Posted on 04/09/2009 12:44:48 AM PDT by Clinging Bitterly
I have been a licenced Ham operator since 1978. I have had a Technician Class license since 1982 - this was back in the days when you had to go to an FCC office to take the tests, which at the time for me was about 200 miles from home.
Since US Ham Rado went No Code in 2007, I have been qualified to upgrade to General Class by simply going to a test session and filling out some paperwork. The reason for the "free" upgrade is the exam elements I passed back in '82 are the same as for the General Class today.
So, tonight there was a test session in town and I went in to get my grandfathered upgrade. While there the examiners suggested successful applicants (which I would be by default) could move on and test for successive upgrades without extra cost or penalty beyond time spent so I said what the heck. I had within the past month browsed the question pool (a public record by law) and already figured there's no way I could pass this right now, but nothing ventured nothing gained they say.
And the test was hard. It had a few gimmes, a surprizing number of questions covering advanced theory that related to things I'd specialized in and even pioneered in years past, a lot of stuff I sort of knew but not in depth, and the remainder, about equal to the margin between acing and passing, that I knew little about at all. But going through it I became more encouraged as I went along, and in the end I passed with exactly the minimum required number of correct answers, and as one of the examiners said, it doesn't matter whether you aced it or barely passed, it isn't posted on the wallpaper and you don't have to sign with your score in the EXTRA CLASS sub bands.
And I am so jazzed, and for more on WHY I am so jazzed, read the comment body. The link above goes to nothing specific but there you can discover how to join the fraternity yourself. I am glad to have returned, and anxious to see what's new.
Good luck!
I am sure that you will do fine and look forward to our first qsl on the bands!
I found a place near me that gives the test daily for free.
I am considering the ICOM IC-7000 as my first rig. It is suitable for mobile and base operation and will sit nicely atop my TenTec RX320D.
I am a Yaesu man myself (FT-950 and FT-7800 base and FT-8800 mobile) but have used an Icom 7000 at a friends QTH. It is a fine radio that runs a little hot for my tastes. If you don’t need all the bells and whistles that the 7000 offers, take a look at the Yaesu FT-857D before you make a final decision.
Either way you will be fine.
Thanks. I had heard about the heat issue but dont know that it is a real problem. I run commercial DSP stuff at 55C temps all the time without failure.
I will look at the FT-857D.
I like bells and whistles, but they often detract from more useful functions.
DSP is great but analog sounds so much nicer
Wow! the Yaesu is about half the cost
Yep! Puts out 100 watts, all modes, all bands up to .70 meters, and doesn’t run hot. I used to have one in my truck but do not currently work HF from there so I took it out.
Only drawback is that it is somewhat menu intensive but you can learn that stuff quickly.
Can you control it via your computer and put a display on the screen? Is there a lot of after market control software for it?
I “want” an RF Space(SDR-IQ) pan adapter as well
I am a sucker for this stuff L0L
Yep! And the best program for that I have seen is Ham Radio Deluxe which costs the princely sum of $0.00 (free download)
Love it! Thanks for the info
Is that correct or incorrect?
You don't think the TOTUS would use non union teleprompters do you?
SMOTUS! surrender monkey of the United States
Is that racist?
Can you explain what 160-6 means? Does it cover bands from 6 meters to 160 or what?
The ST-480's look like nice rigs, lots of very positive reviews. But I'm just thinking about taking the plunge at this point.
With the Fed gov wanting to regulate or do away with the Internet, ham radio will always be a nice alternative.
I've had an advanced ham license for years, but haven't been on the air in a long time.
Personally, the internet has diminished my interest in ham radio. I also feel that ham radio is probably MORE regulated than the internet.
I still think of getting back to it sometimes, but I haven't because I am not a big talker and I also get real tired of exchanging the same old information and gabbing about the weather. Also, without a schedule, you can't reach a particular person....if you like yelling into the ozone, I guess thats OK (and it can occasionally yield interesting results).
Somebody, please convince me I'm wrong!
I certainly don't mean to bash hams. It was a fascination of mine since childhood. Unfortunately, the thrill is gone.
In thinking about it, there are tradeoffs to protect against an EMP. The Faraday cage (aluminum foil and so forth) certainly would work against an EMP in its electromagnetic wave form, provided that it was really well sealed (no gaps).
Undoubtedly, an EMP creates high ground currents, but the question is how deeply they penetrate. Since the EMP is a very short-duration pulse, there will be a significant skin effect at and near the surface of the ground, causing a falloff of current density with increasing depth. Howver, ground is in most places a poor conductor, so the depth at which the currents are negligible might be deeoer than you would want to bury something.
The conductive enclosure would still, in my opinion, be useful to shunt the ground currents around its contents; but it's possible that the density of those currents in contact with the shield could be large enough to burn through it if it was very thin.
This completes my guesswork package of the evening.
SK
Try communicating to the other side of the planet without a phone line/cable while off the grid, on 10 watts, completely independent of any software or supporting elements, for free.
While the 480SAT is a nice rig it is expensive. Looking at the brochure I see it is being marketed to DXers and it does offer a the modern features a DXer would want to have. If your primary interest is to have something that's readily transportable and usable anywhere, you can do that for a lot less money. Plenty of used rigs going on Ebay for $250 or so are quite capable in that regard - and going that route one wouldn't feel so bad if the rig should become damaged by some mishap while being transported or operated in not so nice conditions. Not to mention a less complex rig will be easier to operate, especially in a situation where there are multiple operators.
160-6 does mean, in this case the rig covers all Ham bands from 160M to 6M
And I like the idea of putting HF/VHF/UHF in one box. This one doesn't go far enough in that regard, only going up to 6M. But it is more tailored for the DXer as I said, and it includes 6M because that's the highest band that has predictable openings (at the proper time in the sunspot cycle, which as many of us know, is definitely not now).
For a tactical solution you would want HF/VHF/UHF capability at hand, and though not necessary, having all bands in one package will make things easier on the operator in many ways. Of course there are disadvantages too, chief among them the inability of multiple operators to simultaneously operate on multiple bands.
Still, for a good example of such a rig, check out the Yaesu FT-857D.
Thanks for the info!
And a variety of activities as well, things which may appeal to just about any interest one might have.
And it's not so regulated, in the sense that Ham operators need government authorization and have regulations in place limiting some of the things one may undertake on the air.
As a lot of folks on this forum know, I lean heavily to the libertarian side on most issues, and I have a special distaste for laws prohibiting activities one may undertake that cause no outside harm. So I must admit the scheme of regulation we have in Ham Radio spits in the face of those principles.
But I go wishy washy here to some extent, because I can't justify it from a purely ideological perspective. But nevertheless, the esoteric viewpoint I hold is the system of regulation in place WRT Ham Radio works very well, and nearly always has.
Hams have always been involved in the process from the moment a uniform nationwide regulatory system came into effect, including the design of that system, setting forth it's purposes and scope of power. The FCC is heavily infiltrated with Hams (especially the the branch responsible for oversight of the service) and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. When a particularly onerous proposal comes to the table, word spreads quickly and hence, the bureau is given advice in the form of persuasive comments from affected parties. All comments are considered and the Hams almost always prevail. As a result, there is very little in the body of regulation that Hams themselves don't want.
One must also keep in mind that the regulations and restrictions placed upon Hams (as well as the other services) are for the most part not criminal. And there is not the usual army of guns pointed to our heads forcing us to do or not do certain things, most enforcement is complaint based, and most often done by back and forth mailing of letters. The infamous "FCC Vans" are not filled with hooded thugs out to bust down the doors of Hams with a -30 dB harmonic or an AC hum (though if the former case is detected they might politely inform). Out of band, especially if clearly intentional, they might be a bit more aggressive, but still the issue would most likely be handled by letter. But the FCC and their field operators have plenty to do besides spook on Hams, and most violations will not ever be detected or reported.
For that, freebanders also can rejoice, because with proper care and caution, they are unlikely to ever get caught. They are also unlikely to be given the time of day by any legit Ham.
Not sure, are you a new Ham or interested in becoming one?
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