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1 answer

APRS: WIDEn-N vs. TRACEn-N

The suggested APRS digipeater path is WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 for the most use cases. According to the specs, this ensures two retransmissions by fill-in / regular digipeaters around the sender, without the digipeaters adding their own callsign to the…
Georg DO1GL
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Does a tube based HF transmitter need an antenna tuner?

With the adjustments on a transmitter such as a Yaesu FT-101E, is there any purpose for an antenna tuner, or can you accomplish the same thing by adjusting the loading and other controls?
K9KRB
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Is it legal to use an R identifier for my repeater in the USA?

I have been told by someone that my repeater is not allowed to have a slash r on the end of transmission because that is an identifier for the Russian Federation. Almost every repeater locally uses that, for example KDØWHB/R. Am I allowed to use…
Skyler 440
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Advantages of using Digital Code Squelch

I am trying to decide whether or not I should use a CTCSS (Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System) or a DCS (Digital Coded Squelch) for my mini repeater I just set up. What are the advantages of using a DCS over a CTCSS? I am in an area with a lot…
Skyler 440
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How can I get started with a Home Brew QRP?

I want to build a simple 40 meter CW transmitter and Receiver pair. What should I do to get started into home-brew HF RF devices?
Skyler 440
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Does mixed-mode operation qualify as a QSO?

Working the bands it's quite possible to work in mixed-mode, albeit I doubt whether it is ever done. Call this a thought experiment: Station A operates CW, Station B operates SSB. I find myself wondering What is the legal status of such a QSO?…
VU2NHW
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Do you need a radio licence to use ZigBee/Xbee?

I want to make a application with my Raspberry Pi along with a XBee module. I am going to use it in public places and in my own home. The question is, do I need a radio licence (UK) to use the XBee in my home and/or in public places? I want to know…
iProgram
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History and significance of term "lid"

What is the history on the term “lid” when referring to a telegrapher’s capability? How did it originate and what is the significance if any of each letter?
W8AWT
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How does a folded balun work?

A folded balun is made from two quarter-wavelength, parallel conductors. A picture is worth a thousand words: Here are some pictures of an actual construction from Gisela & Joe Noci on diydrones.com: Sometimes they are printed on a PCB, so the…
Phil Frost - W8II
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“Repeater” vs. “reflector”

In various topics on repeaters, IRLP, D-Star and EchoLink, I see people refer to these 'nodes' (for lack of a better word) as reflectors. A quick Internet search for these terms comes up with all sorts of ambiguities. I've always called my local 2m…
captcha
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HT programming software alternative to Chirp and RT-Systems

I have been using Chirp to try to program my Baofeng UV-5R but have been having one problem after another. I was wondering if there was an alternative to Chirp and RT-Systems programming software for use in programming my UV-5R.
W8AWT
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Yaesu exceeding power limit under certain conditions

I noticed something fairly interesting today, under certain operating conditions my FT857D will exceed the power limit, the highest I saw it go was around 150W! This happened when the power was set to 8W or below on 20m 17m 15m 10m etc (but not…
s3c
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How do I power my radio in a vehicle mobile install?

I want to install a 30W mobile UHF radio in my car. I already have an antenna and mounting bracket - but how do I get power to this radio? It has an SAE bullet connector on the back - do I just need a cigarette lighter adapter, or do I have to wire…
Dan KD2EE
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How to find the front-to-back ratio given an antenna radiation pattern diagram?

I know that the front-to-back ratio is 18dB in the below antenna radiation pattern diagram, but I don't know how to read the diagram to obtain this result. How does one read and understand such diagrams?
Dan
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Can I listen to hams on a standard AM/FM broadcast receiver?

I am very much out of practice with amateur radio (like many others), so to some, this question may seem obvious. I don't have any specialised amateur radio equipment, but I do have a Sanyo AM/FM broadcast receiver (240V, 50 Hz, model no. MCD…
user17
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