While there are already four operational 222 MHz repeaters in town, they are all on the eastern side of the metro: Arden Hills, Maplewood, Burnsville, and Mounds View.
Two repeaters are, however, located in Columbia Heights: 224.660+ (114.8) and 224.500- (114.8). These two repeaters aren't really operational, though.
Both of these machines have excellent sites on high ground that would allow very good metro-area coverage, should they be restored. This isn't idle speculation, because there are also two UHF machines at that site with "very good metro-area coverage": 444.750+ (114.8) and 444.550+ (no tone).
The 224.660 is a normal repeater, but the 224.500 is ostensibly cross-band to UHF through the 444.750 machine. The RepeaterBook listing is incorrect. With the HandiHam cross-band to the Arden Hills 1.25M temporarily shut down, it would be really nice to have the 224.500 repeater working so that there would be cross-band functionality in town.
The odd thing is that the 224.500 is working, after a fashion. Any transmission on the UHF 444.750 repeater is repeated cross-band to 220 MHz, but nothing going in to the 224.500 is repeated on either band. The 224.500 can actually transmit, but it's completely deaf to any input on the 1.25M band.
If you would like to get a taste of the potential that the 224.500 offers, just listen to the frequency as you transmit on the 444.750 UHF machine. I think that you'll be very surprised at the clear and strong signal that is re-transmitted on the 1.25M band. From out here in Plymouth, the .500 is easily the strongest signal of all those in the metro on the 1.25M band.
This odd situation made me suspect that the information for the 224.500 repeater might be wrong. After all, the listing already is incorrect as to which machine is cross-band. So I contacted the trustee for the repeater, Dan (N0FKM). It might be that the offset shift is listed wrong or the PL tone is different than what is shown.
Sadly, Dan didn't confirm that this was the case. He said that there have been issues with intermod from the public safety machines also located at the site. He also, quite reasonably, mentioned that he didn't have a great deal of free time to tackle this problem in the immediate future.
At some point, I believe that the .500 repeater will be restored. It's cross-band capability will make it second only to the HandiHam .940 in metro-area 1.25M popularity, and will probably increase use of the UHF .750 machine, which has languished in the plethora of UHF options here.
Most communities don't even have one 220 MHz repeater. The entire State of Iowa, for example, has only three working repeaters for the band. South Dakota has only one, and North Dakota none. Wisconsin has only three, and they are all clustered in the eastern part of the State in the Milwaukee area. We're really fortunate to have four working repeaters in the metro, even if they aren't cross-band at the moment.
Friday, 29 November 2013
The case for 1.25 metres
Promoting the use of 220 MHz (1.25 meters) is an uphill task. Many would say that ham radio doesn't need another band to fragment the already limited community into. Others point to a lack of repeaters and stable population on the band. Both points are valid.
As for the first issue, the obvious solution is cross-band repeaters. If I can talk to people on two metre FM and 1.25 metre FM, I'm not giving anything up by using a 1.25M radio.
The second point is a tougher nut to crack, but not insoluble. Two meters has a plethora of repeaters available. In many metro areas, there aren't available slots for new VHF repeaters, even though a substantial number of "paper repeaters" exist. 220 MHz offers a wide-open opportunity for anyone to establish a repeater, digital or analogue. Equipment is tougher to come by, but two mobiles can be used side-by side for far less than a commercial machine. The issue is the duplexer, which allows the two radios to share the same antenna. But there's no law saying that you need a duplexer. The receive site and the transmit site can be completely separate, and potentially linked by fibre. This is hardly a daunting financial, technical or logistical challenge for most clubs
Remember, UHF faced the same scepticism -- and still does in many quarters. What changed things was the surge in dual-band radio availability, including the cheap Chinese hand-helds that so many love to hate. Also, the lack of VHF slots drove many to consider setting up UHF repeaters. The TYT and BaoFeng 220 MHz HTs are still new, but easily within the price range of virtually all hams.
Having just one cross-band repeater option available in a metro area could easily tip the scales and provide the incentive for many Technicians to give 1.25M a try.
The advantage of 220 MHz is in the propagation characteristics. The band has the best of both VHF and UHF. It carries nearly as well as two metres in a suburban/urban environment, yet still bounces off buildings like UHF. And it doesn't suffer nearly as much from "green leaf attenuation" as UHF does, while working beyond "line of sight". In a sensible world, 1.25M would be the choice for metropolitan environments, while VHF would be for rural and UHF for local coverage. Antennae for the 1.25M band are also much smaller than their VHF counterparts. People that couldn't (or wouldn't) set up a two metre beam can easily set up a 1.25M Yagi or log periodic that would be smaller than a standard TV antenna. Given the penetration characteristics, indoor beams are more than feasible.
Now, just because 1.25M offers potential, that doesn't mean that potential will be exploited. In many cases, the people that run repeaters are mired in the paradigm of the past, and would not consider providing 1.25M coverage. Many scoff at the idea of cross-band repeaters on principle. These people may make a grand display of wringing their hands when the 1.25 band is handed over to commercial interests for digital use, but much of the blame for that eventuality will really be on their heads.
Perhaps radio clubs could be persuaded to make use of 1.25M for auxiliary links between repeaters. It certainly isn't crowded, and it could advance the cause of linked repeaters in general.
If you are a ham, and care about preserving the band, it's up to you to take the relatively painless steps to bring 1.25M into viability.
As for the first issue, the obvious solution is cross-band repeaters. If I can talk to people on two metre FM and 1.25 metre FM, I'm not giving anything up by using a 1.25M radio.
The second point is a tougher nut to crack, but not insoluble. Two meters has a plethora of repeaters available. In many metro areas, there aren't available slots for new VHF repeaters, even though a substantial number of "paper repeaters" exist. 220 MHz offers a wide-open opportunity for anyone to establish a repeater, digital or analogue. Equipment is tougher to come by, but two mobiles can be used side-by side for far less than a commercial machine. The issue is the duplexer, which allows the two radios to share the same antenna. But there's no law saying that you need a duplexer. The receive site and the transmit site can be completely separate, and potentially linked by fibre. This is hardly a daunting financial, technical or logistical challenge for most clubs
Remember, UHF faced the same scepticism -- and still does in many quarters. What changed things was the surge in dual-band radio availability, including the cheap Chinese hand-helds that so many love to hate. Also, the lack of VHF slots drove many to consider setting up UHF repeaters. The TYT and BaoFeng 220 MHz HTs are still new, but easily within the price range of virtually all hams.
Having just one cross-band repeater option available in a metro area could easily tip the scales and provide the incentive for many Technicians to give 1.25M a try.
The advantage of 220 MHz is in the propagation characteristics. The band has the best of both VHF and UHF. It carries nearly as well as two metres in a suburban/urban environment, yet still bounces off buildings like UHF. And it doesn't suffer nearly as much from "green leaf attenuation" as UHF does, while working beyond "line of sight". In a sensible world, 1.25M would be the choice for metropolitan environments, while VHF would be for rural and UHF for local coverage. Antennae for the 1.25M band are also much smaller than their VHF counterparts. People that couldn't (or wouldn't) set up a two metre beam can easily set up a 1.25M Yagi or log periodic that would be smaller than a standard TV antenna. Given the penetration characteristics, indoor beams are more than feasible.
Now, just because 1.25M offers potential, that doesn't mean that potential will be exploited. In many cases, the people that run repeaters are mired in the paradigm of the past, and would not consider providing 1.25M coverage. Many scoff at the idea of cross-band repeaters on principle. These people may make a grand display of wringing their hands when the 1.25 band is handed over to commercial interests for digital use, but much of the blame for that eventuality will really be on their heads.
Perhaps radio clubs could be persuaded to make use of 1.25M for auxiliary links between repeaters. It certainly isn't crowded, and it could advance the cause of linked repeaters in general.
If you are a ham, and care about preserving the band, it's up to you to take the relatively painless steps to bring 1.25M into viability.
- Get a radio for the band. You can't use it if you can't access it.
- Talk the band up on nets. Mention the need for a repeater for the band in your area. Someone's ego is likely to be stimulated enough to consider establishing a machine.
- Look at the digital potential for the band. Digital voice is wide open as an option. This might appeal to some, so mention it to your fellow hams. Alinco makes a rig with digital voice options for the band.
- Even if you are only on simplex, get on the band once a week. If other people hear you, it will help to convince them that there's real activity to support a repeater. Mention the channel that you are using when on nets.
- Talk to the people that operate repeaters in your area, and ask them about how challenging setting up a cross-band repeater would be. They may dismiss the idea out-of-hand, but seriously consider it later.
Thursday, 28 November 2013
LSAC update
Even though it's winter "up north" and a pretty uncomfortable time to be climbing towers, the LSAC repeater network is still being restored. N0BZZ (Randy) emailed me with the information that he's checking on the Bayfield, WI 146.700 repeater to make sure it's ready for the John Beargrease Sled Run. This VHF machine is located in the northern reaches of Wisconsin where the UHF WINET fears to tread.
The VHF 145.410 repeater in Duluth was also confirmed by N0BZZ to be up and running. This is sited on a 500' (wow!) tower. I suspect that the rated 30 mile coverage radius might be conservative, so if you are up near Duluth, submit a propagation report for this machine. It isn't linked to LSAC yet, because the priority is to restore the UHF link to the Bayfield repeater.
My impression, from N0BZZ's updates, is that Randy (N0BZZ) and Pat (KB0QYC) are concentrating on restoring and upgrading the repeaters themselves before working on the links between them. This is pretty smart, and it establishes a local user base for each unlinked machine that will only grow once it is linked to the other machines in the network. N0BZZ has tentatively given early Spring as a possible date for the north and south ends of the network to be linked together, with Summer being projected for restoration of the links between the more far-flung elements. It's a heck of a lot of work for just two guys, especially considering that they are also maintaining repeaters for non-LSAC radio clubs, such as the VHF machine in Mahtowa.
With this ambitious agenda in mind, I haven't asked about the restoration of the old "LSAC II" network, which is a scattering of UHF, VHF, SHF, and 6 meter repeaters that have been operating on a standalone basis since the link between them was lost. 6 meter FM is a very good (Technician-accessible) option for these relatively remote areas, even though the numbers of people with gear (especially mobile) for the band are not high. Still, the availability of cross-band use and the (eventual) introduction of a 6 meter FM repeater to the HandiHam network may promote more activity. But that's all down the road and only dimly visible as a potential future at the moment.
I think that more people are figuring out the consequences of the current amateur radio demographics. The numbers of licensees have been held relatively steady by the introduction of newer people who really aren't getting on the air much - many of which are "preppers" that are not interested in the long-term health of the hobby or the community. With fewer people actually on the air, simplex becomes something that has to be "scheduled", and the challenge is to find those fewer numbers. Repeaters are the "watering holes" that people congregate at and gravitate towards, and linked repeaters (especially cross-band) increase the likelihood of finding both familiar people and interesting new ones. The other challenge is to get people on the air in more situations, both for them to establish ties to the community and for the community to have an active on-air population.
LSAC helps with both of these challenges. It links fragmented, smaller communities that don't have enough active people on-air at any given time to make turning on your radio look attractive to other similar communities to form a larger "pool". It also brings people together on different bands who would otherwise be unaware of each other. And it lets people stay connected to their local communities when they travel outside of it.
When the network is restored, it will be possible for a ham travelling on 35W "up north" to talk to another ham at his lake cabin near Brainerd, and let a hiker on the Superior National Trail join in. Someone on their way home from work in Pine City could talk with another ham out on Lake Superior or camping at Itasca State Park. It makes bringing a radio to those more remote locations attractive, and it makes turning on your radio at home more inviting, too. It doesn't take too many incidents of a new ham being greeted by silence when they throw out their sign to discourage them from turning on their radio in the future. There are still those who would scoff, "Good riddance!" at that situation, but more hams are realising that the crowded repeaters of the 1980's are not coming back, and that something has to change.
Linked repeaters aren't a guarantee of future growth, but they are a hell of a lot better gamble than betting on widespread simplex activity. Every time that someone packs an HT on their camping trip, or brings one up to the cabin, or turns off their CD player and turns on their mobile on a road trip is a potential step forward. The key is having someone else available for them to talk to when they do that.
The southern-most edge of LSAC is the 443.325+ (146.2 tone) machine in Isanti. Most won't be able to reach it with their 5W HT "mobiles", and that may be fine with the people using LSAC. I can certainly reach it with a solid S9 or S8 using my small 3-element UHF Yagi and 4W, but I can't drive around with a Yagi on my vehicle. I would think that anyone in the metro with a UHF ground-plane and around 20W would have access to that repeater, though. Absent a two-meter link in the chain accessible by at least a 40W mobile here, I tend to think LSAC will remain a novelty to those in the metro even when the south and north ends are eventually linked. EchoLink will undoubtedly be available, however. If the UHF .950 in Rogers could be linked -- a long shot, of course -- it would make LSAC truly accessible to the metro area. The challenge will be to make people in the metro aware of its existence and potential, so that they will use it when travelling in those covered areas. Further expansion of the LSAC network is too much to expect, given the burden of only two people maintaining what already exists. Any expansion would have to come from the fragmented community of people operating independent, local repeaters finding a way to link their machines to the network. Likewise, if only one of the dozen or so VHF repeaters in town could be linked, the entire game would dramatically change. The best chances for a metro-area link are on UHF. K0LAV's .800 machine, for example, would be the easiest target, since he is already planning a link to Pequot Lakes. Another potential option would be for KA0KMJ's .425 UHF machine to be linked by EchoLink conference.
There are some visionary VHF repeaters out there: MARA's outstanding .850 with multiple receive sites, the .370 sited on the IDS Tower, and the HandiHam .450 cross-band. Still, the frontier has largely been ceded to UHF here in the metro. Of the three VHF repeaters I mentioned, only HandiHam has EchoLink or IRLP, which is hardly a challenge to implement, and they are the only one with cross-band or links to other machines. And the extensive fibre network throughout the metro has not been taken advantage of to easily link machines without expensive UHF links. The future is not in a dozen VHF repeaters competing for a dwindling number of hams, nor is it is in the "hobby" repeaters on UHF with local coverage.
The days of local fiefdoms run by out-sized egos is passing away. There needs to be a novel approach that brings people together, rather than isolating them in enclaves based on band preference or club allegiance.
Linked, cross-band repeaters with EchoLink access are the future of the hobby. There will always be a place for cliquish "elites" and simplex snobs, so they shouldn't feel threatened by this new reality. Without options that engage the new Technician-Class licensees, these people will be lost before they ever realise the potential of the hobby. There will always be a place for the snarling "watch-dogs" that haunt the "emergency" repeaters. And people that abandon the hobby because the repeaters are dead won't ever get a chance to try 2-meter SSB or HF. The smart move is to hold on to the people that have already got their license, who will then tell others about the hobby's potential. That involves offering some kind of potential other than their eventual, conditional, and grudging acceptance by the "elite".
We've given the "old school" approach more than a chance. It's killing the hobby.
The VHF 145.410 repeater in Duluth was also confirmed by N0BZZ to be up and running. This is sited on a 500' (wow!) tower. I suspect that the rated 30 mile coverage radius might be conservative, so if you are up near Duluth, submit a propagation report for this machine. It isn't linked to LSAC yet, because the priority is to restore the UHF link to the Bayfield repeater.
My impression, from N0BZZ's updates, is that Randy (N0BZZ) and Pat (KB0QYC) are concentrating on restoring and upgrading the repeaters themselves before working on the links between them. This is pretty smart, and it establishes a local user base for each unlinked machine that will only grow once it is linked to the other machines in the network. N0BZZ has tentatively given early Spring as a possible date for the north and south ends of the network to be linked together, with Summer being projected for restoration of the links between the more far-flung elements. It's a heck of a lot of work for just two guys, especially considering that they are also maintaining repeaters for non-LSAC radio clubs, such as the VHF machine in Mahtowa.
With this ambitious agenda in mind, I haven't asked about the restoration of the old "LSAC II" network, which is a scattering of UHF, VHF, SHF, and 6 meter repeaters that have been operating on a standalone basis since the link between them was lost. 6 meter FM is a very good (Technician-accessible) option for these relatively remote areas, even though the numbers of people with gear (especially mobile) for the band are not high. Still, the availability of cross-band use and the (eventual) introduction of a 6 meter FM repeater to the HandiHam network may promote more activity. But that's all down the road and only dimly visible as a potential future at the moment.
I think that more people are figuring out the consequences of the current amateur radio demographics. The numbers of licensees have been held relatively steady by the introduction of newer people who really aren't getting on the air much - many of which are "preppers" that are not interested in the long-term health of the hobby or the community. With fewer people actually on the air, simplex becomes something that has to be "scheduled", and the challenge is to find those fewer numbers. Repeaters are the "watering holes" that people congregate at and gravitate towards, and linked repeaters (especially cross-band) increase the likelihood of finding both familiar people and interesting new ones. The other challenge is to get people on the air in more situations, both for them to establish ties to the community and for the community to have an active on-air population.
LSAC helps with both of these challenges. It links fragmented, smaller communities that don't have enough active people on-air at any given time to make turning on your radio look attractive to other similar communities to form a larger "pool". It also brings people together on different bands who would otherwise be unaware of each other. And it lets people stay connected to their local communities when they travel outside of it.
When the network is restored, it will be possible for a ham travelling on 35W "up north" to talk to another ham at his lake cabin near Brainerd, and let a hiker on the Superior National Trail join in. Someone on their way home from work in Pine City could talk with another ham out on Lake Superior or camping at Itasca State Park. It makes bringing a radio to those more remote locations attractive, and it makes turning on your radio at home more inviting, too. It doesn't take too many incidents of a new ham being greeted by silence when they throw out their sign to discourage them from turning on their radio in the future. There are still those who would scoff, "Good riddance!" at that situation, but more hams are realising that the crowded repeaters of the 1980's are not coming back, and that something has to change.
Linked repeaters aren't a guarantee of future growth, but they are a hell of a lot better gamble than betting on widespread simplex activity. Every time that someone packs an HT on their camping trip, or brings one up to the cabin, or turns off their CD player and turns on their mobile on a road trip is a potential step forward. The key is having someone else available for them to talk to when they do that.
The southern-most edge of LSAC is the 443.325+ (146.2 tone) machine in Isanti. Most won't be able to reach it with their 5W HT "mobiles", and that may be fine with the people using LSAC. I can certainly reach it with a solid S9 or S8 using my small 3-element UHF Yagi and 4W, but I can't drive around with a Yagi on my vehicle. I would think that anyone in the metro with a UHF ground-plane and around 20W would have access to that repeater, though. Absent a two-meter link in the chain accessible by at least a 40W mobile here, I tend to think LSAC will remain a novelty to those in the metro even when the south and north ends are eventually linked. EchoLink will undoubtedly be available, however. If the UHF .950 in Rogers could be linked -- a long shot, of course -- it would make LSAC truly accessible to the metro area. The challenge will be to make people in the metro aware of its existence and potential, so that they will use it when travelling in those covered areas. Further expansion of the LSAC network is too much to expect, given the burden of only two people maintaining what already exists. Any expansion would have to come from the fragmented community of people operating independent, local repeaters finding a way to link their machines to the network. Likewise, if only one of the dozen or so VHF repeaters in town could be linked, the entire game would dramatically change. The best chances for a metro-area link are on UHF. K0LAV's .800 machine, for example, would be the easiest target, since he is already planning a link to Pequot Lakes. Another potential option would be for KA0KMJ's .425 UHF machine to be linked by EchoLink conference.
There are some visionary VHF repeaters out there: MARA's outstanding .850 with multiple receive sites, the .370 sited on the IDS Tower, and the HandiHam .450 cross-band. Still, the frontier has largely been ceded to UHF here in the metro. Of the three VHF repeaters I mentioned, only HandiHam has EchoLink or IRLP, which is hardly a challenge to implement, and they are the only one with cross-band or links to other machines. And the extensive fibre network throughout the metro has not been taken advantage of to easily link machines without expensive UHF links. The future is not in a dozen VHF repeaters competing for a dwindling number of hams, nor is it is in the "hobby" repeaters on UHF with local coverage.
The days of local fiefdoms run by out-sized egos is passing away. There needs to be a novel approach that brings people together, rather than isolating them in enclaves based on band preference or club allegiance.
Linked, cross-band repeaters with EchoLink access are the future of the hobby. There will always be a place for cliquish "elites" and simplex snobs, so they shouldn't feel threatened by this new reality. Without options that engage the new Technician-Class licensees, these people will be lost before they ever realise the potential of the hobby. There will always be a place for the snarling "watch-dogs" that haunt the "emergency" repeaters. And people that abandon the hobby because the repeaters are dead won't ever get a chance to try 2-meter SSB or HF. The smart move is to hold on to the people that have already got their license, who will then tell others about the hobby's potential. That involves offering some kind of potential other than their eventual, conditional, and grudging acceptance by the "elite".
We've given the "old school" approach more than a chance. It's killing the hobby.
Sunday, 17 November 2013
1.25M rig options
I looked at several options to get on the 1.25M (220MHz) band before I bought I the TYT TH-9000. It's a bit surprising how little brand-new gear is out there for the band. It's not like two meters, as far as your choices go.
While there is a sub-band for CW and SSB on 1.25M, only high-end radios will cover that mode. You could use a transverter from Elecraft on a normal HF radio for CW, SSB, or PSK31. The XV222 is $400, and has about 20W output. Be aware, though, that DX on this band is unlikely. Only North and South America allows operation on the band (and not every country there, either), and frequency allocations differ between countries. Canada has CW and SSB specified on 222.05 - 222.275, and the U.S. allocation runs from 222.000 - 222.250. Mexico has a different system of specific channels, some of which are not for amateur use.
What little activity there is on 1.25M is either FM or (to a much lesser extent) packet (digital). I don't know of any digital repeaters locally for the band. I'm looking here at FM options.
While I really dislike fear-mongering, I want to point out that there is a threat of amateurs losing the 1.25M band. Unlike 10 meters, the VHF frequencies are somewhat valuable to commercial interests. Cellular technology has kept this demand down, but 220 MHz is prime digital territory for fleets. The FCC is unsympathetic, and sees the band as a great spot for new digital technology. If we don't start using 1.25M, the FCC could hand it over to commercial interests.
Kenwood has made a few 1.25M radios, but they are all discontinued: TM-331A, TM-74AD, TM-621A, and the TM-742AD.
The mobiles that are available for the band are not fancy. They don't have removable fronts, APRS, or TFT displays. They are all monoband, which can be a "deal-breaker" for many.
If you have a "thing" about Chinese radios, then your option would be the Alinco DR-235T. The DR-235T is a 25W FM mobile monoband for $225, with digital options available. Aside from the optional TNC for packet, there is also the EJ-47U board that can be added for digital FM voice. The digital voice option doesn't seem to be compatible with any of the other technologies, though. 25 watts is certainly enough for most FM repeater work. But, given the relative scarcity of 1.25M repeaters, you may find that you have a long way to go to reach that repeater in some areas. If you are considering the DR-235T for base station use, a beam would be a better option rather than throwing a lot of power in all directions.
A popular (Chinese) option is the Jetstream JT220M, which is a 50W FM mobile monoband for $230 -- about the same price as the Alinco. I considered it seriously because it only has a current draw of 9A at full power, allowing for a cheaper power supply. The reviews for this radio are not impressive, however.
Then you have what I chose: the TYT TH-9000. I got it for a bit over $170 on Amazon. It's a 50W FM mobile monoband, though it has a current draw of 12A at full power. I'm using it on a 7A supply and keeping the output down to 10W, though it seemed to handle things at 25W okay. The TYT TH-9000 also is available for 2M and 440 MHz, so don't get confused when looking at them. I could hit two of the local repeaters using a 5W HT with a "rubber duck", so 10W with a beam (or even a whip) lets me hit all four with full quieting. I'm not that interested in simplex operation, and the band is completely dead in that regard anyway, so the low power setting works fine for me. It also keeps the radio cool. Of course, the 3-element Yagi is great for low power, too. It has 200 channels, which is ridiculous. There are only about a dozen simplex channels, and you aren't likely to have many repeaters in your area.
Still, $170 is a bit of a gamble on a band like this, at least for some people. There are Chinese HT's available for those people. I've tried them and was disappointed, but they did get me on the air.
There aren't a lot of antennae out there for the band. Centerfire makes a ground plane ($30) or 3-element Yagi ($50) for the band. A J-pole is available on eBay for $20. Laird makes a basic mobile whip ($10) and a 3-element Yagi ($90). Beware any generic mobile whips. Anli sells a tri-band mobile whip for ($70).
I seems obvious, but I'll mention it: any of these mobiles need a power supply for base station use. Linear supplies are quieter, but more expensive. Look at the current rating, especially the continuous current rating, of any supply. Make sure it's capable of handling the rated current draw of the mobile. Don't get 12v supplies; only 13.8vdc should be used to keep the current draw within the rated specs. Plan on spending at least $150 for a supply, unless you already have one. If you see an HF radio in your future, it's better to get something around 25A, because that's what you'll need. Linear supplies are around $250 for that kind of current.
While there is a sub-band for CW and SSB on 1.25M, only high-end radios will cover that mode. You could use a transverter from Elecraft on a normal HF radio for CW, SSB, or PSK31. The XV222 is $400, and has about 20W output. Be aware, though, that DX on this band is unlikely. Only North and South America allows operation on the band (and not every country there, either), and frequency allocations differ between countries. Canada has CW and SSB specified on 222.05 - 222.275, and the U.S. allocation runs from 222.000 - 222.250. Mexico has a different system of specific channels, some of which are not for amateur use.
What little activity there is on 1.25M is either FM or (to a much lesser extent) packet (digital). I don't know of any digital repeaters locally for the band. I'm looking here at FM options.
While I really dislike fear-mongering, I want to point out that there is a threat of amateurs losing the 1.25M band. Unlike 10 meters, the VHF frequencies are somewhat valuable to commercial interests. Cellular technology has kept this demand down, but 220 MHz is prime digital territory for fleets. The FCC is unsympathetic, and sees the band as a great spot for new digital technology. If we don't start using 1.25M, the FCC could hand it over to commercial interests.
Kenwood has made a few 1.25M radios, but they are all discontinued: TM-331A, TM-74AD, TM-621A, and the TM-742AD.
The mobiles that are available for the band are not fancy. They don't have removable fronts, APRS, or TFT displays. They are all monoband, which can be a "deal-breaker" for many.
If you have a "thing" about Chinese radios, then your option would be the Alinco DR-235T. The DR-235T is a 25W FM mobile monoband for $225, with digital options available. Aside from the optional TNC for packet, there is also the EJ-47U board that can be added for digital FM voice. The digital voice option doesn't seem to be compatible with any of the other technologies, though. 25 watts is certainly enough for most FM repeater work. But, given the relative scarcity of 1.25M repeaters, you may find that you have a long way to go to reach that repeater in some areas. If you are considering the DR-235T for base station use, a beam would be a better option rather than throwing a lot of power in all directions.
A popular (Chinese) option is the Jetstream JT220M, which is a 50W FM mobile monoband for $230 -- about the same price as the Alinco. I considered it seriously because it only has a current draw of 9A at full power, allowing for a cheaper power supply. The reviews for this radio are not impressive, however.
Then you have what I chose: the TYT TH-9000. I got it for a bit over $170 on Amazon. It's a 50W FM mobile monoband, though it has a current draw of 12A at full power. I'm using it on a 7A supply and keeping the output down to 10W, though it seemed to handle things at 25W okay. The TYT TH-9000 also is available for 2M and 440 MHz, so don't get confused when looking at them. I could hit two of the local repeaters using a 5W HT with a "rubber duck", so 10W with a beam (or even a whip) lets me hit all four with full quieting. I'm not that interested in simplex operation, and the band is completely dead in that regard anyway, so the low power setting works fine for me. It also keeps the radio cool. Of course, the 3-element Yagi is great for low power, too. It has 200 channels, which is ridiculous. There are only about a dozen simplex channels, and you aren't likely to have many repeaters in your area.
Still, $170 is a bit of a gamble on a band like this, at least for some people. There are Chinese HT's available for those people. I've tried them and was disappointed, but they did get me on the air.
- BaoFeng makes a dual-band HT that covers 2M/1.25M. I've only seen them on eBay, which is where I bought mine. They are a standard BaoFeng in every way, except for the band coverage. You can get one for $60 - $75, which is more than you would pay for a standard 2M/70cm radio. Still, it's a lot cheaper than the TYT TH-9000. The usual caveats for Baofeng apply: the RF output on 220 MHz is only 2.5W (though 2M is good at 4W), and it gets flaky with an external antenna. BaoFengs have a weird inductive loading that works best with the "rubber duck"; an external antenna will add noise to the receiver. Still, it hits the two closest repeaters clearly with the beam. I could be made out okay using a whip on one machine. I can "ker-chunk" two repeaters with the "duck", but it's at least 12 miles to the closest. What makes this attractive is that, should 1.25M not be for you, it can still be used on two meters.BaoFeng also makes a "battery eliminator" that makes mobile use a possibility.
- TYT has a dual-band 70cm/1.25M HT -- the TH-UVF9. Like the TH-9000, there are different "flavours", so be careful when shopping. I bought one from DNJ Radio, and they shipped me a 2M/440 model instead. I got my money back, but it's still a hassle. Ultimately, I got one on eBay from a guy in Kentucky. Prices seem to vary from $80 - 100, which makes this less attractive but cheaper than a mobile. I am disappointed with this radio. The RF output on 440 MHz is only 2W, and the receiver is terrible on that band. Basically, it's useless on UHF. On 220, though, it works very well. I can hit two repeaters clearly using just the "duck", and output checks at a full 5W. The battery has a long life (1800 mAh), it receives well on 220, and it tolerates external antennas just fine. You can use the BaoFeng "battery eliminators" with this radio. Be aware that the included mobile charger will ruin the battery if you transmit while charging. One thing that I like about this HT is that it has MSK, so that I can send my callsign digitally.
- TYT also has a cheaper option: the UV3R. For about $60, it's absolutely basic. Only 2.5W RF output turned me off, because you know that it isn't even that strong. It has USB charging, if you think that's cool. It's a dual-band 2M/220, but the low power doesn't make 2M very feasible - even if it isn't like the UVF9's second band. At this price, the Baofeng is a better bet, in my opinion.
- Wouxun offers the dual-band KG UVD1P HT in different "flavours". At $100 - 150, it's a bit pricier and quality issues have been widely reported. Much like the BaoFeng, it's 2M/220. I haven't bought this, since I already had the Baofeng. For the price, you might as well buy the TYT mobile unless you have a need to operate portable on the band.
There aren't a lot of antennae out there for the band. Centerfire makes a ground plane ($30) or 3-element Yagi ($50) for the band. A J-pole is available on eBay for $20. Laird makes a basic mobile whip ($10) and a 3-element Yagi ($90). Beware any generic mobile whips. Anli sells a tri-band mobile whip for ($70).
I seems obvious, but I'll mention it: any of these mobiles need a power supply for base station use. Linear supplies are quieter, but more expensive. Look at the current rating, especially the continuous current rating, of any supply. Make sure it's capable of handling the rated current draw of the mobile. Don't get 12v supplies; only 13.8vdc should be used to keep the current draw within the rated specs. Plan on spending at least $150 for a supply, unless you already have one. If you see an HF radio in your future, it's better to get something around 25A, because that's what you'll need. Linear supplies are around $250 for that kind of current.
Saturday, 16 November 2013
220 MHz in the metro, new 1.25M Yagi, new 1.25M radio
Yesterday my new TYT TH-9000 (220 MHz band) radio arrived, along with my 3-element 220 MHz Yagi.
While I did programme the radio, I need to use lug terminals on the power supply connections, so I didn't get to try out the radio on the air. Instead, I set up the beam and connected my TYT 440/220 hand-held to it to give the antenna a trial run.
The antenna is nice. I got it from Centerfire Antennas for about $50 (including shipping), and it was shipped very quickly. The elements are short whips held by set screws, so the antenna can be dis-assembled easily for portable use. My only concern is that the set screws mount into a short aluminium bar, and over-tightening could strip out the threads. I used a Procomm coaxial cable with lug terminals already installed, which made connecting the beam very easy.
My original intent was to mount the beam on my portable 13-foot tripod mast and aim it at the 223.940- (PL 100.0) repeater on the other side of the metro in Arden Hills. I don't see a lot of point in omnidirectional coverage on the 1.25M band, since I'm not working simplex. While I could hit the .940 and the .540 (Burnsville) repeaters okay with the "rubber duck", I wanted a solid signal. The beam is not large at all. The boom is only about 20" long, and the longest elements extend about 28" total. I can leave it set up on the tripod mast, only about 6' high, and it can't be seen from the ground -- though it can still reach both the 223.940 and the 224.540 repeaters quite well. It's a much better solution than swapping out a mobile whip (which is visible) whenever I want to use the 1.25M band.
So I set up the beam and pointed it to the north-east. It was already dark, so I hoisted the mast about ten feet up and connected the other end of the cable to the TYT UVF9 (70cm/1.25M) HT. I wasn't expecting much from the HT (which has been a general disappointment), but I was hoping that a good antenna would make up for the radio's deficiencies.
I hit the .940 immediately, and it came back with full quieting. On top of that, the SWR was totally flat and the meter was showing 5W output. This is something that I've noticed about the Chinese HT's: the power output seems very dependent on the antenna being used. It might be more an anomaly with the meter, but that's what it showed. Whatever the case, the HT was working very well. I even switched it over to UHF (440 MHz), and the SWR was quite reasonable - though the power output was the typical 2W. I haven't really explored the possibility of using the beam on UHF, but it would very convenient if I didn't have to swap between the UHF and the 1.25M Yagis.
After checking a map and making a slight adjustment to the direction, I threw out my sign again on the .940 machine. This time, someone came back. It was KG0BP (Chris), who was one of the trustees for the machine. He was using an HT with a rubber duck, so he wasn't getting in to the repeater very well. I struggled to hear him, but the repeater's signal was full-scale. I really wanted to talk to him about the future of the repeater, and the .850 (UHF HandiHam) repeater that he also ran, but I just couldn't pick him out of the noise. I got back to him the next morning on the .450 (VHF HandiHam) repeater and got that info, and he also said that my audio was good into the .940 1.25M machine the previous night. So, with that, I'm "officially" on 220 MHz even if the new TYT 1.25M mobile doesn't work out!
But there was more good news. With the beam, I found that I was able to reach two new repeaters that I had believed were down. Both the 224.880+ (no tone) in Maplewood and the 224.900+ (PL 100.0) in Mounds View came back with a squelch tail! That makes four operational repeaters on the band that I can hit with the beam. The "low" power setting on the new TYT mobile is 10W, so when it's all set up I should be able to reach all of them with full quieting. I don't plan on doing simplex on 1.25M, so all that I need to do is hit the repeaters well.
My quandary now is what to do about a power supply for the TH-9000. The manual says that full power (55W) draws 12A. I have a 7A TrippLite 13.8V supply and a 30W Yaesu supply. I'm using the Yaesu for my FT-897D, but I would never be transmitting on both of them at the same time. The 7A TrippLite should be able to handle the "low" setting of 10W easily, which is all that I need. Besides, I think that the TYT will get really hot on full power.
I think that I'll stick with the TrippLite for now, and start shopping around for a 12 to 15A supply next year. With that, I could use the "middle" 25W setting, and also hook up my old SSB CB radio just for fun. The CB will work on 7A, but it would like 10A better. Neither of these things are high priority, but it would be nice to have a solid arrangement at some point. I have a FireStik for the CB that I think would work really well, even though there's about as much activity on CB as there is on 220 MHz. The SSB CB is just gathering dust, so I might as well hook it up at some point.
I'll report more on the new TYT 220 MHz mobile when I get a chance to put it to the (low power) test.
While I did programme the radio, I need to use lug terminals on the power supply connections, so I didn't get to try out the radio on the air. Instead, I set up the beam and connected my TYT 440/220 hand-held to it to give the antenna a trial run.
The antenna is nice. I got it from Centerfire Antennas for about $50 (including shipping), and it was shipped very quickly. The elements are short whips held by set screws, so the antenna can be dis-assembled easily for portable use. My only concern is that the set screws mount into a short aluminium bar, and over-tightening could strip out the threads. I used a Procomm coaxial cable with lug terminals already installed, which made connecting the beam very easy.
My original intent was to mount the beam on my portable 13-foot tripod mast and aim it at the 223.940- (PL 100.0) repeater on the other side of the metro in Arden Hills. I don't see a lot of point in omnidirectional coverage on the 1.25M band, since I'm not working simplex. While I could hit the .940 and the .540 (Burnsville) repeaters okay with the "rubber duck", I wanted a solid signal. The beam is not large at all. The boom is only about 20" long, and the longest elements extend about 28" total. I can leave it set up on the tripod mast, only about 6' high, and it can't be seen from the ground -- though it can still reach both the 223.940 and the 224.540 repeaters quite well. It's a much better solution than swapping out a mobile whip (which is visible) whenever I want to use the 1.25M band.
So I set up the beam and pointed it to the north-east. It was already dark, so I hoisted the mast about ten feet up and connected the other end of the cable to the TYT UVF9 (70cm/1.25M) HT. I wasn't expecting much from the HT (which has been a general disappointment), but I was hoping that a good antenna would make up for the radio's deficiencies.
I hit the .940 immediately, and it came back with full quieting. On top of that, the SWR was totally flat and the meter was showing 5W output. This is something that I've noticed about the Chinese HT's: the power output seems very dependent on the antenna being used. It might be more an anomaly with the meter, but that's what it showed. Whatever the case, the HT was working very well. I even switched it over to UHF (440 MHz), and the SWR was quite reasonable - though the power output was the typical 2W. I haven't really explored the possibility of using the beam on UHF, but it would very convenient if I didn't have to swap between the UHF and the 1.25M Yagis.
After checking a map and making a slight adjustment to the direction, I threw out my sign again on the .940 machine. This time, someone came back. It was KG0BP (Chris), who was one of the trustees for the machine. He was using an HT with a rubber duck, so he wasn't getting in to the repeater very well. I struggled to hear him, but the repeater's signal was full-scale. I really wanted to talk to him about the future of the repeater, and the .850 (UHF HandiHam) repeater that he also ran, but I just couldn't pick him out of the noise. I got back to him the next morning on the .450 (VHF HandiHam) repeater and got that info, and he also said that my audio was good into the .940 1.25M machine the previous night. So, with that, I'm "officially" on 220 MHz even if the new TYT 1.25M mobile doesn't work out!
But there was more good news. With the beam, I found that I was able to reach two new repeaters that I had believed were down. Both the 224.880+ (no tone) in Maplewood and the 224.900+ (PL 100.0) in Mounds View came back with a squelch tail! That makes four operational repeaters on the band that I can hit with the beam. The "low" power setting on the new TYT mobile is 10W, so when it's all set up I should be able to reach all of them with full quieting. I don't plan on doing simplex on 1.25M, so all that I need to do is hit the repeaters well.
My quandary now is what to do about a power supply for the TH-9000. The manual says that full power (55W) draws 12A. I have a 7A TrippLite 13.8V supply and a 30W Yaesu supply. I'm using the Yaesu for my FT-897D, but I would never be transmitting on both of them at the same time. The 7A TrippLite should be able to handle the "low" setting of 10W easily, which is all that I need. Besides, I think that the TYT will get really hot on full power.
I think that I'll stick with the TrippLite for now, and start shopping around for a 12 to 15A supply next year. With that, I could use the "middle" 25W setting, and also hook up my old SSB CB radio just for fun. The CB will work on 7A, but it would like 10A better. Neither of these things are high priority, but it would be nice to have a solid arrangement at some point. I have a FireStik for the CB that I think would work really well, even though there's about as much activity on CB as there is on 220 MHz. The SSB CB is just gathering dust, so I might as well hook it up at some point.
I'll report more on the new TYT 220 MHz mobile when I get a chance to put it to the (low power) test.
HandiHam repeater update
I had a chat with KG0BP (Chris) this morning on the HandiHam .450, as a follow-up to a 'conversation' last night on the Arden Hills 220 MHz repeater. Chris runs the link to the 223.940 HandiHam repeater, as well as running the 444.850 HandiHam repeater. I got the inside scoop as to what is going on with both of these.
I've had a lot of trouble reaching the .850 no matter what I've tried. Edina isn't that far from Plymouth, especially considering that I can reach the Bloomington .325 UHF HandiHam machine decently. But Chris doesn't have a tower - just a ground plane on the roof of his house - and the antenna isn't above the trees. "Green leaf attenuation" isn't an issue with VHF, but it will kill you on UHF. The .850 doesn't get further north than St. Louis Park, according to Chris, but does well to the south and east. Still, the south and east are pretty well covered by the HandiHam network already. The Bloomington repeater covers the south-east pretty well, the Chaska repeater covers the south-west, and the .650 is closer to St. Paul (while still in Minneapolis proper). Chris says that the .850 reaches into downtown Minneapolis, too. For something that's on the level of a "hobby" repeater, that's not bad.
Right now, Chris is in the middle of moving house, so the 220 MHz link and the .850 are both down. He's considering some different options when he sets these two back up. The first is a beam to the 223.940, which makes a lot of sense to me. There's not a lot of point to having an omnidirectional link, and he's been doing that mostly because it was easier. I told him about the 3 element Yagi that I just got for 220 MHz, and he might get that. It's small and light enough for a rooftop situation, and it would be the way to go if you just want to hit the one repeater and feed it into the EchoLink system. The second thing that he's considering is using a beam for the .850 pointing north. Again, that sounds like a really good idea to me, since the other directions are largely redundant and a UHF beam is pretty small. He could get rid of two ground planes and replace them with two small beams, while still having a ground plane on the same mast.
While the move has placed antennae lower on the list of priorities for Chris, and the weather is moving toward winter now, it's not unrealistic that both of these links could be up in a few months. Even though my personal interests are strongly in favour of the restoration of the 220 MHz cross-band functions, I would rather see this done right than done quickly. And any kind of improvement to the cross-band UHF coverage in the metro could encourage UHF use, too.
I've had a lot of trouble reaching the .850 no matter what I've tried. Edina isn't that far from Plymouth, especially considering that I can reach the Bloomington .325 UHF HandiHam machine decently. But Chris doesn't have a tower - just a ground plane on the roof of his house - and the antenna isn't above the trees. "Green leaf attenuation" isn't an issue with VHF, but it will kill you on UHF. The .850 doesn't get further north than St. Louis Park, according to Chris, but does well to the south and east. Still, the south and east are pretty well covered by the HandiHam network already. The Bloomington repeater covers the south-east pretty well, the Chaska repeater covers the south-west, and the .650 is closer to St. Paul (while still in Minneapolis proper). Chris says that the .850 reaches into downtown Minneapolis, too. For something that's on the level of a "hobby" repeater, that's not bad.
Right now, Chris is in the middle of moving house, so the 220 MHz link and the .850 are both down. He's considering some different options when he sets these two back up. The first is a beam to the 223.940, which makes a lot of sense to me. There's not a lot of point to having an omnidirectional link, and he's been doing that mostly because it was easier. I told him about the 3 element Yagi that I just got for 220 MHz, and he might get that. It's small and light enough for a rooftop situation, and it would be the way to go if you just want to hit the one repeater and feed it into the EchoLink system. The second thing that he's considering is using a beam for the .850 pointing north. Again, that sounds like a really good idea to me, since the other directions are largely redundant and a UHF beam is pretty small. He could get rid of two ground planes and replace them with two small beams, while still having a ground plane on the same mast.
While the move has placed antennae lower on the list of priorities for Chris, and the weather is moving toward winter now, it's not unrealistic that both of these links could be up in a few months. Even though my personal interests are strongly in favour of the restoration of the 220 MHz cross-band functions, I would rather see this done right than done quickly. And any kind of improvement to the cross-band UHF coverage in the metro could encourage UHF use, too.
Friday, 15 November 2013
HandiHam audio link
It's been a while since I've been able to find the link to the audio stream for N0BVE. it used to be on RadioReference, then it moved to Broadcastify. This morning, I found it on ShoutCast.
This is the link. Bookmark it.
It also can be found here, at the bottom of the page.
N0BVE is the local (Twin Cities, MN) HandiHam repeater. It's a network of cross-band duplex and simplex frequency repeaters, actually. The .450 (VHF), .650 (UHF), .325 (UHF), and several simplex links are all combined in this audio feed. Until recently, the local 220 MHz repeater was included.
There is at least one net every day, with EchoLink available for those without a radio or outside of RF range. It's not uncommon to find hams from other countries there, either on the nets or just hanging out. More info on the nets here. The schedule doesn't show it, but there are other nets on other evenings that are not specifically "HandiHam" nets. Friday's net, The "TechNet", is more international. Saturday's net features AR Newsline and other ham-oriented audio programs, and is more local. Other nets use IRLP (Internet Linked Radio Protocol) to transmit the net over local repeaters in various States and Canada.
The audio link is nice to have available. I wish that more repeaters did this. Recently, the local .210 (VHF) had a stream called "metro SkyWarn", but that isn't working now. A lot of hams consider feeds to be a "gimmick" that they are too cool for. If you are out of town, however, you can still listen to a repeater on your smartphone, laptop, or computer. Instead of listening on EchoLink, and keeping other people from using the node by doing so, you can listen to the feed instead. You can actually hear yourself to see how well your signal is reaching the repeater. And non-hams can also hear what's going on, to see if they might be interested in the hobby.
It's the last thing that really scares some hams, of course. Even though people can already listen to them on a cheap scanner, this is different. I'm not sure how, though. I think that it's the old idea of the exclusivity of ham radio being threatened that scares them. The Great, Unwashed Masses are a constant threat to many hams, either consciously or subconsciously. Everybody wants to get in on the "action", without paying the "dues", which will obviously ruin everything. Aside from that, I think there's a subtle realisation that non-hams may discover how boring most of it is, and then decline to get their licence.
In any case, HandiHam has dismissed all of this and made their repeater activity public. It's probably the most active repeater in the metro, too. The word "active" is relative, of course. Hours go by with nobody using the machine, much like on the other repeaters in town. But the evening nets can easily run for two hours. The IRLP links drive activity on local repeaters in other cities, too. Lack of activity seems to be the common problem on FM, regardless of the band or the location.
This is the link. Bookmark it.
It also can be found here, at the bottom of the page.
N0BVE is the local (Twin Cities, MN) HandiHam repeater. It's a network of cross-band duplex and simplex frequency repeaters, actually. The .450 (VHF), .650 (UHF), .325 (UHF), and several simplex links are all combined in this audio feed. Until recently, the local 220 MHz repeater was included.
There is at least one net every day, with EchoLink available for those without a radio or outside of RF range. It's not uncommon to find hams from other countries there, either on the nets or just hanging out. More info on the nets here. The schedule doesn't show it, but there are other nets on other evenings that are not specifically "HandiHam" nets. Friday's net, The "TechNet", is more international. Saturday's net features AR Newsline and other ham-oriented audio programs, and is more local. Other nets use IRLP (Internet Linked Radio Protocol) to transmit the net over local repeaters in various States and Canada.
The audio link is nice to have available. I wish that more repeaters did this. Recently, the local .210 (VHF) had a stream called "metro SkyWarn", but that isn't working now. A lot of hams consider feeds to be a "gimmick" that they are too cool for. If you are out of town, however, you can still listen to a repeater on your smartphone, laptop, or computer. Instead of listening on EchoLink, and keeping other people from using the node by doing so, you can listen to the feed instead. You can actually hear yourself to see how well your signal is reaching the repeater. And non-hams can also hear what's going on, to see if they might be interested in the hobby.
It's the last thing that really scares some hams, of course. Even though people can already listen to them on a cheap scanner, this is different. I'm not sure how, though. I think that it's the old idea of the exclusivity of ham radio being threatened that scares them. The Great, Unwashed Masses are a constant threat to many hams, either consciously or subconsciously. Everybody wants to get in on the "action", without paying the "dues", which will obviously ruin everything. Aside from that, I think there's a subtle realisation that non-hams may discover how boring most of it is, and then decline to get their licence.
In any case, HandiHam has dismissed all of this and made their repeater activity public. It's probably the most active repeater in the metro, too. The word "active" is relative, of course. Hours go by with nobody using the machine, much like on the other repeaters in town. But the evening nets can easily run for two hours. The IRLP links drive activity on local repeaters in other cities, too. Lack of activity seems to be the common problem on FM, regardless of the band or the location.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
10 meter FM coming - maybe 6 meters, too.
As I mentioned at the end of my last post, there has been a 10 meter FM repeater listed on RepeaterBook for some time. It's listed using the same callsign N0BVE, which is what the HandiHam VHF machine is also under. Since KA0PQW (Matt) is involved in the HandiHam repeater scene, I had asked him for the scoop on the 10 meter machine. Matt knew nothing about it, which made me think that it had been abandoned.
When I was on the HandiHam net last night, I asked about the mysterious 10 meter FM repeater.
Someone named Don (no callsign given) came back and told everyone that the repeater is pretty much ready to go. It sounds like "Don" is one of the big guys in town handling repeaters, and it was clear from his response that he was the one who had put the 10 meter repeater together. So this is coming first-hand.
The receive site is already established at the site of the VHF .450 HandiHam machine, and is linked to the .450 itself. It turned out that the same site wouldn't work for a transmitter, because it causes interference with the ethernet that the EchoLink hub operates on. So Don is looking for a transmitter site, and made an appeal for help in finding one. That's the final barrier to getting 10 meter FM in town. As Don said, all he has to do is "plug it in". He also mentioned "ten and six" when describing the project, leading me to believe that there may also be a six meter FM repeater in the works! I wasn't able to ask further questions, as I had already had my "turn" by asking about the 10 meter repeater. It seemed that KC0DGY (Kent) was also unaware of this development.
I had broached the topic of legality in my question. As is usual in the nets, this provoked more confusion than illumination. It is legal for a Technician Class ham to operate on 10 meter FM if they go through a repeater link that they are authorised to use, or access it through EchoLink.
This was from AR Newsline late last month:
From what Don said, it was obvious that the 10 meter machine was set up as "a cross-band linked" repeater, and that it would be connected to EchoLink. This appears to the exact case that the FCC laid out in its decision. This isn't speculation; it's what the FCC itself has recently said on the matter. There's no doubt whatsoever that Technician Class licensees will be able to access this new repeater, either through their two meter HT or through EchoLink. In fact, since the entire HandiHam network is cross-band linked, the 10 meter repeater could also be legally accessed through UHF. When the 220 MHz link is restored, there will be three bands that Techs can legally use to get into the 10 meter FM spectrum.
This is potentially very big. Depending on the quality of the transmit site and the power of the transmitter, a radius of at least 75 miles is possible. I wouldn't dismiss the potential of 120 miles. And this doesn't include the possibility of much, much further distances when propagation is favourable. In that case, a Tech with their 4-watt HT could reach nationwide, into Canada or the Caribbean, or possibly across the Atlantic.
Even under normal propagation, it would allow General Class hams with 10 meter FM rigs in rural areas to talk to Techs in the Twin Cities. I don't think it's unrealistic that people in Little Falls, Mille Lacs Lake, Albert Lea, Eau Claire, Rochester, Sandstone, Willmar, and New Ulm could access the repeater. They certainly could access the machine through EchoLink if they have a Technician Class licence. Of course, they always could have accessed the current network through EchoLink. It's just that, now, the network will be able to reach them through RF.
This could also be very helpful in making 10 meter FM itself relevant again. Aside from simplex, which is better done through SSB anyway, there hasn't been anyone to talk to on FM. Sure, under great band conditions, you can reach long distances on 10 meter FM. But the same can be said for SSB in that case. This would be the only (functioning) 10 meter FM repeater in the entire State. Cheap 10 meter FM rigs are available. The issue has always been that there hasn't been much that you could do with one here.
Anytone makes the AT-5555 for a bit over $200 (including shipping). On FM, it offers 40W, and 30W on SSB. That's probably the best deal. Alinco's DR-03T is $240, FM-only, and only 10W. The Galaxy DX-55HP can be found all over for under $200. It's a 10W AM/FM/SSB radio sold by CB radio outlets, though it doesn't operate on CB. Again, these radios require a General Class ham radio licence for FM. They would allow direct access to the 10 meter repeater, rather than using the cross-band function. 10 watts is certainly adequate for metro-area use with even a marginal antenna. While a Technician can use the SSB/CW modes on 10 meters, this wouldn't get them into the FM repeater, which is on a higher frequency than the Technician Class privileges allow.
I don't want to discount the importance of a six meter FM repeater here, either. The TCRC's six meter repeater in Burnsville has been down for months. Even when it was working, it was never used. But the wonders of cross-band linking can change that. Just as 70cm and 220 MHz aren't very compelling by themselves, cross-band linking opens up these under-utilised bands to the 'crowds' (relatively speaking) on two meters. Suddenly, your 220 MHz HT is a virtual two meter radio that also reaches people on 440 MHz. Likewise, people with six meter rigs will now be able to talk to people on two meters, and vice versa. This fragmentation into different, incompatible bands hobbles the growth of the hobby.
Six meters has languished for a long time. The little activity that has sprung up during this solar cycle has been entirely on SSB, and it hasn't been very strong. Activity draws activity, and inactivity creates inactivity. Nobody goes to six meters because nobody is there, which makes is less likely to find someone to talk to. Having a cross-band 6 meter FM repeater available creates a 'destination', and encourages activity there.
Unlike the restrictions with the 10 meter FM repeater, six meter FM is unquestionably open to Technicians. The characteristics of the band create a much more solid coverage area than even two meters, and a greater range is possible. Again, depending on the power and site of the new repeater, a coverage radius of fifty miles is certainly possible. There's little doubt in my mind that places like Buffalo, Lakeville, Elk River, Forest Lake, Hastings, Hudson, St. Francis, and Jordan would be solid on a decent mobile rig. These areas are currently on the fringe of VHF, and not available with HT power levels.
Six meter equipment is a bit scarcer than 10 meter FM. There isn't the six meter equivalent of a BaoFeng out there, for example. Six meters is included in many HF rigs, but that has a higher price tag. Yaesu makes the FT-8900R, which covers 2, 6, 10, and 70cm (440 MHz) at 50 watts, and is FM-only. Still, that's around $500. The best deal is probably the Alinco DR-06T, at $270. This is a 50 watt, FM monoband (i.e. 6 meters only) rig. Ranger makes the RCI-5054DX-100, for a bit more ($350). Still, that includes AM/FM/SSB/CW and is 100 watts. Remember, for base station use you will need to buy a power supply, too. These are all mobile radios that you can't just plug into a wall or charge a battery pack to use.
Chinese manufacturers such as Anytone and TYT have made 220 MHz and 10 meter radios recently. It may be possible that six meter rigs could be offered in the next couple of years, at a sub-$200 price range. However, due to the relative unpopularity of six meters worldwide, and 6 meter FM in particular, I doubt that we will see any rigs for around $100 ever.
Combined with the higher price tag and the much bigger antenna that six meters requires, the new 6 meter FM repeater probably won't make as big of an impact locally as the 10 meter FM repeater. If you are only going to have one mobile radio in your car, it just makes more sense to have a two meter rig that will allow you to access other repeaters beyond the HandiHam network. It's possible that people on the fringes of the metro VHF coverage could see six meters as attractive, since there's not much local activity.
By this time next next year, we could have a radically different ham radio infrastructure. Aside from the 10/6 meter FM possibilities, K0LAV is working on a link to Pequot Lakes, and LSAC could very well be accessible from the Isanti UHF .325 machine. Large areas of the State could suddenly open up to Technician Class hams, including the 900 MHz LSAC repeaters. And, as the LSAC system slowly gets restored, six meter cross-band repeaters in the northern reaches of Minnesota could enable any ham in these remote areas to reach the Twin Cities.
The remaining challenge is going to be the inclusion of the SW, western, and NW areas in some kind of link. I haven't heard anyone addressing this. LSAC doesn't have any plans to go west of Brainerd, and the ten meter FM option is a long-shot (at best) for these areas under normal band conditions.
Alternatively, perhaps a couple of SW or western MN VHF machines could be linked to South Dakota's nifty SDLINK network.
I'd like to stress that all of this improvement happens on the backs of a handful of people voluntarily climbing towers, repairing old machines, and maintaining UHF links and internet links. There's precious little recognition for their work, nor are their names universally known. Even though I donate a fair amount of cash ($80) every month to various amateur groups, money doesn't get the actual work done. And its unclear where the next generation of this handful will come from.
When I was on the HandiHam net last night, I asked about the mysterious 10 meter FM repeater.
Someone named Don (no callsign given) came back and told everyone that the repeater is pretty much ready to go. It sounds like "Don" is one of the big guys in town handling repeaters, and it was clear from his response that he was the one who had put the 10 meter repeater together. So this is coming first-hand.
The receive site is already established at the site of the VHF .450 HandiHam machine, and is linked to the .450 itself. It turned out that the same site wouldn't work for a transmitter, because it causes interference with the ethernet that the EchoLink hub operates on. So Don is looking for a transmitter site, and made an appeal for help in finding one. That's the final barrier to getting 10 meter FM in town. As Don said, all he has to do is "plug it in". He also mentioned "ten and six" when describing the project, leading me to believe that there may also be a six meter FM repeater in the works! I wasn't able to ask further questions, as I had already had my "turn" by asking about the 10 meter repeater. It seemed that KC0DGY (Kent) was also unaware of this development.
I had broached the topic of legality in my question. As is usual in the nets, this provoked more confusion than illumination. It is legal for a Technician Class ham to operate on 10 meter FM if they go through a repeater link that they are authorised to use, or access it through EchoLink.
This was from AR Newsline late last month:
So that seems pretty clear. Yet Kent wrapped up discussion on this by advising me to "study up" and get my General licence, which may lead some to believe that Techs won't be able to access this new repeater. Kent recalled the same story that I posted above, but somehow came away with the idea that Technicians can't use 10 meter FM if they go through a 2 meter machine or EchoLink.But in its October 17th decision denying the rules change request the FCC said that the Toledo Mobile Radio Association had not presented any new evidence to warrant the Commission revisiting the question of Technician class licensees operating privileges. The regulatory agency went on to note that Technicians can already transmit through repeaters licensed to a General class or higher licensee that have an output channel in the 29.52 to 29.7 MHz segment. The caveat is that the input of the repeater must have an input on 2 meters or above and be under the control of a higher class licensee. In other words, a cross-band linked system or remote-base rather than a conventional 10 meter in-band repeater. Also that contrary to Toledo Mobile Radio Association assertion, the FCC says that its rules do not prevent Technician Class licensees from taking advantage of such technological developments as IRLP or Echolink. Nor does it prevent them from exchanging voice communications with other stations in the 29.52 to 29.7 MHz segment of the 10 meter band but again as long as the Technician operator is using spectrum allowed to that license class. You can read the entire FCC decision in this matter on the web at tinyurl.com/no-new-tech-frequencies. (FCC)
From what Don said, it was obvious that the 10 meter machine was set up as "a cross-band linked" repeater, and that it would be connected to EchoLink. This appears to the exact case that the FCC laid out in its decision. This isn't speculation; it's what the FCC itself has recently said on the matter. There's no doubt whatsoever that Technician Class licensees will be able to access this new repeater, either through their two meter HT or through EchoLink. In fact, since the entire HandiHam network is cross-band linked, the 10 meter repeater could also be legally accessed through UHF. When the 220 MHz link is restored, there will be three bands that Techs can legally use to get into the 10 meter FM spectrum.
This is potentially very big. Depending on the quality of the transmit site and the power of the transmitter, a radius of at least 75 miles is possible. I wouldn't dismiss the potential of 120 miles. And this doesn't include the possibility of much, much further distances when propagation is favourable. In that case, a Tech with their 4-watt HT could reach nationwide, into Canada or the Caribbean, or possibly across the Atlantic.
Even under normal propagation, it would allow General Class hams with 10 meter FM rigs in rural areas to talk to Techs in the Twin Cities. I don't think it's unrealistic that people in Little Falls, Mille Lacs Lake, Albert Lea, Eau Claire, Rochester, Sandstone, Willmar, and New Ulm could access the repeater. They certainly could access the machine through EchoLink if they have a Technician Class licence. Of course, they always could have accessed the current network through EchoLink. It's just that, now, the network will be able to reach them through RF.
This could also be very helpful in making 10 meter FM itself relevant again. Aside from simplex, which is better done through SSB anyway, there hasn't been anyone to talk to on FM. Sure, under great band conditions, you can reach long distances on 10 meter FM. But the same can be said for SSB in that case. This would be the only (functioning) 10 meter FM repeater in the entire State. Cheap 10 meter FM rigs are available. The issue has always been that there hasn't been much that you could do with one here.
Anytone makes the AT-5555 for a bit over $200 (including shipping). On FM, it offers 40W, and 30W on SSB. That's probably the best deal. Alinco's DR-03T is $240, FM-only, and only 10W. The Galaxy DX-55HP can be found all over for under $200. It's a 10W AM/FM/SSB radio sold by CB radio outlets, though it doesn't operate on CB. Again, these radios require a General Class ham radio licence for FM. They would allow direct access to the 10 meter repeater, rather than using the cross-band function. 10 watts is certainly adequate for metro-area use with even a marginal antenna. While a Technician can use the SSB/CW modes on 10 meters, this wouldn't get them into the FM repeater, which is on a higher frequency than the Technician Class privileges allow.
I don't want to discount the importance of a six meter FM repeater here, either. The TCRC's six meter repeater in Burnsville has been down for months. Even when it was working, it was never used. But the wonders of cross-band linking can change that. Just as 70cm and 220 MHz aren't very compelling by themselves, cross-band linking opens up these under-utilised bands to the 'crowds' (relatively speaking) on two meters. Suddenly, your 220 MHz HT is a virtual two meter radio that also reaches people on 440 MHz. Likewise, people with six meter rigs will now be able to talk to people on two meters, and vice versa. This fragmentation into different, incompatible bands hobbles the growth of the hobby.
Six meters has languished for a long time. The little activity that has sprung up during this solar cycle has been entirely on SSB, and it hasn't been very strong. Activity draws activity, and inactivity creates inactivity. Nobody goes to six meters because nobody is there, which makes is less likely to find someone to talk to. Having a cross-band 6 meter FM repeater available creates a 'destination', and encourages activity there.
Unlike the restrictions with the 10 meter FM repeater, six meter FM is unquestionably open to Technicians. The characteristics of the band create a much more solid coverage area than even two meters, and a greater range is possible. Again, depending on the power and site of the new repeater, a coverage radius of fifty miles is certainly possible. There's little doubt in my mind that places like Buffalo, Lakeville, Elk River, Forest Lake, Hastings, Hudson, St. Francis, and Jordan would be solid on a decent mobile rig. These areas are currently on the fringe of VHF, and not available with HT power levels.
Six meter equipment is a bit scarcer than 10 meter FM. There isn't the six meter equivalent of a BaoFeng out there, for example. Six meters is included in many HF rigs, but that has a higher price tag. Yaesu makes the FT-8900R, which covers 2, 6, 10, and 70cm (440 MHz) at 50 watts, and is FM-only. Still, that's around $500. The best deal is probably the Alinco DR-06T, at $270. This is a 50 watt, FM monoband (i.e. 6 meters only) rig. Ranger makes the RCI-5054DX-100, for a bit more ($350). Still, that includes AM/FM/SSB/CW and is 100 watts. Remember, for base station use you will need to buy a power supply, too. These are all mobile radios that you can't just plug into a wall or charge a battery pack to use.
Chinese manufacturers such as Anytone and TYT have made 220 MHz and 10 meter radios recently. It may be possible that six meter rigs could be offered in the next couple of years, at a sub-$200 price range. However, due to the relative unpopularity of six meters worldwide, and 6 meter FM in particular, I doubt that we will see any rigs for around $100 ever.
Combined with the higher price tag and the much bigger antenna that six meters requires, the new 6 meter FM repeater probably won't make as big of an impact locally as the 10 meter FM repeater. If you are only going to have one mobile radio in your car, it just makes more sense to have a two meter rig that will allow you to access other repeaters beyond the HandiHam network. It's possible that people on the fringes of the metro VHF coverage could see six meters as attractive, since there's not much local activity.
By this time next next year, we could have a radically different ham radio infrastructure. Aside from the 10/6 meter FM possibilities, K0LAV is working on a link to Pequot Lakes, and LSAC could very well be accessible from the Isanti UHF .325 machine. Large areas of the State could suddenly open up to Technician Class hams, including the 900 MHz LSAC repeaters. And, as the LSAC system slowly gets restored, six meter cross-band repeaters in the northern reaches of Minnesota could enable any ham in these remote areas to reach the Twin Cities.
The remaining challenge is going to be the inclusion of the SW, western, and NW areas in some kind of link. I haven't heard anyone addressing this. LSAC doesn't have any plans to go west of Brainerd, and the ten meter FM option is a long-shot (at best) for these areas under normal band conditions.
Alternatively, perhaps a couple of SW or western MN VHF machines could be linked to South Dakota's nifty SDLINK network.
I'd like to stress that all of this improvement happens on the backs of a handful of people voluntarily climbing towers, repairing old machines, and maintaining UHF links and internet links. There's precious little recognition for their work, nor are their names universally known. Even though I donate a fair amount of cash ($80) every month to various amateur groups, money doesn't get the actual work done. And its unclear where the next generation of this handful will come from.
Saturday, 9 November 2013
LSAC makes progress into the winter
I got an email from N0BZZ (Randy) about the repairs being made to the LSAC network. You may recall my previous post on LSAC, which is the linked network in northern MN that stretches nearly to Michigan along Lake Superior. Pat (KB0QYC) has fixed the repeaters in Gilbert and Virginia, and Randy is working on the repeater in Mahtowa. Bear in mind that this is northern Minnesota, and it's been cold for weeks now as these guys have been climbing on towers to restore these repeaters. Randy is also going to do some maintenance on the repeater in Bayfield, WI. The main "hub" of the linked network is in Proctor, and upgrades have been made to that machine so that it will be solid when the UHF links are re-established.
As I understand it, the links are tentatively scheduled to be in place by late summer 2014, and the southern half of the network should be connected to the northern parts. The Aitkin repeater will also be linked, which means everything to the east of Brainerd will be continuous. That's an ambitious goal for just two guys.
There are also plans for a powerful VHF repeater in Duluth. I don't know about the timetable for the restoration and linking of the old LSAC II system, but the current plans are aggressive as it stands.
With the UHF 443.325 LSAC machine being accessible from the Twin Cities, the potential for EchoLink access to LSAC, and the plans of local K0LAV to link the big UHF .800 to "Lake Country" by UHF, 2014 should be exciting for FM here. It's also rumoured that HandiHam will bring a 10 meter FM repeater on line and link it to their network. Conceivably, a little 4-watt hand-held could then reach 75 miles or so.
As I understand it, the links are tentatively scheduled to be in place by late summer 2014, and the southern half of the network should be connected to the northern parts. The Aitkin repeater will also be linked, which means everything to the east of Brainerd will be continuous. That's an ambitious goal for just two guys.
There are also plans for a powerful VHF repeater in Duluth. I don't know about the timetable for the restoration and linking of the old LSAC II system, but the current plans are aggressive as it stands.
With the UHF 443.325 LSAC machine being accessible from the Twin Cities, the potential for EchoLink access to LSAC, and the plans of local K0LAV to link the big UHF .800 to "Lake Country" by UHF, 2014 should be exciting for FM here. It's also rumoured that HandiHam will bring a 10 meter FM repeater on line and link it to their network. Conceivably, a little 4-watt hand-held could then reach 75 miles or so.
Saturday, 2 November 2013
VHF repeater update 11/2
All that I had to do to clear up the mystery over the western HandiHam repeaters was to ask KA0PQW (Matt). He set my straight.
According to Matt, there never was a VHF .470 repeater at Maple Lake previously. I was actually hearing the .470 from its location in Chaska, and nobody updated RepeaterBook. There is a .470 repeater at Camp Courage now, but it has a pretty limited range. I haven't even heard an ID from it over the course of months.
Also, Matt tells me that the VHF .230 is not a HandiHam repeater, despite what the RepeaterBook entry shows. He thinks that it doesn't even have an external antenna; it's just in someone's house. I get it S8 here in Plymouth, but there is absolutely nobody on it.
There is also supposed to be a VHF repeater on .210 in Annandale (the same area), according to N0GEF, but it isn't listed on RepeaterBook and I can't hit it nor hear it.
Maybe it's just as well that HandiHam doesn't have a western presence. There seems to be no activity out that way. They have the south-east and south-west covered, but nothing in the north or north-west, either. Still, the VHF .450 reaches pretty far north and north-west already. It's the UHF machines that are the weak spots. The .650 is metro-only, and is very spotty when mobile on the edges of the repeater's eight (!) mile coverage radius. The .850 is almost non-existent. If a repeater in Minnetonka can't be hit or heard from Plymouth, then it might as well not even be there. The .325 is not nearly as good as the repeater's coverage radius shows, and it's very spotty on mobile. The Chaska repeater is okay, but doesn't reach in to Minneapolis proper very well, or north of the site very well.
The VHF .450 is really the core of the network, as far as coverage and activity.
According to Matt, there never was a VHF .470 repeater at Maple Lake previously. I was actually hearing the .470 from its location in Chaska, and nobody updated RepeaterBook. There is a .470 repeater at Camp Courage now, but it has a pretty limited range. I haven't even heard an ID from it over the course of months.
Also, Matt tells me that the VHF .230 is not a HandiHam repeater, despite what the RepeaterBook entry shows. He thinks that it doesn't even have an external antenna; it's just in someone's house. I get it S8 here in Plymouth, but there is absolutely nobody on it.
There is also supposed to be a VHF repeater on .210 in Annandale (the same area), according to N0GEF, but it isn't listed on RepeaterBook and I can't hit it nor hear it.
Maybe it's just as well that HandiHam doesn't have a western presence. There seems to be no activity out that way. They have the south-east and south-west covered, but nothing in the north or north-west, either. Still, the VHF .450 reaches pretty far north and north-west already. It's the UHF machines that are the weak spots. The .650 is metro-only, and is very spotty when mobile on the edges of the repeater's eight (!) mile coverage radius. The .850 is almost non-existent. If a repeater in Minnetonka can't be hit or heard from Plymouth, then it might as well not even be there. The .325 is not nearly as good as the repeater's coverage radius shows, and it's very spotty on mobile. The Chaska repeater is okay, but doesn't reach in to Minneapolis proper very well, or north of the site very well.
The VHF .450 is really the core of the network, as far as coverage and activity.
Friday, 1 November 2013
Condecension from the elite on the "dot one"
About two weeks ago, my new radio came in the mail. It was a dual band BaoFeng that works on two metres and 220 MHz (1.25M). Now, 220 MHz is pretty dead, and there aren't many repeaters for that band scattered around the country. But a BaoFeng is pretty cheap, so it's no big gamble to buy a radio for 220 MHz, especially since it can also work on two metres. Fortunately, we have cross-band operation here in the Twin Cities metro through the HandiHam network. By accessing the local 220 MHz repeater, you simultaneously are heard on 144 and 440 through the other four HandiHam machines. And also EchoLink. Yes, it is awesome.
A couple of days earlier, my 220 MHz mobile whip arrived. It didn't have a brand name on the housing, but I think it was a Jetstream antenna with a NMO mount. While I was able to hit the Arden Hills HandiHam repeater for 220 MHz with the "rubber duck", the repeater in Burnsville (run by TCRC) was just on the margin. So I wanted to see what a "real" antenna would do. I already had a disappointing experience with mobile operation, and I knew that the receiver was lousy. But I had read that one person had some luck using this model in "narrow" bandwidth, and I decided to give it another try.
Using narrow band actually helped with the reception when I was using the "rubber duck" (this is the short stock antenna that attaches to the radio for use as a walkie-talkie). I was listening to KA0PQW (Matt) on his repeater talking to someone, and he came in much better than he had before when I was using "wide" bandwidth. While these two were talking, I went out on my balcony and screwed in the mobile antenna. The signal was terrible again. I couldn't make out the conversation, even though I was using an exterior antenna about four times longer than the "rubber duck". When I unscrewed the antenna, they were still talking and the signal dramatically improved. Reception was actually better without an antenna at all; just the coaxial cable going to the empty NMO mount. It seemed pretty weird, but the BaoFengs have a strange "inductive loading" antenna match that is optimised for the "rubber duck". They almost always work better (in terms of reception) with the stock duck, but they will usually work well enough with another antenna to let you reach typical HT ranges.
The next morning, I got up early to try and get on the TCFMC UHF net and talk about my strange adventure with the new radio. As usual, it was really hard to get in. Not because it's crowded. It's because the "regulars" don't leave any space between each other for someone to jump in. They also are oblivious to "doubling" (someone else transmitting while another person is talking), which is usually a good indicator that someone is trying to break in.
But I did get in. I told the two guys there (KN0V? and K0BUD) about my strange adventure with the BaoFeng, as anyone else would share an unusual tale.
Immediately, I got a load of condescension. Somehow, these two got the idea that I was asking them for help, rather than sharing a story. "I don't know what to tell ya as far as helping ya fix that". I was told that radios work better if you don't use the rubber duck. Wow! I had no idea! What did these two geniuses think I had bought the mobile whip for? "I've never been a fan of rubber ducks". Sheesh. Want to tell me how to work the push-to-talk button, too? It's kinda confusing. Do I pull it? Because that isn't working and I'm out of solutions. Please help me.
Of course, I was also treated to snide remarks about BaoFengs in general. Yeah, they wouldn't use those, so they "didn't know what to tell me". Basically, the problem was that I had bought a cheap radio and I deserved what I got. I have no idea where the got the notion that I was asking for help, much less that I thought BaoFengs were quality radios. I guess that Grandpa has to share his "wisdom" somehow, even if it consists of stating the obvious, and even if nobody asked for his "wisdom" in the first place.
The ultimate stupidity and irony was yet to come. K0BUD told me, as if he was imparting some secret knowledge, "Around here, 220 is about as popular as snow in winter".
Again, thanks for the clue. I had no idea. Sheesh.
It's ironic in two ways. First, I really doubt that this "expert" knew about the cross-band HandiHam repeater operating on 220 MHz. That would have been helpful information, if he truly believed that I was as stupid as every condescending remark he made let on. Or about the repeater in Burnsville. Yep. Big expert, telling the poor newbie that he's screwed because he didn't do what Grandpa would have done.
Second, that's pretty much what people on two meters say about UHF: there's nobody on it. And it's true. Outside of the morning net, there's not much going on at the old "dot one". I throw out my sign every day on the way to work, as well as my return. Only very rarely does someone come back, and they usually express the "information" that nobody is on there very much and I should try elsewhere. We have some really good UHF repeaters in town with excellent coverage (.800, .425, .775, .500, .175 and the .950) but nobody is on them. The .425 at the University has a few people, mostly because of the EchoLink node. And, of course, the HandiHam .650 is cross-band, so it has activity from the other bands. But a guy on the only active UHF-only repeater at the time is telling me that 220 MHz is dead. It's us three on the entire UHF band, and he's talking about low activity on 220.
Obviously, what I should have done is dropped $300 for a quality radio operating on UHF -- like his, with the batteries always dying -- to get in on the "action" of a dying hobby. That way, we could talk about my neat $300 radio, and diss those low-life fools that spend $40 on a radio that won't last 30 years. Who even knows what ham radio will be like in 30 years? There could be some major technical innovation two years from now that makes his $300 radio obsolete. Or, more likely, there won't be anyone on the repeaters at all. I'll be out $40, but he'll be out $300. Hell, let's face it. He'll probably be dead, but his $300 radio will live on. Money well spent.
TCFMC isn't about the future. It's about the past, and snarling about how unfair it is that things change over the course of decades. We're talking about a club that hasn't had a working EchoLink node for over two months, because they can't reboot the laptop and log it on. Yeah, these are real experts. And, when you tell people about it, they say, "I don't really use it". In a really smug, dismissive tone, as if they are too good for that newfangled stuff. Here's a clue: EchoLink isn't for you, any more than your doorbell is, mister expert. It's for people outside of the repeater's range to use. If someone comes over and tells the owner that their doorbell isn't working, would you think the person who lives there was stupid if they chuckled at your naiveté and told you that, "I don't really use it much"? Of course you don't, because you live there! Connect the dots. Likewise with anything involving linking or cross-band. It would seem obvious that linking the two UHF repeaters would make them both more valuable. People in the south-east could talk with people in the north-east. Instead, nobody is on either of them, because there are so few people with UHF radios in either area. Cross-band is something that HandiHam would do -- insert derisive snort here -- much like EchoLink. Our repeaters might be dead, but we're old school about things at TCFMC. Cross-band would open up UHF to two-metre users, who aren't going to buy a new radio for the UHF band because they already spent $300 and this one will last them for thirty years. It's not as if the "dot one" has coverage comparable to the other UHF repeaters that I listed before. It's good in the western suburbs and into Minneapolis proper, but it can't reach St. Paul proper or out to Burnsville. The others can.
With fewer people on the air every year, the way forward is to bring those declining numbers together. EchoLink, linked repeaters, and cross-band repeaters do that. What doesn't work is smug condescension and an expectation that people are going to spend a lot of money to talk to the "elite" about nothing.
The way forward, as I see it, is for MARA to cross-link the UHF .800 and the VHF .850, and get three guys to make a habit of being on the air every morning at drive time. Everybody in the metro could get in on the "net" (really a "roundtable") and have someone to chat with both ways. Activity creates activity. People show up on W0EF because there are other people already there. If people were somewhere else, they would go there. There's already an informal net in the morning on the VHF .370, and it works really well. Waiting for more people to become hams isn't working, and we've got to make the best of what we have here. It's better than in a lot of areas, but it won't stay that way by following what worked thirty years ago.
A couple of days earlier, my 220 MHz mobile whip arrived. It didn't have a brand name on the housing, but I think it was a Jetstream antenna with a NMO mount. While I was able to hit the Arden Hills HandiHam repeater for 220 MHz with the "rubber duck", the repeater in Burnsville (run by TCRC) was just on the margin. So I wanted to see what a "real" antenna would do. I already had a disappointing experience with mobile operation, and I knew that the receiver was lousy. But I had read that one person had some luck using this model in "narrow" bandwidth, and I decided to give it another try.
Using narrow band actually helped with the reception when I was using the "rubber duck" (this is the short stock antenna that attaches to the radio for use as a walkie-talkie). I was listening to KA0PQW (Matt) on his repeater talking to someone, and he came in much better than he had before when I was using "wide" bandwidth. While these two were talking, I went out on my balcony and screwed in the mobile antenna. The signal was terrible again. I couldn't make out the conversation, even though I was using an exterior antenna about four times longer than the "rubber duck". When I unscrewed the antenna, they were still talking and the signal dramatically improved. Reception was actually better without an antenna at all; just the coaxial cable going to the empty NMO mount. It seemed pretty weird, but the BaoFengs have a strange "inductive loading" antenna match that is optimised for the "rubber duck". They almost always work better (in terms of reception) with the stock duck, but they will usually work well enough with another antenna to let you reach typical HT ranges.
The next morning, I got up early to try and get on the TCFMC UHF net and talk about my strange adventure with the new radio. As usual, it was really hard to get in. Not because it's crowded. It's because the "regulars" don't leave any space between each other for someone to jump in. They also are oblivious to "doubling" (someone else transmitting while another person is talking), which is usually a good indicator that someone is trying to break in.
But I did get in. I told the two guys there (KN0V? and K0BUD) about my strange adventure with the BaoFeng, as anyone else would share an unusual tale.
Immediately, I got a load of condescension. Somehow, these two got the idea that I was asking them for help, rather than sharing a story. "I don't know what to tell ya as far as helping ya fix that". I was told that radios work better if you don't use the rubber duck. Wow! I had no idea! What did these two geniuses think I had bought the mobile whip for? "I've never been a fan of rubber ducks". Sheesh. Want to tell me how to work the push-to-talk button, too? It's kinda confusing. Do I pull it? Because that isn't working and I'm out of solutions. Please help me.
Of course, I was also treated to snide remarks about BaoFengs in general. Yeah, they wouldn't use those, so they "didn't know what to tell me". Basically, the problem was that I had bought a cheap radio and I deserved what I got. I have no idea where the got the notion that I was asking for help, much less that I thought BaoFengs were quality radios. I guess that Grandpa has to share his "wisdom" somehow, even if it consists of stating the obvious, and even if nobody asked for his "wisdom" in the first place.
The ultimate stupidity and irony was yet to come. K0BUD told me, as if he was imparting some secret knowledge, "Around here, 220 is about as popular as snow in winter".
Again, thanks for the clue. I had no idea. Sheesh.
It's ironic in two ways. First, I really doubt that this "expert" knew about the cross-band HandiHam repeater operating on 220 MHz. That would have been helpful information, if he truly believed that I was as stupid as every condescending remark he made let on. Or about the repeater in Burnsville. Yep. Big expert, telling the poor newbie that he's screwed because he didn't do what Grandpa would have done.
Second, that's pretty much what people on two meters say about UHF: there's nobody on it. And it's true. Outside of the morning net, there's not much going on at the old "dot one". I throw out my sign every day on the way to work, as well as my return. Only very rarely does someone come back, and they usually express the "information" that nobody is on there very much and I should try elsewhere. We have some really good UHF repeaters in town with excellent coverage (.800, .425, .775, .500, .175 and the .950) but nobody is on them. The .425 at the University has a few people, mostly because of the EchoLink node. And, of course, the HandiHam .650 is cross-band, so it has activity from the other bands. But a guy on the only active UHF-only repeater at the time is telling me that 220 MHz is dead. It's us three on the entire UHF band, and he's talking about low activity on 220.
Obviously, what I should have done is dropped $300 for a quality radio operating on UHF -- like his, with the batteries always dying -- to get in on the "action" of a dying hobby. That way, we could talk about my neat $300 radio, and diss those low-life fools that spend $40 on a radio that won't last 30 years. Who even knows what ham radio will be like in 30 years? There could be some major technical innovation two years from now that makes his $300 radio obsolete. Or, more likely, there won't be anyone on the repeaters at all. I'll be out $40, but he'll be out $300. Hell, let's face it. He'll probably be dead, but his $300 radio will live on. Money well spent.
TCFMC isn't about the future. It's about the past, and snarling about how unfair it is that things change over the course of decades. We're talking about a club that hasn't had a working EchoLink node for over two months, because they can't reboot the laptop and log it on. Yeah, these are real experts. And, when you tell people about it, they say, "I don't really use it". In a really smug, dismissive tone, as if they are too good for that newfangled stuff. Here's a clue: EchoLink isn't for you, any more than your doorbell is, mister expert. It's for people outside of the repeater's range to use. If someone comes over and tells the owner that their doorbell isn't working, would you think the person who lives there was stupid if they chuckled at your naiveté and told you that, "I don't really use it much"? Of course you don't, because you live there! Connect the dots. Likewise with anything involving linking or cross-band. It would seem obvious that linking the two UHF repeaters would make them both more valuable. People in the south-east could talk with people in the north-east. Instead, nobody is on either of them, because there are so few people with UHF radios in either area. Cross-band is something that HandiHam would do -- insert derisive snort here -- much like EchoLink. Our repeaters might be dead, but we're old school about things at TCFMC. Cross-band would open up UHF to two-metre users, who aren't going to buy a new radio for the UHF band because they already spent $300 and this one will last them for thirty years. It's not as if the "dot one" has coverage comparable to the other UHF repeaters that I listed before. It's good in the western suburbs and into Minneapolis proper, but it can't reach St. Paul proper or out to Burnsville. The others can.
With fewer people on the air every year, the way forward is to bring those declining numbers together. EchoLink, linked repeaters, and cross-band repeaters do that. What doesn't work is smug condescension and an expectation that people are going to spend a lot of money to talk to the "elite" about nothing.
The way forward, as I see it, is for MARA to cross-link the UHF .800 and the VHF .850, and get three guys to make a habit of being on the air every morning at drive time. Everybody in the metro could get in on the "net" (really a "roundtable") and have someone to chat with both ways. Activity creates activity. People show up on W0EF because there are other people already there. If people were somewhere else, they would go there. There's already an informal net in the morning on the VHF .370, and it works really well. Waiting for more people to become hams isn't working, and we've got to make the best of what we have here. It's better than in a lot of areas, but it won't stay that way by following what worked thirty years ago.
