I started taking some of the HAM technician tests online, and I'm doing pretty well with the practice tests. was thinking about buying the book and crashing it next week.

I'm interested in electronics and 2-way radio as a hobby, want to have something to listen in an emergency, and to dabble with and reach out to other HAMs.

Once I take the test, I'm looking for a radio. :)

I heard about radios1234.com from a podcast, and some of the radios look interesting. Especially interesting was the BaoFeng UV-5R; at the price it looks hard to beat for a starter radio.

Any other suggestions for a good, cheap dual-band handheld?

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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM Radio, newb advice?
By: Poindexter Fortran to All on Mon Apr 07 2014 08:47 am

I started taking some of the HAM technician tests online, and I'm doing pretty well with the practice tests. was thinking about buying the book and crashing it next week.

I'm interested in electronics and 2-way radio as a hobby, want to have something to listen in an emergency, and to dabble with and reach out to other HAMs.

i'm pretty sure they relaxed the requirements so much, almost anybody
can get a license. you dont even have to know morse code anymore, right?
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Yea, however there is still a lot of questions in the test that require experience with electronics. I would take a practice test using HamTestOnline.com and make sure that you know what you need to know in order to pass your Technician, or your General, or even your extra.

CS.

Mro wrote to Poindexter Fortran <=-

Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM Radio, newb advice?
By: Poindexter Fortran to All on Mon Apr 07 2014 08:47 am

I started taking some of the HAM technician tests online, and I'm doing pretty well with the practice tests. was thinking about buying the book and crashing it next week.

I'm interested in electronics and 2-way radio as a hobby, want to have something to listen in an emergency, and to dabble with and reach out to other HAMs.

i'm pretty sure they relaxed the requirements so much, almost anybody
can get a license. you dont even have to know morse code anymore,
right? ---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

... Internal Error: The system has been taken over by sheep at line 19960
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
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Mro wrote to Poindexter Fortran <=-

i'm pretty sure they relaxed the requirements so much, almost anybody
can get a license. you dont even have to know morse code anymore,
right?

It's mostly radio theory, HAM radio rules, and basic radio know-how. After playing with CB in the 70s and 80s and listening to shortwave and AM DX for years seemed to answer most of the questions.






... Abandon desire
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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM
By: Captain Sulu to Mro on Tue Apr 08 2014 08:13 am

Yea, however there is still a lot of questions in the test that require experience with electronics. I would take a practice test using

post on the bottom please.
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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM
By: Mro to Captain Sulu on Wed Apr 09 2014 19:53:53

Well that was topical, and not at all indicative of silica in the vagina.

Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM
By: Captain Sulu to Mro on Tue Apr 08 2014 08:13 am

Yea, however there is still a lot of questions in the test that require experience with electronics. I would take a practice test using

post on the bottom please.

-- guh up the effbomb down wif yr bad self


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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM
By: Poindexter Fortran to All on Mon Apr 07 2014 08:47 am

I started taking some of the HAM technician tests online, and I'm doing pret

ty

well with the practice tests. was thinking about buying the book and crashin

g

it next week.

I'm interested in electronics and 2-way radio as a hobby, want to have something to listen in an emergency, and to dabble with and reach out to oth

er

HAMs.

Once I take the test, I'm looking for a radio. :)

I heard about radios1234.com from a podcast, and some of the radios look interesting. Especially interesting was the BaoFeng UV-5R; at the price it looks hard to beat for a starter radio.

Any other suggestions for a good, cheap dual-band handheld?

I literally have a box of 25 BaoFeng UV5Rs (first style, I prefer it), a prep for SHTF kind of thing. I'm also studying for my Technician's license. I've got a Broadband Hamnet mesh running here in Mountain View (but without amateur radio channel mods or advanced antenna, to stay legal until I'm licensed).

I also have a fancier ICOM ID-51a handheld, which does D-STAR. I do a lot of monitoring with it. I listen to the WIN System on 442.900 mostly, and WBAY on D-STAR. Somewhere in the garage I have an old Yeasu FT-530, dual band linking.

Knight


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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM
By: Mro to Poindexter Fortran on Mon Apr 07 2014 04:13 pm

Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM Radio, newb advice?
By: Poindexter Fortran to All on Mon Apr 07 2014 08:47 am

I started taking some of the HAM technician tests online, and I'm doing pretty well with the practice tests. was thinking about buying the book a

nd

crashing it next week.

I'm interested in electronics and 2-way radio as a hobby, want to have something to listen in an emergency, and to dabble with and reach out to other HAMs.

i'm pretty sure they relaxed the requirements so much, almost anybody
can get a license. you dont even have to know morse code anymore, right?

Yep, no morse required. I want to learn and practice it anyway... for the fun of it.

Knight

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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM
By: Knight to Poindexter Fortran on Sun Apr 13 2014 05:26 am

I literally have a box of 25 BaoFeng UV5Rs (first style, I prefer it)

After googling it, the first model does look nicer. Any performance difference?

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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM
By: Poindexter Fortran to Knight on Sun Apr 13 2014 11:52 pm

I literally have a box of 25 BaoFeng UV5Rs (first style, I prefer it)

After googling it, the first model does look nicer. Any performance differen

There are some minor differences, but nothing that was a game stopper for me. Ultimately, these things share the same guts, and you can't really upgrade the firmware in any of them. From what I've read, the main differences are actually just the "stronger case" and that is hardly worth the double price.

I haven't noticed any performance differences, and the menu is bad in both of them.
Knight

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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM Radio, newb advice?
By: Poindexter Fortran to All on Mon Apr 07 2014 08:47 am

I started taking some of the HAM technician tests online, and I'm doing pretty well with the practice tests. was thinking about buying the book and crashing it next week.

I'm interested in electronics and 2-way radio as a hobby, want to have something to listen in an emergency, and to dabble with and reach out to other HAMs.

Once I take the test, I'm looking for a radio. :)

I heard about radios1234.com from a podcast, and some of the radios look interesting. Especially interesting was the BaoFeng UV-5R; at the price it looks hard to beat for a starter radio.

Any other suggestions for a good, cheap dual-band handheld?

I have the Quansheng TG-UV2 and have been very happy with it.

digital man

Synchronet "Real Fact" #10:
DOVE-Net was originally an exclusive ("elite") WWIVnet network in O.C., Calif. Norco, CA WX: 73.8øF, 47.0% humidity, 13 mph SE wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM Radio, newb advice?
By: Digital Man to Poindexter Fortran on Wed Apr 16 2014 04:00 pm

Any other suggestions for a good, cheap dual-band handheld?

I have the Quansheng TG-UV2 and have been very happy with it.

How is the fidelity of that compared to the UV-5R? I've got a box of UV-5Rs that all seem to receive nicely (I haven't transmitted since I'm still unlicensed). I've also got an ICOM ID-51a that sounds incredible. Definitely not on the cheap side, but it's well made.

Knight

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Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM Radio, newb advice?
By: Knight to Digital Man on Thu Apr 17 2014 02:20 am

Re: Wanting to dabble in HAM Radio, newb advice?
By: Digital Man to Poindexter Fortran on Wed Apr 16 2014 04:00 pm

Any other suggestions for a good, cheap dual-band handheld?

I have the Quansheng TG-UV2 and have been very happy with it.

How is the fidelity of that compared to the UV-5R?

I haven't tried a side-by-side comparison.

I've got a box of UV-5Rs
that all seem to receive nicely (I haven't transmitted since I'm still unlicensed). I've also got an ICOM ID-51a that sounds incredible.
Definitely not on the cheap side, but it's well made.

Yup, ICOM is good stuff.

digital man

Synchronet "Real Fact" #6:
The name "Synchronet" was suggested by Steve Deppe (Ille Homine Albe) in 1991. Norco, CA WX: 61.1øF, 72.0% humidity, 2 mph SE wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

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