Hey there Im thinking about getting my Ham Radio License and is there a Ham group to talk about different radios ect and any ham radios for sale here?
Ham Radio peoples (1 Viewer)
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JunkCrzr89
Competent Ignoramoose
@Somebodyelse5 yer time to shine
I get PM'd almost weekly on this, so here's my read on people getting Volunteer Examiner testing underway for HAM Technician level licensing;
No clubs in Phoenix metro are currently doing in-person VE testing. It's a combination of the older age range of most HAMs and social distancing requirements. While the FCC has published guidelines for clubs to conduct testing virtually and online, unfortunately no clubs near us have furthered their efforts to offer this.
What I've been suggesting to people is to keep studying your ARRL manuals along with online flashcards, and hope that a club steps up soon. I was listening to a Net Control meeting just the other night (*Rim Link, repeater net) and a club in Tucson was talking about VE testing in the near future, but nothing specific. If you're driven to get your license soon, reply here or PM me and I'll see what I can find out. If you're in Tucson, that could be a good local option.
As to radios, my suggestions are 2; avoid BAEOUFANG and WOUXON radios unless you know someone who has one and can program it for you. Using CHIRP it may go well, but for novice users, these cheep imported radios are problematic (*and known for splashing signal haphazardly) and particularly hard to program in the field. Secondly, I recommend a mono band 2m radio for your first, either HT or Mobile, and preferably from Kenwood or Yaesu. Both of these are very easy to operate, understand the menus and program in the field. Additionally, these 2 manufacturers are some of the best in the industry, offering free software to program, and a cheap cable gets you a lot of functionality.
The world of HAMateur radio is huge. Reply back with some specifics of what you want it to do for you, and we can likely offer some opinions. There's also a HAM radio forum on 'Mud. Take care,
No clubs in Phoenix metro are currently doing in-person VE testing. It's a combination of the older age range of most HAMs and social distancing requirements. While the FCC has published guidelines for clubs to conduct testing virtually and online, unfortunately no clubs near us have furthered their efforts to offer this.
What I've been suggesting to people is to keep studying your ARRL manuals along with online flashcards, and hope that a club steps up soon. I was listening to a Net Control meeting just the other night (*Rim Link, repeater net) and a club in Tucson was talking about VE testing in the near future, but nothing specific. If you're driven to get your license soon, reply here or PM me and I'll see what I can find out. If you're in Tucson, that could be a good local option.
As to radios, my suggestions are 2; avoid BAEOUFANG and WOUXON radios unless you know someone who has one and can program it for you. Using CHIRP it may go well, but for novice users, these cheep imported radios are problematic (*and known for splashing signal haphazardly) and particularly hard to program in the field. Secondly, I recommend a mono band 2m radio for your first, either HT or Mobile, and preferably from Kenwood or Yaesu. Both of these are very easy to operate, understand the menus and program in the field. Additionally, these 2 manufacturers are some of the best in the industry, offering free software to program, and a cheap cable gets you a lot of functionality.
The world of HAMateur radio is huge. Reply back with some specifics of what you want it to do for you, and we can likely offer some opinions. There's also a HAM radio forum on 'Mud. Take care,
I believe there are in-person tests available in Prescott about every 3 weeks or so.
Was listening to the Pima County Amateur Radio Club net today and confirmed they're doing VE testing at several sites in Tucson. Note that this is a Pima County Emergency Management site conducting the details;
There appear to be 4 options for in-person VE testing, but definitely get a hold of someone by phone to confirm details before heading down there. Some clubs don't conduct testing if nobody has RSVP'd for that test session ahead of time. Good luck, and if anyone goes this route, please report back with your experience as a QST for those interested, as well. Thanks!
There appear to be 4 options for in-person VE testing, but definitely get a hold of someone by phone to confirm details before heading down there. Some clubs don't conduct testing if nobody has RSVP'd for that test session ahead of time. Good luck, and if anyone goes this route, please report back with your experience as a QST for those interested, as well. Thanks!
A friend sat the test with the RST Laurel VEs last week, so they are active.
Great info, thank you for sharing it, and to save a few clicks, this is the Radio Society of Tucson (RST) group;
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Cool good stuff TY!