HAM Radio Starter Kit - Information for Beginners

[jlhopwo]

I've heard local Hams as young as 10 on here from time to time. I'm trying to get my kids to get their licenses as well, but it's tough to get them to do the homework required. (I've been trying to get all 8 of my kids working on it with zero success...)

When I took my tech test last Sunday, there was a kid in front of me around 7 or 8, and one next to me around 12 or so.

 

[JackThompson]

I have been away from this forum for a very long time, but during that time I earned my technician general amateur radio license.

For my first rig I avoided the cheap HTs, but instead for a no-nonsense VHF mobile rig. The Yaesu FT2900r is very tough, big display and easier to operate. Once I got comfortable building antennas, talking with folks on the repeaters, etc. I bought a couple Baofeng UV5rs. One was DOA with a bad mic, but I returned for a good one. I would have gone nuts thinking I was doing something wrong if my first radio had that busted mic.

Imagine teaching a new shooter with an unreliable gun - you probably wouldn't recommend it.

I view the chinese HTs like dollar store flashlights. They are cheap enough we all should have a couple, and keep them in our kits. They have an important place, but there's way more to the hobby.

For HF I setup a modest station. At the Puyallup hamfest last year I got an IC-737 for $275. The audio filters are a bit lacking, but it's got 100watts, and I mainly run digital modes using a USB signalink. In addition to casual QSOs over PSK31, I volunteer with my city emcomm team and we regularly use RMS Express and Winmor to send email over HF.

All my base station antennas are home brew. For VHF/UHF I am a big fan of jpoles. I have built both the copper cactus style as well as 450ohm ladder line. For HF I prefer resonant wire dipoles where I can use them.

I could keep going with all the wonderful stuff I've learned in the last 18 months, but that'd hijack the thread.

If folks have any questions on setting up rig control or wiring up a signalink link with an older (early 1990s) rig, I'm happy to share my notes.

After taking a pack of UV-5R's into the mountains with lapel mics for a hunting party to communicate and having the mics drops randomly and having two radios have the "Fail to transmit" bug you spoke of, I can definitely say I wouldn't count on these radios in a tactical situation at all.

Luckily I had plenty of spares so we had some to replace the broken ones, but that didn't help the scouting hunter while he was in the woods....

*EDIT*
Although in a recent cross-country drive with 3 vehicles I had a Kenwood HT hiccup on me, requiring a reboot and 2 sets of battery swaps to get resolved.

My Yaesu HT worked like a champ though.

So I guess, even if you think you have a fancy radio, keep a spare backup or two.

 

[PenTurner]

You guys are terrible!!! Like I need another hobby!!!

With that said, I passed my Technician and General exams last night over in Salem. I have a Handheld transceiver (Baofeng UV-82) coming in the mail from Amazon. Now I just have to wait for my call sign to show up in the FCC database.

Ron

 

[3MTA3]

You guys are terrible!!! Like I need another hobby!!!

With that said, I passed my Technician and General exams last night over in Salem. I have a Handheld transceiver (Baofeng UV-82) coming in the mail from Amazon. Now I just have to wait for my call sign to show up in the FCC database.

Ron

Congrats!

 

[Pukwudji]

Check out the baofeng UV-5R (on Amazon). Cheap little radio that works well. Accessories are cheap too.

When I did this 10 years ago I printed out the question pool and studied it for a couple weeks. Then the day before I tested I decided I should look at the General pool, because it doesn't cost any more to take the second test if you pass the first. The General test builds off the tech test with very little real new content. I aced the tech and ended up only missing a couple on the general and that's only with a few hours to read through the question pool.

I still remember my first transmit. With the way the repeaters were set up I ended up chatting with folks sailing in Puget sound from Hillsboro on 2 meters. That was fun.

 

[cigars]

When I took my tech test last Sunday, there was a kid in front of me around 7 or 8, and one next to me around 12 or so.

My daughter got hers when she was 12. She just studied on hamexam.org.

 

[PenTurner]

Sounds about like what I did. I downloaded the question pool for all three exams. Went through the questions for Technician one weekend, googling any terms I was unfamiliar with then doing the exam test on AA9PW FCC Exam Practice » Amateur Radio Exam Practice until I passed repeatedly with no more that 4 or 5 answers wrong. Then I spent a week doing the same for the General test. I was on Submarines back in the 80s, and the electronic training I received is still up in the old noggin, I just had to shake out the cobwebs, lol.

I should be getting my Baofeng UV-82 today or tomorrow. I also ordered the better antenna, programming cable, Radio Speaker, and and the ARRL Amateur Extra training manual. I will probably just listen for a while before I broadcast, I don't want to embarrass myself

Ron

 

[jlhopwo]

As soon as I passed technician, I started taking the general practice tests. O M G! I'm getting clobbered! It's like it's in some kind of foreign language! Much much harder than technician. IMHO.

 

[Pukwudji]

Try reading the question pool with answers. It takes a couple hours, but that helped me start acting the practice tests.

 

[ATCclears]

A review of the Commradio CTX-10.
CommRadio CTX-10: Tiny Radio, Huge Capability

CTX-10 QRP-10W HF Transceiver

 

[cigars]

There's a lot to like with that but not for a $1000 buck-a-roonies.

 

[ATCclears]

@ravenswood Frank, any recommendations for an inexpensive SDR for receive-only? I've seen this on Amazon and am curious, but am unsure how well it actually works.

https://amzn.to/2DFfwgh

 

[PenTurner]

Hi Frank,

Thanks for all of the SDR info above. This looks interesting to me.

I passed my Amateur Extra exam a couple of months ago and got a new call sign (AG7PX). I also signed up to be a Volunteer Examiner for the Salem team (Part of the GLAARG Group).

 

[ATCclears]

The Jungle Antenna Revisited: Task and Purpose for the Partisan and Prepper

 

[Mooseman]

Hello to all Hams from KL1DA... "Killed Like 1 Dead Animal" is my Callsign.
General class since 2001
73's

 

[Mooseman]

You're closer to me (Oregon) than some spots in Texas, yet still count as DX.

Whatever in the world made you decide to live in Alaska? It's honestly probably the last State I'd choose. Brrrrrrr!

I am in Oklahoma now and I miss Alaska after 30 years of living there. It is not as cold there as people think but we don't tell everybody ! lol . The people are great, the Hunting and fishing is best in the world and its a very gun friendly state. Oklahoma just gets too hot for me in summer.. I rather be "Chillin" while I'm grillin'...

 

[AshWilliams]

I am in Oklahoma now and I miss Alaska after 30 years of living there. It is not as cold there as people think but we don't tell everybody ! lol . The people are great, the Hunting and fishing is best in the world and its a very gun friendly state. Oklahoma just gets too hot for me in summer.. I rather be "Chillin" while I'm grillin'...

I've been eyeing Akaska for some time now, but my friend who visited there said it works be insane to move there, namely the darkness and dry cold. Talk me into it man!

BTW, cheers and 73s. Fellow ham operator here.

 

[Mooseman]

I've been eyeing Akaska for some time now, but my friend who visited there said it works be insane to move there, namely the darkness and dry cold. Talk me into it man!

BTW, cheers and 73s. Fellow ham operator here.

Alaska is a Ham operators heaven , lots of Hams, nets, DX to the world, I was in south Central Alaska and we got 6 hours of daylight during december but 24 during june to fish , gold prospect, etc. Its actually great being dry when an open bag of tater chips is still crispy a week later. It is however more of a younger stronger mans Country, but it's Gods Country ! When its cold, you can add more clothes, but when its hot here in Oklahoma, i can only take off so much and not get arrested and still be burning up. lol
Try working some 80 meter DX or 20 Meter DX to Alaska and talk to the Hams up there and see what they say. I would still be there if the Disabled Veteran Lady I care for could be there But Doctors had her move south because she can't be cooped up all winter and she couldn't walk on snow or Ice. So we bought a Nice 9 acre farm/ranch here for less than the cost of a new Pickup truck and it had a 1200 sq ft shop for me and a 1500 sq ft House for us ! I would rather be in Alaska myself enjoying the cold crisp clean air !

 

[AshWilliams]

"So we bought a Nice 9 acre farm/ranch here for less than the cost of a new Pickup truck and it had a 1200 sq ft shop for me and a 1500 sq ft House for us!"

That's what I'm talking about!

 

[Crohnos01]

I've been eyeing Akaska for some time now, but my friend who visited there said it works be insane to move there, namely the darkness and dry cold. Talk me into it man!

BTW, cheers and 73s. Fellow ham operator here.

• Hey; I just got my Technician license and I keep hearing folks using the '73' jargon on the radio. Mind telling a greenhorn what that means exactly?