Get Your HAM License

The next OAUSA ham radio test session and meet and greet is scheduled for March 19th at the Bass Pro Shop in Rancho Cucamonga. Please come join them for a great time talking about our favorite hobbies in the great outdoors. While you are at it, you can take the opportunity to test for your amateur radio license or try for that upgrade you've been wanting to get. For those that haven't been to the Bass Pro Shop it is also your opportunity to check it out. It is an amazing place to see. You might want to leave your wallets at home though. They will have a display of various outdoor adventure vehicles/equipment and amateur radio gear. Bring your families too. This is a great venue for us to meet the family members we never get to see on the trail. Post any questions you may have here or send a PM to DaveK, hmfigueroa, or cruiserlarry (from the board in the link below). They look forward to seeing you there.

WHERE:
Bass Pro Shop (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
7777 Victoria Gardens Lane
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
Phone: 909-922-5500





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i wanna go but i have a gig that day...

 

I will be there! I plan on passing the test too!

 

Yo! COUNT ME IN! This is something I need to get done. Looks like a good time too.

 

looks cool i am thinking of rolling out. How many questions is the Ham test.. where can you get the material to pass it?

 

Practice Tests

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Hey Paul...you ever heard of a picture resizer?

 

i'll be there..be nice to be legal once and for all and not pirate other callsigns

 

Funny huh!? I was just copying!!!

Nice!

 

This seems like its gonna be a super hard test. I have been studying and doing the practice tests.

 

Looks like fun, I'll be there...

K6JBM

 

Been hitting the books and it looks like I may pass this test pretty easily now.

 

I WANNA GO! haha looks like a blast, guys.

 

Nice!

 

How does this sound for a setup? Yaesu 7900 with a Larson nmo 2/70 antenna? Anything else I would need?

I plan on mounting it on the inside lip of my front bumper. Gonna weld a plate to mount it just to the side of my headlight on the inside of the tube.

 

I like my 7900. You should be good. The antenna? I have a few and I have 2 NMO mounts in my roof so I don't worry about ground planes. Is the antenna you're contemplating a 'no ground plane required' antenna?

 

That sounds like a fine choice for a radio - I love my FT8900 quad bander.

But I gotta say - I suspect that's going to be a terrible place for your antenna. I can't even tell if you're talking about mounting it vertical or not. At best, if it's vertical, it won't extend above the roof at all (barely above the hood if at all) and you'll only be able to transmit to contacts in front of you. But if horizontal - well it won't be vertically polarized, and I doubt you'll make many contacts that way at all.

My advice? Drill a hole in the center of your roof and put your NMO mount 2m/70cm there. If you just can't stand the thought of doing that - put a magnetic mount antenna there, and store it behind the seat when you're not using it. When taking long trips in the family minivan, I get *great* contacts with a 5w handheld connected to a cheapo MFJ mag mount 2/70 mag mount temporary antenna that I bought at HRO for $25 bucks.

 

Here's a pic of my truck from above taken by DCTaco05 where you can see the antenna on the roof pretty well - and you'll note that it doesn't really stand out against the background.

 

My CB antenna is mounted thru my roof. I didn't know if the antennas would interfere with each other by both being up there.

 

Well you don't want them next to each other but 12" or so should be fine. Better yet, get rid of the CB! I haven't used my in about 18 months and I am so glad I don't.