Totally new

[MylesBa]

I am seriously considering getting into the ham radio hobby. I've been somewhat interested for a while, but have not pulled the trigger. After visiting with my wifes uncle and talking to him about it, I am now interested. He's been a part of it for 60 plus years.

Would you suggest I study for and get my Tech license first? Or buy the equipment while I study.

As far as equipment, I am willing to spend around $250-$300.
I am thinking of a mobile unit with a power supply to allow me to use 110 home power.
Something like this but I am not stuck on it:
https://www.buytwowayradios.com/btwr-essentials-gsk-ham-kguv920p.html

Any suggestions or help is appreciated.

 

[KC5AKB]

Welcome to the hobby

Hi shoot me a email kc5akb@arrl.net
Shop around Www.hamradio.com Www.mtcradio.com www.dxengineering.com R&L Electronics
Look at icom ,yaesu, alinco and kenwood brands all are name brands .

 

[KC5AKB]

Listing before the Lic is good.
Study links Www.w5yi.org HamTestOnline - Ham Radio Exam Courses and Practice Tests www.hamstudy.org and many more out there .
Not sure where you are located at but you can listen to some local.repeaters on some of the scanner apps
Also you can listen to some on radio reference
Also a review site for ham radio is www.eham.net
If I can answer any questions just ask.
There are lots of folks on here that can offer good advice .

 

[MylesBa]

Listing before the Lic is good.
Study links Www.w5yi.org HamTestOnline - Ham Radio Exam Courses and Practice Tests www.hamstudy.org and many more out there .
Not sure where you are located at but you can listen to some local.repeaters on some of the scanner apps
Also you can listen to some on radio reference
Also a review site for ham radio is www.eham.net
If I can answer any questions just ask.
There are lots of folks on here that can offer good advice .

Thanks for the info. Especially the practice tests and such.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

I am seriously considering getting into the ham radio hobby. I've been somewhat interested for a while, but have not pulled the trigger. After visiting with my wifes uncle and talking to him about it, I am now interested. He's been a part of it for 60 plus years.

Would you suggest I study for and get my Tech license first? Or buy the equipment while I study.

As far as equipment, I am willing to spend around $250-$300.
I am thinking of a mobile unit with a power supply to allow me to use 110 home power.
Something like this but I am not stuck on it:
https://www.buytwowayradios.com/btwr-essentials-gsk-ham-kguv920p.html

Any suggestions or help is appreciated.

For about $10 more than the Wouxun mobile radio/antenna/power supply starter kit you provided a link to you can get a Yaesu FTM-7250DR dual band mobile, a Diamond MR77 antenna and a Jetstream JTPS14M power supply. The Yaesu FTM-7250DR mobile is a big step up in quality compared to the Wouxun and has a 108-580 MHz RX range.

Yaesu FTM-7250DR dual band mobile, $260:
https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/fm_txvrs/0725.html

Diamond MR77 2m/70cm antenna, $35:
https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamantm/3243.html

Jetstream JTPS14M power supply, $50:
JTPS-14M JETSTREAM JTPS14M 14 AMP SURGE, 12 AMP CONT POWER SUPPLY SWITCHING

 

[K4EET]

MylesBa,

First, let me say Welcome to Radio Reference!

Second, ham radio is a great hobby and there are a lot of hams here at Radio Reference.

Third, that Wouxun KG-UV920P-A transceiver is not carried by most reputable ham radio dealers. That should tell you something there. Also, at the "eHam" website which has user reviews of ham equipment, the Wouxun brand usually receives poor ratings. For the previous version of the Wouxun KG-UV920P-A transceiver, the reviews were not good as you can read by clicking here. One owner of this transceiver called the radio "Junk" and another stated that QST (a magazine that is devoted to Amateur Radio) published a negative review on this transceiver. Bottom line? Like was stated above, for a few dollars more you can get a well respected brand with the Amateur Radio community that is a quantum leap higher in quality over the Wouxun.

I would suggest that you check with a local major bookstore that has an extensive magazine collection and see if they have the Amateur Radio magazines QST or CQ. Look through the advertisers for reputable Amateur Radio dealers and work with them on pricing for an Alinco, Icom, Kenwood or Yaesu VHF/UHF transceiver. Those are the primary manufacturers of transceivers in the VHF/UHF frequency range.

Another option would be to search the American Radio Relay League's (ARRL) website for a local ham club. The ARRL publishes the QST Magazine and is the main organization for Amateur Radio operators. The ham club search function at the ARRL website can be found by clicking here. If you contact a local ham club, I'm confident somebody can give you a ham radio magazine to look at.

Well... That is a lot of information and I hope that I did not overload you. People that help folks wanting to become a ham or new hams are called "Elmers" and they will take you under their "wing" and not let you get lost with your introduction to Amateur Radio. If you don't already have one, I would recommend that you seek an Elmer out and stick with them for guidance. With that, I'll say...

73 (best wishes in ham lingo), Dave K4EET

 

[KC5AKB]

Great advice K4EET

 

[AI7PM]

Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu.

I've bought a couple of other brands just to check them out for myself, so I say again, Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu.

 

[cmdrwill]

Kenwood TM-V71 for VHF/UHF.

 

[KC5AKB]

How's the ham radio search going

 

[k6cpo]

I am seriously considering getting into the ham radio hobby. I've been somewhat interested for a while, but have not pulled the trigger. After visiting with my wifes uncle and talking to him about it, I am now interested. He's been a part of it for 60 plus years.

Would you suggest I study for and get my Tech license first? Or buy the equipment while I study.

As far as equipment, I am willing to spend around $250-$300.
I am thinking of a mobile unit with a power supply to allow me to use 110 home power.
Something like this but I am not stuck on it:
Ham Radio Starter Kit - Mobile/Base Station

Any suggestions or help is appreciated.

Right now you have plenty of time to study and learn. Unfortunately, with the government shutdown, the FCC is not processing amateur license applications. No licenses have been granted since January 3rd and it looks like the President's pissing contest with the Democrats is going to continue for a while.

 

[kktryinagain]

I am seriously considering getting into the ham radio hobby. I've been somewhat interested for a while, but have not pulled the trigger. After visiting with my wifes uncle and talking to him about it, I am now interested. He's been a part of it for 60 plus years.

Would you suggest I study for and get my Tech license first? Or buy the equipment while I study.

As far as equipment, I am willing to spend around $250-$300.
I am thinking of a mobile unit with a power supply to allow me to use 110 home power.
Something like this but I am not stuck on it:
Ham Radio Starter Kit - Mobile/Base Station

Any suggestions or help is appreciated.

I just became an EXTRA licensee this morning. I can suggest an internet program that is extremely useful for getting you your license. I actually had very little radio experience. I had built a couple of crystal radios and I liked listening to scanners. That's it. Well this morning, I took the Technician exam, the General exam, and the Extra exam. I passed all three with very high scores. All I can say is that if I can do it, you can do it.

You would want to contact John, the guy who designed the program to ask him how he thinks you should go. Or, simply go to HamsTestOnline and sign up. It's not expensive at all. All three or one at a time which is what I'm driving at. Anyhow, HamsTestOnline is fantastic. It tracks what questions you've answered, how much time you spent on what page, and I think it even knows how long you took to answer a question. The point is that the software knows your strengths and weaknesses and automatically structures the learning environment to those strengths and weaknesses.

Another aspect I take very seriously is this one. If you have a question or concern, use the contact us feature and YOU WILL get a reply and fast. I can't think of one time that I even waited more than overnight. Most of my emails were returned on the same day. And they're not computer generated. A real person that knows your history will contact you with REAL help.

Put it this way. I had a virtually non-existent radio background. This morning I walked into the testing site and took all three tests. Technician, General, and Extra. Extra is the best license the FCC offers. And now I am an Amateur Extra Class. I started study around Christmas and here I am with best license available. I can't tell you how jazzed I am.

I can use all the frequencies, all the modes, all of it. Now I get to officially go radio shopping. I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. I owe it to HamsTestOnline. I really don't think I could have done this with the other methods out there.

You won't be disappointed. I don't remember the exact cost, but it's certainly not in the hundreds of dollars. It would be well worth it if it was. But I think it was only about $29.00 or $39.00. That's a close estimate. You could not get better help for the same or less money.