VHF Contest Aftermath, Mourning the Loss of an Operator, and Repeaters

As the end of the January VHF contest settles in, I realized it was a complete and total failure. I think the reason behind it is because handheld radios lack the power and antennas that base stations do for one, and for two, my 2 degree latitude by one degree longitude grid square does not see too much competition in the way of VHF. As another amateur radio operator once told me "You need hills to run VHF, especially on a contest"

Recently, an amateur radio operator named Rodger, his call sign was KA2JXI, has passed away. He was the trustee of most of the repeaters in New York's St. Lawrence county, where I attend college at SUNY Canton. When an amateur radio operator dies, he/she is deemed to be a silent key, or SK for short. Silent Keys date back to the past of amateur radio when it used to be Morse Code (CW) only. They are honored for their selfless sacrifices and work that they have done for the amateur radio community as a whole.

Lastly for today, I will give a basic introduction on what repeaters are. A repeater does exactly what you think it sounds like: it repeats a signal for many miles around. It is a very unique and complex piece of equipment which I will probably explain more in depth in a later blog post. The most common band that you will hear repeaters on is 2m (144-148 Mhz.) but they are also found on 10m (29.5Mhz), 6m (50-54Mhz) and 440Mhz and up, but it is rare to hear them on UHF and up. Most repeaters have a special tone known as a CTCSS, or as Motorola calls it, a Private Line, or PL tone to prevent a repeater many miles away from interfering with another. Other repeaters can allow you to call 911 in case of an emergency where there is no cell phone service. Some repeaters may require a special code to use it, because the repeater can be controlled by the operator who owns the repeater. Repeaters can be found dotted across the world, and there are websites where you can look up local repeaters in you area. My personal favorite is Repeaterbook and usually tells if the repeater is operational or not, as well as if the repeater is open to the public.

I am doing some research on some equipment to do a journalistic review on for my next blog post in the near future.

Until then this is N2ASD. Clear.

Thoughts on the VHF Contest, Baofeng HT Review, and Nets.

Hello all again,

I have been thinking really hard about participating in the ARRL January VHF Contest on the air during the weekend of January 19-21. It seems to be very interesting, but there is one major kicker: my reigon does not see too much heavy duty VHF operation over 50Mhz. The only radios that I happen to own for this purpose are my BaoFeng UV200 2W 2M/440 HT and my hulking Icom ICV82 HT for 2M at 7.5W. I really can not partake as a rover station in a car, because I did not buy an antenna for the car.Lastly, I did not consider the purchase of an output amplifier, since I am returning to college and I had to spend some of my money on the semester's textbooks. What to do, what to do? I will try to throw out what I can for it and be prepared for the best.

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For today's equipment overview, I will be looking at the BaoFeng's UV3R family of radios (which will include the UV100 and more particularly, I'll be focusing on the UV200 that I own.)

Small, but is it worthy to be an HT?

At first glance, it may seem to be a knockoff of Yaesu's VX2R and VX3R Lines of radios: it is. This Chinese made radio offers easy access to 2m (144-148Mhz) and 440Mhz. at a decent price. I got mine last Febuary for $41, and had the 2m and 440 antennas as well as a headset (which is now broken) and the belt clip and battery charger. On high power, it transmitts with 2W, and on low power, an amazing 0.5W. It also has a flashlight, unlocked transmit outside the amateur range for emergency use (you can legally transmit on the Family Radio Service channels using this radio in the US if you do not have an amateur license), a flashlight, and FM broadcast receive. The major drawback to it is the supercompact size, having to set the repeater offsets manually (apparently this radio wont let you do that) cheap feeling and pathetic battery life that this radio has. I am planning on modifying it to support 3 C or D cell batteries for extended life and being able to switch them out without having to use a charger (which mine failed) For a beginner amateur operator who got his/her technician licence, it would make a budget radio, but for myself, I would get Baofeng's UV-5R series for 2m/440. Personally, if you can afford it, a Yaesu FT-250R or Icom ICV82 for 2m use on its own.

People who are new to the hobby who just get their technician license often use repeaters, and on repeaters, there are usually nets. Some people ask me: what are nets? In short, it is an on the air gathering of amateur operators, either in a formal or informal setting. Most of the nets you find on 2m are informal nets, but there are a few formal ones on the air. For example in my local area, Sully's International Rooster Roster has a set of formal rules and guidelines that one must follow to check in. Another local net that is around me, known as the Seaway Net, is an informal net where local operators can talk about their day. Each net has an operator known as the control operator who coordinates and runs the net, announcing it to order, and closes the net when it is finished.

First Blog Post: about myself and about what I do

Hello All,

My name is Christopher Durgan, and my amateur radio callsign is N2ASD.It stands for Norway Two Autism Spectrum Disorder. Suffering from that does not let my problems define who I am, and I live for the moment. I am glad to enjoy the company of my girlfriend, her blog is here. I am a college student with a unique talent for computers and my hobby, amateur radio.

Many people ask me what amateur radio is or do not understand it: I will give a short explanation about what it is. 
Quoted from the ARRL.org page about what amateur radio,

Ham Radio, also known as Amateur Radio is a popular hobby and a service in which licensed participants operate communications equipment with a deep appreciation of the radio art.  The unique hobby of Amateur Radio is a mix of fun, public service, and convenience. Although hams get involved for many reasons, they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and pass an examination for the FCC license to operate on radio frequencies known as the "Amateur Bands." These bands are radio frequencies reserved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for use by hams at intervals from just above the AM broadcast band all the way up into extremely high microwave frequencies.

It has a very rich history going back to the late 1900s with the works of Hiram Percy Maxim. I am interested  in the history of the hobby itself, as well as the equipment used in years past, as well as my personal thoughts that happen to occur relating to the hobby. I have been licensed since April 2010 with my original callsign, KC2YDY, but changed it a few months after obtaining my general class licence in June 2010. I have recently passed my amateur extra examination last December, but I am awaiting the FCC to grant me the license upgrade.

When I blog, I will usually talk about some of the recent contacts that I made, as well as my personal thoughts on things pertaining to the amateur radio hobby today, as well as the upcoming ARRL contests as they draw closer. I may also showcase and talk about equipment from the years past, as I do research on them.

Below is a picture of my setup that I am currently using; my HF radio is an Icom IC-725 Transciever that covers 160M-10M (1.8-30Mhz.) (Which was gladly donated by Chris (KB2ZAW), my Astron 25A Switching Power Supply, and my LDG IT-100 Autotuner. It transmitts out anywhere between 10 to 100W.

I use a G5RV Jr. antenna that was made by W8AMZ, which I have it raised up to about 24' above my house. It Covers 10M-40M, which is a letdown, but for the space I have, it works.

and lastly, when I am away from my parent's house I bring a 2M (144-148 Mhz.) portable handheld tranciever with me, and my Icom ICV82 fits the bill as a powerful 7.5W on the 2M band, which can hit quite a few of the local repeaters with a Smiley Super Stick II antenna.

Today, I made contact with about a 65 year veteran of the hobby, Richard (W2EZB), from New Hartford, NY on 40M, about 90 miles away from where I live. It was nice being able to talk to an operator who has had so much experience from it.

Thank you for reading!
This is N2ASD. Clear for the night.