2 Meter ?'s

First off, prayers sent up for your family. Stuart sounds like he really was a very good gentleman. I'm sorry for your loss.

A LOT of people would like to see this as well. Maybe even make the testing system tied to a class that the VEs or others teach. Some clubs have this, some don't. I wished more did, it would make it so that a lot of the newcombers feel a LOT more confident with their inclusion in the service.

Every board has their members that are a little more cautious than the rest. While ignoring them is not really what you want to do, continue on being genuine while working with them in getting your questions answered. They too were once new to the service, and asking questions. Not everybody is an Electrical Engineer in the RF field, or has a lot of experience in working with radio equipment. There are a LOT of people that before they took their Amateur test, have never even touched a two way radio. They were just interested in it because of a friend or family member, and that interest led them to the service (some people call it a hobby, which it is as well). What it opens up for the license holder is more than just a service or a hobby...

You are not trolling, just asking good questions. Keep going.

 

Ill just read and read and read before I post on QRZ in particular , Since there members that Roam the Elmers are such Powerfull FireWalls, I dont want people thinking that Im Trolling.

Im working 2 jobs, tapping 83 hours a week, and more stressed then anything, and hearing People Comment, and or complain's that a Noob in a Noob's area is asking questions, that just puzzles me.

And with my mom ill, any extra stress is not needed,, I called the one member that I meet @ ham fest, and he is a wonderfull Elmer,

Over.

 

Robert,
The best advice I can give you is to find a club. Look for an Elmer in that club. Is the "Bad Elmer" at work, even a Ham?

It sounds like you already know a couple of hams that can help.

I did not know about QRZ or any "Practice tests" before I took my Tech test. I studied the books and did not know where to go to find a VE session. I found ARRL site and found out they were testing 125 Miles away, and when that date came up I was in my old Bronco Ii and on the road.

After I tested, the examiner asked why I traveled so far. I told him I did not know if there were any Hams in the town I lived in at that time. He said, "Sure there is, just go to QRZ.com and look them up!" Sure enough, 66 hams, a club and 3 Elmers for me.

That was my introduction to QRZ and Ham Radio.

Robert, you will get lots of info here. You still need a real Elmer, and you may not easily fall into an Elmer as easily as I did, but start with your friends and the local club.

You can find your local club here:---> http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml

 

Yes, a newbie asking questions in a newbie forum seems pretty appropriate! And it is. But ham radio is an old pasttime with a lot of tradition. And there are many who feel that the bar for admission has gotten progressively lower over time. Some of that feeling is just sour grapes - "I suffered; you should suffer" - but some is based on reality. It has become easier.

So an analogy I would make is this: Let's say you want to drive a car legally, but have never done so, and have no license yet. If you came to a "Drivers" forum and asked "The pedal on the left, that makes the car stop, right?" -- it would be unlikely that people would object. They would guide you.

But if you studied and memorized questions, then quickly passed a written test, and got your driver's license... and THEN asked the same question -- people would think "Huh? How did this person get licensed if he doesn't know such a basic thing?"

So even though there is no such thing as a dumb question, sometimes there is.

Please know that I offer this explanation in completely good faith. No judgment. I wish you the best of luck and hope you get that callsign really soon! Definitely read, read, read and when you get the ticket, get on the air and listen to other people operate. A lot of the learning is in listening to examples of how to do it.

 

I got IT

its on the FCC DB qrz didnt have it but FCC DOES!!!!!
as of 1:05pm
kj4smn

*does a happy dance*

 

Congratulations Robert! (Now get out and make some contacts...)

There are a few repeaters near you that are IRLP connected as well, so if you want to try that you can:

( http://www.irlp.net/ )

Code:

Node	Node Call	State	Frequency	PL/DCS	Distance in Miles
4464	W2CEB		FL	146.5350	146.2	9.57
8717	KC0MPD		FL	147.4250	123.0	30.93
4880	N4TCP		FL	443.6750	146.20	37.78
4085	KP4TR		FL	147.5250	71.9	38.23
4647	N4BSA		FL	146.9700	146.2	39.91
4898	KP4WK		FL	147.5500	71.9	41.09
7260	W4ECZ		FL	146.5600	103.50	48.50
4008	KD1Z		FL	445.1000	107.20	48.89

What are some of the interests that you want to get into? And what equipment do you have now to work with (and what are you looking for)?

If you have any other questions or ideas, please ask or share. This is why the SIG (and rest of the forum) is here.

Also, I think one of the moderators can help you with the change of your login name to your callsign if you want it.

 

Congrats Robert, Hang in there, the answers will come...

 

Thanks, for the info and thanks for the congrats..
I just walked in from work now @ 1256am,
I been reading my ham Book, and I just had work
called me some guy fell and Im like omg.....
grrr......
But back to your question KE4FSL

I own a Kenwood TM-621 and Im looking for a mic, for use as a home base. I called ken wood, but for as long as I was on hold , I had to hang up and well had to start work, As soon as I wake up, (Friday)
This is the HT im looking @
http://www.gigaparts.com/store.php?action=profile&sku=ZKW-TH-K2AT

sinceI will be using the HT more than anything.

 

my dad got me into kenwood
but for HT's

I found a ICON @ 7watts
and its the same price as the kenwood,
well really close.

IC-V82 2M 7W HT W BP-222N+CHRGR $129.95
IC-V80-25 2M 5.5W HT WITH LOUD RX AUDIO $129.95
IC-V80-SPORT 2M HT WITH BATTERY CASE $109.95

 

Robert,
The best guide to 6 meters I have seen, one that assumes you are not a technical genius or a millionaire, is SIX METERS, A GUIDE TO THE MAGIC BAND. That book has been around 10 years or more easily. The author is WB2AMU.

Look up WB2AMU in the callsign database. Ken is quite a nice fella and just loves it when he runs into new people getting on 6 meters.

As for the dual band radio...my guess is you will outgrow it rather quickly. FM is by far not the only mode of operation, and 99% of multi band VHF radios are FM only. I am not talking down FM at all, it is just that if you really want to DX then SSB becomes a mode of great interest.

Another mode that is very cool is PSK31. This is a digital mode that is also very narrow banded in the way that it puts out a signal. Narrow banded signals have the benefit of not requiring a lot of frequency space to deliver the message for a long distance. I recently worked Wyoming using PSK31 mode, and with only a power of 15 watts into a wire antenna at 25 ft in the air.

I know that all the different modes, names, etc are confusing to a beginner. Just get good at what you do on FM and then start asking questions, poking around, and generally deciding what you want to do next. This hobby is totally amazing because of the many ways one can transmit a signal. You have a real rush coming at you as time goes on.

Any of the fellas who answered you will be happy to be of help, I am sure. Email me anytime. I am good on email lookup on qrz.

73 and welcome into the hobby,

Doug