Mods

[WA2ZDY]

My point too. Those with legit reasons for mods probably already know where to find the info. And likely already know how to do it.

The guys who want to "have the fire freq just in case" are usually pretty obvious - to me anyway.

And yes, old rigs did and do transmit outside the ham bands. That's fine, and it's very different from someone coming to ask specifically how to make a new rig do it. Old rigs did it as a matter of course. That's a lot different from intentionally modifying a rig to do it.

Ah well, like I said, it's not my board so I don't make that decision whether or not it should be allowed. I just think too many of these nitwits have given ham radio a bad name.

[KB9YCO]

Quote[/b] ]What is it with this rash of posts from 'newbs' and 'NCTs' asking about "mods" and "opening up the TX"?

Hmm, I perused the 'Radio Mods, Tips & Secrets' section and noticed that much of the information is hardly from 'newbies' or 'techs, seems to be from a rather wide range of people on QRZ, as well as on a few other amateur sites I checked out. I don't think your generalization is apt or fair, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
That being said there is nothing wrong with modifying a radio to expand it's coverage as long as you only use it to listen, or I suppose in some very rare cases where an emergency required it (though I wouldn't recommend it unless it's life or death.)
I've modified pretty much every radio I've had that was capable of it and I've never had a desire to run 50 watts in MURS, or chat in the police bands, etc. It comes down to responsible users, the radio is just a tool and utilizing as much of the usage of that tool as is possible within the bounds of the law should be perfectly acceptable, as well as the radio experimentation factor.
This notion that most people that modify a radio are 'troublemakers' is a bunch of garbage since 99% of the people I know, of varying license classes, have modified their radios for the reasons I've mentioned and realize that they are responsible for their actions or the actions of those that may come into contact with their radios by knowing the person or buying a radio from them.
Since when did modifying a radio become a bad thing? Again, stressing responsibility is the key, not restriction of information.

[WA9SVD]

Time and again, it's been said that it's the responsibility of the USER.
But unfortunately, I must disagree with the original post: It is NOT just "newbies" that ask such questions.
Some Amateurs, regardless of experience, class of license, etc. seem to think that because their radios CAN be modified, it is therefore OK to use them as such, because THEIR situation (really, their desire or their convenience) is the "exception" to the FCC rules.
And of course, there ARE those that intentionally modify their radio so they can deliberately transmit on non-Amateur frequencies merely because they WANT to, and think they won't get caught.

But to say categorically that any mod, or anyone who makes such a mod is wrong, is not correct. There are reasons; MARS; and if you wish to use a HF radio with a transverter, it is often advantageous to have greater trnasmit bandwidth than offered by the HF Amateur bands. (E.g., 6 M and 2M are 4 MHz wide; there is no HF Amateur band that wide.) But when all is said and done, it IS the responsibility of the individual to ensure that a modified radio does not radiate a signal on a non-Amateur frequency.
(Yes, in theory, at least, a dummy load would allow operation of a modified radio on ANY frequency, at least until the dummy load heats up or the radio explodes from operation on a frequency for which it wasn't intended. Regardless of any "mod," the radios are designed with filters and matching for the Amateur bands, and operation elsewhere is NOT guaranteed! So that 200 Watt transceiver you just bought may put out 200 watts on the Amateur bands, but elsewhere, it may put out much less, due to a mismatch. While a modified radio MAY be able to transmit on any frequency, it was NOT designed to do the same.)

[G8ADD]

Quote[/b] (ai4cb @ Feb. 05 2006,06:08)]What is it with this rash of posts from 'newbs' and 'NCTs' asking about "mods" and "opening up the TX"?.

Gotta get that cute little VX-2R, open it up and snip a few wires and turn it into a GMRS!

Gotta open up that U-82, reverse a diode or two, and turn it into a Police radio!

Gotta open up that old Radio Shack 2 meter HT so I can transmit on the Burger King drive-up channel!

Gotta get that FT817 QRP rig, open it up, scratch off a few circuit traces, and turn it into a CB!

I don't get it...

WELL EXCUSE ME FOR BREATHING!!!

I have opened up my FT817. I did it with software, there is no need for scratching off surface traces.

The reason for this? Simple - I needed acess to 7.1 - 7.2 MHz which has recently become available over here, and I needed access to the 5 MHz channels. Neither of these could be obtained without opening it up.

Having opened my rig up, I use it responsibly. I resent any implication that I would not use it responsibly.

You guys are so untrusting.

73

Brian G8ADD

[WA2ZDY]

Quote[/b] (G8ADD @ Feb. 06 2006,07:22)]I resent any implication that I would not use it responsibly.

You guys are so untrusting.

While I know you've had some "CB" problems in the UK, you haven't had the almost societal issues we've had here in the US with the illegal radio people.

For over 20 years it's been illegal to buy an amplifier that will work on 10 meters. Hams on 10m have never done a thing wrong, it's been the CBers and what we call the "freebanders" who roam the spectrum from the top of the CB band (27.405) to the 10m band and often well into the 10m band.

And it is sadly not an uncommon occurance to hear of someone making transmissions on the police channels here. There have been incidents of long running searches for folks who've caused major problems for the authorities in some cases.

We like to believe these were not hams, but a perusing of the enforcement letters tells us that too often they ARE/WERE hams.

I'm sure we can trust you, but there are too many we can't trust. And if you've followed this line of thought here on qrz.com for any length of time, you know that the mod for 60m is not the common question. (And your need to expand the 40m band is currently unique to the UK.)

The common one here is for expansion of VHF/UHF transmitters to frequencies for which there is no legal nor rational explanation. There are no transverters with IF frequencies of 155 MHz. There are no ham bands at 460 MHz. There is NO reason to modify a ham rig to transmit there, ever.

Like I said, the issues are different where you are as opposed to here. If we had your troubles I don't suppose we'd have a trust issue either, but alas we do.

[N8YX]

Quote[/b] (WA2ZDY @ Feb. 06 2006,05:11)]The common one here is for expansion of VHF/UHF transmitters to frequencies for which there is no legal nor rational explanation. # There are no transverters with IF frequencies of 155 MHz. #There are no ham bands at 460 MHz. #There is NO reason to modify a ham rig to transmit there, ever.

Let's see...valid reasons for modding an HF TRX:

1) MARS/CAP operation (though many will have trouble meeting current regs for frequency stability);

2) 60M operation (ditto);

3) Coverage of a band (or an expansion thereof) which has been authorized for use by a country's regulatory agency, but which isn't included in currently deployed equipment;

4) Transverter operation


Valid reasons for modding a VHF/UHF TRX:

1)


Too many people are misusing modded VHF/UHF equipment and as a result, all of us are made to suffer the consequences. #

[G8ADD]

OK, sorry guys, I went off half-cocked - Monday was never my day!

The 40 m expansion, by the way, affects several other countries over here and more are in the pipeline. Now 40 is starting to sound more like 20 you may have noticed us turning up in what you probably think of as more sensible places! On VHF we find that a few rigs can be expanded to cover our 4m band (70 -70.6), although they are horrendously inefficient used that way, but I take your point. We don't get a lot of trouble with freebanders, although there is a centre of activity about 6.6 MHz - our main problem is fly-by-night taxi firms operating on 2 m, or any other band they can get rigs for! Such operations tend to get hunted down by affronted hams and the details passed to the authorities. Perhaps hunting down these nuisances could become a new ham sport with awards and league tables?

73

Brian G8ADD

[N8YX]

Quote[/b] (G8ADD @ Feb. 06 2006,06:19)]"...there is a centre of activity about 6.6 MHz..."

The "Echo Charlie band" is alive and well, I see...!

Brian, who or what on your side of the Pond is using that frequency range?

I've seen it mentioned from time to time in various UTE/SWL newsletters, loggings and so forth. My take is that it's a "freeband" hangout of sorts.

Could you elaborate on what you're hearing - and when? Makes for some good DXing.

[VE2NSM]

Quote[/b] (n8yx @ Feb. 06 2006,10:00)]

Quote[/b] (G8ADD @ Feb. 06 2006,06:19)]"...there is a centre of activity about 6.6 MHz..."

The "Echo Charlie band" is alive and well, I see...!

Brian, who or what on your side of the Pond is using that frequency range?

I've seen it mentioned from time to time in various UTE/SWL newsletters, loggings and so forth. My take is that it's a "freeband" hangout of sorts.

Could you elaborate on what you're hearing - and when? Makes for some good DXing.

6600 KHz is to 40m what 11m freeband is to CB.

[G8ADD]

Quote[/b] (n8yx @ Feb. 06 2006,07:00)]

Quote[/b] (G8ADD @ Feb. 06 2006,06:19)]"...there is a centre of activity about 6.6 MHz..."

The "Echo Charlie band" is alive and well, I see...!

Brian, who or what on your side of the Pond is using that frequency range?

I've seen it mentioned from time to time in various UTE/SWL newsletters, loggings and so forth. My take is that it's a "freeband" hangout of sorts.

Could you elaborate on what you're hearing - and when? Makes for some good DXing. #

I don't listen there very often, there is more to do on the legal bands than I could ever have time for. What I have heard is guys ragchewing like hams but with odd callsigns, in our evenings. Most are clearly UK from accent and idiom but there are continental accents, too.

73

Brian G8ADD