I now have my Ham “ticket” and am officially “KI7YQW” I took my Technician test on Sat 5/26 and aced it. I had been planning to take the General test as well, but I had an event I needed to get on the road for to arrive in time. The testing process took a total of 30 min start to finish for me. The “welcome, this is how it works” speech and initial paperwork took 15 minutes, the tests were handed out and I completed mine in 5 minutes. The grading process/paperwork completion took another 10 minutes, I was handed my CSEC and was out the door.

There are two other local testing sessions in June, I’ll go to one of them and take the General. I was definitely ready to take the General, I just didn’t have the time. I decided I would rather take just the Technician test and get on the air sooner rather than wait another month to take both. I may even go for the Extra while I am at it if I have time to study. That way I will get the most bang for my $15 testing fee.

My station is starting to come together. I have the Yaesu FT-991A feeding my Comet GP-15 6m/2m/70cm antenna via a Comet CF-706A Duplexer. So far I have been listening in on the local VHF repeater net a few times and will soon be trying to see who I can find on the 6m band.

Starting to plan for dedicated HF antenna, not sure what it will be yet, but looking at options.

Got antenna mounts for both my vehicles, for now I will just use my HT, but expect I will put a mobile radio in the truck at some point.

Pretty excited to finally make this happen. It is something I have long thought about but never had time/space/resources all converge at the same time.



Now for the Karma- for those who have long thought about Ham radio but have, for whatever reason, never taken the leap I am offering up a brand spanking new in the box, delivered via Amazon Prime BaoFeng “CCCR” (cheap, Chinese, crap radio).

These little radios seem get a lot of crap from the curmudgeonly Ham folks, but they are low cost and pack a lot of features into the unit. Playing with one for a year or so helped me decide to go ahead and pursue something I had though about many times over the years. They may not have tight tolerances, but they work and instead of tossing $150-$200 on a basic big name HT, one only has to risk about $40 to get started.

While not type approved for MURS, FRS, or GMRS, they will work on those frequencies as well as 2m and 70cm (vhf/uhf) Ham bands. Additionally they cover Marine VHF and also receive the NOAA weather channels as well.


I am not condoning the violation of FCC rules, but if you choose to do so be smart, use low power and the included antenna and I imagine no one would be the wiser.



To be eligible you need to have a minimum of 450 posts, been an SF member for a year or more and contribute across the forum, not just the classifieds.

Additionally tell me your interest in amateur radio.


Karmanator will make the pick one week from tomorrow.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 911Boss,

KN4LUW saying hi...got my Tech a couple of months ago. Another member graciously instant-karma'd me one of his radios. I've been interested in ham radio since watching my grandfather (retired OSS) playing in his radio shack when I was a little kid.

Because of my good fortune, please don't include me in the karma. But I'll hope to meet you on the air sometime!

Oh, boy. Please count me in. I used to surf the shortwave bands on an old Grundig, and then bought a Sony that had shortwave capability too.

I remember searching for WWV for the time signal with analog tuners to set my watches and house clocks.

I have considered a Tech license for a couple of years but haven't moved on it. This would be the chance I need to get off my ass and get going on this.

Thanks for the chance, and congratulations on you license, and the nice set-up you are building. I was reading that thread and drooling...

congrats

and my condolences to the karma winner (don't sign me up) please

Congrats and 73's from KM4CBL.

RMD

Welcome to the fraternity.

I remember the excitement when the postman brought my first license, 59 years ago last month. I've enjoyed the triumphs, frustrations, head scratching, some of the people encountered, ever since.

There is a great deal of practical learning to do now, especially if you intend to use the Extra Class privileges, all those bands, modes, power levels, etc. How to lay out feed lines, how to minimize noise, where to look for it, the mysteries of antenna anomalies, learning the manipulation of your radio to efficiently configure different operating modes, and how to do it all safely.

Back then, eveything had tubes. HF was practically all there was and modes were AM, CW, SSB. Nobody dreamed of amateur satellites, and even less of owning your own computer, or even a memory keyer. Very few people had ever seen a real computer which took up most of your garage and consumed emmense power at a cost you couldn’t afford anyway. FM existed, there were some VHF allocations, but very little gear or activity for most of us.

We had high voltages in our gear. Now, ~12 VDC is about it. Some have amplifiers with hig voltage. I don't anymore

I'd like a try for this. One of my plans was to get licensed,a retirement project. in fact I spoke with a friend about becoming a Ham when we went to an antique radio swap meet a couple of years back. Unfortunately he passed a few months later and the idea went to the back burner.

There is a active club in the county, they offer classes occasionally for licensing.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Welcome to the fraternity.

I remember the excitement when the postman brought my first license, 59 years ago last month. I've enjoyed the triumphs, frustrations, head scratching, some of the people encountered, ever since.

There is a great deal of practical learning to do now, especially if you intend to use the Extra Class privileges, all those bands, modes, power levels, etc. How to lay out feed lines, how to minimize noise, where to look for it, the mysteries of antenna anomalies, learning the manipulation of your radio to efficiently configure different operating modes, and how to do it all safely.

Back then, eveything had tubes. HF was practically all there was and modes were AM, CW, SSB. Nobody dreamed of amateur satellites, and even less of owning your own computer, or even a memory keyer. Very few people had ever seen a real computer which took up most of your garage and consumed emmense power at a cost you couldn’t afford anyway. FM existed, there were some VHF allocations, but very little gear or activity for most of us.

We had high voltages in our gear. Now, ~12 VDC is about it. Some have amplifiers with hig voltage. I don't anymore

59 years of experience...going through all the incredible (really - incredible from 59 years ago!) changes that radio saw in that time. I really wish there was a way to osmosize that from you. I have a romantic idea of how tube radios had to be to work on, probably incorrect. I don't envy the years it took to get all the experience , but I certainly wish I could be your understudy!

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
I'd like a try for this. One of my plans was to get licensed,a retirement project. in fact I spoke with a friend about becoming a Ham when we went to an antique radio swap meet a couple of years back. Unfortunately he passed a few months later and the idea went to the back burner.

There is a active club in the county, they offer classes occasionally for licensing.

I'd venture that for less than 2 hours a night of self-study for a week you'd be able to pass the Tech test. Do it for two weeks and you'd get 100% or close to it.

Self study would be the popular PDF crash course and taking and retaking questions from the test bank online.

Be wary: The Technician test changes at the end of this month, I believe. If you study the current material and wait to take it until July, you may not have favorable results. The material is the same, but the questions will be different.

Current tests (also flash cards on the L side): https://hamexam.org/exam/12-Technician

No-nonsense Study Guide: https://www.kb6nu.com/wp-conte...-study-guide-v20.pdf

Thanks for the karma, but please don't count me in on this one. I'd rather see it go to someone who is interested in getting into the hobby.

I got my Tech license as well, however I mostly use it for analog video from quadcopters (5.8ghz).

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Welcome to the fraternity.

I remember the excitement when the postman brought my first license, 59 years ago last month. I've enjoyed the triumphs, frustrations, head scratching, some of the people encountered, ever since...

59 years of experience...going through all the incredible (really - incredible from 59 years ago!) changes that radio saw in that time. I really wish there was a way to osmosize that from you. I have a romantic idea of how tube radios had to be to work on, probably incorrect. I don't envy the years it took to get all the experience , but I certainly wish I could be your understudy!

Ditto!

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Welcome to the fraternity.

I remember the excitement when the postman brought my first license, 59 years ago last month. I've enjoyed the triumphs, frustrations, head scratching, some of the people encountered, ever since...

Glad to be here! I have to admit that removing the CW requirement as well as other technical advances made it all more accessible for me. While I enjoy tinkering and experimenting, I don’t think I would ever have the time or patience to become proficient at CW and I would be too frustrated having to do high level electronic work these days. A little is fun and entertaining, too much and it would be like another job.

Really is amazing how such relatively little power and energy can make it half way around the world and allow folks too communicate

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
congrats

and my condolences to the karma winner (don't sign me up) please

Curmudgeon!

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
KN4LUW saying hi...got my Tech a couple of months ago. Another member graciously instant-karma'd me one of his radios. I've been interested in ham radio since watching my grandfather (retired OSS) playing in his radio shack when I was a little kid.

Because of my good fortune, please don't include me in the karma. But I'll hope to meet you on the air sometime!

I remember that thread and it actually had a little something to do with getting me of my butt.



Here is the main study resource I used, it is practice test that eventually go through the entire 400+ actual questions from the test pool.

https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/

You need to create an account, it offers Tech/General/Extra practice exams and shows your history

The electrical/technical part of the Tech and General tests was pretty easy for me due to my avionics background from my USMC days. The rules part came with repetition.


I was too cheap to buy the $30 study guides, all the info is free on the internet if you have any Google game at all. There are a couple of local groups here that do study classes, but didn’t really fit my schedule so I just spent time going over the practice exams until they became etched in my memory.

Congrats! My dad is W9IEW, formerly WD9IEW...operating out of WI. He was intrigued with the history of the prior ham and requested the vanity call sign a few years back. If you are a Amazon Prime member I believe you get access to CQ Amateur Radio magazine.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JALLEN:
.... I have a romantic idea of how tube radios had to be to work on, probably incorrect. I don't envy the years it took to get all the experience , but I certainly wish I could be your understudy!

If you don’t mind being as old as I am.....

One thing about tubes was that it was easier to see when you were letting the smoke out ... where there is about to be smoke, there was usually fire.

I built a number of Heathkits, point to point wiring, no PCs, learning to color code, solder, etc. about the same level of cursing involved. It’s a lot harder to give yourself a nasty shock now. Ben Franklin talked about one use of electricity was it helped keep a vain man humble. I didn’t actually hear him say that, you understand.

In truth, I have not been much of an electronics tech, just enough to pass tests and keep my gear working or know when to send it off. I enjoyed DXing mostly, was an EC and a trustee of a large repeater system in San Diego for awhile, and a t-hunter.

Please add me, I have a growing interest in Ham radio, and I'm finding I have more time on my hands for a new hobby.

Congratulations!

No need to enter me, I'm just happy for you.

De N5...

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
...got my Tech a couple of months ago.

chongo, could you shoot me a quick email if you get a moment? I've got a quick question for you. Thanks and congrats to you and the OP on your new tickets.

Congrats! N4IOI formerly KM4BCA

quote:

Originally posted by FiveFiveSixFan:

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
...got my Tech a couple of months ago.

chongo, could you shoot me a quick email if you get a moment? I've got a quick question for you. Thanks and congrats to you and the OP on your new tickets.

Sent

Congratulations!!!! Don't enter me I already have a ping pong handheld and they work.
I just put up a new Ringo Ranger ant. up last week for 6 meters. My club has a new 6 meter repeater on the air how to go with our 2 meter repeater.

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember:
congrats

and my condolences to the karma winner (don't sign me up) please Smile



Curmudgeon!

I actually have all the gear I need including two mobile rigs and two base stations

I just gave away my handheld to a new tech not long ago