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ar-jedi

Just an update my exams got side lined due to an unexpected and very important career opportunity. I have about 3 weeks to go and I will be done with ALC then ill be able to get right back at it.

I am going to second this. The club I am in does repeater net 5 days a week and simplex net on Sunday night just for this purpose, and I routinely contact with a ham two counties away about (60 miles) on simplex using very short (40') or less towers and simple J-poles. It can be scratchy at times, but definitely usable. The repeater links us up over 150 miles end to end, though.

Welcome aboard! My wife got her ticket shortly after mine. Good luck to the both of you!

SO MUCH WIN IN ONE POST THAT I HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO TEARS.

ar-jedi

Just started hitting the books and practice tests for the general... should not have waited so long, finding I am learning some stuff over again.... Any suggestions on learning the general stuff? having a harder time with this then I did with the tech stuff

I am looking at getting a YAESU FT-817ND for all around portable rig... I have my kenwood TS-440s on ebay right now to fund my portable purchase (given to me and was given the go ahead to sell in order to fund another radio purchase)... I don't have interest in having a unit that requires a lot of power to operate as my whole reason for ham is based around SHTF/disaster preparedness....

I used HTO to upgrade to General & was pleased with results (I passed). They guarantee you'll pass if you use system accordingly or your money back. If & when I ever get the time to work my Extra, I'll go back. I consider it a Very Well Spent $25.

YMMV.

For those reading and considering Tech, they are currently offering the Tech study class for $20.

I'm over on the Western side, South of Pittsburgh so likely near Piccolo. The antenna fortunately shouldn't be too hard to go up, just doing a not so random random wire antenna into an Icom AH-4 for now. That will be coming off one end of the house heading over a tree at the far end of the property. I was looking at doing a 79' wire. Hopefully that will let the AH-4 tune 80M. kept going back and forth on station grounding for it but think I finally have that figured out now. Time to have the joy of pounding in the ground rod and playing with copper strapping.


You guys may get a good laugh out of the current 'antenna' setup. I did it just to play around with the radio menus for receiving, not expecting it to work at all, but then... it worked... to a degree anyways. I took about 20' of 20 gauge hookup wire I had laying around and tied one end off to a nail in the ceiling of the basement. I then ran that across the ceiling, and dropped it down to the table where the radio is. The wire is at ground level basically, running next to a big steel beam and some duct work, it runs along a fluorescent light, and near several power lines. The end has an alligator clip jumper that connects it to the pin of a pl-259 jumper to the radio. Basically, it's exactly how you wouldn't want to set up an antenna. While the noise levels are obviously high, I have picked up stations on PSK31 and Olivia from all over the country. I'm looking forward to see how those work with a better setup.

Congrats! Good idea to keep going on the studying while it's fresh in your mind. Might as well go ahead and plan to study for the extra test too. Then you don't have to worry about being in your sub-band.

u so got this

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I'm not sure if anyone can help, but I'd figure I'd at least ask. I have decided to get involved in amateur radio for several reasons: preparedness, communications in remote areas, and recreation (I need a hobby!).

My problem is that I'm .mil, and stationed in Japan.

Does anybody know what kind of challenges I'll face? I've noticed that much of the HAM gear that folks use stateside is made in, well, Japan, but does the stuff you can buy here work back in the US, and vice-versa? I seem to have found a HAM club that offers testing, but can it possibly be U.S. FCC testing? (I'm located in the Kanto region, if that helps.)

I'm interested in going for my Tech and General licenses, and am interested in HTs, a Mobile unit for my car (back home, but I also have a car here... can that work, too?) as well as something for the house... I think I can have an antenna on the patio upstairs.

Anyone out there dealt with HAM in Japan? For what it's worth, I plan to return to the US, permanently, within a few years.


Thanks for any assistance, I really appreciate it!

Passed my Tech exam this morning !



1) your background, if i may ask? Retired USAF
2) how often/much did you study? Approximately 1 hour per night for two weeks using Ham Test Online
3) distance traveled to the exam site? 2 miles
4) type of exam site? Local red cross chapter
5) total time it took you to complete both exams? 10 minutes for Tech exam.
6) total duration from when you said "i'm going to do this" to getting your CSCE signed by the VE? Two months.

Passed the Tech with one error.

Well I passed my general this afternoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
33 out of 35!!!

1) (above)
2) a few sections every day over 14 days... Once I got through most of the sections I started taking practice test... whatever sections I got questions wrong I would go back and do just that section a couple times over again. Then do another practice test and repeat.
3) 20~30 miles?
4) A building that is used for events.
5) 15min?
6) 15 days

I memorized most of 31 out of the 35 sections and did better then i thought i would!
I completely skipped the following sections because i found them to be difficult to memorize.
G1C
G5B
G5C
G9C

Any ways now it is time for me to get an HF antenna up.

I passed the tech- 06/24/2011
Passed the general- 03/10/2012

Can't wait to get my Kenwood TS-440S on the air and try to get invovled in some arfcom nets!!!