HAM Radio Starter Kit - Information for Beginners

[sprocket3]

I'm trying to get my almost 9 year old son through the tech level now. Are there very many youngsters on the radio around here?

 

[AMProducts]

This paramilitary organization called the Boyscouts used to offer a merit badge for it.

 

[Frankenrifle]

Looks like you guys just convinced me. Now to get studying.

 

[wichaka]

Try these sites for studying...no need to buy any books;

eham, aa9pw, hamexam.org, hamtestonline, hamstudy.org, kb6nu.com

 

[CatCow]

When speaking on HAM frequencies you are required to give your call sign at the beginning of your transmission and every 10 minutes during a conversation.

Wonderful post, and a very useful hobby - but the quoted text above isn't quite right - you ID every 10 minutes and at the END of a conversation. Your call sign will probably go out at the beginning when you call the other person, but it isn't legally required.

If you are interested in ham radio, be sure to check out the local clubs and come out to the monthly meetings.

East Multnomah County - Hoodview Amateur Radio Club http://www.wb7qiw.org/, meets at Mt Hood Community College on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:30pm.

Portland - Portland Amateur Radio Club http://www.w7lt.org/, meets in the basement auditorium of the Liberty Center building at NE 7th and Holliday on the 4th Friday of the month at 7:30pm.

West side - Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club http://www.otvarc.org, looks to meet at a church on NW Cornell Rd on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7pm.

And then there is the Amateur Radio Emergency Services groups. Multnomah County ARES http://www.multnomahares.org/ meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at 7pm at Portland Fire Training Center and Fire Station 2 on NE 122nd just north of Sandy. I'm afraid I don't have the info for the other ARES groups in the area handy right now.

Coming up at the end of next month is the ARRL Field Day http://www.arrl.org/field-day, a rather busy event that is part contest, part emergency exercise, where you spend 24 hours in the field running off of batteries. PARC participates from a site on top of Kelly Butte on the roof of the old city nuclear bunker. Just about every club will set up somewhere, and lots of individuals doing it from home, or from a park, or even some lightweight gear and go camping or hiking for the weekend and do it from the forest.

 

[JackThompson]

I'm trying to get my almost 9 year old son through the tech level now. Are there very many youngsters on the radio around here?

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...)

 

[CatCow]

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...)

I can't remember the exact age or callsign/name, but there is a kid I don't think any older than 12 that is a net control station for the NW Traffic and Training net. Amazing radio operator for a kid that age. He showed up with his parents at one of the ARES meetings recently(late last year IIRC).

I didn't get into it THAT early, but I got my license when I was 17. There were a few other youngsters around at the time that were active(at least when school was out).

 

[Bazooka Joe]

East Multnomah County - Hoodview Amateur Radio Club http://www.wb7qiw.org/, meets at Mt Hood Community College on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:30pm.

Portland - Portland Amateur Radio Club http://www.w7lt.org/, meets in the basement auditorium of the Liberty Center building at NE 7th and Holliday on the 4th Friday of the month at 7:30pm.

West side - Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club http://www.otvarc.org, looks to meet at a church on NW Cornell Rd on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7pm.

... Amateur Radio Emergency Services groups. Multnomah County ARES http://www.multnomahares.org/ meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at 7pm at Portland Fire Training Center and Fire Station 2 on NE 122nd just north of Sandy.

In Washington state...

Seattle area - Mike and Key Amateur Radio Club http://www.mikeandkey.org/ , meets the third Saturday of the month. 720 South Tobin Street, (MapQuest Map) Renton WA. This location is situated at the southeast corner of the Renton airport, one block North of the Renton Parking Garage. The building is open for socializing, coffee, and doughnuts at 9:30 AM and the meeting starts at 10:00 AM.

Tri-cities -- Tri-Cities Amateur Radio club http://www.w7az.org/ , meets the first Monday of the month at 7pm. Tri-Cities Red Cross Building, 7202 W Deschutes Ave, Kennewick, WA.

Yakima -- Yakima Amateur Radio Club http://yakimaamateurradioclub.com/ , meets on the Second Tuesday of every month at the Yakima Chapter of the American Red Cross at 7:30 p.m. local time. 302 South Second Street, Yakima, WA.

Spokane area -- Spokane DX Association http://www.sdxa.org/ Regular monthly meetings are usually alternated between Spokane County Libraries and, unless otherwise posted, are always at 7:00PM the first Thursday of every month. Check the website for location of next meeting.

ARES:
WA State ARES http://www.wastateares.org/
ARES of King County http://www.aresofkingcounty.org/
Spokane ARES http://www.spokares.org/
Yakima ARES/RACES http://ares.ykm.com/

 

[JackThompson]

Updated! Thanks Bazooka Joe!

 

[sprocket3]

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...)

Well I hope that he passes the text next month. He's been getting 80-90% scores on the quizes at the end of the sessions. He read those sessions a month ago though, so I'm worried about what he's forgetting.

 

[redmond]

I passed my Technician test last week and am waiting for it to be posted in the FCC database. Plan to take the General next month. Thanks for the info on these little radios. A pair should arrive before the weekend and I'll see how they work once my license is official.

 

[JackThompson]

I passed my Technician test last week and am waiting for it to be posted in the FCC database. Plan to take the General next month. Thanks for the info on these little radios. A pair should arrive before the weekend and I'll see how they work once my license is official.

Congratulations!

You can monitor the HAM frequencies before you get your call as well. (I did this for a while)

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Try these sites for studying...no need to buy any books;

eham, aa9pw, hamexam.org, hamtestonline, hamstudy.org, kb6nu.com

The ARRL now has a review/practice site at http://arrlexamreview.appspot.com/ You don't have to be an ARRL member to use it, but you do have to register at the review site.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

We have a local preparedness group and members are encouraged to get a Baofeng radio to monitor, at least. I and the other ham in the group did a little test recently. We're about 8+ miles apart and were able to hear each other loud and clear with just the little rubber duck antenna. That's not a huge distance, but the sound quality was quite good for a cheap little radio. We're going to hold a group net in a month or so and try to get some more information about how far we can get good signals.

On a personal note, I finally went and took the Extra exam and passed.

 

[wichaka]

Arrl just came out with testing info, which makes another good resource.

Will start studying for the extra this fall, when the weather chases me back inside.

 

[MarkAd]

FYI
The whole exam changes in June.

 

[wichaka]

Then that's a good time to get going with the process again. After the pool questions change, I'll have plenty of time to study before they change again in another four years...or is it five?

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Actually, the current Extra question pool remains until June 30, 2016. It's the technician pool that expires this year. General pool expires next year. The pools are valid for four years.

 

[wichaka]

Well then I'm good to go

 

[The Heretic]

Ok.

I am not a stranger to wireless comms - I have a EE degree, my GROL and I worked in the field doing performance testing for the DOD on a meteor burst WAN.

I don't have any of the Ham licenses - yet - I am sure I could pass the Tech with about a day's worth of theory refreshing (I barely remember Ohms law) and some boning up on Ham lingo and regs.

I read the whole thread and I didn't see any mention of APRS.

Beyond wanting some comms, I want to know where my kids are if they have to bug out, or I need to go get them. I want them to be able to navigate to my mountain home if they are on foot and have to walk through the countryside to get to my house (easy to get lost up here on the mountain). We are about 12 miles apart as the crow flies. I am at about 900 feet and they are at 200 feet - there is a 500 foot hill between us, with them being just on the far side of that.

I have 20 wooded acres looking north towards them, so I can put up any kind of antennas I want.

I was looking at the Baefong HTs but then got to thinking about GPS and APRS.

I notice the more name brands have HTs with GPS/APRS built in.

Suggestions?