CB/Amateur Radio

Wallaman

Is there anyone interested in CB/Amateur Radio? I want to start a new forum(propose it) so Im just wondering if there is any support for it?

mrhappy42

Is that still alive, now that the Internet is available?

finnpark

Hello Mr. Happy. Im Wallaman's bro. Amateur radio is very much alive but other forums are used. I use an amateur radio set on the 11 meter band. 26-30MHZ. I use USB modulation. My set-up cost me around E300. I have gotten as far as Aaustralia on just 75W of power, South America on a regular Basic , Africa a few times and USA on a regular basis in the winter. Its a good buzz to get around the world on as little as 25W of power when you consider 2FM uses thousands of watts to get around Ireland.

Anyway I think we will stick to the other forums for amataur radio anyhow. Also CB radio is big among car enthusiasts.

vector

PMR 446 is big among horsey people from my experience, for communicating in convoy, handheld though, I don't think you can get a base PMR 446 transceiver?

finnpark

We just use a homebase set-up here. We have a President Lincoln Transeiver, 75W Valve amplifier, Transmatch tuner, Antron 99 antenna. A pretty basic set-up but lots of fun. What is your local handle? Mine is Thunder, my brother is Glenman. Im 29 dl 149 or 29 AS 014 on internationaal stage.

I get all my bbits and bobs from Long Communications in Dunkineely. Hes dear though but sells quite a bit all the same. Its hard to get good suppliers.

There has been a big pick-up in CB/HAM radio over last few years I think. Its starting to come back I THINK.

mrhappy42

Friend of my fathers was big into it in the 70ths. With the internet I tought it had disapeared. Suppose reception must be good in Donegal.

finnpark

Reception for abroad does not really depend so much on location. It depends on the atmospheric conditions. Its important to keep an eye on any sunspots and wait for a coronal injection of particles into the earth's atmosphere which creates a huge magnetic field around the earth. Then we transmitt, our voice signal is transmitted 25Km into space to the ionosphere, bounces off the ionosphere and can land anywhere on earth. Thats the great thing about HAM radio. You never know where your signal could land. Local CB use is usually crap because of idiots and children but HAM radio is class.

vector

QRA?

midnorthfourzer

finnpark wrote:

Reception for abroad does not really depend so much on location. It depends on the atmospheric conditions. Its important to keep an eye on any sunspots and wait for a coronal injection of particles into the earth's atmosphere which creates a huge magnetic field around the earth. Then we transmitt, our voice signal is transmitted 25Km into space to the ionosphere, bounces off the ionosphere and can land anywhere on earth.

ya got that a tad confused, man...lets just say that the sun affects communications

Main thing is to sort your antenna out-get it as high as possible and properly matched to your TXer. I've worked a good few far flung places on 1 or 2 watts using CW. Ya know that Marlon Brando was a licensed operator too?

B@ndit

CB is still very much alive, not as popular as it once was but in Dublin on any given night you will find a lot of guys all around the capital on 27.485 USB, and in the midlands 27.665 USB is active with the long established midland radio group.

Steven.


President Lincoln
Zetagi BV131
I-Max 2000

finnpark

vector wrote:

QRA?

Thinder or 29DL149 or 29 AS 014

finnpark

midnorthfourzer wrote:

ya got that a tad confused, man...lets just say that the sun affects communications

Main thing is to sort your antenna out-get it as high as possible and properly matched to your TXer. I've worked a good few far flung places on 1 or 2 watts using CW. Ya know that Marlon Brando was a licensed operator too?

"there is a phenomenon called Ionospheric Wave Propagation aka"skip" or "DX". It is when solar radiation charges the Earth's ionosphere which is over over 50 miles high up in the sky and low band AM or SSB frequencies bounce off the charged ionosphere and end up 300 miles away, or up to 12,000 miles away on the other side of the world". FROM:http://www.ericextreme.com/hobbies.html

midnorthfourzer

finnpark wrote:

"there is a phenomenon called Ionospheric Wave Propagation aka"skip" or "DX". It is when solar radiation charges the Earth's ionosphere which is over over 50 miles high up in the sky and low band AM or SSB frequencies bounce off the charged ionosphere and end up 300 miles away, or up to 12,000 miles away on the other side of the world". FROM:http://www.ericextreme.com/hobbies.html

Apart from the bit about radio waves (the skywave) 'bouncing' off the ionosphere (incident radio waves with frequencies below the Maximum Usuable Frequency are actually refracted back towards the earth, frequencies above the MUF just pass on through) that's a better explanation than your first go. A big solar flare may often result in total absorption of radio waves-killing off entire bands, not the other way around) The MUF thing is why you might only notice some DX on higher frequencies on only the rare occasion).

Anyway, good to see someone else in interested in this stuff. here's a really quick pic I drew up for something else:



The different layers coming into play depending on the daylight/darkness is why you can hear long and medium wave stations from far away during the night and not during the day. The E-layer is responsible for some really good HF DX during the day.


-Steven, say hello to Paddy MRG 92 next time you're on the 665. If Tom or May is on, tell them you bumped into MRG92's neighbour

B@ndit

midnorthfourzer wrote:

-Steven, say hello to Paddy MRG 92 next time you're on the 665. If Tom or May is on, tell them you bumped into MRG92's neighbour

Will do,
Steven

Kevo

where might i get a cb radio for my car?

vector

Kevo wrote:

where might i get a cb radio for my car?

If you want a new radio use www.bander.com they are the cheapest seller I have seen, and even charge in euro, but postage is fedex so about EUR 30, even still cheap.

If you want second hand try ebay.co.uk or ebid.ie (but why waste your time!)
or buyandsell.ie

Now, CB can operate on AM/SSB and FM? and on different channels for different countries AFAIK, so maybe someone else could tell you which type you should get for Ireland.

B@ndit

Long Communications,
ask for Raymond or Willie... I recommend either a president jackson, or president lincoln.

also either a wilson 1000 or K40 mag-mount antenna, you will then have a good set-up

dont go for cheap radio and small antenna, you will only want to change it later, with the recommendations above you will be set up nicely, also consider for those cold wintry nights a 5 to 7 amp transformer and a base antenna such as the antron 99 or i-max 2000 so you can bring your hobby from car to house.


Steven.

http://www.longcom.ie/

vector

B@ndit wrote:

...http://www.longcom.ie/

no prices are shown there is no email address on that "website"

B@ndit

vector wrote:

no prices are shown there is no email address on that "website"

I know, Ray and his father are sorta old school, they prefer to talk to potential customers, if you ring or fax them with your address they will post you out a paper catalogue complete with prices etc, site is mostly for specs. Im sure youll agree site could be more informative re prices, but anyway, they are very reputable and an irish company etc etc...

Steven.

StephenC

Hey, Just wondering if theres anyone out there who still use their CB Radio in Dublin area and what Channels are used nowdays where you can talk to people?

Thanks

B@ndit

StephenC wrote:

Hey, Just wondering if theres anyone out there who still use their CB Radio in Dublin area and what Channels are used nowdays where you can talk to people?

Thanks

I work in Dublin and have one in the car, I live outside Dublin and also have one in the house and have no problems getting into dublin.

ch 19 for the truckers (AM)
27.555 USB for just about everything else. 27.555mhz should be your starting point. Mopst users use USB mode, only truckers really use AM nowadays. You will hear mass also on some channels (FM).

Steven.

scorptech

Hi,

Does anyone know of any North Dublin/Meath based engineers who can do CB mods/repairs/upgrades??

Thanks

mercedeslimos

i've got a midland one for my car, free from a buddy, but no aerial. has a big aerial connection on the back.

any idea if i can bastardise a different connection on if i get the connection end from a tv repair shop. i have an aerial already on my car for an in-car phone (back in '98).

i don't want a huge magnetic aerial! want something that doesn't draw attention.

any recommendations.

oh, and cheap!

amen

for ham radio do you need a license ?
and if so how can you get one?

any courses?

B@ndit

RE Antenna, there are many types but you will either need a mag mount or a fixed one drilled into car body, you cant use radio antenna it wont work. CB antenna wont draw attention, and even if it does so what? its not illegal...


RE Ham licence, yes licence required for HAM, not for CB. Courses available from time to time see www.irts.ie for info or email me privately and I might be able to give you some info re syllabus etc on CD.

Felim_Doyle

Are there any more threads on the boards discussing Amateur Radio, Citizens Band (CB), PMR446 etc.?

Félim M3HIM
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK
Sandymount, Dublin 4, Ireland

FarmerGreen

There is Hobby Radio
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=922

Felim_Doyle

Thanks, I'll take a look.

I have found a few threads since posting the original question. The problem was that searching the forums with 'Amateur Radio', for example, yielded anything with 'amateur' or 'radio' in it which is quite a lot on here!

Félim M3HIM
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK
Sandymount, Dublin 4, Ireland

Felim_Doyle

I used to be on in Dublin in the early eighties and had some good DX contacts on AM and SSB as well as a lot of local contacts on AM and was involved in a few clubs both local and DX. I somehow dropped out of radio altogether, both CB and amateur, when I started working in the IT industry. I live in the UK now and in recent years have begun getting back into amateur and CB radio (local FM only so far) but I really need to sort out some antennas.

Félim M3HIM
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK
Sandymount, Dublin 4, Ireland

Robus

Make my first “breaker, breaker” the day the pope visited Ireland in 1979 and was quickly told that all broadcasts were banned for security reasons that day…………………………passed by Ham “B” a few years later………………..been off air for years now…………………..you have me thinking

Felim_Doyle

As another Doyle might say ... "Ah go on, ye will, ye will, ye will, ye will, ye will ..."