Amateur Radio Operators need only check in. Curious? Keep reading

[Stomper]

K**** here, my interest in radio started at an early age, we lived in the desert the only entertainment was board games and am radio , my curiosity grew from am radio into HF/ SW listening on a old multi band given to me. I lost interest about the time I hit puberty I found girls much more I interesting. Many years later, found myself in the jungles of South America, where the only way to communicate was HF, or vhf relayed comms. I have a small unimpressive HF and vhf radio/ computer room and occasionally work a few bands a couple of times a week

OMG…. don't get me started about the TACAN sites in Central America!!!

 

[Kruel J]

K7KTE here, technician card. No interest in HF so I won't take it any further. I barely use it since my father passed away, he was really into it.

 

[Nutty4Guns]

.

 

[kopcicle]

Hello @kopcicle . Yup. There are lots of women members of NWFA. Including a fair number who post actively on the forum. Some have obviously female handles. Most dont.

Some have obviously female handles. Most dont. For obvious reasons I'm afraid. It's a strange world we live in.

For immediate release and distribution, I am a foul minded curmudgeon and unapologetic dirty old man. I am also very and happily married.

If ever I can assist with, PM and I or the wife will help as we can.

 

[kopcicle]

K7KTE here, technician card. No interest in HF so I won't take it any further. I barely use it since my father passed away, he was really into it.

Well, if nothing else SHTF radio. I get it, the bug doesn't bite everyone.
These days I'm learning to appreciate HF radio for its individual, boots on the ground, unfiltered, news. That kind of thing is getting harder and harder to find.

 

[redmond]

N7AHE - Amateur Extra, VE. Mostly HF but have VHF/UHF radios as well.

 

[wombatz]

KJ7QEM
73!

 

[Kruel J]

Well, if nothing else SHTF radio. I get it, the bug doesn't bite everyone.
These days I'm learning to appreciate HF radio for its individual, boots on the ground, unfiltered, news. That kind of thing is getting harder and harder to find.

That's pretty much what I have it for these days. I used to enjoy QSO's with my father but after he passed I lost interest. When I travel I usually bring an HT just in case.

 

[kopcicle]

That's pretty much what I have it for these days. I used to enjoy QSO's with my father but after he passed I lost interest.

Most of the people that guided and pointed me to amateur radio are SK. I maintained a close working relationship with radio communications in service, radar, maritime, land mobile, and broadcast, for decades before being nearly dared to take the exams 10 years ago. Now the greatest enjoyment is licensing new hams.

I hung a loop under the eaves of the house and connected it to a SGC SG-230. It talks okay but listening through all the man-made switching supply noise suxors.

 

[Kruel J]

Most of the people that guided and pointed me to amateur radio are SK. I maintained a close working relationship with radio communications in service, radar, maritime, land mobile, and broadcast, for decades before being nearly dared to take the exams 10 years ago. Now the greatest enjoyment is licensing new hams.

I hung a loop under the eaves of the house and connected it to a SGC SG-230. It talks okay but listening through all the man-made switching supply noise suxors.

I checked into a local net that my father was a regular in to let everyone know he was SK.

That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

 

[saread]

KF7OYC. General. I've got a NIB IC-7200 in the garage I've not been able to figure out an antenna for. HF will have to wait until I can engineer my way out of the conundrum.

 

[OldBroad44]

Some have obviously female handles. Most dont. For obvious reasons I'm afraid. It's a strange world we live in.

For immediate release and distribution, I am a foul minded curmudgeon and unapologetic dirty old man. I am also very and happily married.

If ever I can assist with, PM and I or the wife will help as we can.

Most of the male NWFA members don't have obviously male handles either. There's little or no harassment of females on the NWFA site. Would that the rest of the internet met the standards of NWFA! The major difference in treatment is that newcomers with obviously females handles tend to get welcomed onto the forum more enthusiastically and by more of us, both men and women. We want the new women to realize they are welcome here and won't be abused as tends to happen on the rest of the internet. We're also more explicitly welcoming of newcomers to guns who tell us that they are new at guns. They, too, might start with doubts about whether they are welcome. It's important they feel free to ask beginnerly questions and get all the help they need. As for being a bit raunchy at times, yeah, well, we're human after all. But there is a difference in the styles of raunchiness usually acceptable in a mixed audience as opposed to an all-male or an all-female audience. Mostly we're pretty good at remembering that. Sometimes someone forgets and needs to be reminded. It doesn't cause the heat death of the universe.

 

[crstrode]

Yes - as the original post says, it is not hard.

Test questions are very simple, are all provided in advance, with all of the correct answers included.

Morse code exams are no longer required.

No skill or proficiency of any kind is required.

To say the standards have been watered down is an insult to water.

 

[kopcicle]

Yes - as the original post says, it is not hard.

Test questions are very simple, are all provided in advance, with all of the correct answers included.

Morse code exams are no longer required.

No skill or proficiency of any kind is required.

To say the standards have been watered down is an insult to water.

"To say the standards have been watered down is an insult to water."

It is what it is. I know I'm technically superior to more than a few extra class licenses but in awe of the accomplishments of many more.

Here, just for you.

https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/vizwarz-or-only-your-barista-knows-for-sure.594793/

My wife proclaims to be a paper extra but wears it with pride. In any case she's in no danger of having her ego bruised by a self-righteous lifelong ham any more than she is danger to herself or others.
I do remember that my GROL test was a PITA. It took three tries.
However, my extra exam came on the heels of the tech and general on the same day. I barely studied and as a consequence I became an extra in 2 hours or 45 years. Take your pick.*

I do think that the watering down of the license rests in part with us, the current licensees. If we fail to teach, no one learns. My name is on every one of the hundreds of CSCE's I've signed along with my callsign. I have been very liberal with giving out personal information to new hams so that they have someone to help them. For me it doesn't end with the exam.

*note: I passed the extra exam by one question

 

[BlindedByScience]

Not intended to derail the thread, figured this audience would appreciate it;

 

[Stomper]

Most of the male NWFA members don't have obviously male handles either. There's little or no harassment of females on the NWFA site. Would that the rest of the internet met the standards of NWFA! The major difference in treatment is that newcomers with obviously females handles tend to get welcomed onto the forum more enthusiastically and by more of us, both men and women. We want the new women to realize they are welcome here and won't be abused as tends to happen on the rest of the internet. We're also more explicitly welcoming of newcomers to guns who tell us that they are new at guns. They, too, might start with doubts about whether they are welcome. It's important they feel free to ask beginnerly questions and get all the help they need. As for being a bit raunchy at times, yeah, well, we're human after all. But there is a difference in the styles of raunchiness usually acceptable in a mixed audience as opposed to an all-male or an all-female audience. Mostly we're pretty good at remembering that. Sometimes someone forgets and needs to be reminded. It doesn't cause the heat death of the universe.

 

[Cerberus Group]

For those wanting to get their license or upgrade, here's the online team I'm part of...

HamStudy.org: Find an Exam Session

Prepare for your ham radio test for free with stats-driven flash cards, question lists, explanations, and practice tests.

ham.study

 

[USP_45_fan]

KC7*** here.
First became interested when I was 'overseas' in 80's and saw a guy keyboarding to several other stations. Was interested in the ability to send Email, from whatever dunghole or water feature I was in. With delivery in minutes. This was before satellite phones. Got my Tech shortly after. Then learned the Morse Code to get General.
The tech test I just went through the questions and looked up the ones I didn't know.
The general (written ) was easy for me. I learned the Morse Code using tapes and flash cards during a two-month-long stint at a remote site. I used a system (Code-Quick) that taught the code as a musical tune rather than Dit-Dah. Kinda like getting a quirky song stuck in your head. ha!

Active on -UHF-VHF-HF - ARES, APRS, Winlink, FLdigi, and several sound-card modes. It doesn't take an antenna farm. You wouldn't know it if you drove by my house.

 

[BWH]

KG7MAV ready to test out at General if I can find a location locally.
I can wrap around into Lapine on Peak from Prospect Hill on 2 meter via Walker Mt.
Have not tried the 70cm path yet.

 

[CountryGent]

Amateur technician and GMRS licensed. Honestly, it has been a while since I've messed around with anything radio. Not so much lack of interest, just so damn shot up for time.