Right, so this is the situation: I still haven’t obtained my license here in Brazil, but I already have a Baofeng DR-1801 HT that can connect to dmr networks. Therefore I haven’t transmitted yet. But I’d like to clarify some doubts:
- When I get my license, even in C-class in Brazil, I will be allowed access to some frequencies in 40-10m bands. Should I get a low power QRP transceiver (e.g. uSDX) or go for an used rig from known brands?
- It’s almost impossible to find a transceiver project with a power rating greater than 10w. What would be the difficulty of, say, copylefting the schematics of an ft-7b?
- Can I really use a wire thrown over my house (of course, with baluns and stuff) as a monopole antenna or that’s just myth?
SWR is Standing Wave Ratio?
Yes, it’s the ratio of how much of the power that you transmit is reflected back towards your rig due to impedence mismatch of antenna <-> radio.
Ideally you want SWR < 2, but for simple voice modes at QRP power, it’s not the end of the world if you end up in the 2-3 range. However digital modes need a good SWR because they transmit at 100% duty cycle. If I don’t get SWR < 2 for my IC-705 during a digital transmit, the reflected power causes my computer’s USB port to reset. At higher powers it could damage my rig or my computer, so it’s definitely a thing to avoid.