Amateur Radio FAQ

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  • jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,795
    Westminster, MD
    I was driving around to see how well I can be tracked via APRS. Not very well is the result with a mag-mount antenna and 7w radio. But here is something I find odd. My sole hit shows me in China. Huh?

    Does anyone know why?

    Screen Shot 2021-03-14 at 2.55.38 PM.jpg
     

    Occam

    Not Even ONE Indictment
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 24, 2018
    20,239
    Montgomery County
    I was driving around to see how well I can be tracked via APRS. Not very well is the result with a mag-mount antenna and 7w radio. But here is something I find odd. My sole hit shows me in China. Huh?

    Does anyone know why?

    View attachment 309230

    With more transmitting, does it show that spot in China continually (or, more importantly, a cluster of locations in China as you move around)? Or was that a one-time thing? Your beacon is tacking GPS data on when it sends out that data, and of course it's possible for the data to have been garbled but in a way that instead of being totally unusable, we just intact enough to be (incorrectly) parsed out as valid numerical values.
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,795
    Westminster, MD
    This was a one-time thing. I just thought it was odd. I've toyed with it around the house a few weeks ago and those hits were spot on.
     

    MigraineMan

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 9, 2011
    19,109
    Frederick County
    The AX.25 data frame is poorly protected against data errors, and it's fairly easy to have noise cause errors in both the data and CRC area to create a false "vaild" packet, which could place you in China. Been trying to get amateur radio folks interested in forward-error-correction for a while now. It's an uphill battle ... they don't like "change" or "newfangled."
     

    Deep Thought

    Active Member
    Jan 27, 2013
    575
    Columbia, MD
    The AX.25 data frame is poorly protected against data errors, and it's fairly easy to have noise cause errors in both the data and CRC area to create a false "vaild" packet, which could place you in China. Been trying to get amateur radio folks interested in forward-error-correction for a while now. It's an uphill battle ... they don't like "change" or "newfangled."

    FEC is a good thing. It's too bad FX.25 never took off.
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,795
    Westminster, MD
    I found the error code: Id-10-T. I've been tweaking my code plug and at some point I didn't notice I enabled the stationary beacon. I know I didn't consciously do it, but it was done. *sigh*
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,795
    Westminster, MD
    For you Baofeng lovers and haters, seems they have a new version for 2021 that is pretty good regarding spurious emissions. It is also Tx locked to the ham bands.

    From Dave Casler's most recent live stream, here are the emissions of a UV-5R and the new GT-5R, both at 146.520MHz.

    UV-5R (the hourglasses are due to when I snagged the screenshot while he was moving his mouse):
    Screen Shot 2021-03-20 at 11.00.17 AM.jpg

    GT-5R:
    gt-5r-results.jpg

    Newer video about the new radio:

     
    Last edited:

    Bboarder

    Me Myself & I
    Mar 7, 2010
    1,200
    Reisterstown
    Stupid question, but could someone on here help me contact a Ham Radio person, i have his name and call sign but no other means of communication. PM me if this might be possible.
     

    TapRackBang

    Cheaper Than Diamonds
    Jan 14, 2012
    1,919
    Bel Air
    Marketing BS disguised as scare-mongering. :shrug:

    Only things I know of are 3.5 GHz sunset and loss of some 440 MHz out west due to military use for weapons. Both already done deals.
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,174
    Outside the Gates
    Marketing BS disguised as scare-mongering. :shrug:

    Only things I know of are 3.5 GHz sunset and loss of some 440 MHz out west due to military use for weapons. Both already done deals.

    Exactly. These guys are the marketing geniuses of the day, maybe the minute. Good thing they have online instruction for the Anytones, the Anytone manuals basically say, "This button is the on button. Turn the radio on and then THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK and then END."
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,174
    Outside the Gates
    Let me add this, when Anytone aka Qixiang Electron Science Technology throws out a new model or a dramatic improvement, not even Bridgetone knows how it works. Bridgetone puts a video on YouTube and users help them figure out what the radio can do and how it works. When something goes completely sideways, it becomes obvious that there are 2 completely separate work groups in China making these things. One group builds the hardware and another develops the software that runs it. I'm not even certain QEST does the software in house, they probably sub it out; that means QEST doesn't even know how their own product works and as long as they are selling like hotcakes - they don't need to.

    They aren't bad radios, esp for the price. Couple it to a good antenna, transmit from a good location and you will get nothing but positive feedback from other hams.

    "DMR" isn't the end all, its just one of many internet repeater connection protocols. Your radio transmits to a receiver connected to the internet thru which thousands of other repeater transmitters are connected. Its basically a radio to internet party line connection. Within that there are hundreds of local and world wide chat groups. Not a lot different from the old AOL chats, other than you access them thru a radio, much like CB back in the 70's, but with statewide, regional and worldwide potential. Its not why I got into ham radio.

    ETA: they work fine in analog mode, you don't need to run them digital/DMR
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,795
    Westminster, MD
    Let me add this, when Anytone aka Qixiang Electron Science Technology throws out a new model or a dramatic improvement, not even Bridgetone knows how it works. Bridgetone puts a video on YouTube and users help them figure out what the radio can do and how it works. When something goes completely sideways, it becomes obvious that there are 2 completely separate work groups in China making these things. One group builds the hardware and another develops the software that runs it. I'm not even certain QEST does the software in house, they probably sub it out; that means QEST doesn't even know how their own product works and as long as they are selling like hotcakes - they don't need to.

    They aren't bad radios, esp for the price. Couple it to a good antenna, transmit from a good location and you will get nothing but positive feedback from other hams.

    "DMR" isn't the end all, its just one of many internet repeater connection protocols. Your radio transmits to a receiver connected to the internet thru which thousands of other repeater transmitters are connected. Its basically a radio to internet party line connection. Within that there are hundreds of local and world wide chat groups. Not a lot different from the old AOL chats, other than you access them thru a radio, much like CB back in the 70's, but with statewide, regional and worldwide potential. Its not why I got into ham radio.

    ETA: they work fine in analog mode, you don't need to run them digital/DMR


    I have the 878Plus and love it. Got a hotspot last week or so, so I can have access to far more talk groups than the local repeaters have. Plus, NC and SC have a closed network called PRN that has only talk groups for those states. Not sure why they don't like the play with others. The hotspot will be great when I vacation there (still join the Mid-Atlantic net on Thursdays for example).
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,795
    Westminster, MD
    Don't mean to toot my own horn, but....toot toot.

    Passed the General exam today. Now I just need an HF and an antenna invisible to the wife.

    Built this for my 2m/70cm roll-up jpole. One goal was to not need guy lines. I'm going to embarrass the wife and kids and use it on the beach.

    Wife asked "WHAT is THAT in my house!?"

    "You said no antennas on the roof, so...." :D

    IMG_1886.jpg
     

    gamer_jim

    Podcaster
    Feb 12, 2008
    13,233
    Hanover, PA
    Don't mean to toot my own horn, but....toot toot.

    Passed the General exam today. Now I just need an HF and an antenna invisible to the wife.

    Built this for my 2m/70cm roll-up jpole. One goal was to not need guy lines. I'm going to embarrass the wife and kids and use it on the beach.

    Wife asked "WHAT is THAT in my house!?"

    "You said no antennas on the roof, so...." :D
    Congrats on the General!

    You might want to try a portable HF antenna like the buddy stick. You can also put a wire antenna around your roof and it is virtually invisible.

    Good luck!
     

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