HAM Radio Beginner

Hi all,
I want to get into HAM radio really bad. The thing is, there aren't any classes or testing areas around me. The closest is Richmond, about 40 miles away. I have a few books, and have been studying. Can anyone give me a few pointers or tips? Also, what would be a good radio to start out with that is cheap, but good quality? I am thinking about taking my General test instead of Tech to start out with.

Here are two pages that list all the volunteer examiner coordinators.
FCC: Wireless Services: Amateur Radio Service: Amateur Licensing: VECs
NCVEC - FCC Certified VECs
Check the web sites listed on them for VEs in your area.

I can't help with study tips or good first radio tips because there are too many personal preferences.

You can't take the General test first. You have to pass the Technician test before you can take the General test but you can take them both at the same test session.

Thank you

Welcome to the hobby, Ted. There are several study sites for practicing your exams that can be very helpful. I would 2nd the suggestion to take your General exam at the same test session as your Technician exam. There is much overlapping material.

I would suggest a decent dual band mobile radio to get started. Many people suggest a handheld, but these are so limited, you will not have the enjoyment possible. I have a Yaesu FT-8900 (multi-band) and a Kenwood TM-271 2 meter mobile. While the inexpensive Chinese radios offer a budget appeal, they may or may not work well for you and I'd personally suggest staying with one of the 'big three' (Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu) for best user interface, long term performance and factory support. If you choose a mobile, you'll need a suitable power supply (13.8vDC @ 10 amps+/-), coax and an antenna. Antennas are easily made and need not cost much.

You should be able to hear the 2 meter repeater in Richmond, as well as those in Waynesboro, Lynchburg, Farmville, Buckingham and several other 2 meter repeaters.

Go to "Repeaterbook.Com" and search for repeaters in your vicinity.

I'm up in the Louisa, soon to be Gordonsville area, once you have your license, let me know if you need help.

Alright, sounds good. I have a Baofeng UV-82 radio that I use for Civil Air Patrol SAR.

The Baofeng you already have will work to a certain extent. With the OEM antenna, you may be able to hear and possibly communicate with the closer repeaters.

I would think the Farmville (WR4CV) repeater would be easily received at your area - 146.955 mHz. If no one is using the repeater, it will be silent except for periodic station ID, typically their call sign in Morse code every 10 minutes or so.

Doing your proximity search at Repeaterbook.Com will provide a list of more potential listening frequencies for repeaters that are close to you.

With a better antenna, especially installed at height, you can probably reach quite a few repeaters and enjoy a much better simplex range, even with the low powered HT. I notice a BIG difference between my HT's "rubber duck" and a roll-up J-Pole I had made from an FM stereo antenna wire, and when I use my homemade ground plane that is 40' up in a tree, the difference is HUGE. With my 5 watt HT, I can reach the Bluemont repeater (147.300) and that's 74 miles.

If you decide to use a more efficient remote antenna, you will need an SMA adapter that will take your Male (verify) SMA on the radio to an SO-239 that will match up with the standard PL-259 coax connectors. Whenever using an adapter like this with an HT (handheld), it is wise to use a flexible cable to provide strain relief between the heavier, less flexible coax to the antenna and the chassis-mounted SMA connector on your radio.

If you don't already have a;programming cable and software, I'd suggest getting these items. It will make programming a breeze and it is much easier to set up your local repeater frequencies, both your offsets and tones. I'd suggest this approach for any modern radio and I routinely use CHIRP and RTSystems cables & software for my FT-8900 and VX-7r HTs.

ETA: there is a relevant thread on radio selection here: http://forums.radioreference.com/am...irst-radio-dual-band-ht-suggestions-help.html

Thank you for that information. I agree, a good antenna changes the game completely. I have a Nagoya 771 on the Baofeng right now. Works like a charm. The range increase is noticeable.

Recommended study method for successfully obtaining a Technician Class License

Ted240 said:

Hi all,
I want to get into HAM radio really bad. The thing is, there aren't any classes or testing areas around me. The closest is Richmond, about 40 miles away. I have a few books, and have been studying. Can anyone give me a few pointers or tips? Also, what would be a good radio to start out with that is cheap, but good quality? I am thinking about taking my General test instead of Tech to start out with.

Click to expand...

Ted,

My youngest son obtained his Technician class license in 1995 at age 12 (KF4CAH). He did not miss any test questions and was one of the youngest persons ever licensed for the Technician class in Virginia at that time. The volunteer examiners were excited as they never had seen such a young person or most adults pass the exam on their first try and not miss any questions. I wish I could take credit for my son's study method which he alone thought of because it was so obviously simple. In later years I occasionally would be asked by individuals wanting advice on how to study to get their Technician Class license. I recommended the study method my youngest son used. Over various subsequent years four of those who took my advice, including my oldest son (KJ4NAU) passed their Technician Class test the first time missing no questions and only two individuals missed only one test question on their test.

The FCC has a selection of "pool questions" a number of which are questions specific to certain subject matter areas used for a given time period usually for a few years and then a new set of publicly available "pool" questions are used.

Here are the successful study/learning method steps but they will require patience, self discipline and concentration:

1. Obtain the latest set of pool test questions which are available from various internet sources. Print the TOTAL sets of ALL questions. Try first obtaining the latest pool set from the ARRL website.

2. Read at the first question. Read ONLY the correct answer. Using a pencil/pen mark through ALL of the incorrect answers for that question. Establish a Q/A relationship for each question. For example,(my made up question): Question 1= Under what circumstances can music be played on the amateur bands? Answer 1= Never

3. Using a yellow highlighter pen create a Q/A word(s) relationship for question one and mark as follows: Question 1= "music". Answer Question 1= "Never"

4. DO NOT CLUTTER UP YOUR MIND WITH THE INCORRECT CHOICES FOR ANY QUESTION. I understand there are a lot of multi-section questions but you know the test will contain one or more in the various sections taken only from that pool set of questions. So when you read or hear Question 1 you recall only the key word "music" and answer key word "never". It is your choice as to what key word(s) you select for each question.

5. Do steps 2,3 and 4 for every question/correct answer only and assign a key word(s) each for both. If possible, ask a friend to verbally ask you each question and with all of the multiple choice answers to see if you remembered only the key word(s) for that particular question and answer.

6. When you feel proficient, print the same set of pool questions again and without looking see how many questions/answers you selected correctly. For those you forgot refresh your memory until you do remember them correctly. If desired, print the test or test sections as many times as you wish until you feel comfortable with the subject matter questions/answers.

7. When you feel you are ready, go to Richmond and take the Tech exam. I think you can have a maximum of 5 incorrect answers out of 50 test questions.

8. If you study this method I recommend, you will pass the Technician Class exam on the first try and then thank me profusely.

Good Luck!

John
W4UVV

Depending on how you learn things can make a difference. I got my licences when I was 14 and all I did was just take practice test over and over online until I memorized the question pool. Now with all the apps for phones you can do the same thing on them. I downloaded one so I can study for my general and do it in my spare time and it works well. As far as radios go, I would recommend a mobile because of the better range. However if you live near repeaters then a portable may serve you well. As stated about, a good antenna makes a huge difference. I personally own a yaesu ft-60 and for the money and ability it is great. It's certainly better quality than a lot of the cheaper radios out there and can do a whole lot. Also depending on where you are you may want to look into DMR. You can get a DMR portable like a Connect Systems or Tytera fairly cheap.

Thank you all for the help. My grandfather is a HAM (N4KDG) and a man that goes to my church is too. (KK4PNF) I talk to them a lot about it.