How you got started in radio

[KC0TLH]

How I became interested in radio was the result of high phone bills, and a mag. article.
Me and my friend John were running up huge phone bills so when we heard about Ham Radio we were interested. A few weeks later I read a very good article about how Ham Radio was fun and could also be used in emergencies and I called the contact number. He, like most Hams was very friendly and connected me to a Ham in a nearby city. A few weeks later we both recived our licenses.
I am now a General and am having a birthday party so please come-with presents only <hint> IC-7800</hint>, O, no, no, no. I mean tell your story here and we can share thoughts on the subject.


# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #73's #Alex

[ve6wtf]

My dad has been a Ham for as long as i could remember, and I used to try so hard to get my licence, But I just didnt have the math for it. So I started with Citizens Band radio. from there I learned a few things, how a radio works and stuff like that. Citizens Band lost its feel so I needed something more. I picked up the phone and called a guy from the IC website. And been a ham ever since.

[W8LBO]

I heard some hams on short wave. Sounded like the bomb dig so I got my tech and was an extra lite within the year. Had quite a bit of fun with it.

[ne6ao]

look in got a question?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif my reply about out of band ops.
how I got started I needed to prove something to my self,

[2I0JVI]

How I became a Ham?

It all started back about 10 years ago when I was an SWL.

I would visit my granda's shack a few times a week and have a listen on 80m, 20m and 2m. At the time, I was thinking in doing the RAE (the Radio Amatuer's Examination) but the thing was the 12WPM CW. I let it die......

This went on for a few years, and he suggested that i take the UK foundation Licence Examination, which I did in May 2005 when I was 15 years old. Since then I've progressed and hopefully will do the Interemdiate Licence Exam in the next fortnight, which means 50W as opposed to my current 10W and all HF bands, VHF, and quite a few more UHF.

Currently using an FT707 with ATU and Homebrew 80m dipole around 20ft above ground. Good set up- but power is the thing http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[ae6yd]

My mother wanted to get her license because her best friend was a ham, and we liked to use HT's to communicate while on camping trips. The night she headed down to the local class, she asked me, "Hey Justin, do you want to get your ham radio license?" Being a troublesome and curious child, I said "Sure" and the rest is history. My mother is still licensed, but doesn't use it. Me, however... I got my Extra and I'm on the air at least once a day.

Kenwood TS-450S w/ worthless dummy load *cough* I mean folded dipole up 10-20 feet
Kenwood TM-241 w/ homebrew 2-meter 3-element beam (which sometimes gets further than the HF)

[KU7PDX]

I've always been interested in electronics and stuff and when I was younger I frequently took various things apart (and was able to put them back together with about 95% success http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif). I was extremely interested in radio broadcasting and talked my parents into buying me a scanner to listen to police and fire activity.

Well, whenever I thought I would go get my amateur license something would come up... Last summer I decided to set the goal to have my Technician license by winter and was successful!

Earlier this year I was able to get a job at an actual broadcast radio station as a board operator and I've been having a blast since. I'm active in the local amateur radio club and have participated in a few local events that needed radio operators.

will I dont realy know how I got onto the subject with my father but I found out that he used to be a ham had two attemts at the novice and failed and when the ACMA changed everything I got the foundation
and I am going for my standed on saturday so thats the story of a ham http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[KB9ZLB]

Jealousy. Yes, jealousy. Sound strange? Well, it is and it isn't. I like to talk a lot. Not to hear my own voice, mind you, but to interact with people. My dad got his license and I was amazed at the amount of interaction he did on the air. I got jealous. I went to a kid's day at the Red Cross here in Indy, and was hooked immediately. What helped with that was the simple statement that should explain it all....

"I GOT NASA!"

I was so excited that I was standing and talking. Soon I settled back down and was sitting again, thank goodness. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Anyway, that's how I got into the hobby. Jealousy. Behold the power of the Green. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

--Heather

[kc0yfp]

My brother and I got interseted in ham radio by our school's club. We went to take the test (after studying) and my brother passed, but I failed http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif # But, my brother passed...:p #I threw the book and swore to myself that I would NEVER pick that cursed thing up again. Then, about 2 years later, we were on a vacation in New England and I decided to study 10 days before the ham radio test up there (of course, my brother HAD to try and upgrade http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif ) Then, after finally finding it, we took our tests, me for tech and my brother for general. We took our tests in a VERY HOT building, but I passed!http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #But, unfourtunatly #my brother didn't pass. Oh, well. Then, like, a week ago I went to upgrade to general, but I only got code credit. My brother finally upgraded. Well, if you read this and are depressed about passing, just remember that there is hope! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[n1ydx]

Thinking......
1. 1963 - Big into CB radio ( Music Man) * LOL * at Ft Monmouth in NJ.

2. 1967 - Sitting in the radio van in Bac Lieu, Viet Nam and learned some morse code and made radio checks.

3. 1978 - Another Sgt in the NCO Quarters in Frankfurt Germany, using a mobile Kenwood in his room with a wire out the window. He let me key up a little.

4. 1979 - Back from Germany and talked to my best CB Buddy (Snake Ears) and found an Elmer who frequented CB, he coached us in theory and morse.

5. 1979 - Licensed as Novice and upgraded to General a month later (KA3FJM)

6. 1996 - Moved from PA to NH (Got N1YDX on renewal) and no radio from then until this month.

7. 2006 - Beating the keys for 3 weeks and enjoying every minute of it.

N1YDX - Sarge

I have been licensed since February 4, 2006. That day I got my Tech. with code. Then on April 15, 2006 I got my General at a Hamfest. I am currently working with CERT and am getting involved with ARES. Once I buy a new vhf/uhf rig I will be working public service events. I run Net control for my club's "Wheatshocker net" and attend meetings on regularly. I am also running APRS and echolink on my PC. I have overall made about 100 HF contacts in June and July and worked UA3TCJ on USB at Boy scout camp. I participate in S.A.R. drills with my cousin and if things go well will man the APRS set-up at a Kansas City Metro-wide communications drill. I am on 20 meters on a nightly basis using phone and soon some digital. I am working on my CW (my sending is kind of rough). Most of all I like to rag chew, dx, and work contests. So yeah, in a way I do it all. I also have Radio merit badge in Boy scouts. This is the twist, I am under the age of 13. Catch me on 20 meter phone and I'll tell you how old I am and how I got started (the stories long). 73's

de kc0vvu http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[KG6YKN]

I got started in radio because of my dad. He had a Novice when he was my age, and he told me about it. Then I decided to get my ticket, so I could participate in Ham Radio. I didn't take any classes, so i just studied and took the test.

[N2RJ]

I started out as a SWL. #In the 80s my dad had a radio that had the SW bands on it. #We would tune in to the BBC and VOA, as well as others. #

He also briefly got into CB but that was mainly just for my mom to call for help when she was coming home from late work nights at the hospital. #

In 1990 I entered secondary school. #I was into electronics and looking for a club to experiment with electronics and homebrew. #I was introduced to the ham radio club. We did a few things with the club station including communications for sports day, assisted by local hams. The pesky little thing called studies made it difficult to study for a ham radio license. #

In 1996 I decided to buckle down and in 1997 I passed the City and Guilds RAE. #After I passed I began to learn the code. #I had a program on the commodore 64 that I typed in from a book. #It sent random characters and I listened and copied. #After a while the code stuck in my brain.

I got my first license (codeless) at the end of October 1997. #The reason I did that was because the Trinidad and Tobago Government did not have a full time morse examiner. #A local ham had to volunteer. #The local ham who was supposed to give me my test didn't show up, so after wasting cab fare I didn't want to go home empty handed. So my first call was 9Z4DS, and I made my first contact with 9Y4FP on the TTARS 2 meter repeater (147.93 neg shift no PL)

In December, 1997 I went back for another appointment to do the code. #12WPM was the requirement. I was nervous as heck because a lot of the local ham community were rooting for me. The examiner sent an article from the local newspaper and I received it. #I then had to send a paragraph for him. #I passed with flying colours. #I was the first person to go from codeless to code license. #After going to the customs office to pay my TT$14.40 I had a new call which was 9Y4RAJ.

After I moved to the USA, I operated as W2/9Y4RAJ for a few months. #I have an IARP so I could have operated reciprocal for the time being. #After studying the US exams I decided to show up for a VE session at the Kings County Repeater Association in Brooklyn, in May. #They told me that because I didn't have a SSN (I had applied for one and it hadn't come in the mail yet) that they couldn't give me the test. #This was complete BS because the ham radio apps do not require a SSN, only a Tax ID number. #I complained all the way up to the ARRL president and no one did anything until a month later when I had my SSN anyway...

So I went and took the tests up to general. #5WPM morse was really easy and the Tech/General theory was easy too. #The only thing different I had to remember was the sub-band frequency assignments. #After I passed elements 1, 2 and 3 #I was feeling tired and said, well that's it for tonight. #I'll see you guys in a month for the extra.

One of the guys said, "why don't you go for extra right now?" #I said, "nah I didn't study!" He said, "come on, go for the extra" so I decided to take the extra anyway. #The questions appeared to be all common sense, and amazingly enough I knew the theory (because I studied the same thing for the RAE). #They checked it and said, "congrats you're now a US extra class!"

Wow, well I didn't quite expect that!

After that, the rest as they say, is history. #Living in the city I spent most of my time doing emcomm work, but I also did some stealth DXing. #But the fact that local repeaters are boring and no one seemed to want to talk was a real drag.

Now that I've moved out of NYC I'm getting more active into DX and HF. #I still do public service but now that I'm more involved in real ham radio, it isn't the mainstay like it used to be.

[KI4MYD]

CB from '01 to '05. Mostly operating with the local guys on the weekends, but I loved talking skip all over the U.S. That's the main reason I wanted to get into Ham radio was to talk across the world. A local CBer made the switch to ham, and was my "elmer" even though he was new as well. Got into listening to the local 2m repeater on the scanner. Became very intersted in amateur radio. License granted Dec. '05. Completely dropped CB. SWL/HF monitor... led me into working toward my HF credits. Currently have morse code down, working toward theory. Should have General next month.

[pe2ysb]

i've always been interested in everything about "radio", I'm working at a local radiostation since 1994, started CB in 1996. Stoped CB in 1998 because we moved and my parents didn't want an antenna on the new house.

Last year i visited the ham radioclub at Eindhoven university. I signed in for the test, got my license in april 2006 (full-license) and became chairman of the ham-club in june.