I finally ordered a HAM receiver

[miketx]

I posted something a while back about wanting to find out what's really going on by listening to ham radio. I don't know much about the equipment and I had up to 500 dollars to spend on a receiver so I started researching. Well, it's like everything else, all kinds of tech talk, this bell that whistle, etc. what I wanted was something to receive broadcasts from commercial stations worldwide, you know AM and Fm, and also underground stations from all over, and from individual operators local to an area where something is going on. After hours of reading reviews and watching videos and re-watching videos and reading reviews, I finally found what I hope will be the right beginners radio.

It's got all the tech needed to do what I want and nearly all the reviews were positive with several stating it was a better radio than radios costing much much more, so I ordered it. It is a Tecsun PL-660. This is it. 119.00 at Amazon.

it comes with rechargeable batteries, an external charger, and an external antenna. It has an air channel for aircraft radio, and Single Side Band which you will use to receive most of the individual hams. Plus it will receive SW, MW, and LW. Hope I didn't screw up. I'll post a review of how, or even if, it works once I've had it a few days. I posted the above image to show what all it comes with, but mine is silver like this one:

 

[Fueri]

One of the guys at work is a radio nut bag

He's also an electrical engineer, so he's built out quite a setup, is involved in clubs, forums etc, listens to pirate radio and tries to hear broadcasts and beacons from crazy locations as a challenge.

We spent days designing and machining a custom antenna for his rig and he tells me he can hear Europe, Iceland etc. at this point when the atmosphere is just right

Want info let me know. he's crazy smart and crazy as fuck in a wacky science guy sort of way (I know a lot of those types) and this is his thing.....

 

[miketx]

I almost got this one:

At 269.00 dollars I could NOT justify it. It looks really cool and all, but in side by side reviews the PL-660 would pull in stations where this one was only getting static. They say it needs an external antenna, but I an not ready for that yet, if ever.

 

[Divine Wind]

Awesome. Listening to frequencies different than AM and FM is, indeed, fun.

"It's 11:59 on Radio Free America; this is Uncle Sam, with music, and the truth until dawn. Right now I've got a few words for some of our brothers and sisters in the occupied zone: "the chair is against the wall, the chair is against the wall", "john has a long mustache, john has a long mustache". It's twelve o'clock, American, another day closer to victory. And for all of you out there, on, or behind the line, this is your song."

 

[miketx]

Awesome. Listening to frequencies different than AM and FM is, indeed, fun.

"It's 11:59 on Radio Free America; this is Uncle Sam, with music, and the truth until dawn. Right now I've got a few words for some of our brothers and sisters in the occupied zone: "the chair is against the wall, the chair is against the wall", "john has a long mustache, john has a long mustache". It's twelve o'clock, American, another day closer to victory. And for all of you out there, on, or behind the line, this is your song."

Is that from right outside the Obama whitehouse?

 

[Grandma]

You're just receiving, not sending?

Ham radio operators can be very useful during and right after natural disasters.

 

[miketx]

You're just receiving, not sending?

Ham radio operators can be very useful during and right after natural disasters.

Just receiving for now. I have two low powered transceivers, but I don't think they are suitable for it. Plus, you have to have a license.

 

[Divine Wind]

Awesome. Listening to frequencies different than AM and FM is, indeed, fun.

"It's 11:59 on Radio Free America; this is Uncle Sam, with music, and the truth until dawn. Right now I've got a few words for some of our brothers and sisters in the occupied zone: "the chair is against the wall, the chair is against the wall", "john has a long mustache, john has a long mustache". It's twelve o'clock, American, another day closer to victory. And for all of you out there, on, or behind the line, this is your song."

Is that from right outside the Obama whitehouse?

It's from "Radio Free America" so obviously well outside of Washington, D.C.

 

[miketx]

Wolverines!

 

[Grandma]

You're just receiving, not sending?

Ham radio operators can be very useful during and right after natural disasters.

Just receiving for now. I have two low powered transceivers, but I don't think they are suitable for it. Plus, you have to have a license.

The license isn't too expensive.

Power is a concern, but the main thing you'll need is a bigass antenna.

 

[miketx]

You're just receiving, not sending?

Ham radio operators can be very useful during and right after natural disasters.

Just receiving for now. I have two low powered transceivers, but I don't think they are suitable for it. Plus, you have to have a license.

The license isn't too expensive.

Power is a concern, but the main thing you'll need is a bigass antenna.

Yeah, that's what I read. So, I'm just gonna listen and see what it's like. Maybe I'll get it later.

 

[MikeK]

You're just receiving, not sending?

Ham radio operators can be very useful during and right after natural disasters.

Just receiving for now. I have two low powered transceivers, but I don't think they are suitable for it. Plus, you have to have a license.

The license isn't too expensive.

Power is a concern, but the main thing you'll need is a bigass antenna.

Yeah, that's what I read. So, I'm just gonna listen and see what it's like. Maybe I'll get it later.

The quality of a receiver is secondary to the antenna it is attached to.

Radio is addictive. If you get hooked by the performance of that very nice little receiver you bought (it is a good one), plan on putting something up in your back yard or on your roof.

 

[miketx]

You're just receiving, not sending?

Ham radio operators can be very useful during and right after natural disasters.

Just receiving for now. I have two low powered transceivers, but I don't think they are suitable for it. Plus, you have to have a license.

The license isn't too expensive.

Power is a concern, but the main thing you'll need is a bigass antenna.

Yeah, that's what I read. So, I'm just gonna listen and see what it's like. Maybe I'll get it later.

The quality of a receiver is secondary to the antenna it is attached to.

Radio is addictive. If you get hooked by the performance of that very nice little receiver you bought (it is a good one), plan on putting something up in your back yard or on your roof.

yeah, dang it, I already thought about it and have a place picked out! How good is the external antenna wire that comes with it?

 

[MikeK]

yeah, dang it, I already thought about it and have a place picked out! How good is the external antenna wire that comes with it?

Much better than no external, but a push in the right direction. If a hobby starts taking form for you it won't be long before you'll be reaching out.