Ham Radio Questions
My ham ticket expired somewhere in the 1970's. I am thinking of getting back into it, but have a couple of questions? I had an advanced class license. Do I have to go through the complete exam, or can...
Forum Discussion
RonaldNC wrote:Art Davis wrote:
Just a last note: Went to the Yuma hamfest today, took the technician test and passed! Yabbadabbadoo, as Fred Flintstone would say. Now to figure out what's going on! (Gotta' confess that I tried to get cocky and took the general exam---missed by one question! Now to unravel the issue of how to grandfather the tech license up to my previous class.) Lots of nice folks associated with the examining team and the Yuma ham club, by the way!
BTW: Is anyone in the Yuma area? I'd appreciate some advice on how to access the local repeaters and what kind of handheld transceiver to get to access them. I will play around with the vhf/uhf bands before pursuing the hf emergency issue.
When I hit the road as a full-timer, I decided to give VHF/UHF a try. I purchased a Yaesu FT-60R, which is a dual-band handheld 144/440 MHz radio for about $150 brand new. Then I purchased the ARRL repeater book and started traveling. I've always been able to find a signal wherever I travelled. I later bought the RTS system for my handheld, which simplified the process of adding memory channels.
I'm still working on getting a low-band radio/antenna for the motorhome. I didn't want to bring my old Yaesu FT101 along. Looking at, perhaps, the Icom IC7300... but still haven't decided on a good mobile/portable antenna.
Welcome back to the club!
Thanks for the response, Ron. Good info. Have you had a chance to make comparisons between your Yaesu and the (significantly cheaper) iCom and Baofeng transceivers?
P.S. The Yaesu now goes for $172 on Amazon. Is there a better source?
