HAM Radio Starter Kit - Information for Beginners

[etrain16]

More HF!!!
Anyone needs any help or gear - let me know!

I have a couple nib Icom's I'll be letting go of soon when someone needs a nice station and tuner.

Sky Bounce Baby!

Haven't even touched HF yet. Probably will give it a go later down the road, maybe as I approach retirement and have a bit more time to dig into it.

 

[Jim Horn]

More HF!!!
Anyone needs any help or gear - let me know!

I have a couple nib Icom's I'll be letting go of soon when someone needs a nice station and tuner.

Sky Bounce Baby!

I do hope you describe them when the time comes. Having had my ticket since '75, I'm eager to finally get on HF besides the old Novice bands...

WB9SYN/7

 

[ATCclears]

FCC may be headed to charging a licensing fee, so if you're thinking about your amateur-radio license then this Fall would be a good time to get it done. You could use the $50 you saved on an inexpensive handheld transceiver.

FCC Proposes to Reinstate Amateur Radio Service Fees

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

www.arrl.org

 

[Lesliet]

Man, I had no idea it was so inexpensive to get handhelds. I got into radio a little bit, a few years back, with an interest in tube gear and antiques. Tested up and got my General, and then proceeded to not use it for anything, lacking time and money. Maybe I'll get a cheap hand-held, at least... thanks for the informative postings!

 

[ATCclears]

@Lesliet I like this little Baofeng BF-F8HP since it can provide 8 watts of transmitting power. A tad more punch to get the signal out there.

I also have this larger NA-771 antenna on it. Works great.

 

[sobo]

@Lesliet I like this little Baofeng BF-F8HP since it can provide 8 watts of transmitting power. A tad more punch to get the signal out there.

I also have this larger NA-771 antenna on it. Works great.

I just bought a pair of those exact same Baofengs and a Uniden Bearcat hand-held scanner (BC-125 AT). Haven't even really taken them outta the box yet.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

Thank you!

 

[cigars]

Man, I had no idea it was so inexpensive to get handhelds. I got into radio a little bit, a few years back, with an interest in tube gear and antiques. Tested up and got my General, and then proceeded to not use it for anything, lacking time and money. Maybe I'll get a cheap hand-held, at least... thanks for the informative postings!

The Baofeng's make it easy to get into ham. The earlier Baofeng's had their quirks but the later versions are pretty solid. Not as feature packed as the Yaesu's, Kenwoods, Icom's, etc., but they are great little radios that are very capable. The availability of the Baofeng's and similar made ham radio accessible to an entire new generation of users. Some people don't like that much but the air waves are for everybody.

 

[sobo]

The availability of the Baofeng's and similar made ham radio accessible to an entire new generation of users. Some people don't like that much but the air waves are for everybody.

You mean, y'all will let me on the air as well as posting here? Wow, is this a great country or what?

 

[cigars]

You mean, y'all will let me on the air as well as posting here? Wow, is this a great county or what?

Fortunately there is a test for ham radio. (Hey @Joe Link ....are you listenin'?)

edit: ha.

 

[EHJ]

You mean, y'all will let me on the air as well as posting here? Wow, is this a great county or what?

Simple test - no code necessary.

But seriously - the license and test...
I am not a pro paperwork guy. But on this instance the test is to protect what we have. There are a myriad of protocols and responsibilities to be a true licensed ham. One needs to really know what they are doing - it's a learning curve.

 

[AshWilliams]

I agree with being licensed and learning protocol and regulations, but electronic theory shouldn't be a large part of ham radio licensing in my opinion. Learning that impedence should never be vectored in a parallel has little to do with being a station operator, just as i shouldn't need to learn the intricacies of the internal combustion engine to operate a motor vehicle. Does it help, probably. Is it required, probably not. Just my own personal opinion.

 

[The Heretic]

I agree with being licensed and learning protocol and regulations, but electronic theory shouldn't be a large part of ham radio licensing in my opinion. Learning that impedence should never be vectored in a parallel has little to do with being a station operator, just as i shouldn't need to learn the intricacies of the internal combustion engine to operate a motor vehicle. Does it help, probably. Is it required, probably not. Just my own personal opinion.

Yes and no.

The lower level tests (IIRC) are less about electronics.

But setting up a higher power station does require some knowledge of RF propagation/etc., and you can screw things up such that it interferes with other's operations.

I think the primary idea there is to advance knowledge of the systems that make up a station such that licensees are interested enough to experiment and advance the art/science. Also, to prevent what happened with CB radio.

 

[sobo]

Also, to prevent what happened with CB radio.

What happened to CB radio?

 

[EHJ]

What happened to CB radio?

You know how folks thought it cute and handy to put their kiddos in a ball pit, unsupervised?

You ever have to CLEAN one of these ball pits??

It's like that.

Examining ball pits as a playground for pathogenic germs

Ball pits used in children's physical therapy -- similar to those made popular by restaurants catering to families -- may contribute to germ transmission between patients, according to new research.

www.sciencedaily.com

 

[sobo]

Still not following you, @EHJ. Do I need more coffee?

Did CB radio just get "dirty" or sump'n?

 

[EHJ]

Still not following you, @EHJ. Do I need more coffee?

Did CB radio just get "dirty" or sump'n?

"CB" (11 meters) became an unregulated cesspool of dysfunction.
Kinda like how seemingly innocent strolls through Portland turned out.

 

[sobo]

Ahhhhhhhhh... thanks. Never had one nor followed it at all. My entire exposure to CB radio was C.W. McCalls' song Convoy and the movie Smoky and the Bandit.

 

[The Heretic]

What happened to CB radio?

Chaos

 

[The Heretic]