Posted: 4/2/2015 1:47:43 PM EDT
There are a lot of new hams here, With new ideas and enthusiasm. I was first licensed in 1961 and continuously since 1967. All of my CW contacts are with hams 60+ and a lot of the hams I talk to on SSB are also 60+ so it is nice to see that there are new hams coming online. I am glad that the no code license is here I worked hard to pass 13 WPM and even harder to pass 20WPM, would have upgraded sooner if not for the code requirement. For the new hams welcome and enjoy ham radio there is some thing for every one. 
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There are a lot of new hams here, With new ideas and enthusiasm. I was first licensed in 1961 and continuously since 1967. All of my CW contacts are with hams 60+ and a lot of the hams I talk to on SSB are also 60+ so it is nice to see that there are new hams coming online. I am glad that the no code license is here I worked hard to pass 13 WPM and even harder to pass 20WPM, would have upgraded sooner if not for the code requirement. For the new hams welcome and enjoy ham radio there is some thing for every one.
That is the big thing for me. I am bored with the same old thing and there are guys on here playing around with a lot of the newer stuff that I wanted to get into but I didn't know anybody to talk to about it. There are very few local guys that are doing anything with ham radio that I consider interesting. As I have said before, don't get me wrong. I still enjoy CW, SSB, FM and all that, but I am much MORE interested in playing with newer technology and talking about it with other guys who are into and have a lot more knowledge than I do. Don't get me wrong. I am not developing any of this stuff, I am just an end user. But even that is a challenge for me. Another thing I like about the guys on here: I am not into prepping, or survival and all that, although I have nothing against it. But I enjoy the fact that using ham radio, we can do a lot of the same kind of communications things that other people do only we are doing it with ham radio and our own infrastructure. Yeah, you can call someone on the phone in China but I like the fact that I can talk to the same guy on the radio without the phone company. Yeah, you can text a guy in Germany using your cell phone, but I would rather text him over ham radio...................... And other guys on here get that and enjoy it as much as I do. For a lot of this stuff we do end up using commercial infrastructure like with texting or email but part of it is radio at least. |
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That is the big thing for me. I am bored with the same old thing and there are guys on here playing around with a lot of the newer stuff that I wanted to get into but I didn't know anybody to talk to about it. There are very few local guys that are doing anything with ham radio that I consider interesting. As I have said before, don't get me wrong. I still enjoy CW, SSB, FM and all that, but I am much MORE interested in playing with newer technology and talking about it with other guys who are into and have a lot more knowledge than I do. Don't get me wrong. I am not developing any of this stuff, I am just an end user. But even that is a challenge for me. Another thing I like about the guys on here: I am not into prepping, or survival and all that, although I have nothing against it. But I enjoy the fact that using ham radio, we can do a lot of the same kind of communications things that other people do only we are doing it with ham radio and our own infrastructure. Yeah, you can call someone on the phone in China but I like the fact that I can talk to the same guy on the radio without the phone company. Yeah, you can text a guy in Germany using your cell phone, but I would rather text him over ham radio...................... And other guys on here get that and enjoy it as much as I do. For a lot of this stuff we do end up using commercial infrastructure like with texting or email but part of it is radio at least. Quoted:
Quoted:
There are a lot of new hams here, With new ideas and enthusiasm. I was first licensed in 1961 and continuously since 1967. All of my CW contacts are with hams 60+ and a lot of the hams I talk to on SSB are also 60+ so it is nice to see that there are new hams coming online. I am glad that the no code license is here I worked hard to pass 13 WPM and even harder to pass 20WPM, would have upgraded sooner if not for the code requirement. For the new hams welcome and enjoy ham radio there is some thing for every one.
That is the big thing for me. I am bored with the same old thing and there are guys on here playing around with a lot of the newer stuff that I wanted to get into but I didn't know anybody to talk to about it. There are very few local guys that are doing anything with ham radio that I consider interesting. As I have said before, don't get me wrong. I still enjoy CW, SSB, FM and all that, but I am much MORE interested in playing with newer technology and talking about it with other guys who are into and have a lot more knowledge than I do. Don't get me wrong. I am not developing any of this stuff, I am just an end user. But even that is a challenge for me. Another thing I like about the guys on here: I am not into prepping, or survival and all that, although I have nothing against it. But I enjoy the fact that using ham radio, we can do a lot of the same kind of communications things that other people do only we are doing it with ham radio and our own infrastructure. Yeah, you can call someone on the phone in China but I like the fact that I can talk to the same guy on the radio without the phone company. Yeah, you can text a guy in Germany using your cell phone, but I would rather text him over ham radio...................... And other guys on here get that and enjoy it as much as I do. For a lot of this stuff we do end up using commercial infrastructure like with texting or email but part of it is radio at least. OMG! What are you going to do when zombies come knocking on your door?  
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I am a Born Again Luddite.
I chase DX and have over 185 confirmed. I am SLOWLY learning CW so I can make MORE DX contacts. What I like about this ham forum is that everyone KNOWS I am a Luddite and when I ask how to do something I don't get a hundred and fourteen paragraphs of technical details and so on and so forth. Someone simply tells me to turn the red knob a quarter turn until the little light comes on. |
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I am a Born Again Luddite. I chase DX and have over 185 confirmed. I am SLOWLY learning CW so I can make MORE DX contacts. What I like about this ham forum is that everyone KNOWS I am a Luddite and when I ask how to do something I don't get a hundred and fourteen paragraphs of technical details and so on and so forth. Someone simply tells me to turn the red knob a quarter turn until the little light comes on. Just another appliance operator ruining the hobby.
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Piccolo might be a Luddite, but he hit the floor running as far as ham radio. Zip, Zap, Boom! He was an Extra.
And he goes out and MAKES contacts under (self imposed) difficult conditions, working portable. Best of all, he has fun doing it. While I might be considered a "prepper", I can't deny that one of my first goals was to have communications in post-hurricane conditions, when it is zombie apocalypse, only without the zombies. I live on the Gulf Coast, so that is the reality down here. But I had also been a long time SWL, and had learned about digital modes, and even made my own homebrew interface for my Icom R75 receiver. I was reading PSK31 transmissions from all over the world. The fact that it could be done with so little power, 10-25 watts, really amazed me, and another goal was if I ever became a ham I wanted to learn to do that. I did. Watching this video (it's short, less than a minute) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtjvfpEwbFY I admired the young man's father for his ability to rig up an antenna and power from scratch, but the thought occurred to me, as simple as all that would be, and cheap, why not make up wire antennas and roll them up, put in a drawer, save for a rainy day? And as soon as I discovered Anderson Powerpoles, why not rig up the radio and power gear with those, be able to get a battery into service when the lights go out? That was a no-brainer. And I did. So if that makes me a "prepper", so be it. But ham radio is something I had wanted to do since a child. I think I stared off playing with wire and batteries, making electromagnets (how do they work?). Then it was other things, simple circuits. Crystal radios. Then a breadboard kit. Next came some simple radio kits from Knight / Allied. Then some walkie-talkies (as we called them then, handi-talkies now). Then Heathkit stereo gear, and on and on. I was fascinated with the ham gear in the Heathkit catalog, but the price was out of my reach financially, and getting from my small town to wherever they gave license tests, and learning code, well, it was just overwhelmingly difficult for a 12 yr old back then. At age 56 I realized, if not now, when? So I did it. I won't say Hurricanes Gustav and Ike didn't help in making that decision, but it lit a fire under me to get it done. The thing I like about this forum is we don't hear, "You're a General (or Extra), you should know how neutralize the tubes in your amp." Really? The last time I saw tubes was in an old table radio or the TV. Or my brother's guitar amp. I don't remember having to neutralize any of those. Just the attitude is better here than I see on QRZ, or eHam, where the older hams are still boetching, after all these years, about "incentive licensing". That was done, what, early '60's and they are still ticked off? Or elimination of the code requirement. I've seen this in other hobbies or endeavors, the old timers wanting the new guys to have to trudge through the same snow uphill both ways exactly like they did. Well, the guys here are encouraging, welcoming to new guys. That's good. |
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Just another appliance operator ruining the hobby. Quoted:
Quoted:
I am a Born Again Luddite. I chase DX and have over 185 confirmed. I am SLOWLY learning CW so I can make MORE DX contacts. What I like about this ham forum is that everyone KNOWS I am a Luddite and when I ask how to do something I don't get a hundred and fourteen paragraphs of technical details and so on and so forth. Someone simply tells me to turn the red knob a quarter turn until the little light comes on. Just another appliance operator ruining the hobby. That's about it. 
Please note carefully that my first CW message sent to Arfcom was "Just another no-code extra ruining the hobby".
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Truthfully, I'm an intravert so DX doesn't really appeal to me. However, I've also been in the fire service for nearly 18 years so ecomm is something of interest. Add to that I like being self-sufficient and that's how I stumbled into HAM.
More that anything, it's the simple fact that if I'm out camping or hunting, a HT and homemade J-Pole can mean the difference in an emergency. |
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[Indiana Jones] Orange... why's it have to be orange? [/Indiana Jones] |
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[Indiana Jones] Orange... why's it have to be orange? [/Indiana Jones] Quoted:
[Indiana Jones] Orange... why's it have to be orange? [/Indiana Jones] X |
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Quoted: Truthfully, I'm an intravert so DX doesn't really appeal to me. However, I've also been in the fire service for nearly 18 years so ecomm is something of interest. Add to that I like being self-sufficient and that's how I stumbled into HAM. More that anything, it's the simple fact that if I'm out camping or hunting, a HT and homemade J-Pole can mean the difference in an emergency. I am not so outgoing, so that means I do not get into ragchews with random folks on the air. Being an introvert is perfect for DX, just exchange signal report and call sign, and move on. It is just the concept of reaching out to the world with a wire and 30 watts that keeps my interest--as well as keeping the skills for ecomm alive. |
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While I might be considered a "prepper", I can't deny that one of my first goals was to have communications in post-hurricane conditions, when it is zombie apocalypse, only without the zombies. I live on the Gulf Coast, so that is the reality down here. Quoted:
While I might be considered a "prepper", I can't deny that one of my first goals was to have communications in post-hurricane conditions, when it is zombie apocalypse, only without the zombies. I live on the Gulf Coast, so that is the reality down here. But ham radio is something I had wanted to do since a child. I think I stared off playing with wire and batteries, making electromagnets (how do they work?). Then it was other things, simple circuits. Crystal radios. Then a breadboard kit. Next came some simple radio kits from Knight / Allied. Then some walkie-talkies (as we called them then, handi-talkies now). Then Heathkit stereo gear, and on and on.
At age 56 I realized, if not now, when? So I did it. I won't say Hurricanes Gustav and Ike didn't help in making that decision, but it lit a fire under me to get it done. Hurricane Gustav was my tipping point. Was made homeless and totally without comms from that one. Once rebuilt and going over what went right and what went wrong the lack of comms was a big issue. Didn't take long to find amateur radio and now without the code requirement it was as easy as ever. At age 52 went for Tech, a month later General. Along the way learned code and got Extra. The thing I like about this forum is we don't hear, "You're a General (or Extra), you should know how neutralize the tubes in your amp." Really? The last time I saw tubes was in an old table radio or the TV. Or my brother's guitar amp. I don't remember having to neutralize any of those. However soldering isn't all I do. I chase DX with a passion. Always looking for that next new one or band fill. When that comes up empty then inching my way toward 5BWAS. Just the attitude is better here than I see on QRZ, or eHam, where the older hams are still boetching, after all these years, about "incentive licensing". That was done, what, early '60's and they are still ticked off? Or elimination of the code requirement. I've seen this in other hobbies or endeavors, the old timers wanting the new guys to have to trudge through the same snow uphill both ways exactly like they did. Well, the guys here are encouraging, welcoming to new guys. That's good. |
| I got back into digital, PSK31 and JT65 after reading comments here. I had worked packet and RTTY in the 80s but had to try the newer modes. Thanks for the push. Have gotten back into DX chasing after we moved to Kingman AZ this last September, its fun starting over(lost all my old cards when we moved south). It used to take months or years to get a QSL card and now LoTW is quick and some times even the same day I work the station, who said that thous were the good old days? You could say Ham Radio is new for me too even though its been about 46 years. Thanks for a great forum. 73 Bill WA7IIR |
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Hank said, "Whether you're so new that you're still getting sweaty palms before keying up the HT to hit the local repeater or you were drinking buddies with Tesla you've got something to bring to the table."
You bet, brother! A few months ago one of our new hams, a Tech at the time, took me out to his truck after the club meeting. He opened the door and there was one of those big experimenter's boards for the Raspberry Pi and such gadgets. He had little black boxes plugged in, as well as a laptop, and a handheld VHF yagi... and one of those little SDR dongles. He showed me how he could drive around point the antenna various directions, it would all show up on a map via GPS, tag sources of noise. He showed me exactly why our club shack's neighborhood was so noisy, and exactly where it came from via the map. That was just one of the things he was experimenting with. But he doesn't know CW, so is he a real ham or not? You know what I think... and on top of all that, he can climb towers and knows how to rig up commercial radio gear. And we have another few members just like him. One was at our last regional hamfest with his 3D printer making custom dipole center insulators with logos on them. I think I have a lot to learn from him, too, and am honored to be in the same club with these two "just new Techs". |
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Bill... Welcome to the neighborhood (both ARFCOM, and Kingman - I'm up in Vegas, and drive through Kingman semi-often on my way to Havasu)! When you said you'd recently moved there, it rang a bell. I looked in my log and realized I worked you on 40 meters back on 1-9-15, right after I set up my NVIS antenna I believe.
I'm pretty new at this, and I've really come to appreciate the experience here and (as someone else put it) the mutual respect here on ARFCOM. When I want to shake my head in disbelief, I pop in over on QRZ. When I want good advice, this is my first stop. |
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A lot of this is that we're a sub-forum for a shooter's website.
At the Zed it is strictly hams and draws a lot of geekier than thou types that have boards full of quadratic equations in their living rooms. This place doesn't have the snobbery and is more down to earth and practical. It will cater to a geek or an appliance operator and nobody has their nose up in the air. |
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I'll echo what many others have said..
If someone asks a question... You don't get umpteen snarky answers, ya shoulda known this, where'd you get a license etc.. You'll get a straightforward reply!! "this is what works for me..." "check this website..." "get in touch with so & so..." A lot of KUDOS go to ar-jedi!! H'es probably responsible for getting more folks licensed than anyone I can name! Great Job AR!!! I'm glad to be a part of the community & hope my suggestions have helped in some way.. 73 to a great crew! ..FN.. |
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Ham radio is almost as much fun as chasing feral cats with a butterfly net, and a lot less strenuous.
There are a lot of members here that give great advice without judging the person posting. We've all been novices (experience, not class) and have asked novice questions. So, how much resistance do you get when you put fourteen micro feral cats into an induced current? 
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From a retired cat rescue guy who did more than a few mass trappings for TNRs (trap, neuter, release) of feral colonies....
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Ham radio is almost as much fun as chasing feral cats with a butterfly net, and a lot less strenuous.
So, how much resistance do you get when you put fourteen micro feral cats into an induced current?
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From a retired cat rescue guy who did more than a few mass trappings for TNRs (trap, neuter, release) of feral colonies.... The key is tuna. With the application of the correct volume of tuna at the base (trap) you then get a flow from the emitter (feral colony) to the collector (a set trap). However this also self creates what could best be described as a capacitor. The energy stored in the device can be massive and can only be released with great care least personal injury may result. Quoted:
From a retired cat rescue guy who did more than a few mass trappings for TNRs (trap, neuter, release) of feral colonies.... Quoted:
Ham radio is almost as much fun as chasing feral cats with a butterfly net, and a lot less strenuous.
So, how much resistance do you get when you put fourteen micro feral cats into an induced current?
You mean "catpacitor", right?
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I like it quite a bit too. If this had been around before I found GD, I wouldn't have acted life such a horse's ass in there over the years. It is definitely a better place to discuss radio than many of the stuffy CW elitist ham forums out there. Many of the hams here are new guys that got into it from encouragement from other arfcommers. I learned about the baofengs here, and that partially inspired me to go through with getting licensed. |