TexasCHLforum.com

GrannyGlock wrote:

OverEasy wrote:Interesting note; Last year 5 gal plastic gas cans at Wal-Mart were $4.88.
This year they are $9.89.

Walmart will charge different prices based on statistical analysis of an area.

Walmart in Lubbock has these same gas cans on for $5.44. But we are far from hurricane territory. Blazer 9 mm was $6.27/50 and they were sold out.

Day 92 and waiting, no word on what "paperwork on their end" is the hold-up

9mm Blazer was $4.97 here in FT. Worth last night. NOBODY at the counter to wait on anyone...

I'll go to Academy, same price, and there is always a guy behind their counter to help!

Russ

First, unless you plan to take the test THIS month (June 2006) put off studying until July. The reason is: In July a whole new set of questions and answers are to take effect. This happens every 4 or 5 years to keep the question pool up to date with modern technology.

a few links to start with... hmmm...:

The American Radio Relay League, this is the NRA of amateur radio. http://www.arrl.org/

a really good page from them on "How do I start?":
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/classes.html

Hope this helps,
Russ

Talk around the world with your No-Code Tech license using satellites:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php

See where your buddies are/were/are headed with GPS reporting and amateur radio:
http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/aprs.html
and findU
http://www.findu.com/

Have fun in contests, just one of hundreds of contest:
http://www.txqp.org/

If you have a ham license, talk around the world using echolink and your computer:
http://www.echolink.org/

Here's the Part 97 rules and regs... much like our 411.xxx for CHL.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wais ... 97_05.html


some information on amateur radio and stormspotting:
http://www.k5kj.net/skywarn.htm

here's a fun forum full of info:
http://www.eham.net/

John wrote:

kw5kw wrote:Yes you must get the license... "Uncle Charlie" (the FCC) will issue fines for unlicensed usage... and they're not inexpensive.

Better yet... become a ham. A "no-code" technician license will allow you to use radio's that will talk for hundreds of miles... legally.

The best thing is that the license is FREE.
The bad thing is that you must take a test.
The good thing is that you study the questions and the answers before the test.

the good thing is you can talk much further,
the bad thing is that your family must take the test also to talk to them.

(that might not be an entirely bad thing, Huh?)

Russ

yikes! another hobby Do I have to tell my wife I've always been interested in ham radio, but never took the plunge, the free license is enticing, but i'm sure the equipment costs can get way up there really fast.

bran-new 2meter (144.000 ~ 148.000 MHz) full power 50 watts can be had for as little as $160.00, add another 40.00 or so for an antenna. Heck you can spend more than that on a set of 'night sights'.

Russ

Paladin wrote:

John wrote:I picked up some new portable radios (mine got wet last year). The old ones were FRS and the new set is FRS/GMRS. The cost was about $15.00 and they are good for 5 miles.

According to the instructions, you have to have a license to use the GMRS channels and the GMRS channels have a longer range then the FRS (5 miles vs. 2 miles). I checked the FCC home page and the license is $80.00 for 5 years.

Does anyone really get an 80 dollar license for a 15 dollar radio? Seems a little ridiculous.

Yes officially you are supposed to get a license to operate GMRS. If you use GMRS for boating or use it for business purposes then I would get the license. I'm not sure it's really that enforceable otherwise.

Yes you must get the license... "Uncle Charlie" (the FCC) will issue fines for unlicensed usage... and they're not inexpensive.

Better yet... become a ham. A "no-code" technician license will allow you to use radio's that will talk for hundreds of miles... legally.

The best thing is that the license is FREE.
The bad thing is that you must take a test.
The good thing is that you study the questions and the answers before the test.

the good thing is you can talk much further,
the bad thing is that your family must take the test also to talk to them.

(that might not be an entirely bad thing, Huh?)

Russ

propellerhead wrote:Nice! I've been toying with the idea of getting into ham. But between racing my car at the drag strip and now guns, I'm gonna run out of funds!!! My 'want' list keeps getting longer.

how can I help you?
Come to the Rig on the Third Thursday of any month. A small group of us get together for the KiloCycle Club. We eat at about 6;30 pm and have a quick 'business" meeting at 7:00.
The Rig is located just south of I-20 on I-35W at Alta Mesa exit.

might also look at this... http://www.hamcom.org which is this weekend in Plano.

Russ

Think about this. When electric falis so do communications. When tornado's, hurricanes or terrorists take out power lines, cell towers and regular telephone and cable television poles then we loose the ability to use such things as cell phones, regular telephone and the internet. Cable TV is gone and unless you have a generator you're not going to get broadcast television or satellite television.

The only thing left for reliable communications is amateur radio which can be operated by most 12v. sources.

Russ

propellerhead wrote:In the US?

Here's just one page that I quickly found about "amateur radio" and "katrina": http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/02/17/2/

propellerhead wrote:

kw5kw wrote:When cell phones go out and the trunked systems go out for the fire/police they call on hams to provide communications for ambulance, fire and police personell.

Does this still go on today? I asked a ham once what the reason for having the "Radio operator" license plates were for and that's what she told me. Although the way she put it was it was more of a thing of a past and just a tradition now.

Here's just one page that I quickly found about "amateur radio" and "katrina": http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/02/17/2/

For instance when the terrorist hit London just last year:

June 5 (Bloomberg) -- London police, fire and ambulance crews were hindered in their response to four suicide bombings last year by poor communications, a city government report said.

Rescuers were slowed by an aging communications network that doesn't work under ground and mobile phone system breakdowns, according to the report by the Greater London Assembly today. Medical students acted as ``runners,'' conveying information between Great Ormond Street Hospital and the bombing scene at Russell Square underground station because telephones and radios weren't reliable.

``In the 21st century, in one of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced cities in the world, it is unacceptable for the emergency services to need to rely upon runners to gain and exchange information,'' Richard Barnes, a Conservative Party London assembly member, and chairman of the 7/7 review committee, said at a news conference.

to read the rest of the story: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... f1vGvEGNLU

John wrote:

KBCraig wrote:I keep a handheld Cobra in our van. It comes in handy when there's a traffic foul-up... more than once I've listened in, and found a bypass around a trouble spot.

I think this is the model I have, but I didn't pay anywhere near $110 for it. I think it was about $40 on clearance from Wal Mart.

Range is extremely limited inside the vehicle without an external antenna. I need to get a magnetic external unit.

Kevin

That's mostly what i use mine for. I did find that unit on a couple of other web sites for around $77-$79. I may have to make a trip to Wal Mart

you might wish to incude a VHF/UHF programmable scanner as well to listen to the local ARES/RACES nets. These provide much more upto date real time information than any other source. (ARES = Amateur Radio Emergency Services http://www.arrl.org/pio/emergen1.html ; RACES= Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422 ... 97.407.pdf)

ARES is open to any amateur radio station and is used in much less formal situations. Most storm spotters work under a ARES net until the storm is immiment then they switch over to RACES mode. RACES is under Federal Rules and administered by Local authorties that answer to the municipal judge of the local area. You must be 'certified' by local Emergency Management Officials to be able to communicate in RACES. By Federal law only RACES stations may communicate with other RACES stations.

These nets are among the 'first responders' to an area and will communicate the information back to; say: the National Weather Services via amateur radio. For instance: in 2000 I was right under the tornado as it developed in Tarrant County just west of Ft. Worth. I was calling in reports of what I was seeing to the NWS. Other staions were doing the same, this is one reason that the NWS is able to offer such detailed reports to the public. Local radio and television stations also have RACES members, either on staff or as volunteers, that monitor and therefore they are able to offer detailed information as quick as they do.

The frequencies vary from county to county and by city/town by city/town. You would need to verify what frequencies would be available in your area... in Texas see this web page: http://www.k5kj.net/skywarn.htm


In the worst cases ham radio will operate when all other communciations venues have failed because of damage to transmision towers and lines. Most stations have their own power supplies (generators) and are totally indedepdant of "twisted pair" cables. When cell phones go out and the trunked systems go out for the fire/police they call on hams to provide communications for ambulance, fire and police personell.

Yes, I am proud to be a valuable member of this aspect of our society as well as a CHL.

Russ