notes

November 20–30, 2025 — Radio Purchase

Decided on the Anytone AT-D878, which supports both analog and DMR and has local repeaters in range. Since HF isn’t available with a Technician license, DMR felt like a practical way to explore DX without the cost and complexity of HF infrastructure.

An HT can also work satellites, and that alone will eventually make the hobby worthwhile.

I kept expectations low for FM range since I’m not near major repeaters, but again, DMR serves as a backup path. Purchased the radio and will wait to open it until licensed / Christmas.

December 3–15, 2025 — Licensing & CW

Passed the Technician exam online through PARC and received my call sign a few days later. Having a “Y” means saying “Yankee” a lot, but it’ll do.

Started learning Morse with the Morse Mania app— CW is more accessible than expected.

Prepared for operating radio by reading the manual, watching programming videos, and researching New Jersey repeaters.

December 25–27, 2025 — Northern New Jersey: First Reception & Net

Indoor reception with the stock rubber duck was quiet… I realized I needed to switch from analog to digital channel type and lower the squelch from 5 to 1. Installing a ¼-wave Signal Stick noticeably improved reception. NOAA Weather Radio came in clearly and is a reliable test signal.

First repeater heard: 442.9 MHz Alpine, NJ (~10–15 miles).

Listening to my first net on Christmas night was tremendously exciting.

December 28–30, 2025 — Jupiter, Florida: Early Nets & DMR

Manually programmed several repeaters with offsets and color codes using RepeaterBook. Listened to the weekly Jupiter–Tequesta Ham Club net, which was welcoming and active.

Tried checking into an AllStar net but discovered afterwards that I had programmed the wrong TX frequency. Registered for a DMR ID and attempted DMR texting with Dad—unsuccessful, likely due to configuration errors.

January 1–4, 2026 — Massachusetts: Long-Distance RX & First DMR TX

Received W1BIM signal from ~40 miles away, listened to Georges Old Timers nightly net. This far exceeds expectations for indoor second-floor reception using a Signal Stick.

Exported Massachusetts repeaters from RepeaterBook → codeplug → radio, quickly loading 2–3 dozen repeaters for scanning. Decent Rx from the Prudential Building repeater (W1BOS, ~25 miles).

First successful DMR transmission happened accidentally while unplugging the programming cable—I inadvertently kerchunked the Marshfield digital repeater (W1ATD) about 30 miles away. Confirmed it registered via BrandMeister. Encouraging TX reach from the first floor with a handheld.

January 5–8, 2026 — Antenna Upgrade

Bluetooth lets the HT stay upstairs while I move around doing chores—more like listening to a podcast. It makes radio easier to integrate into daily life.

Ordered a 2m/70cm Slim Jim antenna from N9TAX labs for window mounting—the best compromise short of a permanent outdoor antenna.

Purchased a Raspberry Pi 3B for hotspot use.

Tried calling W1BOS for signal reports without response. Suspect terrain (Blue Hills) may be blocking the path. Plan to test from work in Cambridge to rule out configuration issues.

January 13, 2026 — First QSO

Spent time organizing zones, channels, and scan lists; ChatGPT helped clarify best practices.

After some Pi-Star troubleshooting (DMR ID needed an “01” suffix), the hotspot worked immediately.

Completed my first real QSO via the North America talkgroup on BrandMeister—with a station in China. Dad was able to listen in, which made it even better.

January 15, 2026 — First FM Transmission

Slim Jim antenna arrived and was hung in a second-floor window aimed toward W1BIM. Successfully participated in the W1BIM nightly net and answered the trivia question: Which steam-powered device was patented in 1861? (Otis elevator.)

A major milestone—~40 miles of FM TX reach using an HT. Received a 59 on signal too. Expectations exceeded once again! It’s addictive.

January 17, 2026 — New Jersey Net

Listened to a nightly NJ statewide linked net on W2NJR on the Alpine, NJ repeater (~13 miles). Reception was dramatically better with the Slim Jim clipped to a window hanger than with the Signal Stick.

Alpine was full quieting, and I even received a 33 from a wide-area repeater ~50 miles south on 147.375 MHz, despite operating from a north-facing window.

The Slim Jim is clearly the best non-permanent antenna solution—portable, effective, and easy to deploy anywhere.

January 22, 2026 — Boston

Brought the radio to Boston today to see if the issue with the Prudential repeater was just signal strength or something I was doing wrong digitally. Turns out it was the talk group—I had the wrong number in there. The repeater’s parrot talk group is different from BrandMeister’s.

Now I can test it from home without other factors interfering.

Also tried to get APRS transmitting to work, but the first attempt didn’t succeed. Not sure yet what went wrong. There seem to be plenty of igates and digipeters around, but I couldn't get myself to show up on APRS.fi. Will try at home.

January 23–25, 2026 — Southern New England

Revised my codeplug -

1. After learning to use RepeaterBook by distance instead of by state, which added the close-by Rhode Island repeaters I’d been missing. There was a big snowstorm with 12-24 inches, which activated hourly Skywarn nets and increased general activity. With people on the airwaves, it gave me a chance to test receive performance with both the wide area repeaters but more local ones as well.

2. 2. I added more Brandmeister talkgroups, including USA, TAC310, Casual, Europe, and Australia.

3. I've tried local digital repeaters, but up to this point I've had trouble with reliable Tx or Rx. After a couple hours of troubleshooting, I finally worked Southborough AE1C. Turning off squelch seemed to help. The radio shows when it’s receiving up in the top corner with bars, but identifying the talkgroup isn’t always obvious unless you’re on the correct time slot. So I was getting full bars but no sound. I think this was due to not programming enough of the talk groups into my radio, and this is especially confusing in southern New England, where many repeaters carry overlapping regional talkgroups. I also realized I’d forgotten to program TG 9 for local traffic.

Overall, a few focused hours cleared up a lot of confusion and made the radio feel more predictable.

Using only a handheld with a Signal Stick on 2 m, I was able to consistently receive repeaters 15–30 miles away indoors, with best results on the second floor and when oriented toward the repeater. Several systems came in clearly despite modest signal reports, showing that placement and orientation mattered as much as distance. Skywarn activity and increased net traffic made it much easier to identify active repeaters and confirm reliable coverage across southern New England.

January 28-30 - Minuteman Repeater Association

January 31 – February 1: Things Clicking Into Place

The last couple of days brought a lot of mental clarity, mostly from spending more time listening to active repeaters and working through an expanded codeplug.

The biggest breakthrough was understanding Digital Monitor on the AT878. Being able to listen to both time slots or all talkgroups on a single slot makes a DMR repeater feel much more like analog. You still need to select the correct talkgroup before transmitting, but Digital Monitor is invaluable for getting a sense of what’s actually happening on a repeater.

I also got a clearer picture of NEDECN. As a DMR-MARC network, it’s related to but separate from BrandMeister. Some BrandMeister talkgroups are bridged, but they’re not the same system. Being in range of the Southborough repeater gives me reliable access to NEDECN, which is proving useful.

Another issue finally made sense: changing talkgroups on the Pi-Star hotspot. You have to wait until the system is idle before transmitting. On something like TG 91 Worldwide, that’s easier said than done, but once I started listening for breaks, it became manageable.

With these pieces in place, a real monitoring strategy emerged. I can use Digital Monitor on the Southborough repeater to hear all DMR activity while keeping an analog wide-area repeater like W1BIM or W1BOS on the other channel, or park a quieter local repeater there while listening to a busy BrandMeister talkgroup.

Overall, day-to-day VHF and DMR operation is starting to make a lot more sense. I also managed a QSO on TG 93 (USA).

February 2 - First ISS Reception

Used the ISS Tracker app to catch an afternoon pass with roughly 80° elevation. Reception was solid, and I heard stations from Iowa, Ohio, and Connecticut. Ridiculously cool.