Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake

Post by miahi » Mon, Apr 27, 2015, 8:02 PM UTC

tzs wrote: post #2

I wonder how many HN readers have amateur radio licenses? I got one last month (AF7PL). Now I'm working on getting a radio. I don't want to just go out and buy something. I want to do this old-school, and so have at least some of the major components of my shack home built (and ideally home designed). I may partially relent, though, and buy a handheld transceiver for 2m/70cm. My electronic construction skills are pre…

Post by VLM » Mon, Apr 27, 2015, 8:50 PM UTC

wglb wrote: post #60

VLM wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"in my experience they're pretty friendly and interested in helping out aspiring hams." Talk to people who have been there about station building experiences. I think the answer you'll get is the best maximization of fun is spending around $1 on antenna system for about every $1 spent on radio gear. Hooking up a $1000 radio to a $50 antenna system is likely to be far less enjoyable and lower performance than hooking…

It turns out that on the extreme end, the ratio grows to $4 or more per antenna for $1 in radio/computers/etc. A well-equipped tower can have $10,000 worth of parts. This does not count the labor. The scale range of fun in Ham Radio is quite large.

Post by wglb » Tue, Apr 28, 2015, 1:24 AM UTC

VLM wrote: post #63

wglb wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It turns out that on the extreme end, the ratio grows to $4 or more per antenna for $1 in radio/computers/etc. A well-equipped tower can have $10,000 worth of parts. This does not count the labor. The scale range of fun in Ham Radio is quite large.

True, but don't forget SO2R and multi radio contesters, and there do exist $10K tower systems but there also exists radios like the $10K IC-7800 or the merely $8K IC-7700 series. So it is possible to maintain the 1:1 ratio. Its not entirely audiophile. Impressive engineering, cutting edge stuff, for that price. IP3 of +40 dBm? 110 dB dynamic range IF strip with multiple AGC loops? how the...