Hi All

I'm new here. Just installed SynchroNet BBS. Late 80s and early 90s i ran
also a BBS (First with Wildcat then with Searchlight and finally Oblivision/2)

I run SynchroNet BBS under Linux (Ubuntu). Sofar I don't configure a lot. Hopefully I have time to configure my BBS fully.

My passion is Ham Radio (Mostly CW)

Okay, thats all for now.

Best regards,
Ben aka Rocksteady

---
þ Synchronet þ My Brand-New BBS

ROCKSTEADY wrote to ALL <=-

I'm new here. Just installed SynchroNet BBS. Late 80s and early 90s i
ran also a BBS (First with Wildcat then with Searchlight and finally Oblivision/2)

I run SynchroNet BBS under Linux (Ubuntu). Sofar I don't configure a
lot. Hopefully I have time to configure my BBS fully.

My passion is Ham Radio (Mostly CW)

Hey Ben - just wanted to say hello! No, I'm not a sysop but back
in the dial up days I was active on several local BBS's. I really
enjoyed the communication and echonets. One of the 'newer'
BBS's was called The Fridge and they had Intelec. LOVED IT! I
even became a moderator for a while. :-)

My passion is music (singer/songwriter) but the day job is
fun too (IT for a school district). :-)

BTW - my wife is a first responder/firefighter/storm watcher -
she is interested in a good hand held HAM unit for communication
with the chasers...


... So easy, a child could do it. Child sold separately.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
þ wcQWK 6.4 ÷ Neptune's Lair * Memphis TN * neptune.ddns.net

Hi All

I'm new here. Just installed SynchroNet BBS. Late 80s and early 90s i ran also a BBS (First with Wildcat then with Searchlight and finally Oblivision/2)

I run SynchroNet BBS under Linux (Ubuntu). Sofar I don't configure a lot. Hopefully I have time to configure my BBS fully.

My passion is Ham Radio (Mostly CW)

Okay, thats all for now.

I've thought about getting into HAM radio. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I may just do it some time soon..

Nightfox

---
þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

Re: Good old times
By: Rocksteady to All on Fri Mar 11 2016 10:28 am

Hi All

I'm new here. Just installed SynchroNet BBS. Late 80s and early 90s i ran also a BBS (First with Wildcat then with Searchlight and finally Oblivision/2)

I run SynchroNet BBS under Linux (Ubuntu). Sofar I don't configure a lot. Hopefully I have time to configure my BBS fully.

My passion is Ham Radio (Mostly CW)

Okay, thats all for now.

Best regards,
Ben aka Rocksteady

Welcome to the Synchronet community!

---
þ Synchronet þ The 5th Dimension: the5thd.synchro.net

Re: Good old times
By: Rocksteady to All on Fri Mar 11 2016 10:28 am

I'm new here. Just installed SynchroNet BBS. Late 80s and early 90s i ran also a BBS (First with Wildcat then with Searchlight and finally Oblivision/2)
Ben aka Rocksteady

Your tag line was my new bbs with no address. I guess it needs work like mine ;)

---
þ Synchronet þ The Outwest BBS - outwestbbs.com - Door Games - files -Dove-net

I've thought about getting into HAM radio. I haven't gotten around
to it ye but I may just do it some time soon..

Same here - my wife is the one that as interested a few years ago, but
we never did anything about it. Now that I've gotten back into BBS's &
talked to some people that are into HAM it's made it easier to get
information for HER, which in turn made ME interested. :-)

---
þ OLX 2.1 TD þ DalekDOS v(overflow): (I)Obey (V)ision impaired (E)xtermi
þ Synchronet þ BR-Ranch BBS - telnet://bbs.br-ranchbbs.com http://www.br-ranch.com

Re: Good old times
By: Jimmy Anderson to NIGHTFOX on Mon Mar 14 2016 08:08 am

Same here - my wife is the one that as interested a few years ago, but
we never did anything about it. Now that I've gotten back into BBS's & talked to some people that are into HAM it's made it easier to get information for HER, which in turn made ME interested. :-)

i dont really see what the draw is. i'm not sure i'd like to just chat with ham radio people and from the people i've talked to they dont even do that. they just see who they can connect with and record it.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Same here - my wife is the one that as interested a few years ago, but
we never did anything about it. Now that I've gotten back into BBS's &
talked to some people that are into HAM it's made it easier to get
information for HER, which in turn made ME interested. :-)

i dont really see what the draw is. i'm not sure i'd like to just chat with ham radio people and from the people i've talked to they dont even do that. they just see who they can connect with and record it.

I've always thought the draw is similar to talking to people on a BBS.. People on BBSes use the message bases to talk to people around the world, and I don't think HAM radio is all that different. It's just that HAM is over radio and BBS
forums are text-based. Same with other mediums where you can talk to people around the world such as IRC, Chat Roulette, ICQ random chat back in the day, etc..

Nightfox

---
þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

On 03/14/16, Mro said the following...

i dont really see what the draw is. i'm not sure i'd like to just chat with ham radio people and from the people i've talked to they dont even
do that. they just see who they can connect with and record it.

I enjoy ham radio I guess. I'm younger than most of them, I have done a lot with the hobby, from bouncing signals off cubesats, to achieving the "Triple Play" (all 50 states worked via voice, Morse code and digital modes). I'm even the president of a wildly busy and growing ham club here.

That being said, I don't like to talk to most hams. Especially on the radio. part of it is mic fright, part of it is I just don't find the conversations that stimulating. Here's a random sample from last night: "Is my antenna getting out? OK yeah. QSL. Hey how does my amp sound? Obama is to
blame... Obama made my medicine cost more... Trump... prostate cancer... Girl Scout Cookies... Them fags are taking over the world. Thin Mints are the
best, but I like Tagalongs too."

Conversations on repeaters are usually more civil, but equally as dull.
Around here it's endless conversations about breakfast foods, ground rods and mind numbing "nets" that are an hour of people testing their radios, veiled
as an emergency exercise. Because when the brown stuff hits the oscillating device, we're all going to save the world with 5-watt Chinese handhelds right?

I actually prefer DXing and "contesting" ... where you just toss out a fake signal report and maybe tell them what state/section you're from, or whatever info the contest requires. The whole contact lasts a matter of seconds. Morse code DX contacts are even better "5NN TU" (signal report of 599, thank you,
end of transmission). It's mostly fun to see the limits of your gear and if
you have a competitive spirit, it's like a game.

-ZR

--- Mystic BBS v1.11 (Raspberry Pi)
* Origin: Alcoholiday / Est. 1995 / alco.bbs.io

On 03/14/16, Nightfox said the following...

I've always thought the draw is similar to talking to people on a BBS.. People on BBSes use the message bases to talk to people around the
world, and I don't think HAM radio is all that different. It's just
that HAM is over radio and BBS

For me, the initial draw was the challenge of talking to astronauts aboard
the ISS. I can't speak for what attracts other folks to it. Since ISS never answers back these days, I've mostly gone to trying to collect "wallpaper" .. the various awards you can get based on stations you contact. And I like to combine radio with hiking and other outdoor activities, like scaling a mountaintop, setting up an antenna and taking callers on Morse code.

Some of the personal friendships I've made with actual people in my radio
club are much more valuable than the random chats I've had on the radio.
We'll get together for operating events several times a year, but it's really the fellowship that's fun -- typical "old man breakfasts" at the crack of
dawn kind of stuff, hehe.

--- Mystic BBS v1.11 (Raspberry Pi)
* Origin: Alcoholiday / Est. 1995 / alco.bbs.io

Re: Good old times
By: Mro to Jimmy Anderson on Mon Mar 14 2016 05:27 pm

i dont really see what the draw is. i'm not sure i'd like to just chat with ham radio people and from the people i've talked to they dont even do that. they just see who they can connect with and record it.

You're right, it's not for you.

de K6BSD

---
http://DuckDuckGo.com/ a better search engine that respects your privacy.
Mro is an idiot. Please ignore him, we keep hoping he'll go away.
þ Synchronet þ My Brand-New BBS (All the cool SysOps run STOCK!)

Re: Good old times
By: Nightfox to Mro on Mon Mar 14 2016 04:46 pm

i dont really see what the draw is. i'm not sure i'd like to just chat with ham radio people and from the people i've talked to they dont
even do that. they just see who they can connect with and record it.

I've always thought the draw is similar to talking to people on a BBS.. People on BBSes use the message bases to talk to people around the world,

that's what i thought too. but when i talk to people they arent having conversations with people. they are just seeing how far they can connect. i've ran into that several times in the past couple of years.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Zero Reader wrote to Mro <=-

I enjoy ham radio I guess. I'm younger than most of them, I have done a lot with the hobby, from bouncing signals off cubesats, to achieving
the "Triple Play" (all 50 states worked via voice, Morse code and
digital modes). I'm even the president of a wildly busy and growing ham club here.

I've had some really good technical chats over the years and the occasional cultural exchange. Depends who you get. Back in 2001, I even started a discussion that turned into the planning of the first IRLP node in the state on a local repeater, and within 48 hours, we had all the components needed, except for the IRLP hardware itself. :)

But yes, much traffic can be dull - like the ragchew nets on HF that are nicknamed the "ailment nets", as people talk about which of their ailments are acting up - as someone who is in excellent health, I don't think the occasional pulled muscle is going to compare! :D

I'm not much one for contesting, though I will have out signal reports if I encounter contesters. My idea of a contest is more physical, hence my sporting activities.

These days, I mostly tinker with my heavily modified EchoIRLP node, and play around with digital mode software, including digital voice. I also like testing new technologies, so when someone comes up with something new and interesting, I'm keen to play :)


... You bring this networks ratings down, and we'll do a special on you!
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS in Bendigo, Australia.

Re: Good old times
By: Nightfox to Rocksteady on Fri Mar 11 2016 09:53 am

I've thought about getting into HAM radio. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I may just do it some time soon..

It's a *great* hobby.

Be careful though -- it opens up a huge can of worms. You will be actually introducing yourself to about a million
new hobbies.

Here's just a few that swallow my already-very-small-amount-of-freetime wholesale:

* digital messaging modes (CW, RTTY, PSK32, APRS over AX.25 Packet, etc)
* WSPR
* QRP (weak signal challenges)
* DX (long distance communications)
* SOTA (Summits on the Air -- a kind of "game" where you are hiking on mountains)
* HF (lots of work with antenas)
* satellites (APRS over ISS, CubeSat feeds and signals, etc)
* etc...

And then there's the whole SDR world too (non-ham radio signal enthusiasm):

* police, fire, etc. trunk tracking
* POCSAG and similar pager decoding
* LTE tower monitoring (not descrambling!)
* ACARS/ADS-B aircraft positioning
* AIS ship positioning
* etc...

If any of that sounds like fun, welcome to the club and kiss your free time's ass goodbye.

Oh, and go get your Technician's license. You can study and acquire it in a weekend. Quit putting it off. I didn't
get mine until 20 years after I wanted it. A huge mistake!

Cheers!

Knight

Knight

---
þ Synchronet þ The Phunc BBS -- Back from the dead! -- telnet to bbs.phunc.com

Re: Re: Good old times
By: Zero Reader to Mro on Mon Mar 14 2016 08:57 pm

I enjoy ham radio I guess. I'm younger than most of them, I have done a lot with the hobby, from bouncing signals off cubesats, to achieving the "Triple Play" (all 50 states worked via voice, Morse code and digital modes). I'm even the president of a wildly busy and growing ham club here.

That being said, I don't like to talk to most hams. Especially on the radio. part of it is mic fright, part of it is I just don't find the conversations that stimulating. Here's a random sample from last night: "Is my antenna getting out? OK yeah. QSL. Hey how does my amp sound? Obama is to
blame... Obama made my medicine cost more... Trump... prostate cancer... Girl Scout Cookies... Them fags are taking over the world. Thin Mints are the best, but I like Tagalongs too."

Conversations on repeaters are usually more civil, but equally as dull. Around here it's endless conversations about breakfast foods, ground rods and mind numbing "nets" that are an hour of people testing their radios, veiled as an emergency exercise. Because when the brown stuff hits the oscillating device, we're all going to save the world with 5-watt Chinese handhelds right?

I actually prefer DXing and "contesting" ... where you just toss out a fake signal report and maybe tell them what state/section you're from, or whatever info the contest requires. The whole contact lasts a matter of seconds. Morse code DX contacts are even better "5NN TU" (signal report of 599, thank you, end of transmission). It's mostly fun to see the limits of your gear and if you have a competitive spirit, it's like a game.

Ha! This was so refreshing to read.

I'm also younger than most hams, I'm somewhat mic shy (for a variety of reasons - sometimes because of
nervousness, sometimes because I don't want to get trapped into a really terrible "ragchew" about some crappy
topic), and I also find much of the repeater chatter to be really boring. Signal checks, net checkins, antenna
chatter (though I'm mildly interested, it's still really boring), and discussions about their aches and pains.

What drives me nuts the most is the "parenting trolls" that frequent the busy repeaters. These guys are likely
involved in running the repeater and might have even been the elmer for countless people. But what they do is
really painful to listen to. They constantly educate others about their signal, but in a way that is kind of
sinister and strict and controlling. "Back off your mic, you're signal is choppy because you're hot on it." and
"To the young man using the cheap chinese radio, please turn up your gain" and "Step closer to the mic" etc...
It's an obsession -- these old timers are expecting a perfect signal out of everyone.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like to listen to bad signals either, but the constant need to scold people for their
poor "radio signals" takes away all the fun out of listening and interacting with people. It's no wonder the new
hams are mic shy and don't stay active.

And if I have to hear another ragchew about surgeries and being old, I might shoot myself.

Knight

---
þ Synchronet þ The Phunc BBS -- Back from the dead! -- telnet to bbs.phunc.com

I've thought about getting into HAM radio. I haven't gotten around to
it yet, but I may just do it some time soon..

It's a *great* hobby.

Be careful though -- it opens up a huge can of worms. You will be actually introducing yourself to about a million
new hobbies.

If any of that sounds like fun, welcome to the club and kiss your free time's ass goodbye.

You say that like it's a bad thing.. A hobby is supposed to be something you enjoy doing in your free time, right?

Nightfox

---
þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

DEUCE wrote to MRO <=-

i dont really see what the draw is. i'm not sure i'd like to just chat with ham radio people and from the people i've talked to they dont even do that. they just see who they can connect with and record it.

You're right, it's not for you.

Well, not everything is for everyone. :-)


... Daddy, what does "now formatting drive C:" mean?
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
þ wcQWK 6.4 ÷ Neptune's Lair * Memphis TN * neptune.ddns.net

MRO wrote to NIGHTFOX <=-

i dont really see what the draw is. i'm not sure i'd like to just chat with ham radio people and from the people i've talked to they dont
even do that. they just see who they can connect with and record it.

I've always thought the draw is similar to talking to people on a BBS.. People on BBSes use the message bases to talk to people around the world,

Me too! That's what I'm envisioning...

that's what i thought too. but when i talk to people they arent
having conversations with people. they are just seeing how far they can connect. i've ran into that several times in the past couple of years.

Interesting... Well, we'll see when I get going. :-) My wife is wanting to
get into it for weather reasons. She's an EMT/First Responder/Firefighter/Storm Watcher. She's interested in chasing, and the guys 'across the river' (in Arkansas - we're in Tennessee) use HAM for communication during weather
events.


... All wiyht. Rho sritched mg kegtops awound?
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
þ wcQWK 6.4 ÷ Neptune's Lair * Memphis TN * neptune.ddns.net

On 03/15/16, Knight said the following...

Ha! This was so refreshing to read.

I'm also younger than most hams, I'm somewhat mic shy (for a variety of reasons - sometimes because of
nervousness, sometimes because I don't want to get trapped into a really terribl e "ragchew" about some crappy
topic), and I also find much of the repeater chatter to be really

Greetings fellow hamster! It's astounding to me that we DO have this mode of communication -- radio -- and so much of what we use it for are these banal topics. I rarely hear people discussing music, art, technology (other than
that of amps, antennas, etc.), or anything particularly fun or amusing.

Go over to conversational digital modes like PSK, and the so-called "brag
tape" is utterly mind numbing. I actually run PSK without macros because who the hell wants to read a pre-programmed list of hobbies and what version of Windows the other guy is running.

But like you said, every now and then you run up on someone who is genuinely fun to talk to. Then the band craps out!

--- Mystic BBS v1.11 (Raspberry Pi)
* Origin: Alcoholiday / Est. 1995 / alco.bbs.io

Re: Good old times
By: Nightfox to Knight on Tue Mar 15 2016 08:51 am

You say that like it's a bad thing.. A hobby is supposed to be something you enjoy doing in your free time, right?

It's only half problematic. Of course it's awesome to spend your free time on hobbies you love.

But when you have a wife, kids, businesses, friends, etc it can often lead you to an isolated life and cause you
to start neglecting other things :) That's the negative half.

I spent two days working on writing software on my Raspberry Pis to automate and process ADS-B data received over
high sensitivity SDRs. Suffice to say, I didn't get much sleep those days because I also had client work and my
family to take care of during the day. Heh.

Knight

---
þ Synchronet þ The Phunc BBS -- Back from the dead! -- telnet to bbs.phunc.com

Re: Re: Good old times
By: JIMMY ANDERSON to MRO on Tue Mar 15 2016 09:47 am

Interesting... Well, we'll see when I get going. :-) My wife is wanting to get into it for weather reasons. She's an EMT/First Responder/Firefighter/Storm Watcher. She's interested in chasing, and the guys 'across the river' (in Arkansas - we're in Tennessee) use HAM for communication during weather events.

You have the most incredible wife in the world ... it sounds like.

Mine thinks I'm weird for having amateur radios, and all sorts of technology in our house for years. She doesn't
get it. I've been trying to encourage her into one of the hobbies for years.

Knight

---
þ Synchronet þ The Phunc BBS -- Back from the dead! -- telnet to bbs.phunc.com

Re: Re: Good old times
By: Zero Reader to Knight on Tue Mar 15 2016 01:49 pm

Greetings fellow hamster! It's astounding to me that we DO have this mode of communication -- radio -- and so much of what we use it for are these banal topics. I rarely hear people discussing music, art, technology (other than that of amps, antennas, etc.), or anything particularly fun or amusing.

Seriously. It's almost like the old guys don't want us to use it for anything useful. They're stuck in their ways,
I suppose.

I do hear some good stuff on the WINS system -- specifically Robbie in Japan talks about really interesting stuff.
I added him on Facebook because he was so interesting to me. The guys there often talk about interesting things.

Go over to conversational digital modes like PSK, and the so-called "brag tape" is utterly mind numbing. I actually run PSK without macros because who the hell wants to read a pre-programmed list of hobbies and what version of Windows the other guy is running.

Haha, seriously, I don't understand that. Maybe back when computers were just becoming popular and reaching a
critical mass, knowing what remote people were using was interesting. But today it just makes no sense. In a lot
of ways, all that stuff is the same.

But like you said, every now and then you run up on someone who is genuinely fun to talk to. Then the band craps out!

Or then you get stomped on by a pirate. The worst is someone who out powers you and trolls for hours, just when
you finally met someone interesting to talk to.

Knight

---
þ Synchronet þ The Phunc BBS -- Back from the dead! -- telnet to bbs.phunc.com

You say that like it's a bad thing.. A hobby is supposed to be
something you enjoy doing in your free time, right?

It's only half problematic. Of course it's awesome to spend your free time on hobbies you love.

But when you have a wife, kids, businesses, friends, etc it can often lead you to an isolated life and cause you
to start neglecting other things :) That's the negative half.

I spent two days working on writing software on my Raspberry Pis to automate and process ADS-B data received over
high sensitivity SDRs. Suffice to say, I didn't get much sleep those days because I also had client work and my
family to take care of during the day. Heh.

Yeah, some things just need to take precedence. I enjoy my hobbies, but usually I don't like to lose sleep over it because I dislike being tired more than I dislike not working on a hobby. :)

Nightfox

---
þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

Knight wrote to Nightfox <=-

I've thought about getting into HAM radio. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I may just do it some time soon..

It's a *great* hobby.

Be careful though -- it opens up a huge can of worms. You will be
actually introducing yourself to about a million new hobbies.

LOL, that is so true! I find it impossible to get bored with ham radio, because there's always something else to explore. :)

Here's just a few that swallow my already-very-small-amount-of-freetime wholesale:

* digital messaging modes (CW, RTTY, PSK32, APRS over AX.25 Packet,
etc)
* WSPR
* QRP (weak signal challenges)
* DX (long distance communications)
* SOTA (Summits on the Air -- a kind of "game" where you are hiking
on mountains)
* HF (lots of work with antenas)
* satellites (APRS over ISS, CubeSat feeds and signals, etc)
* etc...

FOr me, IRLP, Echolink, remote bases, D-STAR, DMR (I tinker with the underlying technology more than use them these days), mobile and portable operation, foxhunting, ARDF, even ATV (must fix my receive setup and put up a decent transmit antenna).

And then there's the whole SDR world too (non-ham radio signal enthusiasm):

* police, fire, etc. trunk tracking
* POCSAG and similar pager decoding
* LTE tower monitoring (not descrambling!)
* ACARS/ADS-B aircraft positioning
* AIS ship positioning
* etc...

Yes, a whole new hobby. I have 4 SDR dongles kicking around. :)

If any of that sounds like fun, welcome to the club and kiss your free time's ass goodbye.

Oh, and go get your Technician's license. You can study and acquire it
in a weekend. Quit putting it off. I didn't get mine until 20 years
after I wanted it. A huge mistake!

I got my ticket back in 1989, never looked back. :)


... "42? 7 and a half million years and all you can come up with is 42?!"
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS in Bendigo, Australia.

Knight wrote to Zero Reader <=-

Ha! This was so refreshing to read.

I'm also younger than most hams, I'm somewhat mic shy (for a variety of reasons - sometimes because of nervousness, sometimes because I don't
want to get trapped into a really terrible "ragchew" about some crappy topic), and I also find much of the repeater chatter to be really
boring. Signal checks, net checkins, antenna chatter (though I'm mildly

I will sit quiet if I'm not interested in the topic, but I don't mind a chat on air, often not typical ham topics.

interested, it's still really boring), and discussions about their
aches and pains.

At least here, there is an active movement to combine ham radio with cycling, so aches and pains are more likely to be from exercise. :)

What drives me nuts the most is the "parenting trolls" that frequent
the busy repeaters. These guys are likely involved in running the
repeater and might have even been the elmer for countless people. But
what they do is really painful to listen to. They constantly educate others about their signal, but in a way that is kind of sinister and strict and controlling. "Back off your mic, you're signal is choppy because you're hot on it." and "To the young man using the cheap
chinese radio, please turn up your gain" and "Step closer to the mic" etc... It's an obsession -- these old timers are expecting a perfect signal out of everyone.

We don't get those here. :)

And if I have to hear another ragchew about surgeries and being old, I might shoot myself.

You've discovered the "ailment nets"! :D Yes, not my thing either. I'm usually on my way to or from some sporting event when ragchewing, so more likely to get a sporting topic from me, or something technical. :)


... The number you have dailed...Nine-one-one...has been changed.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS in Bendigo, Australia.

On 03/15/16, Knight said the following...

Or then you get stomped on by a pirate. The worst is someone who out powers you and trolls for hours, just when
you finally met someone interesting to talk to.

Sounds like 14.313 or 7.200 mHz! Those are the troll freqs, but I have to admit, I love listening to them. I wouldn't dare try to talk to them, but
it's like a train wreck that you just can't look away from!

--- Mystic BBS v1.11 (Raspberry Pi)
* Origin: Alcoholiday / Est. 1995 / alco.bbs.io

Knight wrote to Zero Reader <=-

Seriously. It's almost like the old guys don't want us to use it for anything useful. They're stuck in their ways, I suppose.

Some of them seem to just want to keep their quiet channel or use it as a private telephone

Or then you get stomped on by a pirate. The worst is someone who out powers you and trolls for hours, just when you finally met someone interesting to talk to.

In my earlier ham days, I used to live 5km from a wide coverage repeater, and had 120W and a beam. While I used to normally run flea power (1/2W or less), and not care which way the antenna was pointed, that 2 (ish) kW EIRP made short work of anyone silly enough to try jamming. ;)


... It usually takes weeks to prepare an impromptu speech.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS in Bendigo, Australia.

Nightfox wrote to Knight <=-

Yeah, some things just need to take precedence. I enjoy my hobbies,
but usually I don't like to lose sleep over it because I dislike being tired more than I dislike not working on a hobby. :)

Yep, agree totally. Sometimes you have to set priorities. :)


... Some men are discovered; others are found out.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS in Bendigo, Australia.

Re: Re: Good old times
By: Vk3jed to Knight on Wed Mar 16 2016 08:29 am

FOr me, IRLP, Echolink, remote bases, D-STAR, DMR (I tinker with the underlying technology more than use them these days), mobile and portable operation, foxhunting, ARDF, even ATV (must fix my receive setup and put up a decent transmit antenna).

All of those things, yes. I listen/lurk on the WINS system a lot. They are on IRLP. One of the longest running nets is on there too
(something like 30 years of nightly trivia, uninterrupted).

I like D-STAR, but hate the "chirpiness" of the audio. Most of the digital modes need some work. I really hate the fragmented platforms
too... D-STAR, DMR, C4FM, etc.

I've been wanting to do foxhunting and ATV. Definitely SOTA. I just don't have anyone near my QTH that I know in person to do this stuff
with. My wife is definitely not interested.

I fly my drone a lot (DJI Inspire 1) to get me outdoors when no one wants to go on a hike.

Yes, a whole new hobby. I have 4 SDR dongles kicking around. :)

I have way too many. Several attached to Raspberrry Pis (1 and 2), and on BeagleBone Black. I just received the new Raspberry Pi 3, so
I'm going to see if I can run multiple dongles on it with ease.

I started an SDR project for fun (flightbox.io / beta.flightbox.io/api). Turns out there was a successful Kickstarter for a very, very
similar project with the same exact name. Weird. Also want to create one for AIS (ships), and other digital modes.

So much fun.

I got my ticket back in 1989, never looked back. :)

I should have done it in the early 90s when I wanted to :| I even had a Yeasu FT-530 that I wasn't allowed to transmit on of course.

Knight

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Re: Re: Good old times
By: Vk3jed to Knight on Wed Mar 16 2016 08:40 am

I will sit quiet if I'm not interested in the topic, but I don't mind a chat on air, often not typical ham topics.

Where do you sit on? HF? Local VHF/UHF? Any repeater networks?

At least here, there is an active movement to combine ham radio with cycling, so aches and pains are more likely to be from exercise. :)

What is your QTH? Definitely isn't like that here!

We don't get those here. :)

Lies... dirty filthy lies...

Knight

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Re: Re: Good old times
By: Zero Reader to Knight on Tue Mar 15 2016 07:56 pm

Sounds like 14.313 or 7.200 mHz! Those are the troll freqs, but I have to admit, I love listening to them. I wouldn't dare try to talk to them, but it's like a train wreck that you just can't look away from!

Well even though I have HF rigs, I can't get any HF signals here. I need to try out a longwire with a balun and a tuner and see if that
changes anything. But I'd sure love to lurk at least. I like listening to the crazies.

Even though I wasn't licensed for most of the last 20 years, I was an avid scanner/shortwave enthusiast. Loved listening to pirates,
foreign broadcasts, spy numbers, etc.

Knight

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Re: Re: Good old times
By: Vk3jed to Knight on Wed Mar 16 2016 11:30 am

In my earlier ham days, I used to live 5km from a wide coverage repeater, and had 120W and a beam. While I used to normally run flea power (1/2W or less), and not care which way the antenna was pointed, that 2 (ish) kW EIRP made short work of anyone silly enough to try jamming. ;)

Hahaha. Nice.

Wait, isn't 100W the legal max? :) And even then, dB changes due to antenna needs to be factored in as well (which you hinted at with
EIRP).

Knight

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Knight wrote to Vk3jed <=-

All of those things, yes. I listen/lurk on the WINS system a lot. They
are on IRLP. One of the longest running nets is on there too (something like 30 years of nightly trivia, uninterrupted).

Sounds like fun. Trivia can be a lot of fun, whether on air or in person.

I like D-STAR, but hate the "chirpiness" of the audio. Most of the
digital modes need some work. I really hate the fragmented platforms too... D-STAR, DMR, C4FM, etc.

I don't mind the audio, and it actually plays nicely with my quirky auditory processing. The fragmentation is a pain, I agree there, and I wish the powers of each network would stop their pissing contests and start working together on commonalities.

I've been wanting to do foxhunting and ATV. Definitely SOTA. I just
don't have anyone near my QTH that I know in person to do this stuff
with. My wife is definitely not interested.

Foxhunting is fun, but no one does it out here. Have to work on the ATV setup.
Lack of a suitable 23cm Tx antenna is my main limitation.

I fly my drone a lot (DJI Inspire 1) to get me outdoors when no one
wants to go on a hike.

Cool. :)

Yes, a whole new hobby. I have 4 SDR dongles kicking around. :)

I have way too many. Several attached to Raspberrry Pis (1 and 2), and
on BeagleBone Black. I just received the new Raspberry Pi 3, so I'm
going to see if I can run multiple dongles on it with ease.

Nice one. Yes, those dongles can be addictive. :)

I should have done it in the early 90s when I wanted to :| I even had a Yeasu FT-530 that I wasn't allowed to transmit on of course.

Yes, I'm glad I got mine when I did. :)


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Knight wrote to Vk3jed <=-

I will sit quiet if I'm not interested in the topic, but I don't mind a chat on air, often not typical ham topics.

Where do you sit on? HF? Local VHF/UHF? Any repeater networks?

I'm extremely difficult to catch at random, generally have to pre-arrange things here.

At least here, there is an active movement to combine ham radio with cycling, so aches and pains are more likely to be from exercise. :)

What is your QTH? Definitely isn't like that here!

I'm in Bendigo, central Victoria (the bit in the SE of Australia). Look up the BAREC Pedal Radio group on Facebook. :) Now that track season is almost done, I need to get back on the bike. :)

We don't get those here. :)

Lies... dirty filthy lies...

LOL. :)


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Knight wrote to Vk3jed <=-

Hahaha. Nice.

Wait, isn't 100W the legal max? :) And even then, dB changes due to antenna needs to be factored in as well (which you hinted at with
EIRP).

120W RF power for FM, 400 PEP for SSB, there is no EIRP limit. :)


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NIGHTFOX wrote to KNIGHT <=-

You say that like it's a bad thing.. A hobby is supposed to be
something you enjoy doing in your free time, right?

Problem is when free time < desired free time. :-( Guess that's
just life though...


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ZERO READER wrote to KNIGHT <=-

But like you said, every now and then you run up on someone who is genuinely fun to talk to. Then the band craps out!

Hoping to be one of those... :-)


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KNIGHT wrote to JIMMY ANDERSON <=-

You have the most incredible wife in the world ... it sounds like.

I would proport nothing less! :-) We've been married 30 years come
August, and dated for three before that. We are soul mates in EVERY
sense of the word!

Mine thinks I'm weird for having amateur radios, and all sorts of technology in our house for years. She doesn't get it. I've been trying
to encourage her into one of the hobbies for years.

Most of my hobbies are NOT things my wife enjoys... I built model cars
for a while while she scrapbooked. I enjoy gaming (not computer gaming,
but board games and such - you know, that you play with other people
at the table) but she doesn't care for it. My favorite game right now
is Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures, but again not something she cares for.

She has played Settlers of Catan on several occasions with our kids! I
think that's more the specific company than the game though...

We both enjoy Rook, but not too many people around to play that...

We geocached for a while and enjoyed the long drives and such, but I
guess it fell out of flavor. She introduced me to Ingress, then she
dropped out of it. I do it when driving from school to school, but
don't really go out of my way anymore.

I'm a singer/songwriter and enjoy playing live. She likes to sing and
I LOVE it when I book a 'solo gig' and she's able to sing with me.
She does great with harmony and I enjoy singing harmony for her too!


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You say that like it's a bad thing.. A hobby is supposed to be
something you enjoy doing in your free time, right?

Problem is when free time < desired free time. :-( Guess that's
just life though...

That's true..

Nightfox

---
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You say that like it's a bad thing.. A hobby is supposed to be something you enjoy doing in your free time, right?

Problem is when free time < desired free time. :-( Guess that's
just life though...

So very, very true. Although these days, when you DO have desired free time, you STILL don't have free time.



...A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.
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Re: Re: Good old times
By: ROBERT WOLFE to JIMMY ANDERSON on Thu Mar 17 2016 06:45 am

So very, very true. Although these days, when you DO have desired free time, you STILL don't have free time.

I've got a wife and 2 kids, a job, a dog, etc...

I thought recently to 1993-1995, when I ran the BBS out of my apartment. Single, living in a new town; I could go the whole weekend without having to be anywhere. You don't know what you've got till it's gone. :)

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Re: Re: Good old times
By: Poindexter Fortran to ROBERT WOLFE on Thu Mar 17 2016 08:15 pm

So very, very true. Although these days, when you DO have desired free time, you STILL don't have free time.

I've got a wife and 2 kids, a job, a dog, etc...

I thought recently to 1993-1995, when I ran the BBS out of my apartment. Single, living in a new town; I could go the whole weekend without having to be anywhere. You don't know what you've got till it's gone. :)

Precisely my situation. A wife, 2 kids, 2 companies (ultimately a job, since I'm not rich and famous yet), 2 cats, and living in the most expensive area of the country (essentially).

I often think back to my teenage and early adult years envious of all the time I had. Could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

I miss it! :)

Knight

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ROBERT WOLFE wrote to JIMMY ANDERSON <=-

You say that like it's a bad thing.. A hobby is supposed to be something you enjoy doing in your free time, right?

Problem is when free time < desired free time. :-( Guess that's
just life though...

So very, very true. Although these days, when you DO have desired free time, you STILL don't have free time.

LOL - yep! There's an old saying that work expands to fill the time
available. Well it works that way for hobby time too... :-)


... D‰j€ Moo: the feeling you have heard this bull before.
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Re: Good old times
By: Jimmy Anderson to NIGHTFOX on Mon Mar 14 2016 08:08 am

I've thought about getting into HAM radio. I haven't gotten around
to it ye but I may just do it some time soon..

Same here - my wife is the one that as interested a few years ago, but
we never did anything about it. Now that I've gotten back into BBS's & talked to some people that are into HAM it's made it easier to get information for HER, which in turn made ME interested. :-)

I may end up getting into HAM a bit myself. I have a customer who is really into HAM radio, and just today he was saying he could get me a used radio really cheap. So if he actually comes through, I may have myself a HAM radio when I see him again in a month. Of course, I guess I need to actually get licensed. But he said that's really easy.

---
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Doctor Who wrote to Jimmy Anderson <=-

I may end up getting into HAM a bit myself. I have a customer who is really into HAM radio, and just today he was saying he could get me a
used radio really cheap. So if he actually comes through, I may have myself a HAM radio when I see him again in a month. Of course, I guess
I need to actually get licensed. But he said that's really easy.

Cool, I'm not sure where you are, but in the US, Australia and the UK at least, it's easy to get an entry level licence, and the higher levels just require a bit more study.


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DOCTOR WHO wrote to JIMMY ANDERSON <=-

I may end up getting into HAM a bit myself. I have a customer who is really into HAM radio, and just today he was saying he could get me a
used radio really cheap. So if he actually comes through, I may have myself a HAM radio when I see him again in a month. Of course, I guess
I need to actually get licensed. But he said that's really easy.

Yeah, that's what I'm told as well - being easy, I mean.

There's a "freefest" in Memphis on April 9 we are planning to go to.
I've had some suggestions on equipment, but would love to 'get a
deal' come across like you are being offered. :-)


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Re: Good old times
By: Doctor Who to Jimmy Anderson on Mon Mar 21 2016 09:33 pm

I may end up getting into HAM a bit myself. I have a customer who is really into HAM radio, and just today he was saying he could get me a used radio really cheap. So if he actually comes through, I may have myself a HAM radio when I see him again in a month. Of course, I guess I need to actually get licensed. But he said that's really easy.

I started with a really old HT (handy talkie) or handheld radio, think I picked it up at a hamfest for around $50 bucks.
Now adays you can get some brand new low cost HT radios for under $40 bucks. They are descent radios to get started with, and don't cost a lot of money.
You can find Baofeng and other Chinese made HTs on eBay, just google the model numbers and you'll find a bunch of reviews.
It's a great way to start, learn, and move on to something else, and doesn't cost a lot of money anymore.
In fact I'm thinking about picking up a couple of Baofeng UV-5R for me and my wife...$26 bucks for 2 of them out of China...got to hate those prices.
And they are descent radios, not great, but probably better than what I had when I started.
My 2 cents for what it's worth.

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Re: Good old times
By: Kd8bxp to Doctor Who on Tue Mar 22 2016 06:33 pm

In fact I'm thinking about picking up a couple of Baofeng UV-5R for me and my wife...$26 bucks for 2 of them out of China...got to hate those prices.

They work on some of the same freqs as those FRS/GFRS radios, so you can interoperate. Don't think they use those discriminator tones, though.

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Re: Good old times
By: Poindexter Fortran to Kd8bxp on Sat Apr 09 2016 07:08 am

In fact I'm thinking about picking up a couple of Baofeng UV-5R for me and my wife...$26 bucks for 2 of them out of China...got to hate those prices.

They work on some of the same freqs as those FRS/GFRS radios, so you can interoperate. Don't think they use those discriminator tones, though.

I own about 10 of those radios. I bought 15 of them when they dipped to $21/unit a couple of years ago. I've given away at least 5 of them to friends and others that might be interested in radio as a lure to get them into the hobby (but none stuck so far).

I have never seen them for $26 for a pair of them. If I did, I'd buy another 10 of them in a minute.

Could you be thinking about the other models that don't have the advanced features and only have a few programmable channels?

Also, as for GRMS, be careful, they're not technically legal even with a GMRS license due to the fact that they transmit at higher wattage that is allowed for GMRS!

But in case of emergencies, it's fine. You're always allowed to transmit if there's an emergency (but only in that circumstance).

Knight

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KNIGHT wrote to POINDEXTER FORTRAN <=-

In fact I'm thinking about picking up a couple of Baofeng UV-5R for me and my wife...$26 bucks for 2 of them out of China...got to hate those prices.

They work on some of the same freqs as those FRS/GFRS radios, so you can interoperate. Don't think they use those discriminator tones, though.

Not sure how I missed this originally - is that for HAM? If so, what a deal!

I've been recommeneded to get cheap Baofeng units for beginner HAM HT, but
it turns out my wife's two emergency responder radios we bought her last year (to supplant the one issued by one of the counties) has the same freq range! They are TYT units that we paid about $85 each for.

I have bought upgraded antennas for them, now that I've learned about that stuff, and I've programmed in all the repeater channels from this area. Picking up lots of good traffic as we study for our tickets! :-)

I own about 10 of those radios. I bought 15 of them when they dipped to $21/unit a couple of years ago. I've given away at least 5 of them to friends and others that might be interested in radio as a lure to get
them into the hobby (but none stuck so far).

Interesting! Hate that none stuck though. :-(


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Re: Re: Good old times
By: JIMMY ANDERSON to KNIGHT on Sun Apr 24 2016 10:02 am

Not sure how I missed this originally - is that for HAM? If so, what a deal!

Yep!

I've been recommeneded to get cheap Baofeng units for beginner HAM HT, but it turns out my wife's two emergency responder radios we bought her last year (to supplant the one issued by one of the counties) has the same freq range! They are TYT units that we paid about $85 each for.

I don't have any TYT gear, but I hear they are pretty good. I mainly use my ICOM and Yeasu equipment, but the BaoFengs (and similar) are good for introductions to the hobby, or for having emergency spares. I know some people that use them as their main rigs and have few problems with them.

I know they're a bit hot on the mic, and the speakers often don't output great sound. But, eh, I guess you get what you pay for.

My ICOM ID-51A sounds great, but it's also like 10 times the price. Fantastic interface/UI (and love the record to SD card feature). Can't stand the interface for the BaoFengs. Worst thing about them in fact.

I have bought upgraded antennas for them, now that I've learned about that stuff, and I've programmed in all the repeater channels from this area. Picking up lots of good traffic as we study for our tickets! :-)

There ya go, good idea!

Interesting! Hate that none stuck though. :-(

Me too. It's a real shame. But thankfully I'm not out a lot financially.

Knight

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KNIGHT wrote to JIMMY ANDERSON <=-

I've been recommeneded to get cheap Baofeng units for beginner HAM HT, but it turns out my wife's two emergency responder radios we bought her last year (to supplant the one issued by one of the counties) has the same freq range! They are TYT units that we paid about $85 each for.

I don't have any TYT gear, but I hear they are pretty good.

They aren't Motorola, but they were also less than $100 each. :-)

Out of the box, they are 5w units (with a low power setting of 1w
if you choose). I bought Nagoya NA-771 (I think that's the number)
antennas for them and she was able to hit her EMS/Fire Repeaters
from places we have been unable to hit at all! Hearing has always
been fine with the rubber ducks, but now she can transmit!

Obviously we haven't tried to transmit on the HAM repeaters in the
area since we don't have our license yet, but we are hearing traffic
just fine on them!

I mainly
use my ICOM and Yeasu equipment, but the BaoFengs (and similar) are
good for introductions to the hobby, or for having emergency spares. I know some people that use them as their main rigs and have few problems with them.

From my understanding (what I've been told anyway) you are right on the
money! Great for an intro unit and for repeater work that's close by.

Eventually I want to get a nice mobile rig in my pickup and in her
pickup, and then something for the house...

I know they're a bit hot on the mic, and the speakers often don't
output great sound. But, eh, I guess you get what you pay for.

If it's something that can get on the air and be understood, then it
suits the purpose. :-)

My ICOM ID-51A sounds great, but it's also like 10 times the price. Fantastic interface/UI (and love the record to SD card feature). Can't stand the interface for the BaoFengs. Worst thing about them in fact.

No idea how the TYT compares to the Fangs on the interface. I know it has
a keypad but I just bought a $5 cable and program them that way. :-)

Interesting! Hate that none stuck though. :-(

Me too. It's a real shame. But thankfully I'm not out a lot
financially.

True!


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