My wife bought us tickets for the Atlanta Braves. That was going to put me pretty close to the Ham Radio Outlet in Atlanta, so we left early enough to go by before the game. I wanted to discuss my antenna issue with them (you can read about my antenna issues in a previous blog post).
I went straight to the guy behind the counter, and explained that I was brand new to the hobby, told him what was happening with my antenna, and asked if he had any suggestions. I’m a little conflicted about how to rate his “help” as he basically said he didn’t know, and to just buy a new antenna. When I asked about fixing this antenna, he said I would probably never find the parts, and if I did, I would probably never get the antenna re-tuned, and it probably wasn’t worth it, just to purchase a new one. That might be the first time I’ve ever heard a ham suggest fixing something wasn’t worth it! I thought part of being a ham was fixing, experimenting, and troubleshooting.
So, I wander around the store, a little overwhelmed by everything I see. I didn’t really know what to expect from the actual store, but I was a little disappointed. Maybe I expected something a little more like Radio Shack, or at least something with some definitive “sections”. There’s lots of stuff, but there seemed to be little thought given to the layout, or how to shop. Just stacks of boxes, and no “flow” to the store.
I spent a lot of time standing and looking at their radio display. Neither of the guys came to help me out, but I didn’t ask for help either, so I guess that’s partly on me. However, I was the only guy in the store, and I told the fellow behind the counter that I spoke to about the antenna that I was new to the hobby, so maybe I expected that at some point someone would come ask me if I had any questions about the radios. Some of them had mics, some of them didn’t, and the cost WAY too much for me to start blindly fumbling around with them.
After a while, I found a couple of pig tails that I needed for my power supply, a couple of books that interested me, and a Diamond X200 antenna that looks almost exactly like the Tram that I’m replacing. The check-out process took WAAAAAY too long. I don’t know why a store that sells technology isn’t using a simple bar code scanner to speed up the check out process. I’m also not sure why they don’t have prices on their products. It feels kind of like a gas station, that changes their prices, depending on the market conditions. I guess I should have had a better idea of what to expect after looking at their website, which is clumsy and hard to use. Just try looking for a dual band antenna on their website. If you don’t know exactly what you want, you can’t find the category on their site! I’m sure I’ll be back at some point, but this isn’t the kind of store for a new ham to visit.
The next day, I crawl in the attic again, get the antenna mounted, and jump on the radio. Surprisingly, I get the same exact results that I was getting with the Tram. I fumble around calling out and asking for signal reports, and get nothing. I pull out my phone and start pulling up Echolink repeaters. I click on the Stone Mountain repeater, which is 35 miles away, and call out on my radio, and it sounds crystal clear on the Echolink app. Someone replies and we have a short conversation. I’m talking to him on my radio, but I’m listening to his call back on my phone, because I can’t hear him over my radio, even with the squelch wide open. I didn’t think to hook up my mobile antenna again, because I’m pretty sure I would have heard it just fine, the same way that I did in my truck a couple of days earlier.
So, now I’m out $150 for a new antenna that I apparently didn’t really need, and I’m no better off than I was before. I now have 2 antennas that I can transmit on, but can’t hear anything back on.
I doubt my problem is my attic. It’s pretty plain up there. There’s no HVAC or other equipment, my roof is asphalt shingles, not metal, and I don’t have any mylar, or other foil type barriers or insulation. It is mounted above a bathroom, with an exhaust fan, but it has been off when I’ve been trying to use it.
While I don’t think my problem is inside my house (especially since it worked a couple of weeks ago in my basement), I guess my next step is to rule it out, so I’ll be mounting my antenna (probably the Tram this time, since I don’t feel like getting in my attic again) to a tri-pod in the front yard soon.