Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
 | | 05/29/2010 9:46 PM |
 Alert | | Well, you can just hit a repeater and indicate that you are testing but I think the best way is to get a buddy and do a few tests on simplex first. (Simplex being radio to radio w/o a repeater in-between, where you send and receive on the same frequency. Repeaters send on one frequency and listen on another which is called duplex). | |
My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/29/2010 10:00 PM |
Alert | Well, I don't know anyone around here that could be listening -- could I just do a CQ call on that one mobile simplex frequency you pointed out the other day?
By the way, just when I though I knew how the repeaters were operating... I go and dial in a repeater and I get the +/- sign. Is one the input, and the other the out? Which is which? I think I know the answers to these questions, but that doesn't mean I actually know how to do it on the radio when it's all powered up! I can't make heads or tails of all the stuff this thing does.
If I'm in NE PDX, near the airport, could I reasonable expect to get someone simplex in Vancouver? Gresham? Further?
I'm really looking forward to trying it out with some of the people who know how to work the radio on Monday! | |
RBBailey
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Rovers | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 05/30/2010 2:34 AM |
Alert | | The repeaters offset their secondary frequency in either the positive direction or the negative direction (so + or - duplex). Most radios know how to manage the offset on their own, but the offsets are commonly listed in the repeater directories. | |
My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/30/2010 7:26 AM |
Alert | Yeah, but which one is which way? I mean, if I dial up the freq for a repeater that I want to use, say I find the freq on the internet, it will show '-' while another might show '+'. Is the positive or the negative the input freq?
We should do a ham workshop -- just for me! | |
RBBailey
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Rovers | |
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Mike Rupp
Member Sponsor
| | 05/30/2010 8:21 AM |
Alert | Ben, don't worry about the + and -. Just enter the frequency of the repeater. There are some extremely rare cases of offset when you have to enter both freqs, but don't even worry about it. The offsets are standard and the radio will take care of the offset for you. The only thing you will need to enter are the frequency of the repeater and the tone, if there is one.
Just start transmitting and see if you get any responses. Don't worry too much about etiquette. Just state your call sign. | |
WZ7V
Study for amateur radio exams here
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/30/2010 8:35 AM |
Alert | | OK, so the -/+ are for just telling me that there is an offset? | |
RBBailey
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Rovers | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 05/30/2010 10:15 AM |
Alert | Yes, the repeater directory is telling you what offset the repeater uses, but just about every repeater out there uses a standard offset, so the radio takes care of it for you. As Mike says, just dial the repeater frequency in and it will take care of it for you. If you dial up a repeater frequency the radio will:
- Set the listen frequency to that frequency
- Put the radio in duplex mode
- When you push the mic button to talk it will automatically change frequencies up or down as appropriate for the specific frequency you are talking on.
Just dial up the listed repeater frequency, set the tone (if there is one), and talk. A google search for amateur radio repeater offsets turns up this link that has a good couple of paragraphs on offsets. http://www.hamuniverse.com/repeater.html
Craig | |
My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Ben Bailey
| | 05/30/2010 1:46 PM |
Alert | OK, that's pretty much what I thought, but once I got the radio up and working, I got confused again when I saw some repeaters as - and some as +. I'm going out in the truck at about 2:00, I'll see if I can get someone to talk to me.
Thanks, | |
RBBailey
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Rovers | |
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Garrett Grebe
Member Sponsor
| | 07/08/2010 10:14 PM |
Alert | OK, so I signed up at hamtestonline.com today and now, a few hours later, I'm passing all the the practice tests at 100%
Is this a sign I'm ready to take the real deal?
Are the questions the exact same as on their website?
Thanks! | |
K2KIL | |
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Dan Cronin
Moderator
| | 07/08/2010 11:06 PM |
Alert | G - You have to memorize this song and sing it solo in front of your class. Ham Test Danno | |
Honey Badger Trainer... | |
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Jerry Horn
| | 07/09/2010 3:53 AM |
Alert | Posted By Ben Bailey on 05/30/2010 1:46 PM
OK, that's pretty much what I thought, but once I got the radio up and working, I got confused again when I saw some repeaters as - and some as +. I'm going out in the truck at about 2:00, I'll see if I can get someone to talk to me.
Thanks, Most radios give you the option to program them for automatically setting the +/- offsets and perhaps a few come from the factory with that feature already programmed. No matter, just follow the directions and set the offsets as they are listed in the repeater directory or on the internet. If you are in doubt you will find that 99% of the time 2- meter frequencies below 146.999MHz have a minus offset and frequencies above 147.000MHz are plus. Virtually all UHF repeater frequencies are plus. Easy to remember...below 147.000 is minus, above 147.000 is plus.
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JERRY
Enjoying the backroads of the Pacific Northwest | |
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Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 07/09/2010 8:53 AM |
Alert | Posted By Garrett Grebe on 07/08/2010 10:14 PM
OK, so I signed up at hamtestonline.com today and now, a few hours later, I'm passing all the the practice tests at 100%
Is this a sign I'm ready to take the real deal?
Are the questions the exact same as on their website?
Thanks!
Your definately ready! | |
93 LR Defender 110
05 Land Rover LR3 | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 07/09/2010 9:53 AM |
Alert | Posted By Garrett Grebe on 07/08/2010 10:14 PM
OK, so I signed up at hamtestonline.com today and now, a few hours later, I'm passing all the the practice tests at 100%
Is this a sign I'm ready to take the real deal?
Are the questions the exact same as on their website?
Thanks!
I got 100% on my test and was only at 90% on the hamtestonline.com stuff. You are definitely ready!
Is this the new test material or the old stuff? Craig | |
My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Garrett Grebe
Member Sponsor
| | 07/09/2010 10:38 AM |
Alert |
It says NEW Tech Material at hamtestonline. I assume it's new question pool as opposed to new HAM (person). I've now taken 6 practive tests over at QRZ.com and passed all of those too. They had slightly different questions in their pool so I figure one or the other website has the new stuff.
I've arranged for testing on Monday the 12th with the local HAM club. | |
K2KIL | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 07/09/2010 11:35 AM |
Alert | Sounds like the new stuff to me. :-) How long did you study to get 100% on the new material? Sounds like it is comparable to the old material.
Craig
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Garrett Grebe
Member Sponsor
| | 07/09/2010 11:42 AM |
Alert | 6 Hours. I started yesterday afternoon, a little more in the evening and had been through 99% of the material in "study" mode. I was passing practice exams before bed. High school electronics class and common sense are key to over half of the content.
Were there schematics in the old content? I'm not seeing any pop up in QRZ.com practice exams but they're in every Hamtestonline exam...
I'm interested to see what the real exam looks like. | |
K2KIL | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 07/09/2010 11:45 AM |
Alert | I don't believe there were any schematics on the test I took. Are they in the actual hamtestonline.com questions or just in the reading material?
Dang, 6 hours!? That's significantly less time than what I spent studying for the old test. Even if someone spends 2x that amount, it can be knocked out in 1-2 big study sessions.
Craig
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Garrett Grebe
Member Sponsor
| | 07/09/2010 1:22 PM |
Alert | Yes, schematics are included in the sample exam questions as well. You must identify Batteries, switches, capaciters, transistors, resistors, diodes, LED's, transformers, etc...
I also confirmed that Hamtestonline.com is using only the most recent pool of questions.
I see why everyone recommends them. I have never figured out what type of learner I am, but whatever the method is that they use is a perfect match for me. It's really intuitive the way that the questions you initially answer incorrectly pop back up time and time again.
I now have a great deal of confidence going into the exam. I'll post up how it goes Monday night. | |
K2KIL | |
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Garrett Grebe
Member Sponsor
| | 07/12/2010 7:02 PM |
Alert | I passed the exam for Technician tonight - 100%
It's really way easier than I thought. I am now joining the band-wagon calling on all other members to go get their license.
I decided I wanted to do this on Thursday the 8th, studied a bit at hamtestonline.com and Monday the 12th it's done.
I'll post up my call sign when it's assigned. | |
K2KIL | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
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