nikdfish
Platinum Member
Back around Christmas, I decided to get serious about getting a ham license. I'd kicked around the idea for quite a few years but never got around to actually doing anything about it. My dad had gotten a Technician license just a few years before he passed & I have had his equipment boxed up for about 15 years now. Didn't want to sell it, but couldn't run it without a license.
Anyway, I pre-registered for the first, reasonably close, amateur radio exam session being offered (Jan. 11 in Wake Forest, NC) and started some serious book work on the Technician license material. This past Saturday I made the 116 mile round trip for the 9:00 am exam session. I think I aced the Technician exam (at least, none of the answers got flagged by an examiner during the scoring) and when the examiner told me I had passed, he asked if I wanted to go ahead and take the General exam. No additional cost, the fee covers all tests during a session, and no down side other than the time to take it. I figured "what the heck, why not...", even though I had only scanned the General class material quite some time back. Well it was a squeaker, but I passed! I came back home with a General ticket!
It will be the middle of the week or so before I can see my license info, and call sign, in the FCC database and actually get my feet wet with transmitting. Dad primarily used the portion of the 10 meter band allocated for Technician use and 2 meter for most of his activity, so my inherited antenna material was geared in that direction. With a General license, the bulk of the ham bands are available. Dad's old HF gear actually is capable of use in the 80-40-30-20-15-17 and 12 meter bands as well as the 10 meter, so I'm thinking about being a bit more ambitious in my antenna building, even if I do make my first contacts on a 10 meter dipole.
Then there's the areas of digital packet radio, radio telegraph, amateur television transmission, remote telemetry, etc. that can be combined with an existing interest in computers & micro controllers.
Lot's of toys for a retired guy to play with (when not bush-hogging ...).
Nick
Anyway, I pre-registered for the first, reasonably close, amateur radio exam session being offered (Jan. 11 in Wake Forest, NC) and started some serious book work on the Technician license material. This past Saturday I made the 116 mile round trip for the 9:00 am exam session. I think I aced the Technician exam (at least, none of the answers got flagged by an examiner during the scoring) and when the examiner told me I had passed, he asked if I wanted to go ahead and take the General exam. No additional cost, the fee covers all tests during a session, and no down side other than the time to take it. I figured "what the heck, why not...", even though I had only scanned the General class material quite some time back. Well it was a squeaker, but I passed! I came back home with a General ticket!
It will be the middle of the week or so before I can see my license info, and call sign, in the FCC database and actually get my feet wet with transmitting. Dad primarily used the portion of the 10 meter band allocated for Technician use and 2 meter for most of his activity, so my inherited antenna material was geared in that direction. With a General license, the bulk of the ham bands are available. Dad's old HF gear actually is capable of use in the 80-40-30-20-15-17 and 12 meter bands as well as the 10 meter, so I'm thinking about being a bit more ambitious in my antenna building, even if I do make my first contacts on a 10 meter dipole.
Then there's the areas of digital packet radio, radio telegraph, amateur television transmission, remote telemetry, etc. that can be combined with an existing interest in computers & micro controllers.
Lot's of toys for a retired guy to play with (when not bush-hogging ...).
Nick
I work mostly hf and 6, and have experience with all of the digital modes if you need any help. The solar cycle as you may know sucked this time, and we are heading down, so the sooner you can get going the better. I would be happy to work you.