My Second Radio: Yeasu FT-100

I am officially a member of the amateur fanatics—I own more than one radio! <GRIN>

As I’ve been contemplating accepting an offer to serve as the communications chair for Centerville City’s CERT committee, I have been thinking about my preparedness. I’ve also been encouraging an interest in amateur radio in my children (with varying degrees of success). All of this led me to conclude that I need to get myself a base station. So last week, I visited one of my Elmers (N7UPI) to check out his station and talk about local communications.

One of the big questions I had for John was how to select a base station. Contrary to outward evidence, I am TRYING to limit my investment. As we chatted, I told John I wanted a mobile station, so I could provide support for ARES. At the same time, I wanted a base station which would allow me to communicate around the world, in hopes that I would draw my sons’ interest. He picked the radio to do both—the Yeasu FT-100.

Let me preface that by explaining that you can drop a LOT of cows for a base station (probably five figures, if you looked really hard). And mobile stations are usually limited to VHF/UHF frequencies (2m and 70cm being the most prevalent). I was looking to pack a whole lotta radio into a small package; turns out, Yeasu beat me to it!

You probably need to understand that Yeasu has been building radios for years, and that the FT-100 has long since been retired. So I’m talking about a used radio here. The current standard produced by Yeasu is the FT-857D. For $900, you’re getting one heck of a radio. Powerful enough in terms of bands, features, and functionality that you can use it as a base station, yet it fits in a mobile situation. I was inclined to buy an 857D, but for the $400 I saved, I can buy myself quite a few antennas. So I’ve opted for the FT-100, trusting that, when I’m all set up and have some cash, I can easily upgrade and still get a fair price on reselling the FT-100.

You can read a review about the FT-100 here: http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/ft100.html

So far, I found the learning curve to be steep but short. I was up and broadcasting within a few minutes of setting it up, but getting it programmed took a while longer.

Are You Seeking Power?

The biggest benefit – and challenge – to the FT-100 is its power. This little beast will push 100 watts on HF, and 50 watts on 2m. That kind of power doesn’t come for free though, with the radio drawing an incredible 22 amps. The little 10 am DC power supply I borrowed is, well, completely insufficient for the radio. The first time I keyed up the mic, everything just shut down.

So my current home setup is the FT-100, a car battery, and a 10-amp automatic charger. The car battery is stop-gap temporary, and there only because I couldn’t find anything powerful enough to use. I understand this battery won’t last me very long; the next step will be to pick up an RV/Marine battery, which is designed for these long, low-amp draws. But I just happened to have the car battery available, and I wanted to get on the air.

It’s Never Just a Radio

Unless you’re buying a 5-watt HT, you’ll quickly learn that it’s never just a radio… This is one thing I love about the FT-100: it’s nearly self-contained. The other key purchases are an HF antenna, a VHF/UHF antenna, and a couple of cables for each. So far, I have a VHF/UHF antenna and a 50’ cable. Saving up for next month, when I can afford an HF antenna and the fun really begins. I bought a short 8’ antenna which will eventually become my mobile antenna for field days and field deployments.

It could be a lot worse. Most base stations require you purchase an amplifier (to boost your signal), a tuner (to fine-tune your signal to your transmit frequency) and a bunch of other little things. I didn’t just save by going with a used radio, I saved by buying this all-in-one!

Next Steps

I’m already working on next steps. I want to build out my home station like this:

1. 35-amp DC power supply
2. Marine battery
3. HF-antenna and cable
4. (eventually) solar panel to recharge things

Going Mobile

Next step will be the acquisition of a Yeasu ATAS antenna. This antenna covers HF/VHF/UHF frequencies and mounts to a car. I’ll pick up the antenna, two mounts, and two cables and get things mounted up in my Jetta and my Jeep. Then I’ll be truly mobile.

Field Box

Finally, I’ll be putting together a field box. Next year the family will be participating in the Timpanogos Emergency Response Team. I’ll be at the high camp with my HT; my family will be staffing a trailhead station. As such, they’ll also need a radio. Rather than buying another HT, I think we can set up a field box, which is pre-wired for batteries, meters, etc. My field box will have:

1. Solar input panel
2. Inbound amp meter
3. A second amp meter to measure draw
4. Small speaker
5. Radio and necessary cabling
6. Several UPS batteries
7. Integrated iPod charger
8. 12v LED light
9. 12v outlet

The Dreaded Exam

OK, it’s not THAT bad, but no one really likes to take a test, right? Let’s talk about it, though. Amateur radio is a critical service as well as a fun hobby, which is why so few countries limit their citizens’ right to transmit and receive on amateur bands. At the same time, that right to transmit and receive comes with some responsibilities. Hams need to transmit in such a manner as to not cause interference to others. The ham bands should never be used for commercial gain. And, because international communication is core element of amateur radio, operators need to be aware, polite, and appropriate in their use of the frequencies. To help ensure these responsibilities, most countries have some form of training and testing which, upon successful completion, attest to an operator’s knowledge of the science and etiquette behind amateur radio.

In the United States, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is responsible for all frequencies in the communications spectrum. They have delegated authority for the ham bands to the ham community itself – the tests are written, administered, and graded by hams. I suppose that, if the ham community abused this trust, the FCC would eventually pull that authority back. But that abuse doesn’t (and shouldn’t) happen, so the trust relationship between hams and government continues.

In the US, there are three current levels of licensing:

• Technician: this is the entry-level to ham radio. The exam consists of 35 questions, and the applicant must correctly answer 27 or more to pass the test. Technician privileges are limited to a few bands.
• General: the next step up from technician is the general license. The General exam is longer and much more technical than the technician exam. General privileges cover all bands and nearly all frequencies within each band.
• Technician Extra (generally referred to as ‘extra’): the exam for extra encompasses questions from the technician and general exams, but is obviously more demanding than the those exams. Extras operate in the same bands as generals, but are afforded special “Extra-only” frequencies within many bands.

For more information on licensing in the US, see http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/license-requirements.html.

Preparing For Exams

To prepare of an exam, you have a variety of options:

1. Most amateur radio clubs offer occasional prep courses. They generally charge a modest fee, and the courses are taught across multiple weeks. For a classroom learner, this is the best option.
2. There are a few courses available online. ARRL (http://www.arrl.org) offers online training, as do a number of independent hams.
3. There are also book options, for the reading learner. Of course, ARRL offers books for each license. Frankly, even if you’re using other methods to prepare, you should purchase a copy of the ARRL book for your license. It’s indispensable as a reference guide—and it’s probably the only form you can read in the bathtub!
4. iPhone: on the iPhone, you can use the “Amateur Radio Exam Prep” series to prepare for your test. These applications are affordable, and they include automatic test grading, historical test statistics, and study sessions.

The secret to these exams is understanding that there is a fixed pool of questions, which only changes every 5 or 10 years. For the Technician exam, for example, there are only 120 questions. A good memorizer can prepare for the exam in a week or less. The challenge is that the exam taker may know the correct answer to each question, but will have no background to the answer. Hams are torn about this approach – many new hams have grown in the hobby, to become contributing members. Many new hams, however, either grow disillusioned or even difficult to deal with on the airwaves. Whatever your motivation, preparation mode, and interests, be sure to work on understanding the material rather than just memorizing it.

Taking The Exam

On exam day, you’ll want to bring a couple of pencils (yup, just the like SAT) and arrive early. Bring two forms of identification, also. There will be three VEs (volunteer examiners) to administer and grade your exam. It’ll be informal, they’ll explain to you how the test will work, and then they’ll let you at it. Good luck!

After the Test

It generally takes a week or so for your results to be submitted to the FCC. You can look on several sites and watch for your call sign to appear. When I got my Technician call sign (KF7DVJ), I was thrilled!

Once the test is complete, the learning really gets going. It’s different actually building a radio, setting up an HT, and communicating! It’s one thing to read about it, and a whole other thing doing it. But the best way to learn is to dive in feet-first and learn. The ham community, for the most part, is polite and patient. They’ll point out where you’re doing things wrong, but they’ll coach you through how to do it right, too.

I’ve been involved in various open source software projects. The open source community is generally friendly and supportive, but nowhere near like the ham community. Soon you’ll have friends all over the world! For a hobby which usually takes place indoors, late at night or early in the morning, you’ll be amazed at how many face-to-face relationships you develop in such a short amount of time!

Centerville CERT Disaster Exercise

OK the big day came a couple weeks back, and I got to participate in our ARES portion of Centerville’s disaster simulation. We pretended half our mountain slid down into the town (not far-fetched – in ‘82 this very thing happened; a boulder the size of a house ended up in the center of town – 15 blocks from the edge of town!).

ARES was called in to provide communications. My team (I was paired up with an Elmer, Joe) was assigned to a CERT station where 20 CERT volunteers were to treat 25 simulated victims. Check out this photo from the Deseret News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705341154/Mock-disaster-eye-opening-for-Centerville-responders.html?pg=1

We got there a bit early and were quickly set up and running. I had a few issues – first of all, the organization was using multiple signs for us. Sometimes we were Island View Park, sometimes Island View ARES, sometimes ARES, sometimes Island View CERT and sometimes just CERT. Toward the end of the exericse I asked and got clarification: we were simply CERT. That would be fine except that, in a real emergency, there’s bound to be multiple CERT stations.

Here’s my log (I logged 90% of my calls) just for your interest:

0820	CERT leader requested 20 CERT volunteers (simulating a newly-discovered cache of victims)
0822	ELC confirmed request of 20 CERT volunteers
0840	2 CERT volunteers arrived
0845	1 more CERT volunteer
0850	Confirmed to ELC 2 volunteers and 1 more CERT volunteer arrived
0900	Confirmed arrival of 3 more volunteers. Agreed with ELC to call in every 5 min rather than at the arrival of every volunteer
0905	2 more cert have arrived
0905	Notified ELC that the CERT volunteers were given wrong instructions (map wrong)
0910	12 cert, of a requested 20
0915	CERT ran out of blankets. 25 victims total. ELC asked me to confirm – was the request for more blankets real, or part of the simulation (most of the victims were mad when I told him we needed more blankets for real, but for the simulation we could do without—they were cold)
0915-0945	Various calls answering status
1000	Simulation declared over, Net shut down

My Elmer was fantastic—Joe just stepped to the side and walked me through things, but he let me run the show. I learned a lot. The CERT leader and I chatted afterward and realized that he and I should be joined at the hip (much like on the field of battle – radio man needs to be RIGHT THERE at ALL TIMES).

The feedback we put together for CERT:

• No one had a backboard. Most of the injuries discovered were of a nature that they required a backboard, but no one came ready. There are, apparently, some 30 CERT backboards somewhere in the city.
• Insufficient supplies, especially sleeping bags.
• CERT people requested medical refresher courses
• Also requested a flipchart. There’s no hierarchy in CERT (because it’s all voluntary and you never know who’ll respond). A flipchart of steps to take (picking a leader, setting up a triage arrangement, etc.) would be great.
• CERT leader forgot to put his strip of tape on his hat—makes it difficult to locate him.
• ARES needs to be ID’d, I probably should have asked for the CERT leader and identified myself.
• Send people out to search for victims, but keep a few back to triage as they come in.
• The city called out the reserve medical corps, but when the volunteers arrived at the check-in point, they were sent home (they ‘did their part). CERT would have loved to have their feedback on how to treat, etc.

Take-aways for me:

• That ready kit had better be ready
• It was difficult to keep pulling off my glove to write – maybe have warm gloves for a winter response, but have a right glove I can write with
• Keep watch on the surface so I can see
• Small notebook was a good log, but the notebook was too big. Need a smaller one
• Multiple pens. I had two, one died. Many CERT people showed up w/o pens—shoulda had something to loan.
• Put a flag on my antenna. I have a tall (30”) antenna which sticks out of my camelbak, which is my ready kit. A flag on the end of it would help people find me.
• I messed around with the lock on my radio – I set it to lock everything, so I wasn’t able to transmit. In the ‘rush’ of getting going, I then enabled Internet mode on my radio, so every time I keyed the mike, I sent tones. Had to turn that off too! Be familiar with your radio, and have the lock settings where they’re useful.

All in all, this was a really cool experience. I hope there’s never an emergency I have to respond to, but I am glad I’ll be ready if there is one. You never know when you’re going to respond—all those nets, all that time on the air broadcasting can serve to help.

For instance, because I was familiar with my radio and no longer very shy, I was able to render assistance about 6 weeks ago when I was climbing on Mt. Timpanogos. I’ll post an article about that experience shortly, but suffice it to say that all of the Timp Emergency Response Team had left for the day (for the season, in fact) when a young guy sliced his toe to the bone. Not only were my hiking partner and I prepared with first aid kits, I had my radio and I had already asked about the frequency. We were able to patch the guy up AND keep TERT up to date on the incident.

So get out there and get busy. Use your radio, get familiar with it. Learn as much as you can, so when you’re needed, you’ll be ready.