Subj : Re: packet radio
To   : Irish_Monk
From : Zero Reader
Date : Fri Aug 12 2022 08:47 am

On 12 Aug 2022, Irish_Monk said the following...
 
 Ir> I found the above mentioned web site. Awesome, Thats what Im going to
 Ir> try and get for now is the Technician Class Amateur Radio License. I
 Ir> really appreciate you responding with all that great info. Ill probably
 Ir> come back to your message for a reference on that equipment again. :}

Let me know how I can help! I've been away from the hobby for a while, but 
while I was active, I did all sorts of things. If you get licensed, I'd 
recommend going ahead and getting the General class license as well, since that 
opens up all the classic ham radio HF bands. You can work the world on the HF 
bands, whereas the Tech class is mainly focused on the VHF/UHF bands.

I think any packet activity is largely going to be on VHF/UHF, but packet 
boards are a rarity these days. I've always wanted to set one up though. 
VHF/UHF are "line of sight" bands for the most part, so that can be limiting. 

I got into ham radio for space communications -- basically, I wanted to talk to 
astronauts on the ISS. It's thrilling to see the ISS pass over while receiving 
signals from it. I've heard the station commanders, decoded slow scan TV, etc. 
Never managed a chat with anyone though. It really depends on who's onboard.

You also get the 10 and 6 meter bands as a Tech, which are really cool, but
those bands have to be "open" to work, and openings are rare. As we move into a 
more active solar cycle, I've been seeing some days with a flux index exceeding 
150, which means conditions for operating on 10M are becoming more usable.

Anyway, I could go on and on with this stuff!

-ZR

.... A social life? Where can I download that!?

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