Why the heck are the following suggestions always given to a new ham?

[KC2UGV]

Never fail, a new ham, trying to get on HF will be given the following suggestions:

* Buy a G5RV, it will work everywhere
* Buy a dipole from Vendor X
* Don't buy used anything
* Don't go on VHF

The G5RV thing is ridiculous. It's a 20 meter antenna that "works" ok, on some other bands. But it's said, without fail, at least once, that it will work everywhere. Does anyone wonder why people easily get frustrated in AR, and then leave, never to come back? :roll:

Buying a dipole... EVERY ham should have a soldering iron, and a vendor of SO-239's within a few miles from them. Even Rat Shack. And EVERY ham should know enough soldering to solder some wires onto a UHF connector... Even if you melt the insulation a bit on the SO-239, it will still work, and most wont even notice it... Building a dipole is not rocket science, and they tend to be pretty forgiving at HF. It's a PERFECT new ham project. Soldering you can't screw up... Learning a little bit about why antennas work (Like how more or less, every antenna system is a "dipole" of sorts). :doh:

Don't buy anything used. I don't think I have anything brand new. Sure, buyer beware and all of that, but jeeze... People act like you MUST HAVE a TS-2000 or equivalent rig for your first go on HF. People, it's hard to screw up a tuner. It's ok to buy it used. If something is borked, fix it. Back to the "ham soldering skills" part. Not everything is hard to solder, and most things are pretty easy, even if you've never done it before. :wtf:

And the killer: Don't bother with 2 meters. It's boring. It's cliquish. It's a waste. Nobody is every on. Blah blah. But, the same people telling new hams to stay away from VHF are the same ones complaining that 2 meters and up is dead... :irked:

Egads... People wonder why new hams are often a confused lot (Myself included)...

[PA5COR]

Replace buy X antenna with: Buy a good antenna book/look on the net for homebrew antenna's and save big bucks.( that is what i mostly tell...)
If near enough, the can get a SO 239 for free of me even some wire and i will help set a decent antenna up.
Start simple, learn save up for a good setup later when you decided what you really like after having tried all bands, pop over annd have a twirl here if close enough or visit a local ham/radio group.
Ah, 11 element and 23 element yagi here for 2/70 from Flexa yagi and the logs and qsl's to prove it.
But then, i'm just some old git....:roll:;)

[NQ6U]

I use a G5RV and I'd concur with your analysis; it's excellent on 20 meters, acceptable on 40 meters and not much good on any other. I've started building single-band wire dipoles to replace it on those bands.

As for buying used, I'd say: it depends. If you have an experienced ham to guide you, it's okay. If you are a lone wolf like I was, it's easy to run into trouble. I bought an Icom IC-736 used on eBay. It had a problem in the microphone circuit but because I was so green, I didn't recognize it soon enough to notify the seller and return it--I just thought I was doing something wrong. Although in the end it turned out to be a very minor problem, it still cost me $150 to get it diagnosed and repaired--and only after several months of not being able to use it.

VHF? Well, I started out using VHF exclusively. Now, I hardly ever fire up the rigs I have in the shack and only use VHF when I'm mobile. I think where you live matters a lot. On the other hand, here in the southwestern corner of CA, there's a lot of 2 meter tropo ducting during the summer months. People get as far as Hawaii on 2m SSB using relatively modest single-band yagis and 75 watts. I think that's where I'm going next with VHF, at least once I'm able to find an all-mode VHF transceiver I can afford.

[KG4CGC]

There is no magic bullet that works in every situation every time. The sooner you can get that across ... well, good luck.
If you're attracted to AR solely for Emcomm, you may not be of the type attracted to science and experimentation. If that's the case, get a TS-2000 and G5RV and a dual band mobile and HT. Then send your equipment back to *** because you are afraid to drill a hole in your roof and the coax got pinched and shorted your finals.

[n2ize]

Well, I can guarantee you that is not the advice they would get from me. My advice would be.

1) get at least a general ticket.
2) Get hold of enough old telegraph wire, 12 gauge copper wire, or similar to build a 80-160 meter dipole. Buy some balanced 450-600 ohm line or make it. A couplke porcelin or glass insulators or some lucite to make your own.
3) Build a balanced doublet and string it in a flat top configuration at least 65 feet in the air. If you can;t manage a flat top than hang it as an inverted vee.
4) Buy a 300 - 1 kw Johnson link coupled matchbox... or... learn to build a link coupled tuner.
5) Get an old Johnson Ranger, Viking 2, Valiant, Apache, Viking 500, Globe King 5000, etc. or, use a modern rice box in the CW or AM mode.
6) On a cold winter night when it's bitter cold fire that sucker up on 75 or 160 meter AM or CW and learn to enjoy real Ham radio.
7) As you hone your knowledge and skills homebrew an 813 rig, a 4-400 rig, 4-1000 rig or something similar or , if you want to stick with solid state build up a class E rig (use your modern tranceiver as an exciter)
8) By all means, try 6 meters, 2 meters, 70 cm, vhf/uhf using modern stuff, old stuff, etc. Also, experiment with vhf simplex and other modes.\
9) Ham radio is all about learning. Don't be afraid to ask questions and try new ideas.

Yeah, I know... my concept of ham radio is ...old fashioned. But there are those who appreciate that.

[KJ3N]

Sorry, gentlemen, you don't understand the 21st century ham. :nono:


Buying a dipole... EVERY ham should have a soldering iron, and a vendor of SO-239's within a few miles from them. Even Rat Shack. And EVERY ham should know enough soldering to solder some wires onto a UHF connector... Even if you melt the insulation a bit on the SO-239, it will still work, and most wont even notice it... Building a dipole is not rocket science, and they tend to be pretty forgiving at HF. It's a PERFECT new ham project. Soldering you can't screw up... Learning a little bit about why antennas work (Like how more or less, every antenna system is a "dipole" of sorts). :doh:

<snip>

People, it's hard to screw up a tuner. It's ok to buy it used. If something is borked, fix it. Back to the "ham soldering skills" part. Not everything is hard to solder, and most things are pretty easy, even if you've never done it before. :wtf:


Replace buy X antenna with: Buy a good antenna book/look on the net for homebrew antenna's and save big bucks.( that is what i mostly tell...)


2) Get hold of enough old telegraph wire, 12 gauge copper wire, or similar to build a 80-160 meter dipole. Buy some balanced 450-600 ohm line or make it. A couple porcelain or glass insulators or some Lucite to make your own.
3) Build a balanced doublet and string it in a flat top configuration at least 65 feet in the air. If you can;t manage a flat top than hang it as an inverted vee.
4) Buy a 300 - 1 kw Johnson link coupled matchbox... or... learn to build a link coupled tuner.

<snip>

7) As you hone your knowledge and skills home-brew an 813 rig, a 4-400 rig, 4-1000 rig or something similar or , if you want to stick with solid state build up a class E rig (use your modern transceiver as an exciter)
<snip>
9) Ham radio is all about learning. Don't be afraid to ask questions and try new ideas.


You're asking them to learn and think. They're not interested. They want to put Tab A into Slot B, flip the switch, hit the PTT, and "just talk". Anything else is "too hard". :roll: :roll:


Yeah, I know... my concept of ham radio is ...old fashioned. But there are those who appreciate that.

I do. Today's 21st century ham? Don't think so.... :nono:

[n2ize]

Sorry, gentlemen, you don't understand the 21st century ham. :nono:








You're asking them to learn and think. They're not interested. They want to put Tab A into Slot B, flip the switch, hit the PTT, and "just talk". Anything else is "too hard". :roll: :roll:



I do. Today's 21st century ham? Don't think so.... :nono:
Sadly, very true for many of the modern day 21st century hams...

But, sometimes I monitor the AM window on 75 or 160 late on a cold night and low and behold. A new ham will break in and actually be interested in learning how to homebrew, modify, experiment, and/or just plain learn. Sometimes they are quite young. The good part is, they are out there. Far and few between but they are there. Don;t get me wrong, I am not saying that a ham must operate AM or CW or use tubes or even build anything. Just the desire to listen, learn, experiment, and, if need be ask questions is a wonderful part of the radio/electronics game.

[WØTKX]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWS3ofzuiMU

Oh, you said HAM, not MAN. :geek:

[NA4BH]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGxFLLDnsd4

[KJ3N]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWS3ofzuiMU

Oh, you said HAM, not MAN. :geek:

Those ladies can fiddle my bow anytime. :yes: :hyper: :giggity: :bbh:

[KG4CGC]

Googen gashmoygen Giggity!

[n2ize]

Those ladies can fiddle my bow anytime. :yes: :hyper: :giggity: :bbh:

One of the prettiest women I ever knew was a violinist.

[n0iu]

Does anyone wonder why people easily get frustrated in AR, and then leave, never to come back? :roll:

Its probably because when they make their first post on QRZ that says something like, "Just got my Tech ticket!", they are told that they are not a "real ham" because they did not take their have to walk uphill both ways during a blinding snowstorm in the middle of July to take their tests at an FCC Field Office and are then told to take their microphone and put it in a paper bag, wrap it in duct tape and put it in a deep dark closet and not to use it until they learn CW at 20 wpm!

I'm just sayin'...

[N8YX]

G5RV:

In its 102' configuration is an excellent 20M antenna which also exhibits an acceptable SWR on 75 and 40.

In the ZS6BKW configuration (~90', with ~40' 450-ohm ladder line feeder) it works very well on 40, 20, 17, 12 and 10M. That is, the antenna presents an SWR of < 2:1 to the transmitter at some point in each of those bands. A tuner can be utilized to bring this lower but the key thing to remember is that it already is an efficient radiator - you're not trying to "force" the issue.

Build vs. buy:

Some of my wire antennas are store-bought.

Some of my trap verticals and multi-band yagi antennas are completely home-brewed or have been extensively modified from their original design criteria. If an antenna (new or used) is offered for sale at a price less than the cost of the components thereof, I'm buying it.

New vs used gear:

There are just as many junk designs in the new market as there are junkers in the used. I recently sold a set of Swan Astros (150, tuner, PSU) to a buddy who is getting into ham radio. He bought a couple late-model rigs and is now begging me to trade for another Astro, stating that the receiver on the older rig is (in his opinion) the better performer. Having used both side-by-side, I tend to agree with his statement: DSP artifacting in the new rig made the listening experience somewhat unpleasant.

If the older rig hadn't been put on the bench and serviced correctly, the new one would have easily outperformed it. Get the average screwdriver Joe who doesn't grasp the finer technical points of transceiver alignment and...well, you can guess the outcome.

It's all in what you want and what your budget can stand. there are a few classics which I'll recommend to anyone getting into the hobby - simply because they have (and will) stand the test of time.

VHF:

Get Thee the hell OFF most repeaters, and Get Thee off a strictly FM rig as well. Buy a decent all-mode 6M, 2M or 2M/430-440 setup and play with FM simplex and weak-signal SSB/CW operations. Most club-sponsored repeaters and their cloistered operational mindsets do nothing to further the expansion of the hobby, so one must get away from their turd-laden sandboxes in order to truly enjoy 6M and above.

[KJ3N]

VHF:

Get Thee the hell OFF most repeaters, and Get Thee off a strictly FM rig as well. Buy a decent all-mode 6M, 2M or 2M/430-440 setup and play with FM simplex and weak-signal SSB/CW operations. Most club-sponsored repeaters and their cloistered operational mindsets do nothing to further the expansion of the hobby, so one must get away from their turd-laden sandboxes in order to truly enjoy 6M and above.

Amen, bruddah!!! :agree: :agree:

[n2ize]

I always considered vhf/uhf an adjunct to the hobby. Vital ham radio is 160 meters to 40 meters. Anything above 7.4 Mc is Satanic.

[n2ize]

VHF:[/B]

Get Thee the hell OFF most repeaters, and Get Thee off a strictly FM rig as well. Buy a decent all-mode 6M, 2M or 2M/430-440 setup and play with FM simplex and weak-signal SSB/CW operations. Most club-sponsored repeaters and their cloistered operational mindsets do nothing to further the expansion of the hobby, so one must get away from their turd-laden sandboxes in order to truly enjoy 6M and above.

I wouldn't say that working repeaters does nothing to further expansion and knowledge. Heck, I had a couple friends who were Tech only and my only means of communicating with them was via the local repeater systems (and FM simplex). So when my first HT blew out I put a Johnson Viking 6n2 Transmitter on the air. First, I built up the power supply. Then I learned how to modulate the VFO to produce FM and maintain proper deviation, etc. Then I would tune the output of my transmitter to the input of the repeater and receive the output on a separate receiver.. It worked but I periodically had to adjust for the drift of the ancient 1950's VFO. It made the local repeater club LIVID everytime I worked their repeater. They HATED the idea of someone using an unorthodox method to work the local repeater. Besides, with a 100 watt signal they could all hear me on the input... in some cases better than the repeater output. But the real old times loved it. Several of them wrote to me and complemented me using some ingenuity to get on the air.

BTW the 6n2 was also KICKASS as a simplex rig for 6 meters AM / CW and 2 meters.