So you want your amateur license? OR... Who needs help?

k4wtf · Post by **k4wtf** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 1:24 pm

I am going to take a shot in the dark and assume that there are people out there who have an interest in Amateur radio but are put off by the stories (true or otherwise) about old Gray-faced hams who have given "a friends brothers cousins friends next-door neighbor" a hard time about being a No-Coder or something equally silly.

Well, if you want your ticket and are willing to put a minor amount of effort into it, I will be happy to help you, and I am sure that many of the other licensed amateurs on the Batboard would be more than happy to help you.

You already have an interest in radio communications, otherwise, you wouldn't be here. You probably already have some fear if you're like most people. (Buy the gear with every intention of getting the license, blah blah) All you need is your license and you'll be set!

So, tell us what we can do to help you.

Please, no garbage about no-code vs code or the like. I started out the hard way with a Novice license. That does not make me any better of an amateur radio operator or a person than the guy who just passed his no-code tech on Saturday. It just means that when I got my ticket, I had to pass the code. To be quite honest, I had absolutely NO interest in CW when I got my ticket. It was over 10 years before I decided that I wanted to work HF. After the long lag, I pretty much had to start from scratch. The only CW I could copy and send was "CQ DE KC4KGU" (that was my novice call). After a little bit of work, I actually managed to get my code skills down to the point that I was only VERY uncomfortable during a CW QSO.

I didn't let that stop me from trying to have fun though. I actually dove in to play with the "big boys". I entered the 2002 ARRL 160-Meter contest. If you want a band where the "old guys" outnumber the new guys 100:1, 160M is the place. Anyway, I knew that I would have trouble copying some of those guys who were sending at 25-30WPM so, I hooked up the computer to copy stations I had problems with and my paddles to send with and went to town. Low and behold, I placed 9th in the WORLD! I got my award in the mail a week or so ago and was absolutely amazed.

Anyway, it just goes to show that if you put your mind to it, you can do pretty much anything. If you want to be a licensed amateur radio operator, you're just 35 questions away from that goal and I will help you in any way that I can.

Who's up for it?

--
John

wa2zdy · Post by **wa2zdy** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 2:12 pm

I'm with John. I am here for anyone who wants help.

Unlike John, I've been a ham almost 29 years. I DO like CW and I look forward to the day I can put a decent shack and antenna system together to get back to it. (I live in a condo and fought enough for my satellite dish; I don't have the energy for a fight over ham antennas.) I got my novice license was CW was the only mode Novices were allowed to use. Fortunately I was 13 years old, so learning the code came easy to me. Because of my age, my mother would not let me go to New York City for my General. So I stayed a Novice nearly a year. As a HS freshman, I finally was allowed to go with some seniors in my school who also were going. And thus I got my General at age 14 in Dec 1975. Having had no choice about what mode to use, in that time I got good at CW. And since money was tight in my one-parent household, there was no SSB rig waiting for my General to arrive. I stayed on CW for several more years before getting an HF SSB rig. And when I did, I rarely got on SSB.

It's like a foreign language. How many of you took a language in school, or have kids, friends, whoever, who did? Remember how awful it was at the start? But one day you realised you were competent enough to want to go to the faraway land of your language just so you could try it. That's what happened to me with the code.

Now if you aren't interested in it, that's fine. I'd like to say you can't know if you'll like it without even knowing it, but hey, that's your choice. There are so many things to do in ham radio, there is literally "something for everyone."

The code test requirement for a license with HF privledges will be dropped someday, but who knows when. The US and FCC are not like other countries that just write a law and that's that. (As was done in the UK and Switzerland with elimination of the code requirement.) As such, you can get a Technician class ticket and enjoy VHF/UHF, and wait until code is no longer required to get on HF. Or you can learn the code, take the chance you might enjoy it after all, and get on HF sooner. Personally, I think there's too much fun to be had on HF to let the time go by waiting for FCC to change the rules. But that's up to you.

So this is not a code/no-code issue here. I, like John, am here for anyone interested in ham radio at any level. I won't do your studying for you, but if you're willing to do what needs to be done, I'm willing to help. (My kids hate that as that's how I am with them and their homework too.)

The offer stands. Any takers? Any other hams here willing to help too?

n3xjx · Post by **n3xjx** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 2:31 pm

Count me in!!! Also to elmer after you are licensed. I'm no where near an expert, but enjoying this hobby to the fullest!!!! John

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 2:47 pm

I'm in for lending a hand first licensed March of 1990 current class of General. Most of my interest in the hobby are repeaters but dable alittle in HF. Located in north east Illinois
Doug...N9JSF

kf4sqb · Post by **kf4sqb** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 4:19 pm

Count me in as an elmer, too! Origionaly licenced in '97, currently hold a General class, and am willing to help anyone who is serious about the hobby any way that I can, no matter what licence class they want!

cfd1736 · Post by **cfd1736** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 6:13 pm

I am really interested in getting my ticket. I am glad to see that there are people out there that are willing to help. I have emailed a couple of clubs in the savannah ga area with no response. I am willing to do what it takes but my funds are very limited at the moment. So, what do I need to do? Thanks again in advance.

Dennis

k4wtf · Post by **k4wtf** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 6:32 pm

cfd1736 wrote:I am really interested in getting my ticket. I am glad to see that there are people out there that are willing to help. I have emailed a couple of clubs in the savannah ga area with no response. I am willing to do what it takes but my funds are very limited at the moment. So, what do I need to do? Thanks again in advance.

Dennis

Well, don't worry about the funds. I'm sure you can come up with $10.00 to go take the test when the time comes. As for what to do, it depends on which class of license you want to go for. I would recommend the No-Code tech to start with. You can always upgrade but, we're talking instant gratification (or near instant) with the No-Code tech.

You can take practice exams online here: http://www.aa9pw.com/radio/ or here: http://www.hamtestonline.com/ or here: http://www.qrz.com/ham/

I can't remember which one I used when I was studying for my General and Extra but, I got my General and missed the Extra by one question. (I psyched myself out!)

If you want to do morse code, I can get some code practice tapes to you. Many people use code-practice software on their PC as well but, I've never played with any of the programs so, I don't know how good they are!

Let us know if you need any help or have any questions!

--
John

kf4sqb · Post by **kf4sqb** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 7:53 pm

Dennis, a really good study guide is avalible for app. $12 from Radio Shack. The guides were written by Gordon West, and have a really excellent layout. Just make sure you get the current edition. Any particular questions you may have, just e-mail me and I'll try to either answer them for you , or refer you to someone who can.

k4wtf · Post by **k4wtf** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 8:12 pm

kf4sqb wrote:Any particular questions you may have, just e-mail me and I'll try to either answer them for you , or refer you to someone who can.

NO! NO! NO! Don't email, post the question on this thread. If you have a question and ask it, you can be sure that several other people have the same question and DON'T ask it.

--
John

Post by **HumHead** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 9:01 pm

Hey, if I can learn Morse code, anyone can learn Morse Code!!

I found a great freeware trainer that you can download from:

http://www.g4fon.co.uk/

Hope it can help someone else out. I found it far better, and more effective, than anything else I've tried.

I'm curious to hear if anyone else has tried this method.

Good luck to all!

RapidCharger · Post by **RapidCharger** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 10:25 pm

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but at least in my area, and I use about 2 repeaters several times daily, I have yet to find someone who is a ham that has any interest whatsoever in commercial gear.

Likewise, I have yet to find another person on this board who admits to liking amateur gear.

And finally, I have yet to meet a radio shop employee or owner who is a ham radio operator.

So the conclusion that one can make that everyone wants to be a ham because they are into radios and everyone who's a ham wants to be into radios has a lot of holes in it.

I can not think of a single reason why not to become a ham and I wish I had got my ticket DECADES sooner, but I see fathers FORCING their sons and daughters to become licensed and give them radios up the wazoo and then when the 16 year olds aren't responding to daddy, daddy doesn't seem to get it.

I would like my father to be licensed so I can talk to him on HF. But I know it will never happen, because he's just not into it and he never will be. His attitude: "If I want to talk to strangers, I can go to a bus station. And if I want to talk to you, I can call you on my cell phone with unlimited minutes/long distance"

Sometimes I get the eeerie feeling that hams are getting training from the religious types that come knocking on your door to get you to find Jesus. A little less sales on it! Furthermore, I am utterly disgusted by the commercialization of the hobby. There is so very little talk about making antennas and building radios from kits and so very much talk about unemployed hams who cant get a job buying new $1700 HF radios. Not that I have a problem with capitalism, I think it's great to have access to a public database of licensees and send each and every potential customer a glossy 150 page catalog every month with zillions of new things to buy.

I'm almost done here, one more gripe. The husbands that sweet talk their wives into getting licensed. OK, fellas, the ladies want to know where you are and when you'll be home. They want to hear your voice. 9.9 times out of 10, they could care less about radio, which is why for every 100 hams you hear actually talking to other hams, only 1 is a female ham. They don't want antennas on their car, they don't want a new HT as an anniversary present. And if you force her to take the code test, she's going to run off with the UPS guy as soon as he comes to deliver the next order from gigaparts.

What am I saying here? I think it's really cute how entire neighborhoods, especially wealthy ones, get together and suddenly everyone's a ham, but come on now, it's getting increasingly difficult to have anything remotely close to an intelligent conversation on 2 meters.

I strongly advocate bringing back the other license classes, and setting band limits for the husband and wives to talk on. (By the way- she didn't have to take the test if you just got a GMRS license). I think that's not going to happen though and that they are even going to do away with CW within the year as the doomsdayers predict.

But it really is a lot of fun and you can make some new friends. But do it because you want to do it, not because someone else tells you how great it is. The license is $10, sure, but the spending won't stop until your shack is loaded with new equipment.

And if you really want to do it, because you want to be a HAM (not just to talk with the family) then count me in. I will be happy to help you also.

wx4cbh · Post by **wx4cbh** » Thu Aug 07, 2003 4:42 pm

Funny how things vary from community to community. Several of the guys in our MSS shops are hams as are many of our emergency services volunteers. Around here we have an active Skywarn and ARES/RACES activities schedule, field days, community service events, 5 ham clubs, and 20 ham repeaters within a 35 mile radius of the center of the Triad area. In fact, most of the Highway Patrol radio techs in this area of the state are hams. If your area is inactive as far as ham activities go, then maybe you could be the one to start things rolling.

Bottom line: there's something for everyone in this hobby, and the opportunities to have fun are limited only by the imaginations of the people involved. My thing is 6 meters up, but I do love to listen to HF. I am willing to help anyone who wants to become a ham get started and support you on your journey, and it's Elmers, BTW, who keep you from becoming that "old fart" or that "Billy Bob Super CBer." Elmers encourage and guide and support, but Elmers can't do it all for you. If we did, you'd never learn anything.

The learning curve at times may seem beyond steep, but just fall back to the Elmers for advice and see if that doesn't get you over the hump. Just get yourselves started and after a while you'll be able to decide where you want to go in ham radio. And remember, the possibilities in hamdom are nearly endless, especially with help from other amateurs who have the knowledge you seek.

kf4sqb · Post by **kf4sqb** » Thu Aug 07, 2003 6:00 pm

k4wtf wrote:
kf4sqb wrote:Any particular questions you may have, just e-mail me and I'll try to either answer them for you , or refer you to someone who can.
NO! NO! NO! Don't email, post the question on this thread. If you have a question and ask it, you can be sure that several other people have the same question and DON'T ask it.

--
John

OK, John, good point! And to Rapidcharger: I happen to love HAM gear! Another great HAM-related website is: http://www.ac6v.com. Has a lot (and I do mean a lot!) of info.

k4wtf · Post by **k4wtf** » Thu Aug 07, 2003 8:31 pm

I happen to like my Ham gear as well. My interests go to both ends of the spectrum. My favorite radio of all time is my K2. It performs better than any other radio I own or have ever owned. My second favorite radio is my Kenwood TS-2000. I guess depending on what I'm doing, they both have their strong spots. I'm not going to win any awards for hi fidelity audio with my K2 on SSB and I'm not going to hear some very weak CW stations on the TS-2000 that the K2 pulls out of the air with no effort at all.

I also like my commercial gear. I've got a Spectra on 900Mhz, three Systems Saber III's and a Saber I. I like them better than any "Ham" HT I've ever owned although my IC-02AT is a close second to the Saber I.

--
John

RapidCharger · Post by **RapidCharger** » Thu Aug 07, 2003 8:57 pm

I agree with you k4wtf,

I'm still trying to figure out why it is I like commercial gear so much. As are other hams. I think I got it figured out though.
1.) Durability- we all know about that
2.) Cost- love picking up a $900 HT (when new) for less than $50 on ebay
means you can afford to have a radio in every room in the house.
3.) simplicity. A different button for every feature. What a great concept. Means no manuals or ugh...reading.

Of course there are the downsides... programming, high cost of parts etc. But I still think every ham should have at least one old motorola product. I also use dedicated ham gear too and like it.

One thing I have noticed though. I do through periods where I much prefer the ham gear over the moto gear, and there are other times where I think the ham gear is either too complex or not functioning properly and then I tend to like the commercial radios.

There's a lot within the amateur radio hobby and people will fall into their favorite aspect of it. And yes, I know there are a lot of fire fighters and such that are also hams, but I have yet to find any in my area.

Elmer.. Good word. Don't think I've heard that in a long, long time.

JAYMZ · Post by **JAYMZ** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 5:47 am

HumHead wrote:Hey, if I can learn Morse code, anyone can learn Morse Code!!

I found a great freeware trainer that you can download from:

http://www.g4fon.co.uk/

Hope it can help someone else out. I found it far better, and more effective, than anything else I've tried.

I'm curious to hear if anyone else has tried this method.

Good luck to all!

The Koch method REALLY REALLY works!! Just as HumHead says it is very effective. If you are an auditory learner it wil be a breeze. I have gotten to the point where I have been able to start picking apart some of the CW IDs I hear on our public safety channels from out of the county.

Hopefully by the time the summer is over I'll be able to spend some more time and get proficient enough to pass. The written exam should be no trouble. The code is the tough part. FWIW I'm Tech since last October.

nc5p · Post by **nc5p** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 10:47 am

I got into commercial gear a few years ago when I went to work at EF Johnson. There were a ton of hams there. We were working on APCO-25 radios and I got to play with a Quantar repeater, Astro Spectras and Sabers. They buy a lot of competitors radios (to take apart and study) so of course I got to play with them. I must say I liked the Motorola radios best. When I left there and returned to my native NM, I was hooked on Motorola. The Astro stuff is cool but too pricey for me. I now have an HT1000 and a Spectra (home), hoping to buy a few more soon. I want Spectras for my truck and car next. My two boys are hams now, so I could use a couple more HT1000's. I use the HT1000 on my bicycle with the public safety mike. This works great for me and I couldn't be happier. I went through several ham HT's and they fell to pieces. I gave the last one (Yaesu FT51) to my son and it has finally bit the dust.

I know it is true that some professionals hate hams. This is not universally true, just look at all the call signs on the posters here. The guy who runs the Megalink (Paul, WA5IHL) has a big radio shop here. He donates repeaters, sites, and a lot of his time. A lot of radio techs are hams.

Doug Hanz
NC5P, AFA6DL
Albuquerque, NM

E911EMT · Post by **E911EMT** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 11:09 am

I am intrested in getting my liscence who can help me????

n3xjx · Post by **n3xjx** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 11:50 am

E911EMT where are you?

kf4sqb · Post by **kf4sqb** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 4:48 pm

I think one of the board moderators mentioned a good idea in another topic: we need to start a HAM radio forum! Thoughts?

JAYMZ · Post by **JAYMZ** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 6:34 pm

E911EMT wrote:I am intrested in getting my liscence who can help me????

Get the ARRL book "Now You're Talking". That will give you all the basics you will need to get into the field and pass the test. There are tons of study guides and practice test sites out there as well. Several of which were posted here but my favorite is on http://www.qrz.com

If I remember correctly you are nearby to me. I can set you up with some of my notes and books that I have collected if you are interested.

70351 · Post by **70351** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 7:47 pm

kf4sqb wrote:I think one of the board moderators mentioned a good idea in another topic: we need to start a HAM radio forum! Thoughts?

I wouldn't mind an amateur radio section here, but I'm wary it might end up like eHam.net discussion groups. Those get pretty nasty!

Randy

KG4OGN · Post by **KG4OGN** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 1:59 pm

Hello, Alexander KG4OGN here, as to the "rumor" that all hams are OFs {Old Farts} not true, I am a high school student and a general class ham. I have a few friends that are around my age and we all love the hobby {I read an article about a 7 year old girl getting her extra so...} and as to the post about hams not being intrested in commercial gear, I love Motorola! {I just cant afford it, I would love to have a Spectra in the car and in the house, an MTS-2000 as the HT and a Micom 3T for HF} there are a few people around here that share my feelings for Motorola. Enjoy and get into the hobby! I got my license when I was 13 and I whish I would have gotten it earlier, if I could do it, you can! 73
Alexander KG4OGN 73!

dirtrat · Post by **dirtrat** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 7:50 pm

You are bringing back nightmares for me from my USAF days. I was one of the people who used to repair those. They are fun to play with UNTIL you have to fix one. Lots of fun with that point-to-point wiring. I was glad to see them go and most were replaced with Pacer Bounce HARRIS HF radios. Also got to work on the Kwt6 radios if you ever heard of those?

k4wtf wrote:I happen to like my Ham gear as well. My interests go to both ends of the spectrum. My favorite radio of all time is my K2. It performs better than any other radio I own or have ever owned. My second favorite radio is my Kenwood TS-2000. I guess depending on what I'm doing, they both have their strong spots. I'm not going to win any awards for hi fidelity audio with my K2 on SSB and I'm not going to hear some very weak CW stations on the TS-2000 that the K2 pulls out of the air with no effort at all.

I also like my commercial gear. I've got a Spectra on 900Mhz, three Systems Saber III's and a Saber I. I like them better than any "Ham" HT I've ever owned although my IC-02AT is a close second to the Saber I.

--
John

kc8owl · Post by **kc8owl** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 7:59 am

This is a very interesting thread. If there is anyone in the Cleveland, Ohio area interested in becoming a licensed amateur operator, please look me up – I will be glad to help you out. I am currently a general class operator.

When I was first licensed I would go to hamfests and see plies of old Motorola gear and wonder to myself … “what is someone going to do with all that old stuff?”. Now, a few years later, I am one of those guys that has to stop and look at all of the old Motorola gear and see what I might be able to convert to ham gear.

It was not until I bought a Maxtrac for use on the 2m ham band that I began to realize how much more I preferred commercial gear over the regular amateur equipment. In terms of audio quality, physical construction, and ease of use, you can’t beat them. Don’t get me wrong, I still have some ‘regular’ ham gear that I use all of the time and like quite a bit (like my Icom IC-718 HF rig), but for mobile and portable use, my sights are set on Motorola equipment. Mobile radios with menus that are 3 layers deep just to change the power setting are not what I would call user friendly or something that is a benefit to the mobile operator.

Post by **alex** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 8:19 am

Interms of a forum for this...

I've thought it over, and I think that it would be a bit off track for the board to have a dedicated forum to it.

The main reason why I say this is because it was setup to support the discussion of Motorola equipment, and not really cover the whole gammut of radio equipment, though, a lot of it is discussed here.

I believe (and I really haven't researched it a lot) there are many other messageboards out there that would better support what your looking to do.

If you guys would like to uswe the lounge for a questions/answers sorta thing for people who are active participants in other sections of the board, then I would be happy to make something a sticky there to support that. Set a date for 8-10 discussions to take place, and have someone write something up about them, and then have a discussion about it... then, by the end of the discussions, you could go get your license... and idea maybe?

If someone even wanted to put together weekly posts to support a group of people, and faciliate discussions around them, I could post a sticky for that as well.

Hopefully you guys see where i"m coming from on this. While I love the idea for people to get their licenses, and licensing should be stressted and promoted here, I don't believe at this time that creating a new forum for that will be in the boards best interest at this time.

Ideas? Suggestions? Comments?

I'm not against the idea, I just don't think that it would be busy enough here to be in it's own topic, or really "ontrack" with what the board is intended for.

-Alex

cfd1736 · Post by **cfd1736** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 9:00 am

Alex,
I know that I am new to the board but I just a question for you, ( I know that people will probably flame me for this one but..). I have noticed that there is a "Focused Discussions" spot on the board for "Converting Motorola Equipment to 900MHz Amateur". Why couldn't there be a dissussion for Amateur radio? I know could use it. I am studing to get my ticket and I will be using Motorola radios when I do. I understand where you are coming from, but I think if the members of this board would refrain from talking about radio that are not motorola, and just stick to topics that are about amateur radio, what is the problem? Thank you for your time.

Dennis

Post by **alex** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 9:08 am

Well, not speaking for Bat (since it was here since the creation of the board (and hasn't seen a whole lot of traffic in general) Here's my thoughts on it:

The forum was created because you really can't go out to the store and buy 900 mhz amateur gear. Most of the gear that is out there and that amateurs use is modified commercial radio gear, hense the discussion here. There might be some radios that will do 900 that are sold by some vendors (I really haven't looked in a while...) but for the most part, your almost restricted to using commercial gear - if not to building and designing your own. So, for the most part, the data you'll find in that forum is (and this is without me going through old topics, but from what I remember...) how to modify GTX mobles/portables, maxtrac's, spectra's, MTS/MTX portables, etc. Probably some discussion on base stations as well.

That would be my guess as to why that's there. Now - maybe we can "repurpose" the topic to focus more on a broader scale, I'll have to think about that.

Again, it's not that I don't support the idea of it, I'm just not sure if it's the most appropriate place for it.

-Alex

cfd1736 · Post by **cfd1736** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 9:11 am

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I am really new into the amateur world so I was unaware of that fact. Now I have a little more understanding why that forum is on the board. Thanks

Dennis

Post by **alex** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 9:21 am

Glad I could help clarifiy that.

It was there before I was an admin anyway, so, I can only guess that is why it is there, and it seems to make the most sense

-alex

Tom in D.C. · Post by **Tom in D.C.** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 9:54 am

Alex:

I agree with you. As I see it, going 'way back in time, the more or less basic purpose of the Batlabs Discussion Board was to sort of mix the commercial AND amateur uses/applications of Motorola equipment.
So far it seems to be working fine, particularly in the General Discussion area, but again, that's just the way I see it. If we have a lot of specialized areas it's going to be difficult to sort things out and make it even possible - - oh God, NO!!! - - to even MISS something that happens here.

GD, Buy/Sell, Lounge, 900 mHz, etc. are all fairly distinct and speak for themselves as being separate areas, but adding more seems to cry out for justification, which may be difficult to do and might also have some disadvantages.

k4wtf · Post by **k4wtf** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 11:26 am

dirtrat wrote:You are bringing back nightmares for me from my USAF days. I was one of the people who used to repair those. They are fun to play with UNTIL you have to fix one. Lots of fun with that point-to-point wiring. I was glad to see them go and most were replaced with Pacer Bounce HARRIS HF radios. Also got to work on the Kwt6 radios if you ever heard of those?

OK. Which radio, K2, TS-2000, IC02AT, Sabers or Spectras was it that you repaired while in the USAF? Those are the radios I spoke of and none of them have much point-to-point wiring. I know that the MARS station at NNN0MTP had quite a few IC02AT's in the cabinet and we used Sabers in Recon but, those are the only radios I'm familiar with out of the bunch that I've seen in any form of military service. As a matter of fact, having worked on all of them, I can't say that any of them has much in the way of point-to-point wiring so, I'm confused by your statement.

I'm not familiar with the KWT6. The radio I drooled over was at the MARS station. I think Harris made it. It was a "MIL-1000" and would do all-mode from DC to Daylight. Combine that with a 17-element log-periodic up about 300ft HAAT and you can have all kinds of fun.

--
John

w7com · Post by **w7com** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 1:06 pm

One section I would enjoy seeing along with the 900MHz is a 220MHz conversion topic. Just like 900, 220 is hard to find gear for.

And count me in as a Motorola ham! My current goal is to see how many Syntors and Maxtracs I can fit in my Ranger. I'm also building a Maxtrac repeater system for my IRLP node.

RadioSouth · Post by **RadioSouth** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 8:12 pm

For me HAM radio and Motorola equipt. went hand in hand. Years back
you couldn't buy a 2m or 440 portable, wanted a portable you had to get
a HT220 and mod it. Spent many years in a large city and the HAM mobile
radio would get bombed out with with intermod and front end overload,
so it was Motorola again. Then for a VHF base had an airport flight path (with R/W outer marker less than 2 miles away) overhead and the aviation comm's. were close enough to cause havoc on the HAM 2 meter rig so again, Motorola !

Cowthief · Post by **Cowthief** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 1:54 pm

Hello.

I like motorola radios, my first was the handi-com dragie-talkie with all the tubes.
My area has since shifted to "green" radios, /\/\ has built some very good models over the years.
To convert to ham, that is a lot of fun, sometimes more so than operating.
This is one of the reasons for the excitement with the old crypto equipment, it was purpose built to be hard to understand, and fun when I finally do.
I do hope that everyone gets what they want out of batlabs, and motorola.

PropellorHead · Post by **PropellorHead** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 10:56 am

Ok, so here goes my HAM questions.

I have several radios, Sabers, a Spectra and a Maxtrac. Mostly to monitor fire and PD. My father and I own several fire engines and old ambulances restored so most of the radios get put into those.

I have wanted to get into HAM radio but I don't know much about the process. I fill out an application or something and where does it go from there?

What is all the different termanology? 2m? 72cm or something? All those different things. I think at this point, Morse Code is the least of my problems. That at least is something you can study straight forward.

I live in Los Angeles County if that makes a difference.

Thanx alot for all yoru help guys,
Louie

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:41 pm

Hello Louie,
There's some publications available to get you up and started.
http://www.arrl.org/catalog/index.php3? ... C+and+More...
The above link takes you to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) where you can purchase current study guides for the license class you require. The most popular and the starting point for your license is the no code tech class of license. You will be required to take a test through a Volunteer Examiner session. Its been a long time since I've followed testing sessions I'm not sure how many questions are on the test but for some reason 50 sticks in my mind or what's left of it.
Any of you guys out in "6" land help Louie in finding a V.E. session?
Good luck and hope to hear you on the air.
Doug...N9JSF

Cowthief · Post by **Cowthief** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 9:11 pm

Hello.

The system of wavelength is very simple, once you remember this formula, L (band)=F (frequency) by 3 .
The medium band spans 300KHz to 3000KHz (3 MHz), the high frequency band is 3 MHz to 30 MHz, the VHF band from 30 MHz to 300 MHz, UHF from 300 MHz to 3000 MHz, microwave is anything above 1000 MHz.
The wave is measured in meters, metres for the europeans.
The 2 meter band, 143 MHz to 147 MHz, is an average of 2 meters long for one full cycle (wave).
Thus, the 440 MHz band has shorter waves, 70 centimeters.
Water is most easily excited by 2450 MHz, where microwave ovens are now at.
Just think, some far away galactic empire picks up our faint microwave oven signals, and decided to send a strong signal back?

wa2zdy · Post by **wa2zdy** » Sun Aug 24, 2003 3:31 am

Back in the earliest days of radio, the term "frequency" was unknown. Radio waves were measured and called by their "wavelength." Thus it was that one station might be operating on 600 meters, another on 500 meters, and so on. Today we would call 600m "500KHz" and 500m is "600 KHz."

Since ham radio WAS the beginning of radio (Marconi called himself a "mere amateur"), the allocations the hams were given as regulations came into effect were measured in wavelengths. The first allocation for hams was "above 200 meters." The "experts" thought shortwaves were useless, and that by restricting hams to what were then considered shortwave, they would become frustrated and go away. Oops, wrong. As wwe know today, shortwave was better than the longer waves for what hams wanted to do. (200 meters by the way is 1500 KHz - near the top of what is now the AM radio band.)

Over time, everyone else wanted a piece of the shortwaves too, and hams were thus further and further restricted. Still, our bands are called by their approximate wavelength. 160m, 80m, 40, and so . . .

The actual frequency for the wavelegnth of 2m, by the formula is 150 MHz. The 2m ham band is 144-148 MHz (Cowthief has a typo in his post above. His post is otherwise accurate.) The no-code technician license will not allow you access to the HF ham bands (the ones were typical communication is around the world.) It will allow you on the 6m, 2m, 220 MHz (MHz, not meters! Some newer bands aren't normally called by the wavelength anymore), 440MHz (also known as 70 cm - see how the wavelength goes down as the frequency goes up?), and so on. 2m and 440MHz are probably the most used bands these days, with repeaters the norm. Of course there are plenty of non-repeater things going on on VHF and UHF. Just that the repeaters and common chit-chat are the most obvious.

So what about all this repeater stuff? Basically the VHF/UHF bands are good for local contacts. You won't often be working someone "far" away. Repeaters extend the range sure, and sometimes atmospherics do weird things, but not often. With a no-code license, you will be chatting with mostly the same local fellows in your area. 2m is sometimes called "CB for hams." Sadly there is something to be said about that being partly true. But aside from that, the local nature of the contacts does resemble CB in a way. If you want to talk around the world, you'll need to learn the code and pass another exam.

There are three classes of licenses being issued today. The no-code technician I've already described, the General, and the Extra. The last two require a code test at 5 words per minute and a written exam. The General is more difficult than the tech and the Extra even more difficult - supposedly. I've heard other stories, but since I haven't taken an exam since 1977, I really can't say. That's the idea anyway.

It's not tough, but you do need to get started. I hope I've given you more info so you can decide if you want to follow through. And you can by the way use your Motorola radios on the ham bands. Lots of us do. Some will give you grief programming the ham frequencies in, but that's why Batlabs is here! 2m is next to high band, 440MHz is next to UHF.

To be tested, you'd need to locate a VEC - volunteer examining committee (ya know, I have to check to be sure that's the "proper" name for it. I've just called them VEC for so long now . . . ) local to you where you can take the exams. Most of them are affiliated with radio clubs. That's all easy to find info though when you're ready.

Go check that ARRL site and see what you find, then come back with more quesions. That's the place to start.

Good luck.

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