Disappointment In Ham Radio

Sharpshooter, I enjoy both ends of the spectrum the ham side for me is more challenging due to my licence conditions but my 818 has got me across the pond on home brew antennas and the 2m/70cm handheld has also done me proud both on a magmount and home made yagi, a resent tick in the box for me was via the GB3SH repeater from Roundway Hill near Devizes in Wiltshire to a chap on a ship 30miles off Southampton in the channel yes the repeater is doing the work but on 5watts on a handheld not bad in my book. The CB side has its attractions of SSB and FM networking which I am currently playing with I have brought a home base antenna now but have been using home made T2LT and a 5/8 wave gain master type both have achieved many contacts into Europe but it’s early days and will no doubt fill my log book with other places in time. My wife is the same regarding the antennas on the car or when static mobile as I normally put up the 8m pole strapped to the wheel on the car people just look up and shake their heads. She lowers her seat and look’s the other way. She has said I wonder what they think your doing especially when I had the yagi on a pole looking for the high point during a call never mind keeps me active.

Hello Victor
We had a brief chat a while ago about digital modes, specifically JS8, and I got the impression you were just thinking about it not actually doing it so I'm glad you are.
I live in France and my problem is that my 2E0 doesn't cut it in Europe so I am restricted to 11m really. I am on it at some time nearly every day and am varying modes as much as possible, USB, all the digital modes if I see them, SSTV, but JS8 the most. Some days I can hardly see the map of Europe on PSK Reporter because of all the green symbols! I have one or two CW contacts in France but either they don't hear me or are too fast.
I could of course go to the UK and do the full licence but can't be bothered, 11m is good enough for me especially Asia/Pacific in the winter. I just love a good contact there either USB or digital with my Moxon antenna which is good but I would prefer something better if I had the space.
Anyway, I do enjoy your posts, keep'em coming!

73 Ian 14CT007

Wireless wrote:

chazwozza wrote:

I’ll never hear ya then lol

The better your antenna, the less power you need.

If I ran 400 Watts into an low gain antenna, and it got a signal out, all well and good, except as its a low gain antenna you'll never hear anyone.

I run 10 Watts and can have SSB contacts with Indonesia, if the right band is open, using the right antenna for the propagation; but if 11m isn't open, you'll never propagate much beyond line of sight (it does travel a little further), even if you ran a 1000 Watts.  You can't beat the physics.

In some circumstances at low frequencies you might propagate further using ground wave, and indeed with mine rescue, low frequencies can propagate through rock to deep below the ground.

So having a powerful TX and being RX deaf doesn't help you hear anyone, unless the other station has a better antenna, and even then, they could be running 10 Watts vs your 1000 Watts.

At the end of the day, a Yagi Beam and Rotator is cheaper than a 1000 Watt Linear Amplifier.

Not sure why you felt the need to expalin that

Alan Pilot wrote:

I do talk as well but still don't need big power.
In the past i have tested power out and going from 5w to switching a 100w liner on mad 1 s-point.

I have talked to the USA Australia Canada and New Zeeland on 10w.
If you get your gear setup right that is half the battle but many just plug it all in and off they go.

Hmm interesting should've made 2

chazwozza wrote:

Alan Pilot wrote:

I do talk as well but still don't need big power.
In the past i have tested power out and going from 5w to switching a 100w liner on mad 1 s-point.

I have talked to the USA Australia Canada and New Zeeland on 10w.
If you get your gear setup right that is half the battle but many just plug it all in and off they go.

Hmm interesting should've made 2

Might have been 2 but it was over 35 years ago and my memory is not what it was.
What i was getting at sometimes power don't help that much if that makes sense as long as te rest of  your gear is working as it should.

Alan Pilot wrote:

chazwozza wrote:

Alan Pilot wrote:

I do talk as well but still don't need big power.
In the past i have tested power out and going from 5w to switching a 100w liner on mad 1 s-point.

I have talked to the USA Australia Canada and New Zeeland on 10w.
If you get your gear setup right that is half the battle but many just plug it all in and off they go.

Hmm interesting should've made 2

Might have been 2 but it was over 35 years ago and my memory is not what it was.
What i was getting at sometimes power don't help that much if that makes sense as long as te rest of  your gear is working as it should.

As I’m sure you know, each doubling of power is 3dB or half an S-point….so 5w to 100w is just over 2-points.

I find when conditions are good, you can make a contact almost regardless of power….but when they’re not so good, flicking on the amp can give just enough punch to be heard.

Thing is how many radio's out there are calibrated to 6dB per S point ? , maybe some of the older ones but my FT991A and FTDX10 are much more like 2.5>3 dB per S point at the lower end of the scale S 5 or below and in my own tests signals at S5 from someone running 100w drop to around S1 when they switch to 10w. An Indian amateur did a test of randomly sampled rigs and the FT991A didn't get close to the IARU standard till S7 (6.8 for the FT991A- S8 =8.2 for the 991a and S9= 9+4dB for the 991a )  with S1 by the IARU standard an S4 on the 991a he tested and these sort of results were true across the board for the manufactures/rigs he sampled. YMMV

s1 or s9+ not bothered as long as i can make the contact.

Hi been a foundation licence holder for near on 10 years and that’s the way I will stay after failing my intermediate course twice by 1 point wouldn’t even adjust the test sheet before they entered it in to there results machine what ever it is they use but come on 1 loser point and I thought they were a good bunch of guys at the club but the real truth was they liked to put the knifes in because I was a naughty M6 liecnce holder who did not want to take a third exam.anyway that’s how I feel about the subject
Regards
Paul

Paul1963 wrote:

Hi been a foundation licence holder for near on 10 years and that’s the way I will stay after failing my intermediate course twice by 1 point wouldn’t even adjust the test sheet before they entered it in to there results machine what ever it is they use but come on 1 loser point and I thought they were a good bunch of guys at the club but the real truth was they liked to put the knifes in because I was a naughty M6 liecnce holder who did not want to take a third exam.anyway that’s how I feel about the subject
Regards
Paul

The exam has a pass mark, get below it you fail it's as simple as that. You're not owed a pass, you have to work for it just the same as everyone else has had to. Why do you think you deserve to be an exception?  If they fiddle the test sheet and get found out which they usually do by people like yourself telling everyone and their dog on CB and Facebook that X radio club will fiddle you a pass if you're close, they can lose their ability to hold exams. 

It's nothing to do with you being a M6 who doesn't want to take a third exam and everything to do with the fact there's a pass mark and you didn't get it. A good bunch of people don't help someone cheat and fiddle their way through life and if that's what you think good people do then you need to change the circle of friends you have.

Paul1963 wrote:

Hi been a foundation licence holder for near on 10 years and that’s the way I will stay after failing my intermediate course twice by 1 point wouldn’t even adjust the test sheet before they entered it in to there results machine what ever it is they use but come on 1 loser point and I thought they were a good bunch of guys at the club but the real truth was they liked to put the knifes in because I was a naughty M6 liecnce holder who did not want to take a third exam.anyway that’s how I feel about the subject
Regards
Paul

I think the world has enough problems since this "everyone gets a trophy" thing came in, without us bringing the entitlement to radio.  Wonder if HGV or train drivers, or maybe paramedics or Doctors should be gifted a pass too?  Can't see any issue there.... 

Sorry mate, but a pass is a pass, and less than the pass mark is a fail.  In the unfortunate event that you fail, I was taught to have another go, and simply try harder.  These days, everyone feels they're owed something...

If you'd been doing an electronic exam, the computer isn't going to add one to your score, so why should the guys at the club?

There's absolutely nothing wrong with staying at the level you're comfortable at either, BTW.

Paul,

You should really be congratulating yourself that you managed as well as you did and only missed by one point!  

However you should really be kicking yourself that you did the same thing again on a second attempt the first showing that you needed a bit more study.

It's all too easy to 'blame' someone else or the 'system' when we face apparent failure as it's much harder to think that it could have been our own fault in any way. But there really is no such thing as 'failure' just another opportunity to try again to be a success.

We don't "fail" tests, exams or other such...we either pass or we don't.


The best thing to do is simply suck it all up and either study some more for another attempt or even be happy with where you are.

I've come across plenty of M3's, M6's and even M7's like myself that are great Amateur Radio operators and also do very well despite their 10 Watt limit. We're extremely lucky to have a system that although not exactly perfect does allow people of many different levels the access to bands and frequencies that we have. (I know I do.)

For myself I'm very happy as a Foundation holder doing unbelievable things with radio that I never expected. Not once have I griped about the apparent lack of power and if anything it gives me the determination, patience and strive for knowledge to become a more successful operator than I would have otherwise.

If they handed out licences like candy or we could simply buy a radio, powerful linear, big antenna etc. the hobby would have become a mess and most likely we'd have lost the privileges of radio transmission available to us all.


It's not perfect I agree, but it is the best that we currently have and much better than what was available in the past.


For myself I have also faced the feeling of superiority from the odd more 'advanced' licence holders doing their best to make me feel inferior in some way. It's down to their psychological profile more than anything else and in many, many instances I have been made more than welcome by other operators. Best not to take any notice and being left feeling embittered in some way.

Stick with it Paul, continue to be a great Foundation operator and when you feel ready to have another go at the Intermediate should you wish then do so as fully prepared as you can be.

I'm looking closely at the 'Direct-to-Full' with the intention of making an attempt myself. It'll certainly avoid the multiple jump and expense route for me and being disabled the online exam is a bonus. If I do I'll probably still carry on with my QRP activities personally gaining a real sense of accomplishment with it......but it'd be nice to not have to constantly check I'm within my 10 Watt limit.


I wish you all the very best with it Paul.

73's
Victor

Thanks guys
Just felt really bitter and down in the dumps at the time and you either pass or you don’t may be one day I will have another go but it’s still great that I have the M6 licence 
Many thanks

It certainly is Paul and your call sign shows that you are indeed a properly licenced Amateur Radio operator.

(Ignore the naysayers - some are right miserable old buggers! )

Hope to catch you on the bands one day on that lovely TS-440s of yours.
(A highly under-rated but more than capable radio much like my old FT-757gx.)


All the very best to you,
Victor