response 7 of 123:

Mar 24 19:20 UTC 1998

If by video radio you mean television, I agree that, in most cases 'it doesn't
matter what is being communicated', TV is a vehicle for the advertising.
Omni gave us an ARRL handbook which I should find time to look at.  Thanks.

response 9 of 123:

Mar 25 21:34 UTC 1998

COuld you start an item on ATV and explain how it works?  I had never heard
of it.  (ANd I apologize to TV fans, I did not mean to imply that all TV is
devoid of information content.)  Is this something new, since camcorders?

response 11 of 123:

Mar 26 15:07 UTC 1998

Getting back to introductions...

Hi, all.  I've had an amateur license for 26 years; I was first 
licensed as WN8KTZ back in the old days.  I upgraded to General class
as WB8KTZ shortly after. I obtained this 6 call when I upgraded to
Advanced class when I lived in California.

To tell you the truth, I haven't been all that active over the past
26 years.  I've worked a little HF and a little 2M, but I haven't
been on HF for quite a while.

I do want to get more active on the HF bands, though, especially now
that the sunspot cycle is on the upswing.  My latest scheme is to 
build a little battery-powered 10M QRP rig to take on bike tours this
summer. A little rig and a 10M dipole should fit nicely into a duffel
bag or pannier, and with the sunspots on the rise, I should be able
to do OK with it.

response 13 of 123:

Mar 27 03:52 UTC 1998

Yep!  More ions in the inosphere to reflect radio signals from!

response 15 of 123:

Mar 27 19:00 UTC 1998

   I might as well introduce myself.

   My name is Jim Reuter, and my callsign is AA8IJ. I sort of backed into the
hobby as a result of my dad's involvement. In 1975, my dad got the bright idea
that he would finally get his ham license, something he started in the mid
50's while a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol. His block was the code, he just
didn't get it, of course he had other things on his mind, like trying to get
married despite his mother and sister, and my mom's dad.
   In 1975, he finally passed the test and was issued the call letters WD8PBM,
which is ghastly in CW. He was so happy he went out and bought a TS-820S and
the appropriate antenna. Of course he never did get the nerve to transmit his
call letters into the ether, but he did do an awful lot of listening. He died
as a result of being hit by a car. 
   In 1988, I had the bright(?) idea of getting a ham license of my own. I
didn't dig the code back when Dad was doing it, and I certainly didn't in 88.
But I hoped that the FCC had saw the light and dropped that silly stuff in
the name of being modern. No such luck. I did learn that it was easier to get
licensed because Ronald Reagan had eliminated the need for people like me to
be exposed to the cruelty of the FCC's code exams. 
   I took novice classes that were offered by the Arrow, and thanks to the
help and encouragement that I recieved, I passed, and was issued KB8HXC which
was just as awful as my father's. This was the sole inspiration to pass my
Tech. 
   Ever since I got the license, I had the goal of going as far as I could.
I was excited enough to struggle through learning the 13, which was a bear,
and then going on to pass the 20 which was like Mt Everest, but persistance
paid off, and I did it in 3.5 yrs. I have heard that some people take 20 yrs
to attain the Extra, and some even say that what is gained is not worth the
work. Those people are wrong. The work is worth it. 
  In 1992, I was tired of doing the Greyhound thing, which was to arise at
5am, shower, get a cab to the bus station and travel to the test site in
Albion, which gave tests at 9 sharp. The bus arrived at 9:10. I called every
Extra in the Arrow roster and asked if they would be interested in doing
exams. Some said no, but others said yes, and on Feb 22 we gave our first
exam. Now, 8 yrs later, we hold exams every month on Saturday. It is easier
to get a ham license, you no longer have to know the code, and I thought that
I would be opposed to that, but after seeing people like Klaus coming into
the hobby, I changed my mind on that issue. I now encourage people to start
out with the no-code and go farther if that is what they want to do.
   I got a nice reward last year. One of the people I was helping, got his
Extra. I'm on cloud 9 because of that. I don't do much operating, but I use
my talents on helping the Arrow become a better and stronger club. I think
my Dad would've approved of what I have been doing and what I did.

response 17 of 123:

May 12 04:20 UTC 1998

Hi I just took the no code teck test and passed, I was working for novice,
sence I do enjuy shooting skip on 10mtr, I just asumed donig it the right way
(with a ligit call sign) but no matter what I did I just couldent seem to get
the hand of CW, do you know of any programs books or teckneks I should try
to learn code?

response 19 of 123:

May 12 15:36 UTC 1998

   Lookup kb6mt either in the callbook or on the web, and send him $20.
His code course will help you pass the Extra code, but you have to dedicate
yourself to the task. It worked for me, and if it can work on a person who
didn't get all a's in school, it will work for you. This course is so good,
your dog will pick the code up ;)

response 21 of 123:

May 14 17:01 UTC 1998

When I was brushing up my code to take the 5 wpm tech+ test I used a
program called GGTE (Morse Tutor) - and I read road signs in dits and dahs
when I drove. But I have lapsed in the training as I don't currently have
a goal that uses code. I've been most interested in ham radio for public
service, lately, and there is no need for regular use of code there. I'd
also have to go well beyond 13 wpm to get involved in traffic nets.

response 23 of 123:

Jul 3 13:49 UTC 1998

What is your call, mingming?

response 25 of 123:

Aug 10 13:09 UTC 1998

  All you really need is a good frequency counter. They are much less
expensive than spectrum analyzers, and usually just what the doctor ordered.

response 27 of 123:

Aug 10 18:07 UTC 1998

  The portable frequency counters have antennas on the top of them
and when placed near a source of rf, they read out that frequency.
I would imagine that one could be had for about $200. I'll look in my ham
catalogs for exact prices and models.

response 29 of 123:

Aug 10 20:27 UTC 1998

You can use the frequency counter for tuning your guitar (or whatever).
Mine is a FC-1200 from ALFA Electronics, for $130. Works fine.

response 31 of 123:

Aug 11 04:55 UTC 1998

  I checked in one of my catalogs, and I found 4, priced from $149 to $349.

  You can check out http://www.hro.com for more details.