KD9DWR here. Not very active since our club hasn't met since January. I even worked in a shop that made radios back in the 1980's.
The Ham Shack - B&B's Amateur Radio Club
- Thread starter jamesspo
- Start date
KB0IAQ checking in from Minneapolis, MN. I have been licensed since 1991 but I haven't been active for many years. A coworker recently started tempting me to get active again.
I've been having the same thoughts about setting up a dual band rig again, it sure would have been nice to have during this time of isolation.
NB2B
KC8VPV
I've been licenced since 2003, and haven't been active for awhile either. My only problem is that I can only use a handheld so I need to rely on repeaters, and they only take me so far.
Have you looked at digital handies? DMR, D-Star, Fusion? Find out the popular mode in your area, DMR here, and give it a go. Decent DMR radios are under $100, the others are more proprietary and as such cost a bit more. Once programmed, many world-wide groups are available through local connections.
I'll have to look into those.
Since I'll be home a lot more, I've decided to jump into the ham world. I was a CB nut in the '70s, a dj in the '80s, so I've spent some time talking around. I take the Tech and General tests in November. Open to suggestions on study guides and starter equipment. TIA!
Hi,
Good luck on the exams. One thing that has changed for me with the Cootie is I am now hosting VE sessions. We have the old office space from the original screenprinting shop - the production building burned down almost two years ago. We recovered, but into a commercial building a couple miles away.
Anyway, that left us with the office and showroom and artwork building and so we began using it for the local Quilting and Gourd Crafting groups. Well, my wife did as she's into that stuff. With the Cootie meaning that the fire stations no longer allow the VE test sessions, I offered up ours for that use.
So, then I got roped into being a VE, and I proctor and do paperwork and such as I'm only a General in the amateur side (I have a General Radiotelephone with Broadcast and Radar endorsements on the commercial side). So, I can grade Tech tests but it's rare we ever have an all Tech test session. Usually there are a few General and Extra tests in involved.
I suppose I might finally have a use for Extra. I'd have to study as there are a lot of what I will call odd things in the Ham world compared to the Commercial and radio design worlds.
There are so many choices for equipment these days. It depends on just what bands and operating modes you want to begin with. One thing I will say is I greatly prefer HF rigs that use traditional filters in the receivers. Triple conversion with filters in both IFs would be what I look for. DSPs are OK, but in addition to filters not as a replacement for them.
Stan
Good luck on the exams. One thing that has changed for me with the Cootie is I am now hosting VE sessions. We have the old office space from the original screenprinting shop - the production building burned down almost two years ago. We recovered, but into a commercial building a couple miles away.
Anyway, that left us with the office and showroom and artwork building and so we began using it for the local Quilting and Gourd Crafting groups. Well, my wife did as she's into that stuff. With the Cootie meaning that the fire stations no longer allow the VE test sessions, I offered up ours for that use.
So, then I got roped into being a VE, and I proctor and do paperwork and such as I'm only a General in the amateur side (I have a General Radiotelephone with Broadcast and Radar endorsements on the commercial side). So, I can grade Tech tests but it's rare we ever have an all Tech test session. Usually there are a few General and Extra tests in involved.
I suppose I might finally have a use for Extra. I'd have to study as there are a lot of what I will call odd things in the Ham world compared to the Commercial and radio design worlds.
There are so many choices for equipment these days. It depends on just what bands and operating modes you want to begin with. One thing I will say is I greatly prefer HF rigs that use traditional filters in the receivers. Triple conversion with filters in both IFs would be what I look for. DSPs are OK, but in addition to filters not as a replacement for them.
Stan
I don't know enough to be dangerous. Just because it is cheap, I purchased a Baofeng 5 VR (or something like that) to start listening. I'll program this week. My study guides are here, so with those and Youtube, I expect a little education.Hi,
Good luck on the exams. One thing that has changed for me with the Cootie is I am now hosting VE sessions. We have the old office space from the original screenprinting shop - the production building burned down almost two years ago. We recovered, but into a commercial building a couple miles away.
Anyway, that left us with the office and showroom and artwork building and so we began using it for the local Quilting and Gourd Crafting groups. Well, my wife did as she's into that stuff. With the Cootie meaning that the fire stations no longer allow the VE test sessions, I offered up ours for that use.
So, then I got roped into being a VE, and I proctor and do paperwork and such as I'm only a General in the amateur side (I have a General Radiotelephone with Broadcast and Radar endorsements on the commercial side). So, I can grade Tech tests but it's rare we ever have an all Tech test session. Usually there are a few General and Extra tests in involved.
I suppose I might finally have a use for Extra. I'd have to study as there are a lot of what I will call odd things in the Ham world compared to the Commercial and radio design worlds.
There are so many choices for equipment these days. It depends on just what bands and operating modes you want to begin with. One thing I will say is I greatly prefer HF rigs that use traditional filters in the receivers. Triple conversion with filters in both IFs would be what I look for. DSPs are OK, but in addition to filters not as a replacement for them.
Stan
HamStudy.org: Cutting edge amateur radio study tools
Free ham radio flash cards, practice tests, and question pools as well as introduction to ham radio and explanations for questions.
de WK0DX
Hi,
Ok. Update time. I'd already explained the VE thing a couple posts ago, so I won't repeat that part. My being a General was interfering a bit a couple times this year. We had two sessions in December where we had just enough Extras on hand to grade and then one really wanted to leave early and couldn't as we'd then have to end the day.
My space can have six test takers and keep proper distance, so we split test days into multiple sessions. I therefore really need to become an Extra myself.
So, I bought an ARRL Extra manual and spent the last week reading it and going thru all the pool questions to be sure I had it. Some things are different and / or Old School for the ham world. So, I had to ensure I answered in that manner rather than in my RF design engineer manner.
The upshot is I was a test-taker yesterday rather than a VE. I passed handily. So, that takes care of that.
Stan
Ok. Update time. I'd already explained the VE thing a couple posts ago, so I won't repeat that part. My being a General was interfering a bit a couple times this year. We had two sessions in December where we had just enough Extras on hand to grade and then one really wanted to leave early and couldn't as we'd then have to end the day.
My space can have six test takers and keep proper distance, so we split test days into multiple sessions. I therefore really need to become an Extra myself.
So, I bought an ARRL Extra manual and spent the last week reading it and going thru all the pool questions to be sure I had it. Some things are different and / or Old School for the ham world. So, I had to ensure I answered in that manner rather than in my RF design engineer manner.
The upshot is I was a test-taker yesterday rather than a VE. I passed handily. So, that takes care of that.
Stan
Congrats!Hi,
Ok. Update time. I'd already explained the VE thing a couple posts ago, so I won't repeat that part. My being a General was interfering a bit a couple times this year. We had two sessions in December where we had just enough Extras on hand to grade and then one really wanted to leave early and couldn't as we'd then have to end the day.
My space can have six test takers and keep proper distance, so we split test days into multiple sessions. I therefore really need to become an Extra myself.
So, I bought an ARRL Extra manual and spent the last week reading it and going thru all the pool questions to be sure I had it. Some things are different and / or Old School for the ham world. So, I had to ensure I answered in that manner rather than in my RF design engineer manner.
The upshot is I was a test-taker yesterday rather than a VE. I passed handily. So, that takes care of that.
Stan
I'm W8DSW. A simple Tech class. First licensed in 1998?
Ashamed to admit I ain't been on the radio in years.
Congratulations! That test was a difficult one, I studied for a couple of months, and I passed about 13 years ago. The morse code for my General wasn't as difficult.Hi,
Ok. Update time. I'd already explained the VE thing a couple posts ago, so I won't repeat that part. My being a General was interfering a bit a couple times this year. We had two sessions in December where we had just enough Extras on hand to grade and then one really wanted to leave early and couldn't as we'd then have to end the day.
My space can have six test takers and keep proper distance, so we split test days into multiple sessions. I therefore really need to become an Extra myself.
So, I bought an ARRL Extra manual and spent the last week reading it and going thru all the pool questions to be sure I had it. Some things are different and / or Old School for the ham world. So, I had to ensure I answered in that manner rather than in my RF design engineer manner.
The upshot is I was a test-taker yesterday rather than a VE. I passed handily. So, that takes care of that.
Stan
Enjoy the extra privileges!
DE NB2B
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Up here in Canada we don't have Extras. We have two main divisions: Basic and Advanced. There is a subcategory "With Honours" for those who do exceptionally well on the test. We still have a send-and-receive test for Morse Code but it's no longer mandatory unless one wants to be an examiner, in which case having the 5 wpm certification is required.
My Certificate of Proficiency in Amateur Radio (hanging just above my US license on the wall here) shows that I have Basic with Honours, Advanced and Morse Code qualifications.
My US license is General, and has been since about 1977.
O.H. (WB7PJR, VE7PJR, CH on the wire)
My Certificate of Proficiency in Amateur Radio (hanging just above my US license on the wall here) shows that I have Basic with Honours, Advanced and Morse Code qualifications.
My US license is General, and has been since about 1977.
O.H. (WB7PJR, VE7PJR, CH on the wire)
Hi,
Thanks, guys!
I have put the Extra off for 40 years. The main reason is it is an awful lot like my job has been since 1981. But now I had a window of not much radio R+D to do thanks to The Cootie. So, I decided to go ahead a month ago. Actually, I studied for all of a week. But, it was necessary as there are all sorts of things in the Ham test that do not align with what we do in professional radio world. I'd have done a lot worse without that week of studying. Maybe even failed the fool thing.
I began in Ham Radio in 1969 at the age of 8. KN2JXL was the original call, back when the N meant Novice. I had a year to upgrade but did not do so. So, I lost my licence and could not try again for a year (of penance imposed by the FCC). I was 15 before I tried again and so then was assigned WA2KQY. I did not repeat my mistake and took my General written a few months later. That got me a Technician (now called Plus) and that was Good Enough as I like V/UHF and microwave stuff.
A year after I got my Tech, I took my 2nd Class Radiotelephone test. I wanted to be able to service 2-way radios in the local fire departments. A year after that, I took my 1st Class test as I could then work at broadcast stations. In 1981, I was hired by IBM and began performing EMC testing. More Radio, essentially. In 1984, I picked up my Radar endorsement. I also spent at lot of my IBM time putting radios into portable and laptop PCs to form mobile terminals. In 1994, I left IBM for our radio vendor Ericsson/GE. From then on, radio was truly work.
But, as you can see, I skipped right over the Advanced and Extra all that time. And, by 1981, I was doing 25 WPM on the code so that wasn't stopping me. In the beginning, it was the treks from Poughkeepsie, NY to 201 Varick St in lower Manhattan that was the hurdle. Later, with FCC remote testing at hamfests, and the even later VE program, I was just out of interest - especially after the FCC gave me a free General after the code requirement was dropped.
But, beginning back in July, I wound up interested in being a VE myself and so found a very good reason to finally upgrade.
Stan
Thanks, guys!
I have put the Extra off for 40 years. The main reason is it is an awful lot like my job has been since 1981. But now I had a window of not much radio R+D to do thanks to The Cootie. So, I decided to go ahead a month ago. Actually, I studied for all of a week. But, it was necessary as there are all sorts of things in the Ham test that do not align with what we do in professional radio world. I'd have done a lot worse without that week of studying. Maybe even failed the fool thing.
I began in Ham Radio in 1969 at the age of 8. KN2JXL was the original call, back when the N meant Novice. I had a year to upgrade but did not do so. So, I lost my licence and could not try again for a year (of penance imposed by the FCC). I was 15 before I tried again and so then was assigned WA2KQY. I did not repeat my mistake and took my General written a few months later. That got me a Technician (now called Plus) and that was Good Enough as I like V/UHF and microwave stuff.
A year after I got my Tech, I took my 2nd Class Radiotelephone test. I wanted to be able to service 2-way radios in the local fire departments. A year after that, I took my 1st Class test as I could then work at broadcast stations. In 1981, I was hired by IBM and began performing EMC testing. More Radio, essentially. In 1984, I picked up my Radar endorsement. I also spent at lot of my IBM time putting radios into portable and laptop PCs to form mobile terminals. In 1994, I left IBM for our radio vendor Ericsson/GE. From then on, radio was truly work.
But, as you can see, I skipped right over the Advanced and Extra all that time. And, by 1981, I was doing 25 WPM on the code so that wasn't stopping me. In the beginning, it was the treks from Poughkeepsie, NY to 201 Varick St in lower Manhattan that was the hurdle. Later, with FCC remote testing at hamfests, and the even later VE program, I was just out of interest - especially after the FCC gave me a free General after the code requirement was dropped.
But, beginning back in July, I wound up interested in being a VE myself and so found a very good reason to finally upgrade.
Stan
Thanks for the information!Hi,
Thanks, guys!
I have put the Extra off for 40 years. The main reason is it is an awful lot like my job has been since 1981. But now I had a window of not much radio R+D to do thanks to The Cootie. So, I decided to go ahead a month ago. Actually, I studied for all of a week. But, it was necessary as there are all sorts of things in the Ham test that do not align with what we do in professional radio world. I'd have done a lot worse without that week of studying. Maybe even failed the fool thing.
I began in Ham Radio in 1969 at the age of 8. KN2JXL was the original call, back when the N meant Novice. I had a year to upgrade but did not do so. So, I lost my licence and could not try again for a year (of penance imposed by the FCC). I was 15 before I tried again and so then was assigned WA2KQY. I did not repeat my mistake and took my General written a few months later. That got me a Technician (now called Plus) and that was Good Enough as I like V/UHF and microwave stuff.
A year after I got my Tech, I took my 2nd Class Radiotelephone test. I wanted to be able to service 2-way radios in the local fire departments. A year after that, I took my 1st Class test as I could then work at broadcast stations. In 1981, I was hired by IBM and began performing EMC testing. More Radio, essentially. In 1984, I picked up my Radar endorsement. I also spent at lot of my IBM time putting radios into portable and laptop PCs to form mobile terminals. In 1994, I left IBM for our radio vendor Ericsson/GE. From then on, radio was truly work.
But, as you can see, I skipped right over the Advanced and Extra all that time. And, by 1981, I was doing 25 WPM on the code so that wasn't stopping me. In the beginning, it was the treks from Poughkeepsie, NY to 201 Varick St in lower Manhattan that was the hurdle. Later, with FCC remote testing at hamfests, and the even later VE program, I was just out of interest - especially after the FCC gave me a free General after the code requirement was dropped.
But, beginning back in July, I wound up interested in being a VE myself and so found a very good reason to finally upgrade.
Stan
Congratulations Iwas told by a couple of people in the area that I was too stupid to program an Icom HT. The person that said that was a Technician class. To this day he still is only a technician. I went on to earn my, Extra Class License and then became a VE Team Leader. I no longer do the testing due to health problems and I sure miss doing it. 73 de W6PEAHi,
Thanks, guys!
I have put the Extra off for 40 years. The main reason is it is an awful lot like my job has been since 1981. But now I had a window of not much radio R+D to do thanks to The Cootie. So, I decided to go ahead a month ago. Actually, I studied for all of a week. But, it was necessary as there are all sorts of things in the Ham test that do not align with what we do in professional radio world. I'd have done a lot worse without that week of studying. Maybe even failed the fool thing.
I began in Ham Radio in 1969 at the age of 8. KN2JXL was the original call, back when the N meant Novice. I had a year to upgrade but did not do so. So, I lost my licence and could not try again for a year (of penance imposed by the FCC). I was 15 before I tried again and so then was assigned WA2KQY. I did not repeat my mistake and took my General written a few months later. That got me a Technician (now called Plus) and that was Good Enough as I like V/UHF and microwave stuff.
A year after I got my Tech, I took my 2nd Class Radiotelephone test. I wanted to be able to service 2-way radios in the local fire departments. A year after that, I took my 1st Class test as I could then work at broadcast stations. In 1981, I was hired by IBM and began performing EMC testing. More Radio, essentially. In 1984, I picked up my Radar endorsement. I also spent at lot of my IBM time putting radios into portable and laptop PCs to form mobile terminals. In 1994, I left IBM for our radio vendor Ericsson/GE. From then on, radio was truly work.
But, as you can see, I skipped right over the Advanced and Extra all that time. And, by 1981, I was doing 25 WPM on the code so that wasn't stopping me. In the beginning, it was the treks from Poughkeepsie, NY to 201 Varick St in lower Manhattan that was the hurdle. Later, with FCC remote testing at hamfests, and the even later VE program, I was just out of interest - especially after the FCC gave me a free General after the code requirement was dropped.
But, beginning back in July, I wound up interested in being a VE myself and so found a very good reason to finally upgrade.
Stan
Brother, it wasn't me. I have an Icom HT, and I barely was able to program it! I'm still a Tech. The code stopped me from advancing. And by the time they did away with the code I'd been burned out by the politics of Emergency Services. Hams as a group are a pain. Their intelligence drops in relation to their numbers.
Farmer
That’s one of the same reasons that I no longer participate in a lot of the Ham Radio clubs here where I live. My wife and I are both hams my wife holds a General Class License. My. Uncle got me interested in Ham Radio. My wife and I both got our licenses. He was so happy that we both got our licenses.
My dad was my reason. He never was licensed, but made crystal sets when he was a kid during the Depression. We had a Short Wave receiver that he turned me on to when I was little. He'd always wanted to be a Ham, never had any money, and his ability to learn code was as bad as mine. He was so tickled when he heard me on the scanner on 2meter when I was first licensed.
73, W8DSW
