Ham Radio

[Tommy T.]

Thanks for the info. A similar situation took down Radio Shack in USA - almost the same type of store - I think just two or three years ago?

I think it may be an indicator of people losing interest in DIY electronics products? Or maybe they are finding online vendors instead of "brick and mortar" stores?

Edited September 6, 2019 by Tommy T.
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[GeoffH]

They did close down a few years ago but honestly they hadn’t been a hobby electronics parts store for 10 years or more before that.  They were bough out by a large chain store and turned into a general home electrical goods store gradually after the chain took over.

There is a small chain called Jaycar which still sells a lot of electronic parts but I miss the wide range of electronic kits that Dick Smith used to stock.

[Tommy T.]

On 9/6/2019 at 10:38 AM, GeoffH said:

Thanks for checking with L, there is a family cousin who is a secondary teacher but she is in Ozamiz not CDO, not so easy to ask.

Hi Geoff!

I finally had a chance to chat a bit with L about ham radio... It is good news!

She is a Red Cross coordinator, knows the heads of Boy and Girl Scouts here in Davao. She said that there has been activity in ham radio in the past, but not so much recently. She said she was certain there would be interest by Red Cross, Boy and Girl Scouts here. However, to move it along there would be the usual red tape - letters here and there - but it would happen.

So I am thinking hard about this... I have two IC735's sitting in a storage locker in USA. I may be willing to loan or donate one of them to a situation where all three of these organizations could possibly get access. You know how difficult that may be - all the talk talk talk and so forth... But L said that kids were always thrilled with this before so there is enthusiasm.

Again... this could be one to two years off, depending on when I would return to the land of the big smoke to retrieve those rigs. But I am definitely interested in promoting this with them (emergency services being a top interest). Maybe even before that, there might be something else you or I could do to work this out? I guess the first thing for me is to check about reciprocal license or???

Anyway, just wanted to update you... Cheers and 73!

Edited September 8, 2019 by Tommy T.

[Marvin Boggs]

Never had a ham license but always been interested.  What is a good source for a newb to read up on this topic?  We are starting to look at land to buy, and among other things I want to make sure it will be a good spot for ham or short wave reception.  I'm a little undecided at the moment which one I will want.  

Welcome any thoughts or insights.

[Tommy T.]

14 minutes ago, Marvin Boggs said:

Welcome any thoughts or insights.

I think @GeoffHmight be a great place to start. He has been here for a while and has scoped out ham radio here in the Philippines. Try reading up on the previous posts in this thread for a bit more information and others who contributed if you have not already done so?

Briefly, in very general terms, for best shortwave receiving and sending, good locations are elevated and open areas, such as on hills. If you locate in a valley or next to high ground, your outgoing and any incoming signals will not work very well or at all from the directions of the blocking lands. The higher the altitude and the clearer your surroundings, the better it works. Don't worry too much about mountains or hills that are, say 10 kms or further away unless they are really big. The signals will generally go over or around those...

Hmmm... I just reviewed my post and then noticed your location is Visayas? Oceanfront or locations not far from water are okay too, but may be directional if you have mountains or high hills behind or around you. So you don't ALWAYS have to be on a hill or mountain top...

It will also depend on what frequencies and what your goal is for communication. Do you want to listen to or chat with people half way around the world? or just someone a few hundred kms from you? You can compensate for imperfect locations with antenna systems, boosters, amplifiers and all sorts of geeky technical stuff. And it also depends on how deep your pockets are because it can add up.

Good luck, Marvin and enjoy!

Edited September 27, 2019 by Tommy T.
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[GeoffH]

Marvin if you want a reasonably priced way to have a go at short wave listening then I suggest buying a Tecsun 600 or 660 or 680 SSB capable portable short wave radio receiver.  They work well and are not subject to the transmitter import restrictions.  And if you decide later than ham radio or short wave listening aren’t for you then you’ve got an excellent AM and FM radio you can still use.  I wouldn’t spend too much money right at the start. 
 

 

[Marvin Boggs]

My thinking also, that sounds like good advice.  Had a small short wave back in the states, but its tuning didn't seem very discrete.  Still had a lot of fun listening with it. 

[Marvin Boggs]

Have any of you erected antenna towers?  Or just run your antenna up the hillside?  

[GeoffH]

I have a 3 story house and my short wave receiver is in a small room with a balcony on the third floor so I use and end fed random wire (plenty of height),  not the most efficient I know but because I don’t have a Philippines license yet just my Aussie one I can’t transmit... it does me for now.

[Mike J]

On 9/28/2019 at 6:11 AM, GeoffH said:

I don’t have a Philippines license yet just my Aussie one I can’t transmit... it does me for now.

Geoff, I know nothing about ham radio, but am just curious.  What would happen if you did transmit?  Who and how would they catch you?  What would be the penalty?  Or is adherence to rules based mostly on an honor system?