OT - Ham?

bsaride · Post by **bsaride** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:35 pm

Just passed my Amateur Radio Technician exam.

Have to wait about a week for license to show up.

Have to wait about 6 weeks before I can buy a radio (gettin rifle paid off next month and paid once a month).

How many others here are amateur radio ham's?

Jay

don Tomás · Post by **don Tomás** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:59 pm

Congratulations!
Tom

adirondakjack · Post by **adirondakjack** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:09 pm

Yep, got into it back in the early 90s. Ours was the last class of "code" novices Took the General test a year later (13 wpm code, etc) and the advanced a short while later.

73 de KF2OR. The phonetics would be "Kinda fun to operate radio", a neat call to use when on 10M calling around the world, like we did when the sunspots were hot in the 90s, and I had a 75' tower and homemade 7 el. 10M yagi up. Worked Austrailia on 10 watts. That was some fun. Other hobbies and the loss of a place to put the tower caused me to go silent, but I still have a 2M yuasu 50w mobile and a mag mount around here, in case of a natural disaster

pshort · Post by **pshort** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:54 pm

Howdy, (.... ..)
Congratulations KA0IAB here.
Got my ticket in '78, (I think!) (-.-. .-. ...)
I've spent a bunch of time doing satellites and vhf/uhf.

73,
Paul

Hairy Clipper · Post by **Hairy Clipper** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:58 am

Licensed since 1972 here...Congratulations!

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:20 am

I got licensed in 1994 or thereabouts, but by the time I got a radio I'd forgotten most of what I needed to know to work it (tones and offsets and repeater stuff). In seeking to learn what I need to know, I have been really treated rudely by a couple experienced radio operators (who I know are not likely representative of the community), so I'm kind of like the folks who get treated snotty by a macho gun-shop-dude and say to heck with guns. From the traffic I hear locally, it does seem kind of an 'inner circle' thing and hard to break into, as well.

Post by **Hobie** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:31 am

Radio might be a good thing to have... just sayin'...

How many here called home on MARS? Those folks did a lot for people.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:36 am

Dang... and I was getting hungry just looking at the topic!

k8bor · Post by **k8bor** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:39 am

General Class - 1987

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:17 am

twice lapsed. was KN7RKO in the early '60s.... used to build rigs out of dead tvs. with vaccuum tubes. look it up!

then I was WL7BDN while I was fishing in Alaska. The dot gov changed the regs and eliminated the renewable novice ticket, so I got chopped by the government again.

I used to run 10m voice around the world from my boat, and lots of code ops. I used to love morse code, the part everyone seemed to hate. Had a cross band, cross mode qso with an east german voice operator who came back to my cw break.... I was keying the mic of my ssb rig....

any other mobile operators around? I had a few qsos with pilots, couple of air force guys and a commercial pilot and a private pilot or two. some rare long-haul heavy metal haulers pass the time yakking with us earthlings....

k8bor · Post by **k8bor** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:48 am

Our club does a number of civil service gigs here in town every year, which I take part in.

My hamming will increase dramatically again as soon as I retire in a few years. So far, the most fun I've had with it was the first three or four years I was licensed operating CW. I was running an HW-9 QRP rig I built with a multi-band dipole, and did a lot of the world with 5 watts. Selling that radio was as stupid as selling your grandfather's Winchester!

Billaz · Post by **Billaz** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 11:22 am

Congratulations Bsaride!
extra class, licensed in 81.
ka7koq
73
Billaz

JReed · Post by **JReed** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:21 pm

Congatulations.

I need to retest let mine expire a few years ago and been kicking my self since.

Idahoser · Post by **Idahoser** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:24 pm

Not using it much, but I got the ticket. .- .--- ....- . --

salvo · Post by **salvo** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:31 pm

Congrats on your Tech Ticket!
Extra Class here.

don Tomás · Post by **don Tomás** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 3:41 pm

Well, been a ham long enough that I started by dipping grids and such. My elmer told me that I should get an ARC-5 (HF xmtr part of WWII Command Set used in planes) and build my own antenna tuner out of the roller inductors. Bought 2 from Fair Radio (still in business - great surplus military gear), Lima OH, which came to me brand new and still in the original 1943 packing. Built a power supply and got them on the air (CW) which knocked out every TV for blocks around! When I was stationed on Okinawa, helped out with Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) which was a way for servicemen to call home without cost. When I got out of the service, I carried 2 meter rig in the patrol car for 21 years. Have been active in RTTY, Packet, Amtor, G-Tor, PSK31 and other digital modes, but the last few years I've only been on HF CW, even though I'm totally lousy at it. Gone from towers and beams to a simple folded dipole strung up between 2 pine trees. I bet if you go to a local ham meeting, folks will be falling all over themselves to give/lend you gear to get you up and running. Hams is good folks, just like levergunners!

Tom

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 11:18 pm

Congratulations!

Yep if you're new you need to find a club to learn some of the fine points. Not to mention that certain of the bunch will get kind of testy if a newbie that ain't payin club dues start usin the club repeater with out helping with the cost. that's where some folks are treated rudely. Dues are usually $15 to 25 or so but I think with some it's more a mater of principal.

de KE4VBB

Jaguarundi · Post by **Jaguarundi** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:27 pm

Congrats

!Rusty bringsup a good point.A Club is good for Elmers with gear and support.A multiband radio would be a good investment.I am a AMSAT life member #2348 and also luv the 6 meter "Magic Band".My best QSL was for astronaut voice contact via the ISS.The sky is the limit

73 de KI4JVK

bsaride · Post by **bsaride** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:19 pm

Jaguarundi wrote:Congrats !Rusty bringsup a good point.A Club is good for Elmers with gear and support.A multiband radio would be a good investment.I am a AMSAT life member #2348 and also luv the 6 meter "Magic Band".My best QSL was for astronaut voice contact via the ISS.The sky is the limit 73 de KI4JVK

Nice!

I contacted the local club just over a year ago, then didn't have time to commit to it.
My brother contacted me a the beginning of the year and said his church had someone
doing a class so I joined the class with my bro. Two weeks ago I was contacted by the
local club again and will likely go there next month.

I am looking at Yaesu FT-7800R for the car and truck (instructor recommended because
he can setup and program for me). Yaesu VX-8R handheld because I want the GPS option
for solo hunting (primary hunting style).

Jay

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:29 am

I'll have to plead ignorance to all the programed stuff. My first radio after I got my ticket was a Standard 158 HT with outside power it would transmit 5 watts on 2M. I used it handheld, mobile fed into the roof mounted mag mount, and at home fed into a Ringo Ranger on top of a 20' pole.

The key is to listen and learn to play with antennas. Now days there aren't many kits like there were in the old days and antennas are the cheapest thing to start playing with anyway. Parts from the junk yard will make perfectly workable improvements over what you can buy off the shelf for 1/100th the price.

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