AMATEUR RADIO --WHY GET A LICENSE (Seriously):

[Licensed]

Acquiring an amateur radio license is not a big deal; not difficult by any stretch. Should you choose to move forward, you may want to consider the following.

For your average -- Jane/John Q. Public --, if you want to talk (rag chew), use a phone, Skype or similar service. When there's no phone service, use CB, FRS, --both have seriously limited tx/rx distances, neither require a license and the equipment is less expensive.

EmComm, Emergencies, Natural Disaster:

During whatever 'your' version of emergency, whether an overheated vehicle in the desert --without cell signal, or a severe weather event threatening life and limb -- you are not required to be a licensed amateur radio operator, in order to tx your emergency on any of the Amateur Radio Frequencies. Again, no need for a license.

This is not rocket science.

-- Know how to power-up the radio, tune to a well known frequency, activate --> (press) the tx button, then begin transmitting (voicing) your emergency location and the nature of the emergency.

If you didn't hear me (above), in general, go with CB/FRS. If you feel the need to be a licensed operator, then go with (bare minimum), the VHF band on amateur radio with a vhf antenna. Do not start hemorrhaging $$$.xx at/for amateur radio equipment.

Other than the above, if your not a person interested in tinkering and blowing fuses, frying the finals in your radio, and spending countless dollars experimenting; leave Amateur Radio alone.
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WHEN YOU CALL FOR HELP: transmitting is heard by anyone with a capable receiver.

Who will arrive at the emergency location first? Someone genuinely interested in your well-being, or someone interested in helping themselves to your assets?

Discuss the above with yourself. If you really want a real hobby, try World Peace <-- I dare you. <smile>

 

[trentbob]

What an odd post, especially being your first one on radio reference LOL.

You get a license to operate amateur radio because it's the law. Probably that's the main reason LOL. In rare cases of emergency where there is immediate potential for harm or death non-licensed people can operate a ham radio. So you would be arbitrarily deciding what that emergency is, I don't know how often you drive your car and break down in the desert and we do have National emergencies from time to time, more regional actually, don't know what your business would be transmitting on the radio though.

It's an all-encompassing hobby that has many different facets of involvement depending on what your interests are, socially or technically. If you wish to get involved in it, it's the law that you get a license.

Setting yourself up with amateur radio equipment and never using it unless there is an emergency threatening life and limb doesn't make a whole lot of sense, especially since it is so easy to get a license. But to each his own LOL.

 

[a417]

What an odd post, especially being your first one on radio reference LOL.

I wonder what their original username was?

 

[Chronic]

I wonder what their original username was?

or CB Handle

 

[morfis]

or CB Handle

Or knob

 

[trentbob]

I certainly smelled a troll but thought I would bite LOL

 

[KC0LRP]

We all got started from someplace why not the children's band?

 

[FiremanSparky]

Acquiring an amateur radio license is not a big deal; not difficult by any stretch. Should you choose to move forward, you may want to consider the following.

For your average -- Jane/John Q. Public --, if you want to talk (rag chew), use a phone, Skype or similar service. When there's no phone service, use CB, FRS, --both have seriously limited tx/rx distances, neither require a license and the equipment is less expensive.

EmComm, Emergencies, Natural Disaster:

During whatever 'your' version of emergency, whether an overheated vehicle in the desert --without cell signal, or a severe weather event threatening life and limb -- you are not required to be a licensed amateur radio operator, in order to tx your emergency on any of the Amateur Radio Frequencies. Again, no need for a license.

This is not rocket science.

-- Know how to power-up the radio, tune to a well known frequency, activate --> (press) the tx button, then begin transmitting (voicing) your emergency location and the nature of the emergency.

If you didn't hear me (above), in general, go with CB/FRS. If you feel the need to be a licensed operator, then go with (bare minimum), the VHF band on amateur radio with a vhf antenna. Do not start hemorrhaging $$$.xx at/for amateur radio equipment.

Other than the above, if your not a person interested in tinkering and blowing fuses, frying the finals in your radio, and spending countless dollars experimenting; leave Amateur Radio alone.
--------------------------------------------------

WHEN YOU CALL FOR HELP: transmitting is heard by anyone with a capable receiver.

Who will arrive at the emergency location first? Someone genuinely interested in your well-being, or someone interested in helping themselves to your assets?

Discuss the above with yourself. If you really want a real hobby, try World Peace <-- I dare you. <smile>

Fail your amateur test, did we?

 

[marlin39a]

Try world peace? First post. Welcome to my ignore.

 

[KF9JJ]

I remember when I had my first BEER!!!

 

[Firekite]

What an odd post. You’re right that if someone is just looking for an occasional non-cellphone way to stay in contact with friends or family members at an event or during a hike, getting some decent FRS radios would be quicker and easier and eliminate the red tape, though it’d probably still be a good idea to get some basis of understanding of how they actually work, using tones, etc.

Someone installing a ham radio in their car in case they break down in the middle of nowhere is ridiculous. The odds of someone avoiding the licensing but still having an effective installation are already low—a lot of hams don’t even do a great job. But even if they did, then what? What frequency would they use in whatever random remote location to demand someone come change their tire for them? They’d have no clue about repeaters in range, if any at all, and there’s zero guarantee anyone would even be listening, much less on simplex, much less feel like helping out some unlicensed person in the super oddball scenario of trying to use a ham radio to call for roadside assistance.

Even a CB—including modified imports at higher wattage—is a tall order in that regard. The odds of someone having a well tuned antenna system is again low, and there is absolutely no guarantee especially these days that anyone else is listening, can hear them, and can respond to their request. It seems like a strange tack to take for setting yourself up for roadside assistance in the middle of nowhere, but for a two-way radio scenario it’s probably your best bet.

Amateur radio means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but this whole approach to the topic is straight up weird.

 

[wtp]

my kids used to repeat the automated callsign on a local ham repeater that i had in a scanner.
"this is the W4--- repeater"
i would not like them to repeat what they hear from the unlicensed CB radio people.

 

[kv5e]

Why not get a license is a much better question. The spectrum resources available for a modest amount of effort is enormous! If you want learn more about radio communications this is probably the best place to begin with a Part 97 license if you live in the USA.

 

[K5MPH]

Some one needs to learn what radio is all about (Radio 101).........

 

[R0am3r]

Or knob

Or lid.

 

[KEWB-N1EXA]

Acquiring an amateur radio license is not a big deal; not difficult by any stretch. Should you choose to move forward, you may want to consider the following.

For your average -- Jane/John Q. Public --, if you want to talk (rag chew), use a phone, Skype or similar service. When there's no phone service, use CB, FRS, --both have seriously limited tx/rx distances, neither require a license and the equipment is less expensive.

EmComm, Emergencies, Natural Disaster:

During whatever 'your' version of emergency, whether an overheated vehicle in the desert --without cell signal, or a severe weather event threatening life and limb -- you are not required to be a licensed amateur radio operator, in order to tx your emergency on any of the Amateur Radio Frequencies. Again, no need for a license.

This is not rocket science.

-- Know how to power-up the radio, tune to a well known frequency, activate --> (press) the tx button, then begin transmitting (voicing) your emergency location and the nature of the emergency.

If you didn't hear me (above), in general, go with CB/FRS. If you feel the need to be a licensed operator, then go with (bare minimum), the VHF band on amateur radio with a vhf antenna. Do not start hemorrhaging $$$.xx at/for amateur radio equipment.

Other than the above, if your not a person interested in tinkering and blowing fuses, frying the finals in your radio, and spending countless dollars experimenting; leave Amateur Radio alone.
--------------------------------------------------

WHEN YOU CALL FOR HELP: transmitting is heard by anyone with a capable receiver.

Who will arrive at the emergency location first? Someone genuinely interested in your well-being, or someone interested in helping themselves to your assets?

Discuss the above with yourself. If you really want a real hobby, try World Peace <-- I dare you. <smile>

That was your first Bean Bag !
Make the next one count ~
As my daughter would say YOU THROW LIKE A GIRL!

Pete N1EXA 1980s Advanced Class TIcket and Proud Of it !

 

[Cavscout]

I wonder what their original username was?

"Unlicensed"

 

[bill4long]

WHY GET A LICENSE

To be as prosaic as possible, I'll just say that most people who get ham licenses do so because they know someone with a ham license and have been exposed to one or more of the many aspects of ham radio that interests them.

 

[SurgePGH]

Just joined.
First Post.
Troll.
Moderator needs to take a long, hard look at that account.

 

[wbswetnam]

I got a license because 1) I like radios, all kinds of radios; 2) I wanted to be legit on the air; and 3) I wanted the advice and help of fellow hams.