Posted on 06/08/2015 6:14:38 AM PDT by jaydee770
I Went to the Atlanta Hamfestival this weekend and passed the tests: Technician, General and Extra all in one sitting!
This all started when I made an impulse buy of a cheap, dual-band HT back in April. I had planned on testing just for the Technician class, but the more I studied, the more I thought I stood a chance at going from "Zero-to-Extra".
I'd always been intersted in radios, starting back in the 70's CB era. Growing up, I had a fire-fighter Uncle who worked on radios on the side. I was always fascinated by his radio workshop and the giant beam antennas. When I was in the service overseas, I got into shortwave and that continued on until about 10 years ago when life got busier. Then that HT came along and I finally decided to get serious.
I began studying using online resources (both free and paid) in about mid April -- about an hour or two every couple of days.
The Technician is a breeze. The General is not as easy, but I wouldn't say it's overly difficult. The Extra requires more math/formula memorization, but as long as you know the rest (very doable, I think), you can skip all the math questions and still pass. I think I only had about 6 math questions out of the 50 questions on the "Extra" test. You can miss 13 out of 50 questions and still pass. The examiner told us that barely passing is still passing and does not make you any less licensed.
I missed 1 out of 35 on the Technician, 3 out of 35 on the General and 10 out of 50 on the Extra (most of those were probably the math ones).
So, if you have an interest, I would urge you to check out the online resources that help you study and get it done!
LOL, I was looking for pictures of delicious hams and recipes!
I guess I was wrong.
Hamstock
Here’s a good simple one: Ham, white beans, carrots, onion. Use half chicken broth half water. Crock pot is best, slow cook.
ARL FIFTY SIX NEW LICENSE X 73
We’ve had a boom in new licensees in our area and a lot of them are interested in emergency communications. Welcome!
I love smoked ham, and was disappointed to find that THIS was not about food!
Congratulations! I aced my technician class exam, but couldn’t quite make the general as I had not studied for it.
But you are correct - the entry level exam is easy-peasy.
Excellent! I am now studying electronics online. (CIE.) I would love to hear more about the licenses, the process, your equipment and your successes!
That makes two of us.
Welcome to the ham fraternity. Now go join the ARRL.
...and cell service only within range & powered up.
Prepper? ...got a home generator?
I got my advanced class in 79. I don’t even know if they still have that class. Since we have cell phones, e mail, face time, Skype, I just kind of lost interest in Ham radio, but I won’t let my license expire.
Congratulations! My father was a ham for over 60 years.
A friend of mine logged a DX contact with a ham in Iran a couple of months ago. However, we’re not sure if they are allowed to be called “hams” over there. At some point there will probably be a call to ban the term as being islamophobic.
No more Morse code?....................
Former boss was big on ham radio, half checked into it a few years back.
Congratulations on the test.
I had a SSB CB radio in my car back in my Minnesota days. Nearly every morning on my drive to work in St. Paul, I could chat with another SSB guy in Toronto, Ontario...
Congratulations! The quality of idiot responses prove that you’ve already entered a fraternity of communicators who have broadened their skills and gained access to the world through free and unrestrained communications. That’s a little more noteworthy than stuffing ones gut!
Having been licensed for 50 years I can assure you there is no end to the ability to learn and expand your horizons. Today in fact, a group of hams are attempting to reflect signals off the Solar Sail, having determined that has suitable dimensions to be resonant in the HF spectrum. Ham Radio is science anyone can understand, do, and afford.
If you master the art of HF communications, you will have the ability to communicate over long distances (even globally) using simple equpment and techniques that you can apply anywhere that will work when nothing else (especially cellular and internet systems) fail. That alone should reward your efforts thus far - welcome aboard the airwaves!
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