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W4IZ REPEATER SYSTEM: 146.700 / 444.4 MHZ NEW HAM ADVISOR NEW HAM ADVISOR Mike Davis, N4FOZ Jacksonville, Florida

Welcome to NOFARS! This section will help you with such things as: selecting the right radio, an antenna that is right for your operating environment, power supply requirements, installation, emergency power sources and resources for frequencies in the local area as well as nets you can check into. The intent of this section is to make your initial effort cost efficient and easy to use. FIRST THING: Please feel free to call or write me with any questions no matter how big or small. EMAIL: n4foz@bellsouth.net PHONE: 904-551-5699 9am-9pm any day of the week. PART ONE RADIOS: There are so many to choose from. For the new Ham, it would be best to stick with a reliable, time proven, name brand: (Alphabetical Order) Alinco, Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu Base, Mobile, Mobile used as a base or an HT (Hand Held Transceiver)??? It all depends on your lifestyle and budget. If you are on the go a lot and on a budget, an HT might be a good choice, if you live in a city. A 2 meter or 2 meter/440 might be your best choice. If you want to use it in your vehicle, a 1/4 or 5/8ths wave magnetic mount antenna for the outside of the vehicle might be the best bet. You can also get a second antenna for home use. More on the antennas later. The good thing about buying an HT is that is it portable. The drawbacks are that they have limited power output, and batteries must be recharged. Base Station: Most new Hams start out with 2 meter operation. A fancy base station has a lot of options, but most are not necessary to Hams who use 2 meters. They are also expensive and are rarely used by new Hams. Mobile radios: An excellent choice for permanent mounting in a vehicle and what many experienced Hams use on a daily basis while in their vehicle. There are few drawbacks and many advantages. The Mobile runs off the car battery (and the cables should run directly to the battery for best performance), the Hand Microphone is easy to use and, most of all, there is a lot more power available than with an HT. The only problem one might encounter is "noise" from the vehicle electronics, which can usually be resolved with the installation of a commercially made filter. Mobile used as a Base: This is the rig you see the most for in-home use. It has the power needed, the features most used, and runs from a 12 Volt power supply. This is also a good option such as, if the A/C power fails, a 12 Volt backup battery can be used to continue transmitting in emergency situations, a primary use for Ham Radio. I have used this type of rig for years and have yet to find a drawback. You will need a 12 Volt power supply: For 2 meters, a 12 - 20 amp filtered and regulated supply should do very well. SUMMARY: If you are on the go and will operate some from home in town on a tight budget, a 5 Watt HT Hand Held is a good starter radio. If you will operate from your home most of the time, a Mobile used as a Base is the best choice. New Hams with more resources should buy an HT, a Mobile used as a Base and a Mobile for each vehicle. This is what most Hams end up doing during the first year. Remember, you still need a power supply and antennas! Tip: New Hams with young children should be careful to not let kids play with the new "toy". Disconnecting the Microphone works well. Tip: If you use a mobile as a base station, buy 4 rubber feet that will stick to the bottom for better heat dissipation. PART TWO ANTENNAS: Choosing the right antenna is one of the most important parts of good Amateur Radio operation. As with the selection of a radio, it is suggested that a well respected brand of antenna be your choice to get you started. After you learn more about how they perform, under what conditions, and then using your antenna as a baseline, you can then experiment with other antennas. Many Hams say this is one of the most enjoyable parts of Ham Radio. Good, time proven antenna brands include: (Alphabetical Order) Comet, Cushcraft, Diamond, Hustler, Hygain, Larsen, Maxrad, MFJ, Tram, and Workman. Suggested types of antennas for New Ham would include Verticals, Yagi Beams, and J-poles. Vertical Antennas: The typical antenna found on vehicles, in homes on a metal sheet or base verticals mounted outside. These types of antennas have omni-directional coverage, but usually have lesser range than a Yagi Beam. Yagi Beam: A long metal boom with perpendicular tines mounted in descending size along the boom length. This antenna is good for extended range, but has a narrowed area of coverage. J-pole, and others: A J-pole is a simple antenna that is fun to construct. They can be purchased inexpensively, and be used inside or outside. They can be rigid, flexible or roll-up type. This antenna does not compete with many Vertical or Beam antennas, but cannot be matched for flexibility of use. Most experienced Hams have a J-pole antenna close by for emergency use. Dont forget the right antenna connection adaptors. One of the biggest challenges for New Hams is the selection of the proper antenna for the given location of use. Now that we have discussed the basic antennas available, let's list some possible use scenarios: RURAL AREAS WITH MOST OTHER HAMS IN A LARGE CITY MILES AWAY: For the home, the best bet would be a Yagi Beam, mounted on a pole or tower. The antenna is pointed toward the city. Again, the Yagi has limited angle of coverage, but better coverage in one general direction. APARTMENT IN TOWN WITH ANTENNA RESTRICTIONS: Within the restrictions of your home, mount a vertical antenna as high up as you can. Not all of us are lucky enough to be on the top floor of a 40 story high rise, but a good setup can get you into the local repeaters and some simplex frequencies. A 5/8ths wave magnetic mount antenna on top of the metal refrigerator works well. If you can't do that, find a place where a mag. mount can sit on a large pizza pan, which acts as a ground plane. If that won't work, try using a J-pole hung up vertically at the top of a wall, hopefully away from metal. Move it around to find the best area for reception. Use caution with power output when close to people. Later on, if you get an outside antenna, you can use an antenna switch and still use the inside antenna during storms. HOME WITH DEED RESTRICTIONS OR RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS: These are homes that have room, but erecting a pole or a tower outdoors is prohibited. In addition to the inside antenna listed above, think about being Patriotic and erecting a flag pole made of non-metallic PVC. A flag on top and a surprise inside! With restrictions becoming more prevalent, there are companies who specialize in covert antennas. Check out the sites on the Internet. HOME WITH NO RESTRICTIONS: Inside, as a backup and storm antenna with a switch, use an antenna listed above. Outside, the choices are open. You can erect a "Push-Up" pole or a tower, and put up a large Vertical, a Yagi Beam and even a rigid J-pole. Talk to an experienced Ham about grounding issues when constructing an outside antenna. IN YOUR VEHICLE: Let's refine our earlier discussion. A "rubber duck" that comes on an HT does not usually transmit well inside a car. This is because the car acts as a Faraday Cage. An outside permanent or magnetic mount antenna works well in 1/4th or 5/8th wave. The mobile unit should have the same type antenna also. If you mount a mobile or even use an HT with a small amplifier, it is a good idea to run the cable in an area that is out of the way. Many times, running the coax under edges of carpet or underneath seats is time well spent. EXTRA GOOD IDEAS FOR EQUIPMENT: An external speaker of excellent quality is a good investment. An extra power cord for your Mobile used as a Base hooked to a large Deep Cycle, or Gel Cell battery for backup is a good idea. An SWR/Power meter. An extra battery pack and an Alkaline battery pack for your HT is a needed item. For HTs, a small external plug-in hand microphone is a good buy. PART THREE USING EMERGENCY BACKUP POWER--WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT The New Ham Advisor had gotten many questions about the best way to operate when the power goes out, which many times comes along with other emergencies. ITEMS TO OBTAIN: Flashlight close at hand and a mounted DC light in your ham shack. (DC florescent lights are inexpensive and available at most hardware stores) A second power cable for your radio. Since these cables are becoming more standardized with "T connectors", they are available at many radio shops. Large size Deep Cycle Battery or Gel Cell. Usually, the larger, the better. Deep Cycle and Gel Cell batteries are important as they can be repeatedly charged. Regular automotive starting batteries are not as good. They don't hold the consistent power for our application and repeated total recharging can shorten their life span. They are good for short bursts and, of course, great if connected to an Alternator. A combination "Float" and "Trickle" charger. This is a very important part of the project. The float type chargers maintain a topped off level for the battery without creating a lot of "out gassing", which could be an irritant, an possibly, an explosive, inside the home. Gel Cells don't deplete water the same way a conventional lead acid battery can. Proper use of a float charger can maintain the life of a battery for years. What to do: Start with a fully charged battery and keep it in the ham shack with the battery half of the extra power cable attached to it. Then, wire tie the half of the power cable right next to the "T" connector on the primary power cable. This puts the two "T" connectors beside each other. When the AC power goes out, simply unplug the radio half of the power connector from the normal power supply "T" connector and plug it into the battery side duplicate "T" connector and you are now running on backup power! PART FOUR FREQUENCY DETAILS AND LOCAL CUSTOMS: The rig is coming together, so now it is time to learn a little more about the local frequencies and tips for smooth operation. We will start with Jacksonville, Florida and later try to expand the area. What follows are frequencies commonly used, Net Meetings where everyone is welcome to participate, or "check-in" to and a little about what they are all about: The frequencies will show the primary frequency, and, if it is a Repeater, a CTCSS encode sub-tone in parentheses, if needed, that can be programmed to help get into the repeater and keep out other repeaters with the same basic frequency. It is also called a "PL" tone, which is a trade name of Motorola Corporation. Remember that Repeaters have a Transmit frequency that is Offset from the primary Repeater frequencies listed below. In general, primary frequencies of 147.000 and below have a -600 Khz Offset and a primary repeater frequency above 147.000 has a +600 Khz Offset. 146.700 (127.3) NOFARS REPEATER SYSTEM 444.400 (127.3) NOFARS REPEATER SYSTEM Open, general QSO (conversation) system with large coverage area. NETS: Monday, 8pm - WWD (Wacky Wing Ding) An informal Net with topics of the week. Weds., 7:00pm-Jacksonville Skywarn Net--For those with an interest in weather and assisting the National Weather Service office by providing reports during severe weather. Wed., 7:30pm - Duval ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) A formal Net open to all licensed Amateurs that is usually an information/practice session for network operation. This Net is subject to meet on other frequencies at times. 146.760 146.880 147.315 (127.3) 145.450 (West Jacksonville) 146.460 (SIMPLEX) NETS: Saturday, 7:30-8:30pm - The Saturday Nite Net. is an informal Net that actually gives away as much as $105. per session with the lucky spin of a wheel! The only one like it I have every heard, but a lot of fun. This Net. is famous for its buy, sell, swap of Ham equipment. 147.000 (Callahan, FL) NETS: Wed., 6:30pm - Tri-County Emergency Net. A formal Emergency Services practice Net. 147.285 (118.8) (Kingsland, GA) 147.195 (118.8) NETS: Sunday, 9pm - Camden County, GA - Formal ARES Net. 146.67 (Orange Park, FL) 146.625 (St. Augustine, FL) 147.090 (127.3) (MacClenny, FL) NETS: Tuesday, 8:00pm- Baker County Net 146.925 (156.7) (Clay County) NETS: Sunday, 7:30pm - Clay County ARES Net. 145.210 Southern St. Johns County. Long distance away from Jax, but a strong system NETS: Wed, 8:00pm - St. Johns County ARES Net. 145.330 (Brunswick, Georgia) NETS: Tuesday, 8:30pm Brunswick Area Net 146.52 (SIMPLEX) This is the national calling frequency used throughout the USA. 147.015 (127.3) 147.315 (127.3) Note: This is not a complete list. Please feel free to provide updated information. OPERATIONAL TIPS: For the new Ham, it is best to tune into a frequency and just listen for awhile to get a better understanding of how the Repeater sounds when it resets after each transmission, and generally what the personality is for that Repeater. Since some Repeaters are linked and/or have remote receivers, it is best to key your transmitter for 1/2 to 1 second before you begin talking. JOINING IN: When the repeater resets, say your call and the word "Listening" or "Monitoring". You can also just give your callsign and wait for a response. If there is a QSO in progress, and you want to join in or comment, just give your call in between other transmissions or say the word "contact", "comment", or the suffix of your call. "QUICK KEYING": Something we all try to avoid, but comes naturally from talking on the telephone. Be patient, and wait for your chance to join in. Then make sure you let the Repeater reset before transmitting again. Most Repeaters have some sound pattern that indicates it has reset. QUICK I.D.: Again, something we all do that comes naturally from repeating your call many, many times. With repetition comes speed! You can always tell a Ham has been on the air for a long time because they say their Call so quickly it is sometimes hard to understand. As a New Ham, keep this in mind and work on saying your call clearly and slow enough to be understood. Remember to give your call at the beginning, every 10 minutes thereafter, and at the end of your QSO. It is best to stay on point with the conversation at the time. Also, try to think about how you sound to others and avoid repetitive uses of filler words such as there, you know, etc. PART FIVE A SHORT LIST OF RESOURCES USEFUL TO HAM RADIO OPERATORS: NOFARS LINKS AES - Orlando, FL 1-800-327-1917 A large supplier of Ham Radio equipment. Florida residents must pay sales tax. HRO - Atlanta, GA 1-800-444-7927 A large supplier of Ham Radio equipment. No sales tax to Florida residents and free shipping with larger purchases. Manager, Mark Holmes is very helpful with NOFARS members. Batteries America aka Yost Battery Co. Extra Batteries and Chargers 800-305-4805 R and L Electronics - Hamilton, OH 1-800-221-7735 A large supplier of Ham Radio equipment. No sales tax to Florida residents. Known for good prices. Universal Radio - Reynoldsburg, OH 1-800-431-3939 A large supplier of Ham Radio equipment. No sales tax to Florida residents. Known for hard to find items. SUNN BATTERY- Jacksonville, FL 904-354-4508 This company has many replacement batteries, backup batteries and can, in some cases, rebuild your HT Battery Pack www.ARRL.org The representative group of Ham Radio and a great source of information. www.W5YI.org This is another very helpful and knowledge base for Ham Radio. All of the above large suppliers usually have good used equipment. Note: This is not a complete list. Please feel free to provide updated information as it becomes available. NEW HAM ADVISOR COLUMNS IN THE BALANCED MODULATOR NEWSLETTER Questions from newcomers are discussed in the NOFARS Balanced Modulator newsletter, published six times per year. Articles on other topics of interest to hams are also included in each issue. The Balanced Modulator is sent via postal mail to all NOFARS members. To get on the mailing list, you can join NOFARS for only $5 per year. Membership is affordable for everyone at this low price! A printable membership form is on this site. Below are some New Ham Advisor columns from past issues of the Balanced Modulator: MORE ON ANTENNAS A question that has come up several times deserves further explanation: I saw your information on Yagi Beams and Vertical antennas. What are the good points and bad points of each type? The answer I have given: Yagi Beam: A long metal boom with perpendicular tines mounted in descending size along the boom length. This antenna is good for extended range, but has a narrowed area of coverage. The Pros of the beam is the ability to transmit and receive at a longer distance than with a Vertical Antenna, which is also great for simplex. There are also other benefits. Many repeater systems have other, non-connected, distant repeaters with the same frequency. The plan is to keep those repeaters a sufficient distance apart, which usually works. Usually. But in the case of a 'band opening', where atmospheric conditions cause signals to travel farther than normal, the other repeater can be heard and sometimes makes it more difficult to hear the local repeater. Such is the case of the Jacksonville, FL 146.700 repeater and the 146.700 repeater of Savannah, GA., 123 miles away. A good trick for the Yagi is to understand that each of the perpendicular tines on the Yagi have a small signal rejection aspect that extends off each tine. These are called 'Null Points'. In many cases, a beam can be turned slightly and tune out the distant repeater. This is a little known, but great feature of the Yagi Beam. The Cons: Yagi Beams can be harder to construct or assemble. If they have too much wind loading, they can be damaged in a storm. However, this generally is not the case with a 2m or dual band beam, which is lighter. It is also important to have a working antenna rotator with the beam. Without the rotor, those 'null points' can keep you from receiving other local frequencies. It is also harder to make contacts by simplex if you dont know which direction the contact is. Vertical Antennas: As the name implies, a vertical stick that sometimes has a ground plane at the bottom. The Pros of the Vertical lies in its nature to be 'Omni-directional'. Simplex contacts are easy. No need to worry about which direction the station or repeater is located because the direction is not an issue. They are easier to assemble and maintain. The Cons: Omni-directional antennas have a more limited range than Yagi Beams. There is also the problem of receiving other repeaters with the same frequency when there is a band opening. Under the right conditions, tall mounted Verticals can pick up several repeaters of the same frequency simultaneously, making it hard to just receive the one you want. Which one is better? It depends on your need and distance from the local repeaters. They are both excellent for their intended purpose. GETTING RESPONSES TO YOUR CALLS I have received several calls with the same basic question: ' I got all set up and tried some local repeaters, but I am getting frustrated from the lack of response.' The answer I have given: Repeaters have their own personalities and none of them are in use all the time. Some are rarely used. W4IZ is one of the busiest and friendliest repeaters in North Florida. Here are some recommendations: 1. Be patient. Listen for awhile for the traffic to get an idea of what subject matter is being transmitted and decide if you would fit into the conversation. 2. In between the repeater transmissions, give your call. In most cases, you will be invited to join in. At first, keep your comments to the point and brief. You will soon be a welcome member of the group. Keep expanding your participation in these informal "rag chews". 3. Check this web site for a list of local nets. They are gatherings, some formal, and some less formal, of Hams to pass information. Check into the nets often. If the net is one where comments are solicited, think about your response and relax when you speak. 4. Think about what you want to say and how it will make you appear on the net. Repetitive fillerssuch as, there, you know, etc, are not a part of good ham etiquette. And above all, please remember that we all got into Ham radio because we enjoy communicating with other Hams. We want you to join in! . GETTING RESPECT This question has been asked in many ways and normally by discrete means, but generally has the same inquiry: "I came from 11 meters (CB radio), and I passed my Technician License exam. Please tell what the real differences are and how to best make a good transition to Amateur Radio. How can I learn more about just how to become a respected Ham Operator?" The Answer I have given: Let me be the first to say that this is a sensitive subject with many Ham Radio Operators, old and new. When the decision is made to obtain a Amateur License, an important question has to be answered: "Why do I want to become a licensed Amateur Radio Operator? Why not just invest my money in a larger amplifier?" The answer will carry over into your ethical operation of Amateur Radio for the future. The Technical Transition: - CB uses AM, which stands for Amplitude Modulation. That means the louder you talk into the microphone, the louder you sound. This is not always so with FM, which stands for Frequency Modulation, used in 2 meter operation, for example. Talking very loudly simply distorts your voice, and in the case of many repeaters, your voice is actually clipped to reduce the distortion. So the answer is to speak solidly, but not loudly. Even with the use of amplifiers in CB, Ham radio operators can legally produce much more Effective Radiated Power. With this power comes the added responsibility for proper use. The Operational Transition: There are many things a new operator should learn and ponder before transmitting for the first time, and then continue to remember the operating practices to retain good habits. What really happened to CB? Well many experienced Hams I have talked to all say the same thing. 11 meters used to be a great band for communication and emergency service work. The professional truck drivers used the radio as such and CB was well respected. The 1976, C.W. McCall's diatribe hit, "Convoy", went to the top of the Billboard Charts. Then, in 1977, the movie, Smokey and the Bandit, was released and the cult popularization took over. The sale of CB radios exploded into a nation-wide fad and frenzy. There was very little instruction as to their use and everyone wanted to emulate the movie with "Interpretive Language". Then came more spin-off CB movies, and the curse of Interpreted Language proliferated. Interpretive Language means that a person makes up a cute phrase or code, to be interpreted by the "in-crowd", so as to hide the meaning from others, like the Police. That became rampant and the problem spread along with foul language and poor operating habits by those without discipline or understanding. This problem spread to such a proportion that many professional drivers moved away from Channel 19 just for a civilized conversation. Many decided that the more sophisticated Ham Radio band was the way to go. And most of the CB people transitioning to Ham Radio vowed to never let the trashing happen again. Ham Radio has a "Self Policing" mandate, so straight talk without cute names and hidden meanings is preferred. Which leads us right back to the operational ethics discussion of today. Hams prefer straight forward, plain speaking exchanges. Coded, hidden meaning transmissions are actually forbidden by law, but it takes the Operators to enforce it and refuse to return a call to anyone who violates our operational ethics. The same happens when we hear a new call, check for a valid license on QRZ.com, and refuse to talk to persons without the proper credentials. We take care of our own. That's who we are and why we shine in emergency situations. Q-Codes? What are they? Well, they have been used for decades in CW (Morse Code) to expedite the transmission of messages by that mode. Many CW Hams use the Q-Codes on voice transmissions just because their minds actually think that way in Ham Radio. Is it necessary or really desired in voice (phone) transmissions? No. Do we respect the CW Operators who have used it most of their lives? Yes. (And yes, this one is true. A good CW Operator, using Q-Codes, can transmit more information in one minute that you can by voice in 5 minutes.) Many Hams realize that our greatest potential is service to the community in Emergency Communications. In that form of operation, short, brief transmissions are desired. It is wise to practice that form even in more relaxed casual talks. That is why a lot of Operators look at the following examples, with scorn: "KB9KIG, for I.D; for License Preservation; for Station Identification; in accordance with FCC Regulations of the United State of America; this is Tom, Tango-0scar-Mike", ad nauseum. Redundant-redundant error to say the least. We all know why we give our calls at the beginning, end, and every 10 minutes of a session. We all know common names, even on HF. I suggest that everyone access the W4IZ Repeater link. There you will find several perspectives on the proper operation of a repeater system. The text is as well written as you will find anywhere. You will also find a section called, How to Sound Like a Lid. A "LID" is defined as a Ham using poor operational procedures. It is meant to be light in nature, but is in reality a strong nudge to encourage good operating practices. In conclusion: So, in the end, what does all this mean and what is the goal? It is simple. While maintaining the integrity of Amateur Radio, use common sense in operation and leave a respected legacy for future Amateur Operators. BUYING HAM GEAR - SETTING UP YOUR FIRST HAM SHACK