WhiskeyChuck
Member
Hello everybody, I had a few questions for the forum but thought I should check in here first.
My interest in radio started in SWL'ing several years ago and I quickly became interested in DX with homemade antennas. Later I installed a CB rig, but found the channels either filled with people trying to key over each other with illegally powered rigs, or empty. Next I got a scanner which I still use quite a bit. My favorite scanner receive was a DEA drug bust in progress while vacationing in Las Vegas, with freqs I got from this site.
I am currently abroad for work, and in my down time I finished online self study for my technician license. When I get home I plan to monitor the local 2 meter repeaters with my scanner until I pass the next exam and am in the database. Hopefully that will familiarize me with the local HAM operation a bit.
I have a HT in the mail as we speak, once that arrives and I am legal I will start working the local repeaters and make some contacts, maybe find an elmer if I am lucky. Once proficient with the repeaters I plan to build a Yagi and see if I can work a few satellites, followed by NA1SS if possible, with more antenna builds along the way. Depending on how it goes with the HT I may be quickly adding a mobile radio as a base station. That's about as far out as I have planned it. I also started practicing decoding morse code audio files... that one's going to take a while.
So there's a little about me and my plans joining in your hobby, any advice or recommendations are greatly appreciated. 73!
My interest in radio started in SWL'ing several years ago and I quickly became interested in DX with homemade antennas. Later I installed a CB rig, but found the channels either filled with people trying to key over each other with illegally powered rigs, or empty. Next I got a scanner which I still use quite a bit. My favorite scanner receive was a DEA drug bust in progress while vacationing in Las Vegas, with freqs I got from this site.
I am currently abroad for work, and in my down time I finished online self study for my technician license. When I get home I plan to monitor the local 2 meter repeaters with my scanner until I pass the next exam and am in the database. Hopefully that will familiarize me with the local HAM operation a bit.
I have a HT in the mail as we speak, once that arrives and I am legal I will start working the local repeaters and make some contacts, maybe find an elmer if I am lucky. Once proficient with the repeaters I plan to build a Yagi and see if I can work a few satellites, followed by NA1SS if possible, with more antenna builds along the way. Depending on how it goes with the HT I may be quickly adding a mobile radio as a base station. That's about as far out as I have planned it. I also started practicing decoding morse code audio files... that one's going to take a while.
So there's a little about me and my plans joining in your hobby, any advice or recommendations are greatly appreciated. 73!