Subj : The Triple Play (6)
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Feb 14 2019 12:05 am
On the 3rd day of Hamming, my radio gave to me:
Three different radios, two license upgrades, and a license, callsign
from the FCC.
The "main bands" in ham radio are now HF (which has 160, 80, 75, 60, 40,
30, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meters)...VHF (6, 2, and 1.25 meters), and
UHF (70, 33, and 23 centimeters). There are other bands as well; but
these are the main ones, on frequency charts of various license class
privileges.
Many Ham Radio Transceivers, whether base station, handi-talkie, or
mobile, are transmitting in just a single band. However, others now can
have transmitting capabilities via dual band, triband, or even quad-band.
And, the way that technology is advancing, in the not too distant future,
more transmitting bands in a radio may be covered.
Some radios even have"out of band receive", where you can listen to such
things as aircraft, railroads, NOAA Weather Radio, regular broadcast
stations, and more.
On the 4th day of Hamming, my radio gave to me:
Four sets of antennas, three different radios, two license upgrades, and
a license, callsign from the FCC.
G5RV's, J-Poles, Cubical Quads, and Magmounts, are among the many types
of antennas available to work the various bands. Some are small and
simple to build, set up, and work with; while others are on huge towers
of stations that literally "work the world" with amateur radio.
On the 5th day of Hamming, my radio gave to me:
5 Band DXCC. Four sets of antennas, three different radios, two license
upgrades, and a license, callsign from the FCC.
One of the most prized awards in amateur radio...and one of the most
difficult to obtain...it's gained by making contacts in at least 100
different countries around the world, on 5 different amateur radio bands,
using the desired mode...voice or digital.
On the 6th day of Hamming, my radio gave to me:
6 Meter Clean Sweep, 5 Band DXCC. Four sets of antennas, three different
radios, two license upgrades, and a license, callsign from the FCC.
Called "the magic band", the area just above HF, and at the low end of the
VHF spectrum...when tropospheric ducting occurs, inducing skip; one can
literally work coast to coast, or even across the ocean, on 6 meters.
Technician Class licensees and above have full access to this band.
On the 7th day of Hamming, my radio gave to me:
7 Nights Of Net Logs, 6 Meter Clean Sweep, 5 Band DXCC. Four sets of
antennas, three different radios, two license upgrades, and a license,
callsign from the FCC.
There are literally nets on every night of the week, on various bands and
modes...whether HF, VHF, UHF, D-Star, or VoIP (Echolink, CQ100, HamSphere,
etc.); and can be phone or digital.
The nets can be for formal written traffic, traders nets (where ham radio
operators can list ham radio equipment that they want to buy, sell, or
trade)...on a special topic (such as trains, weather, cooking, ham radio
technology, or even Bible Study)...or just a general ragchew or roundtable
net...the format of each is determined by Net Control.
With very few exceptions, all nets are DIRECTED, and all stations will
contact Net Control before attempting to contact another station on the
net. Plus, all stations checking in are required to follow the
instructions of Net Control, as well as the protocol and format of the
net. Stations failing to do risk being muted or blocked from the net.
As a side note, on D-Star, the callsign of the transmitting station is
automatically sent when they key up...whether to speak, or for what's
known as a "quick key checkin to a net"...done either into a D-Star
repeater, or a D-Star Reflector, if these are connected into an internet
gateway. So, there basically is "no way to hide ones identity" on
D-Star...whether one is transmitting via a DVDongle, using a DVAP with
their radio, or on a D-Star repeater via their rig.
It's affectionately known as "Echolink On Steroids", and I personally
use it more than Echolink for nets during the week. Several nets also
meet on D-Rats during the net, on various Ratflectors, where they can
chat, exchange files and messages in real time, and find other hams
with the Maps Feature.
There are several files in my D-Rats Shared Folder on getting started
with D-Rats, mostly in PDF format...and other files are in the D-Star
Users Yahoo Group.
On the 8th day of Hamming, my radio gave to me:
8 the Hamfest Start Time, 7 Nights Of Net Logs, 6 Meter Clean Sweep, 5
Band DXCC. Four sets of antennas, three different radios, two license
upgrades, and a license, callsign from the FCC.
Most hamfests are just half day events for a few hours...usually on a
Saturday...although some can be as much as 3 days, such as the Dayton
Hamvention (tm), held in mid-May each year in Ohio. Venues of where the
activities are held, the availability of license exam sessions, the
number of forums, dealers, and flea market vendors, etc.; plus costs
for transportation, lodging and meals in the area, event admission,
prize tickets, prizes offered, and tables for vendors, among other
things, vary by event.
In most cases, the start time for these events is 8am local time. And,
for many, that means an "early wake up call"...so, they can make the
long drive, to get there when the hamfest opens, to either get good
deals at the flea market, or from dealers; or taking part in a forum,
a license exam session, and more. Some 2 day events may start on a
Friday afternoon, and then continue for much of the day on Saturday.
With these hamfests, you must be a licensed amateur radio operator to
win the radio prizes. Everyone must be present to win any of the prizes
awarded...the exception is the grand prize, awarded at the end of the
hamfest...when the crowd then usually "parts like the Red Sea" (hi hi).
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