new and clueless

[shayne]

Hi all , shayne here.

I live in China and want to get started in amateur broadcasting. Of course I have questions and most I am sure you all can help with and I look forward to learning as I go .

One big problem I have is getting licensed I have contacted the local ( Beijing ) club but no reply so far . don't know if its because they cant read english or don't want to deal with a foreigner .

In any case as a set up I am looking hard at the kenwood ts-480 because its small , seems well regarded , looks good and has a nice computer interface with greatly appeals to me as I am travelling around asia a lot and think it would be neat to still be able to use even when not home.

Being new I am unsure of what else as far as gear goes I would need to set up this unit.

I am currently poking around in the websites that help prepare for the technicians license and also in the morse code learning modules. seems fairly straight forward but there again it sadly doesn't relate to the country I live in.

I am a bit of a gear head and I do like bright shiny things. Btw the TS-480hx goes for 700 usd over list price in the states over here . so I am looking to source it in japan and bring it back home.

Any advice suggestions comments welcome.

Thank you

Shayne

 

[BJ radionut]

Hi all , shayne here.

I live in China and want to get started in amateur broadcasting. Of course I have questions and most I am sure you all can help with and I look forward to learning as I go .

One big problem I have is getting licensed I have contacted the local ( Beijing ) club but no reply so far . don't know if its because they cant read english or don't want to deal with a foreigner .

In any case as a set up I am looking hard at the kenwood ts-480 because its small , seems well regarded , looks good and has a nice computer interface with greatly appeals to me as I am travelling around asia a lot and think it would be neat to still be able to use even when not home.

Being new I am unsure of what else as far as gear goes I would need to set up this unit.

I am currently poking around in the websites that help prepare for the technicians license and also in the morse code learning modules. seems fairly straight forward but there again it sadly doesn't relate to the country I live in.

I am a bit of a gear head and I do like bright shiny things. Btw the TS-480hx goes for 700 usd over list price in the states over here . so I am looking to source it in japan and bring it back home.

Any advice suggestions comments welcome.

Thank you

Shayne

Amateur Radio in Shanghai : Questions and Answers

http://www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/statement/en/upload/51/gn022012e.pdf

HOPE THESE LINKS HELP....however does not look very promising...it would seem "personal" equipment does not appear to be allowed and all operations must be "supervised"
GL
All the Best
BJ

 

[khayman669]

reading that q&a thread made me chuckle a bit. Some of those people sound genuinely surprised that the Chinese make it so difficult. China making a communication medium difficult? NO. WAY! LOL

 

[shayne]

everything can be had for a price!

so help me set up a radio either using chinese radios or ken wood.
what do I need besides a radio ? power supply . antenna set up etc ?

thanks

shayne

 

[shayne]

111 views and two replies . thanks to those who replied .

Wont anyone show the welcoming spirit of the hobby and help me by listing the basic set up needed to start . lets pretend I live in a civilised country and I can get a license .

Perhaps I should add I travel a lot to japan and I am positive its no problem to be official there.

ok first what would you suggest between the kenwood mentioned above and IC-7000 ICOM HF/VHF/UHF. in addition to the transceiver and antenna what else would be needed for a decent setup ..

shayne

 

[fodendaf]

You'll want at least a 3 element yagi antenna per band and rotator and tower. Dipoles and doublets are not going to get many reponses when dxing. Also a legal limit linear amplifier and antenna tuning unit rated to handle the legal limit power. Also lots of RG-213 coax and many pl259's and a soldering iron and roll of flux cored electronics solder. If you want to work many bands then erect a quad as a multiband quad is more space efficient that several yagis.
I see that you are a nomad so most of the above will not apply. If there are no operators in your country there is little point in buying a radio for above 30 mhz as DXing will be your only way of making contacts.
If it were me in your situation I would settle for the ts480sat(model with tuner) or lincoln and use the tuner to tune a cb whip for 10 and 11 meters and mount it on your vehicle.

 

[W5LZ]

Best suggestion I can think of is to find out what the requirements and privileges are in the country you want to operate from, then follow them. There's very little chance that an exception will be made for you, for whatever reason. You don't have to agree to or like the requirements, but you do have to follow them.
As for what equipment, I think that would be fairly easy to find out. What equipment does the clubs use, or what are the typical opinions/'wants' of the club members? The 'favorites' would be about the same for any country I would think.
Considering where you are talking about, it would be a very good idea to find the 'limits' you would be subject to and going by those limits.
- 'Doc

 

[Beetle]

As you noted in your first post, the US licensing requirements don't carry a lot of weight in China. Since YOU are the one there (=China), it's up to you to find out the requirements. Maybe somebody at the US Embassy might be able to help. I sort of doubt that there are very many private amateur stations in China - and certainly not for non-Chinese residents.

Try the Embassy. Find out where one of the local radio clubs is, and go visit. (Unusually large antennas can be a clue).

 

[shayne]

As you noted in your first post, the US licensing requirements don't carry a lot of weight in China. Since YOU are the one there (=China), it's up to you to find out the requirements. Maybe somebody at the US Embassy might be able to help. I sort of doubt that there are very many private amateur stations in China - and certainly not for non-Chinese residents.

Try the Embassy. Find out where one of the local radio clubs is, and go visit. (Unusually large antennas can be a clue).

Ya I realize the problems I need to overcome.

now my question relates to equipment and suggestions to which transceiver would be better .

maybe I am looking at this wrong but I hope you all can set me on the right path . equipment wise.


FYI the embassy is useless for anyone who isnt the CEO of a major company.in fact no one can go to the embassy we can only make an appointment and visit the consulate , but only if we have an appointment if not they wont let you in no matter the problem.

Thank you

Shayne

 

[6meter]

111 views and two replies . thanks to those who replied .

Perhaps I should add I travel a lot to japan and I am positive its no problem to be official there.

ok first what would you suggest between the kenwood mentioned above and IC-7000 ICOM HF/VHF/UHF. in addition to the transceiver and antenna what else would be needed for a decent setup ..

shayne

Shayne are you aware that being licensed in Japan would not give you any licensing privileges in China? You mention traveling around with your radio. Keep in mind that each country will have their own licensing requirements.

I would be reluctant to travel around China carrying transmitting equipment with the governments paranoia and scrutiny.

From the earlier link it looks like the most likely route is to be affiliated with a local radio club. You need to find one and attend a meeting as a personal contact will be a big help.

For just HF operation I would prefer the Kenwood over the Icom. However the Icom also has 2 meters and 432. But since you don't have a license you have no idea if that capability could be used.

You will need at least a 20 amp power supply that can run on the local electrical system. A dipole antenna will let you receive and when licensed transmit on the band that the dipole is tuned for. For frequent moves or operating location you are basically going to be limited in antenna options.

Noticed that you were talking about the 200 watt version of the kenwood 480. That requires twice as much amperage and will complicate your power supply situation. For the small difference in signal between 100 and 200 watt (it doesn't double the signal). I would stick with the 100 watt version of the 480 which also includes the built in antenna tuner.

 

[Beetle]

"Which transceiver would be better...?" depends entirely on what privileges you would have.

 

[shayne]

Shayne are you aware that being licensed in Japan would not give you any licensing privileges in China? You mention traveling around with your radio. Keep in mind that each country will have their own licensing requirements.

I would be reluctant to travel around China carrying transmitting equipment with the governments paranoia and scrutiny.

From the earlier link it looks like the most likely route is to be affiliated with a local radio club. You need to find one and attend a meeting as a personal contact will be a big help.

For just HF operation I would prefer the Kenwood over the Icom. However the Icom also has 2 meters and 432. But since you don't have a license you have no idea if that capability could be used.

You will need at least a 20 amp power supply that can run on the local electrical system. A dipole antenna will let you receive and when licensed transmit on the band that the dipole is tuned for. For frequent moves or operating location you are basically going to be limited in antenna options.

Noticed that you were talking about the 200 watt version of the kenwood 480. That requires twice as much amperage and will complicate your power supply situation. For the small difference in signal between 100 and 200 watt (it doesn't double the signal). I would stick with the 100 watt version of the 480 which also includes the built in antenna tuner.

From what I gather from the videos and literature I have seen the kenwood 480 can be operated from a net connection.
If this is correct then it wouldn't be such a issue to just leave unit in JP and run broadcast from wherever I am .

I seriously doubt I or many people would bother with multiple licenses from various countries.

Ya I am not too worried about Chinese they are a bit of a mess , not what you might expect if you don't know this place well. nothing like american LEO who act like Stormtroopers.

Thank you for helping me bit by bit.

As far as the comment regarding the best unit depends on my license , I think that no matter the privilege I have or dont have isnt very important because its fairly easy to earn those, equipment and use is more interesting .


Shayne

 

[W5LZ]

Shayne,
What I'm gathering from this thread is that you want to operate illegally in China. To 'get around' the rules, and want advice from people on this forum that have no idea about doing something like that in a foreign country. I think your best bet for something like that is to ask a few of those 'BY's about how to do that. I also think that no matter how big'a 'mess' those Chinese are, it's your neck.
As for using a TS-480 or one of the Yaesus or Icoms for doing that remote'ing, you are still talking about license requirements from the hosting country.
Could doing that be 'done'? I'm sure it could! But the 'catch' is how long can it be done, and what are the consequences? I certainly can't answer those questions, and I don't think I ever want to find out.
Have fun.
- 'Doc

 

[exces3]

Shayne.

in most places, you need to be a ham in your own country,
before you try to get a license in some other country.

even then, visiting hams are disliked by most countries
because they think you are ...--->
smuggling, or some other crime, or..
trying to avoid paying $$$ to the phone company.

if you want to be China's enemy,
you found it.

 

[Mudfoot]

Take some radio equipment into Myanmar and have the locals show you how it's done.

Then you'll be ready to operate in China.