At the Club, we've had a number of newcomers come along recently (which is fabulous news!), but when asked what they are interested in, they often don't know. Believe us when we say that we really do understand! The amateur radio hobby has to be one of the most all encompassing, enormous, multi-faceted, hobbies out there... how on earth are you supposed to find your way through the jungle of modes, bands, aerials, equipment and who knows what else, when you're new? We've just started to implement a mentoring program at the Club to help out, utilising the extensive experience that exists from other members, to support those new to the hobby (or more experienced members wanting to try something new).
A few have explained that they have bought Baofeng radio's but weren't too sure on next steps, or what the possibilities are.
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| The ubiquitous Baofeng radio! |
So, this aim of this post is to give some ideas about the possibilities if you have this, or a similar radio.
Actually, before I go any further, if you've not bought a radio yet and just want something cheap to try out, can I suggest another handheld radio? This one has largely taken the place of the Baofeng radio and can open up more options.
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| The Quansheng handheld radio opens up more possibilities |
Whichever radio you use, the very first thing to do is find out how to program it and use it! we would recommend getting to grips with CHIRP software - it'll save you so much time and effort when programming it with what you need.
However, let's start with the Baofeng as I know some of our members have this radio. Of course, there is the obvious usage... talking on the simplex frequencies (calling frequency of 145.500MHz on 2m, and 433.500MHz on 70cm).
SOTA / POTA
Summits On The Air and Parks On The Air both deserve posts to cover what this aspect of the hobby is about. What they have in common is portable operation from specific places. Operators are often active from the Welsh hills, activating summits; they may call on 145.500MHz, looking for 'chasers' to respond.
If you have your licence, why not look up POTA and SOTA and get on the air yourself?
Repeaters
Whilst there are the simplex channels, there are also a number of repeaters around Taunton (or wherever you live). We've put a handy list of repeaters for our area on the Local Repeaters page.
Programming radios with all the repeater offsets, CTCSS tones and frequencies can be a lesson in frustration initially. This is where software like CHIRP come in to play. They make life so much simpler and allow you to maintain a backup of all the information uploaded to your radio. You will need an appropriate lead to connect your computer to the radio.
SSTV
Following on from the talk and demonstration given by David Vickers, G7BEH, how could we not mention SSTV?! The SSTV calling frequency is 144.500MHz and whilst it's not that active at the moment, why not get a couple of others involved and try it out.
You'll need a cable to send / receive the tones to / from the radio to your computer (running MMSSTV for Windows PCs, or QSSTV for Linux). You can also connect your Android or iPhone to the radio too... but even better, just to try the mode out, you can also use your phone just held next to the radio!
Satellites
The ISS has an FM repeater on it and you can use a simple radio like the Baofeng to access it as it flies over. To be fair, it is slightly frowned upon as the Baofeng is not a duplex radio, so you cannot hear your downlink as you transmit... but you can do it and it does work. Again, the use of CHIRP to program the radio is an absolute must!
Packet Radio
Back in the 1980's, packet radio was enjoying it's heyday... and it's coming back! There are a number of packet radio stations kicking around and the Baofeng is ideal to get started in this mode. Linked to packet radio is...
APRS
APRS stands for Automatic Packet Reporting System. It is a real-time, amateur radio-based digital communication system used to share position data (GPS coordinates), weather station telemetry, and text messages, often displayed on maps. Take a look at the aprs.fi website to get an idea. You can also send messages using APRS.
Some handhelds are equipped to send APRS packets / messages directly from the radio itself, but more usually you'll need some software to connect to the radio - there are apps for Android and iPhones.
Going Further
If you're looking for more, then purchasing a modified Quansheng K5 radio can open up new horizons. There are a number of firmware uploads that can be used with the radio, but among the best is the IJV firmware - this allows you to use CW, sideband (DSB), AM as well as FM. You also get more control over TX power settings, better screen readouts and so on.
The ability to finely adjust TX power settings is very, very useful... allowing you to drive a transverter safely. G7BEH has transverters that work well his Quansheng and allow operation on the 10GHz microwave band, as well as the 20m and 80m bands.
Beacons
Using something like the Quansheng not only opens up the use of sideband and CW, but also listening for beacons - very useful to get an idea of current propagation.
Contests
Finally, whether you have an FM only radio, or something that has been opened up with firmware, there are a number of contests that you can get involved in.
There are the FM only FMAC contests on 2m and 70cm, as well as the (typically) SSB / CW UKAC contests that start immediately after the FMAC events.
I'm sure we've missed some things that you can do - there are other contests for example - but hopefully the above gives you a taster for what can be done, even with a basic handheld radio.
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