Ben Bailey
 | | 01/15/2010 6:17 AM |
 Alert | | Where does one go to schedule for the test? I thought there was a link someplace here, but now I can't find it. I'm almost ready. | |
RBBailey
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 01/15/2010 9:25 AM |
Alert | Ben - page 4 of the snowshoe thread had a quick blurb, one photo, but no photos of the bracket. I had to use spacers and offset the bracket to clear the tire carrier.
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 01/15/2010 9:35 AM |
Alert | | Ben, your probably more prepared than you think. All you need to do is pass, the score doesn't show up on your permanent record and won;t hurt your GPA. :) | |
93 LR Defender 110
05 Land Rover LR3 | |
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Todd Eliason
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Ben Bailey
| | 01/15/2010 10:10 AM |
Alert | I stopped trying to study after 3-4 hours because of all the annoying reasons I listed above, and I just started taking the practice tests. I think I've taken 8 of them and I'm scoring in the high 80's now. I think I will just keep going till I have an average in the 90's, and I would like to get through the whole pool. I should be ready for the test by then!
Hopefully I'll be able to take one by March or May. | |
RBBailey
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Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 01/15/2010 10:14 AM |
Alert | | I'd say your ready next week. Just get it done and be done with it. You can learn as you go and you easily have a grasp on the legal issues. It's not like you are going to be building your own radio anytime soon. | |
93 LR Defender 110
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Mike Rupp
Member Sponsor
| | 01/15/2010 10:17 AM |
Alert | | Yeah, just take it ASAP. It is $15 to take the exam. Assuming that you pass the exam, you can try the General exam without any additional cost. I took the general the same day I passed the technician exam, and got about 50% correct, without studying at all for it. | |
WZ7V
Study for amateur radio exams here
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Ben Bailey
| | 01/15/2010 10:32 AM |
Alert | | I would take it soon if I could, it's merely a scheduling matter. Maybe I can do a walk-in on some Saturday if I find I have nothing better to do. | |
RBBailey
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Craig Miller
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Dustin Morrow
Member Sponsor
| | 05/19/2010 8:30 PM |
Alert | Craig, I know that you have posted this somewhere, but do we have a recognized frequency that we work off of in the 2 meter for NWOS? Sorry, I can't find it. Dustin | |
2011 KLR 650, 2007 LR3, 2004 DII, 1988 RRC | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 05/19/2010 9:29 PM |
Alert | We discussed it once, but never decided on anything firm. What I've been using is 146.460 for voice. This has been proposed by some as being designated an Offroaders specific frequency. It's used by the guys at ExpeditionPortal and the BC Roverlanders, but I don't know of anyone else using it and I've never heard anyone on that frequency in WA. We did get some chatter down by Bend and flipped over to another frequency.
Let's start a thread and get this nailed down. Verifying that we aren't stomping on any really well known/used frequencies or picking a frequency that is normally a repeater frequency, common SAR frequency, etc.
We need:
Primary voice simplex frequency, secondary voice simplex frequency
Primary APRS simplex frequency, secondary APRS simplex frequency.
Note that PNW APRS standard is 144.390, but that gates our locations to the internet. Sometimes it is preferable to have a group only frequency. We should discuss this though. Once decided, it needs to go in the Wiki. | |
My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/21/2010 1:59 PM |
Alert | OK, so now that I have my call sign (KF7KFZ) I'm getting all ready to actually start transceiving. Question: Using a reapeater on paper looks like it's a pretty straight forward thing, but Craig and I were going back and forth on that Mt. Defiance thread and I realized that my question about using repeaters isn't on how to dial one up, or how they work, but more along the lines of ....how the heck do you know which one to use? In this case, Craig is saying he will be listening for us from up in Washington. We will be in the Columbia River Gorge, and on top of Mt. Defiance. How far off can I expect to be able to contact a repeater? Looking at this map, which one would you choose, and more importantly -- why? http://www.levinecentral.com/repeaters/google_mapping.php | |
RBBailey
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 05/21/2010 4:36 PM |
Alert | Ben,
A 2m radio usually only goes about 50-60 miles at about 55 watts. If you have a very clear line of sight you can go a bit further. So, pick a repeater that is close to you and that isn't blocked by hills/mountains.
I'm not sure which "Craig" you are referring to, but I won't be able to hear you up in NW Washington even if you hit a repeater.
One nice thing about APRS is that many repeaters broadcast their position over APRS. If you can "hear" a repeater via APRS and especially if you can hear it repeat your position then there is a good chance you can get a out via that repeater on voice. I know you don't have APRS, but it is a valid answer to the question and one that others who do have APRS might want to be aware of.
Craig
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/21/2010 5:10 PM |
Alert | I was referring to you, I thought you wanted me to find a repeater that could reach all the way to where you are! I couldn't figure out how that might be done. But now I see that you are meaning for us to pick a repeater in the area that we could use as a group till we are actually met in caravan.
New newbie question: My radio automatically sets the offset for a repeater, so all I need is the output frequency. But what else do I need to start using a repeater like this one:
Location: Cascade Locks
Frequency: 145.150 -
Call Sign: W7HSK
Notes: 94.8 | |
RBBailey
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 05/21/2010 5:21 PM |
Alert | Nothing, but you need to set the PL Tone (Notes) or you won't be able to transmit through the repeater. It is an access code (frequency). Not all repeaters have them.
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/21/2010 5:34 PM |
Alert | | I'll have to look at my user instructions to figure out how to do that with my radio. But how do you know which repeaters have them, which don't, and what code to put into my radio? | |
RBBailey
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 05/21/2010 5:46 PM |
Alert | The repeater directories will list the tone... e.g. it was listed in the "notes" section on the site you grabbed it from.
I'd suggest you get a copy of the Artscipub.com repeater directory. I have it and the ARRL directory. THe benefit of the ArtSci directory is that it has maps, and that it only lists repeaters that are regularly updated. The ARRL directory lists a lot of repeaters that are no longer on the air. The ArtSciPub.com book has a good section on repeaters, lists the tones in their tables, etc. Really good book to have in the truck as a reference.
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/21/2010 6:03 PM |
Alert | OK, so for that one, the tone to put into my radio is 94.8.
Thanks for the pointers. That looks like a good contender for the repeater we would use on this trip. | |
RBBailey
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/29/2010 7:47 PM |
Alert | All right, so how do I go about actually testing this thing now that I have it installed? | |
RBBailey
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