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- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 03:30:44 PDT
- From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <info-hams@ucsd.edu>
- Errors-To: Info-Hams-Errors@UCSD.Edu
- Reply-To: Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu
- Precedence: Bulk
- Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #944
- To: Info-Hams
-
-
- Info-Hams Digest Mon, 22 Aug 94 Volume 94 : Issue 944
-
- Today's Topics:
- 2 meter Repeaters in Europe
- ADVICE ON NEW RIG: Re: Robin, UK
- OLD QSTs
- rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1 of 3)
-
- Send Replies or notes for publication to: <Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu>
- Send subscription requests to: <Info-Hams-REQUEST@UCSD.Edu>
- Problems you can't solve otherwise to brian@ucsd.edu.
-
- Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
- (by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams".
-
- We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
- herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
- policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: 22 Aug 94 17:30:00 GMT
- From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
- Subject: 2 meter Repeaters in Europe
- To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
-
- All,
- there is a standard 2meter repeater frequency allocation in use just about
- everywhere in Europe, with some exceptions.
- As we only have 144 to 146MHz available, the repeater band starts at 145.600
- to 145.800. It is separated every 12.5KHz. So that R0 is 145.600, R1 is
- 145.625 etc restarting at R8 with 145.612.5, R9 with 145.637.5 etc. Shift
- is always -600KHz.
- Some places need a 1750Hz tone to open a repeater others dont. Ireland,
- Greece (needs a PL of 88.5Hz instead), some Netherlands, some France, some
- Italy dont. The rest do.
- So on your next trip just put the frequencies above in your HT and enjoy 2
- meter DXing. Simplex frequencies in use include 144.725 (most US military
- radio clubs, our) and 145.500.
- Peter, KC1QF/ON9CGV/EI4GV
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 22 Aug 94 17:22:00 GMT
- From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
- Subject: ADVICE ON NEW RIG: Re: Robin, UK
- To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
-
- Robin,
- I live in Brussels and make all my purchases for ham gear in the US, because
- it is just cheaper.
- Let me show you:
- I bought a TS450S for $1080 at HRO. This is about UKP 720. With 4.9% import
- duty to the EU and another 19% VAT, it comes to about UKP 897. With shipping
- another UKP 50 on top. The price of the TS450S in the UK is UKP 1300. See
- the difference!
- I use a TS50S which is a great radio for those 'pick the mike and speak'
- types show arent concerned with bells and whistles. If you are the 450s or
- the 850s would be fine.
- Peter Vekinis, KC1QF/EI4GV/ON9CGV
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 22 Aug 94 17:24:00 GMT
- From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
- Subject: OLD QSTs
- To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
-
- All,
- we are running a radio club here, CARE (Computers and Amateur Radio Europe)
- and wonder if anyone has any old QSTs he/she may be willing to throw out. We
- would gladly pick them up and have them at our club (It's hard to get old
- QSTs here). We already have 69, 75, and from 88 and up.
- Thanks
- Peter, KC1QF/EI4GV/ON9CGV
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 05:42:55 GMT
- From: amd!amdahl!amdahl.uts.amdahl.com!netnews@decwrl.dec.com
- Subject: rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1 of 3)
- To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
-
- Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.4
- Archive-name: radio/ham-radio/faq/part1
- Revision: 1.2 08/21/94 20:38:02
-
- Rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions
- Part 1 - Introduction to the FAQ and Amateur Radio
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- This is a regular posting of frequently-asked questions (FAQ) about Amateur
- Radio, also known as Ham Radio. It is intended to summarize some common
- questions on the rec.radio.amateur.misc newsgroup and Info-Hams mail list
- as well as to help beginners get started.
-
- Please provide a copy of the FAQ to any new or soon-to-be Hams you know.
-
- Regular FAQ postings can help save network bandwidth and maintain a good
- signal-to-noise ratio in the newsgroup. However, they can't do it alone - you,
- the reader, have to use them.
- * If you are a new user, please print and review the FAQ articles and look at
- the instructions in the news.announce.newusers newsgroup before posting any
- articles. If you don't find the answer in the FAQ and you have tried
- elsewhere, then you have "done your homework" and it is acceptable to ask
- the question on the UseNet newsgroups. Along with your question, please
- state where else you have looked for the answer so others also know that
- you have done your homework.
- * If you are an experienced user, please help by refraining from answering
- frequently-asked questions on the newsgroup if they are already answered by
- the FAQ articles. Instead, send e-mail to the user who asked the question.
- (It will be helpful if you include the part of the FAQ that answers their
- question, but not the whole thing.)
-
- The FAQ cannot always prevent people from posting repetitive questions. But
- even if hundreds of questions get posted, it saves you from having to answer
- them hundreds of times. Also, a friendly pointer to the FAQ in your first
- answer can help that person refer to the FAQ in the future. That is when we
- can begin to get a real savings of network bandwidth.
-
- To reduce the size of each article, the FAQ information is posted in 3 parts:
- Part 1 - Introduction to the FAQ and Amateur Radio
- Part 2 - Amateur Radio Organizations, Services, and Information Sources
- Part 3 - Amateur Radio Advanced and Technical Questions
-
-
- Table of Contents
- -----------------
- Dates indicate last modification.
-
- Part 1 - Introduction to the FAQ and Amateur Radio
- ** Table of Contents (6/93)
- ** Introduction to the FAQ (11/92)
- * How to Contribute to the FAQ Articles (6/93)
- * Do Not Ask Questions of the Editors (8/94)
- * Acknowledgements (6/93)
- * Notes on "Netiquette" (1/93)
- ** What is Amateur Radio? (11/92)
- ** Who can become a ham? (6/93)
- ** Where can I locate information and books on Amateur Radio? (9/93)
- ** How much does it cost? (9/92)
- ** Where can I take the tests? (9/93)
- ** What are the tests like? (6/93)
- ** What can I do with a ham radio license? (5/92)
- ** What can't I do with an Amateur Radio license? (pre-4/92)
- ** I'm interested, who will help me? (11/92)
- ** Should I build my own equipment or antenna? (11/92)
-
- Part 2 - Amateur Radio Organizations, Services, and Information Sources
- ** Where can I find Ham Radio information with a computer? (8/94)
- * Mosaic, World-Wide Web, Gopher, and WAIS (8/94)
- * The rec.radio.* newsgroups (2/94)
- * The ARRL e-mail server (1/93)
- * The KA6ETB e-mail "HAM-server" (2/94)
- * The Internet File Transfer Protocol (FTP) (2/94)
- * Access to FTP archives via electronic mail (1/93)
- * The Ham-Radio mail list: rec.radio.amateur.misc by mail (9/93)
- * Telephone BBS's with Ham-related information (9/93)
- * Callsign servers and geographical name servers (1/94)
- * FTP access to FCC Part 97 and FCC Amateur Radio question pools (1/94)
- * Lists of radio modifications and extensions (2/94)
- ** Can I send ARRL or W5YI electronic mail? (11/92)
- ** "Why doesn't the ARRL do...?" (11/92)
- ** What magazines are available for Ham Radio? (pre-4/92)
- ** How do I use the incoming and outgoing QSL bureau? (11/92)
- ** Are there any news groups for CAP? (11/92)
- ** What's the name of the QRP club that issues QRP numbers? (9/93)
- ** How do I become a 10-10 member? (9/93)
- ** How do I join MARS? (9/93)
- ** How do I join RACES? (pre-4/92)
- ** What organizations are available to help handicapped hams? (pre-4/92)
- ** I am looking for a specific ham, can anyone help me find him? (6/93)
- ** Can I post my neat new ham related program on rec.radio.amateur.misc?
- (pre-4/92)
- ** Where can I get ham radio software for my computer? (9/93)
- ** Are there Dialup News services or BBSs for Amateur Radio? (4/92)
- ** Where can I find VE sessions in my local area? (9/93)
- ** Why isn't XXX available electronically? (1/94)
- ** I'd like to volunteer to help ham radio through electronic
- information services like those mentioned in this FAQ list.
- Where should I start? (2/94)
-
- Part 3 - Amateur Radio Advanced and Technical Questions
- ** What are the different US amateur classes and what can each of them do?
- (pre-4/92)
- ** What is the best way to learn Morse Code? (10/92)
- ** What is the standard for measuring Morse code speed? (pre-4/92)
- ** What is the standard phonetic alphabet? (new 9/93)
- ** I'm confused. What do all those abbreviations mean??? (6/93)
- ** What do all those "tones" mean? (pre-4/92)
- ** Where can I learn more about Amateur Radio if I live outside the US?
- (9/93)
- ** How can I get a "reciprocal license" if I am a licensed ham from another
- country or if I am a FCC licensed ham who wants to operate in another
- country (on vacation)? (9/93)
- ** My apartment or housing complex does not allow outdoor antennas, now what
- do I do? (9/93)
- ** I got TVI...HELP!!! (9/93)
- ** Did you know that you can get college credit for being a ham? (pre-4/92)
- ** On what frequencies do JPL and GSFC retransmit the shuttle audio?
- (10/92)
- ** Can I take my HT on an airplane and operate it if I get the permission
- of the captain? (4/92)
- ** How do I modify my current Amateur license? (9/93)
- ** I'm confused about XXX, should I ask the FCC? (9/93)
- ** Is there any information on antique radios? (pre-4/92)
- ** Where can I buy vacuum tubes? (9/93)
- ** What do I need to get started in packet radio? (9/93)
- ** What do I need to get started in satellite communications? (9/93)
- ** What is available to get started in ATV, SSTV and WEFAX? (9/93)
- ** What are these contests I sometimes hear, and how do I participate? (9/93)
-
-
- --Rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently-asked Questions------------------Part 1--
-
- ** Introduction to the FAQ
-
- * How to Contribute to the FAQ Articles
-
- We accept suggestions from the Amateur Radio community. Please
- consider that all new contributions need to be SHORT and concise
- in order to be included. If a contribution is too long, the FAQ
- editors can help you find a more appropriate FTP archive or mail
- server for your article.
-
- We always accept corrections. Please allow some time (often not
- the next issue of the FAQ) because the FAQ maintainers do this as
- volunteers so each must give higher priority to their employers.
-
- Send correspondence to hamradio-faq@amdahl.com so that it will
- reach all the FAQ coordinators: (listed in alphabetical order)
-
- Ed Hare KA1CV ehare@arrl.org (Newington, CT, USA)
- Jack GF Hill W4PPT root@jackatak.raider.net(Brentwood, TN, USA)
- Ian Kluft KD6EUI ikluft@oes.amdahl.com (Santa Clara, CA, USA)
- Paul Schleck KD3FU pschleck@gonix.com (Omaha, NE, USA)
- Chris Swartout N6WCP cas30@uts.amdahl.com (San Jose, CA, USA)
- Steve Watt KD6GGD steve@wattres.sj.ca.us (San Jose, CA, USA)
- Rosalie White WA1STO rwhite@arrl.org (Newington, CT, USA)
- Derek Wills AA5BT oo7@astro.as.utexas.edu (Austin, TX, USA)
-
- * Do Not Ask Questions of the Editors
-
- We wish it wasn't necessary to say this. Please don't send questions
- to the editors (unless you are sending an answer with it as a
- submission for the FAQ.) The proper procedure for questions on UseNet
- is 1) Read the FAQ, 2) if it isn't there, check other sources, and
- 3) post on the newsgroup.
-
- The Internet has become an atmoshpere where questions are asked of
- everyone as if they have an infinite amount of time to help. The
- volunteers who maintain the FAQ do not have time to answer questions.
- Some FAQ maintainers on the Net have been led to believe that no
- good deed goes unpunished - let's avoid bringing the same end to this
- effort.
-
- * Acknowledgements
-
- All questions listed as modified "pre-4/92" are entirely Diana
- Carlson KC1SP's work or her editing of a contributor's work. Diana
- established this FAQ and credit is due to her for founding this
- project.
-
- Thanks to Devon Bowen KA2NRC for accepting this FAQ in e-mail every
- month to keep the FTP archive at ftp.cs.buffalo.edu up-to-date.
-
- * Notes on "Netiquette"
-
- The rec.radio.amateur.misc newsgroup and Info-Hams mail list have a
- large daily volume of traffic. They can operate more efficiently if
- the following netiquette guidelines are followed. Please take them
- seriously.
- * If you are new to UseNet, the introductory articles in
- news.announce.newusers are required reading. Go to that newsgroup
- now. Definitely, read the instructions there before posting
- anything. Other rec.radio.amateur.* readers will appreciate it!
- * Pick the right newsgroup. Use only the most specific newsgroup
- for your subject. For example, a question about a homebrew antenna
- only needs to be posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna. Also, don't
- post to rec.radio.amateur.misc when the subject can go in another
- rec.radio.amateur.* newsgroup. So, when there is a more specific
- newsgroup, that's the one you want.
- * When posting a followup article, ALWAYS try to minimize the number
- of lines of quoted material from the original article.
- * As a general rule when you try to determine whether to reply to
- someone by e-mail or with a followup article, remember to "praise in
- public, criticize in private." It's OK to disagree technically but
- be careful not to attack the person with whom you disagree. Also,
- be careful with your use of the word "you" when posting a follow-up
- article. Many unnecessary flame wars have started that way.
- * Use a descriptive subject. For example, a message subject of "Ham
- Radio" tells the reader NOTHING about the contents of your article
- since the whole newsgroup is about Ham Radio. Other examples of
- subjects which are so broad that they become useless could include,
- "Help," "A Question," "Antennas," or "Frequencies." Maybe "Books on
- Antennas?" or "Where can I find Repeater Frequencies?" would be
- better, for example. Remember, in a busy newsgroup a lot of users
- decide which articles to read from the subject line alone. If you
- post, don't deprive yourself of an audience!
- * Before answering a question, check if the FAQ adequately answers it
- or if someone else already answered it. If you have more to add,
- make sure to reference either the FAQ or the related articles.
- * If a user posts a question which is directly answered by the FAQ,
- there is no need to post an answer - the information is already
- available on the newsgroup. Instead, just send an e-mail message
- which politely explains where to find the FAQ. They will probably
- appreciate it if you include the answer to their question. (Don't
- send a "nastygram" - that would just discourage future participa-
- tion.)
- * Pay attention to the size of your audience - use the "Distribution:"
- header. If you leave it blank, your message will go to every civ-
- ilized country in the world and occupy disk space in all news sys-
- tems in all those places. If that's what you intend, that's fine
- but make sure your article is relevant outside your country. (In
- particular, Hams should already know there is more to the world than
- just their own country.)
- * If you have an item for sale, please limit the distribution area so
- that, for example, an article about a radio for sale in New Jersey
- won't get to California or Europe. If you wish, you may cross-post
- your for-sale article to rec.radio.swap.
- * Software sources should be posted to either alt.sources,
- comp.sources.misc, or comp.sources.* for a specific machine type.
- Software binaries should be posted to the appropriate subgroup of
- comp.binaries.
-
- ** What is Amateur Radio?
- Amateur Radio is a non-commercial radio communication service whose
- primary aims are public service, technical training and experimenta-
- tion, and communication between private persons. Amateur Radio opera-
- tors are commonly called hams. Hams often communicate with each other
- recreationally but also provide communications for others at public
- events or in times of emergency or disaster.
-
- ** Who can become a ham?
- The answer to this question differs in every country.
-
- The answer for the USA is listed below. If your country has
- a newsgroup specifically for it (i.e. UK, Australia, Germany)
- the most accurate answers can be found there. See Part 2 for
- the list of region-specific newsgroups.
-
- If that doesn't help, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
- may be able to help because they communicate with similar
- organizations in other countries, probably including yours.
- They can be reached by electronic mail or surface mail (see
- Part 2.)
-
- In the USA, anyone who is not a representative of a foreign
- government can be an Amateur Radio operator. There are tests
- that you must pass to get a license, however the tests are not
- insurmountable. On that general level, the requirements are
- probably similar in almost every country.
-
- For more information on becoming a Ham in the USA, the ARRL
- has a toll-free number where you can request information:
- 1-800-32-NEW-HAM (don't worry about the number being one digit
- too long - the phone system ignores it.) Other information
- can also be obtained from the ARRL e-mail information server in
- the file called PROSPECT. Details on the server are in Part 2.
-
- ** Where can I locate information and books on Amateur Radio?
- Your local Radio Shack sells some ham radios and Amateur Radio
- license books. Books can also be obtained through the mail
- from ham radio organizations, such as ARRL in Newington, CT
- (203-666-1541) and W5YI in Dallas, TX (1-800-669-9594). There
- may be one or two ham radio stores in the local area (ie,
- within 50 miles). Try looking in the Yellow Pages under Radio
- Communications.
-
- For the Novice license, get a Novice License manual, plus 5-word-per-
- minute Morse code tapes, costing around $25. For the Technician lic-
- ense, get a combined Novice and Technician License manual, and an FCC
- Rules manual, costing around $32. The FCC Rules manual is a good idea
- for Novice also, but not necessary, since the Novice License manual
- contains all the FCC Rules that are required for the Novice License.
-
- The ARRL Education Activities Department has several programs to
- help amateurs (or prospective amateurs) to get started. Ask for a
- "New prospect package" available free of charge, from ARRL HQ,
- Educational Activities Department, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
-
- Information on Ham Radio can also be obtained with your computer.
- Part 2 of this FAQ contains a significant amount of material on
- that subject.
-
- ** How much does it cost?
- To take the tests for any class of amateur radio license, there is
- a small charge (around $5-$6 currently) to cover copying costs and
- running the testing sessions. (Due to changes in 1993, Novice tests
- are under same procedures as the others.) The cost of a radio is
- really dependent on what you want to do. You can make your own radio
- and antenna for under $150. You can buy a used single-band radio for
- $150-$300. Or you can buy a new multi-band multi-mode radio with all
- the doodads for $300-$3000. I'd suggest you learn more about ham
- radio, talk to local hams, find out what you want to do with ham
- radio first.
-
- ** Where can I take the tests?
- The Novice tests Used to be given by any two qualified hams of General
- class license or above. Now all the license tests are given by
- three qualified Volunteer Examiners (VEs) who volunteer their time.
-
- To locate an ARRL testing session in your area, you can contact
- ARRL at 203-666-1541 x282.
-
- See also the section "Where can I find VE sessions in my local area?"
- in Part 2 because more information is available via UseNet.
-
- ** What are the tests like?
- First off, come prepared to VE sessions. Bring: TWO forms of ID,
- one of which has a picture on it; a calculator (if necessary); a pen
- and two pencils; the applicable examination fee (around $5-$6 for
- 1993); the original AND a copy of your current Amateur Radio license
- (if you have one); the original AND a copy of any CSCEs for tests
- you've already passed (if you have any).
-
- Each of the written tests (Novice, Technician, General, Advanced,
- and Extra) are generally a multiple choice test of approximately one-
- tenth of the question pool. For example, if the question pool is
- approximately 300 questions, then the test will be a 30-question
- test. You need to get 75% correct to pass. Note that they truncate
- to determine the correct number of questions. That means for a 30
- question test, you need to get 22 right, which is actually only 73.3%.
-
- Once you've paid the small fee for Technician-Extra tests, it costs
- no extra to take another test, so I'd suggest you keep taking the
- next more advanced test until you fail. If you pass the written
- but not the Morse code (or vice versa) for a specific class license,
- you have up to one year to take the other test before you would have
- to retake the written test again. Note that some VEs will not allow
- you to take the written test unless you've first taken the Morse code
- test.
-
- The Morse code test is a receiving test only. The test run 5 to 7
- minutes. After the test, you are given a 10-question multiple-choice
- or fill-in-the-blank test. Passing grade is 7 or more. If you fail
- the 10-question test, the examiner team will examine your copy sheet
- to see if you have 1 minute of solid copy with no errors. For 5 wpm,
- that's 25 characters, for 13 wpm, that's 65 characters, for 20 wpm,
- that's 100 characters. If they can find 1 minute solid copy, you've
- still passed.
-
- Hints on Morse code tests: Generally, it will be a standard QSO
- (conversation), and it MUST contain at least one of each of the
- following:
- 26 letters A-Z, 10 numbers 0-9, comma (,), period (.), slant or
- slash (/), question mark (?), double dash prosign (BT), end of
- message prosign (AR), end of contact prosign (SK).
- The letters count as one character, all others count as two
- characters. There are a couple other prosigns which are worth
- knowing, but will not be on the test, like "I'm done talking, next"
- is K, "I'm done talking, back to you" is KN, "Please wait" is AS.
-
- ** What can I do with a ham radio license?
- There are so many things, it's a difficult question to answer, but
- here's some ideas:
- * Talk to people in foreign countries.
- * Talk to people (both local and far away) on your drive to work.
- * Help in emergencies by providing communications.
- * Provide communications in parades or walkathons.
- * Help other people become hams.
- * Hook your computer to your radio and communicate by computers.
- * Collect QSL cards (cards from other hams) from all over the
- United States and foreign countries and receive awards.
- * Participate in contests or Field Day events.
- * Provide radio services to your local Civil Defense organization
- thru ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) or RACES (Radio Amateur
- Civil Emergency Service).
- * Aid members of the US military by joining MARS (Military Affiliate
- Radio System).
- * Participate in transmitter hunt games and maybe build your own
- direction-finding equipment.
- * Have someone to talk to on those sleepless nights at home.
- * Receive weather pictures via satellites.
- * Build radios, antennas, learn some electronics and radio theory.
- * Talk to astronauts in space, or use the moon to bounce signals
- back to people on the Earth.
- * Experiment with Amateur TV (ATV), Slow-Scan TV (SSTV), or send
- still-frame pictures by facsimile.
- * Experiment with amateur satellite communications.
-
- ** What can't I do with an Amateur Radio license?
- The most important thing you can't do is transact business of any
- kind over ham radio. Interference to other hams or services, as
- well as obscene, profane or indecent language is not tolerated and
- is illegal. Music and broadcasting are not allowed on ham radio.
- Some personal conversations may not be appropriate to Amateur Radio.
- Do you really want the whole world to hear about Aunt Mabel's
- hemorrhoids?
-
- ** I'm interested, who will help me?
- There are hams who are willing to become "Elmers" (mentors, helpers)
- in your local area. Look around and ask local hams. Search out local
- radio clubs. As well, some people have volunteered to be an Elmer
- over the Usenet. A list of UseNet Elmers and their e-mail addresses
- is posted to the newsgroup monthly. If anyone wants to be an Elmer,
- send e-mail to
- elmers-request@unomaha.edu
-
- There is also a lot to be said for exploring on your own. Take a
- look around the FTP archives and e-mail servers listed in Part 2.
- There's so much out there on UseNet, you'll find plenty of things
- you're interested in.
-
- ** Should I build my own equipment or antenna?
- [see also rec.radio.amateur.homebrew and rec.radio.amateur.antenna]
- "Homebrewing" is a fun and educational part of ham radio. It is a
- thrill to build your own transmitter and put it on the air. However,
- building your own receiver can be quite complicated; if you don't have
- electronics experience, you may want to buy a receiver instead. Most
- homebrew transmitters are QRP (transmit very low power). That's fine
- for an experienced ham with a very good antenna, but a Novice ham will
- just get frustrated. Your first rig, therefore should NOT be a home-
- brew.
-
- Antennas can be much simpler projects than the transceiver, though
- some types are also quite involved. Most hams build their own anten-
- nas for base station use and buy antennas for mobile (car) use. Most
- beginner ham books describe how to build different types of antennas.
- Order of difficulty, from easiest to more difficult, for some common
- antennas are: wire dipole, Zepp, Yagi, Quad, and Log-Periodic. Books
- from many sources, including ARRL and several Hams, discuss antennas
- in depth.
-
- When building or even understanding antennas, it is good to know the
- relationship between the antenna element length and the frequency or
- wavelength it is designed for. An antenna performs best at multiples
- of 1/4 of that wavelength, though 5/8 wave also has beneficial qualit-
- ies. The wavelength is related to the frequency with the following
- formula:
-
- wavelength (in meters) = 300 / frequency (in megahertz)
-
- You do not need a huge antenna or tower like ones you may see around
- your neighborhood. Large beam antennas and 40-foot towers are very
- expensive. As a beginner, a simple dipole antenna is perfectly
- adequate. As you gain experience (and money :-), you may want to
- invest in something bigger.
-
- If you can afford new rigs and antennas, there are many mail order
- stores that advertise in ham radio magazines. If you want to buy a
- used rig, the best place is at a "hamfest" (ham flea market). You
- should take along an experienced ham, since some of the used equipment
- may be inoperative, overpriced or poor quality. You can also answer
- ads in ham magazines or posted at ham radio stores, although often, by
- the time you call, the equipment has already been sold.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 22 Aug 1994 06:25:31 GMT
- From: nntp.crl.com!jeffj@decwrl.dec.com
- To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
-
- References <CuunEJ.KHo@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu>, <1994Aug21.120025.1@aspen.uml.edu>, <hQzTtm5.brunelli_pc@delphi.com>
- Subject : Re: Why Some people hate Wayne Green
-
- brunelli_pc@delphi.com wrote:
- : <martinja@aspen.uml.edu> writes:
- : >(Gordon Couger) writes:
- : >
- : >> I've followed Wayne for a lot of years. Probably his most annoying quality
- : >> is it turns out that he is right an awful lot of the time.
- : >
- : >Hey ya know? It's funny as I have noticed the same thing. I have also
- : >noticed that [insert Sara Lee song here] everybody doesn't like something.
-
- I called 73 magazine one day on just a whim and asked to speak with Wayne
- Green. They said he wasn't there but home at his ranch working on a book.
- They asked if I wanted his home phone number! I said sure and they gave
- it to me! So I called him and lo and behold he answered me on his speaker
- phone. I expected a grumpy old opinionated self rightous egocentric ham!
- What I got was a very nice pleasant conversation with him. He chuckled
- when I told him what I expected him to be like. He said a lot of people
- get that impression of him from his editorials. Oh he does have his
- opinions but don't we all? He said he writes those editorials to get us to
- think and by golly I think he's managed to get us to think a bit now and
- then! I did enjoy my conversation with him and would love to talk to him
- again. He was very gracious and took the time to chat with me when I sure
- he has other things to do. That in itself is a point in his favor. Wayne
- and I are on opposite ends of the political spectrum and I don't agree
- with him all that often but at least he makes me think about why I don't.
- 73!
- Jeff
-
-
- --
- jeffj@crl.com | If work for a living and think the Republican party is your
- AB6MB | friend. Ask Republican congressmen if they ever would side
- | with labor over business. Then watch them laugh in your face!
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 06:12:20 GMT
- From: news.Hawaii.Edu!kahuna!jeffrey@ames.arpa
- To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
-
- References <Cu8Htp.AL8@VOA.GOV>, <1994Aug11.170225.24967@cc.usu.edu>, <32g78c$oc6@thecourier.cims.nyu.edu>░
- Subject : Re: VOA Internet Audio Debuts Aug. 15
-
- >|> > So, if we are in the states, we technically cannot download the files?
- >|>
- >|> Or tune the radio to VOA?
-
- I called our US Information Agency office here in Honolulu a few years
- ago and asked them to send me the VOA's bcst schedule; they said `No -
- the VOA bcsts are not meant for domestic reception.' Only after I
- explained that I was going to Viet Nam did they say `In that case,
- then we CAN send you the schedule.' They explained their bcsts are
- meant for both foreign listeners and overseas Americans.
-
- Jeff NH6IL
-
- ------------------------------
-
- End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #944
- ******************************
-