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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:23:52 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: For starters, don’t stay in the same place blasting 1500 watts all the time. Second, if TSHTF, you are telling me uncle Elmer Fudd and his gout is going to go DFing armed gurellas? That shit will only happen once. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: You must be playing with different radio nerds than me. They'll fox hunt you, since you're out of the norm from their wide band spectrum analyzer, and because they can. SDRs have changed the game. Kharn For starters, don’t stay in the same place blasting 1500 watts all the time. Second, if TSHTF, you are telling me uncle Elmer Fudd and his gout is going to go DFing armed gurellas? That shit will only happen once. Depends if he's still got his Garand from the war or can get his grandson to weld up a roof rack mount for that 1919 he told Memaw he threw in the river back in '68.  Kharn |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:27:01 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:27:40 PM EDT
[#3]
People listening on ham bands and saying they are no good for emergencies because they only heard fudds talking about radios is like saying guns are useless for self defense because you went to a shooting range and people were only shooting paper.
I'm torn on the liability of licensing now. On one hand I get not wanting to be on a list, on the other hand all of your activities should have a legal reason. If I'm asked about having a backpack full of radios it's because I'm a ham guy. I've got 87 radios at home and I've done it for years. I can say why I have the radios and who i talk to. If you're unlicensed, you'll have a harder time explaining what you're up to if questioned. And yes most radio comms are going to in the clear, learn how to have a conversation that sounds benign. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:27:57 PM EDT
[#4]
tldr;
I have a license. I don't participate because I have a cell phone. The conversations on the radio are almost always boring as fuck and had old guys who have nothing else to do. That being said, I am familiar with how t use the radios. You aren't going to get familiar without using them. I have several friends who are suddenly interested in radio but I am not losing my license to speak with them over the air. I'll probably end up communicating with them on some frequencies that are not amature bands. If SHTF, all bets are off and Elmer needs to mind his own business. ETA: If I don't use my call sign, how am I a target? |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:29:01 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Pardon us for not being terribly social with the title of "Getting your ham license is dumb". To contrast, in the Baofeng for dummies thread there is good discussion going on by guys that aren't themselves openly hostile to the hobby. While I may not completely agree with the opinion of "getting your ham license is dumb" I can also think it's a valid opinion that was phrased poorly. It would be better phrased as "might be dumb." The stereotypes of what you hear on ham frequencies tends to ring true, and for a lot of people there is no benefit in participating in that. For a lot of people, their actual needs will be served fine by FRS/GMRS bubble pack radios and a simple receiver, as suggested earlier. If your needs are met by bubble pack radios and you don't want to BS about your gout, the weather, or your radio then it is dumb to get your license. If you needs/wants exceed the capability of FRS/GMRS radios and a receiver, or if you want to talk to somebody in the Philippines about your gout then absolutely go ahead and get your license, it's not dumb at all then. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:30:12 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar.  Attached File |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:31:15 PM EDT
[#7]
Without reading the thread, there are flaws in your logic.
1. We're all on a million lists already. 2. HAM is a great communication method for many emergencies, to include SHTF 3. HAM isn't a great communication tool for coordinating private activities, illegal or not. 4. For HAM to be affective you need to have established coms and an established net. 5. Operating HAM without a license will likely eventually get you bagged with the feds. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:33:36 PM EDT
[#8]
OP,
So let's take your side for a moment. Let's say ham is junk, too much of a security concern. What is your perfect means of communication? Is it cell phone? Surely no one is listening to those conversations and would never go down during SHTF. Is it satellite phone? Surely they couldn't pull the plug on sat phone, huh? Smoke signals? Tell us OP what is your magical comms that is safe, secure and can't be shutdown. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:36:16 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OP, So let's take your side for a moment. Let's say ham is junk, too much of a security concern. What is your perfect means of communication? Is it cell phone? Surely no one is listening to those conversations and would never go down during SHTF. Is it satellite phone? Surely they couldn't pull the plug on sat phone, huh? Smoke signals? Tell us OP what is your magical comms that is safe, secure and can't be shutdown. I'm not reading all the pages but the gist I got from his original post was that HAM radios are great. HAM radio licensing is 'tarded. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:40:11 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Pardon us for not being terribly social with the title of "Getting your ham license is dumb". To contrast, in the Baofeng for dummies thread there is good discussion going on by guys that aren't themselves openly hostile to the hobby. No harm no foul. I get it, I understand both sides of the argument. Possibly, I ran into the wrong thread at the wrong time, forgive me. Prior life, I was a ME working with the EE radio guys on really neat hardware., Their basic breakdown, explaining in to a 2 year old style teaching, intrigued me. Actually, wanted to get another degree in EE to understand it all. I deal with the hard physical, you can see stuff. The "magic" of the unseen is fascinating to me. Well, radio anyway, high voltage electrical transmission was another gig, so the basics are there. Yes, I can see the "F.U." take away from the OP for those that have done their time in the hobby. Then again, not knowing, he does make some good points about the current situation in these times. I may be totally off base. "Those that seek knowledge will find it, those that do not are lost." |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:41:03 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Sonofabitch!! I thought you were gone. You could have had a field day during 2020. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:43:07 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I'm not reading all the pages but the gist I got from his original post was that HAM radios are great. HAM radio licensing is 'tarded. Ham (not an acronym) licensing has never been easier. I got my license back around 20 years ago when the technician license stopped requiring Morse code (although you got zero HF rights). Getting your Amateur Extra meant three more tests because there was novice below it and advanced between general and extra. Extra required 20 words per minute of Morse code and so few folks were able to get that far that learning the material was extremely difficult. Since then we have gotten to the point that there are only three licensing levels, none of them require you to learn a new language, every subject you need to learn has multiple guys with specific YouTube videos targeted at each subelement, radios have never been cheaper or more capable, and since the WuFlu started you can even take the test from the comfort of your own home. It's frankly not a bad system for what you get and what you could do if you did it wrong. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:43:25 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar.  NorCal from left field! |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:44:50 PM EDT
[#14]
Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn’t hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich.
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:45:43 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: While I may not completely agree with the opinion of "getting your ham license is dumb" I can also think it's a valid opinion that was phrased poorly. It would be better phrased as "might be dumb." The stereotypes of what you hear on ham frequencies tends to ring true, and for a lot of people there is no benefit in participating in that. For a lot of people, their actual needs will be served fine by FRS/GMRS bubble pack radios and a simple receiver, as suggested earlier. If your needs are met by bubble pack radios and you don't want to BS about your gout, the weather, or your radio then it is dumb to get your license. If you needs/wants exceed the capability of FRS/GMRS radios and a receiver, or if you want to talk to somebody in the Philippines about your gout then absolutely go ahead and get your license, it's not dumb at all then. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Pardon us for not being terribly social with the title of "Getting your ham license is dumb". To contrast, in the Baofeng for dummies thread there is good discussion going on by guys that aren't themselves openly hostile to the hobby. While I may not completely agree with the opinion of "getting your ham license is dumb" I can also think it's a valid opinion that was phrased poorly. It would be better phrased as "might be dumb." The stereotypes of what you hear on ham frequencies tends to ring true, and for a lot of people there is no benefit in participating in that. For a lot of people, their actual needs will be served fine by FRS/GMRS bubble pack radios and a simple receiver, as suggested earlier. If your needs are met by bubble pack radios and you don't want to BS about your gout, the weather, or your radio then it is dumb to get your license. If you needs/wants exceed the capability of FRS/GMRS radios and a receiver, or if you want to talk to somebody in the Philippines about your gout then absolutely go ahead and get your license, it's not dumb at all then. I’m having a hard time disagreeing with this. I use my bubble pack radios more than my hams. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:47:24 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn’t hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich. https://radiotackle.com/what-does-ham-radio-stand-for/ |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:49:50 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar.  Back in the Saddle Again, Aerosmith |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:51:10 PM EDT
[#18]
They let NorCal out on bail again?
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:52:12 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn’t hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich. https://radiotackle.com/what-does-ham-radio-stand-for/ Everything about ham radio is insanely boring. Without exception. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:53:52 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Awesome  |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:54:02 PM EDT
[#21]
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:55:57 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. 
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:56:39 PM EDT
[#23]
I didn't read the thread because I have zero interest in HAM (not that there's anything wrong with the hobby).
I just find it remarkable, with everything going on, that people would consider volunteering for a license for ANYTHING. Why are people still so eager to play by rules that are set up by a corrupt government to control every aspect of everyone's life and to be weaponized against you the minute you fall out of favor with them. Fuck them and they can shove their license up their royal asses. In another thread, we actually have a mod cautioning people about the proper business deductions of a leased vehicle. This must be the twilight zone. Keep playing by their rules while none of the rules apply to them AND they declare war on you. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:56:51 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Everything about ham radio is insanely boring. Without exception. Yeah. I memorized enough to get my licenses. Then I researched enough to build my communications as I wanted them, including creating an antenna, PSK31, etc. I just don't have the attention for that crap. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:57:54 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I didn't read the thread because I have zero interest in HAM (not that there's anything wrong with the hobby). I just find it remarkable, with everything going on, that people would consider volunteering for a license for ANYTHING. Why are people still so eager to play by rules that are set up by a corrupt government to control every aspect of everyone's life and to be weaponized against you the minute you fall out of favor with them. Fuck them and they can shove their license up their royal asses. In another thread, we actually have a mod cautioning people about the proper business deductions of a leased vehicle. This must be the twilight zone. Keep playing by their rules while none of the rules apply to them AND they declare war on you. Because if you operate a station without a license, you stand a good chance of REALLY getting on the radar. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 7:58:23 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You mean the thing that took me 5 seconds to do in CHIRP the first time I programmed a radio? Or the thing that takes 30 seconds to do from the face of the radio? It's not rocket science. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I couldn't care less about whether you're licensed or not...having untested radio gear is a fool's errand. You can likely get by talking simplex up to a mile...but you'll be limited to that because you don't have any experience setting repeater offsets or PLL tones. You mean the thing that took me 5 seconds to do in CHIRP the first time I programmed a radio? Or the thing that takes 30 seconds to do from the face of the radio? It's not rocket science. You must be better at programming from the keypad than me. I was ready to take a power drill to my forehead the first time I tried to do that by hand. Buy the damn cable and use CHIRP and save the time for more productive things. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:04:12 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: No harm no foul. I get it, I understand both sides of the argument. Possibly, I ran into the wrong thread at the wrong time, forgive me. Prior life, I was a ME working with the EE radio guys on really neat hardware., Their basic breakdown, explaining in to a 2 year old style teaching, intrigued me. Actually, wanted to get another degree in EE to understand it all. I deal with the hard physical, you can see stuff. The "magic" of the unseen is fascinating to me. Well, radio anyway, high voltage electrical transmission was another gig, so the basics are there. Yes, I can see the "F.U." take away from the OP for those that have done their time in the hobby. Then again, not knowing, he does make some good points about the current situation in these times. I may be totally off base. "Those that seek knowledge will find it, those that do not are lost." Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Pardon us for not being terribly social with the title of "Getting your ham license is dumb". To contrast, in the Baofeng for dummies thread there is good discussion going on by guys that aren't themselves openly hostile to the hobby. No harm no foul. I get it, I understand both sides of the argument. Possibly, I ran into the wrong thread at the wrong time, forgive me. Prior life, I was a ME working with the EE radio guys on really neat hardware., Their basic breakdown, explaining in to a 2 year old style teaching, intrigued me. Actually, wanted to get another degree in EE to understand it all. I deal with the hard physical, you can see stuff. The "magic" of the unseen is fascinating to me. Well, radio anyway, high voltage electrical transmission was another gig, so the basics are there. Yes, I can see the "F.U." take away from the OP for those that have done their time in the hobby. Then again, not knowing, he does make some good points about the current situation in these times. I may be totally off base. "Those that seek knowledge will find it, those that do not are lost." Everyone has to do their own risk assessment, I clearly disagree with his. And take some practice tests, with the exception of a couple of "inside sports" questions such as power limits and other small stuff, the basics should be easy for you at all levels. The ability to play with some really odd stuff is out there. There are two guys at work that play with moon bounce communications and several that do low power (like the same 5 watts that a UV-5R puts out) and do thousands of miles of communications with it. I've gotten a couple of contacts from Japan with my very humble HF setup. In the end, the hobby is what you make of it. Sure there are old men talking about what old men talk about, but there are also preppers, Arfcomers, and folks that don't actually speak a word to other people but only mess with digital communications. And I'll leave you with a final fun fact: There is a ham radio on the space station and in addition to the scheduled calls to schools when the astronauts get bored they will call CQ. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:04:48 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. 
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:06:41 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:08:18 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn't hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich. ham Ham HAM .... |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:08:51 PM EDT
[#31]
Let me be the first since your back @NorCal-LEO.
Can a poor old degenerate arfcom truck driver get a call sign? |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:11:12 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So which is the prefered capitalization? ham Ham HAM .... Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn't hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich. ham Ham HAM .... As a general hobby I use lower case. Talking about a specific operator then it's a proper noun. In reference to a Jay-Z/Kanye song it's H.A.M. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:12:46 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn’t hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich. https://radiotackle.com/what-does-ham-radio-stand-for/ That comes off as a backronym. 
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:13:26 PM EDT
[#34]
Do you file taxes with the IRS?
1040?? They already know who you are and where you live. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:14:22 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You must be better at programming from the keypad than me. I was ready to take a power drill to my forehead the first time I tried to do that by hand. Buy the damn cable and use CHIRP and save the time for more productive things. Eh, the menus aren't the most intuitive, I don't blame you. It took me a bit to figure them out and it was made easier by comparing and contrasting what I was seeing in the menu vs. what I was looking at in chirp. Now that I know, it only takes ~30 seconds to make a change. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:16:12 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Everything about ham radio is insanely boring. Without exception. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn’t hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich. https://radiotackle.com/what-does-ham-radio-stand-for/ Everything about ham radio is insanely boring. Without exception. Maybe all the nerdy nuances are boring, but its a tool in the tool box for doing other stuff. Getting comms with the APC crew while driving in from another state was cool. Using it to talk when you’re deep in a forest is cool. Chewing rags about your gout isn’t very cool I’ll admit. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:17:53 PM EDT
[#37]
As some of you know, I got my General back in 2017 and in late September of that year, I got sent to Puerto Rico to provide emergency communications. It's really hard to imagine that cell service, internet service, land lines, and even radio and TV were all off-line simultaneously. And, yet, they were. There was a thread on here about it. There were many days I was there that the only way I could let my wife know I was OK was to use my HF radio to send an email to her gmail on her phone. Think about that for a moment.
There are many communications methods available today. But, with all our 21st century technology, there are still times when it's FUBAR. Don't get caught up in the FUBAR. Let's say power goes out at your house. Do you know whether it's just your neighborhood, your city, your state, or have the Chicoms decided to bugger up the grid across the country via cyber attack? Having ham radios and knowing what frequencies to listen to will help you figure that out. Do you live in a tornado prone area? If you have a ham radio and know where to tune, the local Skywarn group can inform you where the tornado is and where it's heading at least 10 minutes before the local TV or radio station tells you. That 10 minutes is the difference between you taking shelter and you getting spit out in the next county after a ride with the cows. As for licensing, I see that as your ticket to learn and experiment. Each person's locality has certain attributes in terms of availability of repeaters (or not), line-of-sight to those repeaters (or not), how well HF radio propagates from your locale based on time-of-day and season, and many other factors. Figuring that out is something that only you can do for yourself. Taking the test gets "the man" out of your hair while you learn the tricks of the trade, so to speak. And, I'm really thinking you guys are slacking. There used to be a time when folks around here would ask a question like should I get my ham license or use another more secure way to communicate, the first post was usually, "Get both." |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:18:52 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. LOL He's baaaaack! 
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:19:14 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Everyone has to do their own risk assessment, I clearly disagree with his. And take some practice tests, with the exception of a couple of "inside sports" questions such as power limits and other small stuff, the basics should be easy for you at all levels. The ability to play with some really odd stuff is out there. There are two guys at work that play with moon bounce communications and several that do low power (like the same 5 watts that a UV-5R puts out) and do thousands of miles of communications with it. I've gotten a couple of contacts from Japan with my very humble HF setup. In the end, the hobby is what you make of it. Sure there are old men talking about what old men talk about, but there are also preppers, Arfcomers, and folks that don't actually speak a word to other people but only mess with digital communications. And I'll leave you with a final fun fact: There is a ham radio on the space station and in addition to the scheduled calls to schools when the astronauts get bored they will call CQ. Thanks for that! I scored a 40% on the practice tests with ZERO knowledge LOL, so passing the technical is not that hard in my estimation. A bit more, book learning. Bouncing off the ISS, sounds cool, bouncing off of _________ was even cooler in my opinion. Thus the thirst to understand has been set. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:20:45 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Awesome |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:22:22 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Thanks for that! I scored a 40% on the practice tests with ZERO knowledge LOL, so passing the technical is not that hard in my estimation. A bit more, book learning. Bouncing off the ISS, sounds cool, bouncing off of was even cooler in my opinion. Thus the thirst to understand has been set. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Everyone has to do their own risk assessment, I clearly disagree with his. And take some practice tests, with the exception of a couple of "inside sports" questions such as power limits and other small stuff, the basics should be easy for you at all levels. The ability to play with some really odd stuff is out there. There are two guys at work that play with moon bounce communications and several that do low power (like the same 5 watts that a UV-5R puts out) and do thousands of miles of communications with it. I've gotten a couple of contacts from Japan with my very humble HF setup. In the end, the hobby is what you make of it. Sure there are old men talking about what old men talk about, but there are also preppers, Arfcomers, and folks that don't actually speak a word to other people but only mess with digital communications. And I'll leave you with a final fun fact: There is a ham radio on the space station and in addition to the scheduled calls to schools when the astronauts get bored they will call CQ. Thanks for that! I scored a 40% on the practice tests with ZERO knowledge LOL, so passing the technical is not that hard in my estimation. A bit more, book learning. Bouncing off the ISS, sounds cool, bouncing off of was even cooler in my opinion. Thus the thirst to understand has been set. The tests, and the math behind them, gets progressively more in depth. For Extra you have to either learn how to deal with imaginary numbers again or (like I did) memorize the two questions that dealt with it. I actually thought Extra was the most fun study for the same reason, I had to learn electronics details that I vaguely knew but didn't bother to learn before. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:23:20 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Uhhh, yea they do.  It’s not something you’ll understand without some hands on time. When SHTF its too late. The license is just for now so you can practice. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: You may have figured out how to program your baofeng, but thats a long way from longer distance comms on HF. Its a little bit like practicing with your CCW and thinking it will carry over to long distance precision rifle shooting. But you do what makes you happy man. And those points have nothing to do with the OP's point about licensing! License =/ Ability, just legality Uhhh, yea they do. It’s not something you’ll understand without some hands on time. When SHTF its too late. The license is just for now so you can practice. +1 You need to practice. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:31:18 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Do you file taxes with the IRS? 1040?? They already know who you are and where you live. C'mon guys... There is a difference between the IRS or DMV knowing who you are and where you live because of normal and legal stuff like driving a car or filing taxes, and purposefully putting yourself on a public list of people who like to play with radios. Especially when we've just seen that all it takes is for the media and the powers that be to decide something (Parler) is overrun with white supremacists and terrorists so they need to shut it down For The Children™ If the leftists decide ham radio, or even licensed gmrs radio, is something conservatives are using to get around their social censorship and that it poses a threat to them, then you better believe they're going to demonize it as well. When they do, your information will be publicly available. They don't even have to know if you said anything or did anything on your radio, they can simply cancel you for having a license. And "they" doesn't have to be the government themselves, regular ole leftists have been banding together to get people cancelled for a long time now. In the past I'd say it was pretty far fetched to see them go after something like that, but these days... Ham radio is fringe, it will be viewed as unnecessary to the masses. It's easy to single out, especially when you see people at protests communicating with these radios that don't look like the average ones you can buy at Walmart. It'll be all too easy to paint radio operators as the bad guy. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:37:24 PM EDT
[#44]
I've been saying that on here for a while. No point getting the HAM license and putting your address on the database.
Especially since a lot of people who "listen" can look on QRZ and find out exactly where you live, and if they keep listening to you, they'll find out when you are going to be home or not based on when you broadcast. It's a huge liability in this day and age, and especially if you're a pro 2nd amendment conservative. Also a lot of the HAM community are narcs/rats and will turn you into the FCC faster than you can blink, they enjoy being hall monitors and turning people in. I would strongly advise against getting it. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:39:34 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've been saying that on here for a while. No point getting the HAM license and putting your address on the database. Especially since a lot of people who "listen" can look on QRZ and find out exactly where you live, and if they keep listening to you, they'll find out when you are going to be home or not based on when you broadcast. It's a huge liability in this day and age, and especially if you're a pro 2nd amendment conservative. Also a lot of the HAM community are narcs/rats and will turn you into the FCC faster than you can blink, they enjoy being hall monitors and turning people in. I would strongly advise against getting it. PO boxes are perfectly acceptable to use with your application. And I've been around the hobby for a fair amount of time and have yet to experience this narc to the FCC culture I keep getting told is all over the place. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:45:52 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar.  Attached FileGlad you’re back!!! |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:49:31 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The non-licensed Ham radio person? Do I get a prize? https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff1%2Fcb%2F32%2Ff1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 I have a prize for you. You seem ... familiar. Release the Kraken! |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:50:32 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Everything about ham radio is insanely boring. Without exception. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn’t hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich. https://radiotackle.com/what-does-ham-radio-stand-for/ Everything about ham radio is insanely boring. Without exception. Maybe. For me the interest lies, at least at this point, in learning how it works, studying, and getting my license. Actual use after getting my license and becoming proficient may prove different. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:52:45 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: PO boxes are perfectly acceptable to use with your application. And I've been around the hobby for a fair amount of time and have yet to experience this narc to the FCC culture I keep getting told is all over the place. Your name is still out there. More than likely the PO box will be nearby your home as well. Unless there are a bunch of "John Smith" near you it won't be terribly difficult to track someone down. Not to mention if it comes down to getting cancelled, they'll just cancel all of them. They won't care. |
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Posted: 1/18/2021 8:56:49 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Maybe. For me the interest lies, at least at this point, in learning how it works, studying, and getting my license. Actual use after getting my license and becoming proficient may prove different. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Gentle reminder to all that ham is a nickname and not an acronym. It doesn’t hurt anyone writing it like that but its like seeing someone talking about how they had a PEPPERONI pizza and a PRIME RIB sandwich. https://radiotackle.com/what-does-ham-radio-stand-for/ Everything about ham radio is insanely boring. Without exception. Maybe. For me the interest lies, at least at this point, in learning how it works, studying, and getting my license. Actual use after getting my license and becoming proficient may prove different. All the more reason to do FT8. Then you don't have to talk to anyone.
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