Nevada Shooters HAM Radio Net...…..Any Interest?

[7.62]

I was also on the FT-60, near NAFB. It’s a great little radio for starters. I hope we can keep this going and it pushes me to setup a base station.

And I would also like to Thank Steve for the mentoring over the years.

 

[Outlaw Kelly James]

Thanks to all for the solid advice on HAM radio. And look just in time for Christmas…a new obsession, hahaha.

I am pleasantly surprised and was definitely misinformed about the price vs. range you all are getting here. I know some UTV dudes that have spent thousands of dollars for radio headsets and equipment for their Razors and claim they are only getting about 20miles of range. I’ll get started with some mobile equipment, test/licensing, etc together and will see you on the airwaves soon.

The long-term goal is to setup a dedicated base station in my detached garage/shop, as it is my base of operations/headquarters/fortress for the kid in me.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

The Yaesu FT60 Is a great radio, and available for $149.99 from HRO or Gigaparts.

The Yaesu FT 65 is just as good, a few less features, but a very solid buy at $89.99 from the above sources, and when on sale I have seen them as low as $69.99.

 

[SundevilSG]

@Outlaw Kelly James 2m/70cm radios are still limited to line of sight. That said, you can make use of the vast repeater network around our area to get a signal out back on ham. I've spent a lot of time off-roading out in the sticks 50+ miles from civilization, and I've always been able to get a radio check when I call for one - with only a 50W mobile rig and a 42" antenna (these are handy for mounting antennas to vehicles) https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-K400CNMO-Hatchback-2-Axis-Adjustment/dp/B00AR09J0U .

I have a satellite GPS communicator as well for real emergencies, but it is nice peace of mind to hear a friendly voice in the middle of no where.

I know they arent popular around here, but my first radio was a $25 Baofeng. After getting licensed I was able to work most of the SW US (via repeaters) from one with a mag mount antenna on a cookie sheet (@NYECOGunsmith 's recommendation). They work well enough for you to decide if radio is "for you" or not. That said, they are a (b****) to program. Do not even try unless you get an authentic programming cable from B-Tech (the ones on Amazon are knock offs and often dont work) and the free program CHIRP. Good radios (Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu to name a few) will be much more user friendly, but they fundamentally do the same thing - at least until you get to things like digital modes and fancy bells & whistles. My Kenwood can be used as it's own repeater (cross band repeat) with a handheld - IE park my 4Runner up on a hill, then use my HT while I'm down in a ravine, using the truck to relay my voice. Very cool stuff that I have never used . Well, other than the time I tested it while drinking beer in my neighbors garage.

The only time I've really "needed" ham radio was during the toilet paper wars last year. There were lots of people on various repeaters calling out when Costco would get a shipment

 

[Outlaw Kelly James]

I've been doing some research and have been to HRO and Gigaparts. And I've decided to at the very least go with the FT-60R. Seems like the best deal on a very capable handheld unit. Does anyone know how well the FT-70DR stacks up against the FT-60R?

Hey SundevilSG. I've added the Diamond K400CNMO Truck mount to my amazon wish list and will definitely get a tall antenna for my F-150. Perfect timing around Christmas. My wife is gonna love or hate you guys, hahaha.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

The Bao Fengs can be a pain to program, especially for a new ham who doesn't understand the terminology used and what it really relates to.
I went through the Chinese owner's manual on the original Bao Feng UV5R , 112 pages, in Chinese, and netted it down to a couple of pages in English that make sense to most folks. Still not easy to program, but a big improvement over the 11 page in broken English owner's manual that comes with them.
I can send it to anyone who wants a copy of it. I wrote it two ways in one document, one way is just press the keys in this order and you will have a frequency set into memory.
You still have to know the frequency you want to program in, simplex or repeater, and if repeater, the offset direction and PL tone, but it's a lot simpler this way.

The second half of the document walks you through it as well, but explains each step and why your are doing it, so that you can gain something of a working understanding of the inscrutable Bao Feng mindset.

When I teach classes on ham radio, I always recommend new hams program ALL the frequencies they want to use at first, MANUALLY, then later on get the software and back them up on a lap top and going forward, add new ones either way, manually or via the CHIRPS or RTS software packages available for pretty much any modern ham radio, hand held or mobile or base station.
This is because you might find yourself needing to program in a new frequency or repeater in an emergency, out in the middle of nowhere, and you don't have a pc with the software and cable on it.

And for most radios, I can program in a repeater and be on the air far faster than you can connect the cable to the radio, to the laptop or PC, bring up the program, scroll to the next blank entry line, enter in the frequency, offset, PL tone, etc. and do a save to the radio. This is especially true of the Yaesu's , which are the easiest to program of all the major brands.
And the programming on the Yaesu's has followed the same pattern for almost 50 years, so if you learn to program one Yaesu, you just basically learned to program all of them made since about 1974.
My 48 year old FT100 programs the same as my new FTDX3000.
Kenwood makes a superb radio, HOWEVER , they change the menus and programming methods from model to model, and also within a model number when made a few months apart.
At the county we have a pair of Kenwood 710 Dual Bands, made three months apart, and the menus and programming software for each is completely different.

Alinco and Icom also make great radios, but often their owners manuals, like the Kenwood's, start out written in Japanese or Korean, then translated to English, and they are a bit clumsy in that regard.
Lastly, the Yaesu is built and serviced (if needed) over in Cypress CA, so a repair is a short distance and time away, and the Yaesus, for most Models, come with a 3 year warranty, while the other big 3 come with 90 day to 1 year warranties, and the Yaesu radios comparable to the same features on a Kenwood , Alinco or Icom are usually $100 or more cheaper.
Yaesu is owned by Vertex Standard, one of two major suppliers of radios to Uncle Sam, the other being Motorola.
The difference between a Vertex Standard Radio, that is Mil Spec, and the same model / features in the Yaesu line, is the label that says Yaesu instead of Vertex Standard, and the price, the VS will be at least 3x as much as the Yaesu in cost. But the Yaesu is still Mil Spec.

So the ease of programming, close repair facility if needed, lower price, reliability, features, etc. is why we use so many Yaesu radios in our local ARES/RACES group, and why we promote them to new hams, it just takes away a lot of the frustrations a new ham often encounters with another brand, whether it be one of the other big names, or one of the Chinese clones of the big names, like QYT, TYT, Wouxon, Bao Feng, etc.

Hardly a week goes by that I don't have a new ham that I just gave the exam to and who just got their license, call or come by frustrated that they can't program the Chinese radio, or the Kenwood or Icom or Alinco they bought.
And with the Chinese radios, I have yet to see any of the handhelds or mobile rigs last a full year of daily use, most die after 6 months or so, and good luck getting them repaired even if they are under warranty.

I own and use Kenwoods, Icoms, and Alinco's, I have dual band hand helds, 50 watt mobile rigs and 100 HF base stations from each of those, and a ton of Yaesu's in each of those categories, like them all as far as quality, etc. but I've been at this a long time, and having a Master's Degree in Electronics as well as one in Mechanical Engineering has made it easier for me to deal with all the differences and the sometimes hard to understand programming of the first 3.

For an experienced ham, any of the big 4 are fine radios, but for a beginner, my own personal feeling and experience with new hams says go with the Yaesu, learn it, learn how radio actually works, then buy whatever floats your boat for audio quality, features, reception sensitivity, digital signal processing, output power, etc.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

I've been doing some research and have been to HRO and Gigaparts. And I've decided to at the very least go with the FT-60R. Seems like the best deal on a very capable handheld unit. Does anyone know how well the FT-70DR stacks up against the FT-60R?

Hey SundevilSG. I've added the Diamond K400CNMO Truck mount to my amazon wish list and will definitely get a tall antenna for my F-150. Perfect timing around Christmas. My wife is gonna love or hate you guys, hahaha.

The FT70R is a great radio, adds in the Yaesu Fusion capability, which is Digital mode FM transmission.
Gives great, crisp clean audio in the digital mode.
But be aware, with digital you either get all the signal or none of it.
In analog FM, if the signal is broken up, you can ask for a repeat and piece together what the guy on the other end is trying to tell you. But if the digital signal is weak, you don't get anything at all.
If anyone ever offers digital with buffering and parity checking so that the radio sends the signal repeatedly until the receiver acknowledges that it has gotten the entire signal, the parity checks match, etc. then digital will be a great deal, but all that takes up a lot of space on a circuit board, and a lot of expensive components have to be added to the basic RF circuitry.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

And you can't go wrong with Diamond Antennas of any type, super ducks for hand helds, mag mounts or tilt mounts for mobile, and base station antennas, they are all good, I have them all, and no complaints over the decades from me.
Diamond also makes a great power supply for running a mobile or base station in the house. very quiet, very reliable, puts out a solid 40 amps at 13.8 VDC, costs about $180.

 

[Tophog]

The Bao Fengs can be a pain to program, especially for a new ham who doesn't understand the terminology used and what it really relates to.
I went through the Chinese owner's manual on the original Bao Feng UV5R , 112 pages, in Chinese, and netted it down to a couple of pages in English that make sense to most folks. Still not easy to program, but a big improvement over the 11 page in broken English owner's manual that comes with them.
I can send it to anyone who wants a copy of it. I wrote it two ways in one document, one way is just press the keys in this order and you will have a frequency set into memory.
You still have to know the frequency you want to program in, simplex or repeater, and if repeater, the offset direction and PL tone, but it's a lot simpler this way.

The second half of the document walks you through it as well, but explains each step and why your are doing it, so that you can gain something of a working understanding of the inscrutable Bao Feng mindset.

I came across this. Don't know if it would be helpful.

Baofeng cheat sheet

https://w7apk.com/baofeng

 

[garand_guy]

helpful.

Helpful when it comes to Baofeng is about the best you can get. It's worth it to get a programming cable and learn CHIRP. I saved myself the trouble and programmed in most of the repeaters in any area I reasonably plan on traveling to.

 

[GatorJim]

Net tonight?

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

No, sorry, had someone show up unexpectedly needing my help, by the time we were done was too late.

 

[nikk]

Sooooo... maybe next week?

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Yup, unless life gets in the way, in which case here is the way nets work:

If the person who has net control for the (pick one) week, month, year, doesn't start the net by the time it is 2 minutes past the appointed start time (1900 start time, Las Vegas time in our case, so 1902 failure to launch time) anyone can start the net and become net control.

Here is the net script for starting the net, after reading it on the air, then you just ask for check ins.
You might want to print it out, and keep it and a sheet of paper and pencil next to the radio for logging check ins, just in case you end up being net control.

QST, QST, QST, Attention all stations on this frequency, this is (Your Call Sign) Net Control Station for the Nevada Shooters Forum Net.



This net meets every Thursday evening, here on 146. 880 MHz, Negative Offset, PL 100, known as the High Potosi Repeater, which is part of the Intermountain Intertie system of linked repeaters, starting at 1900 hours local Las Vegas Nevada time for the purposes of checking equipment, handling traffic, training, discussing firearms, the Second Amendment and the dissemination of information and bulletins for the public and Amateur Radio.



The Nevada Shooters Forum Net is comprised of licensed amateur radio operators with an interest in Firearms, Reloading, the Second Amendment, Hunting, Fishing, 4 Wheeling and other outdoor activities.

You do not have to be a member of the Nevada Shooters Forum to check into this net.

As a controlled net, you are asked to please stand by until you are called.

Anyone not participating in the net, please wait until all net activity is clear, however, any station with emergency or priority traffic may interrupt this activity at any time.

If there is any emergency or priority traffic, please come back now or at any time during the net. (Wait for 30 seconds before continuing, and if there is any emergency or priority traffic, deal with it, whether it occurs now or during the net, otherwise continue on below).



Hearing none, (say this now and every 10 minutes during the net) This is (your Call Sign), Net Control for the Nevada Shooters Forum Net.



Any announcements at this time in the net must have been previously cleared by Net Control (Call on those members with pre-cleared announcements now). Any other announcements must wait until the Comments Section of this net. (Give your Call Sign again NOW).



Roll call follows, after which stations will be asked for any comments. If you need to leave the net early, please advise net control so we may get your comments before you leave. (HOLD ROLL CALL NOW By asking for check ins)

Once no more stations check in, go back to the stations who said they had comments or questions for the net. (This requires you to write down the call signs of those who check in and indicate that they have comments or questions.)



AFTER COMMENTS: “Last call for check ins or comments prior to closing.



Closing: “Thank you all for checking into the Nevada Shooters Forum Net this evening. We meet here every Thursday evening, at 1900 hours local Las Vegas Nevada time. Please join this net as often as you can.

This is (your call sign) net control and this net is now closed at (whatever time it is) local Las Vegas Nevada time.

Good evening to all and this frequency is now returned to normal use.

 

[titanNV]

Great script!

Last night there was some sort of Utah emergency management testing type traffic on there at 1900 hrs (pacific) I wasn't monitoring it for too long, so maybe someone else that was will chime in and correct me. In any case, if that is a regular occurrence, we might consider waiting until 1930 to start our net.

 

[nikk]

Yes, that is a very good script.

I also tuned in and heard that net at 1900 hrs.

This is all I could find on it. It is scheduled for the 3rd Thursday of even numbered months.
However, it states the time as 2000 hrs to 2100 hrs. It definitely started at 1900. See below for more info.

The VHF/UHF/VoIP Nets are conducted on the third Thursday of even numbered months from 8:00 until 9:00 PM. The frequencies of the VHF/UHF/VoIP RACES Net vary depending on what part of Utah you live in. Repeaters in Cache County, Davis County, Iron County, and Washington County as well as the Snowbird Linked Repeater System, the Sinbad Linked Repeater System and the Skyline Linked Repeater System are all linked permanently or temporarily to the IRLP Western Reflector Channel 9257 by their system operators. The EchoLink VoIP resource SINBAD Conference Server is also available during the net. Please make sure that whatever repeater you use for the net is connected to the Western Reflector channel 9257 or connect by EchoLink using the SINBAD Conference Server.

 

[Tophog]

Yes, that is a very good script.

I also tuned in and heard that net at 1900 hrs.

This is all I could find on it. It is scheduled for the 3rd Thursday of even numbered months.
However, it states the time as 2000 hrs to 2100 hrs. It definitely started at 1900. See below for more info.

It started at 2000 hrs, MST (Mountain Time)!

 

[nikk]

Oh, yeah... TIME ZONES! UTAH... I get it...

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Net starts in 10 minutes at 1900 hours Local Las Vegas time, be there or be square (we'll talk about ya either way, but at least if you are there you can defend yourself ! )

 

[7.62]

I totally missed this one .