Future Club HAMster's, unite! HAM Test Challenge Date, APR22.

Are you interested in the HAM Test on April 22nd?

  • Yes - I'll watch this thread for content and study materials.

    Votes: 7 87.5%

  • Nah - maybe next time.

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Total voters
    8

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I'm thinking to avoid confusion, we'll need to assign the Run Leader to also be the Net Controller so we're not all stepping on one another!

Incidentally, because our ARRL license package arrived to the FCC together, they just went down the list and all 5 of us have sequential calls - identical except for the last letter!
 
LongDuck said:
I'm thinking to avoid confusion, we'll need to assign the Run Leader to also be the Net Controller so we're not all stepping on one another!
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I don't know if I'd get that serious. Just pick an unused simplex frequency and station ident whenever you feel like it. Even when talking on local repeaters many people don't follow the 10 minute rule religiously... others are like every other response. I wouldn't worry about it that much on simplex.
 
Alright, new HAMs - FINAL CHALLENGE to close out this thread;

In order to translate all this theory into practice, once you get your radio up and running, post with your first Amateur Contact call who is NOT another club member!

This can be a single Amateur Station contact in Simplex, a Repeater call for a 'signal report' or 'demonstration' that responds with an Amateur Station call sign, or checking into an Amateur Club Network and getting logged. (Hint: the Sun City Repeater on Del Webb Hospital hosts a club meeting on 147.300 (+600Khz offset and PL Tone of 162.2Hz) every M-Th night at 8p for Mobile and Short-timer check in, club members round table, a Trivia question, and "This Day In History" and is a great way to learn how an efficient Net works.)

I'll be programming my radio tonight and hope to install in the LandCruiser this weekend. Good luck, and props for getting in first!

(P.S.- I was kidding about our club runs needing a Net Controller!)
 
LongDuck said:
I wanted to take a minute to point out that the test preparation discussed here passed 5 of us successfully for the Technician Test.

For those who replied to the thread earlier and want to set up for the next test date in May (4th Saturday, 7pm), please reply back and I'll work with you to get on the W7Io_Org roster:

@Pitch @Cruddz @rctoyota (You+Cleo, in June?) @brices123 @Chrismanjs @Rudster , and anyone else I may have missed, you can ace the test with LESS than 4wks prep!
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Me and Cleo would like to start studying soon. Cleo has one more big test to take later in may but after that we are on board to both be studying to get our licenses.
 
rctoyota said:
Me and Cleo would like to start studying soon. Cleo has one more big test to take later in may but after that we are on board to both be studying to get our licenses.
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Remember - it is legal for an unlicensed person to use a ham radio as long as the licensee is present and "in control" of the station.
 
Since I'm a firm believer in the concept of; "Don't ask anyone to do something you're not willing to do yourself..." tonight I made good on my own challenge, above.

I got my radio programmed using the PC software by Kenwood (+$20 USB programming cable), and while using the new Search function, checked in on the 147.300 Sun City / Del Webb Repeater for "Newbie Net" run by James (K7VNC) to test my radio programming and get a signal report. I waited until the end of the Net Control meeting to announce myself when they made a last call for check-in, gave my call sign and waited. Sure enough, James heard me and came back welcoming me to the meeting and thanking me for joining, then passed it to me for a few minutes to talk.

I explained that I was sitting in my office above the garage and had pulled the battery out of one of my cars to program my radio upstairs by the computer. Here's a picture of my incredibly Mobile and highly Amateur-ish Radio Station (*no laughing, please...):
2gya6qa.jpg


James replied that I was coming in strong - and that's about 28 miles from my house to the repeater (on my 65w & 5/8wave antenna)! I thanked him for the report and handed it back to Net Control so they could close out their meeting, but I'M OFFICIALLY ON THE AIR NOW!

Tomorrow, I plan to be installing what you see here into the LandCruiser - and that's probably a good thing, because when I keyed-up the mic in my office, I was amazed at how much of the computer equipment started squawking and buzzing and beeping because it doesn't like getting bombarded with HAM frequencies.

Any other new HAMsters made contact over the air, yet?
 
LongDuck said:
Since I'm a firm believer in the concept of; "Don't ask anyone to do something you're not willing to do yourself..." tonight I made good on my own challenge, above.

I got my radio programmed using the PC software by Kenwood (+$20 USB programming cable), and while using the new Search function, checked in on the 147.300 Sun City / Del Webb Repeater for "Newbie Net" run by James (K7VNC) to test my radio programming and get a signal report. I waited until the end of the Net Control meeting to announce myself when they made a last call for check-in, gave my call sign and waited. Sure enough, James heard me and came back welcoming me to the meeting and thanking me for joining, then passed it to me for a few minutes to talk.

I explained that I was sitting in my office above the garage and had pulled the battery out of one of my cars to program my radio upstairs by the computer. Here's a picture of my incredibly Mobile and highly Amateur-ish Radio Station (*no laughing, please...):
2gya6qa.jpg


James replied that I was coming in strong - and that's about 28 miles from my house to the repeater (on my 65w & 5/8wave antenna)! I thanked him for the report and handed it back to Net Control so they could close out their meeting, but I'M OFFICIALLY ON THE AIR NOW!

Tomorrow, I plan to be installing what you see here into the LandCruiser - and that's probably a good thing, because when I keyed-up the mic in my office, I was amazed at how much of the computer equipment started squawking and buzzing and beeping because it doesn't like getting bombarded with HAM frequencies.

Any other new HAMsters made contact over the air, yet?
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Very cool Thomas!
 
LongDuck said:
I had the same experience yesterday. Maybe Ron just got ahold of someone who was taking their job a little too seriously.
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DTSkyCop said:
I went to Ham Radio Outlet and they did not even want to see my Test Results... They said they would sell ANYONE, ANYTHING if they had the money.... They encourage you getting licensed before transmitting of course, but they are "NOT THE LICENSE POLICE" they said... They do not make any money if they do not sell anything... Made sense to me!!!
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Whelp as another data point, when I went in there today they did ask for my call sign and looked me up in the database. :meh: I didn't ask what would happen if I didn't have a license, though! :p
 
Abigail said:
Whelp as another data point, when I went in there today they did ask for my call sign and looked me up in the database. :meh: I didn't ask what would happen if I didn't have a license, though! :p
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I suspect it is more for customer tracking and marketing than policing.

I mail ordered for years before i had a chance to walk into the store, and giving my call sign brought up all my prior orders so i knew exactly what antenna i needed to replace my broken one.
 
Stepmurr said:
I suspect it is more for customer tracking and marketing than policing.

I mail ordered for years before i had a chance to walk into the store, and giving my call sign brought up all my prior orders so i knew exactly what antenna i needed to replace my broken one.
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You're probably right, but I think they did look up to verify because I never told them my name and they knew it (first time customer).
 
Abigail said:
You're probably right, but I think they did look up to verify because I never told them my name and they knew it (first time customer).
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This is why I don't publish my call sign on the interwebs.

Any stalker can find out your mailing address from the FCC, and if it is the same as your residence . . . :skull:
 
Bumping this thread, as last Friday's meeting showed theres renewed interest in getting some club members into VE testing for Mar24, 2018, @verruckt1 , @rctoyota .

Let me know if you want me to contact the ARRL guy at AZ Red Cross to get your names on the list,
 
If you're planning to VE test on Mar24, 2018, @verruckt1 , @rctoyota , @Ken in AZ , please send me a PM with your full (real) name, an email address, and I'll contact the ARRL guy at AZ Red Cross to get your names on the list.

Gary is already aware that 2-3 are interested and they're planning to conduct testing this month. Unfortunately, I'll be unavailable that weekend and unable to walk people through the onsite specifics, but Gary and the Red Cross team do a gret job for the Ham community and you'll be in good hands,
 
one you go Ham, youll never go back! congrats to the new license holders ~
 
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