Silver plating aluminum

[joe817]

In addition to the obvious, ham radio, the club is actually going to be used to promote a new youth shooting project I've started, as well as student ministry activities at our church. Yeah, I know. This has a lot of people scratching their head trying to see what ham radio, shooting and Christ have in common. Let's just say it's a new approach.

Chas.

Makes perfect sense to me. What better way to communicate when hunting right after a sunrise service in the Piney Woods, or in Big Bend?

QSL?
73,
Joe AA5LD
Member QCWA & proud member of Wouff Hong Society

[RoyGBiv]

Y'all don't feel it's a security/privacy issue to post your call signs on a public forum?
I wouldn't want to make it easier for Mom's demand action to find me.

YMMV.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back on topic....
A few weeks ago I helped relocate our local EOC radios. We recently upgraded equipment (to the DR-1X ... it's excellent!, and sending images via digital radio is pretty cool too) and moved the antenna to the local water tower. Coverage area and quality improved dramatically.

Having never seen a duplexer in the flesh before I was surprised by how they are constructed and even more surprised by how they are tuned... In this digital age, it's simply barbaric.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Y'all don't feel it's a security/privacy issue to post your call signs on a public forum?
I wouldn't want to make it easier for Mom's demand action to find me.

YMMV.

Too late for me, I've already been found!

Back on topic....
A few weeks ago I helped relocate our local EOC radios. We recently upgraded equipment (to the DR-1X ... it's excellent!, and sending images via digital radio is pretty cool too) and moved the antenna to the local water tower. Coverage area and quality improved dramatically.

Is the antenna much higher on the water tower? I'm glad to see you're happy with the DR-1X. Everything I've read has been very positive, with the only criticism coming from folks who don't like C4FM being used instead of D-Star or DMR. Since it's a dual band repeater that is keypad programmed, the receiver must be very broad making a good multiple-cavity duplexer a likely requirement.

Having never seen a duplexer in the flesh before I was surprised by how they are constructed and even more surprised by how they are tuned... In this digital age, it's simply barbaric.

I agree! I can't believe there isn't an efficient electrical solution to the problem, but everything comes back to the Q of the circuit.

Chas.

[WildBill]

I can't believe there isn't an efficient electrical solution to the problem, but everything comes back to the Q of the circuit.

Chas.

Things like this make we wonder who originally thought of this idea.

Was it some ham who asked his buddy, "Hey OM, I have this empty coffee can. Let's hook it up to the antenna and see what happens."

[mojo84]

I can't believe the TV antenna a buddy of mine made out of a 2x4, some wire and screw's. You guys are definitely taking it up a couple notches.

[Owens]

" This has a lot of people scratching their head trying to see what ham radio, shooting and Christ have in common. Let's just say it's a new approach"

Charles, If anyone can pull it off,its you. That is a bit of a tenuous 3-way connection.
Good luck, best wishes and God Bless.

73
N5QNS

[RoyGBiv]

Is the antenna much higher on the water tower?

Yes... The Antenna moved from the top of a single story building at lower elevation to the water tower... Roughly a net +150' elevation change. There's not a dead spot we could find in the City now and we've been able to hit the repeater (5x5) from more than 15 miles away with an analog HT on medium (3W) power.

I'm glad to see you're happy with the DR-1X. Everything I've read has been very positive, with the only criticism coming from folks who don't like C4FM being used instead of D-Star or DMR. Since it's a dual band repeater that is keypad programmed, the receiver must be very broad making a good multiple-cavity duplexer a likely requirement.

The local HAM gurus were literally giddy over the improvements. I'm relatively new to amateur radio, so my measure of improvement is more empirical/practical. Usability of the repeater is a night/day improvement. The local CERT works pretty closely with the FD, who was involved with the planning and funding of the upgrade as part of City emergency planning. The local RACES/ARES folks were also involved, so we had a lot of folks that know what they're doing do the vetting before we acquired the hardware. We didn't have any prior investments (that I'm aware of) in digital technology, so we didn't have to slay anyone's pet dragon. (I use the term "we" very loosely here, since I was there more for moral support than technical expertise )

[mcscanner]

As you read in my Bio, electronics has been my job which I loved and was paid to do. Got the license only 8 years ago so the 2x2 is a vanity call once I got my extra. I would have like to have gotten K5MC, but that was taken. Took what I could get. Thanks for the compliment on the station.

FYI - On the Yaesu Fusion group in Yahoo, Chris reports that the repeater upgrade program has been extended and a new PDF application form must be used.

Mike

...to use in a homebrew duplexer for a 70cm repeater...

Chas.

Question like that could only be asked by a ham. I took a minute to confirm... Extra Class!

Building a duplexer from scratch. That is a serious project.

73, Mike KE5MC

I see you're a fellow Extra Class. Since you have a 2X2 call, did you once hold an Advanced ticket? That's a nice station you have Mike.

Chas.
KD5GR

[mcscanner]

Not a big deal. When you get your call sign you are in the FCC database for all to see if they know where to look and how. On qrz.com a ham forum my call sign is my username, like everyone else, on everything I post. For a ham his call sign is in a lot of ways a nickname frequently used on the air.

I teach persons how to get their license and one of the first things I tell them is the address they use 'will' become public record after they pass the exam and are assigned a call sign.

Mike

P.S. RoyGBiv looks like a post further along indicates you are a ham too. So all of what I wrote you already know.

Y'all don't feel it's a security/privacy issue to post your call signs on a public forum?
I wouldn't want to make it easier for Mom's demand action to find me.

YMMV.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back on topic....
A few weeks ago I helped relocate our local EOC radios. We recently upgraded equipment (to the DR-1X ... it's excellent!, and sending images via digital radio is pretty cool too) and moved the antenna to the local water tower. Coverage area and quality improved dramatically.

Having never seen a duplexer in the flesh before I was surprised by how they are constructed and even more surprised by how they are tuned... In this digital age, it's simply barbaric.