Amateur Radio (HAM), Trail Coms, and Navigation Resources (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

And make sure the guide you get is still valid. They just upgraded the test a year or two ago so the old(er) guides are no longer useful as the questions have changed.

Start taking the practice tests on hamexam.org... the flash cards are helpful too.
I don't have a licenses yet so I need the Technician license.
 
Yup, once you sign up for the actual Test contact the RPSTC training coordinator, Krystal Rhodes, and tell her you also want to sign up for the Ham Cram. The cram is put on by a volunteer and you need to register for that separately.
Ok I just got the email from her about the class times being different due to COVID. So I will email her back with that, thanks Lee
 
I strongly recommend the QRZ online practice test. I did all my studying there. For Tech you could do a practice test a couple of times a day until test day and pass with ease.
 
Ok signed up for the CRAM beforehand and then the test afterwards. I will look up the QRZ practice test and start doing that. I had done before a number of years ago but remember that something came up the weekend of the test and couldn't take. I think I had downloaded a couple test apps on my iPad so I will take a look tonight to see if I still have those.
 
Alrighty I passed!!! Said I should have my call sign come first week(ish) of March!
@lelandEOD How did you do?
 
Congratulations guys... You are now certified nerds!
1613879166935.png
 
Alright boys it's official.

Call me KJ7VFQ

Edit: Just talked to my sister who has a KriKut, so she's making me a sticker for Alita the next time she comes up this way (couple weeks).
 
Last edited:
We talked about HAM licensing a lot on this weekend’s club camping trip. I think this may have been the first organized club run in human history where every driver in attendance had a HAM license. We discussed various ways of encouraging licensing as it was generally agreed-upon there are many advantages in doing so for club activities. It also made the drive out and back much less tedious having ‘cruiser head stuff to discuss on the lonely highway US 50.
 
We talked about HAM licensing a lot on this weekend’s club camping trip. I think this may have been the first organized club run in human history where every driver in attendance had a HAM license. We discussed various ways of encouraging licensing as it was generally agreed-upon there are many advantages in doing so for club activities. It also made the drive out and back much less tedious having ‘cruiser head stuff to discuss on the lonely highway US 50.
In 2007 - 2010 most of the active members were licensed. Basically we told anyone on Chicken Band that we were trash talking them on 2M :hillbilly: . Once you have a few members licensed the others will want to know what is going on. We have enough ham members now that noobs will want to be in the "In" crowd.
 
Yeah I think the majority of the attending members are hams. Most of us newer licensees just need to use it more and become comfortable with it.

I do have a question for those more experienced. I am considering a DMR capable radio...


It says it is "commercial" but has an amateur mode that appears to hobble it at a lower wattage limit.

My question is whether you guys think the radio can access amateur frequencies in commercial mode with the higher wattages, or if it is one or the other only.

To be clear I have zero interest in messing with commercial of government frequencies, I just like the high output dual-band and DMR capabilities at the price point of this unit.
 
This will muddy the waters - I just noticed there is a GMRS band that allows 50W, from 462.55 to 462.725 and 467.55 to 467.725. I guess that's what Rugged Radios has been selling? Yes licensing is required, but it's just a form. Maybe this has always been the case, but I thought they were limited to 5W.

If that's the case, and ignoring that some of us are already invested in HAM, which makes more long term sense?
 
Last edited:
This will muddy the waters - I just noticed there is a GMRS band that allows 50W, from 462.55 to 462.725.

I didn't notice that part. Thanks for pointing it out! I already have a GMRS license but I am not interested in using it now that I am a ham. I'll keep looking for the "best" dual band for my 80. :)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom