So I'm geeking out to this doc tonight and thought I'd share it here in case someone hasn't seen it.

Maybe its not awesome for you actual radio operators, but I'm enjoying learning about HAM.

https://youtu.be/wt5wZhC5crI



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

On 01 Apr 2023 at 08:10p, paulie420 pondered and said...

So I'm geeking out to this doc tonight and thought I'd share it here in case someone hasn't seen it.

Maybe its not awesome for you actual radio operators, but I'm enjoying learning about HAM.

Just watched this also in the last day and enjoyed it, sent out a tweet about it to anyone who follows me... it was well done eh?

Kerr Avon [Blake's 7] 'I'm not expendable, I'm not stupid and I'm not going' avon[at]bbs.nz | bbs.nz | fsxnet.nz

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

So I'm geeking out to this doc tonight and thought I'd share it here in case someone hasn't seen it.

Maybe its not awesome for you actual radio operators, but I'm enjoying learning about HAM.

I'm gonna be *that* guy ..
It's "ham radio" or "amateur radio", not HAM.
Why I hear you say? well there's no acronym (in this context)

This should be on the license test, like this Q is:
Do you need to wear a safety helmet when working on and around a tower?


.:[ Exit stage left ]:.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Linux/64)
* Origin: The Bottomless Abyss BBS * bbs.bottomlessabyss.net (21:1/172)

On 03 Apr 2023, Avon said the following...

On 01 Apr 2023 at 08:10p, paulie420 pondered and said...

Maybe its not awesome for you actual radio operators, but I'm enjoyin learning about HAM.

Just watched this also in the last day and enjoyed it, sent out a tweet

I saw your tweet on this earlier in the day and said, "Hey I gotta remember to come back and snag this URL..." and promptly forgot.

Glad to see it was in the posts. I got it now and have added it to my list of things to check out.

Thanks for the share paulie and tweet Avon!

-Zarnock

... Live every day as though it were your last. One day, you'll be right

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/24 (Linux/64)
* Origin: The Zone BBS - zonebbs.net (21:1/174)

Just watched this also in the last day and enjoyed it, sent out a tweet about it to anyone who follows me... it was well done eh?

Yea, I thought it was done well - and actually kinda like... not like I'm running out and spending 2k or hanging a huge antenna, but; I'm kinda interested in learning more about HAM.

I don't want any tech to die - and have heard how much some folks love HAM.



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

I'm gonna be *that* guy ..
It's "ham radio" or "amateur radio", not HAM.
Why I hear you say? well there's no acronym (in this context)

This should be on the license test, like this Q is:
Do you need to wear a safety helmet when working on and around a tower?

LOL - way to get a newbie interested, 0zZ!!! :P



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

On 01 Apr 2023, paulie420 said the following...

So I'm geeking out to this doc tonight and thought I'd share it here in case someone hasn't seen it.

Maybe its not awesome for you actual radio operators, but I'm enjoying learning about HAM.

Come to the Ham side... we have GPS!
(..and cookies..)

|07=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=[-.-. --.-]=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= |15 -----/----- Rich Lawrence, |11KB2MOB
|15 ---/--- SysOp of |09Radio Freqs |13& |10Geeks |14BBS
|15 --|- |02"Give me 102' of wire.. |15 | |02 ..and i'll show you how to talk to the world!"

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: 73 from Radio Freqs & Geeks BBS - Albany, NY (21:1/219)

On 03 Apr 2023, paulie420 said the following...

Just watched this also in the last day and enjoyed it, sent out a twe about it to anyone who follows me... it was well done eh?

Yea, I thought it was done well - and actually kinda like... not like I'm running out and spending 2k or hanging a huge antenna, but; I'm kinda interested in learning more about HAM.

Give me 102' of wire, and I can talk to the world.

Getting into the hobby now adays can be pretty inexpensive.
If you buy a book to study for the test, that may run you $40 tops. But there are websites online you can study for free. I like the books because they have explanations and breakdowns of the answers.

For a Tech licnese, which is the entry level, 30 question mulitople choice test. A radio to get started, $35 to start for a hand held which will get you into the local repeaters. A mobile radio for the car if you want one, start around $75-$100 for low end.

Home station is where the big bucks come in. I think over the course of my Ham radio life, I have dropped $50K on my hobby between antennas, radios, accessories etc. And I have a nice collection of hand helds too.

The test fee is $15, and license renewal is $35 every 10 years.

So all told, you could get into the hobby for about $150 or maybe even a little less.

73.

|07=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=[-.-. --.-]=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= |15 -----/----- Rich Lawrence, |11KB2MOB
|15 ---/--- SysOp of |09Radio Freqs |13& |10Geeks |14BBS
|15 --|- |02"Give me 102' of wire.. |15 | |02 ..and i'll show you how to talk to the world!"

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: 73 from Radio Freqs & Geeks BBS - Albany, NY (21:1/219)

Getting into the hobby now adays can be pretty inexpensive.
If you buy a book to study for the test, that may run you $40 tops.

A radio to get started, $35 to start for a hand held which will get you Mo> into the local repeaters.

A mobile radio for the car if you want one, start around $75-$100 for low Mo> end.

Home station is where the big bucks come in. I think over the course of
my Ham radio life, I have dropped $50K on my hobby between antennas, radios, accessories etc.

The test fee is $15, and license renewal is $35 every 10 years.

So all told, you could get into the hobby for about $150 or maybe even a little less.

None of that is too insane - aside from yer $50k home setup... while I haven't done HAM at all, I have played w/ SDRs and some other radio stuff - but always on the listener side.

It seems like a really cool thing - and even something where a local HAM group might help for some of the equipment... I'd assume some of the old timers don't want the hobby going away after this generation or the next.

Thanks for the info, I dunno... I could see myself wanting to get into it.



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

None of that is too insane - aside from yer $50k home setup... while I haven't done HAM at all, I have played w/ SDRs and some other radio

Oh, you've *not* learned at all :D

It seems like a really cool thing - and even something where a local HAM

That's it buddy. <mad door slam>


.:[ Exit stage left ]:.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Linux/64)
* Origin: The Bottomless Abyss BBS * bbs.bottomlessabyss.net (21:1/172)

Maybe its not awesome for you actual radio operators, but I'm enjoying learning about HAM.

Agreed, I also just watched it. I always was curious about the culture of HAM radio operators. I saw a lot of HAM discussions on BBS boards and I was wondering (without any experience in HAM) why so much discussion about HAM among BBS dwellers. But we share a lot and including one thing from the movie.

None are dying, just evolving.

-h1

... Xerox Alto was the thing. Anything after we use is just a copy.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

Agreed, I also just watched it. I always was curious about the culture
of HAM radio operators. I saw a lot of HAM discussions on BBS boards and
I was wondering (without any experience in HAM) why so much discussion about HAM among BBS dwellers. But we share a lot and including one thing from the movie.

Same... there needs to be more user groups or meetups - I bet that [I don't want a freebie!!] a lot of old-timers would be keen to helping newbies get into the hobby... even with hardware or help so long as the newcomer wanted to keep HAM going.

You know the main reason I haven't been turning on to HAM? Because theres no talk of it...



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

You know the main reason I haven't been turning on to HAM? Because
theres no talk of it...

I believe there is a lot of talk of it, over radio wave signals or bounced off the moon. I know one person in my country who is an operator. same procedure as in US I believe, you need to get certified, otherwise it's illegal and your signal can be hunted down with penalties.

Not a big deal as there is not so much regulation simple mind most likely can comprehend, but the whole official procedure is what stops me.

I just don't have time to be so much committed to it yet. It's always more about: "I love the idea, but later".

It's much easier with BBS, you just buy VPS, setup linux, install Mystic and you're on. you just need to pay the bill, and/or hardware if you want to extend your capabilities. The only function is time and dedication as all the rest is free.

With HAM seems that the exams and regulations behind is what is stopping younger generation to dwell deeper. We're all less patient than our parents to drive something forward. I've slowed down a lot, but still kind of in the middle of my journey to appreciate things beyond simple consumerism.

HAM Radio is like way ahead in my journey to oppose consumerism.

But I absolutely love the potential this medium brings to feel unique, underground, special... and also I don't know.. me turning 40+ and I learn new layers of respect to the elder generations as I fucking start understand they all were damn right about absolutely everything. In most cases...

So like in this movie, passing this passion to next generations is something I already pick as a value itself.

-h1

... Xerox Alto was the thing. Anything after we use is just a copy.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

None of that is too insane - aside from yer $50k home setup... while I haven't done HAM at all, I have played w/ SDRs and some other radio
stuff - but always on the listener side.

Hey Paulie! Check this:

epimundoblog.blogspot.com/p/coleccion-de-tarjetas-qsl.html

My QSL card collection as a shortwave listener :) Im a ham myself (LU5EPI) but I enjoy listening... A LOT, as you could see.

Not a complete list btw, I need to upgrade it haha.

Gonna watch the Documentary! Lets see

... "40% of all accidents are almost half of all accidents"

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/64)
* Origin: The Vault BBS (21:4/167)

Give me 102' of wire, and I can talk to the world.

That's if your neighbors don't complain to council. I've had two takedown notices. Ended up sneaking a wire underneath the gutter. It was ok for FT8 but next to useless for voice. Ended up tearing it down and packing everything away... I'd love to live on several hundred acres where I could put up a giant antenna farm.

... A Meteor is an example of a rock star.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: third rock bbs: bbs.thirdrockbbs.au (21:3/179)

That's if your neighbors don't complain to council. I've had two
takedown notices. Ended up sneaking a wire underneath the gutter. It
was ok for FT8 but next to useless for voice. Ended up tearing it down
and packing everything away... I'd love to live on several hundred
acres where I could put up a giant antenna farm.

I specifically bought a house in a non-HOA neighborhood here so that I
wouldn't have to deal with people telling me what I could or could not do.
The only rules our city has regarding antennas are some relatively sensible ones regarding proper grounding of masts, which were really more directed at
TV antennas, when that was a thing. ...well, I mean, that's still a thing at *my* house, but it's becoming less common, I guess.

---
* Origin: WalledCTTY (21:2/145)

I specifically bought a house in a non-HOA neighborhood here so that I wouldn't have to deal with people telling me what I could or could not
do. The only rules our city has regarding antennas are some relatively sensible ones regarding proper grounding of masts, which were really
more directed at TV antennas, when that was a thing. ...well, I mean, that's still a thing at *my* house, but it's becoming less common, I guess.

But I believe that even if you lived in the middle of desert with no neighbors in visible horizon, you still would need a certificate/licence to use HAM radio, right?

What's the consequence of accessing it rogue?

-h1

... Xerox Alto was the thing. Anything after we use is just a copy.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

But I believe that even if you lived in the middle of desert with no neighbors in visible horizon, you still would need a
certificate/licence to use HAM radio, right?
What's the consequence of accessing it rogue?

Well, you need a license to transmit, and the license you get determines
which frequencies you're permitted to transmit on. Amateur radio licenses require both a fee and a test. You can also get a GMRS license, which
requires no test but I think is $35 for 10 years? There's also CB and FRS.

CB generally seems to be filled with knuckleheads using 'echo' effects
on their microphones, but I believe you can now use FM on it, which could
make it interesting. That's the 11 meter band, and like the 10 meter band, there can be some interesting propogation there...like people throwing
signal thousands of miles on relatively little power.

FRS is basically unlicensed, low power walkie-talkies. Out here in Colorado, people tend to use them to keep in touch with friends/family when skiing, camping, four-wheeling, etc. (I'm not an expert, but I think the GMRS and FRS share some frequencies, and GRMS just allows you to transmit at higher
powers.)

As for what happens if you get caught transmitting without a license, I
*think* you'd get a warning to cease and desist, and then you'd get a heavy fine, and then probably jail time if you didn't knock it off. At least, that seems to be what happens to amateurs when they get caught violating
regulations (in addition to losing their licenses, that is).

---
* Origin: WalledCTTY (21:2/145)

On 21 Apr 2023 at 05:34p, bbsing pondered and said...

I watched it, I thought it was good. I just wish it was a bit longer.
... more ham stuff. :)

For me it was refreshing to see the tale told through the lenses of someone such as this young storyteller.

Kerr Avon [Blake's 7] 'I'm not expendable, I'm not stupid and I'm not going' avon[at]bbs.nz | bbs.nz | fsxnet.nz

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

On 10 Apr 2023, Michael Borthwick said the following...

That's if your neighbors don't complain to council. I've had two takedown notices. Ended up sneaking a wire underneath the gutter. It was ok for
FT8 but next to useless for voice. Ended up tearing it down and packing everything away... I'd love to live on several hundred acres where I
could put up a giant antenna farm.

AH! Yes, YMMV depending on where you live. in the US we have a Federal rule called PRB-1, that says we can put up pretty much whatever we need to maintain reliable communication. Which yes, is kind of vauge, and open to someone pushing it. So bascally it preempts the local laws if they are super restrictive. But it doesn't cover HOAs, but there is legislation in Congress for that now last I knew.

Still, I haven't really gone any higher that 10 feet above my roof, which still fits into the local laws where I am. But if someone in the town got a bug up their bum about it, the ARRL has a department that can refer lawyers and help with navigating some of the issues like this that pop up.

|07=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=[-.-. --.-]=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= |15 -----/----- Rich Lawrence, |11KB2MOB
|15 ---/--- SysOp of |09Radio Freqs |13& |10Geeks |14BBS
|15 --|- |02"Give me 102' of wire.. |15 | |02 ..and i'll show you how to talk to the world!"

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: 73 from Radio Freqs & Geeks BBS - Albany, NY (21:1/219)

Still, I haven't really gone any higher that 10 feet above my roof,

We've got rules thought up by morons who just enjoy spoiling people's fun.

If your antenna/mast is mounted to a structure it can be no higher than 1.4m above the highest point of the roofline and the antenna can be no more than 1m diameter with the pole in the center - so if you have a 600mm antenna that's mounted at the rear like a 2m yagi that would be 1.2m so no go.

If you want a mast buried in the ground it can be no closer than 1.8m from a structure or a fenceline. So we have a smallish yard that's about 3.5m square so any mast I put up will be closer than 1.8 so that's a no go.

Also the end of the antenna can be no closer than 1.8m from a boundry also.

You're ok if you own 20 acres but if you're in a suburban yard it gets pretty hard to put up anything that isn't a vertical or a small cobweb on it's side.

I didn't have the energy or money to combat the council so I just gave up :(

... System halted - Press all keys at once to continue

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: third rock bbs: bbs.thirdrockbbs.au (21:3/179)