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PostSubject: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeWed Sep 09, 2020 5:54 pm

Passed my online Foundation test today. Spent about 3 months studying as this was the fisrt available date. Did this via the Essex Ham club videos etc.The xam din't really contain much of te tech type stuff I stdied but more common sense type questions and some stuff I had to guess at.

Downside is - I now have to lob out yet more mone for xensive radio... )

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Red Fox
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Call Sign : 108-CT-255
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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeWed Sep 09, 2020 6:14 pm

Congratulations James.

Now keep your eyes open for a decent kit for HF

73's

Graeme.

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeWed Sep 09, 2020 6:40 pm

Congratulations James. I hope to work you on the bands.

73's Gary.

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeWed Sep 09, 2020 7:04 pm

Congratulations James 👏

Big new world of bands and frequencies to explore now Smile


All the best,
Victor

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeWed Sep 09, 2020 9:08 pm

Many congrats James and well done 




Craig

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeThu Sep 10, 2020 4:05 pm

Well done!

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeSat Sep 12, 2020 12:53 am

Well done James.
Enjoy your shinny new call good DX!
Don't pay out  for a new radio until you are sure what you want to do  start small and as low cost as possible.
I started of with a Alinco DX-70 for HF.
73
Mark
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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeSat Sep 12, 2020 11:38 am

Congratulations on passing your exam, James.👍👍👍

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeSat Sep 12, 2020 2:01 pm

STARSHIP wrote:
Well done James.
Enjoy your shinny new call good DX!
Don't pay out  for a new radio until you are sure what you want to do  start small and as low cost as possible.
I started of with a Alinco DX-70 for HF.
73
Mark


Thanks guys ))

Only have a cb right now so need a HF Radio. I have i two in my sights  - one full band HFwith atu built in  the other with no UHF VHF and no atu.

Does anyone really need or use VHF UHF apart for repeater use. I live in a real bad reception area for CB due to hills round here.

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43CT016
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Call Sign : 43-CT-016
Posts : 368
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Join date : 2019-11-17
QTH or Location : Perth
Equipment Used : iCom IC-7610/IC-9700/IC-705
Age : 55

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeSun Sep 13, 2020 1:27 am

Jape wrote:

Only have a cb right now so need a HF Radio. I have i two in my sights  - one full band HFwith atu built in  the other with no UHF VHF and no atu.

Does anyone really need or use VHF UHF apart for repeater use. I live in a real bad reception area for CB due to hills round here.

If at all possible, I would see if you can have a look at what others have, and try them out when you get your call.  What looks nice on paper sometimes just doesn't suit with regards menu, layout, etc.

At home I have separate HF/6m and VHF/UHF radios, and there's not an all-in-one unit that I like for base station use (Though I am a self-confessed iCom fanboy).  I do have one (iCom IC-7000) in the 4x4 though, and there it's great for saving space.

VHF/UHF simplex really does depend where you live, and whether there are nets or local(ish) users, but VHF SSB is far better than FM if you need to reach out a bit.

I don't know what Foundation gets you over there, but assuming you're allowed on 80m, you will love the fact that with an NVIS-type antenna (Wire, dipole, etc., just not a vertical) you can get right over those hills, and not be limited to ground wave like 11m!  Very Happy

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Victor
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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeSun Sep 13, 2020 6:48 am

Hi James,

Jeff, (43CT016), has some good input there and raises some great points.

It can be a bit of a minefield setting up your first Amateur or Ham station, really expensive, less expensive and sometimes even downright cheap. A lot of options are available adding to the confusion.

Perhaps it may be worth starting a new forum posting specifically asking about a first Ham station. You're bound to get more responses specific to this subject and it may very well help others in the same boat of setting up their first station Smile


All the best,
Victor

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Call Sign : 108-CT-255
Posts : 157
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Equipment Used : Squawk Boxes & Wires - Both Annoy the other half :)

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeSun Sep 13, 2020 9:25 am

Hi James,

A little info on my past experience if it helps at all.

I started back into radio by purchasing an SDR unit for the laptop, it allowed me to listen across the bands with a small scanning aerial, occasionally picking up some remote stations.

Moving forward a little to when I passed my foundation course, I made a conscious decision to look for an HF Rig with a Pan-adapter display, you know the type with a waterfall and little peaks showing signals being received. I liked this due to being able to easily see stations in the bandwidth and having a chance to tune in and listen before they disappear.

I do have a few antennas up now, The Sirio 2016, Long End Fed, 2M/70cm and now a small Cobweb.

The best antenna I have found is the Cobweb as it is resonant on 14,18,21,24,28 & 50 I use the End Fed for 7 and 3.5M

The Cobweb is a small foot print antenna, very low on noise and has already allowed me to talk to folk in Europe without much issue on 10W, the furthest I have had recently was Russia, just goes to prove you don’t need mega power.

With regard to 2M/70cm, I took the recommendation from a good fellow CT member and installed a good quality antenna at the time of installing the Cobweb to save me climbing back on the roof but decided not to purchase a transmitter yet as I found the bands to be very quiet.
I have tried multiple times listening on the Laptop with the SDR and even setup a scan and record function and left it running for 7 days with virtually nothing to report apart from a couple of repeaters chirping away.

In the end, I have found it better to test the water and see what is on the air before parting with my hard earned cash.

Good luck with your search for a setup that suits your requirement, when you do get on the air, I hope I have the opportunity to have a chat and not just a signal report as many of the contacts I have spoken to seem to want.

73’s

Graeme.

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeSun Sep 13, 2020 6:50 pm

Thanks eeryone for your input

I was balanced between a kenwood 570dg with ATU or ICOM 7600 with UHF/Vhf. I settled for the kenwood as pricewise it would be easier to sell if I want to move on. I also considered that a separate UHF/vhf unit ay be more useful option later on and gives a wider choice of transcievers.

I have started another topic in the antenna section ad hope to be actively testing soon )


James

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43CT016
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Call Sign : 43-CT-016
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Equipment Used : iCom IC-7610/IC-9700/IC-705
Age : 55

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeMon Sep 14, 2020 2:08 am

Jape wrote:
I was balanced between a kenwood 570dg with ATU or ICOM 7600 with UHF/Vhf. I settled for the kenwood as pricewise it would be easier to sell if I want to move on. I also considered that a separate UHF/vhf unit ay be more useful option later on and gives a wider choice of transcievers.

James

Did you mean iCom 706 or 7000?  The 7600 is HF only, and a big, (expensive for it's time) radio that came after the 756 Pro and preceded the now current 7610.

I have one for sale, that's all...but I wouldn't pitch it as a beginners radio, nor a cheap one!  However, if you like the 7600, look at a 7300.  That is a fantastic, HF-only SDR radio that is great for beginners, and bang up to date.

I don't know what the tuner in the Kenwoods can handle, but most inbuilt tuners go up to 3:1 matching, which won't get you all bands on a G5RV - see my comment to your other post.  Just FYI...

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Call Sign : 108CT233
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Equipment Used : CRT SS9900 Beofeng UV5R Yaesu FTDX1200 CRT Micron CRT FP00 Sattelite 2000 antenna ZS6BKW X30 co-linear

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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeMon Sep 14, 2020 7:24 am

Well done, it really opens up a new world to you the Kenwood looks like a cracking radio and it gets great reviews I notice, like you say, you can always pick up another radio for VHF/UHF I already had the CRT Micron from PMR but apart from a weekly net on a local repeater and a handful of SOTA activations I rarely hear anybody use 2m/70cm and it's on much of the time. 
 
I hear far more action on PMR if honest so would say you aren't missing much, for now, you can always get a UHF/VHF radio further down the road at some point I am just glad I didn't spend so much on it.

I have left a comment on your other post as I have found myself in a very similar situation recently.
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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeMon Sep 14, 2020 3:19 pm

43CT016 wrote:


Did you mean iCom 706 or 7000?  The 7600 is HF only, and a big, (expensive for it's time) radio that came after the 756 Pro and preceded the now current 7610.

sorry I must have been thinking of the Diane Abbott model. I was an IC-706MKIIG HF/VHF/UHF All Mode Transceiver )


James

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ranger
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PostSubject: Re: Im now M& something,,,,   Im now M& something,,,, Icon_minitimeTue Sep 15, 2020 7:28 pm

Well Done James,

Have you checked what UHF/VHF repeaters are nearby or within 25+ miles of you?
You should be able to access any within this sort of distance with a cheap handy type radio.
Just remember to grab a program cable at the same time and adding repeaters easy using the open source chirp program software.
Fairly cheap easy way to get on some bands without much fuss, you can always connect the handy to a external antenna to improve tx/rx.

T,

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