About El Dorado Netwo

You're right, it is possible. My own Ham radio station was interfering with my computer in a really odd way that's hard to describe. Certain types of video displays would freeze on the screen while I was transmitting. Turns out I had something called "common-mode RF current" coming from the antenna down the outside of the coax shield and into my shack. Also, my wifi router was interfering with my radio receiver and inducing a regular, pulsing noise into the lower frequency bands. If there is interference getting into the HughesNet wifi, it may be curable by placing several ferrite beads on all the cables (coax, network cables, and even the power cable, which already has one on it). But it might take a lot of them. ... View more

I didn't answer your question about your neighbor interfereing with your WiFi. I have never heard of ham radio transmissions interfering with Wifi. When you lose your WiFi connection, do you also lose wired connectivity? You'll need a laptop or desktop computer connected directly to the HughesNet modem with a network cable to check this.   Ham radio operates at relatively low frequencies, usually below 55 Mhz and very seldom above 440 Mhz. On the other hand, satellite communications operate at extremely high frequencies, well above 1,500 Mhz and often more than 30 Ghz (way, way up there).   WiFi signals are at 2.4 and 5 Ghz, and they don't share frequencies with ham bands. If there is interference from a ham station, you'll usually hear it in AM or FM radios or with TV channels. Find an AM radio, tune it to an unused frequency near the low end of the band, and see if it starts making more noise whenever you WiFi stops working. Most self-respecting Ham Radio operators with work with you to eliminate "RFI" (Radio Frequency Interference). Also, if you give me an address I can check the F C C database to see if there is a licensed Ham at that address. Anyone can do this since it is public record. ... View more

Let me try again:   Wow! That guy has a few wires loose. Doesn't sound like a Ham Radio Operator. Maybe a paranoid CB'er? OK, there is a solution if you don't want him to see your Wifi Network but you still want to be able to use it. This is a bit technical, and you may need to go find a computer technician (or a teenager) to do this for you.   First of all, if your neighbor is as clueless as he sounds about WiFi networks, you most likely have nothing to fear about him being able to break into your network.   You will need to access your wifi settings and then change them. If you can, use a wired connection between the modem and a laptop or desktop computer to do the following:   Go to http://192.168.0.1 to access your HughesNet modem, then click on WiFi Settings in the left menu. The default password to get into the Wifi settings is : admin (lower case).   Make a note of the network names (SSIDs) for both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. You can change the SSID names to something easy to remember, such as MyWiFi or even "FBISurveillanceCamera" (if you really want to freak out your neighbor). Save your changes. If you change the SSIDs, and you're connected wirelessly, you'll need to reconnect once you change these names. Make a note of the changed names. Also make a note of the type of encryption (WPA) and write down the WiFi password. You'll need this information for the next steps.   Once you log back into your WiFi settings, un-check the boxes for "SSID Broadcast." Again, Save your changes. This will hide the SSID names from being displayed in any smart phone's or computer's list of WiFi connections. Now, your neighbor won't see your WiFi network connection names, and can obsess about something else.   To reconnect to your WifI yourself, you may need to "add" the (now hidden) network back in, only this time, in addition to the password, you now will need to manually enter the SSID name since it will no longer be displayed or broadcast.   That's it. Your paranoid neighbor should now no longer be able to see your WiFi Network. ... View more

@GabeUwrote: Whoa!  Did the spam filter catch Alan's post and delete it?  It's was a great and informative post, and I learned something about the SSID Broadcast I didn't know.  Hopefully the person who asked the question will have a copy of Alan's answer in his/her email.   Yeah, that was weird. I edited the post as HTML and it was flagged as spam. Just reposted. ... View more

Hello All, Thought I'd give you an update. Finally got my station up and running in early February after chasing my tail for three weeks trying to track down a problem with my new rigs. Turns out I had bought a Powerwerx switching power supply that was bad right out of the box. It would light up my receivers but was not putting out enough amps on transmit to get anywhere, or trigger repeaters on 2 meters. Last time I was on the radio in the 60s, there was so much less noise and so many more stations that I could pick up with just a simple dipole strung along the edge of my parents' roof. I thought at first there was something else wrong with my new setup until someone pointed out that the sunspot cycle was at a 400-year high during the late 50s/early 60s, and there wer far fewer devices back then causing noise: computers, wall warts, dimmers, grow lights, wireless routers, smart phones, smart everything. I've been busy stomping out local noise problems, apparently some due to my OCF inverted V antenna. I put up a 520' loop antenna (cut for  a full wavelength on 160 meters) connected to an ICOM AH-4 remote tuner with a piece of ladder line so I can take it multi-band. Wow! Noise dropped about 3 - 5 S units across the HF bands and suddenly I'm hearing stations I could not hear before on the OCF. I'm mainly active on 80, 40, and 160 Meters in the mornings and evenings, and learning how to work local 2 meter repeaters. Soon to go mobile. I had contacted our local newspaper, the Mountain Democrat, to see if I could get a better photo for that story they ran in 1962. They became interested, and ran another story two weeks ago: https://www.mtdemocrat.com/news/alan-thompson-is-still-a-ham/. You can read my profile here, with links to both articles: http://www.aj6ar.com/        ... View more

Thanks for that. I'll check those out! Wanted to buy ready-made antennas first, then work on constructing my own. I may put up a broad loop around the property since I have the room and the trees to do it. But it may need to wait until my next cash infusion. I'd sort of forgotten how expensive this hobby can be. Literally, the sky's the limit 🙂 ... View more

Hi Bernie,   I came back with an ICOM 7300 HF Transceiver, an ICOM 2730A 2 meter/70 cm mobile, a Buckmaster OCF multi-band dipole, a Diamond 510HDX vertical, and a 30 amp power supply. Misc cables, dacron rope and tensioners, remote control software, and other install bits and pieces.    Blew right past my budget ceiling. Glad my wife wasn't with me 😄  ... View more

I'm not familiar with using long-wire antennas or baluns for them, but I've read some good things about using long-wire antennas.   My limited understanding of long-wires is that you can use virtually any length of wire and it can be made resonant at many different frequencies. Some hams and SWL'ers like using those for working 160 meters or lower frequencies because they don't have to string up hundreds of feet of wire just to match a limited frequency range within one band. One thing bad about them I've read is that you can't bring that wire anywhere near your radio because it will radiate along it's entire length and you could get a nasty burn. That's where the balun and a coax feeder come in. http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/9209 ... View more

Nice to meet you, fellas! I'd kinda forgotten I had started this topic, and it's nice to hear there are other Hams in this group.   Update - On Dec 2, I took and passed all three exams in one sitting, earning myself an Extra ticket. Just got my call sign issued last week, AJ6AR. Just might keep that one since AR is the first two initials in my name (also stands for "Amateur Radio" 🙂 The "F Cee Cee" no longer issues paper licenses but my wife is getting my CSCE framed:   Also, you might be interested in the article I found that ran in our home town paper when I first earned my Novice license in 1962:    Today, we're heading to Oakland in the SF Bay Area on a Christmas shopping trip to a Ham Radio Outlet warehouse. Wife said I can spend $2,000 to get my rig and antennas set up. Looking to get an ICOM 7300 as the centerpiece.      ... View more

Used to be you could get a Novice or Technician Class ticket by taking the test proctored by a local licensed Ham. To get a General or Advanced ticket, you had to appear in person at an F Cee Cee facility, found only in major cities. At the time I got my Technician license, that would have been San Francisco,130 miles away. They did have a Conditional license you could test for locally through another licensed Ham, that had similar priviledges to a General.  Nowadays, the testing is held in most communities and takes place frequently. Most local Ham Clubs actively participate. Head over to the ARRL website and enter your ZIP code to find places and dates in your area: http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session There are 2 ~ 3 per month within 25 miles of my area. The testing sites are supervised by three licensed ham radio operators holding a General-class or higher license. Cost is cheap, $15. After all, Ham radio is supposed to be non profit 🙂   (Funny to find that eF C C is a banned word here, LOL) ... View more

Hi Don,   I was WA6ZHL.   It's never too late. Especially with all the natural disasters lately, Ham Radio may come in handy when all the cell phones and land lines go down.   Yeah, Morse code. To me, that was about one step up from learning smoke signals. Still working through the Extra Class questions. Once I get to about 85% to 90%, I'm going for the real thing. (Takes min. 74% to pass, meaning you just have to be "average")  ... View more

I always wanted one of those.   That, or one of those georgeous, green Heathkit boxes. While some of my buddies were (air quotes) "reading" Playboy, I was drooling over the latest HeathKit Catalog:   That was nirvana. Unfortunately, at 12 years old in the sixties, I didn't have a job, or the money to buy one.   ... View more

@MarkJFine - I used to love staying up late at night and just tune across the dial to discover and listen to something from some far-off place. That was the magic - something I hope to catch again.  ... View more

Collins was the box everyone wanted. Now they're like vintage guitars ~ $1,500 on EBay ... View more