What's wrong with you guys??? Hams!

Anyone here ever have to study Antenna Theory back in HS?

Throwing out raw power is pointless, it's just wasted power.

I'm looking into getting my own HAM License, but also have a CB myself.

Regarding Radio Antenna Theory, if you have a better antenna, you don't need frankenstein revitalizing power. You can have a $250 CB Radio, no prob. But if you want max use of the power it's actually putting out, without excess going off into static/leaking all over the place, get a higher quality antenna.

Even linking the antenna to a copper wire, and flying it up in a tree will do wonders. (You can do that to bounce the signal off the atmosphere)

You can also get Radios that are multi-frequency. Meaning once you program the frequencies, it will go off each band as-needed. (Very common with HAM Radios from what I've heard) But only the ones you program in. (Any truckers want to talk via CB, just hit me up)

Now, HAM Licenses... Who's got one? What class of HAM License? And how about Radio Telephone License, what's the requirement for that?

 

Not only is it pointless but when the band is open all those linears just add to the noise ...

As for licenses I have both a EXTRA CLASS and a GROL.

 

Would be nice if they'd learn you don't need power to shoot skip. You don't even need a ssb for that matter.

Then again if a guy in Cali is running power when there's no skip but a guy in Miss is trying to work skip w/o power, does the guy in Cali still cause noise for the guy in Miss?

 

No you don't.

I run FM on 29.600, 52.525 and work skip on both of them my radios run about 10 watts on both bands.

The FCC and the ARRL and a group of hams got together back about 20 years ago and ran tests on 20 meters. What the tests showed was a 10 watt station did almost as well as a 1,000 watt station and signal strength
was more than enough even on triple hop ...about 3,000 miles.

High power filled in the low signal spots but unless you were running the same power no one would hear you. Now on bands like 2 meters because signals bend so easly even very low power stations on tropo can work out many hunderds of miles when the band is right.

I run under 100 watts on all bands but 2 meters ...

Here is a quick look at my stationIt is set up so i can run HF and VHF at the same time the only amp is for 2 meters it runs about 130watts

 

Someone is very well versed in Radio Comms...

And well said about the wattage... Too bad everyone will jump to spend a couple grand instead of sticking to the basics, and an exceptional antenna.

What was your GROL exam like? And what is the Extra Class good for?

I'll definitely be hitting google-##

 

I took the first class license in 1967 when it was renewed the last time the FCC changed it to a GROL.... I beleve there is a book you can buy to study.

The EXTRA class gives you all of the ham bands but the general class gives you about 90% ...shoot for your general .....

 

Will do, thank you very much! =)

Do you use the bands much in your truck?

 

I'm a radio repairman not a trucker but 20 meters is widely used in trucks along with 10 and 2 meters.

 

Oh I see...

 

Allot of us truck drivers run 14.302.5 on 20 Meters and then we check in on Mid C.A.R.S
and East C.A.R.S which are mobile networks on 40 Meters every morning just to see where every one is and how there doing. We also run APRS on 2 meters and some run it on HF 30 Meters but very few. Right now the band (20 Meters) is realy kind of dead but we still manage to contact each other at least once a week or so. As far as license i have never went past Genral and can talk just about any where i want you only gain a few Kila hertz in each HF band as a extra.