My amateur radio notes

My Setup

Base transceiver is a Yaesu FT-991a
Diamond MR77 mobile antenna for 2m/70cm, stuck to one of my filing cabinets
EARCHI end-fed antenna for HF/6m. I currently have the 9:1 unun attached to the cable which is holding up the string lights in my back yard. Surprisingly, I can tune 6m through 40m using the FT-991A

When remote, I have a Yaesu VX-7R with a Signal Stick antenna

TODO

[x] Upgrade to General
[x] Get silly vanity callsign
[x] Create QRZ logbook
[x] LOTW
- [x] Request callsign cert
- [x] Get postcard
- [x] Receive cert
[x] eQSL
[x] Buy HF equipment
[x] Try out digital modes on HF (WSPR, FT8)
[ ] Try out non-FM modes on 2m/6m
[ ] Script to archive ADIF files
[x] Set up page on ARRL Digital Contest, with freqs
[ ] Extract frequencies for various modes from the ARRL operating procedures doc

Times PST/PDT

Daily 09:00 - 9 AM Talk Net - N6NFI (Palo Alto) - 145.230- PL100
Monday 17:30 - San Bruno ARC - WA6TOW - moving soon to K6PVJ 440.550 PL114.8
Monday 20:00 - SF ARC FM - 145.150- MHz DCS 664
Tuesday 19:30 - CARC Daly City Net - WA6TOW 146.925- PL114.8
Tuesday 20:00 - San Mateo County OES - KC6ULT 146.865- PL114.8 (also WA6TOW)
Saturday 09:00 - SF ARC HF net - 14.328Mhz

Tuesday 19:00 - San Mateo Radio Club - 145.370- PL107.2
Tuesday 20:30 - SF 147.555Mhz (no tone)
Wednesday 19:30 - Bay Net 6m FM - 52.525 MHz
Wednesday 20:00 - CARC checkin - WA6TOW 146.925- PL114.8
Wednesday 20:30 - BayNet 2m SSB - 144.230 USB vertical polarization
Thursday 19:00 - San Mateo Radio Club - 145.370+ PL107.2
Thursday 20:00 - Bay-Net Digital Voice
- C4FM 444.425 MHz color code 1, +5MHz offset
- DMR 444.350 MHz
- Repeaters are in Palo Alto, may not be able to reach
Thursday 20:00 - SF ARC QRS CW - 144.07 MHz

DX Engineering
Gigaparts
Ham Radio Outlet
- Has physical stores, the (now closed) one in Oakland had some pretty bad reviews due to assholes working there. Maybe avoid unless they have a really really good deal.
Universal Radio
- Old-school site, seems to be entirely sold out. Has a bunch of historical info

Stuff to try out

WSPR - propagation reporting beacons
FT8 - mostly automated contact-making and signal checking
JS8 - Based on FT8, but for freeform messages. JS8Call is a fork of WSJT-X for this mode
PSK31 - digital rag-chew
AX.25 packet radio - BBSes and stuff!
- There's a BBS in SF

TRRS plug diagram: