Well here i am the first. So is there any other hamsters out there? I happen to think that listening to the sky(FTA) is a logical progression from ham. Afterall its experimental and only recieving RIGHT.<G>
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Well here i am the first. So is there any other hamsters out there? I happen to think that listening to the sky(FTA) is a logical progression from ham. Afterall its experimental and only recieving RIGHT.<G>
I'm a long time ham but don’t get on the air much now days, I like to try the magic band (6 meters) simply because its the hardest one to work, I have made contacts all the way to Australia, Japan and Europe on 6 meters.
Also we don’t post call signs as they are traceable back to the owner. (Just a reminder)
73's
Terryl
I know about call signs and I am only a vhf guy now and bored to death with it. I was hf in another country 30 years ago ( no reciprical licence) so I had to start over . It was a HUGE demand country and I have tonns of contacts from then. Now vhf is so boring that I have NO station set up at all and no motivation to do the code because I'm 1 of a million here in Canada. So not much of a ham ...I admit it so there.
I understand what your all saying.. Not much on HF that I care for anymore. I’ve sold out until all I have left is FM. I like working with the WX in bad storms, but older & wise enough now to keep my Butt home in bad weather. :Rain:
I’m also one of the volunteer commutation officers in my area for Home Land Secretary, all that gives me some radio time.
73's
So what does one need to get into Ham Radio ?
I know there are a bunch of guys here in my town that do it as they put there call signs on the license plates hehe
Find you one of the cars with the ham radio license plates at a coffee shop and see if you can locate the ham inside. Get them to put you in touch with the local ham club. You can also find out the name and address from the plates by using the main search on “qrz com”. There is also ham information located on “arrl org”. You will find that your going to make some nice helpful local friends. :comfort1:
Hope this helps,
I took this futher once I stopped at a guys house with a red and white selfsupporting tower ( with lights) and a 3 el horizontal beam and knocked on his door .He was very nice and showed me his shack and spent prob an hour with me. Well about 2 years later I had a call sign in st. vincent in the west indies and this HUGE station was calling in the pile up that was allways created when ever we went on the air. Well I asked where he was and it was the same guy from my home town and I blew his mind when I started to describe his shack and tower. I told him he was a really nice guy and that I had stopped once and talked to him we ended up taking often after that. You never know...Quote:
Originally Posted by Br_549
Quote:
Originally Posted by dumb as a stump
stump,
I just knew there were other Hams out here. Started studying in September 1993. In a few short months I had passed all the technical (written) test up through Advanced class. No code as yet. When I finally received my Tech ticket, I went dormant for a couple of months, having a ball on 2 meters. Then decided to start studying the code. I hated code - twenty years in the Air Force listening to the Jet engines simply destroyed my hearing. But I kept at and finally passed the 20 WPM test, and went from Tech+ to Advanced Class in one day at the testing facility. Three weeks later I passed the written test for Amateur Extra Class, but had to wait a month or two before my Advanced Class ticket came in the mail, so that I could apply for the Extra Class ticket. So a total of eight months from nothing to Amateur Extra Class. Served as a VE (Volunteer Examiner) for two years. and then gave Amateur Radio.
Worked all states on 75 meters (extra class section). Wow! Try finding an Extra Class in Rhode Island with a three hour time difference. Finally I did, with help from some of the other Hams in nearby states. DX wouldn't touch down on the East Coast until after midnight, and all the old guys were already in bed and sleeping. I should mention that this occurred at the very bottom of the sun spot cycle, which made it even more difficult.
Then what happens??? Guess what! After all the studying for the code and passing, they came out and let all the CBers (excuse my language) get an extra Class ticket without any code. I lost all interest in Ham Radio. I sold all my HF gear and gave away all my two meter stuff to a friend who is now a Ham.
To make a long story a little shorter, I haven't keyed up in twelve years. I still kept up my license, though I haven't even opened the envelope with my newest license.
Glad to see some other Hams on board. .... .. .... ..
Cheers to you all.
Mick
PS: Wow! That was really nice to talk to a fellow Ham that you knew from an earlier time.. Congratulations to you. Did you get a QSL Card??
m
I got my ham licence 16 years ago (Canada) First licence is called BASIC that gives you vhf,uhf and 6 meter. the next licence is ADVANCED which gives you HF. Never did bother with CODE which is the next step or was back 16 years ago. It's a bit easier to get your licence now, still a lot of fun but communication has changed and ham radio is fading away.....shame.
Also like 6 meters.... but 80 and 12 are my favorites........perhaps we could give our prefix and not our full ham call???
No Ham Radio Is Alive And Well
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73 From 8 land FT 857 Inverted v
IMO there is a lot to be learned from ham. They have DIY big dishes (see Katz's stess dish). They do interesting things with LNBs (see the rework of old LNBs for use as transmitters up in the 12 GHz range for ATV use). The FTA box is an S band receiver with a wide range, so some ham possibilities there. Lots to play with whether you have a ticket or not.