HAM's of Flitetest...Say Hello!!!

makattack

Winter is coming
Moderator
Mentor
Hey ham radio folks who also fly RC, check out this tbeacon product that hobbyking now carries:

http://tbeacon.org/
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__97838__tBeacon_for_Lost_Models.html

GPS UHF locator functionality requires hooking up an external GPS antenna/receiver (or slaving to an existing one if you have an aircraft that is already equipped with one). Appears to have support for NAZA, APM (mavlink support too) and just plain UBLOX serial.

Might be good additional insurance.
 

KI4KKT

Junior Member
My name is Mark (KI4KKT), I am new to R/C flight but not to R/C. Used to race cars,both electric and nitro. I have been out of the R/C world for tooooo many years. I am trying to do both Air and Multi rotor. Also, I have been a HAM for 11 yrs now and slowly working on my General class.

73 for now,

Mark
KI4KKT
 

Merck

Member
Got my ticket this January because of FPV. Received my vanity a month later, cause it's free. I'm now sucked into another hobby. I believe it is fun because of the local ARES group. They speak to my inner geek/prepper! LOL.

Nick-4-Quad
N4QAD

P.S. Shouldn't every USA FPV'er be a ham?
 
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RyanF121

Junior Member
Hello! I'm a student of Purdue and a member of the Purdue Amateur Radio Club, W9YB. I got my license during the winter and have since bought a bunch of Motorola radios. Just out of curiosity, are there any repeaters around Flite Fest that are usually used during the event? I would love to meet some other hams.

73,
Ryan
KD9FNA
 

Peteohms

Idea fairy
Howdy from Central Texas

Been building models for 60 years. RC for 50 years. Private pilot for 46 years. Ham radio for 40 years. Just starting out with quads.

Pete
WB7TMI
 
Yes sir, been a ham almost as long as i have been messing with airplanes. My first ham call in the 70's was KA5CDU, next in the 90's it was KC5BFC, then KM5IB with an advanced upgrade, darn that code was hard. Then around 2002 i went extra and now AF5J. Old days we would use the special area on 6 meters for our aircraft and i had a Heathkit RC Unit. That was the good old days for sure. For some of us
i'm sure ham radio seems to go hand in hand with model Aircraft. I think a good example would be the many Astronauts who are hams and
a few i know have RC for a second hobby.
shack.jpg
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
I started with cb radios back when I was a kid with the 2 watt 5 channel walkies and then a 40 chan base station I got for 8th grade graduation. By the time I was in a position for HAM and licensing I had gotten away from it all.

Now that I have gotten back into RC flying and poking around on this forum I see you all talking that a HAM license is needed to do FPV? I would be happy if someone could clarify that for me and give me some general info as to why and how to go about it or where to learn the governance regarding FPV at least. Please and thank you to any who might help out.
 

A10ECGent

New member
KM4VNA here. I got interested in radio because of FPV and ended up taking tech and general tests the same day. I used the ARRL app on my phone for a study guide.
 

Crazy Goats

Active member
Welcome critter! I have not done much with my HAM license yet aside from a bunch or FPV. Gotta love lower frequencies for FPV. So far only FPV, but I would like to get a small handheld and start learning about voice sometime soon.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
I found there is a guy that lives in my complex that teaches classes for HAM to local kids. He has offered to let me join and suggested I get the UV5R radio to learn as well as go along with his class as he teaches. I picked up a UV5R-2 on Amazon for under 30 dollars. It seems to be a solid radio. I already have local emergency bands programmed and use it as a scanner until I can meet up with the guy again. Sadly his health is not so good and he is in and out of the hospital a lot. I believe the next local test here is in April and I will take both the Tech and general test as well.

From what I understand you pay to take one test for me the technician and if you pass you are allowed to take the next level test for free from what I hear if done the same day.
 

Crazy Goats

Active member
I found there is a guy that lives in my complex that teaches classes for HAM to local kids. He has offered to let me join and suggested I get the UV5R radio to learn as well as go along with his class as he teaches. I picked up a UV5R-2 on Amazon for under 30 dollars. It seems to be a solid radio. I already have local emergency bands programmed and use it as a scanner until I can meet up with the guy again. Sadly his health is not so good and he is in and out of the hospital a lot. I believe the next local test here is in April and I will take both the Tech and general test as well.

From what I understand you pay to take one test for me the technician and if you pass you are allowed to take the next level test for free from what I hear if done the same day.

That sounds really cool. I am thinking of the UV5R too so thanks for the good review! You have convinced me.

Yes, that is how it works most places. I was given the chance to take the general, but I hadn't studied for it. I should have just given it a shot anyway though.
 

acp

K0ACP
Howdy, I'm Art, a 34-year Ham veteran, currently K0ACP. I have an Amature Extra license where I enjoy contesting, mobile operating. working satellites, VE'ing, and supporting a local High School Electronics and Wireless Club. Recently discovered the fun of RC flying and started a journey into quad flying, though I can see fixed wing building and flying in my future as well.

73 es God Bless,

Art / K0ACP

dit dit
 

SteveRobey

Member
APRS for an RC aircraft

AF5II here. Anyone put APRS on their planes yet?

Hi there, KG7WPQ here,

Short answer is no, I have not yet, but I definitely want to try that. I'm working on putting together a small tracker that will fit inside of my largest plane, I'm just getting started with aircraft and some guys in my local club have sold me some things to help me get started. The big one I'm referring to is an E Flite Apprentice with the SAFE receiver. I haven't got it in the air yet because this one was sold to me without a transmitter. I've got a DX6E on the way which should be here this week. I'm hoping to be able to pair that up with the Apprentice but the real reason for the purchase was to get my FT Tiny Trainer all built and into the air.

Anyway, I'm thinking the apprentice might be able to haul up some extra hardware without too much issue. Currently what I've got is a board with a GPS module and an SD card reader connected to an Arduino nano. All it does so far is log the GPS data in a comma separated file on the SD card, but I can set it to log once every second or so and thought it would be cool to record my maiden flight that way. The next steps with this gizmo I've built will be to convert the appropriate strings to AX.25 and transmit them. That's where things are getting a little confusing but I'm hoping to get it all figured out soon. Testing in an airplane seems like a good logical next step before I sling it under a bag of helium and let it head toward the stratosphere. I'd hate to lose all that work.

I probably won't have this done any time soon because I have a full time job and now two work benches full of projects I have yet to complete, but if I do, I'll be sure to update somewhere. I'll probably start with my QRZ page which needs an update anyway (Who's doesn't though).

Hoping to get some of my planes in the air soon!
Currently in the hangar:
E flite Mini Ultra Stick (All ready to go)
E Flite Apprentice (Needs a TX and one aileron linkage)
Flite Test Tiny Trainer (Needs assembly still)

73. KG7WPQ
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
Hi all!

Got my HAM back in...May? June?

I took my test just so that I would be legal with the FPV. The LHS owner that sold me my Inductrix highly suggested it, and the guys at my field told me I had to be licensed in order to use it for FPV (more on that in a minute), so I studied for a month with practice tests, found out when the next test was, and knocked out the lowest test that was required for FPV usage.

The nice thing I found out was that if I registered online to take the test with the local HAM club, I didn't have to pay for the test!!!

So I'm now known as KM6KME, although I've never used it other than to have the code on my radio that I fly FPV with...

As for the HAM licensing, there's a LOT of confusion with it at my field. Several people are of the mindset that because I'm an AMA member, I don't need to be registered as a HAM. Not true; I need to be registered regardless. That's from the FCC, not the FAA. It also states that on my drones and in the packaging of the video transmitters, that I need a HAM license - so rather than get caught and fined, I play the game by the rules.
 

pipemajor

New member
I've been in model aviation for many decades although am a casual flyer. Still fly control line and RC. Ordered my first outdoor quad - the Immersion Vortex 150. I've had a Blade QX-180 for a couple of years and fly that indoors.

Decided I would obtain my Ham license and currently studying for the Technician's exam which I hope to write in January. Using the ARRL Ham Radio License Guide (Kindle version) I can pour through on my tablet.

I'm a IT guy and used to have some Cisco certs years ago but let them lapse. Friend of mine way back in HS was a Ham and I'd go over to his house to watch him call CQ on his CW setup. The Novice level back then was code only.

Fascinating hobby. My other hobbies of past are skiiing, sailing (I owned 3 different boats) and played the bagpipe in several bands for a few decades.

Life is too short...