up to the idea for hobbies sake.
I do have a little C Crane Skywave radio. I haven't picked up much of anything fun yet.
Last edited by cosmonaut; 11-04-2022 at 04:23.
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