Getting started

STXARES
1

I am new to ham radio - I took it up as a pastime after I lost my wife a year ago. I hold a general ham license and have been building the radio shack at home. I signed up for ARES late last year. I live at the tip of Memorial Park (corner of Memorial and Crestwood) and attended one meeting. All subsequent meetings appear to be on-line events and I was looking forward to picking someone’s brain to get a better start.

I planned on easing into the business with VHF/UHF so I purchased an Anytone AT-D878UVII+ mobile radio while I construct antennas and connect transceivers.

I am a Mac but purchased an inexpensive PC when I realized that that was no use for the Apple operating system in ham radio. I last used Windows 7 when I retired from NRG six years ago but that is light years different and the IT folks set everything up according to company rules. I have received a basic tutorial from Bridgecom Systems (the radio vendor) so the PC and radio can now communicate with each other. The tech recommended checking with the local ARES chapter for information regarding repeaters, lists, and zones. I see all of those categories listed on the radio software and understand how to search for repeaters but I would be guessing about zones and lists.

Is there anyone out there who can help a rookie?

Thank you,
Jim von Suskil
(815) 342-7868
vonsuskil@mac.com

2

Jim
You and I have a similar background. I also have an Anytone 878. Your advantage is that there are lots of repeaters close to you.
You’re in Houston and I am in the Texas Hill Country. ARES is a very active group especially where you live.

73
Greg K5KYR

3

Hello,

I am located in South Texas, south of San Antonio, so I’m probably too far away to assist. HOWEVER!!! there are numerous radio clubs in the Houston area (I looked you up in QRZ,com to get your QTH). If you go to ARRL.org and click on Find a Club, I am quite sure you can locate at least ONE Amateur Radio club near you to attend, and also to ask about an ‘Elmer.’ (Ham speak: Elmer is our term for a mentor). They may also have classes and symposia on various topics of interest which could help you advance in your radio skills and knowledge.

Wishing you a LONG time of Success in Amateur Radio,

73 (hamspeak for have a great day!) de KA7SSR (hamspeak - de is the abbreviation for ‘This is.’ A lot of the ‘short-hand’ used in ham communications comes from the telegraphy community, as that is part of where ham radio has its roots.)
Jim Vineyard

4

Hello Jim,
I also have Anytone 878/868. Wednesdays we have the Texas state DMR net. I don’t know what repeater you can reach that is connected to C-Bridge. I do pretty much everything on my Mac for ham radio. If I can be of any help please let me know.

73’s de WP4VW

M. Marrero
SFC, US Army Retired

:telephone: Cell: 832-671-2673
:mobile_phone_with_arrow: WhatsApp: 939-235-9667

5

Thanks for your response. I can almost see the repeater from home so that connectivity should not be a problem. I am looking for someone to crack the code about getting to an in-person question where I can ask dumb questions and fill in the blanks.

6

Jim

Thanks for the email. It sounds like you live in Houston. Is that correct?

I am the Montgomery County ARES Emergency coordinator and probably not the right person or where your registered.

I suggest you google
ARES Harris county Texas

There are 4 groups by area in Harris County or ARES District 14.

There should be help to get you to the right ARES group.

If I am wrong and you are in Montgomery County, let me know.

Or if you get stuck give me a call at 610-613-3882 and I will help you find the right person to contact.

7

Thanks for the tip. I am ARES District 14 and will try there. I signed on in person but have not yet figured out how to get back in person. Right now, I am simply not geed enough to do anything but clog the airways.

8

Thanks for the offer - and the contact information. I am retired submarine Navy and was surprised at the many similarities in communications so at least I have a basis for understanding. I would certainly be interested in the Apple IOS - right now, I can only find “Echoham” which appears to be a poor man’s version of “Echolink"

9

Jim,

I am a Mac guy also. However, the amateur radio hobby doesn’t really support the Mac at all. The only Mac program I have is NetLogger and I only use it during the Monday nite ARES-HF net.

Most all of the radio control, operation software is Windows 10 (which I can’t stand). But that is the reality of it. So I went out and bought a cheap Dell Laptop and use that only for Amateur Radio. works great with all the software you will use such as Vara, Winlink, Packet etc..

FWIW

Chris N5EWL ARES-AEC Montgomery County Tx

10

Jim,

Don’t discount your iMac equipment and experience. There’s lots of software that runs on the Macs for ham radio. And if you have an older Mac with no OS X upgrade path, you can up the ante by going to Linux Ubuntu. The current version installs and runs on Macs going back many years with updates every 6 months.

Ham radio is now very broad in scope, both technically and operationally. And FCC seems to want to continue to broaden that scope of activities in the Amateur Service (Many now naively use the term “hobby”; a shame). In a lifetime of serious pursuit one can never engage in all of those types of activities.

ARES is certainly a great place to learn good operating practice and grow in Public Service. I have previously served as EC and DEC for many years. And as you gain experience, consider taking a leadership position in the ARRL Field Organization or your local club(s).

If you’ve got a specific question or two, shoot 'em to us. I bet someone has experience to share.

73

Joe Fisher, K5EJL

the “Electronic Junque Lover”, licensed 1956

ARRL CLM and Technical Specialist

11

Hello Jim, there are several of us in D14 with Anytone 878/578 and we would be happy to assist you.

D14 has 4 quadrants with 4 EC’s and I’m the NW EC. I’m sure we can help you.

We also have a D14 specific Groups.io forum you might want to join.

Feel free to contact me directly with any questions or help needed. I’m sure we have someone that can answer your questions if I’m not able to.

John Sawyer - KD5U
281-799-7815
ARES STX D14 NW EC

kd5u@ymail.com

Thanks for the tip. I am ARES District 14 and will try there. I signed on in person but have not yet figured out how to get back in person. Right now, I am simply not geed enough to do anything but clog the airways.

Jim

Thanks for the email. It sounds like you live in Houston. Is that correct?

I am the Montgomery County ARES Emergency coordinator and probably not the right person or where your registered.

I suggest you google
ARES Harris county Texas

There are 4 groups by area in Harris County or ARES District 14.

There should be help to get you to the right ARES group.

If I am wrong and you are in Montgomery County, let me know.

Or if you get stuck give me a call at 610-613-3882 and I will help you find the right person to contact.

Gerald (Gerry) Messerschmidt , MD, FACP
Program Manager,
Del Webb The Woodlands Community Emergency Response Team
Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Services of Montgomery County
308 Connemara Drive
The Woodlands, Texas 77382

12

Jim, I put together a Texas Statewide VHF/UHF/DMR codeplug for the 868/878.
It has all of the VHF/UHF repeaters and DMR repeaters that were active about 4 years ago when I made it.
There are over 2000 channels in it and are sorted by city so that you can easily find what you are looking for.

I don’t mind sharing it if you or anyone else are interested.
Drop me an email at n5fwb@yahoo.com and request it.

Jerry N5FWB

Hello Jim, there are several of us in D14 with Anytone 878/578 and we would be happy to assist you.

D14 has 4 quadrants with 4 EC’s and I’m the NW EC. I’m sure we can help you.

We also have a D14 specific Groups.io forum you might want to join.

Feel free to contact me directly with any questions or help needed. I’m sure we have someone that can answer your questions if I’m not able to.

John Sawyer - KD5U
281-799-7815
ARES STX D14 NW EC

kd5u@ymail.com

Thanks for the tip. I am ARES District 14 and will try there. I signed on in person but have not yet figured out how to get back in person. Right now, I am simply not geed enough to do anything but clog the airways.

Jim

Thanks for the email. It sounds like you live in Houston. Is that correct?

I am the Montgomery County ARES Emergency coordinator and probably not the right person or where your registered.

I suggest you google
ARES Harris county Texas

There are 4 groups by area in Harris County or ARES District 14.

There should be help to get you to the right ARES group.

If I am wrong and you are in Montgomery County, let me know.

Or if you get stuck give me a call at 610-613-3882 and I will help you find the right person to contact.

Gerald (Gerry) Messerschmidt , MD, FACP
Program Manager,
Del Webb The Woodlands Community Emergency Response Team
Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Services of Montgomery County
308 Connemara Drive
The Woodlands, Texas 77382

13

Jim,
Check out the Brazos Valley ARC in Houston…they are active on the 146.94 rptr… I can put you in contact with the club president, Mike Hardwick, N5VCX.

They have a Facebook page as well as a mail list..

Chris WB5ITT

14

Hi Jim,

You’re getting lots of good information from many hams but I think you may be looking for more basic information. Let me give you some links that might help…

— The ARRL of course: https://www.arrl.org/

— You got a reference to QRZ. Here’s the login/register page Login - QRZ.com

— South Texas ARES: Home - ARRL South Texas (STX)

[

Home - ARRL South Texas (STX)

ARRL South Texas Section, Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, Radio Club, Hamfest, ARES, STX, STEM, STEAM, Pactor, Winmor,…
](https://arrlstx.org/)

— District 14 (Harris County) ARES is at Harris County ARES – West Gulf Division / South Texas Section / District 14 (check out the training tab)

[

Harris County ARES – West Gulf Division / South Texas Section / District 14
](https://stxd14ares.org/)

— You’ll find the RepeaterBook useful: Repeaterbook.com - Home

[

Repeaterbook.com - Home

Worldwide Amateur Radio Repeater Directory
](https://www.repeaterbook.com/index.php/en-us/)

And finally, YouTube is your friend. Ask it a question, like ‘ham radio crash course’ and it will provide a video on the subject…https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ham+radio+crash+course

I hope that helps a bit…

73,

Paul
k5prs

[

Login - QRZ.com
](https://www.qrz.com/login)

[

QRZ Callsign Database Search by QRZ Ham Radio

World’s leading amateur radio web site with news, technical articles, discussions, practice exams and more.
](https://www.qrz.com/lookup)

The WorldWide DX Forum: Home

[

Home
](https://www.worldwidedx.com/)

Thanks for the offer - and the contact information. I am retired submarine Navy and was surprised at the many similarities in communications so at least I have a basis for understanding. I would certainly be interested in the Apple IOS - right now, I can only find “Echoham” which appears to be a poor man’s version of “Echolink"

Hello Jim,
I also have Anytone 878/868. Wednesdays we have the Texas state DMR net. I don’t know what repeater you can reach that is connected to C-Bridge. I do pretty much everything on my Mac for ham radio. If I can be of any help please let me know.

73’s de WP4VW

M. Marrero
SFC, US Army Retired

:telephone: Cell: 832-671-2673
:mobile_phone_with_arrow: WhatsApp: 939-235-9667

15

Yep, me again lol,

Here’s another resource I have enjoyed (but forgot)…AmateurRadio.com

P.S. 73 is radio talk for ‘Best Regards’…never use 73s or 73s’s (double plural (& possessive)).

You might enjoy this article: What does ‘73’ mean and why do ham radio operators say it? – Ham Radio Prep

[

What does ‘73’ mean and why do ham radio operators say it? – Ham Radio Prep

Joe

At the end of a contact with a friend, most hams will call out a hearty “73.” So, what does ‘73 mean’ and why do…
](https://hamradioprep.com/what-does-73-mean/)

[

AmateurRadio.com

Ham Radio News
](https://www.amateurradio.com/)

73,

Paul
k5prs

Hi Jim,

You’re getting lots of good information from many hams but I think you may be looking for more basic information. Let me give you some links that might help…

— The ARRL of course: https://www.arrl.org/

— You got a reference to QRZ. Here’s the login/register page Login - QRZ.com

— South Texas ARES: Home - ARRL South Texas (STX)

[

Home - ARRL South Texas (STX)

ARRL South Texas Section, Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, Radio Club, Hamfest, ARES, STX, STEM, STEAM, Pactor, Winmor,…
](https://arrlstx.org/)

[

Home - ARRL South Texas (STX)

ARRL South Texas Section, Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, Radio Club, Hamfest, ARES, STX, STEM, STEAM, Pactor, Winmor,…
](https://arrlstx.org/)

— District 14 (Harris County) ARES is at Harris County ARES – West Gulf Division / South Texas Section / District 14 (check out the training tab)

[

Harris County ARES – West Gulf Division / South Texas Section / District 14
](https://stxd14ares.org/)

[

Harris County ARES – West Gulf Division / South Texas Section / District 14
](https://stxd14ares.org/)

— You’ll find the RepeaterBook useful: Repeaterbook.com - Home

[

Repeaterbook.com - Home

Worldwide Amateur Radio Repeater Directory
](https://www.repeaterbook.com/index.php/en-us/)

[

Repeaterbook.com - Home

Worldwide Amateur Radio Repeater Directory
](https://www.repeaterbook.com/index.php/en-us/)

And finally, YouTube is your friend. Ask it a question, like ‘ham radio crash course’ and it will provide a video on the subject…https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ham+radio+crash+course

I hope that helps a bit…

73,

Paul
k5prs

[

Login - QRZ.com
](https://www.qrz.com/login)

[

Login - QRZ.com
](https://www.qrz.com/login)

[

QRZ Callsign Database Search by QRZ Ham Radio

World’s leading amateur radio web site with news, technical articles, discussions, practice exams and more.
](https://www.qrz.com/lookup)

[

QRZ Callsign Database Search by QRZ Ham Radio

World’s leading amateur radio web site with news, technical articles, discussions, practice exams and more.
](https://www.qrz.com/lookup)

The WorldWide DX Forum: Home

[

Home
](https://www.worldwidedx.com/)

[

Home
](https://www.worldwidedx.com/)

Thanks for the offer - and the contact information. I am retired submarine Navy and was surprised at the many similarities in communications so at least I have a basis for understanding. I would certainly be interested in the Apple IOS - right now, I can only find “Echoham” which appears to be a poor man’s version of “Echolink"

Hello Jim,
I also have Anytone 878/868. Wednesdays we have the Texas state DMR net. I don’t know what repeater you can reach that is connected to C-Bridge. I do pretty much everything on my Mac for ham radio. If I can be of any help please let me know.

73’s de WP4VW

M. Marrero
SFC, US Army Retired

:telephone: Cell: 832-671-2673
:mobile_phone_with_arrow: WhatsApp: 939-235-9667

16

Good Evening.
Ken here - W5KAL.

Looks like you’re in good hands with all the great responses.

I am up here northeast of Houston but feel free to to reach out.
I will help when and where I can.

Regards

Ken - W5KAL
73

17

Hi Jim,

Sorry to hear about your wife. You may not remember but we met when I worked at NRG.

You may wish to connect to the East Coast Reflector and the South Coast Reflector. There web sites have connection information. Lots of talk groups and technical groups. You can also connect to the groups via Echo Link.

If you wish to work with other HAMS in the field there are groups always looking for radio operators to assist with events such as MS150, The Woodlands Iron Man, lots of runs and many more. I am also a member of CERT and participate as a radio operator with CERT activities. Houston and Montgomery counties.

You may wish to join ARES and complete the necessary training to assist should a disaster occur.
https://www.arrlstxvps.org/vault_area/vault_gateway/site_gateway/vault_gateway.php

Let me know if there is anything I could help ;you with.

Tom Newsom (WW5TOM)
ww5tom@arrl.net