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dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Some of you know about this, most do not. The entire coastline of OR and WA are ticking timebombs. Everyone felt this area was not prone to earthquakes....then one scientist decided to challenge that theory.
I should add that if this topic is of interest, you should buy the book, which is mentioned in this lecture, Full Rip 9.0


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ7Qc3bsxjI&pp=ygUqZ3JlYXQgZWFydGhxdWFrZXMgb2YgdGhlIHBhY2lmaWMgbm9ydGh3ZXN0
16 Replies · 216 views
harshness
Everyone felt this area was not prone to earthquakes...
That's not true at all. We get earthquakes fairly frequently, and some of them do damage. This one woke me up when my headboard hit the wall:


Plate tectonics has always been part of the Pacific Northwet experience, but we also have much more volcanic activity than most CONUS locales. More recently, minor seismic activity due to aquifer migration has been registering.
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dishstaller
That's not true at all. We get earthquakes fairly frequently, and some of them do damage. This one woke me up when my headboard hit the wall:


Plate tectonics has always been part of the Pacific Northwet experience, but we also have much more volcanic activity than most CONUS locales. More recently, minor seismic activity due to aquifer migration has been registering.
You are extremely wrong about this. And I am not talking about 1993. I'm talking about the mid 1980s. When Brian Atwater challenged the notion that the Cascadia region was a "dead zone" he was totally ostracized from the seismic community. Why not read the book I referenced and learn rather than challenge someone who HAS read it. If what was stated in this book was pure bs, then Nick Zentner certainly wouldn't have recommended it AND referenced it.
Most people were still unaware of this fault until 11 yrs ago The New Yorker magazine came out with the article The Really Big One.

For the record, Brian is now held up as being a genius in this field....which he truly is.
harshness
I'm talking about the mid 1980s.
Jump ahead forty years to the mid twenty-teens where things have mostly settled down after Mt. St. Helens.

I participated in an official FEMA tsunami exercise and exposition a few years back, so I'm fairly up on what's going on in terms of the Big One, and rest assured, there are all sorts of scenarios being actively planned for by jurisdictional Emergency Management agencies.

Right now, we're all considerably more concerned about a possible Godzilla El Niño and what it might mean for the 2027 wildfire season.
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dishstaller
, and rest assured, there are all sorts of scenarios being actively planned for by jurisdictional Emergency Management agencies.
I've watched several videos on YT that the emergency services has put up.....especially Seaside, OR...may have been Oceanside. The biggest problem they face is the fact that the bridges folks would have to use to escape the tsunami probably won't be there. I also noticed something they are overlooking. They have a place built for people to flee to that is 50 ft above sea level. What they are overlooking is the same thing the Japanese overlooked and paid the price for in 2011. Their seawall WAS high enough to block that tsunami. Why did it go over then? They failed to take into acct the ground DROPPING. Seems like in that case it dropped by 10 ft so all of a sudden that wall was 10 ft too low. That tsunami shelter they have at 50 ft above sea level won't be 50 ft above sea level. Now how far will the land drop? Who knows. In that initial video I linked to, one of the exercises they did was take the data from the Japan 2011 earthquake and flip it over to the coast of OR...pretty spooky.
One thing to consider when thinking about how much the land could drop is to look at that ghost forest on that beach in OR. The tops of those ancient trees are now showing. The bottom of those trunks is about 9 ft beneath the sand. Now THAT was a huge drop.
harshness
The biggest problem they face is the fact that the bridges folks would have to use to escape the tsunami probably won't be there.
The idea is typically that there will be some warning coming from one of the many active tsunami warning systems in most coastal towns. Most of the bridges run north and south while you gain elevation by going eastward. In the Oregon Coast Range (mountainous), you can attain elevation fairly quickly.

There are scenarios where safety may only be possible east of the Cascade Range (real mountains), but there are plans for that as well.

This, versus Florida, where more than a little of its 13' of average elevation will be underwater in a few hundred years. The greater landmass is sinking about .5mm/year, but the ocean is currently rising around an inch every three years.
dishstaller
Most of the bridges run north and south while you gain elevation by going eastward. In the Oregon Coast Range (mountainous), you can attain elevation fairly quickly.
I had to look back up the video to see which town they were talking about and I referenced to when it came to bridges.....it was Seaside, OR. There are two narrow bodies of water....they look like rivers but looking on the map, I'm not sure what you would call them. They were concerned that those bridges would be taken out and there would only be a 20 min warning. A buddy of mine went out there from OK and I mentioned he needed to acquaint himself with the tsunami escape routes....just in case. When he got back he told me that frankly he thought I was nuts for even mentioning a tsunami but when he got to Seaside, he said there were signs everywhere showing where to go.
harshness
it was Seaside, OR.
Seaside is a somewhat unique problem. It is subdivided by the Necanicum Estuary and Neawanna Creek that are oriented south to north.

This is an interactive map showing the danger zones in Oregon and Washington:


The NANOOS (Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems) website is a deep rabbit hole.
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dishstaller
It is subdivided by the Necanicum Estuary and Neawanna Creek that are oriented south to north.
Thanks.....NOW I know what to call them. Odd for a creek to do what it does there....most in these parts flow directly into the Gulf.

He said it was a fantastic place to visit BTW.

is a deep rabbit hole.
I've been a Dish retailer for 27 years....I like rabbit holes. :p
harshness
Odd for a creek to do what it does there....most in these parts flow directly into the Gulf.
That may be more of a situation where the creeks have been "domesticated" to flow that way to foster land development.
dishstaller
That may be more of a situation where the creeks have been "domesticated" to flow that way to foster land development.
Now that would make sense. The coastline of south FL has a LOT of "domesticated" waterways.
ewindowman
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Looks like dish is Bankrupt. Filling tomorrow Tuesday June 30th
523 Replies · 19574 views
JSheridan
AT&T runs First Net which was set up so first responders have a signal almost everywhere, which is the case around here and up and down the east coast when I've been traveling. In my experience T-Mobile has the fastest network but patchy coverage while Verizon has a slow network and also patchy coverage as well. We also have a iPhone on T-Mobile and one on Mobile-X which uses the Verizon network, so comparison is easy.
EarDemon
AT&T runs First Net which was set up so first responders have a signal almost everywhere, which is the case around here and up and down the east coast when I've been traveling. In my experience T-Mobile has the fastest network but patchy coverage while Verizon has a slow network and also patchy coverage as well. We also have a iPhone on T-Mobile and one on Mobile-X which uses the Verizon network, so comparison is easy.
I did a 2500 mile round trip road trip a few weeks ago, there were a handful of places where Verizon had service and I had nothing on FirstNet. Most notably in the backwoods of Kentucky and Tennessee. Those same places I had no service on T-Mobile either. In populated areas, like the Lexington metro and Knoxville metro AT&T not only had great coverage, better than Verizon and T-Mobile generally, they have n77 everywhere. I hit 1.2 Gbps or higher pretty much everywhere, beating out the other two. That is the exact opposite here back in Western NY. Very little n77 on AT&T here and T-Mobile always rockets to 1.5 Gbps or higher.

As far as I know, there is no AT&T tower in my town. The tower I connect to when I'm outside, no service indoors, is one about 4.5 miles north of me in a different town, I can barley latch on to band 12, not 14. It's LTE only but when near that tower I exceed 200 Mbps which is phenomenal for low band LTE, but T-Mobile and Verizon have mid band on the same tower, and i'm well over a gig.

I'm looking forward to the n14 conversion and deployment of n79/4.9 GHz. Since AT&T can't sell their home internet service in NY State, I don't expect big things from them besides the enhancements to FirstNet.
JSheridan
... Since AT&T can't sell their home internet service in NY State, I don't expect big things from them besides the enhancements to FirstNet.
We're in NY and we can now. We're an AT&T retailer and have been selling AT&T Internet Air for a few months. It's $35 a month if you're an AT&T post paid subscriber, $55 a month if you're not a subscriber.
EarDemon
We're in NY and we can now. We're an AT&T retailer and have been selling AT&T Internet Air for a few months. It's $35 a month if you're an AT&T post paid subscriber, $55 a month if you're not a subscriber.
Wow when did that happen? I'm guessing AT&T caved and started offering a $15/month low income tier for those who qualify.

Hopefully this causes AT&T to blanket the state with DoD and cband. They are by far the slowest and have the highest latency generally speaking in Western NY.
JSheridan
Wow when did that happen? I'm guessing AT&T caved and started offering a $15/month low income tier for those who qualify.

Hopefully this causes AT&T to blanket the state with DoD and cband. They are by far the slowest and have the highest latency generally speaking in Western NY.
It happened just recently, I think about four months ago.

We're in eastern upstate NY and AT&T is pretty good, for the most part it's 5G+. T-Mobile is definitely the fastest but not the best coverage, AT&T is next fastest with the best overall coverage and Verizon is the slowest with the worst coverage.

We're also looking forward to the new bands coming online.
MikeD-C05
lily tomlin GIF



Wow ,who would of thought there was this much to talk about when it came to phone companies?
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S
lily tomlin GIF



Wow ,who would of thought there was this much to talk about when it came to phone companies?
there's a forum called howard forums. It's all about phone companies ;)
HipKat
We're in NY and we can now. We're an AT&T retailer and have been selling AT&T Internet Air for a few months. It's $35 a month if you're an AT&T post paid subscriber, $55 a month if you're not a subscriber.
I don't think I ever knew you were in NY
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rvvaquero
there's a forum called howard forums. It's all about phone companies ;)
I agree that's where this phone company discussion probably should be. I've been visiting howardforums twice a day for over 20 years, discovered lot's of really good deals and info there. However, whereas they used to have hundreds of contributors daily, it's now down to less than a dozen regulars and a couple of negative moderators. The site is on it's last legs. I think most participants have moved to reddit.

Just saying.
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EarDemon
It happened just recently, I think about four months ago.

We're in eastern upstate NY and AT&T is pretty good, for the most part it's 5G+. T-Mobile is definitely the fastest but not the best coverage, AT&T is next fastest with the best overall coverage and Verizon is the slowest with the worst coverage.

We're also looking forward to the new bands coming online.
Well that is good news! Around here AT&T mid-band is only in the big suburbs and what I would call 'rural cities', a small city in a rural county that is usually the county seat. There are many rural towers I'm seeing 1.5 - 2 Gbps on with T-Mobile where AT&T is LTE only. And Verizon is humming along at 1 Gbps or a little higher on c-band.

I know I've said this many times, but my ultimate plan one day is to get a commercial grade 5G router that supports dual SIM and have T-Mobile and FirstNet SIMs activated. I want to wait until their are units that can support n14 and n79. I can't see spending well over $1000 on something that will be gimped in a couple of years.
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EarDemon
lily tomlin GIF



Wow ,who would of thought there was this much to talk about when it came to phone companies?
There's a ton to talk about. It's just most people are ignorant when it comes to their hopeless addiction to their phones and spend a lot of time on them but have no idea how the signal gets from point A to B thinking they work on magic, wishes and unicorn farts. They only care when they are at an event with thousands of other people and can't do their tick tocks and Snapgrams and their $1500 shiny toys are useless, I really don't give a damn about phones themselves but I have a tremendous interest in the underlying technology.

I always have Signal Check Pro and Network Cell Info open, looking to see what I'm connected to and watch the levels fluctuate as I move around as environmental variables change.

On my FirstNet line, Signal Check Pro would only show the indepth info for the LTE anchor bands when on 5G on my Pixel Fold 9 & 10. On the Pixel Fold 11 it shows everything. Not sure why the change, it has nothing to do with SA v NSA. When I saw that, it was like Christmas morning for me.

I'm not perfect, but I'm getting pretty good where I can drive by a tower and know which provider(s) is on it and can pick out each provider by the rack.
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kingcrab
Last reply · posted in C-BAND Satellite Discussion
أهلا بالجميع،
حصلت على طبق استقبال فضائي كامل - باستثناء المكونات الإلكترونية الداخلية - من تاجر خردة.

يبدو أنه كان يستخدم سابقاً للوصول إلى الإنترنت عبر الأقمار الصناعية في منشأة حكومية.

كيف يمكنني الاستفادة من هذا الطبق؟

هل من الممكن الحصول على خدمة إنترنت عبر الأقمار الصناعية مجاناً، أم أن الاشتراك الشهري أو السنوي مطلوب؟

هل يمكن استخدامه لاستقبال قنوات التلفزيون الفضائية المجانية؟

هل من الممكن استقبال كليهما - قنوات التلفزيون عبر الأقمار الصناعية والإنترنت (التحميل/التنزيل) - في وقت واحد؟

هل يمكنني تغطية الطبق بمادة عازلة وواقية لحمايته من عوامل التعرية والتعرض لأشعة الشمس؟

هل هناك أي مكونات إضافية أحتاج إلى تثبيتها في الداخل لإكمال النظام؟

مواصفات الطبق:
عدسة Channel Master ذات البعد البؤري الرئيسي 1.2 متر
صُنع في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية
(نطاق Ku أو نطاق C، حسب المكون المستخدم)

شكراً للجميع.
3 Replies · 76 views
T
Heh, I remember some of us jockeying to sell sat gear to saudis in the 90s
kingcrab
هه، أراضي أن بعضنا كان يتنافس لبدء بيع المعدات الصناعية للعوديين في حين.
ههههه، نعم، أنت محق النقاب - كنت واحداً من الأشخاص الذين كانوا يريدون به حقاً!
كان لدي جهاز استقبال فضائي كبير بمحرك، قطره 2.20 متر، مزود بذراع محرك قادر على تتبع الكثير من الأقمار الصناعية - من يوتلسات في الغرب وصولاً إلى قمر سوني الصناعي في الشرق.

لكن في هذه الأيام، لا يكاد أحد هنا لاستخدامه؛ فمعظم القنوات تُبث الآن عبر الإنترنت بالألياف الضوئية.
من أين أنتِ يا عزيزتي؟
أنا لستُ جيداً في الكتابة باللغة الإنجليزية؛ مهاراتي اللغوية ضعيفة.
آمل أن تتمكن من الحصول على خدمة إنترنت مجانية باستخدام هذه الآفاق - لقد توصلت إلى هذه الفكرة بالصدفة!
B
you could replace the LNB/feed assembly with a standard LNBF, and buy a receiver. Looks like there are many Ku Band satellites that cover Saudi Arabia with lots of free channels. Europe, Africa & Middle East - LyngSat

For a receiver, you would have to see what's available in your area, but any recent FTA receiver would probably work.

Free internet is quite unlikely
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68842 Replies · 2693001 views
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long_time_Dish
One Brown Mouse - Jethro Tull
H
Wynona's Big BROWN Beaver-Primus
ClarkGable
In A Big Country - Big Country
harshness
Big Balls - AC/DC
Bobby
Great Balls Of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
Ramy
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
203 Replies · 5888 views
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cp2k
Honestly, I would rather see an expanded bracketed playoff system than the current Conference Championship Game + playoff model we're using right now. The Conference Championships essentially allow two teams to beat up on each other, and then both typically are going to end up in the playoffs anyway unless it is one of the weaker or smaller conferences. Let them play it out on the field against others.
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Jimbo
Honestly, I would rather see an expanded bracketed playoff system than the current Conference Championship Game + playoff model we're using right now. The Conference Championships essentially allow two teams to beat up on each other, and then both typically are going to end up in the playoffs anyway unless it is one of the weaker or smaller conferences. Let them play it out on the field against others.
Until the Big Ten changed thier alignment, (a couple years ago) ... it was not like that at all, the East side won most years the west side represented the Big Ten, but they may have been the team with the 4th best record ...
They finally changed that, to a single conference ... but yes, in most cases, both teams will get in ... now, its a certain both will get in ...

The biggest issue with the Conference Now is the Number of TEAMS .... WAY to Many.
It would take 2-3 YEARS to do a round robin where everyone would play one another ... How do you know how good a team is when teams don't play the same teams ?
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meStevo
They finally changed that, to a single conference ... but yes, in most cases, both teams will get in ... now, its a certain both will get in ...

Surprised you haven't made this claim yet.


View: https://x.com/RedditCFB/status/2119843536439005342?a=pI0NYBONwLj4vjRrQWo&s=20
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cp2k
I like the move to campus sites for the early games. That adds a fun new dimension for fans, and cuts down on some of the travel expenses that would come with having to follow a team all the way through the playoffs at neutral sites.
Jimbo
I like the move to campus sites for the early games. That adds a fun new dimension for fans, and cuts down on some of the travel expenses that would come with having to follow a team all the way through the playoffs at neutral sites.
Agree ... they started doing that a few years ago.
Y

That'd be more than the FA Cup! Over 700 teams. It is also the most glorious tournament in the world.

Maybe it is time to get rid of the College Football season and just go to a tournament. 128 teams, fill in the bottom end with the lower division. Random draw (except the top 10 teams are in one bucket to draw from in the first and second rounds to avoid OSU v Alabama in the first round), go from 128 to 8. 4 games. Then the 8 remaining teams play 7 games against each other. Then the top two play for the title.
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osu1991
So OU gets screwed and has to move the game under threat of forfeiture, because Ole Miss didn't want to take a 7hr bus ride or find another crew for a chartered flight. When did the crew time out? A 10pm flight cancellation should have had the crew flight ready again around 8am and in Norman by 10am. Everyone else figured this out. The sec better be reimbursing OU for this BS. The weather will be 15 degrees colder in the high 30's low 40's and raining Sunday, I'm sure Ole Miss will be complaining about that too.


View: https://x.com/Oklahoma_AD/status/2121486368454885445?a=T5DkBYl8kG2ZSFPMQb8&s=20


View: https://x.com/SEC/status/2121486292131131575?a=fKBQ6EmOls8OPct7UcE&s=20
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cp2k
If I were OU I'd have called their bluff and said OK, we forfeit. OU isn't going to the SEC Championship game or College Football Playoffs so it really wouldn't have mattered in the grand scheme of things.
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BlackHitachi
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in Movie Talk
Since the Reds have there thread we should too!

Last watched Nine inch Nails
Next 3:10 to Yuma
5406 Replies · 512944 views
long_time_Dish
Last night...

1794448622016.webp
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osu1991
Veterans Day and business closed, so movie day and some tv on the patio. Watched several Chewed Up episodes on YouTube out on the patio until lunch time then came inside for the surround and movies.

Raise The Titanic (1980). Great musical score by John Barry of James Bond music fame.


View: https://youtu.be/KqWnM2xZ0gw?is=STWbRqNWrSZ1-z6-


Glenn Miller Story (1954). Great music


View: https://youtu.be/sMa-T71Az68?is=4YG3SQfWBjOG5305
Foxbat
After "VisionQuest" was over, I watched "Avengers: Infinity War" last night and "Avengers: Endgame" tonight.
osu1991
Xmas movies today. 😁. Die Hard and Die Hard 2
"MysteryMan"
714tv9NDwnS._SY445_.webp
K
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in DIRECTV Programming Forum
11/25 - 11/29 Thanksgiving Free Preview
515-523 Cinemax
525-542 Starz
545-556 Paramount+ with Showtime
558-560 MGM+
1 Replies · 148 views
K
F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix via Apple TV, also available to MyFree users
930/205-7 F1 TV
931/205-8 Sky Sports F1

Thursday, November 19
7:10pm Practice 1
10:40pm Practice 2

Friday, November 20
7:10pm Practice 3
10:25pm Qualifying

Saturday, November 21
9:50pm Las Vegas Grand Prix
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Stargate SG-1 cancelled, Atlantis renewed
clear.gif

Monday - August 21, 2006 | by Darren Sumner
clear.gif

The future of Stargate is in question today, as SCI FI Channel has cancelled the long-running Stargate SG-1, Multichannel News reported today and a GateWorld source has confirmed. The news regrettably follows the airing of the show's milestone two-hundredth episode on Friday.

Stargate Atlantis, meanwhile, has been renewed for a fourth season, with the network hoping to see that the spin-off series can stand alone, according to a source.
Source Gateworld
2036 Replies · 185435 views
R
I have gotten back into watching SG-1 and I have recorded most of the episodes to binge watch. What episodes are about the Antarctic or was this a movie? Also where could I watch the SG-1 movies?
long_time_Dish
I have gotten back into watching SG-1 and I have recorded most of the episodes to binge watch. What episodes are about the Antarctic or was this a movie? Also where could I watch the SG-1 movies?
Well, there are a couple involving the Antarctic. "Solitudes", S1 E17 (one of my favorites), Then, "Lost City', S7 E21 and E22. Then, in the SGA pilot, "Rising", S1 E1 and E2, it starts out in the Antarctic for about the first 20 minutes or so.
R
Well, there are a couple involving the Antarctic. "Solitudes", S1 E17 (one of my favorites), Then, "Lost City', S7 E21 and E22. Then, in the SGA pilot, "Rising", S1 E1 and E2, it starts out in the Antarctic for about the first 20 minutes or so.
Which one has O'Neil being Ancients? I am at the end of Season 8 now.
long_time_Dish
Which one has O'Neil being Ancients? I am at the end of Season 8 now.
If I understand your question, O'Neill had the Ancient's knowledge in the "Lost City" two-part episode. That was when Anubis attacked Earth and there was a big battle over Antarctica.
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R
If I understand your question, O'Neill had the Ancient's knowledge in the "Lost City" two-part episode. That was when Anubis attacked Earth and there was a big battle over Antarctica.
Those are the episodes I am looking for. They are referred to a lot in the episodes I just recently watched.
dfergie
This AI video while some of the older versions are suspect, reminders me of characters I've forgotten about...

View: https://youtu.be/CrtAznQPaFY?si=GR7RXitHOZ1L40SS

Of course went to SG1 and S3 Point of View afterwords... (one of my favs, just came up in S3 and grabbed)
long_time_Dish
This AI video while some of the older versions are suspect, reminders me of characters I've forgotten about...

View: https://youtu.be/CrtAznQPaFY?si=GR7RXitHOZ1L40SS

Of course went to SG1 and S3 Point of View afterwords... (one of my favs, just came up in S3 and grabbed)

Wow, now that was a blast. Thanks for posting it!
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Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in Ham Radio, SDR & Police Scanner Technology
Hard to believe that the guy who runs this site, whos main focus is communications, and a guy who lives less than a half mile from the ARRL and W1AW does not have his ham license!

Well I want to change that in 2024!

Our local police department is moving to our states digital system next month and I have been working with our police department to get ready for the move, as I am the one who streams their radios online to Broadcastify. They put up a test feed for me and I was having trouble picking it up in the house, so last week as a christmas gift for me I put up a brand new Diamond D3000N Antenna on the roof. The Antenna is 40 feet in the air, on top of that our house is on top of a hill. :)

With that new antenna I am now picking up the. new digital system... and since I got the new antenna... which can also transmit at up to 200 watts... this may be the time to get into ham radio. :)

So how do I get started? What advice can people give? What kind of euipment should I be saving up for?

Without Morse Code, I should be able to pass the test without an issues.

So where do I go from here?
73 Replies · 7774 views
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R
What would be a ballpark cost of getting into HAM radios? This would be for the equipment, antennas, etc.
navychop
Don't forget the cost of the head examination.
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Jim S.
Don't forget the cost of the head examination.
They dropped that from the license requirements some time ago. Have you listened to 7200 lately? I've heard saner conversations on Channel 6.
TRG
TRG
I don't know why but I never liked the, "ham" reference or the way that people implemented it. I prefer Amateur Radio Operator myself. Ham belongs on bread with mustard and Swiss cheese. Not a reference to someone that operates a transmitter.
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cyberham
... I've heard saner conversations on Channel 6.
If we're having a contest, there is no discussion of this category without including VE7KFM. If you've heard him on his favourite 20m band frequency, you'd remember. I guess if we support free speech, which I do, we need to bend a little when individuals go well beyond what is acceptable by society's standards.
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What would be a ballpark cost of getting into HAM radios? This would be for the equipment, antennas, etc.
To address the op's question, the true answer is literally almost anything you want to spend. Both at the bottom and top ends of that scale. If you don't have the big bucks to spend (...who does?), you can forget about steel towers and install homemade wire antennas like dipoles, inverted vees, verticals, loops, EFHW, etc. You can get good performance from these and costs remain affordable for most.

For a radio, buy used from a local club member. You'll learn about your club and develop useful, educational and fun relationships too. Or, if you can afford new, then buy from an authorized reputable dealer. When learning, if affordable, I'm actually a fan of new since you already have lots of hurdles to be challenged by. Having a radio that operates as it should with a new warranty with the latest technology can smooth your learning curve and give better results.
cyberham
I don't know why but I never liked the, "ham" reference or the way that people implemented it. I prefer Amateur Radio Operator myself...
I understand your feeling regarding the term ham but I use it if I say amateur radio but I can tell people aren't getting what I'm talking about. Almost everybody has heard of the term ham when talking about radio ops. Sometimes people think amateur refers to somebody who doesn't know what they are doing. It's amateur, as opposed to professional as in earning money.

Also it's ham, not HAM or Ham. It's not an acronym nor a proper noun.
WhiteBeard
If we're having a contest, there is no discussion of this category without including VE7KFM. If you've heard him on his favourite 20m band frequency, you'd remember. I guess if we support free speech, which I do, we need to bend a little when individuals go well beyond what is acceptable by society's standards.
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We bend too many rules and there isn't any real society standards. I'll stop there.
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cyberham
We bend too many rules and there isn't any real society standards. I'll stop there.
I agree with ya. I guess we're old and we remember too much.
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jayn_j
What would be a ballpark cost of getting into HAM radios? This would be for the equipment, antennas, etc.
As everyone else has said, you get to choose your level of involvement and commitment. Do you want to talk to friends, make contacts with folks on other continents, talk to the ISS, experiment with computer links, or whatever?
A good starting point is a technician license and a 2M/440 base station to talk to local repeaters. A good transceiver can be had for under $300. I live in an apartment, so my antenna is a 5/8 wavelength mobile antenna, using a metal wash tube I got from tractor supply as a ground plane. Total antenna cost is under $100 and it works well.
I've been licensed since 1962 and have done the whole spectrum of activities, but these days am quite happy just talking with some locals on the repeater.
Jay WA9OHS