Gloom
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Posts
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Posts posted by Gloom
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Are there any decent forums out there for discussing ham radio stuff? Most of the ones I've seen are either just a b*tch and moan fest, or nobody posts anything....
Thanks
W7MVG
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Got this from an email list, I thought the more exposure it gets the better:
Monday, 03 April 2006An Oregon Department of Forestry lookout on Mt. Sexton was destroyed over the weekend and Oregon State Police are asking for help to catch the parties responsible.
Numerous buildings and communication equipment on the mountain were destroyed sometime between nine and ten thirty p.m. on Saturday night. Preliminary damage estimates exceed one hundred thousand dollars.
The location of the incident is 7 miles east of I-5 off old Highway 99 near Jumpoff Joe Creek,north of Grants Pass.
OSP Arson & Explosive Detectives are conducting an investigation and are asking for the public's help with information that will lead to identifying suspects in this case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Oregon State Police Southern Communications Center
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I remember the thrill of finding my first cache. The fun, the comeraderie, the HUNT. Then things changed, it became political. More about the numbers than the find. Downhill from there. The thrill is gone I tell ya. Oh how I long for the old days.
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Thanks a bunch n7viv!
So let me see if I'm deciphering this correctly:
G4PCI 50204.0 W1JJ EME JT65a tnx -25 1549 31 Jan
So that's saying that G4PCI contacted W1JJ on 50.204 MHz using moon bounce. I'm assuming the JT65a is the grid locator? What's the -25 mean?
Thanks again!
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yeah, thanks for the reply that clears it up conciderably. I guess I wasn't thinking about the rare contacts, since I've never worked anything DX, only some repeater chatting and 2m simplex local. The idea of a "rare" contact on that is foreign to me, so I just wasn't thinking in those terms.
Thanks again.
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yeah, that'd be one of LazyBoy's caches. I'll go dig up the info.
That'd be Automated Cache Machine (GCHFHZ), but it's archived now.
Edit: sorry, wrong link. Fixed it.
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To further illustrate my point, this from an European website:
50.110 CQING: LISTENING is the first rule of working rare DX on 6m. So think twice before calling CQ on 110. It would be stupid to say that you shouldn’t call CQ but please remember that this is a shared frequency so your reputation will be on line if you insist on calling CQ unceasingly every minute of the day or throughout an opening - even if you do say "CQ DX only" or "CQ outside of my region only". The occasional CQ is good as it can discover an unrecognised opening....
If you really must call CQ on 110, think twice, listen for five minutes, cross your legs, count to 100, and if the overwhelming desire is still there go ahead and CALL - but keep it short! At the end of the day the choice is yours and yours alone.
So if americans are NEVER supposed to call on the "calling frequency" and Europeans should rarely ever.... WHO THE HECK ARE YOU LISTENING FOR?
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OK, I've had this question for a while now. Whenever I read about operating practices I inevitably come across something like the following: (Bold empahsis added)
The 50.110 MHz international DX calling frequency has been used for more than 20 years, but its original purpose has been largely eclipsed by the dramatic increase in 6-meter activity over the past decade. It was intended for making initial contacts with stations outside one's own continent when the band was dead. It is still used that way, but widespread abuse, crowding and consequent QRM around 50.110 has dramatically undermined the DX calling frequency's intended function.It is probably most useful now as a place for American stations to listen for DX before the band opens. Leave 50.110 MHz clear so that others have a chance to hear intercontinental DX stations calling CQ. Resist calling there yourself. You merely make it impossible for others to copy weak DX stations you may not be hearing. If you feel the urge to call CQ, pick another frequency. You will be more likely to be in the clear on the DX side, and you will not interfere with those who are assiduously monitoring 50.110.
Now, this question doesn't just apply to 6m or DX calling, but I see quite frequently words to the effect of "listen to but never call on the calling frequency." This just doesn't make any sense to me. I mean I can see that if you are to call on it, someone else may not be able to hear a weak signal call. But, if that's the case, who would EVER use the calling frequency and what would you be listening for? I mean, in the case above, yes you may be talking over a weak signal, but c'mon... isn't the whole point of a calling frequency so you can call other stations to make contact? American stations are never allowed to call, only listen for them? Again, I go back to the point of what is a calling frequency for if you're not supposed to call on it.
Please someone explain the logic to me.
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I've been thinking about getting into 6m DX work, but I don't have any idea what kind of rig to get. I don't have a whole lotta money for this and since I only have a Tech ticket, an all-the-bells-n-whistles-HF+6 is out the window. I've concidered one of the Ranger 6m all modes, but I haven't really heard good things about them and the $300 price tag is a little high, and I can't seem to find a used one.
Any suggestions on a decent, not too expensive rig I can get my feet wet with?
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Has there ever been a documented instance of a geocacher being assaulted while on the hunt? I've certainly never heard of anything of the sort here in Texas, although it's possible I missed it. I did recently learn that a couple of Dallas-area cachers were shot at -- quite unintentionally, it seems -- by a stupid and/or drunk target shooter unaware of his surroundings. This seems unrelated to this particular discussion thread, however.
My view is that the odds of being involved in an automobile accident while travelling to the cache site are far higher than the odds of being accosted by a stranger in a park.
Here is one documented example:
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The Tillamook State Forest has a designated off-highway area around Browns Camp, there are plenty of caches up that way too.
The best place to look for off-road areas in Oregon is the Oregon Off-Hiway Vehicle Association web page. Plenty of info on where to go and what you need (permits and such). Plus it usually has info about what areas are closed due to fire restictions and that kinda thing.
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Is there, or can there be an option to filter finds based on the last time a cache was found?
For example, say I want to go hit some caches that haven't been found in 1 year, or 2 weeks, or 4 months. Can I filter things out so it only shows me active caches that haven't been found by me and haven't been found in the past XYZ days?
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Along simalar lines. We had a cache where you'd go to the first waypoint and it would give you instructions to call out a certain phrase on a certain FRS channel. If the cache owner was listening he'd respond with the coordinates for the container.
Kinda fun, but a lot of work for the owner. It didn't last very long.
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This is "fun" stuff. Try having some.
AMEN!
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I would definitely leave the find. They did find it even if it was not the way that was intended. But now the decision is whether to leave the alternate way of finding it in place or to change the hint. That is up to your personal preference.
I would tend to agree. The cacher in question found your cache (the key here is found) but used means that you didn't intend for them to use. In my mind this is no different than someone finding one of my caches using a map and compass. Or a "muggle" stumbling on the cache and logging the find (and thereby being introduced to the game). Either way, they found the cache, which is the whole point of the game.
It's up to you to decide if you want to change the way the game is played, but IMHO as long as you find the cache you get credit for the find.
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oops
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Sorry, I can't help you with a place to find quick and easy radio review, as I haven't found one yet. If you do, let me know!
The best place to start, IMHO would be to get a copy of the ARRLs "Now You're Talking" study guide for the Tech license. It's available here... http://www.arrl.org/catalog/lm/ or you might be able to find it in local book stores or electronics stores. I think it's the best book on the market for passing the test. Not necisarily the best for HAM radio in general, but it'll get your feet wet enough to know what other books to look for.
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OK, I finally went and bought a vehicle that's nice enough to put a mobile unit in. The old jeep was just too noisy and unsecure for a dedicated unit. I've been living with a HT and that's just not cutting it now.
I'm looking for advice on a decent, not TOO expensive dual band (2m, 70cm, minimum) transceiver. I'd like a remote head unit, cause there's just not much space to mount a full size radio in my Expedition's dash. And cross-band capability would be cool too, but not needed.
So, any suggestions?
Thanks,
Gloom
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maybe i'm just ignorant, but how would you get caught? does the FCC have people that sit around and listen to a scanner and then go track people down and check ther licences or something?
if thats the case i'll stop paying my taxes in protest
acutally... no. But there are people (especially Amatuer Radio operators) who monitor the frequencies for violations like this. If they find you are operating in violation of the rules they will turn you into the FCC who will then conduct an investigation. The airwaves (at least in the US) in the "public" bands are mostly a self-policing community and many people spend a lot of time trying to keep them all from becoming the cesspool that CB has become.
That being said, it'd be VERY hard for them to determine in the field what power level you are transmitting at without physically looking at your transmitter or being close enough that they could measure your power emissions. Your chances of being caught are almost none. Not that I'm advocating not getting the license.
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ok, so what is the oldest cache that hasn't been found yet?
When I looked at the Oregon caches a year or so ago there were 3 of them that were more then 2 years old and hadn't been hit yet. They all seem to be found now. Are there any old caches that are still waiting to be found?
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ok, just checking. Thanks.
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What the heck is a lawn anyway
Sh!t you guys aren't going to have enough water for lawns so you won't have to worry about it.
Looking for a good reverberant tunnel or echo space...
in Northwest
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The best accoustic echo I've heard to date was in a cemetary up on Skyline above portland. I don't know the name of the cemetary, but I could probably find it on a map without too much problem. Anyway it has a sitting area in it, a round cement slab with marble benches and columns around the outside. If you stand in the exact center and talk you get a great echo effect. If you move a couple inches either way, no echo at all. It's really weird.