Looking to get into HAM
So I really don't know much about radios, but HAM radio really seems like it could be fun and interesting.
What are your thoughts on how I should proceed into starting this hobby? What do I need? What should I do to learn? And most importantly why should I consider becoming a HAM Radio Operator?
Any suggestions at all would be great. Thanks.
I'm newly licensed. The best way j found was to look for local clubs and see if they are offering any classes soon. You can find tons of info at arrl.org I used classes from a club along with the arrl study book to learn. Once you study a while and take some practice tests (software included in study book) go back to the arrl website and look for a local exam coming soon. Cost $15 to sit for the exam, takes a couple minutes and that's it.
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A even better idea is for you to purchase a receiver - which does at least 6 - 160 meters and maybe you can repurpose a old programmable scanner for the 2 meters / 220 / 440 mhz repeaters in your area and listen to the people on those frequencies and see if what they are doing appeals to you before you invest a whole bunch of time and effort into becoming a ham radio operator.
The very first thing I will say is that it is not for the timid.
It takes a very large investment to become a ham radio operator.
It isn't like CB radio where you can buy one cheap radio and a mag mount antenna and stick it on the roof of your vehicle and talk.
It isn't like a cell phone, where all you do is talk between your cell phone and the tower.
It will take a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice on both your part and your families.
You need a room - all your own which you can use to set up a shack where you can talk on the radio and where you can keep all your radio stuff.
You need to be able to poke a whole bunch of holes in the walls of the structure you live in - to get the cables and coax in and out of your shack.
You will need tower - so you can erect antenna's on those towers.
You will need real estate - so you have a place to put all of your antenna's and towers.
You will need to live on the top of a hill - so your signals will reach out as far as possible.
You will need a couple of thousand dollars, in which to invest into a good radio / radios / towers, antenna's, coax, ladder line, power supplies, antenna switches, lightning protection, ground stakes, lot's of copper wire of all sizes.
The list can go on and on.
Too many times I hear someone who's main goal is to talk, so they go out and get a license and they buy the cheapest walkie talkie they can find and they talk on one or two repeaters a couple of times and then they get tired of not being able to talk anywhere and they are not allowed to put holes in the walls, erect towers, put up antenna's and they loose interest and they put the walkie talkies aside and claim that they only became a ham in case of a emergency - yet if there was an emergency - they could not even run a round table or take traffic or pass along traffic because their walkie talkie doesn't talk anyplace and the batteries would probably be dead anyways.
They don't keep!
Borrow some QST magazines from someone that is a ham and go and visit their shack, and see all the stuff they accumulated over the years and ask them how much they have invested and go to a couple of other shacks and look at their radios and decide what do you like about it. Then figure out how much more money the man / woman with the good radio had into their set up then the person with the old junk that doesn't sound very good and doesn't talk very far and doesn't get the good signal reports and then decide which one is the one for you?
If I am wrong, I will eat my hat!
Most clubs are full of old farts that just wants to sit around and eat doughnuts and drink coffee and swap stories about back in the day and doesn't actually want to do any work or invest any money into ham radio.
It seems that once you buy everything, you end up being put on a budget, where you are not allowed to waste a lot of money on ham radio stuff anymore - usually by the XYL and so you are stuck with the radios that you bought 20 years ago and you refuse to buy something better as long as it still works somewhat.
Beware of anyone selling old junk.
Old Hams just loves to screw new hams by pawning off their old junk on them.
You will end up with so much old junk that you will have to pay a carpenter to reinforce the floors in your house so your shack doesn't fall down through the rafters.
Harsh but fair. There's a lot of truth there. And some people won't like it, because it's true.
Ham Radio is a very fun and supportive hobby. I would say to get started a technician liscense is plenty. I am nine years old and everyone is very supportive of me of HF/VHF/UHF(I am a general so I can do HF). I would recommend getting a handheld to start(FT-60, VX-7R, IC-92). I have a VX-7R but used to have a FT-60. Both great radios but for a cheap, dualband, rugged, compact, easy to use the FT-60 is hard to beat.
Hope this helps 73,
K2CLH
Handhelds only works in places that has repeater coverage.Originally Posted by K2CLH
At the same time - unless there is activity on that one or two repeaters that your handheld can hit - there is no use buying one, because if you do not have anyone to talk to - what is the use of getting a license and having a $100 handheld radio if there is no one to talk to?
Here in the states, we have thousands of repeaters that ID's every 10 minutes, but no one talks on them.
I had some pretty sophisticated radio equipment and tried to listen to them a couple of years ago, and couldn't even receive most of the licensed repeaters because they were either inactive or they were turned off when the owners died or the repeater was sold or the tower fell down or the club closed.
Repeaters are the Kindergarden of ham radio.
They are not designed to be used as a primary form of communications.
They are great for local nets, for rag chews among ham clubs and for emergency local communications where you need your own frequency and the ability to communicate over a larger area then what a hand held or mobile can do on its own.
When you get into HF communications, you need a power supply, a radio, some antenna's, a whole bunch of coax, some type of tower, and a whole lot of technicial expertise in order to make it all work.
Ham radio was never intended to be done on a personal basis, after all, how could you do a field days or civic events or natural disasters or emergencies by yourself, you have to have a club.
On the flipside to all THAT, I have one rig, plus a power supply and a manual ATU. And almost a year after getting my ticket, I'm having a lot of fun on HF. It doesn't have to be ultra expensive or complicated or difficult. But you need to be able to listen and learn, to develop a fine BS detector, learn how to solder, some basic mathematics and physics and make your own antennas, and just get on the air and have FUN.
I totally agree 2E0OZI. It's only expensive if you allow it to be. There are lots of modes and styles of amateur operation. For example, I'm on HF now and don't have the space or appetite (or neighborhood covenants) to invest on a large antenna. I've mounted a dipole in the attic and can get quite far on low power using CW. Good luck, don't get discouraged, and welcome to the hobby!
Hi
In a similar situation, i found out very recently about ham radios and i was already before into engineering as a hobby, mostly making little moving robots (well... objects that move sounds maybe more accurate)
anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for the advice, I look forward to going through the past threads and hope to find lots of great info!
If ham radio were as expensive, time consuming, debilitating, etc. as AB3NK says then there wouldn't be anyone holding an amateur license anywhere. No one learned everything they need to know overnight, and no one (except perhaps a few rich guys) ever went out right away and spent thousands on gear. Find your own way, it's not hard to do. Meet with older and/or more experienced hams and pick their brains; most of them will be glad to help you. And, like anything else that is worth doing, apply yourself, study, ask more questions, read everything you can get your hands on and, last but not least, have fun.
AB3NK is 'aving a Giraffe
@Mdhood I became interrested in this hobbie when I was in high school back in 2004 , I only had a 100 channel Uniden portable scanner. And I heard some chatter and a few beeps every now and then so it became interesting to me and then I noticed I found out it was the police department.
Then moved my way up to CB radio talking to the Big rigs AKA (SEMI) and B Dubble. I loved it so much I decided to sit for my foundation Licence known in the USA as a noviceyou can make many friends in ham radio from locals operators to world wide operators.
Trust me it's fun and you will like it
The Novice license hasn't been issued in a couple decades. Holders of Novice licenses can renew them, but no new ones will be coming out.
Currently, the Technician class license is the USA entry level, and it's nothing compared with a VK Foundation license (okay, "licence") in terms of what you have to learn.
73
Pat K7KBN
Semper ubi sub ubi.
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