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Hello, I am a noob and need help
Ok, please don't flame me for spamming or anything, but I have been
quite interested in ham radio lately and even memorized morse code, can any of you give me pointers on how much it takes to get a liscense, how much money on a bare bones radio that still does alot, and how much fun it is :-D. I hope that you can answer these questions and again, please don't flame me for being a noob. |
Hello, I am a noob and need help
|
Hello, I am a noob and need help
) writes:
Ok, please don't flame me for spamming or anything, but I have been quite interested in ham radio lately and even memorized morse code, can any of you give me pointers on how much it takes to get a liscense, how much money on a bare bones radio that still does alot, and how much fun it is :-D. I hope that you can answer these questions and again, please don't flame me for being a noob. The proper place for this would be rec.radio.amateur.misc but sadly the same people who've made that newsgroup pretty inhospitable lately have also done damage to this newsgroup. It's a common misconception that since amateur radio takes place on shortwave, this is the place for it, while realistically this is just for a limited subset of things related to amateur radio, primarily as it intersects with shortwave listeners who listen to the ham bands. That said, a lot of countries have reduced the morse code requirement, or outright eliminated it in recent years. Chances are pretty good that in most countries, there is now an entry level license that does not require knowing the morse code, though limitations will come with that license (such as where you can operate). I should warn you that "memorizing" the morse code likely won't help you one bit. It is too common for the beginner, I did it myself decades ago, to think they know the morse code if they can send it. But it's a different mind process, and being able to send doesn't mean an ability to receive it. Decades ago, it was somewhat understandable, given that there weren't the same resources available, and it was easy to get a code practice oscillator and code key, so off you went. Many times, the morse code was right there on the code practice oscillator (or the walkie talkie that had a code button), and if not it was easy to find in the encyclopedia or some other book. But starting that way didn't leave us prepared for receiving code, when we finally got to that point. You have to listen, and get used to hearing the sounds, and hear the morse characters as a complex sound rather than individual dots and dashes. The way to do this is to listen to code sent at a higher speed, but with big spaces between characters, and this will help later when you want to receive at actual higher speeds. The good news is that nowadays it's real easy, unlike 1972 when the best choice I had was to get a vinyl record and play it endlessly. You probably can download various prerecorded material, and listen on your computer or burn a CD. Or get a program to run on your computer that sends you code. SOmeone suggested the ARRL, of course if you're not in the US then you need to find your own country's national amateur radio organization. And then find a local club. Many will still have a class for a nominal fee that will teach you what you need to pass the test, and at the very least a local club will give you a chance to interact with real hams, and learn about the local stores (if any) that sell ham equipment and learn of upcoming fleamarkets put on by the local clubs, that can be a place to buy used ham equipment and peripheral things like books. I see no indication that it's difficult at all to pass the test to get a ham license. I got mine when I was twelve, with only a few months of deliberate study (though a year and a half of reading the ham magazines and books), and if anything, licensing tests have become simpler in the years since then. Michael |
Hello, I am a noob and need help
If you are in the US, there is no better place for your questions than
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HamRadioHelpGroup/ 73 es GL, Tom |
Hello, I am a noob and need help
wrote:
Ok, please don't flame me for spamming or anything, but I have been quite interested in ham radio lately and even memorized morse code, can any of you give me pointers on how much it takes to get a liscense, how much money on a bare bones radio that still does alot, and how much fun it is :-D. I hope that you can answer these questions and again, please don't flame me for being a noob. First of all, please understand that the ham radio bands are a lot friendlier than the Internet newsgroups! The licensing process depends on what country you're in. In the U.S. there is no fee for the license itself but there is a modest examination fee for the test you must pass to qualify for a license. "The ARRL VEC Test Fee for 2006 is $14.00"; other examination coordinators might charge a slightly different fee. See http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/license-requirements.html for more information in the U.S.. (if you're in another country, let us know which one & I think we can come up with the name/location/URL of an appropriate local organization) A decent new VHF radio will run you around $200; a decent new one for shortwave will start around $700. Used gear is widely available and less expensive - I would suggest $125 would get you a decent used VHF set and $400 for used shortwave. You will need some perihiperal gear - a power supply and antenna. Probably around $50-100 for the power supply. (maybe a bit more for a new supply for a shortwave rig) You can make your own antenna for a few tens of dollars or less in Home Depot/Lowes/etc. parts. You'll probably need to buy a bit of feedline, same ballpark. You can, of course, spend a LOT more if you're so inclined! As with any hobby, it's as much fun as you want to make itgrin! -- Doug Smith W9WI Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66 http://www.w9wi.com |
Hello, I am a noob and need help
Check around and see if there is a Amateur Ham Radio Club in your area.
cuhulin |
Hello, I am a noob and need help
Doug Smith W9WI wrote: wrote: Ok, please don't flame me for spamming or anything, but I have been quite interested in ham radio lately and even memorized morse code, can any of you give me pointers on how much it takes to get a liscense, how much money on a bare bones radio that still does alot, and how much fun it is :-D. I hope that you can answer these questions and again, please don't flame me for being a noob. First of all, please understand that the ham radio bands are a lot friendlier than the Internet newsgroups! The licensing process depends on what country you're in. In the U.S. there is no fee for the license itself but there is a modest examination fee for the test you must pass to qualify for a license. "The ARRL VEC Test Fee for 2006 is $14.00"; other examination coordinators might charge a slightly different fee. See http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/license-requirements.html for more information in the U.S.. (if you're in another country, let us know which one & I think we can come up with the name/location/URL of an appropriate local organization) A decent new VHF radio will run you around $200; a decent new one for shortwave will start around $700. Used gear is widely available and less expensive - I would suggest $125 would get you a decent used VHF set and $400 for used shortwave. You will need some perihiperal gear - a power supply and antenna. Probably around $50-100 for the power supply. (maybe a bit more for a new supply for a shortwave rig) You can make your own antenna for a few tens of dollars or less in Home Depot/Lowes/etc. parts. You'll probably need to buy a bit of feedline, same ballpark. You can, of course, spend a LOT more if you're so inclined! As with any hobby, it's as much fun as you want to make itgrin! -- Doug Smith W9WI Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66 http://www.w9wi.com Ya, I'm in the US. That's a whole lot of money and it is doubtful that I can get it very soon so what do you recommend I do in the meantime? Should I get a liscense now or does it eventually expire? Should I try to find parts on ebay or something? And one last thing, my uncle says he knows someone with some extra ham radios, should I look into that? |
Hello, I am a noob and need help
Definetly look into the extra Ham Radios you uncle was talking
about.List them on a piece of paper and ask the Ham experts (I am not an expert) in this news group about them. cuhulin |
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