Posted: 6/8/2013 8:55:18 AM EDT
Smoked the exam this AM; aced it, I'm pretty sure.  Checked the box and initialed the form for a call sign change, I think they give AExtras shorter ones? I've only had my gen call sign a week, so I'm not too attached to it.
Anyway, to celebrate, I had a double espresso with Bailey's, a big breakfast, and ordered a Kenwood TM-D710A for the truck! Next pay day I'm ordering an Elecraft K3 kit. Happy Father's day to me! 73s! |
|
Quoted:
Smoked the exam this AM; aced it, I'm pretty sure. Checked the box and initialed the form for a call sign change, I think they give AExtras shorter ones? I've only had my gen call sign a week, so I'm not too attached to it.
Anyway, to celebrate, I had a double espresso with Bailey's, a big breakfast, and ordered a Kenwood TM-D710A for the truck! Next pay day I'm ordering an Elecraft K3 kit. Happy Father's day to me! 73s! Congrats! We'll blame AR-Jedi for your purchases. Don't forget about a good antenna to fully enjoy K3 performance. |
|
Thanks all.
Good call on antennas - digging into that now. I have to use the attic and maybe some trees in the back stealth-style due to HOA crapola. Def need to lighting-proof it as much as possible, so that's another area I'm boning up on. I won't have an HF radio for several weeks, so I have time to do some ground & antenna work and be ready when I get a transceiver. I have to figure out where I want my bench, and since SHE has already claimed the bonus room for her scrapbooking/stamping cult crap, it looks like the basement for me. Easier down there to access power and ground, but will require pulling coax thru the chase up into the attic about a 16-25' total length. I already ran cable TV coax up there for TV outlets; and its not too bad a job. Hot, though. I will need to buy a decent antenna analyzer, and RF Power meter - any suggestions? I do have access to just about anything at work as far as test equip, Spec Ans, Network analyzer, etc, and solder/SMT rework gear (we develop stuff such as digital cable boxes, QPSK mods/demods/ QAMs, CMTS and DOCSIS stuff). If I need to check or fix stuff, I can bring it to work. So I just need the operating stuff at home. |
|
Quoted: Thanks all. Good call on antennas - digging into that now. I have to use the attic and maybe some trees in the back stealth-style due to HOA crapola. Def need to lighting-proof it as much as possible, so that's another area I'm boning up on. I won't have an HF radio for several weeks, so I have time to do some ground & antenna work and be ready when I get a transceiver. I have to figure out where I want my bench, and since SHE has already claimed the bonus room for her scrapbooking/stamping cult crap, it looks like the basement for me. Easier down there to access power and ground, but will require pulling coax thru the chase up into the attic about a 16-25' total length. I already ran cable TV coax up there for TV outlets; and its not to bad a job. Hot, though. I will need to buy a decent antenna analyzer, and RF Power meter - any suggestions? I do have access to just about anything at work as far as test equip, Spec Ans, Network analyzer, etc, and solder/SMT rework gear (we develop stuff such as digital cable boxes, QPSK mods/demods/ QAMs, CMTS and DOCSIS stuff). If I need to check or fix stuff, I can bring it to work. So I just need the operating stuff at home. Look into an SG-230 or equivalent type antenna match unit. That will give you a butt-load of antenna options. I'd consider a loop, but they work well for random wire and diploes as well. Congrats on your ticket!! Maybe if I can ever retire, I'll find the time to study. Until then....I'm just a lowly General.  |
|
I thought it was easy. I hardly even touched my calculator, except for simple calculations and one parallel impedance prob. A lot of the probs can be solved by inspection with a little thought. And who uses 5V 74xx-series TTL anymore? Come on. Took me all of 10 minutes to knock it out.
I'd say go for this test. First General licensee here to say gimme, gets a lightly-used ARRL Extra Class License Manual. |
|
Congratulations on getting Extra. You'll love the K3. Now learn CW and even more frequencies will open up, plus it'll partially overcome the problems of operating with less than ideal antennas.
This book has all kinds of solutions to the problems the HOA Nazis cause: http://www.arrl.org/shop/Low-Profile-Amateur-Radio |
|
Thanks for the tip on the book FrankB, I'll be getting one before I start working. 1st antenna is an Arrow OJF dual-band VHF/UHF and its going in the attic I reckon. Just need to figure out how to mount it. I don't think you ground these at the clamp, correct? So clamped to a wood shaft or PVC pipe will do it.
Oh and I need an antenna and clamp-type mount for a Toyota Taco for my incoming D710A... |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Smoked the exam this AM; aced it, I'm pretty sure. Checked the box and initialed the form for a call sign change, I think they give AExtras shorter ones? I've only had my gen call sign a week, so I'm not too attached to it.
Anyway, to celebrate, I had a double espresso with Bailey's, a big breakfast, and ordered a Kenwood TM-D710A for the truck! Next pay day I'm ordering an Elecraft K3 kit. Happy Father's day to me! 73s! Congrats! We'll blame AR-Jedi for your purchases. Don't forget about a good antenna to fully enjoy K3 performance. There is actually a line item in our household budget called "Jedi" for all comm related expenditures 
Congratulations OP! Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
|
Quoted:
I thought it was easy. I hardly even touched my calculator, except for simple calculations and one parallel impedance prob. A lot of the probs can be solved by inspection with a little thought. And who uses 5V 74xx-series TTL anymore? Come on. Took me all of 10 minutes to knock it out. I'd say go for this test. First General licensee here to say gimme, gets a lightly-used ARRL Extra Class License Manual. 
|
|
Quoted: Quoted: I thought it was easy. I hardly even touched my calculator, except for simple calculations and one parallel impedance prob. A lot of the probs can be solved by inspection with a little thought. And who uses 5V 74xx-series TTL anymore? Come on. Took me all of 10 minutes to knock it out. I'd say go for this test. First General licensee here to say gimme, gets a lightly-used ARRL Extra Class License Manual. Last semester I took a digital class, and everything was pretty much 74XX TTL I had a lot of fun in that class
|
|
Quoted:
I will need to buy a decent antenna analyzer, and RF Power meter - any suggestions? What bands are you wanting them to cover? I may have found the deal of the century on analyzers but still waiting to see if they can actually be obtained or not. Notwithstanding "the deal" analyzer possibility, I've been exceptionally pleased with my RigExpert analyzer and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone with a negative opinion of them. I've used most of the major brands of analyzers and would buy the RigExpert again. Bird is the stalwart standard in RF power measurement, the traditional model 43 still does the job today that it's done for decades. That said it gets expensive to buy the meter and various slugs if you're covering several different bands and the like. Coaxial Dynamics makes similar meters (slugs work in either) and sometimes you find them for less $ than Bird - they also have a larger size meter face which is a little easier to see. If you're looking for HF bands there are lots of cross needle type meters out there that would be fine, I have an old Drake W-4 that works fine on HF. HF bands are a lot easier to handle than say checking the output of your 300W 33cm amplifier. |
|
Quoted:
Smoked the exam this AM; aced it, I'm pretty sure. well done sir, well done.        
keep an eye out for my PM containing the password to the ARFCOM Extras-only forum. ar-jedi ps: in several instances above you may have noticed that certain undisciplined ARFCOM'ers have wrongfully assigned blame to me regarding radio equipment purchasing activities which i had no part in whatsoever. at no time did i bring pressure to bear to influence buying decisions, nor did i force through coercion the entry of credit card numbers into a website. these are baseless, unfounded accusations. i implore you to take responsibility for you own actions instead of cowardly assigning fault to other innocent ARFCOM'ers. the Ham Radio forum members of course awaits timely information on what radio you have decided to award yourself with for attaining Extra, and we would opine that you should make it a good one. "buy once, cry once" is pretty much the motto around here -- and it has served many well. the newest SDR's are way cool and super capable, but there is also something to be said about a good ol' fashioned conventional-yet-modern rig with IF DSP and a bandscope. in order to help us help you, you might want to start a thread detailing which options you are looking at. include color pictures. don't worry about the financial aspects yet... |
|
Quoted: Checked the box and initialed the form for a call sign change, I think they give AExtras shorter ones? I've only had my gen call sign a week, so I'm not too attached to it. LOL, good thing you're not attached to the old call. That's the only reason I didn't change mine, had it too damn long  I haven't looked at what the latest calls going out lately have been, and most of what I notice is for the west coast(region 7 to be specific) anyway. The only way to get a nice short callsign anymore is through the vanity call system - assuming you can find one available. Most of the guys I know have been issued 2x2 calls - I remember when they first started, hearing an AA7-- callsign on the air was kinda odd at first. I like my 2x3 just fine, a 2x2 just isn't short enough to be worth the effort to memorize a new callsign  |