HAM Radio- Okay ELMER where is the easy button on these radios?

[.40isthenew.45]

The $35 BaoFeng's are tempting but I decided I'd rather get a used version of a more expensive radio than a new version of a cheap radio (to translate this into gun terms, wouldn't you rather have a used Glock or Springfield than a brand new Lorcin or Hi-Point? )

I would feel better about a Glock vs STI analogy but I get what you are saying. The handheld I viewed as a throw-away if something didn't pan out. I haven't used it enough to know what I want to do with it. The mobile got fairly good reviews, and while I would like to have a "nicer" radio, I don't know what makes a "nicer" radio or what features I want to add.

I had made up my mind to finally get "serious" about ham last year, that was about a week before the wife decided we needed to move to a new house, and of course that sucked up all my available time and energy. Now that we're settled into the new house I'll again try to get my radios working. I have a Yaesu FT-50 dual band HT that I bought used in 2011 when I got my tech license (I had previously been a Tech+ but that license expired in 2004. Tech + no longer exists as a license class since they got rid of the novice license.) I also have a Kenwood mobile 2m that was in my old 4runner for a while - if I get ambitious I'll put it in my Suburban.

That is close to my plan as well. When you get things set up drop me a note and we will see if we can get them to connect.

As for ham radio enthusiasts, in my (admittedly limited) experience, they are usually enthusiastic about helping you up until the point that they realize you aren't "into" radios and have zero interest in getting into "the hobby" and you just need to use the damn thing. The hams that have been most helpful to me are the ones for whom radio is an adjunct to another hobby, not a hobby in and of itself (for example, more and more 4 wheel drive and off road enthusiasts are getting into ham as it offers much better communications options than CB.)

Which is why I asked the question here, rather than on a ham forum.....

[spqrzilla]

Not sure why you don't want to mention the name of the ham radio shop on Iliff ... but I'll go with it. I have a low opinion of them. They are a huge hindrance to ham radio in Colorado in my opinion.

But the reality is that between 4G cellular phone service and the Internet as a whole, the main audience for ham radio hobby is diverted into other interests.

In most areas of the Front Range, the factory antenna on a 2 meter handheld will hit the good repeaters available. When I was in the east end of the Denver metro area, an ancient Radio Shack handheld could hit the repeaters on the west side very clearly. Southern Colorado's repeater coverage is a bit sparser but I don't think you need to worry about antenna quality until you are wandering around the Western Slope.

A lot of the repeaters use the same setup. So the key is getting your handheld set up on the handful of those repeater setups.

[.40isthenew.45]

Not sure why you don't want to mention the name of the ham radio shop on Iliff ... but I'll go with it..

Like Mrs. Rabbit used to tell Thumper "if you don't have nuthin' nice to say, don't say nuthin' at all.... " I softened my comments a bit as I was writing the post but left the first part alone.

I do feel like there isn't a real inclusive attitude in the HAM world. I don't want to take anything away from what they do, but would like to be able to use some of the capabilities myself. I don't want to have to figure out all the settings, I think CHIRP does a pretty good job for most of it, why the clubs and repeater operators don't publish plain english versions of setup instructions I will never understand. I didn't see an overabundance of traffic when I was messing around a couple of years ago, and don't think making it easier would change much of that. I support the test, to make sure folks have a basic understanding of the radio, and more so the "rules of the road" with regards to what is and is not acceptable use.

I have the handheld on the charger at the moment and the programming cable for the new radio should get here Friday. So, hopefully I can see how things are working over the weekend.

Thanks again to all of you who have shared your thoughts and experiences. I don't know that I want to start a crusade to "make ham easier" but if I get things working reasonably ok, I would be more than happy to share whatever setup info I have.

[SSChameleon]

The Ham community in Pueblo is small but active. I’m like you, I memorized the questions on QRZ and hot the license, purchased a few baofeng radios and then downloaded chirp. I figured out enough to get some repeaters in Pueblo, springs and Denver programmed I . I’ll PM the name and number of a Pueblo guy who offered to clone his baofeng to mine with all the local repeaters.

There is a radio shop on Abriendo just before I25. I haven’t been in so I have no review to offer, but it looks old school and may be a good resource.

[asmo]

For the uninitiated, HRO == Every local gun store.

People, on this board, are going to hate the analogy but it is utterly true.

[.40isthenew.45]

The Ham community in Pueblo is small but active. I’m like you, I memorized the questions on QRZ and hot the license, purchased a few baofeng radios and then downloaded chirp. I figured out enough to get some repeaters in Pueblo, springs and Denver programmed I . I’ll PM the name and number of a Pueblo guy who offered to clone his baofeng to mine with all the local repeaters.

There is a radio shop on Abriendo just before I25. I haven’t been in so I have no review to offer, but it looks old school and may be a good resource.

I will check out the local shop, its not too far from home. Maybe I will hold off telling them what kind of radio I have 8^)

[.40isthenew.45]

I just downloaded the latest version of CHIRP and was reviewing my .img file. I don't have enough confidence in it to share with others, but if someone has a known good setup I would very much like to take a look at it.

Perhaps we should start another thread to share them if others would find it useful?

[Martinjmpr]

For the uninitiated, HRO == Every local gun store.

People, on this board, are going to hate the analogy but it is utterly true.

Well, I would even say HRO = every gun store, every "hobby" store, every small bicycle or motorcycle shop, computer store, etc.

I think I've posted this here before but here's my take on it: Some people are really "INTO" their hobbies. They are so "into" their hobbies that they look down their nose at anybody who does the same hobby but isn't as "committed" as they are (Think of "Comic Book Guy" on The Simpsons for an example from popular culture.)



And often times, the people who are super "into" their hobby decide that the best thing they could do is open a business where they serve that hobby. Gun guys open gun shops, bicycle guys open bicycle shops, and ham radio guys open HRO franchises or independent electronics shops (again, Comic Book Guy.)

The danger of the "hobbyist owned business" is that while these guys are usually very knowledgeable about their chosen hobby, they often have pretty poor social skills and only so-so business skills and many of them don't seem to understand that if you treat customers like shit, they'll likely go and shop somewhere else. And they often will openly show contempt for any customer or potential customer who comes in and asks what they regard as a "stupid question." Sometimes if you walk into their shops you'll even hear them talking with a co-worker or someone else about "this dumbass customer who came in yesterday...." or some such. They will often be openly condescending or sarcastic to customers and generally act like they're doing you a favor by even talking to you.

It's no wonder that these businesses often fail. It's no wonder most people who aren't "enthusiasts" would rather shop in a big box store (where the mantra of "serve the customer" is beaten into the heads of the employees.) Many times the only reason the businesses DO stay around is because they are the only game in town, so their sucky customer service skills aren't enough to keep people from shopping there (HRO being the great example of this - AFAIK it's the only ham radio store in the Denver metro area.)

And BTW my choice of the word "Guys" above was deliberate - I've never seen the equivalent of this in any female-oriented business (like a craft or sewing shop or similar.) My wife is into a lot of "girly" crafts and every time we go into one of their shops the women who run them are never anything other than open, friendly and more than willing to help out someone who is just starting off or only needs one or two items.

[ChadAmberg]

Yeah I agree with most of the comments. Radio is fun stuff, but you have to figure out what works for you. For me, when I had an APRS radio in the car, that was fun, and listening to some local and regional chatter. I'd also be able to receive ISS transmissions and such when it was overhead.

Mostly I do HF digital stuff, seeing how far around the planet my signals get and do some chatting that way. That's something that attracts mostly the younger (under 60) crowd, which are more open to pleasant chatter and less get off my frequency. I still need to get my damn antenna ran since I've moved...


As for the comment about what's better than Baofeng, once you've used a nice Icom, Yaesu, or Kenwood, it will quickly make sense. I have an HT made by Icom, and it's relatively nice and easy, has great audio in and out of it, and feels like it's quality when you pick it up. I'd recommend for anyone looking to buy something new to hit the QRZ for sale forums, and pick up something used. That's what I've done over the years and gotten good experiences.

[Martinjmpr]

As for the comment about what's better than Baofeng, once you've used a nice Icom, Yaesu, or Kenwood, it will quickly make sense. I have an HT made by Icom, and it's relatively nice and easy, has great audio in and out of it, and feels like it's quality when you pick it up. I'd recommend for anyone looking to buy something new to hit the QRZ for sale forums, and pick up something used. That's what I've done over the years and gotten good experiences.

I got my Kenwood 2m mobile and my Yaesu FT50 dual band HT from Craigslist, believe it or not. And I think I paid a total of maybe $100 for both radios (the Kenwood was only $25 because some of the buttons on the microphone don't work. I ordered a new mike for $18.) So they are out there on the used market.