TexasCHLforum.com

Charles L. Cotton wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 1:54 pm What radios and antennas do you have at this point? Whatever you have, you'll have much more soon! This hobby is as addicting as guns.

Chas.

I'm learning going to HamFests etc are as addictive as GunShows too
Real bargains can be found sometimes too.
I had to miss Austin Summerfest.
Next one I'll get to go to is in October at Belton

gtolbert09 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:52 pm

Grundy1133 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 19, 2018 3:45 pm

Charles L. Cotton wrote: ↑Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:23 pm When bad weather does hit, I get more information from my ham radios than from TV or radio weather forecasts or reports.

Chas, do HAMs pick up NOAA frequencies or would I have to purchase a "police scanner" like this

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V91IN62/?c ... _lig_dp_it?

I'd like a scanner that can pick up NOAA, local police/fire/rescue frequencies, as well as HAM frequencies... also BTW when I was little my dad had a CB radio is that the same as a HAM radio?

A lot of the North Texas Police/Fire frequencies are now encrypted digital transmissions and you can’t hear them on a scanner.

digital transmissions on scanners
Our (Austin area) local Depts went to P25 digital, (Phase 1) I have about 25 useless old analog scanners but they can still be used for other projects soldering to IF or mixer etc after learning Electronics a bit)

Broadcastify no longer transmits our area since they went digital ... no one in the area connects to broadcastify that has a radio like mine, and I choose not to broadcastify it for several reasons, including my Internet bandwidth etc

P25 phase 1 system
http://support.uniden.com/scanners/

you actually can hear them if you have the right equipment, but you need to purchase a license for the technology (pretty cheap $25 or so)
The BCD436HP and BCD536HP are pretty "upgradable" by Flashing (programming) as updates come out (When I first bought the Sacanners, you couldn't hear until you bought the Licenses and Flash/upgrade the programming ... pretty simple)

Base http://www.scannermaster.com/Uniden_Bea ... 501854.htm
Handheld http://www.scannermaster.com/Uniden_Bea ... 501853.htm

I upgraded mine myself after purchasing the licenses, but you can get it pre-installed by buying licenses at time of purchase
DMR Upgrade is for the areas using DMR Digital. See here for further information
DMR is popular on some ham repeaters,, not all ham radios do DMR, some do

ProVoice Update is for the areas using ProVoice Digital. See here for further information

NXDN Upgrade (ONLY Available on BCD436/536HP and SDS100) is for the areas using NXDN Digital. See here for further information.
[Please NOTE: NXDN favorites programming isn't available at this time.]
.

Do it yourself (Depending what digital modes are in your area

http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/U ... dioUpgrade
http://info.uniden.com/UnidenMan4/ProVoice

I do have a shed full of old Analog radios ... I use the BCD536HP as a scanner (base or mobile) with my Ham frequencies programmed in as well as local police/fire/rescue frequencies (I need to program in our CERT frequencies, I will do that soon, but our CERT team only has been activated a few times' always possible with wildfires/tornadoes etc here though, and recently pointed out when a gasoline truck overturned all the various chemical trucks on hiway 281))


bcd536hp firmware
https://www.google.com/search?q=bcd536h ... fox-b-1-ab

bcd536hp software
https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... wqqY5UtIK8




Oh I almost forgot

Uniden updates the frequency database every Monday and you can download the update database FREE weekly over the Internet directly to your radio through the Sentinal Software

Also update your firmware here http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/U ... nerManuals
BCD536HP
http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/U ... wareUpdate
and
digital upgrades for BCD536HP
http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/U ... 4/BCD536HP

(There are lots of places to buy the scanners, prices vary quite a bit)
I have no affiliation with any scanner sales people or any brands
I got all the gadgets, the GPS dongle so it scans by location (Nice if using as a mobile I guess, for Base I just entered my Zip code and # miles radius i want), the WI-FI dongle for connection to my home network (bcd536hp only) ...etc etc
=============

NOAA frequencies
Go to Walgreens, get a Midland Weather Radio that will sound an alarm by County, enter your county code and nearby counties codes so you can get early warnings
Mine was $29.00 works on battery after electricity goes off, they have others with hand cranks etc
https://midlandusa.com/product-category/weather/

custom (Vanity ) call signs are free too now ,,, so if the first call sign you get triggers dyslexia or is a tongue twister (mine did lol ) then I got one with WW5 and my name .... others remember me too after I tell them I can remember my name after two Whiskeys

There are repeaters in Levelland too, as well as Lubbock and Plainview and all over, I'm pretty sure there is a club nearby

It sure makes my new "free" car license plate easy to remember, I can remember my name after two Whiskeys
( I don't drink, but it's funny)

Apparently, you can get multiple license plates with your call sign too if you have more than one car, and get them for trailers too, I have a flatbed and a boat trailer, ...

After getting licensed, Echolink is something to look at too. A person can talk all over the world to repeaters using WI-FI on a computer, laptop, tablet or cell phone.
a local repeater here I can hit but am really noisy due to a 1,500 foot hill between me and that repeater, I am clear as a bell through the Echolink Internet direct to the repeater ... friend of mine spoke to Alaska and Mexico repeaters using Echolink ... a VHF antenna in Central Texas hill country can't do that under normal conditions. You have to have a license/ call sign to use it. EchoLink links SOME Repeaters and Internet together. ...

Example, I have a friend who lives way too far away to reach by radio, but a repeater near him is on Echolink, so I use Echolink to listen to that repeater and can talk to him when he uses his radio in to that repeater.... yeah I'm cheap on cell phone minutes (you can also make phone calls via some radio repeaters, though people may be listening)

Charles L. Cotton wrote: ↑Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:23 pm Do it!!!!! There's no reason not to do it and many reasons you should. . Even if you don't wind up talking much, it's a good backup when traditional communications fail during disasters. When bad weather does hit, I get more information from my ham radios than from TV or radio weather forecasts or reports.

Chas.

Yes, whenever bad weather comes around Burnet / Blanco / Lampassas Williamson counties (Central Texas) we start up ARES net and many Hams have weather stations that give more immediate more accurate info than the TV or online radar can

www.hamstudy.org is another real good option, as well as Gordon Wests books (for the humor)

I use a triband 1.25 meter, 2 meter, 70cm radio in mobile, handheld and base.
QST magazine a few months back showed how to make a 2 meter antenna from two coathangers
It can get as cheap or as expensive as you want.
There are $30 USB thingys like a usb drive that are Software Defined Radios SDR that do much of what three of my $1,000 ICOM receivers do.
(NOW THEY TELL ME ... RIGHT? )

Exam locations (enter your city/State
http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-rad ... am-session

clubs (enter your city/State
http://www.arrl.org/clubs/search

Repeater search by State County
https://www.repeaterbook.com/repeaters/MCsearch.php

Club I'm in just got a new VE guy who can give tests, the last one just moved away, so as soon as his paperwork is finished with W5YI-VEC Month or so
I'm anxious because a 13 year old who got his Tech and General on about May 6th ... passed his Extra at the June HamComm thingy up around Plano ...and now he's talking to an 11 year old girl who I believe just got her Extra class ... so Imma hurryup

I already benefited.
You can get car license plates with your call sign
I put in for disabled callsign plates last week, (my old plates expire next August) They gave me the windshield sticker, said I don't need a car inspection this year, and will mail me the plates. cost was $12.00 to $16 cheaper than if I just renewed old plates next August, and no car inspection expense needed this year.

This is for Android, I passed the Tech test is about 3 minutes after studying this
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .test.prep
I almost passed General immediately after passing the Tech, missed 1 question to many and knew it right away.

Now on to General and Extra (I bought study books for Extra)

Free
Ham Test Prep
iversoft.com

I have no affiliation w/ anyone, but looked at lots of books and Apps between 1969 and 2018 when I took the test.