Ham radio stuff

The first step is to download the entire manual and read it cover to cover which will confuse you and leave you addled. Next forget everything you read and sit in front of your rig and turn it on. Always remember that a radio works best when it is plugged in. Go to the band of the station running split. Look for the A/B button and the split button so you know where they are.  Now look at the screen for VFO A. If it says VFO B then push the A/B button quickly and you should be on VFO A. Set VFO A to the frequency you want to listen to. Next push/A/B again. You should be on VFO B. Set it to the frequency you want to transmit on. Push A/B again so you are now on VFO A. Push the SPLIT button and you're good to go. Other rigs may have somewhat different settings buy you should get the general idea. 

  said the guy in Oregon, holding up a $29.95 Baofeng handi-talkie. "Someone said you can talk to the International Space Station with one!" Well, you can send a message to the ISS with one. I saw a pretty good Youtube of someone doing it with a Yaesu FT60R once so I suppose it can be done with a Baofeng but you have to build a Yagi antenna and set the radio up for one of the digital modes and the ISS has to be well over the horizon. Still, out of the box with the 'rubber ducky' antenna your range radio to radio is probably between one and five miles across decent terrain. Of course, if you can hit a repeater the range increases but that's because you are having a repeater repeat and boost your transmission. Did I mention that you're supposed to have a license before you transmit? That thought never crossed your mind, did it? Or maybe it did and you're too lazy and/or stupid to get one. The FCC emergency clause goes only so far.  Still, they're a prett...

  A lot of DXpeditions and really heavy pileups often work split. What is a split? It means he is transmitting on one frequency and listening on another. It makes the two way traffic flow a lot better and the operator can handle a massive pileup a lot easier because the frequency he is transmitting on isn't overwhelmed by everyone and their cousin shouting on top of him. The first rule of ham radio is you listen with your ears, not your mouth. So you are spinning the dial and you hear something and get the call sign. You hit the laptop and check on the clusters and on QRZ dot com and sure enough! It's a DXPedition to Outer Slobovia! Rare DX! You throw up your call and an angry voice answers "Split!" and you ignore him and hear the DX station say "Listening up. QR Zed." You throw your call in again and someone else says "He's listening up." Again you try and hear angry voices return with "Split! He's listening up!" Undaunted you tr...