Amateur Radio

[Philipd411]

Any Amateur Radio operators here? We just moved here am I am planning on joining the club. But right now I am looking for someone that has installed a flag pole antenna? Any recommendations?

[EdFNJ]

Any Amateur Radio operators here? We just moved here am I am planning on joining the club. But right now I am looking for someone that has installed a flag pole antenna? Any recommendations?
I have been for about 55 years (since Jr High aka Middle school) but haven't been active probably for the last 15. Even still have a 2meter repeater still giving out my calls up north. I know OF someone who did a flagpole antenna but don't know him personally who lives 2 doors down from my sister in Gilchrist only because she recently told me about him. Not into ham radio clubs though but I know there is one. Always was a CW guy when I messed around on 20 meters and at one time was able to copy 55wpm+ in my head. Now I barely can do 15 when I listen on the web. When I speak to my sister I'll ask her to ask him if he'd mind someone contacting him.


73's
Ed

[RICH1]

Install a dipole antenna in your attic! Keeps the "hood" looking upscale...keep your zig zags turns at 90degrees...

[DavidCovid]

Are you are telling me that my 40 meter, 3 element, 32 foot beam, sitting on a 80 foot ROHN Tower will violate any ordinances within The Villages ? Glad my tower has a crank as I put it up only after 9:00pm when everyone on my block goes to sleep. I guess my 2K, Yaesu Linear will really upset my neighbors.

[retiredguy123]

Are you are telling me that my 40 meter, 3 element, 32 foot beam, sitting on a 80 foot ROHN Tower will violate any ordinances within The Villages ? Glad my tower has a crank as I put it up only after 9:00pm when everyone on my block goes to sleep. I guess my 2K, Yaesu Linear will really upset my neighbors.
Lawn ornaments are not allowed.

[Djean1981]

I have an Expert license. I will not be there full time for a while... But joining a group sounds interesting. :)

[427dave]

Any Amateur Radio operators here? We just moved here am I am planning on joining the club. But right now I am looking for someone that has installed a flag pole antenna? Any recommendations?

I installed a Hustler 6BTV 10-80 meter vertical, then slid a 20 foot length of PVC 2.5 inch schedule 40 pipe over it with a pulley at the top so I can raise my flag on it, therefore it qualifies as a flag pole and is legal. I submitted a flag pole request to the ARC and was approved to not exceed 22 feet. 80 meters does not work very good, but the other bands work fair. I also belong to the local club, but we have not had any meetings since Covid.

Welcome to The Villages,
Dave, W4WNG

[EdFNJ]

I installed a Hustler 6BTV 10-80 meter vertical, then slid a 20 foot length of PVC 2.5 inch schedule 40 pipe over it with a pulley at the top so I can raise my flag on it, therefore it qualifies as a flag pole and is legal. I submitted a flag pole request to the ARC and was approved to not exceed 22 feet. 80 meters does not work very good, but the other bands work fair. I also belong to the local club, but we have not had any meetings since Covid.

Welcome to The Villages,
Dave, W4WNG


Did you run any radials ?

[MrFlorida]

Wire dipole in the attic.

[GregP]

Interesting!
My radios have been in storage since I moved down here 8 years ago. Sorry to say I did not find the local club very inviting. Went to two of their outings and tried to talk to people but they were not very inviting, so gave up. I just dropped my membership to the ARRL, which was in my back yard when I lived in CT. figured that those days are gone. Well now maybe a little interest is back.

Besides the Antenna problem, what about running the feed line?

On a side note. I have been thinking about getting back into shortwave DXing did that back in the 60 and 70s had tons of stuff, my mail box looked like the UN. Anyone still do any of that or is that pretty much dead nowadays?

[Philipd411]

It will look like a flag pole, you won't even know it is an antenna

[Hiltongrizz11]

Interesting!
My radios have been in storage since I moved down here 8 years ago. Sorry to say I did not find the local club very inviting. Went to two of their outings and tried to talk to people but they were not very inviting, so gave up. I just dropped my membership to the ARRL, which was in my back yard when I lived in CT. figured that those days are gone. Well now maybe a little interest is back.

Besides the Antenna problem, what about running the feed line?

On a side note. I have been thinking about getting back into shortwave DXing did that back in the 60 and 70s had tons of stuff, my mail box looked like the UN. Anyone still do any of that or is that pretty much dead nowadays?


I am a newbie. Very new. I live in Summerfield and I would love to be able to chat with you so maybe you can help me learn. Please contact me if you're up for such a thing

[davephan]

No one mentioned a remotely controlled HF station. Today, there are many ways you can remotely control a station over the Internet. The technology is there today, that wasn’t there a decade ago for remotely controlling an HF station.

For an example of a high end remotely controlled HF station, watch the W2RE videos on Facebook and YouTube. He has a remotely controlled HF station setup with 7 towers from 150 to 200 feet tall with stacked monobanders and rotating towers. It’s one of the most powerful HF stations with his huge antennas on 22 acres of land overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Maine. He operates that remote station from New York, 500 miles away. His signal was 20 to 30 over S-9 in Minnesota when he used a kilowatt and still S-9 when using only 1 watt on SSB on 20 meters.

It can be very expensive to set up a good station on rural property somewhere, that also has decent Internet service. The new low orbiting satellite Internet service makes this more possible to do, since most rural areas have lousy Internet service. The land is cheaper in rural areas and there’s less restrictions or no restrictions to set up towers. You can drastically lower the remote HF station cost if you can share the site at another ham’s house that’s already has antennas. There are also remotely controlled stations that you can use on a pay basis, and some on a free basis. Check out remotehams.com.

I have a remotely controlled HF station in Minnesota that I use from Florida, because of the HOA rules in Florida. The antenna is isn’t very good, but it’s better than nothing. I’m thinking about relocating the remotely controlled station to a location where I could have a decent tower for a beam, elevated wire antennas for the lower bands, and a high power amplifier. The technology is there today to do all that, you just have to be able and willing to spend the money to set up a good antenna system and the remotely controlled equipment.

[john.np2b]

Any Amateur Radio operators here? We just moved here am I am planning on joining the club. But right now I am looking for someone that has installed a flag pole antenna? Any recommendations?
Hi, John NP2B here in the Villages. Give me a call at 352 633-2910 and I can help you on all counts! 73, J

[BlackhawksFan]

It will look like a flag pole, you won't even know it is an antenna

Just like in Hogan's Heroes

[reggiethurlow]

Any Amateur Radio operators here? We just moved here am I am planning on joining the club. But right now I am looking for someone that has installed a flag pole antenna? Any recommendations?

I recently installed a flagpole antenna, no radials. It works on all bands.

[worahm]

When is Congress going to get off it's duff and approve a Bill that will allow a Federally Licensed Amateur Radio operator, living in an HOA that forbids outside antennas to have an adequate antenna system? The Bill has been lanquishing in Congress for years.

[TheWatcher]

Any Amateur Radio operators here? We just moved here am I am planning on joining the club. But right now I am looking for someone that has installed a flag pole antenna? Any recommendations?


We close in 2 weeks. Will come down later this year. Hope you have it worked out by then so I can get more advice. Looking forward to being there and meeting the group.

73,
Bob

[EdFNJ]

I have an Expert license. I will not be there full time for a while... But joining a group sounds interesting. :) What's an "Expert License." Been a ham for over 50 years and never hear of that. Could you possibly mean EXTRA?

[massachusettskid]

I thought it was passed that no deed restriction could restrict amateurs from putting up an annenta?
Arrl even had an article in QST regarding it?

WA1UCG
Monarch Grove

[dwhite5773]

I have an Expert license. I will not be there full time for a while... But joining a group sounds interesting. :)
What is an expert license? Novice, Technician, General, Advanced and Extra since my initial license in 1976, WD8LZK.

[Pinball wizard]

Interesting!
My radios have been in storage since I moved down here 8 years ago. Sorry to say I did not find the local club very inviting. Went to two of their outings and tried to talk to people but they were not very inviting, so gave up. I just dropped my membership to the ARRL, which was in my back yard when I lived in CT. figured that those days are gone. Well now maybe a little interest is back.

Besides the Antenna problem, what about running the feed line?

On a side note. I have been thinking about getting back into shortwave DXing did that back in the 60 and 70s had tons of stuff, my mail box looked like the UN. Anyone still do any of that or is that pretty much dead nowadays?

Yes I did! I remember as a kid listening to my name announced on Radio Prague at 10:30 at night! I know I have my stack of QSL cards here somewhere. I even joined some club that gave me call letters... I think it was WDX2RNK.

Wow what a blast from the past.

[MrFlorida]

Old school Amateur Extra here, got my ticket back when you needed to pass 20 wpm code , not very active now since they dumbed down the requirements.

[John41]

Any Amateur Radio operators here? We just moved here am I am planning on joining the club. But right now I am looking for someone that has installed a flag pole antenna? Any recommendations?

I have a technician license currently working on general. I use 40, 20, 10 and 2 meter hamsticks. Drive to a high point in The Villages. Have a 5 w Yaesu transceiver. Works ok on ssb and cw. Prefer slow cw at 5 to 8 wpm. As a new solar cycle is beginning with more sunspots DXing should get better. Don’t belong to the club yet but might join after covid over.

[EdFNJ]

Old school Amateur Extra here, got my ticket back when you needed to pass 20 wpm code , not very active now since they dumbed down the requirements.Got my novice in Feb 1962 (still have the original ticket). I remember a year later taking my General at what was then the the FCC Building on (IIRC) Varrick St in NYC from the infamous old guy with the cigar who ran the testing center for something like 40 years. He was still there for my advanced test a number of years later. Back in those days a 15yr old (me) could safely take the train into the city from NJ and then the subway to go for the test. Ham Radio has become an old man's hobby as most young people have little interest since they can do the same thing on the web with no license. Ahhh, the good old days.

[427dave]

Did you run any radials ?

I did not run any radials, which I should do some day :) I drove 3ea 10ft ground rods and cad welded them to base. The feed line I ran under ground to my back bed room and poked a hole in the wall to run into the shack. I put my 440/2mtr vertical outside on a 15 ft pole at the back of the house. On the inside under my roof the previous owner installed aluminum backed insulation, so my whole attic has aluminum under the roof so I did not think an antenna would work to good in the attic