KB8UIP and VE3SPG

Also you can interface to technology to any type of radio system, including those little FRS you use while going camping!

73!
-Chris
AC2AM

Nice concise list here.

I’ve been wanting to code up my own Microchip PIC to handle building the bridge from NMEA GPS to audio and handle the radio, good to know its already done!

MOLOTOF – They have them already:

http://www.winradio.com/

Those are admittedly DAMN expensive. However if you recall they had FM cards for ISA slots. Those easily were modified to receive 2M.

Also ATSC and NTSC PCI-E tuner cards can easily be modified to receive FM comms all the way up past 800mhz.

It is entirely possible to pick up a transmitting 2m/440 rig for under $100 in perfect working order too. Also check your freecycle lists and whatnot for folks getting rid of “police scanners”. You can hear whats out there with those. Radio Shack still sells them and they are about $100.

However I will say this – ham radio is indeed a dying hobby. The few folks that are left are growing older. As one of my former associates put it – He was describing how he used to talk from Brazil to his father in Miami on a regular basis in the 70′s and 80′s. I asked him why he didn’t anymore. His reply “Well…. Internet hehehe.”

There are any number of interesting and fun things to do with ham radio:

Earth – Moon – Earth bounce chat (i.e. use a very directional antenna and bounce your radio signal off the moon)

Operate via satellite (there are a number of hamsats up there – http://www.amsat.org) – you use them as they used to in the 60′s – just transmit at the right time and your downlink goes to a place over the horizon.

HF (using signals below 30mhz – the ionosphere tends to refract and bounce the radio signal – thus directing it back to earth over the horizon).

Digital modes – PSK31 (only need a few hz of bandwidth for nearly worldwide comms – I can easily work Europe from south FL on HF when voice would never make it) Packet – TCP/IP over Packet (i.e. plain jane internet at 1200 baud over the air/AX.25, Pactor, G-tor, WeatherFax – Slow Scan TV (before webcams lol), RTTY (radio teletype – typing keyboard to keyboard was invented in the 60′s). AND the best digital mode of all – Morse Code!!!! CW (or continuous wave). dits and dahs that are the language of a true geek. My wife even understands a bit. She recognizes I love you and a couple others like CQ, but I don’t think she’ll ever get it mastered or even try.

Skywarn – Assist the National Weather Service by becoming a severe weather spotter. Report tornadoes and flash floods.

Traffic – Become part of the OLD method of quickly communicating before phones and the interwebs – Using radio to pass messages person to person.

CERT/Emergency comms/volunteer/EOC work – Assist your local goverment and emergency staff.

One of the cooler parts is that you can LEGALLY use up to 1500 WATTS of power in the 802.11b/g band – . NOBODY better be actually doing that and around it, cuz that is better known as a microwave oven. That is provided you are communicating via amateur radio with your 802.11b/g gear. Regular Internet stuff rarely adheres to the rules, so no wise ideas.

I did just sell off my HF gear so my PSK31 days are over for a bit. We are at the dead bottom of the sunspot cycle…. Its dead out there. I live in the bottom floor of a strict apt complex – no way I can get an antenna outside where it needs to be. I don’t really like the local 2m/440 (they call em ragchew – basically the old fellas who talk all day on the “repeaters”), but my portable radio is also a general coverage receiver – so I go mobile a lot listening for stuff like the wendy’s drive through – EMS responders, helping out at accidents (making sure if someone is hurt they get EMS called quickly).

Very soon I’m building a mobile GPS/APRS/WeatherNerd mobile station for the upcoming severe WX spotting season down in FL – also next years hurricane season can benefit from live weather data on APRS.

Hope to see more ham stuff on Hak5!

My wife got her tech. license with a total investment of about an hour and $15 test fee. Way cheaper than most projects here in both time and money.

Within the realms of other amateur radio projects you might find of interest include “SDR” or Software Defined Radio. There are a lot of other micro-controller projects out there using the Arduino and Picaxe for Ham Radio applications. Even still, there is a newer technology called “D*Star” that is a digital voice and data protocol for use by amateurs.

I was excited to see a friend I hadn’t spoken with in a long time, Tray is a great guy and really easy to get along with.

I have been a ham for a while now and did use APRS, also other modes like packet BBS and SSTV …..etc.

Every hacker should be a ham !

Keep up the good work darren ! love your shows ALL of them, it does not hurt to learn something you don’t need but you might use one day !

From the valley of VA LOL !

WA5AWC, Bob