I do understand somewhat, I've never been able to learn anything by rote memorization, I have to figure everything out as I go.

With that said, I hate to see people treat the tests as a college course that they need to lock down the knowledge for. You just need to pass the test, and retain enough beyond that to know that various subjects exist so that you can find info on them as needed. Much of the nitty gritty stuff you need to actually use amateur radio is not what's on the tests, although the test pools over time have been changing to include more day-to-day operating kind of stuff on them.

In some ways the old-school elmer system was good as people got hands-on experience to understand different things and especially for the actual on-air operation. A lot of things are a lot easier to pick up with hands-on learning and experience. Sometimes pages in a book, or minutes of youtube video just aren't as good as 5 seconds turning the knob on a radio, then you understand.

Technology has made some things a lot easier to understand though, in large part by making many things more visual. Spectrum scope displays show you visually what bandwidth and different signal types look like for example. Antenna analyzers can show you a lot about antennas, filters and feedlines in a visual way that makes it easier to understand what is going on.

I have set a goal to get my Technician by the end of the year.

I may have to take the test online to accomplish this, but either way, I am getting this done soon.

I have taken so many tests in my life. I still have to take them now for work.

HAM, like many things, is a rabbit hole and a journey of learning that never ends. I just need to pass the damn test.

I am studying a couple of books and using YouTube sources as well.

I already have a Restricted Radio Permit for using HF in the aircraft, and I have some general understanding already.

Double up and go for General, it's not that much more material.

After posting on this forum I've decided to go for it. Will start reading today.

It's not hard. Just study however works for you and then test. Like said above, these tests are not the end all be all of knowledge. In fact, it's barely even scratching at the surface. The tests are just the gateway. All the experience and knowledge is once you pass that gate and get involved. That's if you choose to learn also. Plenty of folks never choose to learn anything and just glide along talking on the radio until it breaks then paying someone to fix it.

I have a tendency to dig into things I'm interested in. I'm currently looking at local clubs as well.

Passed my test last weekend. Now trying to figure out which HT radio to buy as my first.

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This could help: https://www.ar15.com/forums/Outdoors/The-HT-thread/22-672661/

Thanks guys! I'll look into that HT thread.

Depending on what you want to do, the general advice is to not spend a lot on an HT, as they are less useful compared to mobile and base station setups.

The problem is I'm not entirely sure what I want to do. I've had some advice to start with HT just to learn. I do want a base station/mobile. I'm way open to ideas.

Where in MI are you?  PM me if you want.  I have a couple of suggestions depending on where you are.

I'm in SE michigan-Temperance. PM sent.

Replied.

Anti-archive post.

Anyone else getting their license, new to Ham Radio?

I've got my dummies and a AARL book that I'm reading slowly through.

Not set a date for testing but my thought is to finish reading both books and then start looking at practice tests.

Fuck it, time to get this back on page 1.

BTT,
73,
Rob

Studying for the Tech and General I used this website: https://hamradioprep.com/free-ham-radio-practice-tests/

But what I did that was different is that I memorized answers instead of questions and answers.

Then I'd take the full-length practice tests and the questions I missed I would hand write the answer. Rinsed and repeated until I was getting 90% on the practice tests.

Passed both on the first go and did well on both.

The intent of the thread is not only to get people licensed, but to get the skills to get on the air and be successful at basic VHF/UHF operating.

What are the challenges and questions that newer folks might have about operating, be they technical or operating practices?

I got my technician license a couple of years ago.  Bought a Yaesu VX6, rt software and cord, and so far all I’ve done is listen.  

Bought two QRZ1 explorer radios at hamfest.  Got them for emergency family comms.  I really want to figure out how to communicate with someone through a repeater.  And the QRZ1 explorer is way more basic than my VX6.  

Think I got inputting the offset, tone, etc down now.  But I still haven’t pushed the ptt. What do I say?

Can you communicate with repeaters in Huntsville from where your at?

@Merlin

Have you monitored any traffic on your local repeaters? The usual advice is to learn by listening, but in the case of local repeaters there may just not be enough traffic to hear much.

Random contact on a repeater, the normal process is to announce callsign and "monitoring" or "listening". Random contact on simplex would typically be "callsign listening 5-2 simplex (or whatever shorthand for the frequency you're on)".  Sometimes people will use the term "CQ" on simplex, but generally not on a repeater. Something like "CQ 5-2 simplex, from (callsign)", that would be very similar to a typical HF call.

If you're checking in to a net or something, follow the pattern of other check-ins, it's usually just your callsign at the appropriate time in the checkin sequence.

Know the phonetics for your callsign.

Another idea for listening might be to get on echolink and just randomly pick US repeaters until you find some activity.

If you hear someone else saying the above and want to respond, reply with their callsign, then your callsign, then probably some pleasantry like good morning/afternoon/evening or whatever. If you didn't copy their entire callsign, you can reply with something like "station calling ending in Kilo, this is Kilo One Alpha Romeo Fox, good afternoon".

Yes, monitored a 440 repeater.  There was a big net conversation last night.  I did not get great reception but could hear that there were folks from TN, VA, and NY on there.  I listened for a bit but it was like they had a membership and a role call so I never got the chance to speak.  That and I couldn’t understand what they were saying at times.  

Couple of questions.  
-when I put in my setting for a repeater,  do I use TX? Or TX+RX?
-what does 5-2 mean?
-If the repeater uses an offset It’s not simplex? Right?
-what is a net?  I’m assuming network call maybe.  Does that mean it’s on the internet and then being broadcast thru the repeater?
- how was I hearing folks from other states far away on the local 440 repeater?

I may try to call out on The 2M simplex 146.5 later today to just see if I can make contact and see if anyone can hear me.  I live at the bottom of a mountain in a hollow here in HSV.

@brain3278,

I reach the Athens N4SEV repeater (145.15) pretty much every Thursday during their weekly check-in.  https://redsixinteractive.com/n4sev/index.html

I can reach the Harlie repeater in Huntsville (147.24 KB4CRG) but haven't spent any time on it.  The Harlie was my favorite repeater to use when I lived in Madison.  The Harlie repeater is actually south of Hsv and the TN River on Brindlee Mountain.   https://www.repeaterbook.com/repeaters/details.php?state_id=01&ID=167

Have you programmed your VX6 yet?  CHIRP will program it easy-peasey.  If you haven't yet, send me a PM with your e-mail and I'll send you a CHIRP file will all the local HSV/north AL repeaters, simplex and NOAA weather channels.   CHIRP Home Page

Tomorrow is Thursday:  check-in with the N4SEV weekly net if you can reach it.  There will be plenty of time and opportunity for you to check-in and ID yourself.  Let people know you just started, bet you get a bunch of help pretty quick.

The Harlie repeater has (or had) a weekly net as well, but I've long lost the bubble on it.  I *think* they also have a monthly meeting.  Good opportunity to meet Hams and slip Harlie a couple $$ to help support the repeater.

Guessing you're talking about squelch codes/tones? I would not use a receive tone unless you have a specific reason to do so.

Shorthand for 146.520, the national simplex calling frequency on 2 meters.

Yes repeaters are duplex, not simplex. The difference between the two frequencies in the duplex pair is the offset, which is standardized per band. 2m standard offset is 600kHz, 440 standard offset is 5MHz. The Yaesu should have automatic repeater offset (IIRC Yaesu calls it "shift" instead of offset, same thing).

Some radio programming software just uses separate columns for receive and transmit frequencies instead of "offsets". Which is a pain if you're dealing with standard offsets, but does make it easier to see how it works.

Group of people on the air at the same time. Repeaters commonly have weekly net times generally arranged by the club/organization that owns the repeater just to have something to do, say hello, make announcements, etc, and to practice formal net operation.

Many repeaters are linked together with other repeaters. Also, systems like Echolink are common now, such that people anywhere in the world on the internet can connect to a repeater. We have folks who moved to Florida in retirement who occasionally check in via Echolink.

146.520 is the common simplex calling frequency. If you're at the bottom of a mountain your chances of reaching anyone are pretty slim.
ETA:
One programming tip, especially for the chinesium radios. All modern radios should have a choice of Narrowband FM (FM-N, etc) and standard bandwidth FM (sometimes called wide). It can get very confusing, because there is also an FM wideband (now wide-r band?) and the standard FM used to be called "narrowband FM". But back to today. Radios should have FM and FM-N or something like that, and for Amateur stuff you should always use standard (not narrowband). For some non-amateur frequencies like FRS or MURS, or monitoring public safety stuff those channels use Narrowband.  On Amateur, if you have your channel set for Narrowband, you will sound very weak/quiet to others, and others will sound loud and distorted to you. When you said you had trouble understanding the repeater it made me wonder if this might have been an issue. There may be some amateur use of Narrowband FM, but unless you know specifically that is the case, use the standard FM.

@Gama762

Thank you this helps a lot.

@Merlin

I sent you an IM.  I think my inbox was full so I had to delete a few IM’s and make some space.  

I can hear on 147.240.

Downloaded the CHIRP software, but haven’t been able to figure out how to paste or open the NARA .csv file to get it in there.  I bought the RT systems software and cord for the vx6 a year or two ago but didn’t understand Tones or offsets and so didn’t program my radio.  The wife stole the laptop a little bit ago to use.  When I get it back I’ll see if I can upload tge .csv file.

@Gamma762

Just read you ETA.  The repeater I was listening to…… the net was having trouble hearing some of the folks too.  Not sure exactly how far away the repeater was from me either.  Thought it was close to me.  Also it was on 70cm.  

I was listening to the repeater Merlin mentioned (2M) here and it was clear.  And is a long way from me.  But the angle reaches me.  I live at the foot of a big mountain that has several towers and repeaters, but I think I’m just below line of sight.  The one Merlin mentioned is South of me and is not obscured.  

I only have the stock antenna also.

Both of my radios have the adjustment for narrow and wide.  I think my QRZ1 is Chinese.

Signal propagation in mountainous areas is often quirky to say the least, a complex web of direct signal, reflections, and refractions. Sometimes further away can have a better path to you. Different frequency bands also behave differently.

Bandplans can sometimes be confusing... but part of the 2m bandplan is easy once you realize how things work.

The standard repeater offset on 2 meters is 600kHz. 146 and 147MHz are divided up into repeaters and simplex based on the offset. 146.615, minus 600 equals 146.015. 146.985, minus 600 equals 146.385. Thus leaving the middle 200kHz for simplex. 147MHz is the same, except that the standard repeater output is the lower frequency with mobile transmit being higher (a plus offset). So a .4 or .5 frequency on 146 or 147 is generally simplex. There are a few places that have fudged things a little to try to squeeze in more repeater pairs.

The 144/145 repeater pairs aren't quite as intuitive, but it's the same kind of system - repeater outputs on the 145 frequencies, mobile transmit on the 144 frequencies, with other stuff in the middle (and on either side, the whole 144 to 146 bandplan is pretty complex with weak signal, satellite, digital and other odd-modes stuff mixed in there).

The 600kHz offset came about because that was about the tightest split that could be achieved with a reasonable duplexer on 2 meters - a hardware limitation. 70cm is a combination of hardware and common practice... the LMR world standardized on a 5MHz split in their 450 and 460 bands for convenience, and made the hardware a little easier. 3MHz is possible but not many of the duplexers are made for that. The 1.6MHz split on 222 is for the same reason, reasonable performance from the RF hardware.

If you just want to hear some noise on 2 meters could always try tuning in 144.390, that's the nationwide frequency for the APRS digital tracking/messaging system. It's pretty common. There's also an APRS digipeater on the ISS on a frequency in the satellite band that is almost always active when the ISS is within range, I find it a lot easier to hear than the ISS voice repeater.

Success!!!

Made my first couple of contacts.  Used the Brindlee repeater.  Got fantastic signal off of that tower.  Couldn’t reach my buddy who is a bit further away and behind me (other side of the mountain I’m backed up to).  So we looked up a couple of other repeaters.  Programmed them in on my Yaesu.  Found one on the mountain behind me that we could both reach and understand each other on.  

Thanks for the encouragement and the info guys!

I learned a lot in a short amount of time.  Think I’m going to have to print a list of repeaters and laminate it with names and frequencies.  So I can remember them later.

ETA
Probably easier to store the repeaters in memory on the radio

@brain3278

Do you have the RepeaterBook app?

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It helps with finding repeaters.

I do not.  A friend, whose father is big into radios, loaned me his book with repeaters all over the US.  And I went to the local radio club’s website.  They have the listings for several repeaters.  

@Merlin I can get the repeater out of Decatur.  I’m behind a small hill, kind of in a bowl where I live.

Repeaterbook:  Available on the 'net, I gave a link earlier (assuming this is the same thread) for the Harlie repeater (147.24).  Also available for iPhone (not sure about Android).

And it's incorporated into CHIRP as one of the drop-downs.  I'll work on modifying my latest CHIRP file tonight and send it later today.


ETA:  There is another way to find local repeaters:  This Google Earth overlay tool from a thread over on QRZ:  https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/the-google-earth-repeaters-overlay-project-for-the-entire-united-states-and-territories.852111/

Good luck!

What is the "NARA .csv" file?  NVM, I found it, I knew I had seen it once before.  http://n4hsv.net/repeaters.html   Don't worry about the NARA file (.csv or .pdf) all that stuff is in CHIRP, along with all the tones, offsets, high/low power (selectable by you) etc. etc. etc.

ETA:  .CSV files are apparently openable and downloadable to/from CHIRP, although I've never used them.


Doesn't really matter.  CHIRP has everything you need.  Once you've got your CHIRP file like you want it, you can print it out and it becomes your channel list for your radio.  Given you location, shit east of you won't matter much.  Anything south, west and north will be/should be easily gettable - evidenced by the fact of your ability to reach both Harlie and Decatur.  Athens should be doable as well as the Fayetteville repeater.   https://sites.google.com/view/w4bv

CHIRP are "image disc" files.  Which, by the by, I have no clue what that means.  I open/modify them in CHIRP, couldn't care less about the technical details.

Gamma has a good explanation of repeater offsets etc and it's good to know.  But if you want to program your radio for +20 repeaters (easy to do in north AL/SC TN) and 20-25 simplex channels (never mind the FRS/GMRS/MURS/NOAA weather channels) - you have better things to do with your time.  Select from the CHIRP dropdowns, complete your file, upload to your radio - done.

CHIRP file sent this AM.  Good luck!

I got it.  Thank you.  

You ever use 147.000 ?  I can get decent reception at my house on it and it’s 25 miles away.  Pretty flat in Decatur so it must be on top of a building or tower.  

And recommendations for a better antenna on my Yaesu vx6.  I’m thinking one for home that I could put up on a tall tree or the top of the house.  And one for the truck (aluminum body f150).

@merlin
@Gamma762

ETA: also maybe just one for walking around/hiking.

Tram 1480 is my usual suggestion for home...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PVWZH3H?tag=arfcom00-20

If the truck roof is aluminum, magnet won't work... drilling a hole in the roof would be the optimum solution, but many aren't good with that. Someone a while back posted a neat mount...

https://bulletproofdiesel.com/collections/antenna-mounts

but they're really expensive.

There are antenna mounts that go in the stake pockets on the bed, not really ideal from an RF perspective but better than a rubber duck for sure.

Tram 1180 works fine for a dual-band mobile antenna. There are numerous options. I prefer mobile antennas made to the typical land mobile construction versus the comet/diamond/etc type construction... LMR antennas generally have flexible whips and are more rugged, the amateur-dedicated market stuff is typically much stiffer so that the whips stay vertical while in motion.

If you go with some kind of roof mount a ~19" tall type antenna will generally work fine and hit less stuff.

On those four priorities:

1. Download a ham radio test site if you haven't already for our PC.  Plenty of them out there, I don't have one on my PC because:  On your iPhone or Android, search for "Ham Tech Patrick J. Maloney".  He has several ham test practice apps, one each for Tech, General and Expert.  Once downloaded, you can practice anywhere, anytime with your phone.  Got +3 hours because you're sitting at the local DMV place; you'll probably ace the test with this one session!   I like his app because he not only gives the correct answer as you run the test, but also explains why it's the right answer.  So, it's good for both the memorization rote and understanding the concepts test philosophy.

2. "Learn where I'm allowed to talk."  I *assume* when you say this, you're referring to your allowed transmitting frequencies.  For 2m and 70cm (both allowed by a Tech license, that will be set by your radio.  If the radio you got from Baofeng is a 2m/7-cm radio, you're set.  That leaves the FRS/GMRS frequencies, if your radio is programmed/capable of transmitting on those frequencies.  FRS does not require a license, GMRS does - and it's not covered by the ham Tech license.  Truth be told, most DGAS about GRMS licenses, but you do you.

3.  Good idea.

4.  You're already well on your way.  With an antenna adapter for your Baofeng running out of the house via the coax to an exterior antenna, you should be able to communicate fairly well, depending on how your antenna is and the terrain around your home.  High external antenna >>>>  Baofeng OEM antenna inside the home.

Good luck!

Just passed the Tech exam. Have a couple of months to learn the General stuff. Next exam date is in January.

This thread was invaluable and continues to be a wealth of knowledge.  Thanks to all who contribute(d) to it.