N6GQ here, I also hold other calls and activity, such as YN2AA, 4K9Z, UN/N6GQ, EA8/N6GQ, HC8/N6GQ, FO0KI, 9H3ZZ, SV5/N6GQ, SV8/N6GQ, OK/N6GQ, SP/N6GQ, KH6/N6GQ, and the list goes on...
General Class here. Had my ticket since 1997. Region 4, Lower 48. This is another one of my lost/forgotten hobbies . . . I haven't operated in years. I don't even have my shack set up anymore. I have recently sparked my interest in getting back active with it. I am considering getting my Extra Class. I'll stay tuned in to this and other HAM threads to keep my interest going . . . Guarddog
Amateur Radio is a great hobby to use, the learning of electronics and circuity can lead you down a fruitful career. Keep at it and it can make a world of difference. My Great-Uncle worked at Collins in Cedar Rapids for 30+ years and was a Ham, along with with myself a BSEE who has used the hobby to open doors and make a career. Best of Luck
My BaoFeng UV-5RV2+ and Pro97 in a SpecOps bag I bought a spare charging base and cut it up and extended the wires It just fits inside the pocket And slides all the way to the bottom So I don't have the big bulky base top charge in.
Mahalo for the hospitality. Although waiting for a UV-5 from Amazon, I am already thinking a car-stereo-sized mobile radio with the necessary gel-battery and power supply should be the way to go. Lots of new terminologies and workflows to learn. A successful setup requires: Understanding of electronics Antenna setup Power/battery technologies Carrying solutions Lots of challenges ahead.
Have you located a local Radio Club? Lots of folks that are willing to pitch in and help with setup. Also they may have some test EQ like antenna analyzers and knowledge of local conditions and contacts that will be very helpful.
I'm third generation ham in my family. Been licensed since 1988 as a Technician and (finally) upgraded to General two years ago. I was out of the hobby for a long time, but got back into it a few years ago, mostly with an interest in emergency communications (which hasn't gone anywhere) but ended up preferring to work contests/special events. I'm a pretty good way into getting DXCC and WAS but I keep getting sidetracked with other aspects of life and not operating as much as I'd like to. I've picked up a couple of the Baofeng radios recently. I am trialling keeping one in/on my edc bag. Both are programmed the same with the idea being for the wife and I to each have one in the event that cell service goes down (or other bad things happen).
I an EDCing a Baofeng also. Have been looking into APRS using PocketPacket lately so I can send messages and location without data/cell access.
PocketPacket looks interesting. I have a pair of Kenwood D710's that I use for APRS. One in my Jeep and other as a base station. However we usually take the wife's car for longer trips and having APRS via an iPhone/Baofeng setup might be worthwhile to setup. I'd like to get my Dad setup with APRS too. He drives a goodly distance to visit once or twice a year and being able to see where he is would make things easier. Once he is in repeater range it matters a lot less obviously, but would still be nice to have.
The only issue is a cable. You have to make your own. It's easy, but not elegant if you know what I mean. I am looking at another option with a mic/audio splitter and a 3.5mm to 2.5mm step down.
If you don't have an Iphone, APRSDroid with a mobilinkD TNC works really well, I have this setup with a Baofeng UV-82 in my Cherokee.
KE0JJG. At the tender age of 56, I figured it was finally time. I'm Technician only at this point, but I'm enjoying it so far.
Does anyone EDC hf communications? I have a KX2, thinking of bringing it in my EDC bag for opportunities I might have to operate.
