Ham Radio Prep is a great site. For under $20 I think you can get some really good education and teaching. The site has test quizzes and if quite a lot of fun to use
Ham Radio Prep is a great site. For under $20 I think you can get some really good education and teaching. The site has test quizzes and if quite a lot of fun to use
I studied online for awhile, and took my test for technician in 5/19. Cost $15.00. Got my call sign a week later. I’ve got a dual band mobile in my truck, and a handheld. Both loaded up with simplex channels and repeaters throughout Arizona. Joined my local ham club too. I wish I had done this years ago. KJ7GTZ.
When you take the test, if you've studied for General you can take that test for the fee you already paid, and if you pass the General test, even take the Extra test. So consider keeping studying once you're sure you'll pass the Tech test, General is a bit harder, but Extra is considerably harder.
That's the way I did things a couple years ago. Maintaining and teaching electronics has been my job for 40+ years, but I never had an interest in HAM. That would be a hobby way too close to what I call work. Then the wife got the HAM bug but knew nothing about radios or electronics. So she set out reading the study guide for Technician with a test date about a month off. She quickly reverted to memorizing the questions and answers. I read through the study guides for Technician and General, then used the app to pre-test and memorize questions on the fine details. I was cool with understanding the fundamentals, but I'm not going to commit a table of frequencies, bandwidths and transmission modes to memory. I was more than prepared for the General so I read the book for Extra class just out of curiosity. I think I tried the Extra test on the app once before I went to the exam. On exam day the wife aced her Technician exam. I aced the Technician, then nailed the General. Just for grins I took the Extra, made my best guess at what I didn't know, and passed with the minimum passing score. I chalk it up to nothing but luck, but I do have Extra. And I have yet to transmit on anything other than the Baofeng radios mentioned earlier here.
A vote against the Baofeng radios from an Extra class Ham. I bought one and found it too complicated to use. I suggest a radio that will transmit/receive over 30 miles - a Marine VHF radio. While driving the Alaska highway some 20+ years ago I had the opportunity to talk with some truckers about why I wasn't hearing them on CB. They told me they were using marine VHF radios because they would transmit/receive over 25 miles. Their experience is similar to what preppers want and you can get them for less then a hundred bux.
It is a bump in price from the Baofeng, but the Wouxun KG-UV9D Mate (10 watts)... Rugged little radio.
TX:136-174MHz(FM) 400-512MHz(FM) (a free software update gives you MURS, GMRS, Marine Band VHF and more)
RX:108-136MHz (AM Band Receiving) / 136-180MHz(FM) / 230-250MHz(FM) / 350-400MHz(FM) / 400-512MHz(FM) / 700-985MHz(FM)
You can charge it from AC, 12V DC or USB... Pretty Handy...
Also, the Signal Stuff, Super-elastic Signal Stick is fantastic...
Alcohol Inventory Reduction Specialist (Journeyman Level)
Some good info in this thread!!
"As democracy is perfected, the office of the Presidency represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." H.L. Mencken Baltimore Evening Sun, 26 July 1920
"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the Public with the Public's money". Alexis de Tocqueville 1835
Using VHF marine radios on land is ILLEGAL. Once a marine VHF radio goes ashore, it cannot be used for marine band transmission (without a Coast Station License).
47 C.F.R, Part 80
https://www.fcc.gov/bureau-divisions...radio-stations
You must have a marine utility station license, in addition to a ship station license, to operate a hand-held marine radio from land -- a ship station license IS NOT sufficient. You may apply for this license by filing FCC Forms 159 and 601 with the FCC. To be eligible for a marine utility station license, you must generally provide some sort of service to ships or have control over a bridge or waterway. Additionally, you must show a need to communicate using hand-held portable equipment from both a ship and from coast locations. Each unit must be capable of operation while being hand-carried by an individual. The station operates under the rules applicable to ship stations when the unit is aboard a ship, and under the rules applicable to private coast stations when the unit is on land.
If it appears to the FCC that you have violated the Communications Act or the rules, the FCC may send you a written notice of the apparent violation. If the violation notice covers a technical radio standard, you must stop using your radio. You must not use your radio until you have had all the technical problems fixed. You may have to report the results of those tests to the FCC. Test results must be signed by the commercial operator who conducted the test. If the FCC finds that you have willfully or repeatedly violated the Communications Act or the rules, your authorization to use the radio may be revoked and you may be fined or sent to prison.
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
Be aware that VHF frequencies are used for air traffic control. If you transmit on aviation frequencies you may interfere with control of aircraft and you can cause a midair collision. I know of one Canadian walk around telephone which did this in Colorado and only an alert commercial pilot averted a midair collision. The transmitting location was found with direction finding equipment. They would not answer their door when LEOs knocked. A SWAT team forced entry and seized their equipment.
My wife and I used Hamtestonline for learning. She got her General and I got Amateur Extra. I have an 8 Watt Baofeng that works pretty well. I coupled it with a 2 Meter roll up J-Pole antenna that you can run up a tree to get more height. Works very well. Have 2 UV5R Baofengs that don't work. Looking at some DMR handhelds. Picked up a Xiegu G90 HF radio and made a 40 meter Dipole antenna for it. I haven't used it a lot yet but I was picking up transmissions from 1000 miles away using a low mounted NVis. Lots to learn.
I agree. I have been a licensed Ham since the seventies. You wil need to do some studying to pass to exams but the Morse Code requirement has gone away. The studying you will do will ready you for SHTF as well. You will learn how to set up a rig, how to build antennas, and a bunch more helpful stuff. You will also have a chance to learn procedures. Try to become a net controller.
Jim
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |