Ham radio users out there

[repete]

Who here is a ham radio user and license level?
General here

 

[bmaverick]

My brother is a ham. We have a few Yaggi towers and ugly guide wires.

I use GMRS. More practical and no radio electrical test to take. And the entire family is covered under the GMRS license for the household. We have nearly a 40 mile coverage range. Chrystal clear communication. GMRS antennas are less than a foot high, very stealthy too. My co-worker lives in a dumb HOA condo complex, and he too has GMRS in antenna stealth mode.

The only time GMRS is annoying is the week of Christmas and July 4th. Kids get FRS radios as walkies-talkies. They play with them for a few days and then give up.

 

[Roadworthy]

Ham radio operator here - Extra Class. I was Advanced when they dropped the code requirement I tested for the next level. I was originally licensed as a Novice in 1960.

 

[B7510HSD]

Ham Op here also Extra class.

 

[Ken45101]

Licensed since 1963, Extra since 1968. Mostly operate 40-80-160 CW.

 

[Bendboater]

Advanced.

 

[Ken45101]

My brother is a ham. We have a few Yaggi towers and ugly guide wires.

I use GMRS. More practical and no radio electrical test to take. And the entire family is covered under the GMRS license for the household. We have nearly a 40 mile coverage range. Chrystal clear communication. GMRS antennas are less than a foot high, very stealthy too. My co-worker lives in a dumb HOA condo complex, and he too has GMRS in antenna stealth mode.

The only time GMRS is annoying is the week of Christmas and July 4th. Kids get FRS radios as walkies-talkies. They play with them for a few days and then give up.

You will not get 40 miles out of GMRS if the power fails at the repeater site.

 

[deserteagle71]

"General" level HAM operator.
But only because it is a requirement to have a HAM license to belong to my local Sheriff's Search and Rescue unit. All SAR communications are via HAM frequencies, and all SAR vehicles have HAM mobiles installed in them. Plus each SAR member gets a HAM handheld for those times we are searching on foot.

Never understood why this requirement for our SAR group. It would have been much simpler for all of our vehicles to have Sheriff's department radios and just use a dedicated SAR frequency. That way we could use the county's repeater stations for better communications, plus when we needed to communicate with the Sheriff's office all we'd have to do is select their frequency. As it is now, when we are on a combined search with Sheriff's office deputies we have no way to talk to them except face to face.

 

[check 6]

General class licensed in 1956 boy have things changed . Primarily on 20 and 75 meters now but over the years have enjoyed working satellites also RTTY and 2 meter SSB great hobby unfortunately at my age can’t climb to work on antennas any more

 

[W5FL]

Licensed in 1955. Amateur Extra Class.