Ham radio cd's

[lisa marseau]

Am I the only transgender Ham radio operator out there? I am registered as Ed but answer my calls as Lisa. No body has ever questioned that. Weird? I think not!

[NathalieX66]

Ham radios exist in the digital age?
Please don"t take offense to this.....i just don't know any better.

[Vanessa_1977]

yes ham radios are still out there and there is a lot out there My dad has a tun of ham radios

[Marleena]

Lisa I'm not an operator but a listener. I have an Icom R75 & 8500. I also have a bit of an antique in a National NC-300. Currently listening in on 40 meters on the National while testing it after a recap and overhaul..

[Cynthia Anne]

You are not alone! I just don't use mind much anymore! Hugs!

[RADER]

My brother is a "LID"
Has a 2 letter call sign;
He thinks that he is a big shot, so he will not talk to anyone.
Rader

[Eryn]

We had a "roll call" thread a few months back:

http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?155589-Amateur-Radio-Roll-Call&highlight=

There are quite a few of us here, but of course exchanging call signs would kind of blow our privacy.

One of the problems with operating in our female personas is that there are a lot of people out there looking at QRZ.com continuously!

Oh, and Nathalie, the very first radio mode was digital (CW, or Morse code). The technology that makes current digital communications (cell phones, digital TV, etc.) possible was pioneered by hams.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=amateur+radio+digital+modes

[marti]

I checked in on the thread that Eryn posted. I have been a ham since I was a kid and still active on UHF.

[LisaJNN]

G**** ham here in UK, not as Lisa though

[Persephone]

Have you taken a look at my signature lines?

Hugs,
Persephone.

[Gina_C]

There are many DX CDers in cyberspace. Some of us follow the lead of Stana at http://www.femulate.org/

[Cheryl T]

I used to be on 2 meter but that's been years ago now....never could get the hang of morse code to be fast enough to chat.

[Julia_in_Pa]

I'm intersexed and hold my extra class license with 20 wpm code endorsement.
I headed up our clubs Field Day operations for five years and taught code to new hams.
I still hold my volunteer examiner certificate for the FCC.
I belong to the code High Speed Club (HSC) with my highest send and receive at approx 62 WPM.
I have WAS awards on SSB and CW along with 88 out of the 100 countries needed for DXCC on CW.
I ran Kenwood and Icom HF gear.
I had a Kenwood 850 and an Icom IC 735 and 725.
My antenna setup was a Cushcraft A3S with forty meter add on kit at 70 feet.
I was also getting into EME work. My friend had a very nice EME and satellite setup and worked those modes almost exclusively.

73/88 DE SK

[LeaP]

I also have my extra ticket. I'm not currently on HF. Mostly I'm just on just my club's 2 meter repeater back and forth to work. The club has a post-op member as well.

[jillleanne]

OMG, my smile for the morning. I thought ham died a slow death years ago. Remember the cars in the 50's and 60's with the great big antennas on them?( not sure if that was ham or cb come to think of it). My uncle was a ham operator. We would go visit him as kids and he would disappear into his little cubicle, flip some switches, and I would of course follow him in. He'd turn this big dial and all of a sudden we would be talking with someone far far away. He has this massive antenna network on his roof.

[Beverley Sims]

Yes and I have been out fox hunting.
They tell me that it has a good following in CA.
When I was there Nov last year I think I contacted 2 amateurs and they asked why do you chase foxes with dogs?
Oh! well.

You may be the only transgendered Radio Amateur out there, the rest are probably a mixed bunch.
Who can tell on HF with all the QSB anyway what your voice sounds like.
Now on VHF FM??? and more so through a local repeater does Lisa make many appearances.?

To Julia,
The bouncing lasers off the moon project will go slowly for a while as cheaper technology will have to prevail.
No use doing what has already been done but something new and unique is in the wind with financial help from a sponsor.

Another edit and comment!
Could we start a cd net meeting on our local repeaters one evening?
NOW that would be acceptance.:)

[LeaP]

I think you're thinking QRN. QSB is signal strength..

[Beverley Sims]

I think you're thinking QRN. QSB is signal strength..

Without looking,
QSB Signal fading up and down. Varying signal strength.
QRM Interference.
QRN Static
Anyway Lea, a good QSO and you are 5 and 9 at my QTH.
Yep! my QTH is as per the call book.
The internet has changed amateur radio somewhat.
Just looking at the rig here and thinking of all those data modes we now use.
Looking at another thread about being drafted we are all probably outing ourselves here as well.:)

73&88s
Beverley

[Diane Smith]

Yup, licensed for 21 years now. I do mostly digital modes and amateur TV (that is, television!) on 70cm and up. Also an active SWL with an Icom R75.

- Diane

[Joan_CD]

Been one for about 30 years. No longer really active though.

[jackielou]

was active with red cross would love to get back to ham radio anyone have any units for sale for a beginner also any help towards a license would be appreciated

[Kelley]

Guilty here, general class ticket love CW (no longer required). Tubes rock. Julia, hope to work you at field day.

[Julia_in_Pa]

If I was active I would love to work you this month!!

Here is the only photo I have ever posted of me prior to transition.
This is the last Field Day I headed up, it's from 2004.
My right hand is where it should be, sending code from a set of Bencher paddles.


Julia







Guilty here, general class ticket love CW (no longer required). Tubes rock. Julia, hope to work you at field day.

[Eryn]

OMG, my smile for the morning. I thought ham died a slow death years ago. Remember the cars in the 50's and 60's with the great big antennas on them?( not sure if that was ham or cb come to think of it).

Oh, ham radio has been dying since the '60s, but it seems to be rather difficult to kill off completely. There's just something magical about talking to someone on the other side of the earth using only a box and a long piece of wire, as opposed to the massive infrastructure needed for telephone or internet. communications.

Most of the really big antennas with open coils you see on vehicles these days are CBers, unlicensed operators using only the 11 meter band who are allowed only 5 watts maximum output legally. Of course some of them exceed this greatly and occasionally get to pay really big fines to the FCC. Their antennas are more for looks than performance. You can get equal or better performance from a single 102" metal whip.

Hams are licenced and allowed to use a wide range of frequencies with a maximum power output of 1500W, though most only use 100W in normal operations. Some mobile hams use big antennas on their cars as well, usually a long enclosed loading coil and a whip on top. Hams are able to use lower frequencies than the CBers and the coils are actually needed to keep the antenna height reasonable.

[KarenCDFL]

I have been a ham since I was 12 starting with some used Drake equipment that I picked up at the long gone Barry's Electronics back in the 1970's

I remember scouring bins full of Crystals for 80 Meter CW until I built a Heathkit VFO.

I just have my 2-Meter ICom 2AT and my original VibroPlex Bug that I kept for memory's.

If I did not have so many expensive hobbies I would get back involved again.

[leannejames2011]

Ladies,

I have to chime in here. General Class operator here. I mostly do digital work. In fact, I'm running JT65 on 20m in another window as I type this. I get "drafted" to run the digital modes at Field Day every year. I have a city manager that belives that he can write a better law than the FCC so I have to use a mobile antenna at my QTH. I know he is wrong, but the city judge doesn't think that. Anyway, I've been able to confirm multiple 10,000+ mile QSO's running lest that 30w on that mobile antenna.

On a side note, the WV QSO party is this comming weekend. I'll be running the Digital Bouns station. It will all be on 20m since my mobile antenna will only tune on 20. I'll start with RTTY at 1600z and move to PSK sometime after that. Hope to work you.

If anyone would like to talk, PM me. We can talk about dresses, makeup, shoes, radios, antennas, qrp, homebrewing equipment, or just about anything you want to.

88's for now,
Leanne

[Phoebe]

Have been licensed since 1956 as a Novice. Upgraded to General in 1957 and Extra class in 2001. Mostly PSK31 on 20, 15 and 10 meters. As Leanne posted I can not put up outside antenna as I am eight floors up. No balcony, so have a 20, 15 and 10 meter dipole strung around my bedroom window. Have worked all of USA except for Hawaii and the Canadian provinces except for the far northern provinces on PSK31 with about 20 watts. Also quite a few digipeats on ISS APRS also PCSAT when it was working before the batteries went dead on PCSAT (NO-44) with my Kenwood TH-D7A(G) HT when it is on 145.825 from the parking lot at my QTH.

[Nicole Brown]

Add one more to the list. I obtained my Novice license back in 1961 and my General license in 1965. I spent most of my time on 6 and 2 meters using an HE-45B and a Heath 2er with stacked halos on the rear bumper of my Chevy and the same outside my bedroom window. I was a NYC Boro leader in the Civil Defense networks of RACES and AREC.

WOW, did that take me back. LOL....

BTW, I have been inactive for over 40 years.

[barbie lanai]

I find it a bit surprising at the number of hams here. I have an Extra. And a friend in Texas is a ham and CD.

[Eryn]

I don't find it surprising at all, considering the age and geekiness demographics of the forum! :)

[DianeDeBris]

Count me in too! Novice in 1959, General in 1960, chiefly enjoy DX. It's great being able to enter a DX pileup from Wyoming!

[Teddie]

Me too. A full code Extra. Love DX and island chasing (IOTA & USI).

[Phoebe]

There used to be a Yahoo Group 'CQ TG' or something like that. The group was not to active so it was taken off by the group owner. I was on Tri-Ess chat room a few years ago and the other CD mentioned ham radio and then I said I was a ham also. We exchanged call signs on chat and found that we had QSO'd on 20 meter PSK31 quite a few times previously to Tri-Ess chat room, without knowing we were CD's.

[Dawn cd]

Was a field radio operator in the army and learned code. Still know it (at least to send). Never followed it up in civilian life.

[Mimi]

Not a CD but a GG, got my tech license around 1990. I haven't been active for years, though.

[Helen Grandeis]

Full code extra class. Do not own any functional equipment. My employer has asked me to get a quote for $5000 worth of amateur radio equipment as a method of last resort, Fukishima scenario to back up all the satellite phones and other traditional emergency equipment. So...I may be able to get back on the air in my own time on my employer's dime.

[Loveday]

I'm not I ham but my Grandfather was. He had a Halicrafter reciever and a very modified heath kit transmitter. He operated on 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters. It was great to go in his ham shack and hear conversations from all over the world. Sometimes i even got to talk to my family in other country's. I really miss being able to do all those things since he passed away.

[Brenda456]

I have a 2 meter radio in my car. Locally, there are not any more repeaters and so I monitor aircraft frequencies. . .

[Kat42]

I'm in too... Licensed Tech-no code > 20 yrs. Recently my son has become interested. He has his own call and I've upgraded to General. And I'm now studying code. The SO has been working on the genealogy and it turns out both Grandfathers were Western Union telegraph operators circa 1910. I always knew one had been in the signal corps circa WWI. Learning about the other (quite a feat due to a Govmt FU involving crossed names), OK I'm already pointed down this road. I owe it to them to become proficient.

2M is mostly dead here in the desert. I recently acquired a Yeasu FT-817nd but the QRP is holding me back and I have yet to make an HF contact. Also I live in an antenna restricted HOA and that's a hinderance. I expect the upcoming field day to correct HF contact deficiency.

Woot... my Universal Radio order just arrived!

[Phoebe]

I have a 2 meter radio in my car. Locally, there are not any more repeaters and so I monitor aircraft frequencies. . .
Have 35 active two meter repeaters listed on the Minnesota Repeater Council list in the twin city Minnesota area. Not very many seem to be active now. Think it is due to traffic conditions require a lot of attention to driving rather than using the radio while driving. Still see a lot of cell phones being used while people drive! There is a state law making cell phone use illegal while driving, but not many obey that law it seems! Most active is the Skywarn net when there are threatening weather conditions forecast.

[IngeInCO]

Wow, HAM radio still exists?
That is so old school! Luv it!

[5150 Girl]

I'll probly be a "terminal Tech"...
Oh yea, and I still have a RadioShack HTX202

[Kat42]

Heh.. HTX-202.

That was the "carrot" for my son to get his license. The deal was once he had his call, the radio was his. He got an Wouxon dual band (2m/440) for his birthday.

We still call the HTX-202 the "carrot" and it gets used surprisingly often. I'm taking it to Field Day next weekend.

[Marleena]

I consider myself more of a DX chaser. I find it remarkable that ham operators can make contacts around the world with 1500 watts and considerably less.

I never got licensed because I'm not much of a talker (my post count says different). Anyways, I like the old tube sets, this National 300 was a blast to get working and rivals my Icom receivers. Nothing like the glow of tubes and a bunch of knobs to twist.:)

Oh..I hear lots of hams joking about the LBGT community and issues so be careful out there.

[LaurenB]

Novice in 1980. Lapsed and re-entered the hobby in 2007 when they changed the rules to code-less licenses. I took the tech exam passed it, the general exam, passed it and the examiner said heck you might as well take the Extra exam. Passed that too. It helped that I am an RF/Microwave engineer. Now I'm looking for a club in SE Mass to join - would be great if there were a TG friendly one.