Loose Notes 10/24/15

  I haven't been on the air very much this week, having to work a lot of extra hours. Still, I wanted to get a post up this weekend. 

1.25M:

  In a brief QSO with KA0PQW (Matt), I found that my 5W UHF/1.25M HT works okay to get into the 223.940- (100.0 PL) repeater while mobile. I put my TYT F9 in the car and connected it to a tri-band Comet whip in order to put the coverage of the 1.25M repeater to a bit of a test. While I "ker-chunked" the machine several times over the course of the week, Matt was the first actual contact I've had with this mobile HT arrangement since the .940 link was restored. I wasn't full-quieting with the HT as a mobile, and Matt said that he could "tell you're mobile", but I consider it a success from a distance of thirteen miles. A 1.25M HT could be a very effective solution to get in to the HandiHam network and avoid the aggravating time-out issues with the 444.650+ machine.

  TYT doesn't make the UHF/1.25M version any more, and now offer a $75 2M/1.25M version. However, the new BCH-220 monoband HT from Bridgecom is a better option for $85. Monoband rigs virtually always have better front-ends than dual-band radios, and Bridgecom is an American company with a very good reputation. They also offer a 25W packet-capable mobile rig for $240 (with optional Bluetooth) if you want a high-quality 1.25M rig with more power. There's plenty of vacant frequency pairs on the band if you're interested in setting up a 1.25M repeater, too. 

DMR: 

  Last weekend, the local DMR community welcomed KC0DGY (Kent) to the local repeater. Kent took advantage of a (now expired) offer by Connect Systems, and got a TYT MD-380 DMR HT for $130. The MD-380 is rapidly becoming a very popular choice for hams to get into DMR, and even at the normal price of $165 it's a great deal. In addition to giving you access to repeaters across North America and Europe, it also functions as a UHF monoband radio that can hold all of the 440 MHz repeaters in the entire State (and then some). Best of all, KE0NA (Dave) has built a very nice code-plug for the MD-380 so that you don't have to learn how to program it. You can get on the air as soon as you load it on to the radio. A code-plug is just a programming file, similar to what you use to load repeaters and settings into your analogue radio.

  Dave is also hosting code-plugs for various Motorola radios, the MD-380, and the Connect Systems CS-700 here. Whatever DMR radio that you end up with, the local amateur community can whip something up and get it programmed. Once you have a working code-plug installed, you can learn how they work and tweak your particular radio to your own tastes. Dave has also generously made Motorola licences available to several local hams, and they can program your radio without spending hundreds on the programming software.

EDIT: KE0NA (Dave) has asked that I add this clarifying statement regarding the Motorola licences: 

What I am doing is authorizing several vetted local DMR hams as "employees" of my Motorola licensed and state registered company "Ventek" to have access to the software as responsible radio technicians. They have to agree to the software agreement from Motorola Solutions (do not distribute to anyone else). My concept was to have 4 or five hams located in a regionally dispersed arrangement so that any DMR ham with MotoTRBO gear would not have to travel far to get his/her radio programmed.

If you have a Motorola (MotoTRBO) rig and want to get it programmed, contact KQ0RS (Sparky), NH7CY (Jason), KA0KMJ (John), N0YNT (Matt), or Dave. Those using the TYT or Connect Systems (CSI) radios have free software available, and can just download the code-plug from Dave's site and install it on their own. 

  Since Kent joined the ranks of local DMR operators, two more long-time hams have also made the move into DMR: KC0BBK (Galen) and AD0KW (Frederic). 

  Matt and Jason are also making plans to improve access to the local DMR network. It looks as if the St Paul 442.025+ machine will move to the St. Paul University campus, which should greatly improve coverage in the east metro. The existing 442.425+ repeater will either move to new location on the East bank campus, or switch to a 444 MHz frequency pair to reduce interference caused by the MARA central remote receive link on the same site. Either option will improve HT access to the network. This is important, since most local operators still use HTs to get in (though with external antennae). There's still a third repeater in search of a site. And, there's always the possibility that N0BVE (Don) will set up his own repeater or link local traffic. 

  Another eight TAC talk-groups (TGs) have been added to the local DMR repeaters since last weekend. These are "channels" that can be used to talk with other amateur operators on the K4USD network. DMR has two "slots", making each machine two repeaters in one. Each slot (TS) has multiple talk-groups assigned to it, and any operator can choose which talk-group to monitor or use. For example, there can be a local roundtable going on Local 2 while another local operator is on Worldwide English talking to someone in Belgium. TAC TGs allow conversations to move off 'busy' calling channels while only using two repeaters and one slot. 

  You can see DMR traffic in real-time, as it would be available on the local DMR repeaters, at http://cbridge.k4usd.org:42420/MinimalNetwatch. You can also see your signal strength, as received by the local repeater. Look for the RSSI column, and understand that a -60 dBm is stronger than a -120 dBm signal. 

HandiHam:

  I was intrigued to find out that HandiHam linked to this blog. Normally, I try to keep this blog on the down-low to avoid the seething rage of those exposed to contrary opinions, but HandiHams are good people. Mostly, anything that I write about here involves the local (Minneapolis/St. Paul) network, rather than the wider world. 

  With that in mind, I thought that I'd add a mention of some of the links that allow anyone to listen to activity on the local network. I frequently use my Android smart-phone to listen to the local traffic when I'm at work, and certainly these links will allow you listen at home or on the road using a streaming media player ( e.g. Winamp or Xiaa on Android). Remember, you can only listen with these links. 
          
http://216.167.221.45:8026   Local MSP HandiHam network 
http://216.167.221.45:8028   Chaska link (seems to be the same thing)
http://216.167.221.45:8024   MN_CONF EchoLink conference 
http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/16377  From your web browser

Local repeaters:  

  Last week, I heard the 442.600+ (156.7 PL) return to the air! Frankly, it has been down for so long that I had given up on it. Last Thursday, though, it came back with an S4 -- half of it's former signal.  It's a lot stronger now. I used to be able to work it readably with an indoor HT/duck, but those days seem to be gone. Still, I'm on the opposite side of town and I can "ker-chunk" it for an S8 with 10W and an indoor whip, or full-scale with 2W into an exterior whip. The list of neglected UHF repeaters in town with excellent performance is long and depressing. 

  The 444.450+ (114.8 PL) has been down for a few days now. More accurately, it still transmits traffic from the WIRES-X hub but seems deaf to all local traffic. EDIT: Per Pete in the comments, and per KA0KMJ, this repeater is temporarily using a DCS tone of 023N.

  Just a reminder that the 444.875+ (114.8 PL) repeater is digital (D-Star), but also operates as a very nice analogue FM repeater on the same frequency pair. Full-scale here in Plymouth with 2W into an exterior whip. 

  K0LAV (Paul) has informed me that the metro area will imminently be joined to the SuperLink network. I'm not a big fan of the SuperLink, which was something cutting-edge thirty years ago, but this has been something that Paul has aspired to restore for several years now. With a link set up in Monticello, the 147.390+ (94.8 PL) will connect to the nearest SuperLink repeater in Collegeville (near St. Cloud). There will also be a cross-band link to the 224.100- (no tone) machine near White Bear Lake (that I've never been able to reach). Accessing the 147.390 machine will allow local operators to enter the repeater that they want to contact by using DTMF tones. For example, you can enter "236" to access the Bemidji repeater, and enter "1 236" to close the link when you are done. The SuperLink provides access to a dozen repeaters in North Dakota, and one in South Dakota (that isn't part of the SDLink network). It should be noted that the 146.880- South Dakota repeater doesn't list itself as part of the network on RepeaterBook. A few other ND repeaters in the SuperLink network are also "unverified" as to whether they are even on-air, while at least one is listed as "off-air". There is no EchoLink access to the SuperLink. 

New acquisitions: 

  I've finally broken down and ordered an Arrow satellite antenna (with duplexer and case). Next is getting a PuXing UV-973 HT that operates in full duplex, so that I can hear the satellites while I'm talking. The Arrow can also be mounted in either horizontal or vertical mode, so it should also come in handy for 2M SSB or FM. At $200, it's the most that I've ever paid for an antenna. 

  I've also picked up another Phantom Elite UHF antenna. Putting it on my balcony allowed me to "ker-chunk" several local UHF machines with only 2W, and it works well on my car for local UHF repeaters. I'm considering buying the Connect Systems CS-800 mobile, which would make me UHF-only in my car, and I'm hopeful that this tiny new antenna will do the job with the extra power. 


Well, that's pretty much all of it. 
Tomorrow (10/25) is my three-year anniversary as a licensed amateur.

Cheap 1.25M option: BaoFeng UV-82X

Getting on the 1.25M isn't as easy as 2M or UHF, as the options for a rig are limited. For a full-powered rig, the TYT TH-9000D still seems to be best option, and various manufacturers make clones of this radio. The Alinco model has the DSub9 connector already installed on the back, ostensibly for packet use. Otherwise, it's the same radio. The TH-9000D is, itself, a clone of an AnyTone rig -- though AnyTone never bothered to make a model for 220 MHz. 

The TH-9000D (1.25M model) is now available domestically for $150 (plus shipping), and from China for $150 (free shipping). My experience with the U.S. distributor (radio-mart.com) is that the guy takes over a week to actually ship your order, so it's not much faster than buying from China. Any problems are only resolved by shipping the radio back to China, so there's little advantage there either.

But maybe $150 is a bit too much of a gamble for a band like 1.25M, and for a monoband radio at that. Then, you have to consider an HT. Wouxun and TYT make dual-band HTs that include 1.25M, though reviews of those radios are mixed. My experience with the TYT UHF/1.25M offering is not positive, as the radio is worthless for UHF, and it's selling for over $90. The Wouxun, at $130, hardly seems worth it.

The cheapest option -- and a reasonably good one -- is the BaoFeng UV-82X. The UV-82 is, by virtually all accounts, superior to the familiar UV-5R. John at miklor.com has written up a comparison of the two. Higher output power, and better TX/RX audio are significant differences over the old UV-5R that so many roll their eyes at. The UV-82 also has two PTT buttons -- one for the "A" band, and another for "B" band. There's also a speaker mic that's compatible with this dual-button arrangement. 

The UV-82X, at $50 (free shipping), seems like a pretty good option. It pushes over 5W on 2M, and the addition of an external antenna would make it an adequate home or mobile option. Certainly, this wouldn't take the place of a full-powered 50W two-metre FM mobile rig. But it would allow you to play with 220 MHz and sample the local repeater coverage, without being isolated from the activity on 2M. And it wouldn't be an expensive gamble, either. 

I use an old UV-5RS in my home office. Though it has lower output power than the UV-82X, I can readably work the Columbia Heights .660 and .500 repeaters, plus the Arden Hills 223.940 machine, using nothing more than an indoor 1/4-wave whip mag-mounted to a metal paint can sitting next to the window -- from out in Plymouth. So, if you doubt that you can do anything on the band with an HT, you'd be wrong. I've also had good luck reaching these repeaters with the same 1/4-wave whip on my car driving around the west metro. If you can improve on these marginal antenna solutions, the extra power afforded by the UV-82X should allow you to do pretty well getting in to the excellent local repeater infrastructure on the band. 

Locally, the repeater situation continues to improve. The 224.660- (100.0 PL) machine has excellent coverage, along with EchoLink access, and plans for cross-band linking. The 224.500- (114.8 PL) repeater isn't quite at the level of the .660, but it's now functional and is improving. The Arden Hills 223.940- (100.0 PL) remains as reliable as ever, and the link to the HandiHam network will be restored in the future. This would allow the HandiHam network to expand its coverage in the north and east, and the 1.25M band could be one of the best ways to get in for a lot of people that struggle with the VHF .450 coverage. 

There are other repeaters that show potential, as well. The 223.900- (100.0 PL) still requires higher power and better antennae to access, but no one involved in that project is content with that situation. There are plans to add a 70W PA to improve range, and potential linking schemes are being considered. Likewise, the 224.940- (100.0 PL) is searching for a better site that could allow it to become one of the "big boys" on the band. 

Right now, it's going to take a sustained effort to build up a core group of operators on the local 1.25M scene, and some kind of cross-band option on one of the local machines so that those who jump in on the ground floor aren't isolated from the rest of the amateur radio community.

The state of the HT market

The market for amateur radio HT's (walkie-talkies) is changing fairly rapidly. As I noted in December, Puxing has released the PX-UV973 dual-band HT that costs about the same as the monoband PX-777 that I got into ham radio with. With various BaoFeng models selling for around $40 (and the 888S for around $20), one might think that Baofeng will continue to dominate. They are popular radios, obviously, and the UV-B5 can be programmed to work on 222 MHz (1.25M) at about two watts. Only two years ago, hams were raging and shaking their fists over the invasion of Chinese HTs. Now, though, it's not that uncommon for even long-time hams to actually own one. Even though I'm a big fan of Puxing, I still own a BaoFeng UV-5RB (2M/70cm) and a UV-5RS (2M/1.25M) that I mostly just use for monitoring. The flashlight and FM radio functions are a plus for car-camping and boating. I've found that the BaoFeng HTs don't handle being connected to external antennae very well -- beyond the "rubber duck", anyway. If you're just using it as a walkie-talkie, then it's not a big deal. But if you want to use it as a mobile or a base, then you'll find that you get much less improvement in signal strength with a mobile whip, for example, than you would with other radios. Does it "work"? Yes, it does.

If, for whatever reason, you decide to spend more money on a non-BaoFeng HT, you have many, many options. The PX-777 and PX-888 are both available for around $70, are both monoband, and the PX-888 has MSK ANI . The "old" dual-band PX-888K is now slightly more expensive than the new cross-band, dual-band PX-UV973 model. Both have MSK ANI encode and decode. Likewise, there are at least eight other brands offering monoband HTs, all around $68-70. With a market like this, there's little point in taking a gamble with a Golden Spring or a Linton radio that may not have batteries around in the future.

Even the "YaeComWood" manufacturers are beginning to exploit the market conditions. For example, about $100 gets you the Yaesu FT-257 UHF monoband HT. Unsurprisingly, the same type of ham that scowled and snarled over the introduction of the cheap Chinese HT is now dismissing the cheap Japanese HTs out-of-hand. And, the multitudes that ignored those hams and bought BaoFeng, PuXing, and TYT radios continue to ignore those same hams' dire warnings and specious objections.

Digital FM is also experiencing the start of the same phenomenon. PuXing has a DMR Tier-II compliant HT coming. And ConnectSystems is laying the groundwork to steal a significant share of the  DMR-based HT market.

Everybody has an opinion on HTs, it seems. Some have a favoured brand, others just loathe a particular brand. For me, the best (non-BaoFeng) deal right now looks like the TYT TH-UVF9 dual-band HT for $69 with MSK. But, realistically, I would spend the extra money and buy the PuXing PX-UV973 if I were in the market for a new HT.

Still, HTs are likely to be the entry point into the hobby for some time. While many new hams will end up buying a "real" radio at some point, the HT will be their best option during that crucial period of introduction and evaluation of the hobby. A snobbish attitude and 'helpful' advice regarding how many hundreds to spend on that "real" radio is counter-productive. In the 18 months or so that I've been a ham, dual-band HTs have come down in price while monobands are no longer competitive. This has meant that UHF is available for "free", and hams that have ignored it are now getting exposed to it. It's clear that HTs "mean something different" to hams that have been around for decades. To them, it's about "emergencies", public service stuff like marathons and parades, and "serious business". To those new to the hobby, HTs are cheap mobiles and base stations to get in the 'fun', such as it is. Thus, the old-timer's plaintive whining about 'quality', the ridiculous $400 bar (when battery packs, software, and antennae are included), and the casually-dropped notion that such a price point is merely the 'start' are things that leave new hams disillusioned.

People can get a lot of fun out of the hobby for very little money. Having a radio that lasts thirty years is not a big attraction, since the hobby might not be viable then. Likewise, this obsession with Armageddon, "emergencies", and 'serious business' doesn't relate to the desire to be able to chat to someone on the drive in to work. The cheap HT is not just an entry point in to the hobby. It's also an entry point into the disconnected and increasingly irrelevant world of the deadly serious and terminally boring 'real' ham.

EDIT: Just thought that I'd add that the Weierwei VEV-V16 dual-band also has MSK for $85. Interesting to me because I've only ever seen PuXing and TYT radios with MSK capability.

MSK ANI on your HT

Incomprehensible acronyms in this post, I guess. MSK is a "modulation scheme" that sends information digitally. I don't know much about the details, but you can find more info here. ANI is "Automatic Numbering Identification", which is a way for a radio to identify itself to others. And HT is "hamspeak" for a hand-held transceiver -- what most people would call a "walkie-talkie".

There seems to be a lot of confusion over ANI, and it's something that many people find in the manuals for their Chinese HTs. The Baofengs have DTMF, 2-tone, and 5-tone. I'm not going to get into the details too much. DTMF is what phones use to send the number corresponding to keypad, and most everybody is familiar with that. For these modes, a number is sent either at the beginning or end of a transmission in the form of tones. It might be somewhat useful on commercial radios, but on ham radio it's worthless. It's just a slightly more complex "roger beep", which is good way to irritate other hams.

PuXing, TYT, and Wouxun radios have MSK in addition to DTMF. In theory, you can send your callsign in a short data burst at the end of your transmission, and it will show up on the screen of the people receiving you. In practise, it usually doesn't work that way.

My PuXing PX-777s have MSK, and they send the data burst. They don't display anything, though. I don't have a Wouxun, so I can't speak to those. In the PuXing and TYT software, you enter your callsign in the ANI settings.

Here is a screenshot of the PX-888K software where you set up the MSK callsign:

Here is the screenshot from the TYT UV-F9 software where the callsign  is programmed:

I am able to send my callsign from my PuXing PX-888K to my TYT UV-F9 (and vice versa) and have it display on the receiving end. I set it up exactly as shown, and it worked right off the bat.

If you don't see "MSK" as one of the options in your "ANI" or "PTT ID" settings, then this won't work on your radio. It won't work with DTMF, 2-tone, or 5-tone. All that you can send with those are numbers, except for the letters A, B, C, and D with DTMF. I don't think that the BaoFeng software will even allow you to enter letters at all, regardless if they are those four. Most radios don't allow you to do this, or it just doesn't work. Like I said, the PuXing PX-777 will send, but not receive, a callsign. My TYT TH-9000 (1.25M) doesn't have MSK, but my TYT UV-F9 (70cm/1.25M) does.

As with most "newfangled" ham radio things, the use of ANI (whether MSK or not) brings out strong feelings in opposition. It's not the way things were done thirty years ago, so it's wrong... and get off of my lawn! I think that MSK ID is great, and I wish that it was more common. Often people mumble their callsigns, or rattle them off quickly as if you already know it. Usually, I have to ask people to repeat it or say it phonetically. Other times, I simply forget their sign during the course of the conversation.

With this digital ID setting, the other person can see your callsign displayed right after you are finished talking, throughout the conversation. There's no confusion over similar-sounding letters. Obviously, it doesn't take the place of the FCC requirements to identify yourself. It's just a convenient supplement to voice identification. It would also be nice if repeaters would use an additional MSK ID, but that isn't likely because the controllers aren't designed for that.

The MSK ID sounds like a short (one second or less) squawk at the end of your transmission. The sender can't hear it, of course, but the person receiving can. This sets the stage for all manner of irritable people to complain or simply refuse to talk to you. On the PuXing and TYT models that support the MSK ID, it can be turned off through the menu keypad, but that could be challenging while driving. You can also set which channels that you want PTT ID to be sent on through the software. So, if you find that people on a particular repeater are annoyed, you can set the radio to not send your ID on that channel.

Another issue is that those fancy, expensive non-Chinese radios can't decode MSK, so the hams using those radios won't be able to see your callsign anyway - but they will still be "exposed" to the squawk.

To avoid the inevitable controversy, I limit myself to using MSK ID on simplex. But, if I know that someone has an MSK-compatible radio, I will often turn the ANI on during the course of a conversation. Since these people are always newer hams, and don't have a knee-jerk negativity to the Chinese radios, it's a safer bet that they won't go ballistic. In fact, they generally think that it's "cool" that they can see my callsign scroll across their display, and they want to know how it's done.

Realistically, I don't expect that MSK ID will ever "catch on" because most radios can't make use of it, and there are competing digital technologies such as MDC-1200. Still, it's just another reason to pay a bit more for a PuXing PX-888K or TYT UV-F9 instead of a BaoFeng UV-5R.