What I've learned after 26 days as a ham...

[KF0SKV]

I have been a ham for only 40 days, but into the wide world of SWL/Scanners for over 3 decades. Welcome KE9BXE!

I have a Icom 7100, a radio that is either north of south of 1000k, but connected to a VEE that I built. It costed me less that 10 bucks, (not including coax) speaker wire, plastic insulators and twine and have worked the world with it.

This hobby can be done on the cheap and get fantastic results.

 

[KE9BXE]

I have been a ham for only 40 days, but into the wide world of SWL/Scanners for over 3 decades. Welcome KE9BXE!

I have a Icom 7100, a radio that is either north of south of 1000k, but connected to a VEE that I built. It costed me less that 10 bucks, (not including coax) speaker wire, plastic insulators and twine and have worked the world with it.

This hobby can be done on the cheap and get fantastic results.

Welcome to the club! The great thing about ham is it is experimental. Your interests are your own and you can pursue local uhf/vhf, contact satellites and space stations, do DMR via brandmeister, or anything else you desire. It sounds like you're having a great time with your 7100 and you're handy at tuning antennas? Great things.

73 my new friend.

 

[k7ng]

What you don‘t know anything about, you tend to dabble in cheaply. DMR / Hotspots are cheap. HF is very expensive, particularly if you care about home aesthetics or live on a bluff where you’d need to place a tower/antenna a 500 yards away on your homesite to get optimal transmission.

That is more or less correct as to HF. But unless you're REALLY constrained for outdoor space (apartment? condo? HOA?) you can do a lot with a little in terms of antennas. A used, fairly recent model HF radio might not force you to take a hammer to your piggy bank either. It's a whole different world.

Now I admit, I'm an old guy, tho I still work in a niche job in the communications industry... but I started in Ham Radio in the '60s... I applaud your software and networking expertise, but don't narrow your window too far. Digital voice radio is slowly finding its way into HF ham radio too - look up 'M17 Project' or 'Free DV'. Your knowledge might be really valuable especially if you are familiar with DSP. Morse code? It got me my current job. HF Ham Radio got me a trip to the South Pole, in a manner of speaking.

There are literally hundreds of things you can do in/with Ham Radio. And I for one, welcome those folks like yourself who want to learn but also think they have something to offer the hobby. "Follow your nose", as old folks used to say.