Finding My Way onto the Air from a Brooklyn Apartment

Finding My Way onto the Air - Ham radio from a Brooklyn apartment

Getting licensed gave me permission to get on the air. Figuring out how to do it from my apartment took considerably more experimentation.

I live on the seventeenth floor in Brooklyn, with no outdoor antenna and a budget that requires some thought before each purchase. My station had to work in the home I already had. There was no tower going up, no backyard to string a wire across, and no separate radio room waiting to be filled.

What I did have was curiosity, a few handheld radios, and a growing desire to actually talk to somebody.

A radio in my hand and a frustrating start

My early attempts to reach repeaters with five-watt handhelds did not work out. I was also using the antennas that came with the radios, the familiar rubber ducks. Looking back, I suspect those antennas were part of the problem, although I cannot separate their contribution from everything else about the setup.

That was frustrating. I had earned my license and bought radios, but making the connection between owning the equipment and being able to use it was proving harder than I expected.

Living high above the street sounds promising for radio. In practice, I still had to discover which combinations of radio, antenna, and location would work for me.

Finding a way into the conversation

Before I was using DMR regularly, I used EchoLink. Internet-based access gave me a way to participate while I was still struggling to make my handhelds useful from home. Eventually, QSO ONE entered the picture, too.

Those applications belong in this story because they were part of how I found my footing. I could listen, talk, and become more comfortable participating in the amateur radio community. I did not have to put all of that on hold while I sorted out the radio side.

I still wanted to press the push-to-talk button on an actual radio and have someone hear me. But the apps helped me stay involved while I worked toward that.

The Maverick made a difference

Then came the BridgeCom Maverick. With its ten-watt capability and better antennas, I finally began reaching some repeaters from the apartment.

First there was the analog KC2RC repeater. Then there was a DMR repeater on Staten Island. Those were separate successes, and both mattered to me.

I was surprised and elated. I actually started to feel like a real ham radio dude.

Of course, I already was a ham. But there is an emotional difference between having the license and hearing evidence that your station is getting out. After the earlier frustration, those successes gave me something concrete to build on.

I would not turn my experience into a rule that everyone needs ten watts. I changed more than one part of the setup, and apartment conditions vary. What I can say is that the Maverick and improved antennas made a useful difference here.

The HamSpot 4 opened things up

The biggest change, though, was getting the HamSpot 4.

Collin, K0NNK, built my HamSpot 4 for me, and it arrived pre-configured. Having that setup work already done made getting started easier. I could concentrate on learning to use the hotspot and getting into conversations.

The Maverick had helped me reach repeaters. The hotspot gave me a practical way to use my radios regularly from home. My handheld could communicate over a short radio link with the HamSpot, which connected through the internet to the DMR network.

That became my route into the wider world of DMR. I could sit at my desk with a radio in my hand and talk with people far beyond Brooklyn. Talkgroup 91 became a familiar place to listen for a conversation, wait for a break, and put out my callsign.

The long-distance part of those contacts traveled through the network. I knew how the connection worked, and I enjoyed what it made possible: using my radio, meeting people, and building an operating routine.

Truth be told, getting the HamSpot was the biggest thing that enabled me to use my radios. It deserves that place in the story.

Another opening through APRS

APRS gave me another reason to experiment. I found that I could reach digipeaters from my apartment, sending packets over the air and seeing the results appear on the map.

There is a particular satisfaction in finding your callsign after a successful transmission. It is another kind of feedback: the equipment worked, the packet got through, and there is something visible to show for it.

The aprs.fi app on Android has also been part of my APRS experience. The radio side and the internet tools gave me different ways to explore what was happening. I found myself learning about the path a packet took as well as enjoying the little victory of getting it there.

Learning what works at my desk

The antenna experiments continued along the way. The NA-701 became part of the improvement over my original setup. Later, the little AR-805S stubby found a useful place on my AnyTone radios at home.

That surprised me, too. I was learning to pay attention to what worked with a particular radio in a particular setting. A convenient small antenna could be a good fit for the way I was operating, especially around the apartment and hotspot.

None of this arrived as one perfectly planned station purchase. I tried things, noticed what improved, and kept going. Some changes helped me reach local repeaters. Others made daily operation easier. APRS gave me another rabbit hole to explore.

Where HF fits for me

HF is another part of amateur radio, but it is not a priority for me right now. Between the cost of a station and the antenna limitations of my apartment, it truly feels out of reach for the near future.

Seeing HF operating at the Battle of Brooklyn event, including a magnetic loop setup, gave me a look at what other hams were doing. Bringing that kind of setup home is another matter. I have to work with the space and budget I actually have.

For now, my attention is on the equipment I can use and the contacts I can make. My handhelds, hotspot, and APRS give me plenty to learn and enjoy. That is where I am putting my energy.

A station I can actually use

My apartment still has the same limitations. What has changed is my understanding of the possibilities.

EchoLink helped me participate early. The Maverick and better antennas brought those first satisfying repeater successes. The HamSpot 4 made regular radio use possible in a way that changed the hobby for me. QSO ONE and APRS added more ways to take part.

If you are starting out from an apartment and wondering how to make this work, I understand the frustration. My path was gradual, with small successes that eventually added up to a station I enjoy using.

These days, I can settle in at my desk, pick up a radio, and join the conversation. That was what I wanted in the first place.

73,
Eric — WB2EHG