kb6emh Started as a novice. Held tech and tech plus. Upgraded to general about 21 years ago. Active every day on HF and play with DMR.

Studying for my technician license.

quote:

Originally posted by florida boy:
Studying for my technician license.

I just passed mine on Monday. Don't spend a long time studying as it isn't a complicated test. I studied for one week from the time I ever considered getting my license to the day I took my test. I read a book over two nights while laying in bed, I watched a three part YouTube training session and took about 15 practice tests. Maybe 11 hours total. I passed with a 34 out of 35. Hamstudy.org with a fantastic resource.

I've heard of people putting it off for months to study and trust me it doesn't require that.

Good Luck!

Extra here, I was inspired about electronics/radio at a young age by my Boy Scout leader who was a Navy ship board radio operator in WWII. I am one of those guys that just cannot get wrapped around sending/copying code, my mind just doesn't seem to work that way and I have tried to learn numerous times. I really admire those that can do it. For me when the code requirement was dropped a whole new world opened up. So I guess I must relegate myself to being one of those that are dragging down the hobby. BTW my present home is about 2 blocks from where Arthur Collins lived here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and my vertical antenna was originally owned by one of his favorite technicians at the radio factory. He was my next door neighbor and his family gifted me the antenna when he passed away. I am honored to still have it active in my back yard.

So random question guys? Why?

Is it just a hobby and chatting with other people? Generally interested in what would drive someone to do this? Are there benefits to having it?

Super curious here.

quote:

Originally posted by myrottiety:
So random question guys? Why?

Is it just a hobby and chatting with other people? Generally interested in what would drive someone to do this? Are there benefits to having it?

Super curious here.

Back before cell phones, it was a cheap way to talk to people all over the world any time you felt like it. There was also a sense of pride in having accomplished something that a lot of people couldn't do. I personally worked almost all the continents on CW using 1 Watt of output power and that was a skill game.

A side benefit of it before it became easy to pass was that anyone who passed it obviously knew quite a lot about Electronics and was seen as a credential for hiring for Electronic Technicians in every place I ever worked.

In those same places, having an Extra Class license back then was also seen as a major plus for people being considered for Engineering positions, with two equally qualified candidates, the one with the Extra Class license was the one hired.

General licensee here. Studied for AE, but too dumb to pass it. Not concerned. General is okay.


Waiting for better weather to put my antenna back up. Came down in a windstorm.

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:

quote:

Originally posted by florida boy:
Studying for my technician license.

I just passed mine on Monday. Don't spend a long time studying as it isn't a complicated test. I studied for one week from the time I ever considered getting my license to the day I took my test. I read a book over two nights while laying in bed, I watched a three part YouTube training session and took about 15 practice tests. Maybe 11 hours total. I passed with a 34 out of 35. Hamstudy.org with a fantastic resource.

I've heard of people putting it off for months to study and trust me it doesn't require that.

Good Luck!

Congrats and thanks for the info

quote:

Originally posted by myrottiety:
So random question guys? Why?

Is it just a hobby and chatting with other people? Generally interested in what would drive someone to do this? Are there benefits to having it?

Super curious here.

It is considered a hobby but often crosses over into community service/public safety arenas. Trained Storm Spotters that relay eyes on, real time information to NOAA and other agencies, public safety observation (ARES) and other services such as providing communications along local race/walks for charities to alert EMT's or Police if an incident occurs during the event.
Our local Ham club provided ride along communications for the police and fire departments when their radio system was disabled during the inland hurricane we suffered a couple of years ago and also when the city was flooded in 2008. Our 2 meter repeaters remained operational through both of these disasters. We also set up field day operations once a year where high frequency stations are set up to practice for such a time that infrastructure could be taken off line and provide long distance communications.
The hobby can be pretty much what you want it to be. Some folks are into building their own gear and others compete in contests to see who can contact the most other stations during a set period of time.

I have been licensed as a Technical operator for the past 15 years but haven't touched a radio in about 14 years. Lost interest shortly after taking the test. I still have my handheld radio.

quote:

Originally posted by myrottiety:
So random question guys? Why?

Is it just a hobby and chatting with other people? Generally interested in what would drive someone to do this? Are there benefits to having it?

Super curious here.

Pretty much by definition, ham radio is exclusively a hobby activity. Any kind of commercial use is prohibited.

Plenty of people participate in ham radio as a hobby in and of itself, for a variety of reasons. Wanting to talk to random people far away, wanting to play with different types of radios, wanting to build radios, wanting to experiment with different or new radio techniques.

Plenty of people participate as part of other hobbies. E.g., there are a lot of off-roaring groups that use ham radio to communicate between vehicles because certain types of ham radios can provide more reliable, longer-ranged communication (because they operate on similar frequencies but are allowed to use better antennas and more transmission power) than unlicensed radios (like FRS) or licensed-without-a-test radios (like GMRS) in remote mountainous areas with no cell coverage.

Plenty of people participate as a part of larger emergency preparedness or prepper interest (as a way to communicate from inside a disaster area which may not have landline or cell service or be possible to physically leave). Historically, this has been a big part of the ham radio community and there’s a not-insignificant history of ham operators providing useful emergency communications in disaster situations. This is still a thing, but it has become less common and arguably less important over the last few decades with the advent of widespread cell coverage with towers with backup power and the availability of satellite phones.

Anybody going to Hamcation in Orlando this weekend?