Much to my surprise, I passed the Tech test! Waiting on my call sign.
Now to decide what kind of antenna to put up.
Re: New ham!
2Congrats SwampGrouch! Welcome to the hobby! Glad to have you as one of us!
Just a simple 2m/440 meter vertical antenna will get you on the air. Not expensive.
(I have a nice little J-pole antenna you can have. It’s just sitting on a shelf...)
If you want to go to right to HF you can get a 10 meter monoband transceiver off eBay for cheap.
(10 meters is pretty dead now at the bottom of the solar cycle, but there are nets)
Or find a 70s or 80s vintage radio on eBay or at a hamfest.
You aren’t that far from me. Msg me if you want any pointers. Glad to help a fellow ham.
Just a simple 2m/440 meter vertical antenna will get you on the air. Not expensive.
(I have a nice little J-pole antenna you can have. It’s just sitting on a shelf...)
If you want to go to right to HF you can get a 10 meter monoband transceiver off eBay for cheap.
(10 meters is pretty dead now at the bottom of the solar cycle, but there are nets)
Or find a 70s or 80s vintage radio on eBay or at a hamfest.
You aren’t that far from me. Msg me if you want any pointers. Glad to help a fellow ham.
Re: New ham!
3Congrats on yer ticket from an old ham.
S u b R o s a
S u b R o s a
"Oozing charm from every pore, he oiled his way around the floor."
Re: New ham!
4Congrats, SG!
Time to hit the books for General so you'll be able to use your language skills on HF!
Time to hit the books for General so you'll be able to use your language skills on HF!
Re: New ham!
5I just have a cheap baofeng for SHTF. At some point I should go for the licence. It might be fun to actually start using it....
Re: New ham!
8Sez the man lusting fer a 160m rhombic..
SR
SR
"Oozing charm from every pore, he oiled his way around the floor."
Re: New ham!
9http://www.amateurradio.bz/4_dollar_sat ... tenna.html
Regular price, 4 bucks, 4 bucks, 4 bucks.
2m and 440
Regular price, 4 bucks, 4 bucks, 4 bucks.
2m and 440
The $4.00 Ham Radio Satellite Antenna
Simple, inexpensive and lots of fun! Here is an easy to make home brew antenna that can get you on the air working satellites or be built for use as a portable hand held antenna to extend the range of your HT.
It's a dual band 2m/70 cm yagi antenna made with common materials and cost very little to make. Also, the antenna is fed with only one coaxial cable and does not use a duplexer.
Re: New ham!
10How do you best learn - books or video?koolaidblue wrote: Mon Oct 22, 2018 9:25 pm I just have a cheap baofeng for SHTF. At some point I should go for the licence. It might be fun to actually start using it....
Re: New ham!
11Go to hamfests and hang out with other hams.
Shake hands a lot, buy the coffee, ask questions.
SR
Shake hands a lot, buy the coffee, ask questions.
SR
"Oozing charm from every pore, he oiled his way around the floor."
Re: New ham!
12Thanks to all for the kind welcome. Picked up a new-in-box Yaesu FT2980R and a couple of elderly Icom bricks at a hamfest a couple weeks ago, so it's just a matter of getting an antenna up, ground rod driven down, and cable run. Oh, and license in hand, or at least on hard drive.
I may take you up on that J-pole, Huck. I've been involved in radio in one form or another for years and have put together enough systems for Civil Air Patrol to know to know that the antenna, not the radio, is the heart of the whole thing.
I may take you up on that J-pole, Huck. I've been involved in radio in one form or another for years and have put together enough systems for Civil Air Patrol to know to know that the antenna, not the radio, is the heart of the whole thing.
"There never was a union of church and state which did not bring serious evils to religion."
The Right Reverend John England, first Roman Catholic Bishop of Charleston SC, 1825.
The Right Reverend John England, first Roman Catholic Bishop of Charleston SC, 1825.
Re: New ham!
13 Congrats ! I worked disasters in the past and hams were invaluable.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Re: New ham!
15Ping Shin to get a pass to the super secret squirrel ham section.
Also... http://wb0tge.com/?page_id=33
Plumbing for the win!WBØTGE “Mighty Woof” 2m/440 Dual Band Fan Dipole (DBFD)
I call this the “Mighty Woof” antenna. It reminds me of two “Wouff Hong” (created by Hiram Percy Maxim) joined together at the base creating an awesome signal.
Re: New ham!
16That looks like a fun build! All the fun of soldering copper pipe without having to put up with attaching it to the house plumbing!
The squirrels have a ham section?
The squirrels have a ham section?
AndyH wrote: Tue Oct 23, 2018 6:03 pm Ping Shin to get a pass to the super secret squirrel ham section.
Also... http://wb0tge.com/?page_id=33
Plumbing for the win!WBØTGE “Mighty Woof” 2m/440 Dual Band Fan Dipole (DBFD)
I call this the “Mighty Woof” antenna. It reminds me of two “Wouff Hong” (created by Hiram Percy Maxim) joined together at the base creating an awesome signal.
"There never was a union of church and state which did not bring serious evils to religion."
The Right Reverend John England, first Roman Catholic Bishop of Charleston SC, 1825.
The Right Reverend John England, first Roman Catholic Bishop of Charleston SC, 1825.
Re: New ham!
17I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a secret ham section, or that anyone might or might not have asked a member of our professional staff to allow you access.SwampGrouch wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 4:10 pm That looks like a fun build! All the fun of soldering copper pipe without having to put up with attaching it to the house plumbing!
The squirrels have a ham section?
Re: New ham!
18OK. I *think* I got him added. First thing I've ever done as a mod. Let me know if it didn't work right!
106+ recreational uses of firearms
1 defensive use
0 people injured
0 people killed
1 defensive use
0 people injured
0 people killed
Re: New ham!
19Oh oh! Best behavior, guys. There’s a new Sheriff in town.Eris wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:15 pm OK. I *think* I got him added. First thing I've ever done as a mod. Let me know if it didn't work right!
Congratulations on your new level of awesomeness.
Re: New ham!
20I promise that I will only ban people for heinous offenses like disagreeing with me, or it being Tuesday.HuckleberryFun wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:23 pmOh oh! Best behavior, guys. There’s a new Sheriff in town.Eris wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:15 pm OK. I *think* I got him added. First thing I've ever done as a mod. Let me know if it didn't work right!
Congratulations on your new level of awesomeness.
106+ recreational uses of firearms
1 defensive use
0 people injured
0 people killed
1 defensive use
0 people injured
0 people killed
Re: New ham!
21Congrats, Eris!Eris wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:26 pmI promise that I will only ban people for heinous offenses like disagreeing with me, or it being Tuesday.HuckleberryFun wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:23 pmOh oh! Best behavior, guys. There’s a new Sheriff in town.Eris wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:15 pm OK. I *think* I got him added. First thing I've ever done as a mod. Let me know if it didn't work right!
Congratulations on your new level of awesomeness.
Re: New ham!
23(I swear, every time I see this thread for a moment I think someone's raising their own pigs! )
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."
Re: New ham!
24YankeeTarheel wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 6:45 pm (I swear, every time I see this thread for a moment I think someone's raising their own pigs! )
Re: New ham!
25AndyH wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 8:29 pmYankeeTarheel wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 6:45 pm (I swear, every time I see this thread for a moment I think someone's raising their own pigs! )
Something for everyone!
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."