Ham radio help

[ballz71]

I would like to see if there is anyone around middle tn that could help learning ham radio. I have several baofeng and have only been able to pick up locale traffic like ems or sheriff. I have never been able to pick up anyone else. I have tried listening to repeaters but no luck. I have not taken my test for my licence yet but i am studying for it. 

[Darrell]

29 minutes ago, ballz71 said:

I would like to see if there is anyone around middle tn that could help learning ham radio

Your best bet would be to seek out a local ham radio club and attend a meeting or two. Most clubs are full of old guys who love to talk and advise, and I know you can find some help. Being so near Nashville, you can easily find some help there.  I found the Sumner County Amateur Radio club website here:   https://www.scara.net/

What kind of receiver are you using?  There should be quite a bit of ham traffic on 40 meters after dark, and on 20 meters during the daylight hours. Since you're studying for your license I assume you know which parts of the bands are used for voice communications. Be sure your receiver is set to copy SSB transmissions. In the lower parts of those bands you should hear quite a bit of CW.

 

[cannoncocker]

Here you go...

https://www.scara.net/

[OldIronFan]

Williamson County Amateur Radio Emergency Services does classes every year. 
They have technician classes starting in May. They run it on Saturdays from 8am till noon. 

The classes can fill up quickly since they are cheap/free if I recall. 

Those interested in attending should contact Jack Cox via email at: ka4otb@comcast.net

https://wcares.org/

[OldIronFan]

FYI most of the UHF/VHF traffic (70cm/2m) is on the area repeater systems 

Some examples 

Repeater    Frequency    Tone    Shift
Franklin – UHF    444.025 MHz    PL 110.9    +
Franklin – VHF (FOW)    145.150 MHz    PL 123.0    –
Fairview – VHF    145.130 MHz    PL 156.7    –
Brentwood – VHF    145.210 MHz    PL 173.8    –
Kirkland – UHF    443.875 MHz    PL 107.2    +
Murfreesboro - VHF 145.1700   PL  114.8      -
Woodbury, short mt - VHF 145.4900    PL 100  -

There is also 
Mount Juliet, - VHF 146.4150 
La Vergne - VHF 145.2300

lots more that I do not have in my notes like Lebanon, Watertown, and Davidson county. 

 

[ballz71]

I live in portland is there any repeaters near me?

[BHunted]

there's an app for that...

[Trekbike]

On 4/9/2021 at 2:55 PM, BHunted said:

there's an app for that...

As further help, the one most used is the Repeater Book.  They also have a website that allows for more detailed info.  

   

[Mamba]

On 4/9/2021 at 5:46 AM, ballz71 said:

I have several baofeng and have only been able to pick up locale traffic

Dunno if you'll find any repeaters in that area but this vid really helped me out in programming my BF-F8+, including loading in area repeaters via CHIRP.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Mamba

[tnhawk]

On 4/9/2021 at 6:23 AM, Darrell said:

Your best bet would be to seek out a local ham radio club and attend a meeting or two. Most clubs are full of old guys who love to talk and advise, and I know you can find some help. Being so near Nashville, you can easily find some help there.  I found the Sumner County Amateur Radio club website here:   https://www.scara.net/

What kind of receiver are you using?  There should be quite a bit of ham traffic on 40 meters after dark, and on 20 meters during the daylight hours. Since you're studying for your license I assume you know which parts of the bands are used for voice communications. Be sure your receiver is set to copy SSB transmissions. In the lower parts of those bands you should hear quite a bit of CW.

 

It would be extremely helpful to find a local radio club for information.

Use of a repeater or VHF transmission in 2 meter band requires a Technician License.

Operation on the HF bands requires a General license.

You can get the manuals and study or attend classes at a local club to prepare for the FCC licenses.

 

AK4SZ

[Krull]

Download RepeaterBook 

[ReeferMac]

On 4/23/2021 at 6:01 PM, Mamba said:

Dunno if you'll find any repeaters in that area but this vid really helped me out in programming my BF-F8+, including loading in area repeaters via CHIRP.

Yeah, ditto. Helped me get my head around it a lot.

Grab a cup of coffee this weekend and lose part of the day watching that vid and some of the other ones in there.

[Mamba]

On 6/25/2021 at 5:59 PM, ReeferMac said:

Yeah, ditto. Helped me get my head around it a lot.

Good to hear...Josh has a ton of great vids on his channel. His recent "Stealthy and Covert" vid was a hoot. Dunno that I'd want to ever James Bond it radio-wise, but fun stuff to watch.
Finally got around to remote-testing for my Tech ticket on the 11th, but not had much time to do anything with it due to family issues out of state. Hope to test for my General by year-end. For now I'm mainly interested in VHF/UHF, and I picked up a dual-band DMR HT but I can already feel the draw to HF. lol

[Schadenfreude]

Don't tell those local hams that you have a baofeng - you will get an hour long chastising about what a piece of crap that is & that you need a $900 handheld

[OldIronFan]

15 hours ago, Schadenfreude said:

Don't tell those local hams that you have a baofeng - you will get an hour long chastising about what a piece of crap that is & that you need a $900 handheld

Well they are pretty crappy. I have one, I mainly keep it in the side table and turn it on when the weather is getting bad to listen when the local nets get activated. It is not worth keeping in the truck to trust in an emergency situation. 

If it gets some one started in the hobby and gets them interested in emergency communication then it has value in my book. 

[Defender]

I REALLY want to get into ham.  I put it off for years because of code.  Then it was because of not being able to afford decent equipment.  Im looking to retire in a few years, so I'm at the point now that i need to decide what equipment i want and start buying it. I'd like to get a  good multiband base unit and a good versatile multiband handheld.  Hopefully I can find something that will work for me being a newbie as well as allowing me to grow with it and not becoming limited later and need to upgrade.  Once I retire, I doubt upgrading will be a viable option.  If any hams on here have suggestions, Id appreciate their input.  At present I have an older  Grundig Satellite 700 Receiver that receives many bands of radio, and a handheld Baofeng  Dual Band FM Transceiver and a multitude of scanners, both handheld and portable handheld.

[Mamba]

4 hours ago, Defender said:

I REALLY want to get into ham.  I put it off for years....

I put it off too, but now I'm semi-retired so no more excuses. I was mildly big into CB back in the pre-trucker days when it was more Ham-like in nature (licensed, family-friendly) so I setup a CB shack earlier this year. Still glad I did but it's just not the same as it was.
Popularity-wise, now is a good time...not so great a time new equipment-wise due to lingering shortages (chip, etc) from the past year. And license-testing fees will go from $15 per to $35...someday, the FCC is still undecided on when. I took my Tech test remote (via Zoom) but not sure how much longer that option will be around before most testing returns to in-person. So I wouldn't wait too long if any of that matters to you.
Equipment-wise, you'll surely hear "buy once, cry once" but I don't have much to spend so went cheap... all new gear from eBay. A couple BF-F8+ HTs and a TYT TH-9800+ quad-band mobile that shares power with my mobile CB from a TekPower TP30 12v P/S, to use as a base. I added a copper J-pole antenna just above the roof line, no problem hit'n the area repeaters; haven't tested simplex TX range yet but RX is very good. Add in the coax, connectors, accessories, etc and all the above was still under $500. Yah, I'll want better down the road if I decide I to stay in the hobby long-term but I can re-purpose the 9800+ as a mobile, the 2-piece J-pole for travel, and the HTs remain handy for basic SHTF (FM, UHF/VHF, GMRS, weather). If the shortages ever end, there should be a glut of better-quality used gear on the market as people sell to upgrade to top-tier....I hope. lol There's a Hamfest coming up soon but probably too soon in that regard.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Mamba

[Defender]

33 minutes ago, Mamba said:

I put it off too, but now I'm semi-retired so no more excuses. I was mildly big into CB back in the pre-trucker days when it was more Ham-like in nature (licensed, family-friendly) so I setup a CB shack earlier this year. Still glad I did but it's just not the same as it was.
Popularity-wise, now is a good time...not so great a time new equipment-wise due to lingering shortages (chip, etc) from the past year. And license-testing fees will go from $15 per to $35...someday, the FCC is still undecided on when. I took my Tech test remote (via Zoom) but not sure how much longer that option will be around before most testing returns to in-person. So I wouldn't wait too long if any of that matters to you.
Equipment-wise, you'll surely hear "buy once, cry once" but I don't have much to spend so went cheap... all new gear from eBay. A couple BF-F8+ HTs and a TYT TH-9800+ quad-band mobile that shares power with my mobile CB from a TekPower TP30 12v P/S, to use as a base. I added a copper J-pole antenna just above the roof line, no problem hit'n the area repeaters; haven't tested simplex TX range yet but RX is very good. Add in the coax, connectors, accessories, etc and all the above was still under $500. Yah, I'll want better down the road if I decide I to stay in the hobby long-term but I can re-purpose the 9800+ as a mobile, the 2-piece J-pole for travel, and the HTs remain handy for basic SHTF (FM, UHF/VHF, GMRS, weather). If the shortages ever end, there should be a glut of better-quality used gear on the market as people sell to upgrade to top-tier....I hope. lol There's a Hamfest coming up soon but probably too soon in that regard.

What did you say?  Haha, just kidding.  I didn't understand the equipment you mentioned but I get it. Thanks for the input.  Good food for thought.