Ham Radio People Metro ATL

[Wheeler]

Congrats on your tech ticket! You can work 10 meter HF now. The band was open for quite a while Friday. That 897 & a 1/2 wave dipole will talk a long way. I use a Yaesu FT-817 with a 1/2 wave dipole in a tree. The 817 only puts out 5 watts but I have talked all over South America, the Caribbean, western US & Canada. Good luck on your general test. I upgraded in February. Also, thanks for resurrecting this thread. I’ve never noticed it before.

Thanks. I've been meaning to look into a suitable antenna for portable ops that would accommodate most of the bands. I keep circling back around to a MP1 Super antenna as it will work 40m, 30m, 20m, 15m, 12m, 10m, 6m, 2m, and 1.25m. It does cost a bit more than a dipole though.

 

[Georgia Terrapin]

I’m working on the General class license right now and hope to be able to start working SSB on HF.

Wheeler, I upgraded to Extra at the end of February, after toying with it and putting it off for several years. I bought W5YI (Gordon West) materials and ARRL materials, and didn't like them. I used www.hamtestonline.com and it was fantastic. It's not expensive, and it works if you do it exactly the way suggested (study mode only, an hour a day), without taking practice tests etc. I could've bought a nice dual-band VHF/UHF mobile for the amount I've spent on study materials over the past several years!

It's important to remember (and comforting, if you see some of the bile spewed on ham internet forums), that the test is an entry-level test. It doesn't make one an expert, it just gives one permission. Just like getting a carry permit doesn't make one a marksman. It's a license to learn.

Get that General license! It'll give you 95% of all that's available. Get Extra after that if, like me, you just want to continue a journey.

73.

 

[Wheeler]

Wheeler, I upgraded to Extra at the end of February, after toying with it and putting it off for several years. I bought W5YI (Gordon West) materials and ARRL materials, and didn't like them. I used www.hamtestonline.com and it was fantastic. It's not expensive, and it works if you do it exactly the way suggested (study mode only, an hour a day), without taking practice tests etc. I could've bought a nice dual-band VHF/UHF mobile for the amount I've spent on study materials over the past several years!

It's important to remember (and comforting, if you see some of the bile spewed on ham internet forums), that the test is an entry-level test. It doesn't make one an expert, it just gives one permission. Just like getting a carry permit doesn't make one a marksman. It's a license to learn.

Get that General license! It'll give you 95% of all that's available. Get Extra after that if, like me, you just want to continue a journey.

73.

I used the ARRL Technician Class License Manual and took my test through one of the Western Carolina VEC affiliated clubs. I've also been attending an online class put on by the WCVEC, the SNR is sort of high as there are a couple of members that like to interject with an anecdote that's only vaguely related to the subject at hand however, the classes themselves have been a wealth of material.
LARC is conducting a VE Test on 04/18/21. I'm going to continue with the self study and see how I do. If I bomb I'll definitely give hamtestonline a shot. Thanks for the advice and encouragement. The deeper I get in to this hobby the more I like it.

 

[Georgia Terrapin]

Hang in there, Wheeler. It's interesting, partly because it's obscure and technical. I like to think of operating on air like fishing. You never really know what you'll catch and sometimes it's the big one!

 

[Electra_glide_ryder]

Thanks. I've been meaning to look into a suitable antenna for portable ops that would accommodate most of the bands. I keep circling back around to a MP1 Super antenna as it will work 40m, 30m, 20m, 15m, 12m, 10m, 6m, 2m, and 1.25m. It does cost a bit more than a dipole though.

Yep. Those are nice but a little expensive. The nice thing about dipoles is you can buy every part of them at Home Depot except the feed line and a connector if you choose to use one.

 

[Wheeler]

Yep. Those are nice but a little expensive. The nice thing about dipoles is you can buy every part of them at Home Depot except the feed line and a connector if you choose to use one.

So the dipole I have right now has a 1:1 balun. I thought that having a balun or an unun was necessary for resonance. If I made one without a balun would I need an antenna tuner?

 

[Electra_glide_ryder]

The balun just reduces RF on the coax shield. I think it is necessary but there are varying opinions on this. It won’t affect resonance. It’s not hard to make a balun with your feed line. I simply wind 5 wraps on a piece of 4” PVC pipe, then zip tie the coils so it stays parallel. A proper length dipole won’t require a tuner either. The tuner simply compensates for a poor antenna match. If you are using a single band dipole, use an SWR meter to fine tune the length of the dipole for the frequency you need. That will give you maximum performance and eliminate the need for a tuner. 1/2 wave Dipole length is simply 468/Freq. For example, a 10 meter dipole would be 468/28.400 = 16.47’. Each leg would need to be half that or 8.23’. I use a short piece of PVC pipe for an insulator. Best performance will be at least 1 wavelength high. My 10 meter dipole is 17’ high and is trimmed to 1:1.1 SWR. It performs really well. Attached photo shows a balun made from coils of feed line on a home brew 2 meter Slim Jim antenna.

 

[Old_School]

If you still have that FT-897 and are still thinking about selling it I'd be interested in talking to you about it.

I have an FT-857 I'll probably have up for sale soon. Low hours and just replaced the display last year.

 

[Old_School]

So the dipole I have right now has a 1:1 balun. I thought that having a balun or an unun was necessary for resonance. If I made one without a balun would I need an antenna tuner?

Electra_glide_ryder is spot-on with his advice. Baluns are not often necessary if your feedline impedence is close. I used to run homebrew 10m and 40m dipoles fed with RG-8X coax and never ran a balun. They work great, as long as your antenna is cut near frequency.

 

[Wheeler]

I have an FT-857 I'll probably have up for sale soon. Low hours and just replaced the display last year.

Shoot me a PM when you’re ready. I need to get the display on my 897 replaced. It’s been fun sourcing a replacement that doesn’t cost almost as much as I paid for the radio.