Ham Radio

Ham Radio

  • Not interested

    Votes: 29 63.0%
  • Sounds interesting

    Votes: 15 32.6%
  • Sounds expensive

    Votes: 2 4.3%
  • I want to do it

    Votes: 1 2.2%
  • Yes I'm studying

    Votes: 1 2.2%
  • Technician

    Votes: 3 6.5%
  • General

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Extra

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    46

2400

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Posts
8,580
Likes
44
Points
276
Location
Northern AZ
I've been studying for the last couple of weeks for my Tech and hopefully General licenses, he test is this morning.

So I was wondering how many other Hams we have in here.

I'll add my answers to the poll after the test.
 
Last edited:


Mort

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Posts
2,962
Likes
59
Points
278
Location
NW ND somewhere
2400, it is an interesting hobby, back in the mid 70s in Great Falls MT, my neighbor was into HAM radio, believe I was in the 9th grade at the time. His call letters have been with me forever..WB7OJX, Whiskey Bravo Seven Oscar Julliet Xray. He was somewhat a smart kid, he built his own morse code transmitter that would send the CQ code out automatically. I guess you start out with morse code, then take a test before you are able to do voice, at least thats how it was back then, may have changed now. He had an antenna that could rotate 360 by switch, if I saw the antenna move, I knew he was home and would go over and BS with him and watch him do his stuff, he had quite a collection of CQ cards from all over the world.
 

RustyTackleBox

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Posts
1,782
Likes
20
Points
211
Location
Max
my wife just got a ham this morning for my lunches... kind of made me want to slap her hams and tell her thanks
 


Captain Ahab

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Posts
10,528
Likes
442
Points
418
Location
Timbuktu
I have a IPhone 7 that I can use to comunicate in a numerous ways and it can pull up pictures of ham and take pictures of ham. Neat stuff
 
Last edited:

2400

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Thread starter
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Posts
8,580
Likes
44
Points
276
Location
Northern AZ
Well I passed tech exam and missed 1 too many to pass the general exam. So hopefully a week of cramming and I pass it next Fri. If not it's a long time until the next exam up this way.
 

( deleted account )

Banned
Banned
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Posts
666
Likes
7
Points
113
I hate to be the loner here, 2400, but I’ve been a ham operator since 1962, what 57 years. Back then everything was tube construction and largely a do it yourself building your own equipment hobby, or converting WW2 surplus stuff to ham radio frequencies. You started out with only CW, (Morse code) and had to pass 10 words per minute,then after a year of operating you passed more tests, written and faster speed of CW, and you got more advanced tickets with more privileges. Then came along solid state hybrid stuff,,solid state transistors, I C’s then printed circuits, then equipment and communication digital modes so that nowadays you simply can’t build your own equipment, other,than antennas, which I still love to build.
Nowadays the future of ham radio is pretty bleak in a lot of ways, with internet and digital modes of communication, cell phones, etc. available so widely. Still, you’ll often find me down at the lower end of the 20 meter CW band when it’s open, sending 120 year old code thanks to Samuel Morse at speeds faster than even talented kids can Type to text. LOL
when you get your ticket I’ll call you on an available repeater down there sometime. Good luck with it! It’s still a great hobby,,and lots.of public service available,,emergencies (cell phones get unusable, towers go,down,,etc.) portable ham stations easy to,set up, And,skywarn is always looking,for,volunteers. CAP communication, etc. It’s not what it used to be, but then like someone,said “the only thing constant is change!”
I started in 1960as VE5KT, the VE7AGP, then VE6KH, then VE6KH/W0 for the last 38 years. Now an extra?? Heck, I’ve had so many ratings I’ve forgotten my present one. The top one anyway.
Any more of us odd balls on here? A diminishing fraternity, but friendly buddies everywhere, and in every country of the world. See an antenna or license plate, walk up, introduce yourself - may not speak the same language, but friends forever!m
 

2400

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Thread starter
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Posts
8,580
Likes
44
Points
276
Location
Northern AZ
OK Boys, I took and passed my General license test today.

I like it well enough to keep going on to the next one Amateur Extra and then I'll be done.
 


tikkalover

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 10, 2015
Posts
7,940
Likes
902
Points
473
Location
Minot
Good for you 2400. There was an exercise on ham radio here in town a while ago here is the link to the article.

https://www.myndnow.com/video/radio-club.../1259117003

Ok that's not right. Just click on the link and then go to the home page and in the upper right corner click on the search thingy and type in ham radio.
 
Last edited:

( deleted account )

Banned
Banned
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Posts
666
Likes
7
Points
113
Congratulations, 2400! What is your call sign? Are you on any longer,hop,bands other than VHF and UHF? Did U do,the codeless license? R U On SSB or,CW or digital!?!
Again, congrats on General! Join us old Extras soon! If nothing else I’ll hook up,with you on the,links,when,ImminmHavau. Lots of linked repeaters and VHF/UHF activity!
 

2400

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Thread starter
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Posts
8,580
Likes
44
Points
276
Location
Northern AZ
Congratulations, 2400! What is your call sign? Are you on any longer,hop,bands other than VHF and UHF? Did U do,the codeless license? R U On SSB or,CW or digital!?!
Again, congrats on General! Join us old Extras soon! If nothing else I’ll hook up,with you on the,links,when,ImminmHavau. Lots of linked repeaters and VHF/UHF activity!


KI7YQM

I'm only on 2 meter, 70CM and 144 SSB so far.

I need better radios send money!! lmao
 

( deleted account )

Banned
Banned
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Posts
666
Likes
7
Points
113
Our club here had some reasonably modern HF equipment donated by a couple of deceased ham’s family to be given to newbies, especially newbie kids or anyone not able to buy even used equipment. We donated some good HF stuff to the CAP, but it was never used, at least when I was flying with them. No promises, but Ill check on the status of that stuff. You never know what’ll turn up,
 

2400

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Thread starter
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Posts
8,580
Likes
44
Points
276
Location
Northern AZ
Our club here had some reasonably modern HF equipment donated by a couple of deceased ham’s family to be given to newbies, especially newbie kids or anyone not able to buy even used equipment. We donated some good HF stuff to the CAP, but it was never used, at least when I was flying with them. No promises, but Ill check on the status of that stuff. You never know what’ll turn up,

Thank you for thinking of me, that's a really nice offer.

I'd hate to take it away from someone local though, are you sure there isn't some deserving newbie in your area?
 


WormWiggler

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Posts
7,176
Likes
435
Points
348
what is the point of ham radio? to talk to others, to see if you can do it? not judging, just curious
 

( deleted account )

Banned
Banned
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Posts
666
Likes
7
Points
113
Thank you for thinking of me, that's a really nice offer.

I'd hate to take it away from someone local though, are you sure there isn't some deserving newbie in your area?

Naw, a “ local newbie ” in ham radio can be the guy next door or the fellow on the the other side of the world. I’m not sure how many new hams might have graduated here this past winter, but. I’ll try find out and if there is any Usable equipment lying around collecting dust. Distance doesn’t. Matter. Ham operators die, lose interest or abandon some frequencies as they get interested in other freqs and modes, leaving lots of stuff lying around and being donated to schools, camps, organizations like scouts, 4h, third world countries, etc. About 10 years ago some clubs sent a bunch of stuff to Cuba, and their radio club has been far more active since then, with Cuban hams (CO is their prefix) all over the HF. Bands. Other small poor. Countries benefit regularly from used donated equipment.
Hams are always helping hams. Knock on any hams door and you’ll have a buddy forever. I do it all the time, and the only problem I’ve ever had is language difficulties, but point at their antenna farm and then yourself while you say your call, and you’ll almost always be invited in and given a grand tour of their ham shack. Kind of a world wide fraternity. Did it in Austria and Canada last month.
So if i can scrounge anything usable lying around I’ll get in touch. A father all, we need another Grand Canyon Ham on the link!
 

2400

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Thread starter
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Posts
8,580
Likes
44
Points
276
Location
Northern AZ
what is the point of ham radio? to talk to others, to see if you can do it? not judging, just curious

There are quite a few different things you can do with Ham radio.

Yesterday we had a small fire with dry, dry, dry conditions and a high wind that threatened to turn it into a real wildfire. Since my volunteer fire dept won't let me be an engineer due to my broken foot I found something else to do. I did communication between 5 different agencies (vol depts, city, county, state and fed) and with our local ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) network on my Ham radio. I had fun and learned a lot too.

In addition to that kind of stuff, when your cell is dead or has no signal you can always get out with your radio, we plan to use them camping and hunting to talk with each other, you can use it on the road while you're traveling, in an emergency for help, to talk to someone in the next town or across the world, so there are all kinds of things you can use them for.
 

( deleted account )

Banned
Banned
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Posts
666
Likes
7
Points
113
Yes, surprisingly lots of public service. When hurricanes or tornadoes hit, cell towers and communication towers go down quickly or are flooded with calls making what cell access remaining useless. Terrorism, like 911 resulted in hundreds of well trained radio operators, setting up portable repeaters and transceivers passing radio traffic amount a lot of agencies. These guys worked for MONTHS post 911 and Katrina and other disasters. Forest fires, volcanoes ( several hams killed at Mt Helens) lots of search and rescue, skywarn, etc. With internet taking over a lot of long haul sruff like military families on Skype for instance, and phone patches into remote areas, ( used to relay newborn. Ultrasounds from northern Quebec) more local emergency communication hasn’t slowed much due to ready availability of trained operators with immediate access to thousands of mobile stations and ability to set up portable stuff on a moments notice.
then there's the hobby and learning/ educational aspect. Clubs, schools, universities, etc. All started with Marconi, Edison and Samuel Morse and then lay people got interested, building first spark gap generators, then whiskey bottle sized vacuum tube equipment and developed more modern from there. Heck, even when I started tinkering in radio, it was all vacuum tubes, from shot glass to beer bottle sized, or a lot of conversion of WW2 surplus. Now all solid state stuff, huge capabilities on novel sized packages. Hams no longer claim any leads in much development of electronic equipment except for antenna development.
heck, now hams have over 35 active satellites used by any hams all over the world. The first one in the 70’s was called OSCAR - orbiting satellite carrying amateur radio. It was a LEO bird, and now we have many geostationary ones as well. All financed by donations by hams, but put there as a service by many commercial rocket companies. A whole new world from old Samuel Morse. And lots of high powered moon bounce radio wave experimentation.
I could go on and on, but the bad news......ham radio is waning....especially kids nowadays not interested much, sooner play their video games, other interests. Internet and cell phones have sure lessened repeater Activity, but they are still there to help in some disaster. peurto Rico is abuzz with ham radio volunteers still a year? After the hurricane. I keep thinking I should pack up some equipment and head down there. Pack my SCUBA equipment, too! Heh! But walleyes are biting and hunting season is approaching........nuff said....
 

Recent Posts

Friends of NDA

Top Posters of the Month

  • This month: 159
  • This month: 134
  • This month: 118
  • This month: 109
  • This month: 105
  • This month: 87
  • This month: 83
  • This month: 76
  • This month: 75
  • This month: 74
Top Bottom