HAM Questions

[ttlradioman]

I don’t know if this is a good place to ask but I was interested in becoming a ham and I have two questions.
1. Does anyone have info on where and when they test?
2. Any suggestions on a good starter mobile radio?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[n4voxgill]

Here is a great place to learn how to get started

http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html

Here is a good place to find the cost of equipment.

http://www.gigaparts.com/radioindex.php

 

[KD5WLX]

ttlRadioMan,

Where are you? There are a number of amateur radio clubs around the country (and the state, and in some places, around the city...).

For instance, if you're in Tulsa, the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club holds technician classes about twice a year, and can get you a study guide at a discount (whether or not you take their class), a "cheat sheet" (free - I can even email it to you) and we even have a Mentor program - someone you can ask questions one on one. We can even let you try it out (there are special rules for "3rd party" use - supervised of course, but you'd get to talk instead of just listening).

Test sessions are $14 (you can take as many tests as you can pass in one session for a single fee - it's not a license fee, but rather goes to pay for the costs of the test administrators (copying/printing, postage). There are 3 or 4 different test sessions every month in the Tulsa area.

Gigaparts or AES or Ham Radio Outlet are good places for new gear, but the qrz.com "for sale" forum or the classifieds on eham.net are good for used gear, too. There's some stuff to watch out for, but for most people used gear is fine (within reason) - it's like a new car - 1/3 of the price is lost when you take it off the shelf - but it still runs for 10 years if you take care of it. Even club members (and club swapmeets) are good sources of used gear - you may even get to "try it" before you buy - I'm "test driving" an HF rig right now.

For the whole scoop, send an email to Becoming_A_Ham@W5IAS.com (the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club club call is W5IAS - their website is www.w5ias.com.

73, (we explain that one, too)
Jay
AD5PE
President, TARC

 

[kb5udf]

Starter Radios

The typical thing most hams start with is a dual band radio VHF/UHF (144/440mhz), either
an HT or a mobile. At todays prices, it's not hard to afford both.

I'd strongly advise checking out eham.net, there you can look up unbiased (relatively)
product reviews.

My current favorite for a dual band mobile rig is the yaesu ft-7800r. With the right software it's not too hard to program, and I find it has an excellent receiver (ie, limited intermod).

Another favorite thing many new hams do is to buy an HT, and equip their car with
a mobile antenna, and some means of cradling said ht. Thereby using it as a mobile. This can work ok, but often results in receiving alot intermod/radio hash, as the small ht's often get overloaded by the strong signals pulled in by the mobile antenna. Also, people can tend to stress/damage the antenna connectors by the repeated connecting, disconnecting of antennas in and out of the car.

For home use, I love my yaesu ft-857, its a veritable hamshack in one small box. HF/VHF/UHF/6m.

No I don't work for yaesu or sell radios for a living.

73
KB5UDF

 

[KE5BGX_Robert]

Don't forget there is also Tulsa Repeater Organization (TRO) www.tulsahamradio.org Both clubs are great......if your are a tulsa metro area resident......In March there is a huge gathering of radio guru's of all sorts its called green country ham fest....check out both club's websites for further information.....at the hamfest they also do testing there.....you can test for your ticket & pick up all sorts of new used and extremly discounted equipment....all in one stop....

Rob

 

[ttlradioman]

Yea, I am in the SW OKC area. Thanks for the advise. I looked at at that Yaesu FT-7800r and I think I might start out with that. What (and where do i find it) do I study for the test? I looked at the ARRL website and they had some information. And im still a little confused about the test fee. Is there a seperate fee to get the license or is that included with the test fee?

 

[n4voxgill]

the license is free, you onlypay for the test

 

[KD5WLX]

The best book to study (if you're going to do it on your own) is "Now You're Talking" (5th Ed.). It does a good job of explaining the rules and the technical stuff, and stops every section and refers you to the question pool in the back of the book. When you get close, take some practice tests online (qrz.com has a free one - there are others).

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/cl...tate=OK&selstate=Show+clubs+in+selected+state

has a list of all ARRL affiliated clubs in OK - you'll know who's close to you better than I will. http://www.qsl.net/ocapa/who.htm is the OKC Auto-Patch Association. (You may have to copy/paste the link if it wraps).

Several clubs in the OKC area have had Technician classes recently - I'm sure there will be more.

73,
Jay

 

[mam1081]

There is a club in Edmond that has a license test next Saturday, I belive. Their club is called "EARS". Location is usually mentioned on their website: http://k5eok.org/

The autopatch association also does tests I think, but I don't know when or where.

You can also study for the test by taking FREE sample exams at http://www.qrz.com/p/testing.pl

Good luck!