81–90 of 196 posts
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How do you "repurpose" a 2m repeater for that?
Swap out all the RF hardware. It's the high level site that matters.
> The radio simply plugs into the USB C port on your Android smartphone and transforms it into a fully-fledged handheld radio transceiver. When I saw the headline I was hoping someone had hacked the qualcomm modem and turned it into a software defined radio.
but then it's not a click bait
I always ask myself why no any cellphone producer is making a phone with 2m/70cm capabilities.
> The radio simply plugs into the USB C port on your Android smartphone and transforms it into a fully-fledged handheld radio transceiver. When I saw the headline I was hoping someone had hacked the qualcomm modem and turned it into a software defined radio.
but then it's not a click bait
This is a wacky idea, but the "modern" thing to do would be to repurpose seldom used 2-meter repeaters and make them 5G gNBs in the 3300 to 3450 MHz ham band (which overlaps NR band 78). Then you could directly use your cell phone (with a different SIM card) as your ham radio. Network gaming servers to the gNBs and every kid in the US will want a ham license. https://github.com/srsran/srsran_project
1. How do you get cell phones to automatically identify in a way that satisfies the part 97 rules?
2. How compatible are modern smartphones with the null encryption cypher?
3. With fewer and fewer physical sim slots, is it possible for an amateur to produce valid eSIMs? (And is it possible without internet access, such that you could onboard new users during an internet outage?)
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Well, for white pages, it used to be name to phone number lookup, not, you know, physical address, in almost all cases. Yellow pages were different ofc. And the tide against that turned 20 years ago, which congress banned that for cellphones. In any case, sounds like "yes". Not a deal breaker, but concerning. I know folks in my home would be opposed to my doing it.
> not, you know, physical address White pages had physical address too. In practice, even today without published phone directories, lookup from name to address is readily accomplished from public records. If you have put in the effort to avoid all of those vectors, then it's equally possible to use a safe address for your FCC registration.
And yeah, could probably find some way to spoof.
And yes, people can find things, just makes folks here uncomfortable that it would be readily available to a random nut in a short list linked to a "pseudo" one might be using routinely.
Anyway. It's one more hassle and disincentive. I'm interested in its potential for an emergency out in the woods (I'd be carrying my phone anyway, so a tiny pocket dongle is far less weight than a radio), but if I learn how to use it, I probably won't go for the license.
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I wonder how good the range would be. I was thinking that even if I didn't have the appropriate license, having something like this in a pocket on my backpack would at least give me one more signaling option in an emergency. I could deal with the fines later.
VHF / 2m is basically line of sight. But it will go for long distances. I've worked the repeater on the ISS with a 5W handheld radio and a 1/4 wave antenna.
Its not great for over the horizon communication, but its pretty good at getting through trees and other obstacles.
I always ask myself why no any cellphone producer is making a phone with 2m/70cm capabilities.
> The radio simply plugs into the USB C port on your Android smartphone and transforms it into a fully-fledged handheld radio transceiver. When I saw the headline I was hoping someone had hacked the qualcomm modem and turned it into a software defined radio.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Heh, ask 10 hams what the whole point of a ham license is and you'll get 10 different answers. I've heard "permission to build" before, but rarely.
Don't have my license yet, but for me it's definitely building homebrew (i.e. designed by me) transceivers. Not actually that interested in talking to other hams except for then testing my gear.
Not sure if you mean building or designing and building. But QRP labs has some nice kits.