TECHNICAL Category

Content related to the activities of the RRRA Technical Committee and the equipment/systems they maintain, along with technical topics of general interest.

HT Programming With The Latest Local Frequencies

Bring your HTs to the June RRRA Meeting and get help programing your radio with the latest set of frequencies for the area .If you have a programing cable, you’re encouraged to bring that also, but we’ll have a supply of cables available for use.

There will also be a demonstration of I Am Responding, our pager system for ARES.

Open Source in Amateur Radio

When I first got my Technician license in 2019, I heard people call amateur radio “the hobby of experimentation”. I was told I had received a “license to learn”. Indeed, 47 CFR Part 97, the section of the Code of Federal Regulations that governs amateur radio in the United States says this in Subpart A under Basis And Purpose:

All You Need to Receive SSTV Images From ISS

This is a demonstration of the minimal setup to download SSTV images from the International Space Station ISS. I use a Quansheng UV-K5 set to 145.800 an sql at 0. It is then decoded on the fly using an android tablet with the Robot36 app. You may also record the audio and later decode using Robot36, MMSSTV on your computer or your other favourite decoder.

Unusual But Easy To Build VHF/UHF Antennas

Whether you are antenna restricted and need something that blends in, or just want to get started building your own antennas, you will find great antenna ideas that you can build yourself inexpensively at the April RRRA Meeting.

Ham Radio Tech: Anderson Powerpoles® - Putting It All Together

One of the really annoying things about ham radio is the sheer number of different cables and connectors out there. With USB alone, there are four or five common ones, and let’s not even talk about all the other connectors for the variety of wall warts.

Reach into your power cord stash and you’ll see a variety of plugs: four- and six-pin, barrel connectors, banana plugs, T-connectors, and many more. It makes you wonder:

Do these manufacturers enjoy the misery they inflict by forcing all these cables and connectors onto the world?