Any AMATEUR RADIO people here on this board?

[Enraged_Ape]

I've been thinking about getting into ham radio as a hobby. I think that amateur radio might be one of those skills that will come very much in handy after George W. Bush renders this world into a radioactive rock pile, or after he passes legislation banning the posting of any dissent on the Internet. (You know that's going to happen; it's just a question of when. Good luck banning radio, though!)

My questions are this:

1) My only electronics knowledge is from a two-semester college physics course (for health care people). Do I need to learn anything more advanced? And how should I learn it? (Classes? Books? Kits?)

2) Do I need to buy equipment, or can I build it (assuming I have the know-how; see #1)? How do I know what I need to get?

3) When does Morse Code figure into the whole ham radio thing? Do I need to start learning it at the start? Is it still required?

Thanks for any info any of you can provide. :hi:

[DBoon]

1. Yes

I strongly encourage this on your part.

For the most basic license the Technician, your answers are:

1. Maybe study a bit more. The exam questions and answers are published, so the easy way out is just to memorize them. If you really want to learn this stuff, I'd suggest a kit. I think Radio Shack still has some electronics experimentation kits for kids.

On Edit: Radio Shack has the "Electronics Learning Lab"
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F006%5F001%5F003%5F000&product%5Fid=28%2D280

2. Either one is fine. Amateur radio is specifically designed to encourage home construction. Any real ham equipment would be bough today. Real basics are a transciever and an antenna (with the cable to connect the two).

3. No code required for Technician. next step up, General Class, requires five words per minute code. It's not hard to learn code at that speed. General Class lets you on the high frequency bands, where you can go long distance.

Get the latest copy of "Now You're Talking" - it is the best intro out there, and has the question set for the Technician license exam:

http://www.arrl.org/catalog/index.php3?category=Help+for+Beginners

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

2. Another amateur here...

1. I took a class through my local club. You can check either www.w5yi.org or www.arrl.org for information on clubs, classes and tests in your area, and contacts for those. Your electronics and physics knowledge should help you along the way with some of the technical aspects. Also, there are a lot of good books and materials out there..."Now You're Talking" is good, as is anything by Gordon West.

2. The great thing about the hobby is that you can be as creative as you want to be, as long as it's within what you're allowed to work as an operator, based on your license class (Tech/General/Extra). Hamfests, selected Radio Shacks and websites are great sources for equipment, whether it's manufactured or "homebrewed."

3. You won't need a code test to get a license initally (which will be a Technician class license), but if you want to increase the number of bands you can work beyond Tech class, or you want to DX (work hams outside the country), Morse Code is great to learn. As of now, it's 5wpm to pass, and it's not overly difficult to learn...there are a lot of great books and programs that can help, and so can another ham who can mentor you along the way, aka an "Elmer."

Good luck! :)

[KatyaR]

3. It's a great hobby and has a lot of practical applications.

Ham radio seems to be a great "leveler" of different types of people, singles, childless, married with children, wealthy, not-so-wealthy, downright poor, young and old. The club I once belonged to had all these and everyone was equal--it was quite amazing. And the wonderful thing was that all these people would get together and talk about RADIO and nothing else--no kids' sports, families, etc., just radio. It was a lot of fun.

I also suggest that you find a ham club to join. Many clubs offer license classes that are a lot of fun, and you meet a lot of new people that way. Many clubs also do the license testing, and it's nice to take that test in familiar surroundings. Our club was very active and provided support for several parades and sporting events in the city area, as well as disaster recovery such as tornados, floods--even the Murrah Federal Building bombing. Just google "amateur radio club" and your city or state and see what comes up. You can also check www.arrl.org for more information. If you still don't come up with anything, check with the local Salvation Army, Emergency Defense organization, or Red Cross--hams are usually active with all these groups.

As for electronic knowledge and equipment--I didn't have a clue, but the classes are very good in teaching you what you need to know. It used to be that everyone built their own equipment, because it was very hard to find prebuilt stuff. Now you can buy anything, but they are still many who like to build their own "homebrew." It's up to you. Use your new ham friends as a resource for what types of equipment to buy. Many times you can get used equipment in great condition for a reasonable price. Check out www.eham.net. I've bought used equipment here with great results, and buying on a ham site from other hams seems more secure than using other avenues.

I say go for it! I think you'll really enjoy it.

[DBoon]

4. So with all the Hams here

we should have a DU net.

Seriously.

[Enraged_Ape]

5. I agree

I actually looked for a group, but was surprised when I couldn't find one. There needs to be an RF "backup" for this board.

[Enraged_Ape]

6. Thanks for the input, everyone.

I found a local amateur radio club, and I guess I'll just show up (over pancakes at 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday), and let them know my interests. Maybe someone there will be the Obi-Wan Kenobi to my Luke Skywalker.