WingNews logo WingNews GitHub [2]

hongseleco's comments

hongseleco | 3 years ago | on: AIOC: Ham Radio All-in-One-Cable

1.) Absolutely, DIY aspect is still very strong (which is why I'm in in personally, I think it's pretty cool and interesting) Low Power modes (QRP) are magical. Recently increased solar activity has further enhanced these modes :)

2.) Plenty on YouTube nowadays (Ham Radio Crash Course, W2AEW, etc.), there are a few blogs here and there that you'll run into when you have specific questions. For exam prep, I loved the Gordon West books.

On a personal note:

Today actually marks my tenth year of being licensed :) 10 Years ago I took the tech and general class exams and passed, after studying some of the Gordon West books and using an Android app question generator at the time. 9 Years ago (at time of posting this in two days), I upgraded to Extra Class.

Like most new hams nowadays, I started out with a $35 Baofeng and $20 RTL-SDR dongle. It wasn't till after college and getting a full-time job that I finally invested into HF (Yaesu FT-991A, FT-818ND). For the past year, I've been building QRP rig kits, and learning CW.

Having a license definitely gave me some bonus points on job/internship interviews for electrical engineering jobs (Specifically RF/Mixed signal specialized positions).

Hamfests, especially the bigger ones like Orlando Hamcation and Dayton Hamvention, if you're very lucky like me can get some pretty good deals on test equipment and second hand rigs. I got very lucky last year in finding a Signal Hound BB60C Spectrum Analyzer for $400! (Current MSRP is pushing $3600+).

I've heard and seen a lot of negative stories about the hobby. Yes a lot of older folks (the "RF-Boomers" as I like to call them) tend to be pretty stubborn and hostile, try to avoid them. There are a lot of good folks that want to help (the True elmers of the hobby), spend a lot of time with them. I've been very fortunate to be a part of two clubs (Dayton Amateur Radio Association, and Platinum Coast Radio Society (Melbourne, FL)) that are very welcoming, friendly, and very active.

I can keep writing about all of the positive aspects of the hobby, but TL;DR I highly recommend it!

73

KD8TUO

hongseleco | 5 years ago | on: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

> Anti-MIC comment

Depends on where you draw your ethical boundaries? I mean it's a lucrative career in itself and you get to work in cutting edge tech that hopefully never gets proliferated to other countries (esp. the oppressive ones).

hongseleco | 7 years ago | on: F-35: What The Pilots Say

Not unless you have EA-18Gs and EC-130s raising the noise floor along with lots of disposable drones cluttering the fire control RADAR. And more missile truck F-16s, F-18s, and F-15s carrying AGM-88s to supress/destroy the RADARs and MALDs to add more clutter and become seductive targets.

hongseleco | 7 years ago | on: F-35's Towed Decoys

>Being extremely difficult to detect while also being outfitted with very high end sensors makes it almost certain that F-22s and F-35s are able to engage enemies on their own terms.

Agreed, and it's also very likely that the F-35 and F-22 would be leading and providing high quality targeting data to F-15s, F-16s, and F-18s, carrying dozens of long range air-to-air missiles.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a22355833... https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/boeings-touts-new-16-air-t...

hongseleco | 7 years ago | on: F-35's Towed Decoys

You have a few F-35s and F-22s relaying high quality targeting information back to F-18s, F-15s and F-16s, which the US has more of, that carry lots of long range air-to-air missile against adversarial aircraft, and more of those same planes carrying anti-radiation missiles(ARM) and other stand-off weapons for suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). And just for fun, you might have EA-18G and EC-130 raising the noise floor and other cool electronic warfare techniques to hide your LO and non-LO aircraft, AND further deny, deceive, and degrade the adversary's RADARs and communications.

The F-35s and F-22s can get up closer to the adversarial aircraft and air defense than non-LO (Low Observable) aircraft (B-1s, B-52s, F-18s, F-16s, and F-15s). A lot has been invested in the interfaces and data-links for F-35 and F-22 pilots to relay information to other platforms (Land, Sea, and Air) The key is to get better stand-off range and higher resolution targeting data for your non-LO aircraft to minimize risk and maximize hitting air and land targets.

My overall opinion of the F-35 is that it's not really a fighter, but more like an EA-35, because it has a very capable electronic warfare suite (AN/ASQ-239), and it has the ability to take that suite and collect data passively up close and personal with lower risk of detection, and can transmit a lot of high quality intel very quickly, while keeping great emission control (EMCON) with directional antennas and near-noise floor communications. It's also the only LO aircraft that can take-off a carrier. The capability to carry these towed decoys only adds more tricks and tools to the EW suite. I don't have a very high opinion of it's air-to-air combat performance, but it definitely has it's place as a great EW/SIGINT/COMINT platform.

page 1