Amateur Ham Class September 26th 2015

Wow its been a while since I've been on here. I have been wanting to get a HAM radio for a while now but I'm getting scuba certified that weekend

 

reminder.

 

I'll be there tomorrow. See some of you guys there.

 

So for the test, are they going to teach us the material or are they just gonna give us the test tomorrow?

 

Nice! What shop are you going through? Are you going to the ocean that weekend? You're going to love it!

 

Seems like they'll be going over the questions database along with the correct answer during the day then administer the test at the end of the day.

 

Were on our last brake now its a complete waste of time of you want to learn anything !! All we have been doing all day is reading the questions and answers and we are to just wing it at the end of the day!

Not sure why you even need a license for a tech you dont learn anything in the class.

Pass of fail today was a waste of time! If im a Hamm at the end of the day today i still know nothing about it its all based on memorization.

 

Well that's in the bag! I didn't learn a thing but we are all licensed Hamm's

 

That's pretty much the idea. You basically do it all old school and buy books.

When you all get a call sign get into the WIN repeater system and look up Paradise Ron. He's a wealth of knowledge and newb friendly.

 

I couldn't make it. I was too busy buying an FJ40... Muahahahhahaha!

But thanks for the feedback about the type of "learning environment" it is. I will need to find another class soon

 

Jerry, your trailer might make a nice platform for a repeater.

 

That was the funnest day ever!!!

 

Sorry to hear that the class was a bust.

If you want to go another route, I'd highly suggest the KB6NU study guides: http://www.kb6nu.com/study-guides/. They try to teach you the theory behind what you are learning, while actually preparing you for the questions on the test. They also admit that some of the questions are dumb, arcane, and just have to be memorized. I used all 3 of the study guides (only the first 2 are free) to go all the way to extra in 1 sitting, no classes attended.

Here's some misc. info for people who are interested in using ham radios for off-road (which I would like to see more of). trying to keep it non-technical:

• VHF/UHF (2m/70cm) is the most useful and widespread. These bands are used by the cheap (and excellent) Baofeng radios that can be had for around $30. It's basically a juiced-up walkie talkie, and can tune to the same frequencies used by GMRS/FRS (the regular walkie talkies from Walmart). For not much more money, you can get a 2m radio to mount somewhere in your truck, just like a CB.
• For basic VHF/UHF communication, all you need is your Technician license (the first and easiest one). The General license isn't that much harder, and gets you some additional HF privileges (mostly useful for extreme long distance communication). The Extra license actually takes much more study (larger question pool) and doesn't get you a whole lot more than general.
• For in-vehicle use, an externally mounted antenna is a really good (and cheap) idea. There are some really cheap magnetic ones that work well. Handheld radios hardly work at all when used completely inside a vehicle.
• Do I really need a license? Pretty much. You can buy a radio without one. And you could talk to other people you know without a license. However, if you plan on using repeaters operated by a ham radio club and you don't have a valid call-sign, prepare for a blood-letting.
• Excellent for emergencies: Somebody is always listening. Even though they may not always respond to casual conversation, if they hear an emergency break hams will start frothing at the mouth to help. It's human nature.
• Ham radios are more difficult to use than CB/Walkie Talkies. The VHF/UHF bands aren't "channelized" like CB or television. You can't just tune to "channel 19." It's more like the FM radio in your car, you have to "scan around" to find something. However, this isn't really an issue if you are going with a group of people, you just coordinate ahead of time. There are standard frequencies though, for example 146.520MHz is the "calling frequency" on 2m. Repeater operation is a bit more complex because it involves using two frequencies at a time, along with other configuration information.

Other things you can do with a cheap VHF/UHF radio:

• Listen to local police, fire, ambulance and airport radios. It's amazing how often you can hear about somebody getting arrested at Walmart. Note that this doesn't work in really big cities (like Sacramento) where they have digital radio networks.
• Listen to NOAA weather reports from basically anywhere.
• You can monitor Cal Fire radio communication during fire incidents. They even publish their frequencies used, and a guide on listening to them.
• You can tune your ham radio to use the same frequencies as off-the-shelf walkie-talkies, so you can use your ham radio as a super-power walkie-talkie. This isn't legal (since you are using way more power and a better antenna than is allowed) but nobody will ever know/care.

 

It wasn't a total bust we did pass the test!

 

Hey, for after passing the Ham exam they are giving a free get on the air class:
BARC will be conducting a FREE Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) class, twice.
Learn about Radio selection, Operating Procedures, Protocols and
how to talk on the radio.
Choose the day/time that works best for you.
Cost? None. It’s free.
When?
- Tuesday, Sept 29, 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
- Saturday, Oct 1, 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Where?
Benicia Senior Center
187 East L St, Benicia
Who?
Anyone. Those who just passed, or already licensed.
Attend one or attend both. The Tuesday evening class will be
repeated on Saturday morning.
(Please feel free to share this notice)

 

Lol! I cut and pasted the info without proofreading it. The second class is on Saturday Oct. 3rd! These are great classes for new hams to learn hands on how to get going in ham radio, and good for more experienced hams for review!

 

haha I need to get on this. When is the next one?

 

It isn't scheduled yet, but will probably be in late January or February. You can go to the BARC website and watch for the upcoming announcement:
www.BeniciaARC.com
Also, a similar "Get your Amateur Radio License in Day" is offered quarterly in San Francisco. Here is their website: http://www.baears.com

 

@MJonAgs32

https://hamstudy.org/

go here,
register,
do the flash cards
pass the test.

if you want to learn the reasoning behind the answers, once you answer each of the flash cards, there's an explanation about why the answer is correct. it's ok if you didn't pass physics in high school, but being familiar with some basic concepts of simple algebra, electricity, radio waves, the earth, and how not to be a jackass will allow you to pass the test.

 

damn, a couple more and i would've made general.