Just made Extra (Extra HAM!)

[lucusloc]

So after two+ weeks of cramming I just passed three tests to get my Extra class HAM license. I am still waiting for a callsign and for the rest of the paperwork get finished, but the few weeks of cramming every free moment are done. I see now that I have a rather long list of ignored notifications and it will take me a little while to work through that. I have not even logged in for over a week, so I am way behind on all the chatter here.

I now begin the journey of setting up all my equipment. I have several mobile radios to play with already, but I need to get some home stuff too, and I am considering getting a nice sized antenna mast for the side of the house. With Extra I have a lot of band options to consider and I am not sure which ones I want to play with. I will get all the common bands just to maintain good coms, but there are quite a few others now available to me that are less commonly used that might be fun to play with. There are some limitations though. My wife says I cannot have a 2200 meter antenna, something about the property being way to small any our neighbors not appreciating me stringing wire halfway up the road. It is going to be a long process of seeing what I can get away with.

I am also strongly considering getting a vanity callsign. Anyone here have any experience with that? I am not sure if they have restrictions on things like making words (similar to license plates) or if they want to keep things mostly "code." Other than guides on prefix-suffix I cannot see any other guidance on what gets approved and rejected.

Read More

 

[CountryGent]

Congratulations. Best of wishes on your new setup.

 

[Kruel J]

Congrats. I have a technician license, I had no reason to study for the Extra.

As far as your call sign, wait until you are assigned your "regular" call then once you have it you can immediately apply for a vanity. I did it that way and only had my OG call sign for a couple weeks.

Enjoy the hobby, I haven't been on air in several years but did just recently renew my ticket.

 

[GrayGoose]

So after two+ weeks of cramming I just passed three tests to get my Extra class HAM license. I am still waiting for a callsign and for the rest of the paperwork get finished, but the few weeks of cramming every free moment are done. I see now that I have a rather long list of ignored notifications and it will take me a little while to work through that. I have not even logged in for over a week, so I am way behind on all the chatter here.

I now begin the journey of setting up all my equipment. I have several mobile radios to play with already, but I need to get some home stuff too, and I am considering getting a nice sized antenna mast for the side of the house. With Extra I have a lot of band options to consider and I am not sure which ones I want to play with. I will get all the common bands just to maintain good coms, but there are quite a few others now available to me that are less commonly used that might be fun to play with. There are some limitations though. My wife says I cannot have a 2200 meter antenna, something about the property being way to small any our neighbors not appreciating me stringing wire halfway up the road. It is going to be a long process of seeing what I can get away with.

I am also strongly considering getting a vanity callsign. Anyone here have any experience with that? I am not sure if they have restrictions on things like making words (similar to license plates) or if they want to keep things mostly "code." Other than guides on prefix-suffix I cannot see any other guidance on what gets approved and rejected.

Congrats!

I've had my Tech (no code) license for 30 years or so but rarely get on 2M anymore.

73

 

[crstrode]

Congrats!

I've had my Tech (no code) license for 30 years or so but rarely get on 2M anymore.

73

All licenses are no-code these days. No knowledge as well.

 

[RVTECH]

I am also strongly considering getting a vanity callsign. Anyone here have any experience with that?

Congrats on the Extra license! Thats my next (and last) step.

Looking into a vanity callsign myself. I've kinda sorta looked into it. You apply on the FCC 'License manager' part under your current callsign - but I don't know much more than that.

 

[GrayGoose]

All licenses are no-code these days. No knowledge as well.

Back in the day when I got mine it was an option to go with no code, which is what I chose because I only cared about voice on VHF repeaters and didn't (still don't) care about Morse code or chatting with someone in Afghanistan or Buttcrackistan on the other side of the world.

 

[lucusloc]

Yeah if I get into code at all it will be on a digital setup where I don't have to memorize all the beeps. I tried learning it years ago and it was just too hard without having a use for it. Maybe I would get better at it with a HAM license but I already have enough not-code stuff I want to do to make the pure code portion is a bit much. I'm only interested in it as it pertains to digital coms, which is not much.

I have a mobile dual band (2m and 70cm) I am itching to play with. It would be super fun to start a NWFA group at some point too. We could insult each other by voice as well as by text

 

[CougarMtn]

Extra class here. Have made many friends over the years. Some I chat with regurlarly. Not into the contest thing. I'm thinking of maybe trying digital modes sometime, as my hearing is getting worse as I get older. Many facets to this hobby. Welcome and Enjoy!

 

[Rat44]

Congratulations .
Just upgraded to General myself.
You have a lot of choices to make as far as what type of antenna to use.
Cost and space available will be the determining factors.
Beam on a tower,vertical on a mast or a long wire all have their advantages.

 

[Jim Horn]

Welcome to the club!

73 de WB9SYN/7

 

[parallax]

Congrats!.. Now you need to spend $20,000 on a tower, radio equipment..

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Congrats!

 

[64MercurysRule]

Congratulations .
CQ DX

 

[Rat44]

Yeah if I get into code at all it will be on a digital setup where I don't have to memorize all the beeps. I tried learning it years ago and it was just too hard without having a use for it. Maybe I would get better at it with a HAM license but I already have enough not-code stuff I want to do to make the pure code portion is a bit much. I'm only interested in it as it pertains to digital coms, which is not much.

I have a mobile dual band (2m and 70cm) I am itching to play with. It would be super fun to start a NWFA group at some point too. We could insult each other by voice as well as by text

When I got my Tech I started with a 2 meter mobile.
Bought two,put one in the Jeep and the other set up as a base.
Icom 2300 that is 65 watts hooked up to a 12 foot 10 element yagi sitting on a 25 ft Harbor Freight flag pole.
With my HF radio I have a 130 foot wire that works just fine.
If you go with a wire a tuner is highly recommended.
You can get good results with minimal equipment.

KJ7DDW