INGO HAM Radio Club

[OneBadV8]

I've just been listening and playing with some handhelds, but is there a good source to find local frequencies? weather, etc?

 

[Backpacker]

Try an online repeater directory.

 

[Notalentbum]

These are the Central Indiana weather frequencies but they are used all over the country. I can’t remember which one is which county but I have them all set in my radio.
There is an app called RepeaterBook that lists the repeaters in an area.

WX [30] Channel	Marine Channel	Radio Preset
162.400 MHz	WX2	36B	1
162.425 MHz	WX4	96B	2
162.450 MHz	WX5	37B	3
162.475 MHz	WX3	97B	4
162.500 MHz	WX6	38B	5
162.525 MHz	WX7	98B	6
162.550 MHz	WX1	39B	7

 

[GarandMD]

The Indiana Repeater Council site will most likely be more accurate.

Indiana Repeater Council Database Search

flexweb.ircinc.org

 

[Cameramonkey]

Whoa!

 

[Backpacker]

I want to give a shout out to the fine gentlemen at the Brown County amateur radio club. I tested with them on May 25th, 2024. I passed the Amateur Extra exam and really appreciate their time and effort.

 

[Emerson Dambiggins]

 

[Emerson Dambiggins]

Not sure why my battery keeps going dead...

 

[MontereyC6]

I've just been listening and playing with some handhelds, but is there a good source to find local frequencies? weather, etc?

Repeaterbook is,a good source. Dude you need to get your technician license! I'm starting to study for the general license. I want to get that knocked out this summer.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

I want to give a shout out to the fine gentlemen at the Brown County amateur radio club. I tested with them on May 25th, 2024. I passed the Amateur Extra exam and really appreciate their time and effort.

Whoa! You passed the extra!? Well ****ing done! Congratulations!!! I took that test once a few years ago and it straight kicked my ass....I studied everyday for a month and got a 40% or somewhere close to it. That's a hard test. Enjoy!

 

[PistolBob]

Hey all y'all....if you're not doing Parks on the Air, you are missing a great opportunity to take your portable gear to the field, learn how to set it up, use it for making contacts, and tearing it all down.

I started POTA in June 2020. During the dreaded plandemic. When I first took my portable station to the field, I was confident it would work great. Lesson learned. Don't assume anything, prove everything, when it comes to your portable setups. On my second outing I had everything I needed...and what I needed was 30-40 minutes to deploy my antenna, setup power, setup radio, remembered how to use my automatic tuner...etc.

Now, I can put my portable station in a Harbor Freight Apache case, in its entirety, and hit the road. When I get to the park I can now be on the air in less than 10 minutes. Practice, test, prove, do it again.

Things that help...

1. Try to go as small as you can and still have a well working station.
2. I keep my collapsible hitch mounted vertical (Eagle One Antenna) in my SUV. It's always in there, that way I don't forget it.
3. I have a 5 gallon plastic bucket with lid in my SUV, it has guy ropes, tent stakes, a end fed antenna, a dipole, my coax feedline, a set of clip on radials, and a first aid kit and a few other things I have found useful along the way.
4. I have a 2 by 4 foot folding table, and a bag chair, in the SUV as well.

So I am confident I can set up my station and start making contacts quickly, if there are trees available or not.

You can bring a whole raft of other things or maybe fewer things....the point I am making is, have your gear ready, tested, proven, and ready to grab and go should the need arise. Not to mention POTA is a world of fun.

 

[Notalentbum]

Hey all y'all....if you're not doing Parks on the Air, you are missing a great opportunity to take your portable gear to the field, learn how to set it up, use it for making contacts, and tearing it all down.

I started POTA in June 2020. During the dreaded plandemic. When I first took my portable station to the field, I was confident it would work great. Lesson learned. Don't assume anything, prove everything, when it comes to your portable setups. On my second outing I had everything I needed...and what I needed was 30-40 minutes to deploy my antenna, setup power, setup radio, remembered how to use my automatic tuner...etc.

Now, I can put my portable station in a Harbor Freight Apache case, in its entirety, and hit the road. When I get to the park I can now be on the air in less than 10 minutes. Practice, test, prove, do it again.

Things that help...

1. Try to go as small as you can and still have a well working station.
2. I keep my collapsible hitch mounted vertical (Eagle One Antenna) in my SUV. It's always in there, that way I don't forget it.
3. I have a 5 gallon plastic bucket with lid in my SUV, it has guy ropes, tent stakes, a end fed antenna, a dipole, my coax feedline, a set of clip on radials, and a first aid kit and a few other things I have found useful along the way.
4. I have a 2 by 4 foot folding table, and a bag chair, in the SUV as well.

So I am confident I can set up my station and start making contacts quickly, if there are trees available or not.

You can bring a whole raft of other things or maybe fewer things....the point I am making is, have your gear ready, tested, proven, and ready to grab and go should the need arise. Not to mention POTA is a world of fun.

This is on my list for this summer as soon as I get a break. I need to build me a POTA antenna and test it here at home and work out setup and the gear needed. I most likely have everything I need but you don’t know until you try it out. I’ve been doing a bit of pota hunting last couple weeks when I have a few minutes to play.

Matt

 

[PistolBob]

This is on my list for this summer as soon as I get a break. I need to build me a POTA antenna and test it here at home and work out setup and the gear needed. I most likely have everything I need but you don’t know until you try it out. I’ve been doing a bit of pota hunting last couple weeks when I have a few minutes to play.

Matt

Matt,

I started with dipoles, and end feds. In some park locations we are not supposed to attach anything to trees. So I have gone to the hitch mounted vertical (10m in height) called Eagle One Vertical. My radio is a Elecraft KX-2 - capable of 10-12 watts of SSB, CW, PSK31...can do FT8 with an external computer....I don't lug a computer so I don't do much digital work. I also have a small antenna from Elecraft called the AX-1...it attaches to the KX-2 and is a loaded coil with telescoping whip. The KX-2 runs off internal lithium battery pack, so I have one in the radio, and two fully charged spares. I have run CW POTA ops for 7 hours and the one battery was more than enough.

Low power rigs are smaller. High powered rigs are bigger, and usually require external power.....batteries, generator, more stuff to carry ...more stuff to forget.

I have worked Europe, South America, Central America, all over the Caribbean, and into Alaska....with that AX1 antenna, 10 watts, and sitting in southern Indiana on a hill.

The major thing about portable radio success, is the antenna. You want to try to have the best antenna you can muster. My verticals are NOT the best...but they do seem to get the job done. I have almost 1000 contacts, mainly US.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Waveraider]

Been lurking here for a long time, and found these at a garage sale with chargers, extra batteries and some other accessories. Paid 70 buck and they all seem to work. Just wondering how I did.

 

[Notalentbum]

Been lurking here for a long time, and found these at a garage sale with chargers, extra batteries and some other accessories. Paid 70 buck and they all seem to work. Just wondering how I did.

Not a bad deal. They generally sell $25-35 each new. I have 5 or 6 myself.

Matt

 

[Waveraider]

Not a bad deal. They generally sell $25-35 each new. I have 5 or 6 myself.

Matt

I was wondering. Now I have to get a Ham license and learn how to use them. I have heard that Youtube can be your best friend for this.

 

[Backpacker]

Check out YouTube channel W4EEY. He teaches license exam very well.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I was wondering. Now I have to get a Ham license and learn how to use them. I have heard that Youtube can be your best friend for this.

This guy's books are great. he goes through question by question telling you not only what the correct answer, but explains WHY it is. (and why the others are not)

If you want to see examples, read a sample from the kindle version. the paperback sample is crap and is just the foreword and other fluff. It runs out of free pages before it gets to the questions.

Amazon.com

 

[ACR]

I was wondering. Now I have to get a Ham license and learn how to use them. I have heard that Youtube can be your best friend for this.

Hamstudy.org was very helpful and useful for me.

 

[PistolBob]

Been lurking here for a long time, and found these at a garage sale with chargers, extra batteries and some other accessories. Paid 70 buck and they all seem to work. Just wondering how I did.

Yup. You got a bunch of them.

Not a fan of cheap Chinese radios...but at least you have plenty of spares.