Another Ham is born

[VetteGirlMA]

I took my technician's test today and passed it with flying colors, and just for giggles I took the general and almost passed it. The examiner asked me if I wanted to try it again and I said no I really want to study the general license before taking the test. I don't have my call sign yet but maybe I'll bump into some of you on the waves. It will be a lot more fun when I can do more on radio than just listen to a repeater.

 

[radioman]

Let's see your new call when you get it. Something to be proud of.

AE1Y

 

[n1oty]

Good job!

de N1OTY

 

[Mike-Mike]

Good work.. KB1MJU

 

[Goliathan]

Nice! KB1LJF

 

[swatgig]

Welcome KB1ZVD

 

[UJay]

congrats!

VHF contest on right now - Exchange is grid square - FM is allowed.
http://www.arrl.org/june-vhf
GL!


Jay W1UJ

 

[Cowgirlup]

Congrats! I passed my tech a couple of months age but haven't been on yet.

 

[07Mustang]

KC1HLQ General since April, congrats.

 

[Matt80]

Congrats!

-NM1C

 

[VetteGirlMA]

Congrats! I passed my tech a couple of months age but haven't been on yet.

I have a little Yaesu HT and I have been using it to listen in on repeaters and nets for weeks now. When the moment comes to say something I'm probably not going to end up saying anything lol. I'm just afraid of saying the wrong thing although I am a very careful person.

 

[NHCraigT]

Congratulations.

I only just recently made technician last Sept, general last Nov. and extra in Dec. If someone like me could do it, pretty much = anyone can. Wife also got her Tech in Feb this year.


Now comes the spending....

 

[OLAK]

Congrats!!
K6IPO

 

[cockpitbob]

Good job!!!!

Keep the momentum up and get your General real soon. It's so much harder to stop and start the studying. And as you know, the General opens up the whole world to you. A simple wire antenna in the trees and a used 100W HF rig and you're working the world.

AB1LT

 

[Evtide]

Welcome and best 73 de N1MHD.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Congrats. I took and passed both my Tech and General back in April. I've been listening but haven't spoken yet. Just mounted 2m/70cm rigs in both cars this weekend. Hamradio.com (HRO, aka Ham Radio Outlet in Salem NH) is your friend for all things Ham.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Congrats. Jack W1FKG. Ham since 1966.

 

[VetteGirlMA]

Got my call sign today: KC1HSR. Very cool. I get a sense of satisfaction from this. Now it's on to the general license.

 

[vicorjh]

Congrats!

Field Day is coming up, June 24th-25th. Find a club, attend, observe, and/or participate.

AI1EE

 

[s&w3913]

Field day is a must find a local club and see when the field day is go by and check out their set up.

Also all bands seem to be active on field day. It is awesome you can throw your call on 146.520 or 446.000 or any simplex calling frequency and someone will answer.

I worked an airplane 10 years ago on 2 meter simplex from the car during field day.

It's kind of fun to see the the VHF/UHF bands in use like you read about or how it was before the proliferation of cell phones and newer cars that make it difficult or impossible to install a mobile rig.

 

[PaulR]

[peanut gallery comment] So uh, people have these things, why don't they talk? [/peanut gallery comment]

 

[Len-2A Training]

[peanut gallery comment] So uh, people have these things, why don't they talk? [/peanut gallery comment]

I'll answer for myself.

I've been listening in scanner mode. LOTS of static/noise that causes me to shut it off more often than not (2 HTs sit above my desk-2m/70cm) and worse in the cars (finally completed mounting D-Star 2m/70cm rigs) with even more noise.

On HTs I have picked up a few day-long conversations between 2 individuals off a local repeater. One guy says he hasn't been out of bed in weeks and is talking about dying. G_d I feel like I'm in an elderly complex by the pool listening to all the old farts complaining about their health problems! Other than that it's been relatively quiet.

As for speaking, I have no idea how to operate without sounding like a rube, so it is outside my comfort zone right now. Nobody local to lean on for advice either currently. I do plan on attending one/two Field Day events to hopefully get my feet wet and then take it from there.

 

[s&w3913]

I think what has killed activity on the local VHF/UHF repeaters is the proliferation of cell phones.

When I first started listening to the local 2 meter repeater on the scanner back in 1995 it was actually interesting in a pre wifi smart phone age. People needed to communicate with each other and the mobile 50 watt 2 meter radio backed by a repeater was the way to go.

People in my area I grew up in had a simplex chat channel. Most of those hams have now passed away. The local tv repairman was on it also.

Plus cars have gotten more complicated to mount things in. I haven't had a permanent mounted mobile since 2010.

As len mentioned there really isn't anybody on the repeaters to chat with on a daily basis.

Also it's sort of like trying to approach the group of people talking at the local diner, mcdonald's or dunkin' donuts who don't know you.

 

[vicorjh]

Hmm, Boston metro has a number of relatively active repeaters. Waltham would be one with wide coverage. Lot's of clubs around, too.

Are you guys rural? Or near a metro center, e.g. within 495 and thereabout?

 

[Len-2A Training]

Hmm, Boston metro has a number of relatively active repeaters. Waltham would be one with wide coverage. Lot's of clubs around, too.

Are you guys rural? Or near a metro center, e.g. within 495 and thereabout?

Well I did hear Zappa one day on Waltham. If I had known it was him, I likely would have transmitted. But it was only after I posted something here that he ID'd himself as the guy discussing the S&W Shield 45 deal that he got.

 

[vicorjh]

Hook up with a club. The HAM guys LOVE to talk and assist if you have questions or need help setting something up. There is a wealth of information out there (along with a wealth of opinions).

If you want to "rag chew" it helps to get known by those in these communities. Also, like shooting ranges, each club has a certain flavor or charter, it may take a while to find one the fits your interests.

It is really amazing the diversity of activities in the amateur radio community from emergency communication, to contesting, to experimentation, to military auxillary (MARS), to weather watching, to digital packet radio, to speaking with the space station/listening to satellites, on and on... Various clubs tend to focus on certain areas.

As s&w3913 notes, "Also it's sort of like trying to approach the group of people talking at the local diner, mcdonald's or dunkin' donuts who don't know you." So, they may not answer you on the repeaters even though they are listening (unless it's an emergency or something). Don't get discouraged.

Plus, having call signs memorized is a trick in itself...

 

[vicorjh]

"LOTS of static/noise that causes me to shut it off more often than not", squelch and tones should help this.

 

[cockpitbob]

As s&w3913 notes, "Also it's sort of like trying to approach the group of people talking at the local diner, mcdonald's or dunkin' donuts who don't know you." So, they may not answer you on the repeaters even though they are listening (unless it's an emergency or something). Don't get discouraged.

This is true for guys, but there are so few women in ham radio that a female voice always gets a quick reply.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Hook up with a club. The HAM guys LOVE to talk and assist if you have questions or need help setting something up. There is a wealth of information out there (along with a wealth of opinions).

If you want to "rag chew" it helps to get known by those in these communities. Also, like shooting ranges, each club has a certain flavor or charter, it may take a while to find one the fits your interests.

It is really amazing the diversity of activities in the amateur radio community from emergency communication, to contesting, to experimentation, to military auxillary (MARS), to weather watching, to digital packet radio, to speaking with the space station/listening to satellites, on and on... Various clubs tend to focus on certain areas.

As s&w3913 notes, "Also it's sort of like trying to approach the group of people talking at the local diner, mcdonald's or dunkin' donuts who don't know you." So, they may not answer you on the repeaters even though they are listening (unless it's an emergency or something). Don't get discouraged.

Plus, having call signs memorized is a trick in itself...

I've learned that this is a bad time of year to be a newbie wrt local clubs. All the focus seems to be on Field Day and many seem to "go dark" over July and August (like most of my other orgs) so we are left to drift until September.

Agree about focus of clubs, but every one in my area seems to be EMA-focused and that no longer interests me for purely selfish reasons. I spent 17 yrs as a PT PO, meaning every town event, every area road race, parade, carnival, circus, etc. we were REQUIRED to work for free. Many of those years over July 4th holiday I was required to put in at least 16 hrs unpaid time, couldn't drink, go to a BBQ, enjoy fireworks, etc. After I left the PD I found out from others why so many charitable events (mostly road races) were staged in my town . . . in other towns even the PT POs had to be paid whereas our town was the only one that did it for free! I am old enough now to realize that my Wife is my primary concern and abandoning her in an emergency for days on end to meet the needs of the community no longer has a priority in my life.

"LOTS of static/noise that causes me to shut it off more often than not", squelch and tones should help this.

Squelch turned up to the max. Likely computer generated signals sounding like hash is my best guess. I used SW to list repeaters and other than that I don't understand enough of the terminology to mess with radio settings.

This is true for guys, but there are so few women in ham radio that a female voice always gets a quick reply.

Hopefully respectful responses and not leg-humping like existed here for too many years.

 

[VetteGirlMA]

Hook up with a club. The HAM guys LOVE to talk and assist if you have questions or need help setting something up. There is a wealth of information out there (along with a wealth of opinions).

If you want to "rag chew" it helps to get known by those in these communities. Also, like shooting ranges, each club has a certain flavor or charter, it may take a while to find one the fits your interests.

Plus, having call signs memorized is a trick in itself...

I've been listening in to my local repeater on Mount Tom for a few weeks now. There seem to be a lot of nets, a bunch of daytime activity, and on select week nights more nets. But I posted on a facebook page and lo and behold I got invited to a meeting on Friday, so I might as well go and introduce myself. I've already been invited to the field day in a few weeks, so I think I will go just so I can try out my call sign on some low frequency bands.

I already have a hard enough time remembering my own call sign in phonetics, but one thing I have done is listened to traffic and wrote down various call signs.