ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO? Be sure to ask a local club. HT- handheld devices need line of site (LOS) [eyesight to the curve of earth] to a repeater to be effective. Have a site visit to confirm before any purchase. Easy is an opinion. With the right plan success.
https://skidome.org/KC3YFZ/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ham-Radio-for-Dummies.pdf good to understand the basics.
BUYER BEWARE – if something is 60% less there is a reason, Reviews see online other platforms like Reddit, eham, or ask before buy. Planning and research allows time for your best outcome.
KC3YFZ Ed – This is part of Alpha/Beta test before we move to the BARC Website.
For Beginners utilizing VHF/UHF Try this link on BARC Baltimore Amateur Radio Club https://w3ft.com/beginners/
BARC uses member surveys to understand what our members need. From those surveys BARC can help by posting those links relating to the survey topics. October is Propagation Topics come stop by. https://www.facebook.com/BARCW3FT/
SAFETY – YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
Safety begins with a proper attitude. Make it a habit to plan your work carefully and always consider the safety aspects or your Amateur Radio activities.
RED CROSS First Aid Manual 192 pages PDF https://safetytrainingpros.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/American-Red-Cross-First-Aid-CPR-AED-Participants-Manual.pdf
ARRL > FCC RF EXPOSURE RULES and Calculations
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Lab/RF%20Exposure/2023-05%20Lapin%20FCC%20Exposure%20Rules.pdf
LADDER SAFETY
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/portable_ladder_qc.pdf
ELECTRIC POWER LINE SAFETY VIDEO
END FED ANTENNA
https://www.hamuniverse.com/randomwireantennalengths.html
https://udel.edu/~mm/ham/randomWire
My Full VSWR and Smith charts at baseline and as UNUN and RF choke added.
ANTENNA (Design, Guides, Chokes, Un Un, Balun)
CHOKES, UN UN, BALUN
Common-mode chokes (karinya.net) G3TXQ Steve Hunt is Silent key
Inductor calculator https://miguelvaca.github.io/vk3cpu/inductor_imp.html
UHF VHF 2M 70 cm Site mapping LOS
Give me 20. 20 feet is nice to extend Line of Sight. Goggle maps can help with an overhead line to a transmit site. This can help orient the antenna around obstructions. Vertical 90 degree to horizon for FM phasing. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3347605,-76.5804327,43637m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1
Line of Site Mapping. The link close the warning. A map will open. 2 markers blue and Green. move one to the receive and one to the transmit site. Each add the meters above the ground. example. Standing on ground 2 Meters. If a building is 200 feet use 61.69 M. The map will slice a line across the terrain. Still testing must be done to confirm. https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/rf-line-of-sight/
Baltimore Area Repeater 2M BARC W3FT The repeater has a primary input frequency of 146.07 Mhz and output is 146.67. The PL tone is 107.2. PDF Guide https://skidome.org/KC3YFZ/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BARC_Repeaterhelp.pdf
Multi transmit sites 70 cm Balt Frederick DC http://www.n3st.net/index_files/CMRG_Repeaters.htm
RATPAC AND DAVE CASLER Videos.
RATPAC VID Beginner’s Introduction to VHF/UHF for Amateur Radio- Week 1 + https://youtu.be/mUXQg_9cDPU?si=Ya79Mva-SDXms8um
RATPAC Vid VHF/UHF ANTENNAS 2 M 70 cm https://youtu.be/LvXGn8Kg0Vg?si=EeZ_Nf1Y23uR4jmk
BEACONS ( Hearing, Being Heard, HF Propagation Prediction )
Recommended Watching: RATPAC Amateur Radio Speaker/Presenter: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT Ham Radio – Successful Operating https://youtu.be/pjm1B5S6T6s?si=1Rq5QqN7_mFZ-yif
NCDXF/IARU International Beacon Project https://www.ncdxf.org/beacon/index.html
Reverse Beacon Network https://www.reversebeacon.net/index.php
VOACAP (Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program) is free professional HF Propagation Prediction and Ionospheric Communications Analysis software. https://www.voacap.com/hf/
SHACK STUFF (electrical, code, ground, bond FEED LINES …..)
“Grounding & Bonding”- Ward Silver, N0AX, 07-22-2021 RATPAC Video 1.5 Hrs https://youtu.be/2x8BSrCCLfw?si=6sl2HU70qqDIngAc
Maryland Electric Code + Library has NEC https://up.codes/viewer/maryland/nfpa-70-2020
Motorola R56 Best Practice 700+ pages https://www.repeater-builder.com/antenna/site-stuff/are-fifty-six-man-april-2017.pdf
FEED LINES Know the specs and loss before buying. know the difference. RG 58, 59, 6, RG8X, LL400. https://www.w4rp.com/ref/coax.html
NanoVNA
I have this version on NanoVNA NanoVNA | Very tiny handheld Vector Network Analyzer
The guide below is V1.6 and 3 years old.
https://skidome.org/KC3YFZ/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Absolute_Beginner_Guide_NanoVNA_v1_6.pdf
MENU>Stimulus Start XX.X MHz Stop XX.X MHz, Then Calibrate (Open Short Load) done, measure DUT device under test (connect the feed line). Display Format S11 SWR or Smith. The basics…
w2aew – thank you for the vids on the NanoVNA
VNA Basics covered in 30 mins by R&S Videos.
NETS – Meeting times: Frequency day time
Baltimore Traffic net 2 M daily 6:30 PM EST Baltimore Local time 146.670- PL Tone 107.2 W3FT BARC repeater. Backup MD Mobileers repeater 146.805- PL Tone 107.2 Echolink BARC: N3FQC-R https://www.baltimoretraffic.net/
Nets are from the ARRL web site 05/2024 MD, DE Nets https://skidome.org/KC3YFZ/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MDNETS_LIST.xlsx
LINK TO THE NET SEARCH on ARRL.ORG
https://www.arrl.org/arrl-net-directory-search
https://skidome.org/KC3YFZ/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/nets80mto10m.xlsx
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION (Disaster PREP)
My learning experience from Milton during the use of 2-Meter NET and The Hurricane Watch NET https://skidome.org/KC3YFZ/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EMERGENCY-COMMUNICATIONS-DURING-A-HURRICANE.pdf
The National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG) is a technical reference designed to support incident communications.
NIFOG National Interoperability Field Operations Guide
An ARRL Traffic and Training Net
DIGITAL FT8 and other | WINLINK
WSJT-X User Guide Link https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx-doc/wsjtx-main-2.6.1.html
FT8 Operating Guide Weak signal HF DXing for technophiles
by Gary Hinson ZL2iFB Version 2.37 https://www.g4ifb.com/FT8_Hinson_tips_for_HF_DXers.pdf
RATPAC FT8 & FT4 for Beginners & Established Users https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTUVWW2PIgg
GENERAL Help Study guides and free Courses online – In person Baltimore Metro area
ARRL General class Study Guide https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Education/GeneralClass/General_Study_Guide_2019-2023.pdf
Dave Casler, KE0OG provides a guided self-study video course based on ARRL’s General Class License Manual curriculum.
AD7FO’s General License Syllabus-Updated general class syllabus from Jack Tiley, AD7FO:
Learn More
General Class 10th Edition – Fall 2023 W4EEY https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ_9BZQ8gpziv2a26B_IoQ1RbXbIqieP2&si=WzjwqkeRm9uVWnG6
CCARC Carroll County – https://k3pzn.net/getting-your-license/ Courses free
ARCNEM – https://www.k3nem.org/?page_id=12