Copper Talk » Open Forum » Archived Messages » 2002 » Archived Messages 12/01/2001 to 01/31/2002 » Excess power and general rudeness on the regular 40 « Previous Next »

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Starlighter
Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 2:21 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I am a CB operator with the same old complaint.People in the local (Derby City) area bleeding all over adjacent channels making what could be a pleasant hobby into a miserable one.(Please bear with me on this even though it may seem redundant).This of course is not referring to the high power operators who are out of town running an obscene amount of power and may or may not be aware of the trouble they are causing locally.If they do see this posting though,I hope they will take it into consideration and see beyond the end of their own nose.
This excess power for nearby contacts seems to me like someone using a 9 pound sledge hammer to drive a 10 penney finishing nail in to a piece of paneling.Or a fire hose to water the lawn ! (It isn't too hard to find many more analogies) There are good operators out there who can talk all over the area and farther with complete clarity using a barefoot radio and 3 or 4 watts.Their antenna,ground, and feed system are well matched to a properly adjusted radio,with the modulation properly set for "good" swing without bleedover! It seems like the old West out there with some sort of contest having to do with out gunning each other only using excess wattage and overmodulation instead of revolvers! I can't understand how this could be fun when you are screwing things up for a lot of the rest of us out here! I am not some narrow minded old fart with a bone to pick,but just a regular CB, shortwave, scanner and amateur operator trying to enjoy this hobby like the rest of us. I would like to see those of us who have been affected time and again while just trying to be a enjoy this hobby, not give these channel bleeding and harrassing bullies any attention (None,Zero,NADA) WHATSOEVER, but instead,operate with courtesy and consideration for others, thereby setting an example for them to possibly follow.CB can be a lot of fun without ruining it for people who just want to rag chew with their friends.When rude folks (I'm trying to be nice) try to get your goat,simply ignore them and don't give them the attention they seem to crave.Maybe they will soon tire of it and move on to some other channel,and if everyone would practice this technique and stick to it they won't have anywhere to go. Who knows,maybe these "misdirected" folks would take up a new hobby like russian roulette or bungee jumping (using a clothesline))or some other exciting solo activity and leave the rest of us less exiting people alone!

Just my few cents worth.Kind regards,73,starlighter
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Vernonott
Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 4:40 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Starlighter: That's a whole lot more than a few cents worth,more like a few hundred dollars worth.In a perfect world everything would be like we would like for it to be ,but this world is not now or will it ever be perfect again.About as close to perfect as I have ever seen it was between 1950 & 1959.Have a good one and we will catch you on the flip side.Greenhornet
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Starlighter
Posted on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 11:54 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sorry I rambled on,but had just gone through a frustrating incident where instead of ignoring the guy,everyone had to add more fuel to the fire and start a name calling feud.I think he would have gone away if everyone had pretended he didn't exist.There were several ladies on the channel and this guy of course had to make as many obscene comments as he could think of.I know that these things happen all the time but had thought of a way to try to deal with them in a perhaps more effective way.We all know that the reason they keep doing these things is to get their kicks or they wouldn't keep returning for more.Thanks for the comments.73 to all!
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ncrebel unit 168
Posted on Friday, January 18, 2002 - 1:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The way I look at it.......If you can talk without
the amp on and get out to who you wanna talk to just fine.....leave the amp off.If there's somebody too far away to talk to with just your
radio's power alone...well then put some fire in the wire man!But you can do plenty of things to
make your radio transmit fine without using your
amp.An amp to me is like something to use when
your tuned antenna and radio will not do the trick.Like the right tool for the job ya know?A
good antenna will work WONDERS!!Without a good antenna a box won't do you much good.A lot of it has to do with common curtesy (<spelling??).A lot of times it's people trying to talk skip thats coming into your radio and alot of times if skip is that bad then you ain't gonna hardly be able to talk to locals unless there next door to ya.
Once the skip dies down,so will all the loud people that bleed into your radio and then you can talk to the locals.I know because thats the way we have to do around here.
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jyd
Posted on Friday, January 18, 2002 - 2:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

or if you dont feel comfortable on the regular 40 get a take the ham operators test.it dont bother me i still have a good time.
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bruce
Posted on Friday, January 18, 2002 - 2:35 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

ncrebel
i carry a alinco 44 mhz handheld here at the jail it runs 250 mw now i can hit the st pete SPARC repeter which is 15 miles from here 75% of the time. Now on 6 meters ive worked a guy in ohio from here who was about s6 while everybody else was 30 over 9 and i told him he sounded great but was much weaker than others and on the next transmission he was +40 GEEZ i asked "What did you do?" well he said big diffrence between the canteena and the 6 el beam isn't there? YEP that antenna does make a diffrence. By the way remember the alantic has been crossed by radio using less than a watt.
bruce
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bruce
Posted on Friday, January 18, 2002 - 8:31 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

correct that to a alinco 440 handheld ok so i ant real good at typeing right vern?
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Metro 446
Posted on Saturday, January 19, 2002 - 1:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

OK guys, lets make this a productive outcome. The question.

What can we do to make our stations the most productive as possible under the lowest power?

I got into this hobby wanting to chew to the east coast (I am in San Diego Ca.) I bought a Voyage VR 9000 and I wanted the biggest amp so I could do so. Vernonott graciously donated a great old 100 watt Skelton (I remember the streak dinner Vern! Been having some setbacks recently though). I erected a Skylab antenna 40 feet up and bingo! I was all the way to New York and Atlanta! Well that got kinda boring, I mean, wheres the challenge in driving 160 in a Lamborhgini or Ferarri? One of my most memorable DX's was a contact with Iowa from Southern Ca. on AM 28 at 3 watts! Or Tennesee, LSB 38, when I was mobile from my Jeep in a deep valley here in SoCal pushin through my Wilson 5000, barefoot. The fun is in building and tunning that old 350 in the Nova and dialing in that suspension to do 160! Plus, the neighbors complaining about their TV's and computers wackin out puts a damper on it as well. Lets get some input from the masters out there (Vernonott, Bruce, Steve 181, 307) on fine tunning our stations to do the best DXing with no bleedover at low wattage.

Metro 446
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Jellybean
Posted on Saturday, January 19, 2002 - 3:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Starlighter
How about clean radio, clean amp= clean power, no bleedovers. Too many are running clipped radios into amps the bleed 10 channels either direction.
I've heard clean radio's running clean power, 1KW+ and not bleed over at all. I've heard the same type radio with no power and still bleed on one channel either direction. Seems to be more of the setup, than just power.
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Starlighter
Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2002 - 1:50 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey Jellybean,
sounds like you understand the situation real well.I'm no expert,just learning and sharing ideas like everyone else.That's what its all about.This hobby should most of all be fun.We can all learn how to be better and more considerate operators which hopefully will make this hobby better for all in the long run.
73 starlighter
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Mrsandman
Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2002 - 9:04 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

jellybean is on the money
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Jellybean
Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2002 - 9:34 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Starlighter, I hope my post didn't seem offensive, it was never meant to be. These guys as well as others on other forums I frequent more have helped me immensely. I've been in trucking for 25+ yrs, you know the crowd, loud and trashy radios. :) I've been taught about the ssb, clean and just peaked radios with a nice amp, and I've had more fun and get out further, than the loud trashy radios that bleed both directions on frequency. The ones at the truckstop don't understand most of the times why my clean little radio bury's the loud ones, :). I've tried to pass on the info that I've been taught and it's a very hard sell. I just let it go and enjoy my clean setup. I love this hobby, (expensive):) and these guys have always been glad to help. I've never really posted much just watch and read. :)
I'm kinda new to this 10 meter and ssb hobby myself. I'm going through the, how many states I can talk to phase right now. It's been a bunch!
I frequent 27.475 as TW350, or 27.385 as 558 central Indiana mobile. 73's and hope to contact some here and other places. Still studying for my ticket, geeesh I think I'm to old to learn this. :)
Jerry
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Starlighter
Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2002 - 12:27 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Jellybean,your comments are welcome as are the ones from everyone else on the Forum.Like I said,we all need each other for feedback and to learn new things.I got my ham ticket last year (No code technician) and found that just using 2 meters on FM repeaters isn't what I expected.I would like to try 2meter sideband and see if it is more fun.(I tried 6 meter SSB and never made a single contact in this Ohio Valley area). On 2 meter FM I have heard truckers using the FARA repeater system and they say that they can talk for a long ways (600-800 miles or more)It isn't hard to get your tech license so you might want to give it a try. I'm going on 60 years old and passed it thanks to the online virtual tests on QRZ.com and a few other Ham sites.Amateur radio for the most part is free from loud,rude and vulgar type people which is a nice feature.It is a little formal at times but can be very useful and reliable (No skip on FM). Take care and 73 to all on the forum.
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bruce
Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2002 - 2:07 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Starlighter ive been on 6 meters almost 40 years and you should have had openings by now. what are you useing for a ant?? a small 3el beam is enough to work good dx on 6 but if your running a vertical you may not have enought to get out very far. as for 2 meter ssb great mode but requires a fair investment i did that back 30 years ago and just this last year got a ts-700 to go back on. some frequencys to lissen on are 2 meter ssb 144.200, 2 meter fm 146.52, 6 meter ssb 50.125 or 50.110, 6 meter fm 52.525 and 10 meter fm 29.6
bruce
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Starlighter
Posted on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 10:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks Bruce,
I was using a MFJ SSB rig with only a ground plane ant.My brother in law (who is a long time ham) said in this particular area the contacts even with a beam antenna are not frequent enough to warrant the investment.This is why I will probably try 2 meter SSB.I am tempted though to eventually get a Ten Tec dual band that covers both! Have to wait and see. 73 starlighter