Hamshack 2

See what's entailed in making a DX contact with a Russian station. Enjoy!!!

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Amateur
• Ham
• Radio

[jprivate05]

When you say 5 7 or 5 8, what does that mean????

[inrharmony]

@jprivate05 Hi....it's basically a signal report for any of the phone modes. The first number, 0-5, is the readability, and the second, 0-9 is actual signal strength, which your receiver will tell you.

[kc9mav]

Also whats the rig?

[inrharmony]

The radio is a Yaesu FT 857D, MFJ 993B auto-tuner. I like the rig 'cause it takes up so little space and works EVERYthing....I sometimes long for a better receiver, but this one really does quite well, especially for the money.

[kc9mav]

I wasn't nervous on my first hf contact but on vhf my god my hands were shaking and I was like this "ttthiiiss isss kkcc99mmaavv llisttenning." Got a friendly response from the president of the local club and now I am a active member of the club and on the bands!

73

KC9MAV

[inrharmony]

Yep...it's mostly always that way. Glad you made it less traumatic on your entrance to the hf bands...that's usually tricky, but you must've seasoned yourself nicely on VHF beforehand...congrats!!!

73 de W4PTS

[TheFatherOfFatty]

West CFL.... I am south CFL

[cryptkeeper113]

@inrharmony I like the "...how much money i can spend that otherwise would've gone toward bills" comment, that was classic. It definitely adds up fast in ham radio that's for sure.

--Mike, KJ4RSL

[kc9mav]

Ok FB FB I use my Icom 718 that I bought for myself after x-mas

73

Dave

[inrharmony]

Yeah, the jargon can get confusing, but in simplest terms it was me contacting another amateur radio operator in Russia from here in Florida, using nothing more than a small radio and a simple antenna hung in my trees outside. It's a hobby, just like anything else....it's all about how much money I can spend that otherwise would've gone towards bills!!!

[gtochad]

no idea what you where doing (im not into radio)

but sure was intresting

[bossman380]

im working on getting my tech, any tips about radios?

[inrharmony]

Congratulations!!! Gud luck looking for a rig...lots to choose from!! See you on the air....73, W4PTS

[radiobigman47]

nice vid just got my general looking for a hf rig now .73's kc9kuh

[inrharmony]

Tnx, Simon...I will try and get something new posted soon...been kinda busy lately. There's a couple good contests coming up...maybe I'll post something regarding that. Hope to see you on the air sometime...73, Dan

[2e0hts]

Hi Dan, I enjoyed both videos and I am looking forward to the next part. I shall be listening out for you on 20M, 73 good DX Simon

[inrharmony]

Hey, congrats on making the BIG leap....that's awesome!!! I'm gonna put some more vids up soon, so hopefully you'll get some good out of it. Again, congrats and welcome to the HF bands...hope to work you sometime on the air!!! 73....

[javajini]

Thanks, Dan. This is just what I needed. I just upgraded at the Huntsville, AL hamfest in August from Technician to Extra. I was going for General but I passed both elements in one fell swoop. I'm slightly overwhelmed by the HF world.

[inrharmony]

Tnx for the comments!!! I love the whole idea of radio transmission from far away, and have been known to spend a good deal of time listning to SW...lots of fun!!!  73!!!

[hunt555fish]

Yes I did mean FT857. Were can you get the CW GET program?

[inrharmony]

Ron, the rig is a FT 857D, and I love it. I have one also in the car...works great once you learn the menus...hi!!! CW GET is a morse decoder, and I simply route the headphone output of the rig into the mic input of my computer. I'd explain further, but I'd mess it up, so it's best to read the help files on the program...hehehe. Good luck, and it is a great hobby!!!

[hunt555fish]

Good job Dan. This should be a help to new operators.How do you like the FT 897D? I have been thinking on getting one for mobile operations.How does the cw get program work?This is a great hobby. Ron KAWEL

[inrharmony]

I thought I was going to be the same way...just a listener, and that would've been fine, and less complex too, having to study for the ham exams and all. Lots of fun, though....and every once in a while I'll just tune around the SW portions of the bands and give a listen...still fascinating.

[fehquig]

Looks like a great hobby. I had a shortwave set when I was a kid. It was connected to a wire antenna. I heard stuff from all over the world, but couldn't talk to anyone. Just listening was fun...

[inrharmony]

Tnx...73!!