Ham radio hobby
My interests and abilities are changing with age so I am seeking another hobby. I am considering Ham radio at the moment. Anyone here knowledgeable on that subject?
Forum Discussion
You'll first have to get your Technician license. Not too difficult. Technician will allow you voice on VHF, UHF, and limited access on HF frequencies.
Next is the General license which usually requires more studying. General allows you voice on a lot more HF frequencies plus all the Technician class freqs.
If you really want to study more then there's Extra class which gives you access to more freqs.
You start by passing the test for Technician. Once you pass Technician then you can test for General. Once pass General then you can test for Extra. A lot of hams will take the Technician and General tests at the same sitting. A few will take all 3 at the same sitting.
If you do a search on Youtube there are several videos of the 3 classes being taught. I believe 1 of the Youtube videos for the Extra class is broken down into something like 27 different videos. There are several different books available too. Which ever you want to do make sure you get the right books or videos for the current tests. The tests change every few years.
You can also find all the questions for all 3 tests on line and phone apps. There are a pool of the actual questions for each class, something like 450 quesions for each class. Of that pool there are 35 questions each for Technician and General and 50 for Extra. There are a lot of guys who just memorize the questions and are able to pass the tests. It's one way to get licensed but they don't really learn that much about ham radio compared to watching the videos and reading the books.
If you want to get in to it then you can also study morse code. It's no longer a requirement tho to get licensed. I find CW fun but doing too much of it at one time causes me to hear dits and dahs in my sleep.
If you're interested in the hobby don't let the studying and tests scare you off. There are kids 13 yrs old and younger who are general class hams.
Next is the General license which usually requires more studying. General allows you voice on a lot more HF frequencies plus all the Technician class freqs.
If you really want to study more then there's Extra class which gives you access to more freqs.
You start by passing the test for Technician. Once you pass Technician then you can test for General. Once pass General then you can test for Extra. A lot of hams will take the Technician and General tests at the same sitting. A few will take all 3 at the same sitting.
If you do a search on Youtube there are several videos of the 3 classes being taught. I believe 1 of the Youtube videos for the Extra class is broken down into something like 27 different videos. There are several different books available too. Which ever you want to do make sure you get the right books or videos for the current tests. The tests change every few years.
You can also find all the questions for all 3 tests on line and phone apps. There are a pool of the actual questions for each class, something like 450 quesions for each class. Of that pool there are 35 questions each for Technician and General and 50 for Extra. There are a lot of guys who just memorize the questions and are able to pass the tests. It's one way to get licensed but they don't really learn that much about ham radio compared to watching the videos and reading the books.
If you want to get in to it then you can also study morse code. It's no longer a requirement tho to get licensed. I find CW fun but doing too much of it at one time causes me to hear dits and dahs in my sleep.
If you're interested in the hobby don't let the studying and tests scare you off. There are kids 13 yrs old and younger who are general class hams.
