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The Technician Ten Radio

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Bill Frantz

The Technician Ten Radio

My goal with this radio is to offer a radio that will introduce
new technician operators to non-line-of-sight operation. The
basic requirements are:

Covers 28.3 - 28.5 MHz USB.

Audio quality that will appeal to an FM user.

Enough power to make QSOs easily.

Inexpensive enough to buy on impulse.

Simple to use UI.

Supporting FM repeater use on some of 6M, 2M, and 70cm might
expand sales in the target market enough to be justified. A
mobil operations story would make it useful for car-to-car
operation during low sunspot times. Availability as a no-solder
kit could cut costs, increase pride of ownership, and aid
word-of-mouth sales.

Other features like CW operation, split operation, etc. should
only be included if they significantly expand the market and can
be introduced without undue UI complications.

Cheers - Bill, AE6JV

--------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz | There are now so many exceptions to the
408-356-8506 | Fourth Amendment that it operates only by
www.pwpconsult.com | accident. - William Hugh Murray

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Merv Schweigert

Re: The Technician Ten Radio

Its what they sell and call a CB radio. Buy one for a couple bucks,
a few
modifications and bingo your set. Quits working toss it in the trash.
And if you dont do mods you dont even need a license..

Merv K9FD/KH6

> My goal with this radio is to offer a radio that will introduce new
> technician operators to non-line-of-sight operation. The basic
> requirements are:
>
> Covers 28.3 - 28.5 MHz USB.
>
> Audio quality that will appeal to an FM user.
>
> Enough power to make QSOs easily.
>
> Inexpensive enough to buy on impulse.
>
> Simple to use UI.
>
> Supporting FM repeater use on some of 6M, 2M, and 70cm might expand
> sales in the target market enough to be justified. A mobil operations
> story would make it useful for car-to-car operation during low sunspot
> times. Availability as a no-solder kit could cut costs, increase pride
> of ownership, and aid word-of-mouth sales.
>
> Other features like CW operation, split operation, etc. should only be
> included if they significantly expand the market and can be introduced
> without undue UI complications.
>
> Cheers - Bill, AE6JV
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> Bill Frantz | There are now so many exceptions to the
> 408-356-8506 | Fourth Amendment that it operates only by
> www.pwpconsult.com | accident. - William Hugh Murray
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

Bill Frantz

Re: The Technician Ten Radio

On 2/6/14 at 4:44 PM, [hidden email] (Merv Schweigert) wrote:

>Its what they sell and call a CB radio. Buy one for a couple bucks, a few
>modifications and bingo your set. Quits working toss it in the trash.
>And if you dont do mods you dont even need a license..

The trouble is a CB radio isn't going to introduce law abiding
hams to long distance communication since that is an illegal use
of CB. Most of the people I'm trying to attract are emergency
services people trying to serve their communities. They need
experience operating under bad conditions, but many of them
don't know it and won't find out until "the bad thing happens"*.

Cheers - Bill

* Sgt. Kerry Harris, Los Gatos Police Department

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz | When it comes to the world | Periwinkle
(408)356-8506 | around us, is there any choice | 16345
Englewood Ave
www.pwpconsult.com | but to explore? - Lisa Randall | Los Gatos,
CA 95032

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Thomas Taylor-2

Re: The Technician Ten Radio

In reply to this post by Merv Schweigert

On Thu, 06 Feb 2014 14:44:40 -1000
Merv Schweigert <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Its what they sell and call a CB radio. Buy one for a couple bucks,
> a few
> modifications and bingo your set. Quits working toss it in the trash.
> And if you dont do mods you dont even need a license..
>
> Merv K9FD/KH6
>

Do you have any links to what the mods are?

73 Tom kg7cfc

--
Never be ashamed to ask for information. The ignorant man will always be
ignorant if he fears that by asking he will display ignorance
- Booker T Washington

^^ --... ...-- / -.- --. --... -.-. ..-. -.-.

^^^^
Tom Taylor - retired penguin - KG7CFC
AMD Phenom II x4 955 -- 4GB RAM -- 2x1.5TB sata2
openSUSE 13.1_RC2-x86_64
KDE 4.12.1, FF 25.0, claws-mail 3.9.2
registered linux user 263467
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Merv Schweigert

Re: The Technician Ten Radio

No Tom, I do not as that does not interest me in the slightest, But I
have
seen over the years numerous articles on using CB radios on 10 meters,
at one time there was a big push and a lot of mods published for them.
I assume a search of the internet may bring up some of that info.
It may have been in the old 73 magazines or even CQ.

I dont mean mods for the "free banders" either, these were mods to use the
radios on 10 meters by licensed hams.

> On Thu, 06 Feb 2014 14:44:40 -1000
> Merv Schweigert <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Its what they sell and call a CB radio. Buy one for a couple bucks,
>> a few
>> modifications and bingo your set. Quits working toss it in the trash.
>> And if you dont do mods you dont even need a license..
>>
>> Merv K9FD/KH6
>>
> Do you have any links to what the mods are?
>
> 73 Tom kg7cfc
>

Stephen Selberg

Re: The Technician Ten Radio

Bill,

I like the idea...but... Always the but... :)

I think the best thing to do, is to really encourage technician licensees
to come out to field day and get a feel of the action. I started off as a
tech at age 13 and happily enjoyed my 50 mhz + privileges. That was until
my first field day with West Valley on Loma Prieta at Charlie's property.
The only thing I could talk about after was how I needed to learn CW to get
my General ticket to work HF. Boy that was a long time ago. When did Cw go
away again? I'm so old hihi. But my point is if we encourage the Technician
hams to come out to field day and see how fun HF can be, and then Elmer
them and help them pass their general class test, the world will be open to
them. And then we can strongly urge them to drink the Elecraft kool-aid
(Wayne can I get a referral discount off a KPA500?). I guess what I'm
saying is why have a radio that will keep them where they're at and cap
their knowledge when it would be better to show them and foster their
learning to improve themselves and gain more knowledge of this wonderful
hobby.

73,

Steve KS6PD

On Thursday, February 6, 2014, Merv Schweigert <[hidden email]> wrote:

> No Tom, I do not as that does not interest me in the slightest, But I
> have
> seen over the years numerous articles on using CB radios on 10 meters,
> at one time there was a big push and a lot of mods published for them.
> I assume a search of the internet may bring up some of that info.
> It may have been in the old 73 magazines or even CQ.
>
> I dont mean mods for the "free banders" either, these were mods to use the
> radios on 10 meters by licensed hams.
>
>> On Thu, 06 Feb 2014 14:44:40 -1000
>> Merv Schweigert <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> Its what they sell and call a CB radio. Buy one for a couple bucks,
>>> a few
>>> modifications and bingo your set. Quits working toss it in the trash.
>>> And if you dont do mods you dont even need a license..
>>>
>>> Merv K9FD/KH6
>>>
>>> Do you have any links to what the mods are?
>>
>> 73 Tom kg7cfc
>>
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: The Technician Ten Radio

The tech license *does* have HF privileges - CW on 80, 40, 15 and 10
meters and voice on 10 meters.
Not many utilize it.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 2/7/2014 1:38 AM, Stephen Selberg wrote:

> Bill,
>
> I like the idea...but... Always the but... :)
>
> I think the best thing to do, is to really encourage technician licensees
> to come out to field day and get a feel of the action. I started off as a
> tech at age 13 and happily enjoyed my 50 mhz + privileges. That was until
> my first field day with West Valley on Loma Prieta at Charlie's property.
> The only thing I could talk about after was how I needed to learn CW to get
> my General ticket to work HF. Boy that was a long time ago. When did Cw go
> away again? I'm so old hihi. But my point is if we encourage the Technician
> hams to come out to field day and see how fun HF can be, and then Elmer
> them and help them pass their general class test, the world will be open to
> them. And then we can strongly urge them to drink the Elecraft kool-aid
> (Wayne can I get a referral discount off a KPA500?). I guess what I'm
> saying is why have a radio that will keep them where they're at and cap
> their knowledge when it would be better to show them and foster their
> learning to improve themselves and gain more knowledge of this wonderful
> hobby.
>
>
>

Re: The Technician Ten Radio

In reply to this post by Stephen Selberg

I like the idea of encouraging the Technician Class Licensee to participate on ten meter SSB. I do not like the idea of converting CB radios because the person trying to use the converted radio faces even bigger challenges that often encourages him/her to give up. Far too many of these converts with little technical knowledge and little respect for legalities tries to use one of the converted low power radios with the audio gain and thus modulation cranked to the max to maximize the watt meter reading finds no one wants to talk with him. The reason no one will talk to this poor former CBer and new Technician Class Operator is not that we are discriminating and trying to deny him/her the fun, but just that we can't read him because of the distortion and are trying to tell him what is happening to him so that he can fix it or get it fixed. I have told more than one unbelieving soul that the reason that all the Extra, Advanced and General Class
licensees are in the Technician band is because we WANT to talk with them and there is no one to talk to on the frequencies where Technicians are prohibited from operating. We put on contests that concentrate activity in the bands where Technicians are allowed to operate. The Ten-Ten International loves to encourage these people. We do not encourage them to buy trashed old CB rigs at garage sales that are difficult to fix with little technical knowledge and for little or no money precisely because we would like to talk with them, encourage them and move them toward becoming great hams like almostall of us. To get a ham license without going through a CB phase you need to be as old as I am (73) or nearly so and license as a child (15 for me) to remember when 11 meters was a ham band. There are only a few of us codgers that qualify to remember the 11 meter ham band and way fewer who actually made a ham transmission there. (I did not!)

Willis 'Cookie' Cooke, TDXS DX Chairman
K5EWJ & Trustee N5BPS, USS Cavalla, USS Stewart

________________________________
From: Stephen Selberg <[hidden email]>
To: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Friday, February 7, 2014 12:38 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The Technician Ten Radio

Bill,

I like the idea...but... Always the but... :)

I think the best thing to do, is to really encourage technician licensees
to come out to field day and get a feel of the action. I started off as a
tech at age 13 and happily enjoyed my 50 mhz + privileges. That was until
my first field day with West Valley on Loma Prieta at Charlie's property.
The only thing I could talk about after was how I needed to learn CW to get
my General ticket to work HF. Boy that was a long time ago. When did Cw go
away again? I'm so old hihi. But my point is if we encourage the Technician
hams to come out to field day and see how fun HF can be, and then Elmer
them and help them pass their general class test, the world will be open to
them. And then we can strongly urge them to drink the Elecraft kool-aid
(Wayne can I get a referral discount off a KPA500?). I guess what I'm
saying is why have a radio that will keep them where they're at and cap
their knowledge when it would be better to show them and foster their
learning to improve themselves and gain more knowledge of this wonderful
hobby.

73,

Steve KS6PD

On Thursday, February 6, 2014, Merv Schweigert <[hidden email]> wrote:

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k6dgw

Re: The Technician Ten Radio

On 2/7/2014 5:44 AM, WILLIS COOKE wrote:

> I do not like the idea of converting CB radios.

While the FCC [and I'm told other national communications regulatory
agencies too] has steadily decreased their regulation of amateur radio
transmitting equipment, there still ARE technical emission standards in
the rules. The several CB transceivers "converted" to 10 meters that
I've seen did NOT meet those standards.

I doubt that a 10 meter transceiver aimed at Technican class licensees
will catch on. But then, when I first read in one of the IEEE
Transactions of a telephone you carried around with you that
communicated with low-power computerized stations that could pass your
phone call from one to the other, I said to my cubemate, "That'll never
catch on."

> To get a ham license
> without going through a CB phase you need to be as old as I am (73)
> or nearly so and license as a child (15 for me) to remember when 11
> meters was a ham band. There are only a few of us codgers that
> qualify to remember the 11 meter ham band and way fewer who actually
> made a ham transmission there. (I did not!)

I did. Pre CB, 11 meters was an ISM band [medical diathermy and the
like] and as hams, we could do just about anything we wanted to so long
as we confined our emissions to the band. Several of my high school
nerd friends and I experimented with full-duplex AM and CW ... we were
close enough to each other that signals were strong enough to overcome
the receiver desense. For those not familiar, full duplex classed as A0
emission which was prohibited elsewhere.

I too am 73, I was licensed as a 13 year old, and I resent being called
a "codger."

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org

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