Subj : Re: how to tune into ham radio?
To : badweather
From : Phigan
Date : Sat Aug 26 2023 05:58 am
Re: Re: how to tune into ham radio?
By: badweather to candycane on Fri Aug 25 2023 06:47 pm
> You can also pick up inexpensive USB SDR dongles on Amazon and get familiar
> with tuning across a huge range of spectrum.
Good call! I don't know why I didn't mention SDR dongles. They do require a
little more fiddling, though, and the stock antennas leave much to be desired.
Seems like you could get more (use and satisfaction) out of an SDR dongle after
you are familiar with the radio a bit more.
Man, the price of them really has gone up. You used to be able to pick one up
for $6-7 shipped. Now looks like if you go to eBay and search for RTL2832, then
sort by price low to high, the cheapest one is about $13 shipped. Still worth
it, but under $10 is nice :)
Once you've got one of those, you can even map APRS use in your area. Automatic
Packet Reporting System is often used by people in their vehicles to transmit
their position coordinates. In the USA, usually the standard frequency for that
is 144.390mhz where you will hear short bursts of modulated data. On Windblows
I use Pinpoint APRS software. On OSuX, I use CubicSDR (or GQRX) and QTH.app.
If you have a "digipeater" nearby, you could probably hear from all over your
town and see people driving around on the map.
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