License confusion question
 

I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools.

In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. Which is it? What am I missing?

Another question. Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? ;)


notbob... fearless geezer

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 8:12*am, notbob wrote:
I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. *I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools. *

In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. *Which is it? *What am I missing?

Another question. *Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. *This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? *;)

notbob... fearless geezer *

Hi, notbob - I am not really up on amateur radio regs just now, but I
can tell you, you've caught this newsgroup at a relatively stable and
noise-free time. It is usually 90% wackos. I would love to see it
stay this way, but no guarantees.

Bruce Jensen

License confusion question
 

On 3/11/10 10:16 , bpnjensen wrote:
On Mar 11, 8:12 am, wrote:
I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools.

In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. Which is it? What am I missing?

Another question. Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? ;)

notbob... fearless geezer

Hi, notbob - I am not really up on amateur radio regs just now, but I
can tell you, you've caught this newsgroup at a relatively stable and
noise-free time. It is usually 90% wackos. I would love to see it
stay this way, but no guarantees.

Bruce Jensen




Now, now, Bruce. This group is 85% whackos. Max.

::::now, where's my Transoceanic Telescopic Xenoboom VHF Hat
Detector::::


Oops, hold on...trapezoid on the Pocketscope. Gotta go.

License confusion question
 

notbob wrote:
I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools.

In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. Which is it? What am I missing?

Another question. Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? ;)


notbob... fearless geezer

Different question pools have different expiration dates.

Here are the dates for current question pools:

Technician class (Element 2) Pool is effective July 1, 2006 and is valid
until June 30, 2010.

General class (Element 3) Pool is effective July 1, 2007 and is valid
until June 30, 2011.

Extra class (Element 4) Pool is effective July 1, 2008 and is valid
until June 30, 2012.

You need to pass the Tech test before you can take the General.

You need to pass General before you can take Extra.

If you pass one test, you can take the next test immediately. I took
Tech and General on the same day. If I'd had time to prepare ahead of
time, I could have taken Extra too.

This web site has some good practice tests:

http://www.qrz.com/testing.html

It is worth looking for a local ham radio club as often they'll be able
to help you find testing sessions.

License confusion question
 

bpnjensen wrote:
On Mar 11, 8:12 am, notbob wrote:
I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools.

In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. Which is it? What am I missing?

Another question. Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? ;)

notbob... fearless geezer

Hi, notbob - I am not really up on amateur radio regs just now, but I
can tell you, you've caught this newsgroup at a relatively stable and
noise-free time. It is usually 90% wackos. I would love to see it
stay this way, but no guarantees.

Bruce Jensen

Anyone say "RHF"? When he departed noise dropped significantly.

License confusion question
 

On Thu, 11 Mar 2010, notbob wrote:

Another question. Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? ;)

Well you're really confused, because this newsgroup has nothing to do with
amateur radio. There's a whole hierarchy, rec.radio.amateur.* that's
intended for that. They cover a wide variety of topics, and there's even
a moderated one.

This newsgroup is about listening. "Shortwave" is in the title since it
sort of defined what the newsgroup was supposed to be about, the same way
that back forty years "SWL" meant "shortwave listening" but often the same
people also did BCB DXing and monitoring the public service bands. It's a
description of the type of person, not the spectrum to be covered.

That confuses a lot of people, they think this is for amateur radio
because it's "shortwave". But it was never meant to be a place to discuss
amateur radio, beyond discussing monitoring the ham bands (which has
always had some followers). The charter defines that, and the fact that
there is a whole hierarchy intended for amateur radio should also
reinforce that. Besides. amateur radio isn't just about shortwave,
indeed while once you couldn't really get a ham license without starting
out on the shortwave bands, now I suspect there are a good percentage,
maybe even a small majority, who have never operated on the shortwave
bands.

Michael

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 8:45*am, BobS wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:
On Mar 11, 8:12 am, notbob wrote:
I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. *I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools. *

In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. *Which is it? *What am I missing?

Another question. *Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. *This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? *;)

notbob... fearless geezer *

Hi, notbob - I am not really up on amateur radio regs just now, but I
can tell you, you've caught this newsgroup at a relatively stable and
noise-free time. *It is usually 90% wackos. *I would love to see it
stay this way, but no guarantees.

Bruce Jensen

Anyone say "RHF"? *When he departed noise dropped significantly.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

SSSHHHH - it's nice and quiet now ;-)

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 9:09*am, Michael Black wrote:
On Thu, 11 Mar 2010, notbob wrote:
Another question. *Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. *This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? *;)

Well you're really confused, because this newsgroup has nothing to do with
amateur radio. *There's a whole hierarchy, rec.radio.amateur.* that's
intended for that. *They cover a wide variety of topics, and there's even
a moderated one.

This newsgroup is about listening. *"Shortwave" is in the title since it
sort of defined what the newsgroup was supposed to be about, the same way
that back forty years "SWL" meant "shortwave listening" but often the same
people also did BCB DXing and monitoring the public service bands. *It's a
description of the type of person, not the spectrum to be covered.

That confuses a lot of people, they think this is for amateur radio
because it's "shortwave". But it was never meant to be a place to discuss
amateur radio, beyond discussing monitoring the ham bands (which has
always had some followers). *The charter defines that, and the fact that
there is a whole hierarchy intended for amateur radio should also
reinforce that. *Besides. *amateur radio isn't just about shortwave,
indeed while once you couldn't really get a ham license without starting
out on the shortwave bands, now I suspect there are a good percentage,
maybe even a small majority, who have never operated on the shortwave
bands.

* * Michael

My thanks to both Mark H. and Michael for their reponses. Both
informative, and this one philosophically worthy as well.

I am currently thinking of getting an amateur license actually, even
if I never get on the air. Not sure why - I used to have one decades
ago (WB1GAL), and never got it off the ground due to inherent
limitations in manual dexterity (back then, code was de rigueur; now
it is optional for most all classes)...the theory and regs were more
or less a snap, even though I am not an electronics guy...

Maybe just for the cachet - we Californians are all about superficial
appearance and keeping up, after all ;-) SWL is still my first love
when it comes to radio.

Bruce

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 12:26*pm, bpnjensen wrote:
On Mar 11, 9:09*am, Michael Black wrote:



On Thu, 11 Mar 2010, notbob wrote:
Another question. *Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. *This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here..
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? *;)

Well you're really confused, because this newsgroup has nothing to do with
amateur radio. *There's a whole hierarchy, rec.radio.amateur.* that's
intended for that. *They cover a wide variety of topics, and there's even
a moderated one.

This newsgroup is about listening. *"Shortwave" is in the title since it
sort of defined what the newsgroup was supposed to be about, the same way
that back forty years "SWL" meant "shortwave listening" but often the same
people also did BCB DXing and monitoring the public service bands. *It's a
description of the type of person, not the spectrum to be covered.

That confuses a lot of people, they think this is for amateur radio
because it's "shortwave". But it was never meant to be a place to discuss
amateur radio, beyond discussing monitoring the ham bands (which has
always had some followers). *The charter defines that, and the fact that
there is a whole hierarchy intended for amateur radio should also
reinforce that. *Besides. *amateur radio isn't just about shortwave,
indeed while once you couldn't really get a ham license without starting
out on the shortwave bands, now I suspect there are a good percentage,
maybe even a small majority, who have never operated on the shortwave
bands.

* * Michael

My thanks to both Mark H. and Michael for their reponses. *Both
informative, and this one philosophically worthy as well.

I am currently thinking of getting an amateur license actually, even
if I never get on the air. *Not sure why - I used to have one decades
ago (WB1GAL), and never got it off the ground due to inherent
limitations in manual dexterity (back then, code was de rigueur; now
it is optional for most all classes)...the theory and regs were more
or less a snap, even though I am not an electronics guy...

Maybe just for the cachet - we Californians are all about superficial
appearance and keeping up, after all ;-) *SWL is still my first love
when it comes to radio.

Bruce

I hope you won't give up on code. It doesn't require a lot of manual
dexterity to send code at a reasonable rate. You might not become a
speed demon sending/copying code at 50 wpm, but who cares? You can
have a ton of fun on the CW portions of the bands.

When I first got my license I had no intention of learning code. I
figured I'd stay mostly on the voice portion of the bands, but my
interests in the hobby kept expanding. Soon I was active in digital
modes like RTTY and PSK-31. Now I spend 99% of my time operating in CW
mode with a paddle and keyer, and it's about a thousand times more
addictive than any other part of the hobby I've encountered thus far.
Well worth the initial investment of time and energy to learn code.

Steve

License confusion question
 

Steve wrote:
I hope you won't give up on code. It doesn't require a lot of manual
dexterity to send code at a reasonable rate. You might not become a
speed demon sending/copying code at 50 wpm, but who cares? You can
have a ton of fun on the CW portions of the bands.

When I first got my license I had no intention of learning code. I
figured I'd stay mostly on the voice portion of the bands, but my
interests in the hobby kept expanding. Soon I was active in digital
modes like RTTY and PSK-31. Now I spend 99% of my time operating in CW
mode with a paddle and keyer, and it's about a thousand times more
addictive than any other part of the hobby I've encountered thus far.
Well worth the initial investment of time and energy to learn code.


Steve, I want to present a different direction. IMHO he should study for and
take the technician exam as soon as possible. (assuming he is in the US).
Then he should get a 2m HT and get on the local repeaters.

Being on the air is a good way to meet other hams, and find an elmer
(ham lingo for a mentor). Then he can move up in class, branch out into
other things, such as learning morse code, etc.

No matter what method you choose to learn morse code, it's a lot easier and
more fun with someone to help you and communicate with.

I highly recommend Code Quick, by Dr Gerry Wheeler.

http://www.cq2k.com/

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge or
understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation.
i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia.

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 10:46*am, Steve wrote:
On Mar 11, 12:26*pm, bpnjensen wrote:





On Mar 11, 9:09*am, Michael Black wrote:

On Thu, 11 Mar 2010, notbob wrote:
Another question. *Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. *This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? *;)

Well you're really confused, because this newsgroup has nothing to do with
amateur radio. *There's a whole hierarchy, rec.radio.amateur.* that's
intended for that. *They cover a wide variety of topics, and there's even
a moderated one.

This newsgroup is about listening. *"Shortwave" is in the title since it
sort of defined what the newsgroup was supposed to be about, the same way
that back forty years "SWL" meant "shortwave listening" but often the same
people also did BCB DXing and monitoring the public service bands. *It's a
description of the type of person, not the spectrum to be covered.

That confuses a lot of people, they think this is for amateur radio
because it's "shortwave". But it was never meant to be a place to discuss
amateur radio, beyond discussing monitoring the ham bands (which has
always had some followers). *The charter defines that, and the fact that
there is a whole hierarchy intended for amateur radio should also
reinforce that. *Besides. *amateur radio isn't just about shortwave,
indeed while once you couldn't really get a ham license without starting
out on the shortwave bands, now I suspect there are a good percentage,
maybe even a small majority, who have never operated on the shortwave
bands.

* * Michael

My thanks to both Mark H. and Michael for their reponses. *Both
informative, and this one philosophically worthy as well.

I am currently thinking of getting an amateur license actually, even
if I never get on the air. *Not sure why - I used to have one decades
ago (WB1GAL), and never got it off the ground due to inherent
limitations in manual dexterity (back then, code was de rigueur; now
it is optional for most all classes)...the theory and regs were more
or less a snap, even though I am not an electronics guy...

Maybe just for the cachet - we Californians are all about superficial
appearance and keeping up, after all ;-) *SWL is still my first love
when it comes to radio.

Bruce

I hope you won't give up on code. It doesn't require a lot of manual
dexterity to send code at a reasonable rate. You might not become a
speed demon sending/copying code at 50 wpm, but who cares? You can
have a ton of fun on the CW portions of the bands.

When I first got my license I had no intention of learning code. I
figured I'd stay mostly on the voice portion of the bands, but my
interests in the hobby kept expanding. Soon I was active in digital
modes like RTTY and PSK-31. Now I spend 99% of my time operating in CW
mode with a paddle and keyer, and it's about a thousand times more
addictive than any other part of the hobby I've encountered thus far.
Well worth the initial investment of time and energy to learn code.

Steve- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Steve - I gave up on code 30 years ago after working at it two years
and never getting beyond about 7 WPM. For me, the words 'manual
dexterity' are an oxymoron. Same with guitar, piano and typing. No
soap. My fingers might as well be made of stone. A lifelong lid.

RTTY? Not a chance.

No biggie - I'm happy :-)

Bruce

License confusion question
 

[Note: Followup-To is set - rec.radio.shortwave is NOT an amateur radio
group]
"Mark S. Holden" wrote in message
...
notbob wrote:
I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools.

In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. Which is it? What am I missing?

Another question. Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? ;)

notbob... fearless geezer

Different question pools have different expiration dates.

Here are the dates for current question pools:

Technician class (Element 2) Pool is effective July 1, 2006 and is valid
until June 30, 2010.

General class (Element 3) Pool is effective July 1, 2007 and is valid
until June 30, 2011.

Extra class (Element 4) Pool is effective July 1, 2008 and is valid
until June 30, 2012.

Even when the questions change (i.e. the pool expires), usually 80% of the
questions carry to the next period. If you study by learning the material
and not the questions, this shouldn't be a problem.

You need to pass the Tech test before you can take the General.
You need to pass General before you can take Extra.

If you pass one test, you can take the next test immediately. I took
Tech and General on the same day. If I'd had time to prepare ahead of
time, I could have taken Extra too.

If you pass, taking the next exam at the same session is covered under the
SAME fee most (if not all) places.

This web site has some good practice tests:

http://www.qrz.com/testing.html

It is worth looking for a local ham radio club as often they'll be able
to help you find testing sessions.

Or look he http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 1:03*pm, Bob Dobbs wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:

RTTY? *Not a chance.

RTTY, or teletype uses a keyboard and monitor,
same as you use on this newsgroup.
You don't need to know a dot from a dash,
because it doesn't use them.
It's more of a hissing, warbling sound in a speaker,
not something the human ear could ever readily decode.

--

Operator Bob
Echo Charlie 42

Yeah, I know - but you should see me type. What you see on this page
is not what comes out of my fingers...this is the result of
painstaking review and correction, often multiple times. If I sent
RTTY, it would look like gibberish...

The **only thing** that I can type quickly and correctly is...

Bruce

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 1:03*pm, Bob Dobbs wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:

RTTY? *Not a chance.

RTTY, or teletype uses a keyboard and monitor,
same as you use on this newsgroup.
You don't need to know a dot from a dash,
because it doesn't use them.
It's more of a hissing, warbling sound in a speaker,
not something the human ear could ever readily decode.

--

Operator Bob
Echo Charlie 42

As an addendum - imagine yourself with large thick cold stiff gloves
on your hands. Now imagine that your hands and your mind don't
communicate properly. Then, place them a paddle or a keyboard, and try
having something sensible come out the first time.

You'd be me.

It's OK - I'm happy :-)

Bruce

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 1:28*pm, Bob Dobbs wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:

It's OK - I'm happy :-)

That's what really counts from my zen POV.

...and FWIW your comments come across as well crafted and logical
despite the confusing process you claim to endure in their creation.

--

Operator Bob
Echo Charlie 42

A compliment I was not expecting - thank you :-)

License confusion question
 

On 2010-03-11, Michael Black wrote:

amateur radio. There's a whole hierarchy, rec.radio.amateur.* that's
intended for that. They cover a wide variety of topics, and there's even
a moderated one.

Thank you for your brief reply.

Now that you've read my post and know what I'm looking for, would you
care to recommend one of the rra groups that might be more appropriate
for my needs?

nb

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 3:37*pm, notbob wrote:
On 2010-03-11, Michael Black wrote:

amateur radio. *There's a whole hierarchy, rec.radio.amateur.* that's
intended for that. *They cover a wide variety of topics, and there's even
a moderated one.

Thank you for your brief reply. *

Now that you've read my post and know what I'm looking for, would you
care to recommend one of the rra groups that might be more appropriate
for my needs?

nb

Hi, notbob - here is the moderated one, if you are looking for really
clean material...

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...pics?hl=en&lnk

Good luck - first, you may want to read the items in this thread by
Mark Holden and Michael Black.

Bruce

License confusion question
 

On 2010-03-11, Steve wrote:

modes like RTTY and PSK-31. Now I spend 99% of my time operating in CW
mode with a paddle and keyer, and it's about a thousand times more
addictive than any other part of the hobby I've encountered thus far.
Well worth the initial investment of time and energy to learn code.

I agree and will learn code if it kills me. Speaking of which, one
motivation is that poor soul who died in OR a couple years ago.
Remember James Kim, who got lost on a back road and then stranded with
his family in deep Dec snows? Here's a guy who reviewed hi-tech
gadgets like PDAs and cell-phones for a living. Yet, for all his
know-how, he died alone and unable to call for help.

That scared the crap outta me. Though I'm no ham and have never had a
license or even a CB, I know how CW, even QRP, could have probably
saved this guy. Yet, he was clueless of even the most basic radio
technology. Frightening. I swore then, it would never happen to me
and I'm set on learning code and learning QRP radio.

I just checked out a 15 yr old ARRL Handbook and the last down rev
ARRL general study guide from the library. Outta keep my mind busy
for awhile. ;)

nb

License confusion question
 

notbob wrote:

That scared the crap outta me. Though I'm no ham and have never had a
license or even a CB, I know how CW, even QRP, could have probably
saved this guy. Yet, he was clueless of even the most basic radio
technology. Frightening. I swore then, it would never happen to me
and I'm set on learning code and learning QRP radio.

Far better would have been a satellite based emergency locator transmitter.
Originaly designed for airplanes, they are available for hikers, etc.

As for CW, even QRP saving him, it's possible but not likely. HF location
is too coarse to find him, unless he had a GPS unit and was able to transmit
an SOS with the correct coordinates, had a big enough antenna to be heard,
and so on.

I have a 10m HT and can "work the world" (or at least access 10m
repeaters in the US and EU), but only when the band is open. It is not
likely it will be until the middle of the current sunspot cycle, which
is 4-5 years away if we are lucky.

A VHF HT is not going to be of any use, unless he happens to get lost or
snowed in to a valley with a repeater on the mountain above.

Yes, we have a repeater here in Jerusalem that had to be moved to a different
frequency because it was interfering with one on Crete, but that's
tropspheric ducting, over water, and our repeater was at 3500 feet asl.

It also depends upon finding a frequency that someone is listening on,
in a lot of places if you want road help, etc you are better off on CB.

Learn morse code if you want to, build and operate QRP if you want to,
take a radio backpacking if you want to, but IMHO you are not going to
really improve your chances if you are buried in a snow drift, or lost
while hiking out in the middle of the forest.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge or
understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation.
i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia.

License confusion question
 

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
notbob wrote:
That scared the crap outta me. Though I'm no ham and have never had a
license or even a CB, I know how CW, even QRP, could have probably
saved this guy. Yet, he was clueless of even the most basic radio
technology. Frightening. I swore then, it would never happen to me
and I'm set on learning code and learning QRP radio.

Far better would have been a satellite based emergency locator transmitter.
Originaly designed for airplanes, they are available for hikers, etc.

As for CW, even QRP saving him, it's possible but not likely. HF location
is too coarse to find him, unless he had a GPS unit and was able to transmit
an SOS with the correct coordinates, had a big enough antenna to be heard,
and so on.

I have a 10m HT and can "work the world" (or at least access 10m
repeaters in the US and EU), but only when the band is open. It is not
likely it will be until the middle of the current sunspot cycle, which
is 4-5 years away if we are lucky.

A VHF HT is not going to be of any use, unless he happens to get lost or
snowed in to a valley with a repeater on the mountain above.

Yes, we have a repeater here in Jerusalem that had to be moved to a different
frequency because it was interfering with one on Crete, but that's
tropspheric ducting, over water, and our repeater was at 3500 feet asl.

It also depends upon finding a frequency that someone is listening on,
in a lot of places if you want road help, etc you are better off on CB.

Learn morse code if you want to, build and operate QRP if you want to,
take a radio backpacking if you want to, but IMHO you are not going to
really improve your chances if you are buried in a snow drift, or lost
while hiking out in the middle of the forest.

Geoff.


A 2m HT may not help if you're really out in the sticks, but they have a
much longer range than a cell phone.

In the car with a mobile antenna I reliably reach a repeater that's 30
miles away with my VX-8r. Handheld with the standard antenna, I can
often reach it, but not reliably.

And of course there are many other repeaters that are closer than that
in CT.

The VX8r also has an optional GPS that can automatically send your
location through APRS.

License confusion question
 

On 2010-03-12, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:

Far better would have been a satellite based emergency locator transmitter.
Originaly designed for airplanes, they are available for hikers, etc.

Yep. When I first looked them up a few years ago, the prices were
prohibitive. Now, world level locators are down to the same as a good
HT and continental locators down to $100.

As for CW, even QRP saving him, it's possible but not likely. HF location
is too coarse to find him, unless he had a GPS unit and was able to transmit
an SOS with the correct coordinates, had a big enough antenna to be heard,
and so on.

So I'm rapidly learning.

Spent much of last night reading ARRLs older Gen class book. A real
eye opener. I need to get the technician book tuit de suit and
knuckle down. I actually know most of the math and basic electronics
in general class, but am so damn rusty it'll take awhile to clear out
these geezer cobwebs. I think better to get my element 2 license and
get on the air and worry about general class and QRP fantasies,
later.

Thanks for the reaity check. ;)

nb

License confusion question
 

On 2010-03-11, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:

Steve, I want to present a different direction. IMHO he should study for and
take the technician exam as soon as possible. (assuming he is in the US).
Then he should get a 2m HT and get on the local repeaters.

Being on the air is a good way to meet other hams, and find an elmer
(ham lingo for a mentor). Then he can move up in class, branch out into
other things, such as learning morse code, etc.

I'm beginning to agree with you, Geoffrey. I'm pretty far out there.
I'm within twenty miles of two small towns (2-4K pop), but 100 miles
from any real metro. So far, I've only located one local club and I'm
not really sure they are hams at all (repeater assn). I'm beginning
to think getting on-line and getting an affordable HT is the way to go,
if only to connect with some radio ppl. There's got to be some hams
somewhere around here. Lot of remote farms and homes, hereabouts.

Apparently, there's one ham near me, but he may be seasonal, this
being mainly a snowbird park. If I get on-line, I'd have a much better
chance of finding an elmer. So, I'm temporarily dismissing the
romantic aspects of ham radio and ordering/joining ARRL. I will go
ahead and build the code oscillator in this general manual. I have
most of the parts and a cheapo key and have downloaded a couple computer
code programs (G4fon, Just Learn Code, etc) and will plug along while
I fast-track the traditional get-a-license approach.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply, even if I'm in the
wrong group. It was all good info and much appreciated.

nb

License confusion question
 

On 2010-03-11, bpnjensen wrote:

Hi, notbob - here is the moderated one, if you are looking for really
clean material...

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...pics?hl=en&lnk

Good luck - first, you may want to read the items in this thread by
Mark Holden and Michael Black.

As a rule, I don't like moderated usenet groups, but will watch it. I'm
watching three other rra groups, but despite enormous server retention, there
seems to be almost no current traffic. I joined eham.net and will
look at other web forums. Thanks for your comments.

nb

License confusion question
 

On Mar 12, 7:53*am, notbob wrote:
On 2010-03-11, bpnjensen wrote:

Hi, notbob - here is the moderated one, if you are looking for really
clean material...

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...ted/topics?hl=....

Good luck - first, you may want to read the items in this thread by
Mark Holden and Michael Black.

As a rule, I don't like moderated usenet groups, but will watch it. *I'm
watching three other rra groups, but despite enormous server retention, there
seems to be almost no current traffic. *I joined eham.net and will
look at other web forums. *Thanks for your comments.

nb

I don't care for the moderated groups either - but if, as you
suggested, a noise-free group is what you're looking for, moderated is
the way to go. If you posted there, you'd probably get some
responses. In any case, the eham route is also a good one, that
should work out well for you. Best of fortune!

License confusion question
 

On Mar 11, 8:23*am, "Mark S. Holden" wrote:
notbob wrote:
I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. *I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools. *

In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. *Which is it? *What am I missing?

Another question. *Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. *This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? *;)

notbob... fearless geezer *

Different question pools have different expiration dates.

Here are the dates for current question pools:

Technician class (Element 2) Pool is effective July 1, 2006 and is valid
until June 30, 2010.

General class (Element 3) Pool is effective July 1, 2007 and is valid
until June 30, 2011.

Extra class (Element 4) Pool is effective July 1, 2008 and is valid
until June 30, 2012.

You need to pass the Tech test before you can take the General.

You need to pass General before you can take Extra.

If you pass one test, you can take the next test immediately. *I took
Tech and General on the same day. *If I'd had time to prepare ahead of
time, I could have taken Extra too.

This web site has some good practice tests:

http://www.qrz.com/testing.html

It is worth looking for a local ham radio club as often they'll be able
to help you find testing sessions.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for this.

Hmm - are these practice tests typical? I just took several of the
technician tests and passed with flying colors, no study at all. I
can only assume that they are easy. I cannot see why any radio person
would be concerned about these tests.

I tried two General tests, but missed because of shortcomings in my
knowledge of a few of the most technical equipment and computer-
related terms. I would guess a couple hours' study of the manual
would fix that problem.

Bruce

License confusion question
 

bpnjensen wrote:
On Mar 11, 8:23 am, "Mark S. Holden" wrote:
notbob wrote:
I'm new to these newsgroups and amateur radio. I would like to study
for my ticket but am confused on the dates of the question pools.
In the Mar '09 issue of CQ magazine, an article on A Beginner's Guide
To Becoming a Ham Radio Operator, element 3 dates are given as,
"Element 3 (General) pool between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2011".
Yet, two study guides I've dwnlded (pdf) from the web, both give the
ending year for General as 2010. Which is it? What am I missing?
Another question. Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? ;)
notbob... fearless geezer
Different question pools have different expiration dates.

Here are the dates for current question pools:

Technician class (Element 2) Pool is effective July 1, 2006 and is valid
until June 30, 2010.

General class (Element 3) Pool is effective July 1, 2007 and is valid
until June 30, 2011.

Extra class (Element 4) Pool is effective July 1, 2008 and is valid
until June 30, 2012.

You need to pass the Tech test before you can take the General.

You need to pass General before you can take Extra.

If you pass one test, you can take the next test immediately. I took
Tech and General on the same day. If I'd had time to prepare ahead of
time, I could have taken Extra too.

This web site has some good practice tests:

http://www.qrz.com/testing.html

It is worth looking for a local ham radio club as often they'll be able
to help you find testing sessions.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for this.

Hmm - are these practice tests typical? I just took several of the
technician tests and passed with flying colors, no study at all. I
can only assume that they are easy. I cannot see why any radio person
would be concerned about these tests.

I tried two General tests, but missed because of shortcomings in my
knowledge of a few of the most technical equipment and computer-
related terms. I would guess a couple hours' study of the manual
would fix that problem.

Bruce

Those tests are the actual questions. When you take the actual test,
you might get a different mix, but if you can reliably pass every
practice test, you'll do great on the real one.

License confusion question
 

On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:12:05 GMT, notbob wrote:

Another question. Being a big usenet user, but new to amateur radio,
I've been looking at all the groups available. This one appeared to
have the least noise for a general discussion group, so I posted here.
Is this type of question ok, here, or is there a more appropriate
group for rank newbie questions I'm sure to be pestering the ham
community with? ;)


Most of the talk is on qrz.com and articles are on eham.net. There are a
lot of yahoogroups for different radio models and QRP, HFPack operations.