Welcome to The Ham Coach.
Your resource to getting started in the world of Amateur Radio.
The information presented on this blog and my website www.thehamcoach.com will help you to learn about becoming a licensed amateur radio operator, fine tune your radio communication skills and become more radio active.
If you get an outdated error when you plug in your old programming cable into a Windows 11 system should you buy a new cable?
If you have an old laptop of PC that you know worked with that cable try that first.
My Windows 11 didn't work, even when I bought new cables for my old Baofeng UV-3R. After 2 new cable purchases from different brands on Amazon I thought I would try my old cable on a Windows 7 Laptop that I used for programming radios for friends who just got their ham licenses.
The Yaesu FT-710 has two USB ports, one for your laptop and one for a mouse to ease menu operations.
If you are planning on useing WSJT for FT-8 and supported protocols you have to set up your radio to properly have the software control your radio. You may have to load in drivers as well. Here is a link on how to do it:
I have been using eQSL for many years and when I moved to New Mexico from California, I set up my ham shack and carried on with my hobbie. I updated my address but I could not change the state on my QSL information. The problem was I needed to designate an end date to my California account and create a New Mexico sub account with a new start date for future QSLs.
The problem is I overlapped QSLs between my two residences and now my account information is a disaster.
I think I figured out how to correct the problem. It isn't as simple as deleting the QSL records prior to my move. It may intail downloading my ADIF file, editing and uploading it back to the site. The trick is I do not want to lose all my QSLs nor do I want to double the good ones.
Here is the solution:
Log into your account and your new sub account.
Click Outbox
Click Select Display Pages
Enter the date range of the bad records. (Hint - They are before your start date on your new sub account.)
Click the left most Icon on each record - Looks like a pencil on a pad of paper
Legislation Helps Increase Communication Options During Natural Disasters
FEBRUARY 14, 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced legislation to give amateur radio operators the right to install their antennas and serve their community. Homeowner association rules prevent amateur radio operators from installing outdoor antennas on residential properties even though this communication method has proven to be essential in emergencies and natural disasters, such as hurricanes in states like Mississippi and Connecticut.
“Because communication during natural disasters is often hindered, we should be making every attempt to give folks more options. Reliable access can make the difference between life and death in an emergency. Our legislation removes roadblocks for amateur radio operators looking to help their friends, families, and neighbors,” Senator Wicker said.
“Our measure will help clarify the rules so ham radio enthusiasts can successfully continue their communications. In the face of emergency or crisis, they help provide vital, life-saving information that allow listeners to properly and safely respond, but prohibitive home association rules and confusing approval processes for installing antennas have been an unnecessary impediment,” Senator Blumenthal said. “The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act resolves these bottlenecks and ensures that radio operators can function successfully.”
Background:
The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act of 2024 would require homeowner associations to accommodate the needs of amateur radio operators by limiting the scenarios in which they can ban, prevent, or require the approval of the installation or use of amateur radio antennas. Homeowner associations have often prevented installation and use through private lands restrictions, potentially hindering access to emergency communications.
Among other provisions, this legislation would:
Prohibit homeowner association rules that would prevent or ban amateur radio antennas;
Clarify the approval process for installing amateur radio antennas;
Give amateur radio operators a private right of action.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act of 2024 has been endorsed by the Amateur Radio Relay League.
The full text of the legislation can be found here.
The Ham Radio Station on board was operating and locals were makeing contact.
Sorry about the shakiness of the cellphone camera. The ISS passed over us at 17,400 miles per hour and it was hard to handle the camera and the ham radio.
I heard "DM79" coming up a lot and that is a Ham Radio Grid signifying Denver, CO.
Our Grid area is DM72, which goes from Alamogordo to the Texas border and east to Carlsbad.
Quartzfest 202 is a free event - Donations welcome! You do not need a reservation for your RV. Find your favorite cactus and plot of desert and park your RV .
It pays to read the fine print. If you live in an HOA controlled area check your contract for allowance of decorative lights. You can sneak in a dipole and the HOA would never know the better.
Just because you only have a Technician's class license it does not limit you ability to make contacts on Single Sideband!
Check it out:
This article was most informative:
Single Sideband on 2 Meters: The Other VHF Mode
Source: https://www.hamradioschool.com/post/single-sideband-on-2-meters-the-other-vhf-modeMost new hams get started on the ham bands using FM, with 2m and 70cm being the most popular bands. This is a great way to get started using VHF simplex and repeater communications. FM is the most popular mode primarily due to the wide availability of FM repeaters. These repeaters extend the operating range on VHF and enable low power handheld transceivers to communicate over 100 miles. FM is also used on simplex to make contacts directly without repeaters.
The main disadvantage of FM is relatively poor performance when signals are weak, which is where SSB really shines. A weak FM signal can disappear completely into the noise while a comparable SSB signal is still quite readable. How big of a difference does this really make? Perhaps 10 dB or more, which corresponds to one or two S-units. Put a different way, using SSB instead of FM can be equivalent to having a beam antenna with 10 dB of gain, just by changing modulation types. So this is a big deal and radio amateurs interested in serious VHF work have naturally chosen SSB as the preferred voice mode. (You will also hear them using Morse code or CW transmissions, which is even more efficient that SSB.)
As an example of what is possible on SSB, during one VHF contest I was operating portable in Colorado Springs. I had just dismantled my 2m yagi antenna and was listening to 2M SSB on a short mobile whip antenna. Suddenly, I heard WA7KYM in Cheyenne, Wyoming calling CQ from about 160 miles away. I figured that with my puny little antenna and only 10 watts of power, there was no way he was going to hear me. But, what they heck, it was a contest and it would be more points so I gave him a call. To my surprise, WA7KYM heard me and we made the contact without much signal strength to spare. Now, to be accurate, this contact has more to do with WA7KYM’s “big gun” station (linear amplifier, low noise preamp and large antenna array) than it had to do with my 10 watts and a small whip. The key point here is that this contact would not have happened using FM and was only possible because of SSB.
When and Where to Operate
The SSB portion of the 2m band runs from 144.100 MHz to 144.275 MHz and Upper Sideband (USB) is used. The 2M SSB calling frequency is 144.200 MHz, so that is the first place to look for activity or to call CQ. SSB operation is not channelized like FM simplex and repeater operations, so you’ll need to tune around to find other stations on the band. A station may be operating anywhere in the SSB sub band, and not one any specifically designated frequency or channel. As a result, and as compared with FM, adjusting the transceiver frequency is much more critical. If you are not precisely aligned on the same frequency as the station you are listening to, the audio will sound odd. Fine tuning adjustments will be needed to get the audio tone of the received station just right.
One of the realities of 2M SSB operation is that many times, no one is on the air. There is just not that much activity out there, as compared to 2m FM. Some amateurs get discouraged, turn off the radio and and miss the thrill of working distant stations during a band opening. To get started on 2m SSB, the trick is to get on the air at times when you know there will be activity— during VHF nets and VHF contests.
VHF Nets
You will need to check around to see if there is a SSB VHF Net in your area. Find out what time it is held and the frequency of operation. Checking into the net is a great way to try out SSB and to make contact with the 2m SSB operators in your area.
VHF Contests
Think of VHF contests as “VHF activity weekend” since they are a great opportunity to just get on the air and work 2M SSB enthusiasts. The main contests are the ARRL June VHF Contest, the ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes, the ARRL September VHF Contest and the CQ Worldwide VHF Contest in July. For more information, take a look at this article from my personal ham radio blog: How to Work a VHF Contest.
Equipment
The required equipment for getting started on 2M SSB is pretty basic – a transceiver capable of 2M SSB and a 2M antenna. The 2M antenna you already have is probably vertically polarized since that is what we use for 2M FM, both mobile and base stations. All of the 1/4-wave and 5/8-wave antennas that are commonly used for 2M mobile work are vertically polarized. Most omni-directional base station antennas such as those made by Cushcraft, Diamond, Comet, etc. are vertical, too. These antennas will work for SSB but most of the really active 2m SSB stations use horizontally-polarized antennas. Vertically-polarized stations can work horizontally-polarized stations but there will be a substantial signal loss (about 20dB). If vertical is all you have, then give it a try. If you can get a horizontal antenna, then your results will be much better.
The most common horizontally-polarized antenna on 2m is a Yagi mounted so that its elements are parallel to the ground. There are a variety of horizontally-polarized, omni-directional mobile antennas, such as the HO antenna made by M2 (see http://www.m2inc.com).
Get on the Air
This information is intended to get you started on your way to operating 2m on the SSB portion of the band. You will learn more as you get into it and you will find that most of the people hanging out down on sideband are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. They are always happy to see a new operator on 2m sideband.
