The HRF Ham Radio FAQ

[M0TZO]

Was sorting out the FAQ section today, and thought it's a great place for a Ham Radio FAQ.

So, I need some content.

When you were unlicenced, or newly issued your licence, what was that question which at the time seemed difficult to find the answer.

I want this post to be ongoing so feel free to come back at add stuff later.

Also once I've started the FAQ, please let us know what needs editing, adding, removing or updating.

Come on, who is going to start me off?

[Sudden]

After passing the exam, which was a night school course at the local tech college and I only did nine weeks before the Christmas holidays it should have been more but I had two weeks holiday in Cyprus, we were offered the chance to take the test at Christmas, I did, and passed with credits.
The biggest problem after that was I could not find any help on what to do next. It was my wife who spotted an advert in the local paper about an Amateur Radio club. I joined the club but left after a year because it went into clique mode and if you did not belong nobody would talk to you. The club is still going and has been revamped. I am still wary of joining any type of club.
The problem of help is now vastly reduced by the use of forums like this one and electrical design ones such as http://www.electronicspoint.com/ . Because I don't belong to any club I still have trouble finding information that somebody somwhere might 'just know in the back of their mind'. I find that sometimes I can answer a post and help somebody in return.

[_2E0OZI]

Ok here goes!

1. What to say or even if to reply to people calling "CQ Contest"

2. How to work out the best place to call CQ on the band

3. What to have ready before your very first QSOs. i learned a big lesson on that front!

[druid]

I'm with Sudden on this: what to do after you've got your ticket. In particular, I did not know the etiquette for trying to establish contact with someone new using a VHF repeater. Everyone seemed to be calling someone they knew.... Also, back when I was monitoring SW as a kid it seemed pretty random - now there's "calling frequencies" on all the bands: do you ONLY use those freq for CQ? So maybe some FAQs on "practical" etiquette and procedures?

Maybe also a Dummy's Guide to all the digital variations out there: D-Star, EchoLink, IRLP...

Also: where are all the women? I was told a Ham ticket was a Chick Magnet...

druid - VA7LAS (usually on Saltspring Repeater 147.320)