Just curious..any Hams on here?

[Don Stefanik]

I was wondering if there are any amatuer radio operators that post on BITOG. My call sign is VA3KBC. Usually operate on 160 meters. 1.940

 

[KD0AXS]

My call sign is my user name. I mainly just use 2 meters for now.

 

[Chris142]

My dad was a ham(W5LRI) for decades. I never was interested until the last few years. Unfornatly I'm too stupid to pass the test so I'm back to running 50x the legal power limit on 11M.

 

[tdpark]

KD2AMD here. My son and i got our licenses about 1.5 years ago and plan on getting our general license soon. My FIL is a big ham so he got us into it. Only HF we have done was with my FIL.

 

[tdpark]

The test is not bad- no more morse code and they give you the test questions.

 

[65f100]

KD5RHF here. It seems that whenever you find a place with technical discussions you will also find hams.

 

[BrianWC]

I've had the ARRL's book on how to study and get your license for 2-3 years now, but can't make myself sit down and read it. Would love another gadget.

 

[supton]

Been licensed for a long time, but inactive lately. I love the tech, but have lived such a boring life lately that I wouldn't want to bore anyone else with it. Can only talk about the weather just so much...

 

[xxch4osxx]

Aspiring ham operator here, just need more time to study the basic level guide then take the exam.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Chris142

My dad was a ham(W5LRI) for decades. I never was interested until the last few years. Unfornatly I'm too stupid to pass the test so I'm back to running 50x the legal power limit on 11M.

YOu CAN pass the test and there are radio clubs in your area only to happy to help. You don't NEED to know Morse any longer. Don't waste your time and money on CB. It has some uses but can only be used to any benefit far away from big cities. Get on the ARRL website, (google ARRL) you'll find info on who runs license classes and give the tests in your area.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: 65f100

KD5RHF here. It seems that whenever you find a place with technical discussions you will also find hams.

+1

 

[HerrStig]

My call is a tip off as to what I do for a living and I don't spray that all over the internet. It's an extra class 2 letter I have had since the 70's and "sounds" good on CW. I enjoy restoring old Collins and Drake gear but have a bunch of Japtrack as well.

 

[daves66nova]

so what do you guys talk bout or transmit when you have one of these radios? I figure you can only do so much. Why not use a phone to communicate? lol

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: BrianWC

I've had the ARRL's book on how to study and get your license for 2-3 years now, but can't make myself sit down and read it. Would love another gadget.

There are some amazing little hand held radios out there and some Swiss Army knife like little HF rigs as well. Google "Baofeng UV 5" and see what you can get in a dual band handheld transceiver which also receives about everywhere including broadcast FM for about 50 bucks. Or check out the Icom 706, 160 through 440, Cw FM AND SSB, 12 volts, and the head can be dashboard mounted if you want to put it in a car. The 706 isn't even the latest version, but Icom sold a zillion of them.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: daves66nova

so what do you guys talk bout or transmit when you have one of these radios? I figure you can only do so much. Why not use a phone to communicate? lol

What the bleep does blabbing on a phone teach you about electronics? If you want to be a know nothing all your life, use the phone. If you want to learn how do do things your self insetad of waiting for the "guy" to put an "F" connector on your "cable" , try a hobby in which you learn about something other than video games. I've made friends all over the world, and visited more than a few. I can't number the things I have fixed over the years because I picked up a little electronic theory, including car electrical systems. I especially enjoy hearing how morons at "Worst Buy" think electronics work. Most of these "computer whizzbangs" wouldn't know Ohm's law if I hit them on the head with it.

 

[tdpark]

If power goes down, and internet and phone go down- the only people who will be communicating will be HAMS. HAMS also volunteer and help out during natural disasters and other emergencies.

 

[Dave Sherman]

Originally Posted By: daves66nova

so what do you guys talk bout or transmit when you have one of these radios? I figure you can only do so much. Why not use a phone to communicate? lol

Sometimes it's just finding out who you can get in touch with. Last time I turned on my HF radio I talked to a ham in the Ukraine. Not everyone can say they talked to someone on another continent without using the Internet or a telephone. Ever hear of Skywarn? They use amateur radio operators who can report weather conditions to the National Weather Service. I listen in on the repeater so I can hear what's going on in cities nearby. Likewise, I can report what's going on where I'm at. Hams played a big role in helping with emergency communications after 9/11. Police and fire had their repeaters on top of the towers, which got knocked out. Cell towers that were up there were also knocked out, but we can still communicate without depending on them. Even when emergencies aren't involved, we do public service. I helped out with a charity event where several companies donated building materials, volunteers, and sent teams to several low-income homes that were in need of repair to fix them up. We had hams at each of these homes so we could call in to the supply warehouse for materials that were needed, or if we had a surplus of supplies we could ask if any other houses needed them. We could also call for more volunteers, and call for buses sinc the local bus service donated their buses and drivers to ferry volunteers. The coordinators and team leaders were glad To have us because unlike cell phones, we could talk to all the hams at each house and supply warehouse simultaneously. No having to dial up and call one at a time. The cell phone company donated phones, but they ended up being useless because they forgot to charge the batteries. We can build our own equipment, some hams have been experimenting heavily and developing software-defined radio, some hams are into amateur television, radio control, satellite work, talking with hams on the ISS (and previously the Space Shuttle), and radio direction finding. The latter has the fun of trying to find a hidden radio transmitter, but has the practical aspect of sometimes finding sources of interference to other radio services. But you're right, we can only do so much N8YQM

 

[Don Stefanik]

My amatuer radio info. http://qrz.com/db/VA3KBC I ocasionally talk to Vernon Kaspar W9FAM 90 years old and sounds like 50. Great individual and has been a ham for a long time. He has BEEN around as they say!! What else can you do? Well this winter our Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will be Commander of the ISS. Most if not all of the Astronauts are Hams as well. We can talk to the ISS when it comes over our location for about 5 to 7 minutes. http://www.issfanclub.com/ http://ariss.rac.ca/oindex.htm Some more info here about Amatuer Radio. http://www.arrl.org/what-is-amateur-radio

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: tdpark

If power goes down, and internet and phone go down- the only people who will be communicating will be HAMS. HAMS also volunteer and help out during natural disasters and other emergencies.

The early cell sites had gensets. Now a two hour battery backup is "standard" in the industry. Plenty of cost cutting due to competition. The two hour figure is based on how long power companies claim the "average" outage is. Your MPG may vary.

 

[BrianWC]

In the past couple of years, I've gotten into running ultramarathons, which are typically in pretty remote areas. Every aid station, in addition to food and drink, typically has a HAM/amateur radio operator transmitting the in/out time of each race participant back to the race HQ. They are also, of course, there to serve as the link to first responders. And they do it for fun, practice, and typically a silly race t-shirt. It's certainly appreciated!