Gaston

does anyone know where i can find plans to build my own ham radio? or convert a cb radio to a ham?

Dean Huster

Do a Google search and you may find plans to convert an 11m CB to the 10m ham band. I had a friend who had a converted CB like that. It wasn't the best because it didn't cover the full band or something like that. In the old days of all crystal CBs, you could just swap out crystals and retune the radio, but you were limited to 23 frequencies and it was an expensive proposition. These days, there are mods to alter the PLL on modern sets.

Your first resource as a ham will always be the Radio Amateur's Handbook published by the ARRL. Current versions of the Handbook are lousy for homebrew so check out a big city library, ebay or maybe Amazon to find older editions. Editions published prior to 1980 were loaded with construction projects including transmitters, receivers, transceivers, transmatches, linear amplifiers, etc. These days, you're lucky to see a few simple station gee-gaws for construction.

Older editions of the Handbook were always considered to be the "Bible" not only for hams, but for electronic hobbyists as well since they're chock full of all kinds of useful information. The ARRL also has other publications that may be of help.

Dean

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Dean Huster, Electronics Curmudgeon
Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).

R.I.P.

stevez

Lots of do-it-yourself stuff in QST magazine over the years and as Dean said, plenty in older versions of Radio Amateur's Handbook. Some of QST stuff can be downloaded from ARRL website. Worth noting - a "ham" radio might be CW, AM, FM, SSB, digital - and operate on bands from 1.8 mHz up to microwaves. QRP is a designation for low power and usually but not always, applies to 1.8 - 30 mHz stuff. Lots of on-line projects described for QRP stuff. Most is CW but some is AM, SSB or digital.

Good luck.

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stevez

Gaston

i was interested in the 2meter band to get started. i have been doing some searches and havent found much on makeing your own stuff

Nigel Goodwin

You haven't entered your location, so we've no idea where in the world you might be, but in most countries you have to take an exam to become a radio amateur. The exam ensures you are technically competent to operate (and possibly build) radio equipment.

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stevez

Gaston - you haven't described your level of skill. A 2 meter radio can be built but as you've found, few people do it these days. The older handbooks and magazine articles do describe some projects. I think the technical complexity combined with the extremely low cost of commercial equipment has limited the do it yourself 2 meter rig to a very few people.

If your plan is to be licensed I might suggest the HF bands - possibly 40 meters, as a place to start. The challenges that RF presents at that frequency are less daunting for the beginner ( I don't know if you are a beginner) and most important, there is a ton of info out there to help you.

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stevez

Gaston

i am in new orleans. I am a student a ITT tech. i am not yet liscenced but i was told that the first licence was a technition class which only alowed the two meter band.the reason i want to build my own is because i have very little money to spend. I dont make a lot of money and i have a wife and kid to support. i am hoping to get a better paying job after i graduate.i just feel that if i dont tinker with electronics i will not learn as much as i could.

Nigel Goodwin

Building one would probably cost more than buying one, particularly if you bought one second hand - most home built ones uses crystals, and these restrict your available channels and cost a fortune. Any commercial one of any recent vintage will be synthesised and have full coverage of the 2M band. You can build a synthesised transceiver, but it adds to the cost and makes it far more complicated.

As an example, I've got a 25W Kenwood 2M FM transceiver that I don't use, I'd happily let it go for £50 or so (about $75?) - but I'm in the UK, and a long way from you!.

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gerty

Have you tried contacting your local ham operators yet, they could be a source for radios and information..They usually can be found by calling a local radio shop and asking when/where they meet..Most hams readily welcome people looking for info and are glad to help..

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gerty

andrew2022

what is ham?

gerty

In the US that's what we call a radio operator that uses amateur radio frequencies..Don't know origin..

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gerty