Comments

1. On March 17, 2020 at 7:15 am, Tom from east Tennessee said:

   May I humbly recommend the ARRL review course? (start with the “Get your amateur radio license!” one which is the study guide for the FCC Technician license.)
   That guide is great, it is soup-to-nuts what you need including why their are rules, what the rules are, etc in addition to some basic electricity. Just enough science so that a user could understand most of the specs on radios and antennas, and understand some safety things.

   There are other guides that “teach to the test”, but I think what you really want is just enough information and the reasons behind things so that you can teach yourself the other aspects and more advanced licenses if/when you feel like it. Getting the Technician license will get you to where you can transmit without causing problems/interference for other people.

2. On March 17, 2020 at 7:16 am, Tom from east Tennessee said:

   *correction* “why THERE are rules” sorry

3. On March 17, 2020 at 8:19 am, Romeo Foxtrot said:

   Capt.

   Hit me at my email address, we have spoken, i’m up in Charlotte, will gladly assist w local stuff, kit, programming and the like…

   here’s the secret to getting a tech license which is perfect for local local local stuff

   go to https://hamexam.org/exam/15-Technician take the practice exam 4 x in a row for 5 days prior to actual test, memorize the Q&A until you consistently pass online test..

   the goal is to get licensed, period, you will learn the shit once you are able to use the shit.

   go to test, take test, pass test, get license.

   now is the time to buy kit: buy two or more of these: https://baofengtech.com/uv-82hp handheld units

   buy one of these: https://baofengtech.com/Programming-cable this is for ht’s

   buy one of these mobile units: https://baofengtech.com/uv-25×2
   25w perfect for repeater and local use plugs into 12v socket

   buy one of these to program radio https://baofengtech.com/pc-05-programming-cable

   buy one of these, mag mount antenna for ht or mobile: https://baofengtech.com/NAGOYA-UT-72

   then email me and we can connect, i can remote into your pc and configure for you…

4. On March 17, 2020 at 9:10 am, scott s. said:

   My wife recently got licensed. The problem is, so much of the gear these days is Chinese of unknown providence.

5. On March 17, 2020 at 12:29 pm, Pat Hines said:

   I’ve been licensed for over 25 years and upgraded to Extra some years ago. I intended to only upgrade to General, but I took the Extra exam anyway and passed it.

   I always recommend the following series of exam aids which include practice exams to everyone. They work on both iPhones, iPads, and on those non-Apple smart phones and tablets. Buy them, I think they’re 5 or 6 bucks and they’re very good.

   http://patrickjmaloneyllc.com/

   If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me. Or post in this thread.

6. On March 17, 2020 at 3:55 pm, Pat Hines said:

   For Android devices check this out: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details/

7. On March 17, 2020 at 7:30 pm, Romeo Foxtrot said:

   Scott S…

   So what, get your kit now, while you can, there are NO super trojan viruses in the rigs….

   There are several manufacturers that make rigs in japan and elsewhere too if that’s an issue…

8. On March 17, 2020 at 7:34 pm, Romeo Foxtrot said:

   Tom,

   there are rules because assholes exist that fuck things up for the rest of us that are trained, experienced and trying to keep commo lines open and running, acting as relays, spotters, cert duds, cap dudes and the like…

   many of us are .mil trained and we take commo shit seriously, cause w out comms you are blind….

   that said, don’t be an asshole and you don’t have a problem…

   note that in a true emergency non hams can tx/rx, however untrained operator can and will cause problems…

9. On March 18, 2020 at 7:45 am, 41mag said:

   Start small.

   I bought a Yaesu FT-70 handheld transceiver and it’s really great. Avoid the Chinese baofeng.

10. On March 19, 2020 at 9:44 am, Tom/4 said:

    I have been licensed since 1975 and it is easier now than it has ever been to obtain a license. I recommend the practice tests on “QRZ.com” They randomly select questions from the pool and will show the correct answer as you submit. Do this once or twice a day for a month and when you are consistently scoring 95-98%, you are ready to take the test. The challenge and rate of improvement can be addictive. You won’t have a COMPLETE understanding of the subject matter, but you will pass the test. That’s what it takes to get on the air. I have been playing with ham radio since 1960 and learn something every day.
    The classified ads on “QTH.com” are a good source for used equipment. Prices are pretty much current market value and I have never had a bad experience in over 20 years.

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