Amateur Radio FAQ

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  • jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,786
    Westminster, MD
    I was ready to move forward and decided against it because I didn’t want another piece of junk in the house collecting dust.
    What does a person do with these radios on a daily basis? I assume some people make friends across the country and chit chat a little but other than that what’s interesting to listen to?

    My initial reason was SHTF and the deal with the 5-pack of Baofengs got me to pull that trigger, but it's turning into a source of entertainment.

    Sunday night I just happened to catch a "net" (akin to a club meeting for anyone to join in) about 5 minutes after I programmed the radio. I caught it via the Carroll County Amateur Radio Club's repeater. I would have joined in if I was authorized.

    Last night I listened for a while on GMRS while 2 fellows discussed what antenna one should get based on his current gear and goals.

    If for me, getting my amateur license is like Christmas, this morning was like my birthday as I received my GMRS call sign. yippeeee :D
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,172
    Outside the Gates
    My initial reason was SHTF and the deal with the 5-pack of Baofengs got me to pull that trigger, but it's turning into a source of entertainment.

    Sunday night I just happened to catch a "net" (akin to a club meeting for anyone to join in) about 5 minutes after I programmed the radio. I caught it via the Carroll County Amateur Radio Club's repeater. I would have joined in if I was authorized.

    Last night I listened for a while on GMRS while 2 fellows discussed what antenna one should get based on his current gear and goals.

    If for me, getting my amateur license is like Christmas, this morning was like my birthday as I received my GMRS call sign. yippeeee :D

    There is a ham UHF site in Towson that is likely to be converted to GMRS in the coming months. It may be a restricted use repeater that you pay a modest fee to get the PL tone and authorization to use in order to keep the riffraff out. This may be an actual problem as more people buy radios and use them in indiscriminate and unlicensed manners.

    Having the ham license and the radios in my vehicles give me somebody to talk to when I am driving alone.

    You would not believe how many hams will jump in when a conversation starts about the best way to prepare a particular type of food or the best version of some particular food. If someone asks where the best pizza can be found it usually starts a conversation that goes on for about an hour with up to a dozen hams participating, the same as the water cooler here.

    It may sound inane but round robin conversations for simple things like this give practice for conversations that may be important such as disasters. Those who practice will be ready, those who have never picked up a gun may not even know how to load it, the same with radios.

    ETA: I prefer thin crust pizza if I want bread I’ll buy a loaf of bread
     

    ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,499
    God's Country
    For me it's a split between my nerd DNA and a layer of some emergency preparedness. Modestly priced radios like this (or even very fancy ones) aren't a magic bullet, but they can really help in some situations.

    Having cracked the lid open on the APRS side of things, I'm still laughing like a little kid when I can sit on a ridge somewhere in West Virginia where there's no internet access, and manage to get off a short (short!) email over the airwaves and have it hop twenty miles at a time through an amateur network until it gets where it's going.

    I like having a single device that can listen in on air traffic comms, local AM/FM, weather updates, and still hook into VHF/UHF repeaters anywhere I go, and get some local flavor (or in a pinch, news and help if it came to it). I don't tend to get involved in the daily jawboning, which is mostly people talking about the hardware they've got set up to do the daily jawboning. Not that there's anything wrong with that! It's like spending more time talking about shooting than, well, actually getting out and shooting - it's free!

    My main justification for the modest time involved in getting the license and in getting to know the hardware: Just In Case. The other uses are more about keeping the skills and awareness up. There actually are a lot of parallels to shooting, that way.


    I was primarily interested in the just-in-case part but I’m not sure it would be useful without a decent investment of time.
    Once ToolAA put up the big antenna I knew I wasn’t going to be in this with both feet.

    Antenna Envy?

    Actually mine is pretty modest, by ham standards is tiny....I mean ham girls laugh when they see it Tiny...

    All joking aside I’m sort of where Occam is on this. There is a preparedness need and a geek need which were both somewhat fulfilled. I have tried to participate in local nets but I find it more interesting to sometime listen to those. I have enjoyed talking to people all over the world using the digital side. That not the Baofeng style.

    I like the concept of APRS and its usefull to be able to send txt messages over the air but I am still looking for reliable methods of sending short text messages using the cheap handhelds. From what I can tell it just doesn’t quite exist.

    By the way if want a better family radio and you do not want to go the ham route Baofeng now makes GMRS handheld at 2 watts which is 4x more transmission power than the cheap wallmart radios. You can also attach your own better antenna which will further increase range and you can program them to access GMRS repeaters. So there are options to help solve the need for personal communications between family members in an emergency with minimal technical knowledge required. I’m probably going to touch on this in our class Friday.
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,172
    Outside the Gates
    Antenna Envy?

    Actually mine is pretty modest, by ham standards is tiny....I mean ham girls laugh when they see it Tiny...

    By the way if want a better family radio and you do not want to go the ham route Baofeng now makes GMRS handheld at 2 watts which is 4x more transmission power than the cheap wallmart radios. You can also attach your own better antenna which will further increase range and you can program them to access GMRS repeaters.

    I don't have much of an antenna either.

    Another option on GMRS HT's is the Wouxon KG805G, I think its in the same price range. I don't know how it will play out in the end, but Wouxon's line of radios is getting a reputation of being a notch above the Baofengs (although still well below the big 3 Japanese makers).
     

    Winged Pig

    Active Member
    Aug 20, 2008
    736
    Calvert County
    Add me to the list of people who were motivated to get a license from this thread in general and K31 in particular. I check this thread almost daily to see what additional information I can pick up on. And yes, this hobby has cost me more money then I first thought it would, but I have fun with it. Thanks!
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,786
    Westminster, MD
    Figures....I find something new just in time for gov to want more money. Maybe it won't be that bad...bahahahaa...gov, money and "not that bad."


     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,172
    Outside the Gates
    As yet its only a proposal and won't take effect for some time even if it goes thru. Jump NOW and avoid the possible fee. In my opinion there should be no or at most a minimal fee for the Technician license, maybe $5 at most.
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,786
    Westminster, MD
    I was cramming to try to take the test this Saturday in Catonsville from Laurel VEC, but I have some Boy Scouts stuff to do. January, come on down!
     

    TapRackBang

    Cheaper Than Diamonds
    Jan 14, 2012
    1,919
    Bel Air
    I like the concept of APRS and its usefull to be able to send txt messages over the air but I am still looking for reliable methods of sending short text messages using the cheap handhelds. From what I can tell it just doesn’t quite exist.
    I think the reason for that is if two cheap handhelds are close enough that they could exchange text, then you can just hit the PTT and say what you were going to text much faster than you could type it. Plus I think once you add "texting", you've added enough overhead to just go all the way and make it APRS.

    If you take the "cheap" out of the equation, APRS-enabled handhelds can be had for not quite Baofeng cheap, but not budget-crushing prices. Used Kenwood TH-D7's can be had for $120-ish. And a much better radio, I think.
     

    axshon

    Ultimate Member
    May 23, 2010
    1,938
    Howard County
    Just wanted to throw in here. I don't post much on this thread but I follow it and appreciate a lot of the work y'all have done here. I got my general last year and purchased a nice GAP Titan unused from a friend but have yet to set it up. I've got a Kenwood TS-480SAT gifted from the same guy.

    I got into HAM because my dad and uncle are very into it up north. Things this year have been very hectic which is why I haven't set up my station. That's partly why I decided to post. My family could use your prayers if you're the type. My uncle Bob, N8QZA, is in the hospital with Covid19. It's been hard to get a real idea of what's happening up there since my family is very midwestern and stoic. At any rate, his license info doesn't do justice to his RF experience. He and his older brother (who still works full time down in VA for the Army) joined the Army together in 1956 and were both put into the Army Security Agency (ASA). They were both signals specialists and did a lot of really important things that I've only recently found out about. The history books don't say much about that side of things but these guys were figuring out solutions to problems us regular folks had no idea were even there. They put their thumb on the scales of history for the better many times. They are patriots. Bob was also into just about everything else. He would spend an hour with me as a kid with an oscilloscope and a busted TV, explaining how things worked and then take me for a walk in the woods and tell me how to find the good mushrooms and everything else edible out there regardless of the season. I always felt like he knew everything about everything. He was the chief electrical engineer on the Mackinac Bridge for over 30 years. Heart bypass surgery a few years ago forced him to retire but even at that time he was over 70 years old and working full time. Quite a guy and now he's fighting for his life again.

    Just wanted to offer up a little tribute to a guy I love and respect to a bunch of folks who don't know him. It's a good hobby and it's nice that the other end of the signal could be just about anybody. Hope I get to make a contact soon...
     

    THier

    R.I.P.
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 3, 2010
    4,998
    Muscleville
    I just renewed my General ticket. If you go directly through FCC,, It is FREE!! (Bonus when you haven't worked for 2 months.)
     

    K31

    "Part of that Ultra MAGA Crowd"
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 15, 2006
    35,632
    AA county
    Prayers sent for your Uncle and your family.

    Just wanted to throw in here. I don't post much on this thread but I follow it and appreciate a lot of the work y'all have done here. I got my general last year and purchased a nice GAP Titan unused from a friend but have yet to set it up. I've got a Kenwood TS-480SAT gifted from the same guy.

    I got into HAM because my dad and uncle are very into it up north. Things this year have been very hectic which is why I haven't set up my station. That's partly why I decided to post. My family could use your prayers if you're the type. My uncle Bob, N8QZA, is in the hospital with Covid19. It's been hard to get a real idea of what's happening up there since my family is very midwestern and stoic. At any rate, his license info doesn't do justice to his RF experience. He and his older brother (who still works full time down in VA for the Army) joined the Army together in 1956 and were both put into the Army Security Agency (ASA). They were both signals specialists and did a lot of really important things that I've only recently found out about. The history books don't say much about that side of things but these guys were figuring out solutions to problems us regular folks had no idea were even there. They put their thumb on the scales of history for the better many times. They are patriots. Bob was also into just about everything else. He would spend an hour with me as a kid with an oscilloscope and a busted TV, explaining how things worked and then take me for a walk in the woods and tell me how to find the good mushrooms and everything else edible out there regardless of the season. I always felt like he knew everything about everything. He was the chief electrical engineer on the Mackinac Bridge for over 30 years. Heart bypass surgery a few years ago forced him to retire but even at that time he was over 70 years old and working full time. Quite a guy and now he's fighting for his life again.

    Just wanted to offer up a little tribute to a guy I love and respect to a bunch of folks who don't know him. It's a good hobby and it's nice that the other end of the signal could be just about anybody. Hope I get to make a contact soon...
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,786
    Westminster, MD
    Just wanted to throw in here. I don't post much on this thread but I follow it and appreciate a lot of the work y'all have done here. I got my general last year and purchased a nice GAP Titan unused from a friend but have yet to set it up. I've got a Kenwood TS-480SAT gifted from the same guy.

    I got into HAM because my dad and uncle are very into it up north. Things this year have been very hectic which is why I haven't set up my station. That's partly why I decided to post. My family could use your prayers if you're the type. My uncle Bob, N8QZA, is in the hospital with Covid19. It's been hard to get a real idea of what's happening up there since my family is very midwestern and stoic. At any rate, his license info doesn't do justice to his RF experience. He and his older brother (who still works full time down in VA for the Army) joined the Army together in 1956 and were both put into the Army Security Agency (ASA). They were both signals specialists and did a lot of really important things that I've only recently found out about. The history books don't say much about that side of things but these guys were figuring out solutions to problems us regular folks had no idea were even there. They put their thumb on the scales of history for the better many times. They are patriots. Bob was also into just about everything else. He would spend an hour with me as a kid with an oscilloscope and a busted TV, explaining how things worked and then take me for a walk in the woods and tell me how to find the good mushrooms and everything else edible out there regardless of the season. I always felt like he knew everything about everything. He was the chief electrical engineer on the Mackinac Bridge for over 30 years. Heart bypass surgery a few years ago forced him to retire but even at that time he was over 70 years old and working full time. Quite a guy and now he's fighting for his life again.

    Just wanted to offer up a little tribute to a guy I love and respect to a bunch of folks who don't know him. It's a good hobby and it's nice that the other end of the signal could be just about anybody. Hope I get to make a contact soon...

    Prayers for your family!
     

    jc1240

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 18, 2013
    14,786
    Westminster, MD
    Getting excited like a school girl for prom. I just submitted my registration to take the Technician test in Jan in Catonsville.
     

    ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,499
    God's Country
    Just wanted to throw in here. I don't post much on this thread but I follow it and appreciate a lot of the work y'all have done here. I got my general last year and purchased a nice GAP Titan unused from a friend but have yet to set it up. I've got a Kenwood TS-480SAT gifted from the same guy.

    I got into HAM because my dad and uncle are very into it up north. Things this year have been very hectic which is why I haven't set up my station. That's partly why I decided to post. My family could use your prayers if you're the type. My uncle Bob, N8QZA, is in the hospital with Covid19. It's been hard to get a real idea of what's happening up there since my family is very midwestern and stoic. At any rate, his license info doesn't do justice to his RF experience. He and his older brother (who still works full time down in VA for the Army) joined the Army together in 1956 and were both put into the Army Security Agency (ASA). They were both signals specialists and did a lot of really important things that I've only recently found out about. The history books don't say much about that side of things but these guys were figuring out solutions to problems us regular folks had no idea were even there. They put their thumb on the scales of history for the better many times. They are patriots. Bob was also into just about everything else. He would spend an hour with me as a kid with an oscilloscope and a busted TV, explaining how things worked and then take me for a walk in the woods and tell me how to find the good mushrooms and everything else edible out there regardless of the season. I always felt like he knew everything about everything. He was the chief electrical engineer on the Mackinac Bridge for over 30 years. Heart bypass surgery a few years ago forced him to retire but even at that time he was over 70 years old and working full time. Quite a guy and now he's fighting for his life again.

    Just wanted to offer up a little tribute to a guy I love and respect to a bunch of folks who don't know him. It's a good hobby and it's nice that the other end of the signal could be just about anybody. Hope I get to make a contact soon...


    Thanks for posting your story. Prayers for your family. Hopefully he pulls through just fine.
     

    mac1_131

    MSI Executive Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 31, 2009
    3,280
    I just renewed my General ticket. If you go directly through FCC,, It is FREE!! (Bonus when you haven't worked for 2 months.)
    Good grief you actually used the FCC ULS?

    Last I used it, I had to use an XP VM running a very old version of Firefox and a very old (insecure) Java version to use it.

    But yes, if you can do that it's free.
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,172
    Outside the Gates
    Good grief you actually used the FCC ULS?

    Last I used it, I had to use an XP VM running a very old version of Firefox and a very old (insecure) Java version to use it.

    But yes, if you can do that it's free.

    Absolutely no problem with Safari. Never had a single problem with it since I applied last year and later when I got my vanity call.
     

    TapRackBang

    Cheaper Than Diamonds
    Jan 14, 2012
    1,919
    Bel Air
    Good grief you actually used the FCC ULS?

    Last I used it, I had to use an XP VM running a very old version of Firefox and a very old (insecure) Java version to use it.

    UR doing it wrong. :D

    I got a new call sign earlier this year on the ULS and used Pale Moon browser on Ubuntu Linux with no Java (PTOOIE!) at all. No problem. :beer:

    I was surprised there are sites out there that sucker people into paying money to get a vanity call, or even just renew a license. Often run by hams! Not exactly in the spirit of ham radio IMHO... :sad20:
     

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