Hello everyone. Yesterday I passed my General exam. Unfortunately I work 60 hours a week. I have no time to do anything radio related. My local HAM club meets on a day I work. I have not even purchased a radio yet. I’m glad I got my licenses but am frustrated I have done nothing with them. When the new Amateur Extra study guide comes out I plan to study and test for it also. When the time comes to make a purchase I don’t know if I should get a handheld vhf/uhf or just get a mobile HF. Or both eventually. I went HAM to be able to communicate if cell phones go down or during emergency situations. I also got my GMRS license because it was cheap and easy.
Just passed my General Exam but no time to do anything with it
- Thread starter lbpd16
- Start date
Your license gives you access to the bands. It's still up to you to obtain equipment, put up antennas, and get on the air. We can't do that for you.
If you want to communicate locally, maybe a dual band, 2m/70cm FM mobile radio would be a good purchase. You could install it in your vehicle and install an antenna so you could communicate with local hams on FM repeaters and simplex.
If you want to communicate at greater distance, setting up an HF radio and antenna at home may be the appropriate thing to do. Mobile HF installations are certainly do-able, but are more challenging than a home station.
Whichever way you go, practice, practice, practice. Make contacts over the air with others. Check into nets. Learn how your radio works. Don't just buy a radio for "emergency situations" and let it sit on a shelf or in your car's glovebox.
If you want to communicate locally, maybe a dual band, 2m/70cm FM mobile radio would be a good purchase. You could install it in your vehicle and install an antenna so you could communicate with local hams on FM repeaters and simplex.
If you want to communicate at greater distance, setting up an HF radio and antenna at home may be the appropriate thing to do. Mobile HF installations are certainly do-able, but are more challenging than a home station.
Whichever way you go, practice, practice, practice. Make contacts over the air with others. Check into nets. Learn how your radio works. Don't just buy a radio for "emergency situations" and let it sit on a shelf or in your car's glovebox.
Won't do you any good if there's no one listening on the other end. Ham radio is a hobby, not an emergency backup plan
rf_patriot200
Member
Congrats ! Now you'll just have to figure how to slice up the clock, so you have time ! Been there ,done that.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Get a radio. Hand held radios are usually disappointing to the new ham. Poor antennas make them subpar performers. Get a good VHF/UHF mobile radio and install it in your car if you do a lot of driving. If you don't do a lot of driving, get a mobile and install it at your house in a place where you can listen.
And listen, and listen some more, until you feel comfortable keying up.
A couple more things:
Your antenna is the most important part of your setup. Far too often those new to the hobby will blow a lot of money on a top tier radio, and then go and hook it up to the cheapest, crappiest antenna they can find. Very often it's a $20 Chinese special off Amazon or e-Bay. Then the frustration sets in. Not uncommon at all to spend as much on a good antenna system as a good radio.
Find someone to talk to, club, random hams, etc. You need to keep doing that so you are proficient. One of the worst things someone can do is to save the radio for "emergencies". If the time comes to ever use it, you'll quickly be overwhelmed and frustrated. Radio communications is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. Taking ham exams teaches you very little. Upgrading license classes without actually practicing what you are supposed to be learning is a waste. The license test is simply the cover charge to get into the club. Do not rely on what the license test requires, as it covers very little of the knowledge necessary to use your radios effectively.
And don't rely on amateur radio in emergencies. The people you will talk to are hobbyists like yourself. They are not public safety professionals, and there's zero requirements that they be on the radio or even offer assistance when you need it. Relying on amateur radio for "emergencies" is a very poor plan.
Using GMRS with your immediate family (covered under your license) may be a much better tool in an emergency. Those are the people that are going to want to help you, and the likely people that you can actually offer assistance to.
Either way, you need to get a suitable radio.
Don't buy the Cheap Chinese Radios and expect a well performing radio system. This is an expensive hobby, and $20 radios are a good tool to get started, but not what you want long term.
Remember (no matter what ANY ham tells you), to use a radio on GMRS, the radio MUST have FCC Part 95 certification, zero exceptions. Hacked amateur radios are not legal for use on GMRS. You need appropriate GMRS radios for the job.
Congrats on the new license! Regarding the VHF/UHF vs mobile HF, it would depend on who you want to communicate with and how far away. If it's other family members and not too far consider UHF GMRS instead of ham as your GMRS license can be used by all family members. One advantage ham has over GMRS on UHF is the repeaters tend to be better with the antennas much higher up but everybody using the repeater needs to have their own license. Also, if the cell phones are down from a wide spread power outage chances are good the repeaters will be down too. Some of the ham repeaters do have battery backup but I would think in a major SHTF event they would become very congested. I would think a pair of GMRS handhelds would be very useful for ranges of 5 miles or so. If you need more then that a ham HF rig, a low mounted 40 meter dipole and NVIS during the day would be what's needed.
Congratulations on the new ticket! Here is one place that has released the new Amateur Extra study course for 2024 to 2028:
hamradioprep.com
The NEW Amateur Extra 2024 - 2028 Course is Available NOW! – Ham Radio Prep
The NEW Amateur Extra 2024 - 2028 Course is Available NOW! Your favorite professor Jim N4BFR is BACK with a completely revamped course - and you're going to love the new format.
hamradioprep.com
wtp
Member
it was covered, but i only came here to say, listen.
even with a scanner to get used to their conversations.
some groups just stick with certain subjects.
so like mmckenna said, and i, listen first.
even with a scanner to get used to their conversations.
some groups just stick with certain subjects.
so like mmckenna said, and i, listen first.
w2xq
Mentor
Congratulations on passing the exams. In addition to the suggestions made above, you might look into Allstar, DMR or YSF. Allstar and DMR can be a relatively inexpensive way to talk to the world. An dual-band HT and something like the ClearNode -- Node-Ventures – Small footprint. Long reach. -- will work and you can use the same radio on local reoeaters and while attending hamfests. YSF is a bit more complicated, requiring a more expensive Yaesu HT.
See if you can meet a couple of the members of the ham radio club at a time convenient for you. A couple of Elmer's and reading in your spare time will help. Good .luck.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I’ve already decided to stay away from cheap radios. Before passing the General I was considering a Yaesu uhf/vhf ht and a mobile yaesu hf set up at home. Mobile only because it was way less expensive that a home radio. I did talk to a couple club members at my testing session. They are eager to get me more involved. Unfortunately time is my problem. I may make the jump and get the HT and just listen when I can.
KC5AKB
Member
As life moves along time will come.
A 30 amp power supply for the house then a simple antenna or two . Then one radio mobile and a cheap radio for the house. Your good to go over the next year or so.
A 30 amp power supply for the house then a simple antenna or two . Then one radio mobile and a cheap radio for the house. Your good to go over the next year or so.
Congratulations on your new ham license.
I work many hours a week delivering and being out of town at least once a week overnight for work, but still take part in ham radio. Also serve as my rsdio clubs secretary .
You can most likely do some VHF/UHF on the local repeaters when traveling to and from work while mobile. I traveling at 3;30 AM and many people on the air early or some people are night owls.
I work many hours a week delivering and being out of town at least once a week overnight for work, but still take part in ham radio. Also serve as my rsdio clubs secretary .
You can most likely do some VHF/UHF on the local repeaters when traveling to and from work while mobile. I traveling at 3;30 AM and many people on the air early or some people are night owls.
KC1THE
Massachusetts
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2023
- Messages
- 79
Congratulations on passing your General!
Lot of good suggestions here from folks more experienced than I am.
One suggestion if pressed for time and you cannot avail yourself a radio: when I am at work or in the car, I Rx/Tx to repeaters through the EchoLink app on my iPhone. The app automatically connects to my car speakers through Bluetooth and when at work, listen through my AirPods.
I was in Southeast Asia recently and enjoyed having EchoLink installed so I could listen US stations and feel closer to home. And, during that time, I was listening in to the W2NJR-R repeater in New Jersey and the damage reports during the April 5, 2024 earthquake.
Nice option to have if you don’t have access to a radio.
Lot of good suggestions here from folks more experienced than I am.
One suggestion if pressed for time and you cannot avail yourself a radio: when I am at work or in the car, I Rx/Tx to repeaters through the EchoLink app on my iPhone. The app automatically connects to my car speakers through Bluetooth and when at work, listen through my AirPods.
I was in Southeast Asia recently and enjoyed having EchoLink installed so I could listen US stations and feel closer to home. And, during that time, I was listening in to the W2NJR-R repeater in New Jersey and the damage reports during the April 5, 2024 earthquake.
Nice option to have if you don’t have access to a radio.
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