Passed my Technician class exam!

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KJ6VIP

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Oct 6, 2010
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75
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Las Vegas, Nevada
I finally did it! I went to our local Radiofest on March 3rd and passed the Technician exam. I've been wanting this for as long as I can remember and now has finally become a reality.

I am trying to update my profile to reflect my status, but RadioReference has an outdated database. Anyone know how often or when the next database synchronization will take place? I even tried manually entering my data and received an error.

My next step is studying for my General class exam so I can get into HF operations. I probably should try and find an HT radio first and enjoy the hobby first huh. I'm just really excited and getting in way over my head.

Anyone have an HT they are willing to donate or sell really cheap to an SSI recipient? Hehe, guess I'll have to buy one of those Baofang radios.

Anyways I hope to get on the air soon and I'm sure there are a few Amateurs who roam these forums I can try and give a shout out to.

-Rylak (KJ6UXZ)
 

Howdy_All

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
Banned
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
36
HT's are junk.
They don't do anything, because they do not talk anywhere - except to maybe one or two local repeaters.
You are a new ham, you need a Elmer and a decent radio and antenna so you can talk to everyone and make lot's of friends.
A club usually helps if there is one in your area - JOIN IT!

If more new hams had the facts of life given to them when they first acquired their license, there would be more active hams today and less hams letting their license expire after the first 10 years.

The cheapest part of the whole equation is the license.
Everything after that is all cost.....

If you are not willing to invest in radios / antenna's / coax / power supplies - now.
You are never going to make it as a ham radio operator.

This is a HOBBY.
Unless you can find a way to get others to support you in this hobby - you are going to have to spend your own money....

The only suggestion I can give to you is to look at your profile on QRZ.com and use QRZ as a logging program for your QSO's...

Find a programmable scanner and program in your local frequencies for your two meter / 440 mhz repeaters in your area and listen ( God gave you two ears and one mouth - that means you should listen more then what you talk!)
Find yourself a good outdoor antenna and coax - even for this scanner - since you are going to need this coax and antenna for your base operations - you ought to buy one really good base station antenna if possible right off the bat.
Don't be like some people who only studied the questions and didn't learn anything - that thinks that a suitable substitute for a base antenna is a mag mount mobile antenna on a pie pan. That doesn't work! And it makes new hams look really stupid to old hams!

I would suggest that you buy at a minimum - a Diamond / Hustler / Ringo / Cushcraft vertical.

Get on the internet and order yourself a AES / Ham Radio Outlet and what ever catalog so you can compare different brands and prices and find yourself a ELMER.

Do a internet search and find yourself a local club and attend as many meetings as possible and see if you can find people in your area to help you.

The worst thing that local hams can do to a new ham is to encourage them to get a amateur radio license, give them the exam and then hang them out to dry.

Hams tends to be the cheapest people on earth!
They tend not to give or lend anything unless it is broke or on it's last legs.
Go buy yourself a new radio and a new antenna and new coax and what ever power supply you can find, even if it is nothing more then a car battery and a battery charger and listen for a while until you learn how to operate properly on the radio and proper protocol...
 
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gewecke

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
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Jan 29, 2006
Messages
7,452
Location
Illinois
HT's are junk.
They don't do anything, because they do not talk anywhere - except to maybe one or two local repeaters.
You are a new ham, you need a Elmer and a decent radio and antenna so you can talk to everyone and make lot's of friends.
A club usually helps if there is one in your area - JOIN IT!

If more new hams had the facts of life given to them when they first acquired their license, there would be more active hams today and less hams letting their license expire after the first 10 years.

The cheapest part of the whole equation is the license.
Everything after that is all cost.....

If you are not willing to invest in radios / antenna's / coax / power supplies - now.
You are never going to make it as a ham radio operator.

This is a HOBBY.
Unless you can find a way to get others to support you in this hobby - you are going to have to spend your own money....

The only suggestion I can give to you is to look at your profile on QRZ.com and use QRZ as a logging program for your QSO's...

Find a programmable scanner and program in your local frequencies for your two meter / 440 mhz repeaters in your area and listen ( God gave you two ears and one mouth - that means you should listen more then what you talk!)
Find yourself a good outdoor antenna and coax - even for this scanner - since you are going to need this coax and antenna for your base operations - you ought to buy one really good base station antenna if possible right off the bat.
Don't be like some people who only studied the questions and didn't learn anything - that thinks that a suitable substitute for a base antenna is a mag mount mobile antenna on a pie pan. That doesn't work! And it makes new hams look really stupid to old hams!

I would suggest that you buy at a minimum - a Diamond / Hustler / Ringo / Cushcraft vertical.

Get on the internet and order yourself a AES / Ham Radio Outlet and what ever catalog so you can compare different brands and prices and find yourself a ELMER.

Do a internet search and find yourself a local club and attend as many meetings as possible and see if you can find people in your area to help you.

The worst thing that local hams can do to a new ham is to encourage them to get a amateur radio license, give them the exam and then hang them out to dry.

Hams tends to be the cheapest people on earth!
They tend not to give or lend anything unless it is broke or on it's last legs.
Go buy yourself a new radio and a new antenna and new coax and what ever power supply you can find, even if it is nothing more then a car battery and a battery charger and listen for a while until you learn how to operate properly on the radio and proper protocol...

"HT's are junk." Really? And you base your wisdom on what?? Tell that to a firefighter inside of a fully involved structure and guess what he'll tell you?
Oh, and NO we are not cheap! You're getting off to a rough start here for a newbie!! :evil:
I think most of us have been places you haven't gone.


n9zas
 

gewecke

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
Banned
Joined
Jan 29, 2006
Messages
7,452
Location
Illinois
I finally did it! I went to our local Radiofest on March 3rd and passed the Technician exam. I've been wanting this for as long as I can remember and now has finally become a reality.

I am trying to update my profile to reflect my status, but RadioReference has an outdated database. Anyone know how often or when the next database synchronization will take place? I even tried manually entering my data and received an error.

My next step is studying for my General class exam so I can get into HF operations. I probably should try and find an HT radio first and enjoy the hobby first huh. I'm just really excited and getting in way over my head.

Anyone have an HT they are willing to donate or sell really cheap to an SSI recipient? Hehe, guess I'll have to buy one of those Baofang radios.

Anyways I hope to get on the air soon and I'm sure there are a few Amateurs who roam these forums I can try and give a shout out to.

-Rylak (KJ6UXZ)

Congrats rylak. You might want to check the classifieds for used gear,

73,
n9zas
 

hhrj

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jul 20, 2010
Messages
178
Location
SC Low Country
Congratulations!!!

Ht's are not junk, I'd rather have an ht that I can carry than a mobile mounted in my vehicle parked in the parking lot.

Ron
 

KJ6VIP

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 6, 2010
Messages
75
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Well, while I agree HT's are limited, unfortunately due to my lack of income and the fact that I live in an apartment complex, HT's are currently my best option.

Thanks for the congratulations. I'm stoked and looking forward to learning more and meeting new people. Now regarding the RadioReference database, can anyone tell me how often they sync with the ULS database? I would like to get my thing setup, yet even if I attempt to manually enter the required fields, I get an error.

-Rylak (KJ6UXZ)
 

ScanWV

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
136
Location
Eastern Panhandle West Virginia
"HT's are junk." Really? And you base your wisdom on what?? Tell that to a firefighter inside of a fully involved structure and guess what he'll tell you?
Oh, and NO we are not cheap! You're getting off to a rough start here for a newbie!! :evil:
I think most of us have been places you haven't gone.


n9zas

gewecke, you are so right. My HT is my life line if I were to be stuck somewhere.
 

ScanWV

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
136
Location
Eastern Panhandle West Virginia
I finally did it! I went to our local Radiofest on March 3rd and passed the Technician exam. I've been wanting this for as long as I can remember and now has finally become a reality.

I am trying to update my profile to reflect my status, but RadioReference has an outdated database. Anyone know how often or when the next database synchronization will take place? I even tried manually entering my data and received an error.

My next step is studying for my General class exam so I can get into HF operations. I probably should try and find an HT radio first and enjoy the hobby first huh. I'm just really excited and getting in way over my head.

Anyone have an HT they are willing to donate or sell really cheap to an SSI recipient? Hehe, guess I'll have to buy one of those Baofang radios.

Anyways I hope to get on the air soon and I'm sure there are a few Amateurs who roam these forums I can try and give a shout out to.

-Rylak (KJ6UXZ)

Congrats passing your exam. Nothing wrong with getting an HT. I purchased an HT for my first radio and wasn't disappointed with it. I made many contacts with it. I made a ground plane antenna for it and made contacts halfway across the state with it. I still use it now every now and then. It sits ready to go if I need it.

I guess it depends on what you want to use it for and where you are located. If you live in a urban area with alot of repeaters you shouldn't have a problem.
 

kc5uta

Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
108
Location
Shiner Tx.
"HT's are junk." Really? And you base your wisdom on what?? Tell that to a firefighter inside of a fully involved structure and guess what he'll tell you?
Oh, and NO we are not cheap! You're getting off to a rough start here for a newbie!! :evil:
I think most of us have been places you haven't gone.


n9zas

Like...X 10. What the hell is that guys problem???? He went off on my post as well.
 

kc5uta

Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
108
Location
Shiner Tx.
welcome aboard.

I finally did it! I went to our local Radiofest on March 3rd and passed the Technician exam. I've been wanting this for as long as I can remember and now has finally become a reality.

I am trying to update my profile to reflect my status, but RadioReference has an outdated database. Anyone know how often or when the next database synchronization will take place? I even tried manually entering my data and received an error.

My next step is studying for my General class exam so I can get into HF operations. I probably should try and find an HT radio first and enjoy the hobby first huh. I'm just really excited and getting in way over my head.

Anyone have an HT they are willing to donate or sell really cheap to an SSI recipient? Hehe, guess I'll have to buy one of those Baofang radios.

Anyways I hope to get on the air soon and I'm sure there are a few Amateurs who roam these forums I can try and give a shout out to.

-Rylak (KJ6UXZ)

Congrats!!!!!!!! It is a fun hobby. My best advise is LEARN LEARN LEARN!!!!!!! And have fun. And please don't let grouchy condescending hams spoil your enthusiasm.. With a few exceptions...this is a good site to get great input on many different aspects of the field. 73's and enjoy the HT if you get one...and get that general class...hope to hear ya soon on the HF bands....Dave KC5UTA
 

KJ6VIP

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 6, 2010
Messages
75
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Congrats!!!!!!!! It is a fun hobby. My best advise is LEARN LEARN LEARN!!!!!!! And have fun. And please don't let grouchy condescending hams spoil your enthusiasm.. With a few exceptions...this is a good site to get great input on many different aspects of the field. 73's and enjoy the HT if you get one...and get that general class...hope to hear ya soon on the HF bands....Dave KC5UTA

Thanks very much. I try not to involve myself with negativity and condescending folks. I being disabled since birth is more than enough to deal with in this regard heh.

I currently have a Yaesu VX-7R on loan for 2-weeks to give me a taste of the hobby. So far I was able to engage in a conversation with a few locals and even made a contact to a gentleman in Chicago! So far I am enjoying the 70cm band very much and the folks I have had the opportunity to talk to have been very kind and inviting.

Now, as I initially posted, I'm currently preparing for my General exam. Although the likely-hood of ever actually owning an HF rig with my limited resources is darn near impossible; I will however, have an opportunity to play with one at club meetings.

As for purchasing an HT. This is becoming more of a reality, thanks to all these new Chinese HT's flooding the market. I am eying the new Baofang UV-5R for around US $60. Hopefully as more people potentially buy this model, I can read reviews and make a more informed decision. Nevertheless, I hope to get the most out of this incredible hobby.

-Rylak (KJ6UXZ)
 
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