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  • The See Everything Button

  • Our picks

    • The Launch of Ham Census

      Ham Census is born

      K3MRI posted a blog entry in Official Community Blog,

      Would amateur radio operators engage? Would they give up ±45 minutes of their day to answer over 200 questions about our passion? We were not alone, did it make sense to launch another? And we were told, by a very influential, well-known amateur radio business person, that we would likely fail because there was no way that amateur radio operators would give up that much time to answer that many questions, if there was no reward at the end. Guess what, it's here, it's getting great traffic, hams are answering the questions, and the data is amazing. As expected, some of the questions are providing anticipated results. For instance, no surprise, most hams are transmitting HF at 100W. Duh, most of today's transceivers have a 100W output so it's not wonder. But then there are questions about RFI, band usage, and interference that were surprising. For instance, 72.1% of operators do some kind of operating (D-Star, etc) using the internet. Another surprising one was the number of operators who have four or more HTs. 48% of operators who took the Census said they had at least four HTs. 15.1% said that they had over 6 HTs!

      As I write, the Census is in its early days but if early response is indicative, Ham Census may become a reference tool for all those wanting to know how the practice of amateur radio is faring worldwide. To date, we have responses from 24 countries. Our goal is 150!
      • 2 replies
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • Are manufacturers supporting gear?

      Are manufacturers supporting gear?

      K3MRI posted a topic in Ham Census Findings Discussions,

      Quote from Ham Census participant:

      Do you agree? Are manufacturers putting out equipment but not providing sufficient support.

      Another participant agreed:

      Thoughts?
      • 2 replies
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • M1ECC Antennas

      M1ECC Antennas

      K3MRI posted a link in Gear manufacturers,

      At M1ECC Antennas, We have a range of new antennas for your Radio. 
      We are new our aim is to build awareness of our Quality built antenna products to serve the Radio hobby community.
      We feel customer recommendation of our products is the best way.
      Reviews help other potential buyers make confident decisions. 
      When deciding to purchase our products.
      Currently we hope to reinvest heavily from sales to expand our product range throughout 2021.
      Our website is open 24/7 for ordering & products will be shipped, 
      Subject to the postal & courier services we use over these unprecedented  times of Covid-19.
      Please feel free to contact us If you have any questions regarding your order.
      • 0 replies
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • KF7P Metalwerks

      KF7P Metalwerks

      K3MRI posted a link in Gear vendors,

      Your one stop shop for grounding/bonding, lightning protection, tower equipment, and custom made entry panels.
      • 1 reply
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • KB6NU No Nonsense Study Guides

      KB6NU No Nonsense Study Guides

      K3MRI posted a link in Education,

      In 2005, I was cooling my heels at the public-information table at our club’s Field Day site, when up walked Bruce, W8BBS. In his hand, he had a copy of his Tech license exam study guide. What he had done was take each question in the question pool, reworded them as statements, and then reorganized them into paragraphs, adding text where appropriate to tie it all together and help it read more like a book.

      We talked about how several folks had successfully used the study guide to get their licenses and how much they seemed to like his approach. Then, we talked about how he might get the word out so that more people could use his study guide. After quickly paging through the study guide, I volunteered to post it on our club’s website.

      In 2006, Bruce was unable to update his study guide, so he gave me permission to to do it. That version was the first issue of the No-Nonsense, Technician-Class Study Guide. In 2007, I produced the first No-Nonsense General Class Study Guide. In 2012, after much coaxing, I came out with the No-Nonsense Extra Class License Study Guide. All three study guides have been updated as time has gone on and are current with the latest question pools.

      In additions, all three of these study guides are now available as PDF files, Kindle files, and ePub files.  I planned to also produce  iPhone and iPad versions, but I can’t seem to get Apple to straighten out my iTunes developer account. 😞 You can certainly purchase the Kindle version, though, and read it on the iPhone or iPad with the Kindle app.

      I can honestly say that I have helped thousands of people get their amateur radio licenses. If you are one of them, thanks for downloading or purchasing one of my study guides.
      • 0 replies
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • Hamshack Hotline

      Hamshack Hotline

      HC/STAFF posted a link in Gear manufacturers,

      Hamshack Hotline (HH) is a FREE dedicated voip telecom service for the Ham Radio community.  Typically, phones are established in hamshacks, EOCs, Clubs & club members, ARES, and other Ham related areas and functions.  It is not the intention of HH to replace traffic carried over radio in an emergency or other tactical operation, but rather to augment it, by offloading managerial tactical operations and providing a full duplex path for such communications when spectrum is occupied, conditions diminished, or otherwise unavailable.   HH also supports FAXing of information (with appropriate equipment) which allows tactical offices to share documents & data between tactical locations.   In a non-tactical use, HH is an effective resource for off-air troubleshooting when you need to coordinate a troubleshoot of a radio circuit off-air and between multiple SMEs.   In addition to all this, conference bridges on the HH network allow large groups of Hams to coordinate & meet in real time anywhere in the world.

      Getting on board HH is easy!  Just acquire a supported SIP capable phone (our network prefers to register hardware phones first), and open a ticket once you have your phone.  If you have one of the phones on HH Supported Endpoints 1-7-19, then also include a picture of the Phone’s MAC address for super easy provisioning.  Before joining HH, please read and understand our HH Covenant3 If you have any questions, our FAQ’s in knowledge base area on our help desk may help, if not – feel free to open a ticket on our help desk.

      HH-brochure_trifold2c3.pdf
      • 0 replies
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • IARU Region 2 Bandplan

      IARU Region 2 Bandplan

      K3MRI posted a link in Bands & Frequencies,

      The three IARU regional organizations develop band plans to offer guidance to radio amateurs on how the different operating interests and modes of emission can be best accommodated in the limited spectrum available. Observing band plans is good amateur operating practice. In most cases observance is voluntary although some administrations incorporate the band plan for their egion into national regulations. Also, many contest sponsors require that competitors adhere to band plans.

      To the extent possible, the IARU R2 band plan is harmonized this with those of the other regions. It is suggested that Member Societies, in coordination with the authorities, incorporate it in their regulations and promote it widely with their radio amateur communities. Of course, if a band plan conflicts with national regulations the national regulations must be observed.
      • 0 replies
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • Who is this Roger guy? And why do we keep talking about him?

      Who is this Roger guy? And why do we keep talking about him?

      NS7X posted a topic in Voice analog,

      Back in the olden days, when sparks flew across gaps, a successful radio communication was a pretty tough thing to accomplish.  Morse code operators soon realized that abbreviated transmissions were key (pun intended).  So, in order to acknowledge successful receipt of a transmission, the receiving station would send "RECEIVED," letting the sending station know that things were working well.  "RECEIVED" was cumbersome so it was shortened to "RCVD," which still seemed clunky so it was shortened to"R."

      When the microphone was invented, and telephony developed, it became obvious early on that many letters sounded the same on the air, so a phonetic alphabet was invented to make clear which letter was being used.   The phonetic alphabet in use was based on male names and "Roger" was the term for the letter "R."  So, "Roger" became synonymous with "I acknowledge receipt of your last transmission."

      By the way, notice that "R" (Roger) does not mean "Yes."  It is not an assent, nor does it mean, "I concur."  It is not an answer to a question.  In other words, you should never, ever hear a ham say, "Roger, roger.  I did not copy your name.  Please repeat."

      Eventually, the phonetic alphabet changed to the one we use today, but the term "Roger" was so ingrained that it stuck.  And that, I think, is a good thing.  Somehow, hearing a ham say, "Romeo that, and thank you for the contact" just doesn't seem right.  
        • Funny
      • 1 reply
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • Southgate Amateur Radio News

      Southgate Amateur Radio News

      K3MRI posted a link in Publications and information websites,

      A premier, global amateur radio news website with daily updates. A must bookmark.
      • 0 replies
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    • Country callsigns

      Country callsigns

      K3MRI posted a quiz in Just for fun,

      Want to have some fun? Try this easy quiz...
      • 0 replies
      K3MRI

      Picked By

      K3MRI,
    View More Featured Picks

  • 5 Manufacturers' after-sales service

    1. 1. Broadly speaking, amateur radio gear manufacturers provide:


      • Amazing after-sales support
      • Good after-sales support
      • Average after-sales support
      • Inadequate after-sales support

Forums

  1. CONNECT BY STAGE

    1. Studying & licensing

      No matter where you are studying or what license you're after, help is available.

      45
      posts

    2. Deciding & buying

      Buying the right gear from the right place is never easy, ask away.

      67
      posts

    3. Installing equipment

      Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's not.

      47
      posts

    4. Operating

      This is where it gets exciting; it's a world of endless possibilities.

      59
      posts

    5. Contesting

      General contesting discussions, not discussions about specific contests. Look in the calendar section for specific ones.

      14
      posts

    6. DIY - From scratch and kits

      From the smallest kit to the largest transceiver... we love building

      8
      posts

  2. THE ELMERS' CIRCLE

    1. Ask the Elmers

      The Community is fortunate to have Experts and Elmers who can help out. You can post your question here. If it is accepted, Elmers will intervene.

      9
      posts

  3. CONNECT BY MANUFACTURER

    1. Let's talk transceivers

      • No posts here yet

    2. Let's talk some more

      • No posts here yet

  4. CONNECT BY SPECIAL INTEREST

    1. Emergency communications

      From preparedness to deployment

      76
      posts

    2. Public Service Events

      All about working with, improving upon, or otherwise participating in public service events such as races, fairs, etc.

      20
      posts

    3. Repeaters

      Whether you manage or just use a repeater, this is a great place to ask others for advice, or to give some...

      9
      posts

    4. Electronics & electromagnetism

      For those interested in the fundamentals of amateur radio

      4
      posts

    5. Nets

      General discussions about local, traffic, weather, HF, etc. nets

      20
      posts

    6. Nostalgia & History

      There was some good stuff happening in the good ol' days of Amateur Radio.

      17
      posts

    7. Research & development

      Scientific research and laboratory and field testing

      6
      posts

    8. Scanning & Short Wave Listening

      Anything to do with scanners or shortwave reception activities

      1
      post

    9. FCC, ITU, IARU and official policy discussions

      Discussions related to the U.S. FCC or to international and national regulatory bodies and policies around the world

      7
      posts

    10. Organizing an event

      Discussions about organizing events, DXpeditions, contests

      3
      posts

    11. Planning an outing

      Are you looking for friends to go operate? Planning on a small field trip and there's room for more people? Ask away.

      3
      posts

    12. Activations

      For all those of us who love to climb, travel and otherwise activate the most amazing places

      12
      posts

  5. HAM CENSUS

    1. Ham Census Q&A

      Questions about Ham Census, its content, its results, etc.

      9
      posts

    2. Ham Census Findings Discussions

      Let's discuss answers given and data generated by Ham Census.

      3
      posts

  6. EVERYTHING ELSE

    1. Ham topics in general

      55
      posts

    2. Great QSOs

      Tell us about a great QSO you had just now, or even decades back. We'd love to hear all about it.

      9
      posts

    3. Post your videos

      Embed your how-to, review, outings videos and let's discuss them.

      6
      posts

    4. Self-promotion

      Did you write a book? Did you invent a new piece of gear?

      8
      posts

    5. First QSO

      Welcome new members. Ham Community is happy to have you.

      926
      posts

    6. Non-ham topics in general

      47
      posts

    7. Ham Community Q&A

      Questions you have about the community itself, its functionality, ideas you have...

      2
      posts

  7. CONNECT BY GEOGRAPHY

    1. USA: STATES & TERRITORIES

      These state-based forums are to discuss with other state residents or for non-residents to discuss a state-related topic.

      21
      posts

    2. CANADA: PROVINCES & TERRITORIES

      4
      posts

    3. COUNTRIES

      These country-based forums are to discuss with other residents or for non-residents to discuss a country-related topic. Not all countries are listed yet. If you would like a country to be listed, open a new support request here.

      4
      posts

    4. LARGE METROPOLITAN AREAS

      12
      posts
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