The way I became interested in two way radios is from the husband of a friend of my mother's. They lived in a small town in northern Indiana. I had been told that the gentleman was into ham radios and due to his being a German emigrant, the U.S. Government paid him regular visits during World War II to check on his "radio activities". The gentleman always showed them his radio which was dismantled and placed in several different boxes in different rooms!
So when we would visit them I would wind up in his "Shack" and see the most beautiful radio you could ever want. It was large and had a wood box for the case and had knobs and gauge dials all over the front of it. It also had the antenna on the top of the radio formed into a square with many rounds of wire sitting on a base shaped like the base of a table fan ( if you have ever seen an old WWII movie with the "underground" using a short wave radio you know just what I'm talking about ) . The radio had the standard code key and a D-104 microphone in front of it.
Needless to say at my young age I fell in love with it, or at least the idea that one man could talk into a piece of furniture, speak to Germany and scare the government officals with his words. My first thought was "this is something I gotta do" !
After several years of playing around with walkie-talkies and "cb" radios and other toys I got serious. So at the age of 42 I finally got around to taking the test and become one of those "hams". After a while I grew tired of not being on HF and got busy and learned Mr. Morse's Code and upgraded to General then Extra. It's a real rush to be able to talk all over the world. I've used phone to talk to Germany and PSK 31 for Spain and Italy. As of 2023 I have also picked up the GMRS License WRZU673. It's kinda strange what little things in life can affect a person. Hopefully I've said something here in this website that will spark that same excitement in someone, and who knows what could happen from there!
Radios
For those of you who can't help but wonder what type of equipment people use. I have a Kenwood TH-F6a HT that I picked up used at the Hoosier Hills Hamfest. It's a neat little "shack on the belt" type radio to carry around just for fun. It's mostly a playtoy but it does monitor and TX well when needed. It has the 1.25 meter band along with 2m, and 70cm so at least I have 'something' in the 222MHz band. I now also have a couple of $32 Baofeng UV-5R disposable HTs to play with. This way I don't have to worry about damaging a $300 HT knocking around town. I have two Kenwood TM-V708A dualband radios one that I use as my EchoLink radio plus it monitors 70cm controlled with a Compaq desktop with a homebrew interface for my EchoLink node. (Number 7492 KB9TMP-L) The other TM-V708A is for mobile, and as a crossband repeater so I can monitor my EchoLink node while I'm at work. I have a couple of Kenwood TM-281 mobiles one in the house for local 2 meter and one in my truck. For HF I'm using a Kenwood TS-450S with a home brew interface built into a MFJ 1272BZ Microphone/TNC Switch for the digital modes (RTTY, SSTV, PSK 31). I also have another small homebrew interface that I use to key the radio for keyboard CW. I have a Yaesu FT-817ND to use as a portable and as a base QRP rig. Along with an extra West Mountian Radio RigBlaster that I'm trying to find a use for. (I might put it on the FT-817ND) All my "base" radios are powered by an Astron RS-35A power supply with a backup gelcell battery. The base antennas are a Comet GP-9 sitting 40 feet up for the EchoLink node radio, and a Jetstream JTB2B dual band for the TM-281. I also have a True-Talk G5RV for 10-80 meters, A hombrew 20 meter double bazooka and a homebrew dipole that works 10, 12, and 15 meters that I use portable, a homebrew 6m dipole, and a homebrew 2m Yagi for portable SSB and T-hunting with the FT-817. I'm working towards stringing a horizontal loop to suppliment the other antennas. If you would like to see pictures of some of my radio equipment, CLICK HERE !
John 3:16
THE ROMAN ROAD
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
If you confess with you mouth,'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in you heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Romans 6:4
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Romans 12:2
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who ever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Please understand I don't want to cram this "religion" down your throat, I just want you to know that there is a loving God who cares for you!
