Am I the only HAM??

[achaios]

I've wanted to get into it for a while...at work we have a day dedicated to our HAMs...skywarn recognition day.

Anyways...anyone have a good working radio for sale?

Do you have a license yet? I know some retailers won't sell you one unless you do.

At the hamfests, you might be able to find a radio, but one that covers all the bands will go for a few to several hundred bucks in working order. I did get a RadioShack HTX-100 10 meter radio for $85 at a hamfest (I may have been able to get it cheaper, but I'm not a good haggler).

If you're just looking for a receiver that can get the ham bands, there are several kits out there. There's one kit from Breadboard Radio for about $25 or $30 that will cover the popular 40 meter band (or at least a segment of it).

73,

-- Tom

 

[bbqbull]

Pretty inactive here except for 2 meters when wx permits off my lil Yaesu can hit the repeater.
KA8PME here.

 

[firewxman]

Thanks Tom!

Do you have a license yet? I know some retailers won't sell you one unless you do.

At the hamfests, you might be able to find a radio, but one that covers all the bands will go for a few to several hundred bucks in working order. I did get a RadioShack HTX-100 10 meter radio for $85 at a hamfest (I may have been able to get it cheaper, but I'm not a good haggler).

If you're just looking for a receiver that can get the ham bands, there are several kits out there. There's one kit from Breadboard Radio for about $25 or $30 that will cover the popular 40 meter band (or at least a segment of it).

73,

-- Tom

Thanks for the info Tom!

I am working toward the license, but not really sure how much I want to spend on a good radio. I guess I will wait and see once I'm licensed and ready!

73

Firewxman

 

[Trickworm]

I am an amateur radio operator among other things. Are there other HAMS on here besides me? If so, what is your call? KD5QWL is mine.

I am not a HAM but in fact a TURKEY.
T= The
U= Unknown
R= Radio
K= Keeper
E= Encrypting
Y= Yodels

 

[mikes]

I've been studying for the tech test but havent been to proactive with it. Took a few practice tests on EHam and....let's just say I need to study more.

 

[Dirt Nuker]

You could say I have an interest in amateur radio. Ever heard of Maco Antennas? I took the owners out for lunch last week.

 

[~Alan~]

I have only just discovered this thread. Sorry for being slow


I am G0TTM That's G zero
I got my B licence in 1992, then my A licence the year after.


I mostly only work local stations on 2m and 70cms nowadays, but got
back into HF this weekend (Feb 2021) for the Dutch PACC contest. This
is something I did for many years until my weekends were taken up with
photography. 73's all


I use an Alinco DX70 for HF with a G5RV
For 2m & 70cms I use an Icom IC-2725

 

[amc rulz]

Haven’t been in radio since I was in Children’s Band back in the 70’s, when I was 13 or 14 I built a 3-element beam antenna and strapped it to our homes chimney. Thinking about getting into HAM because a buddy gave me an analog scanner and I’ve been listening for a week or two. I might build a cheap inverted-V dipole for $50 and hang it up in a big oak in the front yard. They say it’s 95% antenna and 5% radio to get out there?

 

[achaios]

Haven’t been in radio since I was in Children’s Band back in the 70’s, when I was 13 or 14 I built a 3-element beam antenna and strapped it to our homes chimney. Thinking about getting into HAM because a buddy gave me an analog scanner and I’ve been listening for a week or two. I might build a cheap inverted-V dipole for $50 and hang it up in a big oak in the front yard. They say it’s 95% antenna and 5% radio to get out there?

Sounds about right. As long as you get a good impedance match (if you have an SO-239 connector on the radio, you want 50 ohms), you should be OK.

73,

-- Tom

 

[Cherry Picker]

Kd0cwq

 

[georgeinsc]

I have been under the impression for some time that Morse Code was no longer a requirement for any of the Amateur Licenses. A check online says that it is no longer required.

During my time in the Navy i was required to be proficient in MOrse Code.

 

[~Alan~]

I have been under the impression for some time that Morse Code was no longer a requirement for any of the Amateur Licenses. A check online says that it is no longer required.

During my time in the Navy i was required to be proficient in MOrse Code.

I think it's only Amateur's who use Morse code nowadays. I had to do it at
12.5 wpm to get my A licence, which is pretty slow. I can't imagine how good
you need to be to copy at 45 wpm.
It's no longer a requirement to get an A licence in the UK.

 

[achaios]

I have been under the impression for some time that Morse Code was no longer a requirement for any of the Amateur Licenses. A check online says that it is no longer required.

During my time in the Navy i was required to be proficient in MOrse Code.

I can verify that it is no longer a requirement in the US. It used to be that the Extra class license I hold required 20wpm, and 13wpm was the best I could do when I was in practice and at 100% mental capacity. Most of the high speed CW you hear in the contests now is done by computer/other aids, but I know of one contester who does it all high speed by hand (shout out to Art WA7NB).

-- Tom

 

[Grumpa]

KI5EMO

I got my Technician license a couple of years ago. Nowadays there are three levels: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. None of them require Morse Code. There are computer programs where you can type in what you want to say and it will transmit in Morse Code for you.

Some of the older HAMs don't think you're really a HAM if you don't know MC. But things progress and grow as time goes by.

When I first decided to get licensed I didn't "study" at all, just took LOTs of practice tests and only missed one question when I took the test. Wouldn't say it's easy, but with work, pretty much anyone can pass it.

Been telling myself lately I need to get busy working toward General.

 

[~Alan~]

I've seen some of the requirements to get the licences in the US, and it's a lot tougher than here in the UK.
When I did my morse test, you were given a section of text to practice on.
I went through this without making a mistake, and didn't actually have to do the test piece.
Since then I've never used it.

 

[achaios]

I've seen some of the requirements to get the licences in the US, and it's a lot tougher than here in the UK.
When I did my morse test, you were given a section of text to practice on.
I went through this without making a mistake, and didn't actually have to do the test piece.
Since then I've never used it.

Before they removed the Morse code requirement, they removed the SENDING portion of the test, since they found that if you could receive code at speed x, you generally could send it at that speed.

I only have a few CW contacts in my log. There is one DX entity that I have two contacts to, and both are CW (PJ6A Saba Island).

73,

-- Tom

 

[Perry]

Could someone help me out with passing along info with the web site links to the requirements to get a license. Also maybe where I could find my old number that I have not used for 40 years. I am 1,000 miles away from all my files. Thanks

 

[BuscaPlata]

OK, so if I wanted to become a HAM, about how much would it cost me to become one, approximate total?

 

[~Alan~]

Before they removed the Morse code requirement, they removed the SENDING portion of the test, since they found that if you could receive code at speed x, you generally could send it at that speed.

I only have a few CW contacts in my log. There is one DX entity that I have two contacts to, and both are CW (PJ6A Saba Island).

73,

-- Tom

When I took the test they had just changed it to a QSO format, before that it was groups of letters and numbers.
The QSO format was easier, as if you missed a letter it was a lot easier to fill in the blanks.


73 ... Alan

 

[~Alan~]

OK, so if I wanted to become a HAM, about how much would it cost me to become one, approximate total?

You'll need someone in the US to answer that one.
Here in the UK it was just the cost of the evening classes to get my B licence.
The cost of radios and antennas varies enormously, depending on what you want to achieve.