Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Hey guys, just got my technician's license yesterday after passing the exam. Waiting on the FCC to post my callsign on their website so I can start transmitting!

I haven't seen a thread on here with everybody's setup + callsign, so I decided to make one. I think it's a pretty interesting hobby, and it would be cool to get in touch with other members around the country, whether they are on the WIN system at a home station or on a mobile unit.

Callsign: KK6CHD
Equipment: Yaesu FT-2900 r/e mobile transceiver with bed rail mounted 8 foot whip antenna. Usually monitoring local repeater frequencies, and hopefully becoming part of the OC net.

Any other hams out there?

 

Nice!... but, there's already a few threads scattered around about HAMs

 

Just realized there was one that's up to date...but there isn't an official BS thread!

 

What local repeaters are you monitering..

 

Catalina Island 147.090
Santiago Peak 145.140
Trabuco Canyon 145.240

 

i've thought about getting my liscense, I have 2 friends that have liscenses and there is a club at my school (VT) that I could do it through, is it worth doing?

 

I'd say it's worth it...only about 2 hours of studying and $15.00 for a 10 year license.

 

147.435 and 147.450 is where its at!!!

Although 435 sucks now that its been moved to Oat Mtn. I think its user base has moved to 450 which has made 450 even more interesting

 

I should be able to hit 147.450 from my place. I'll monitor it tonight on my way home to see if I hear anything.

 

I could hit 450 no problem with jasmines HT from the city of Monrovia..you should have no problem at all based from where you're at

 

Problem is that my house and route to work is on the other side of the hill the repeater is on. I think anywhere East of the Santa Ana mountains can pick it up easy, but I have plenty of hills in the way. Either way, I'll try it. This 8 foot antenna hasn't failed me yet

 

This is my setup:

Radio- Yaesu FT-7900R multi band 103-550 and 700-999 in custom dash mount.

Antenna- Diamond 13" NMO black with Larsen coax.

Callsign- n/a

Use- Mobile unit to communicate with my companies handheld radios for work (464.xxx). Monitor local PD. Communicate on 2m while offroad in simplex only. No repeater use since I am currently not licensed for 2m.

 

wow, I had no idea that it was that cheap...I was expecting more, then again, i'd probably go a bit farther than just a basic liscense, I know there are a couple other things that you can do as well (there is a weather reporting program of some sort isnt there?) and I know there are stuff with emergency response (i can't remember for the life of me lol

 

Doesn't take much to study and the test is pretty easy now since Morse code has been omitted

 

You can listen to the NOAA (national oceanic and atmospheric association) frequencies for current weather and forecasts with any 2-meter radio. The emergency response stuff is for any class license. As long as you register with the local network, or "net", they can keep your callsign and each night or once a week they do a roll call asking if there is any emergency news or "traffic" to report. They coordinate emergency messages and things like that all the time.

And if you really study hard enough, you can take the technician and general license exams at the same time, paying only once. A few people during my exam session stayed longer for the general exam. You can also upgrade your license at any time.


Check out this guy's website. He's got PDF's for all three classes of license exams. I studied the technician PDF study guide before taking my exam. Most of it is electrical stuff, but being at VT, I can assure you it's nothing more than high school physics level stuff.

http://www.kb6nu.com/tech-manual/

 

Get a license. You cannot transmit on 2 meters without one and it is illegal for another ham to talk to a non-licensed station. Your radio is not type excepted for radio use outside of the ham bands or to be modified to do so meaning both you and the Co. you work for could be fined and you gear confiscated.

 

You are correct in the licensing, but the MARS/CAP mod on ham radios is not illegal, and many people do it to push the receiving frequency boundaries on their radios. It is only illegal to transmit on certain frequencies.

 

That is correct but you need that class licence in order to do so most of the radios all ready receive out of band that is ok you can listen to what ever you want excluding cell freq. I can not use my radios to communicate out of the ham bands except mars/cap on hf. The ham radios are not type accepted to be used on the PS bands by the FCC. If you modify the radio and transmit out side of the ham bands it is illegal.

 

By the way I am N3LYT been a ham for about 25 years own a 2 meter repeater, and a 6 meter one. My mobile setup is a Yeasu 8900 quad band FM 10 meters to 70CM an Icom 706 MK IIG that I use on 10 to 80 meters so far I have confirmed contacts in 102 countries mobile. The ham shack at home has too much to list.

 

Very nice

Do you collect QSL cards? I may send you one if we ever make contact.