Hams?

[eupher61]

I can't find the thread, but I seem to remember some discussion of rag chewin' on here. I just passed my Technician class test, not in the ULS yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Anyone have any experience with EchoLink as a starter avenue?

73

[Alex F]

Don't cry, Wade . . . It's OK

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=hc7HoWEk6y8" target="_blank

[jhedrick]

Not as a starter - spend some time on your local 2 meter repeater (shudder) to get the hang of it first.

Jim - AB8PV

[eupher61]

Problem is, I have no radio, and really don't need to afford it right now...

Is EchoLink a viable alternative to start??

[Rick Denney]

Problem is, I have no radio, and really don't need to afford it right now...

Is EchoLink a viable alternative to start??

I suppose, especially if there are people you want to talk to. But echolink violates, in my thinking at least, the underlying fun of being a ham, which is to talk to people without borrowing or renting any intervening infrastructure.

By the way, congratulations on getting your ticket.

Advice: Join your local club. My enjoyment of ham radio would have been soured by the idiots who discuss it online had it not been for the guidance I received from local guys. Some of them are a bit crusty, but many will jump at the chance to show you the ropes if you act like you care to receive instruction (I know I don't have to give advice like that to you, Steve). Most cities have more than one local club, so find the one that has the most fun.

Further advice: When you talk to the local guys, profess to be learning Morse code. Even if your learning program is as haphazard as mine has been, keep saying it. It will keep you out of trouble, heh, heh.

If your club puts an effort in a contest (or even a pretend contest like Field Day), be sure to participate. Other people will bring equipment and you'll get a chance to operate high-end stuff with high-end instruction. Plus, it's lots of fun. It's the geek equivalent of a fishing trip.

But amateur radio is a million miles wide, and everyone has to find their own niche. Some are into DX (making contact with people from other countries). Some are into emergency communications. Some are into contests, and there are a zillion of them. Some are into public-service events, like working parades, bike rides, marathons, and so on. Some get out there on the fringe, and you might find them on a mountain, having thrown a wire over a tree and trying to make DX contacts using CW at 5 watts under battery power. Some are into building their own stuff, and don't even care to operate much. Others would only hurt themselves with a soldering iron. Try a little of it all before you start getting pushed into a narrow definition of ham radio.

My advice is to avoid making a common first mistake: Do not buy a handheld radio as your first rig. You will find that the combination of low power and lousy antenna will make it hard to get into the local repeaters unless you're standing right under them. My HT was my fourth or fifth radio, and still I only use it at club events.

The second common mistake is to participate in the forums at eham.net and QRZ.com. Don't do it. You will be punished for having an opinion by people who will punish you solely because of what they read about you in the ULS. At its worst, Tubenet is nothing but sweetness and light compared to QRZ on its best day. Read it if you want, but those forums are cesspools of negativity. I could not hang on for more than a few months, and I'm glad I ran away while I still could.

By the way, new 2-meter rigs from Yaesu and Icom can be had for under $160. Plug a $35 MFJ 2m/.7m magnet-mount antenna on the roof of the car, and you'll have a working rig you can use to keep up with the local club guys. That's where most new hams start. At 50 watts and with an acceptable antenna, you won't have the limitations of an HT, and it will be cheaper, too. In fact, ask around that local club--you might scare up something used, or even a loaner, until you're ready to spend a little money. When you start buying more serious radios, email or PM me. There are ways to get super quality stuff for far less than what most people thing.

Start studying for General. Unless you are only into emergency communications, or rag-chewing with the local truckers, you'll want to be able to play in the HF bands.

Rick "KR9D" Denney

[eupher61]

duplicate yet incomplete post

[eupher61]

Oh yeah, General will come soon enough, but I have other things to get accomplished first. Like cleaning up my desk area...that'll take several weeks, by itself.

My brother's had his ticket since the late 50s, Rick, but he's not active at the moment. All his stuff is at his "ex-" home in Fairfax, but I think I've spurred him into working on getting it back.

I'm planning to get involved with at least one area club, and ARES too. The guys that taught the class are the local ARES coordinator and asst. coordinator, for this county, and the state president of APRS and repeater coordinator for the state of KS. They should be of some help!! They're obviously into ES, but they do a lot of community work and just plain CQ too. I went to Field Day in June, had no clue as to what was going on but was extremely impressed with the club's rigs. Very cool...they do a lot of weather work around here too, being in tornado country. And, they both said code is not their strength by a longshot...

I haven't browsed the QRZ forums yet, but I will be cautious when I do. The practice tests linked there were incredibly helpful, though.

Thanks for the advice! --... ...--

[Rick Denney]

Oh yeah, General will come soon enough, but I have other things to get accomplished first. Like cleaning up my desk area...that'll take several weeks, by itself.

Yeah, I also used the QRZ practice tests, and I very frequently browse the eham.net equipment reviews. The web sites are useful, but the forums are what forums are. I do three contests with clubs each year: Field Day, and the June and September VHF QSO parties. The VHF contests are mountaintop camping trips, but I put a lot of effort into Field Day. This year, I was the 20m SSB band captain, and for the first time, we really had a great antenna arrangement. Look for us in the top three clubs nationwide in the 5A category. Those results will be in the ARRL magazine, QST, which you'll get as a member (and it's worthwhile to be a member).

In addition to the practice tests on QRZ, I also studied using HamTestOnline, which is a directed study program that drills you on the questions you do not answer correctly. I was professionally curious about the teaching method, and had decided to go all the way to Extra, and it helped me solidify what I thought I already knew, in addition to drilling me on FCC rules.

My club is a FISTS club, and the club's mail list admin signs his emails with "May the Morse be with you." So, that lets you know how they feel about it here. But they don't really demand that everyone know it, they just demand that everyone respect it. No problem, heh, heh.

If you need someone to go fetch that stuff in Fairfax, let me know. I have a truck.

We do a lot of Skywarn stuff around here, but it's just been a bridge too far for me to go through the training for Skywarn and ARES. I can never commit to being available for anything on any given day, it seems. I'll do it eventually, though I must admit that some of the emergency comm guys do take themselves mighty seriously. That said, I do have quite a remote capability, with portable towers, batteries, rigs, powerpole connections on everything, and so on. We use that stuff on Field Day, too.

I'm getting ready to install my first HF beam, as soon as I can get redheaded approval for an acceptable tower location. I'm using an AB-577 military field antenna tower and a home-built five-band hex-beam antenna on a Ham III rotator. That will give me a 2-element yagi on the five bands from 10 to 20 meters at about 50 feet, which should play quite well if my trees to don't soak it all up. Should improve my signal on 20 meters by anywhere from 4 to 12 dB compared to my current multi-resonant dipole. The toys in amateur radio really are a lot of fun.

Rick "knowing of several other hams who frequent Tubenet" Denney

[eupher61]

KD0EVT!!!!!!

damn, first day with the new ID....

[Brassdad]

Or really decent, cheap beer.

Sheesh. Now I'm going to cry.

I hate to see a grown Pachyderm cry...



or you can relive your youth....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cz3qITy ... re=related

[Rick Denney]

KD0ETV!!!!!!

Uh, you wanna check that again?

Rick "noting that hams have no privacy" Denney

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Hey Steve...some guy named Mike is asking about your callsign over on QRZ forums...just like a week ago.

KD0ETV???

[eupher61]

nope....mistyped, and thanks to RD I corrected it. EVT it is...

sheesh

[Brucom]

N8QMS, over.

[lgb&dtuba]

N4SVZ until my new call comes in.

[OldsRecording]

N8QMS, over.

NRBQ, roger wilcox, over and under...

[eupher61]

Code is no longer required for anyone, which is why I was able to pass! I've tried learning code on my own several times over the years, so far I know SOS and 73.

The Technician class test is $14. That gives you privileges to use limited bands, but it's plenty to get started with. The General and Extra tests both cost more than that I think, but don't quote me yet.

I've mentioned that my bro got his Novice ticket back in the late 50s or early 60s. I remember his shack, it was very similar to your description, Wade. Fortunately, more stuff is available as a single unit now, solid state and easy to set up.

The test is actually easy enough...www.qrz.com has sample tests, and I think they cover every possible question on the Technician test, 300+ or so possible, 35 on the actual test. The class I took was a spoonfeeding session, taught completely to the test although the whole thing was quite well done, enjoyable, and informative. I bought "Ham Radio for Dummies" and it actually seems to be a good resource. I think I could've read that book and done the test with no problem.

Just do a search for "Ham Radio Club" in your area, Wade, and you'll find a class and test times. Around here, a couple of clubs do testing every month at a public library.

[SplatterTone]

with a moonscraper antenna. It no longer works, mostly tubes,

The Moonraker was a well known CB beam antenna. If this is CB stuff, with tubes, might it perchance be of the Browning Golden Eagle persuasion?
http://tinyurl.com/6gokr9
If so, I imagine it would be of interest to collectors. In it's day, the Golden Eagle line was considered top dog by many. In the early to mid 70's, which was the prime of the CB era, Moonraker made some absolutely huge beams. A Golden Eagle / Moonraker setup would have been as good as it gets. Then a sunspot cycle came along and caused so much "skip" of all those AM transmissions that all one heard was constant heterodynes. That killed CB as an area-of-town, round-table chat room. And, as far as I know, it never recovered.

[eupher61]

we're talking HAM, guys, not CB. you know, the ones that NEED A LICENSE!

[SplatterTone]

Back in the good old days, CB was very much like 2 meter ham was in its good old days. And that is coming from a genuine 20 word per minute extra class licensee.