Should I buy a HAM radio??

[raspberrypi]

I was looking for a hobby to get into. I live in a house with a yard where I can put up an antenna. I have a 60' long wire out a second story window right now, I use that to listen to shortwave on my SDRPlay so I do know a little bit about building antennas. How hard or $ is it to get your license? What can you get without having to learn morse code?

[W9GFO]

Morse code is no longer a requirement, hasn't been for years.

HamTestOnline is probably the easiest way to study. A few minutes on Google will reveal other study guides.

[vk3yedotcom]

I was looking for a hobby to get into. I live in a house with a yard where I can put up an antenna. I have a 60' long wire out a second story window right now, I use that to listen to shortwave on my SDRPlay so I do know a little bit about building antennas. How hard or $ is it to get your license? What can you get without having to learn morse code?

A 60' wire is a good length and will work very well on 7 MHz transmitting with a simple 2 or 3 part antenna tuner.  It will also get contacts on other bands like 3.5, 10 & 14 MHz.

While amateurs still enjoy Morse code, about 95% of amateur activities don't require it.  And it's no longer a licence requirement.

A one-off fee is charged to sit the exam. But after you've got your callsign many countries no longer charge an annual licence fee. 

Ham equipment is much cheaper than it used to be.

The very cheapest amateur radio transceivers are available as a kit for about $10.  However they are morse code transcievers with very low power and poor receivers so I don't recommend them.

But you can get quite HF good voice transceiver kits (some of which are 95% preassembled) for between approx $60 to 200.  These can have a transmitting range of 2000 km or more with the antenna you've got now.  Another choice is a VHF/UHF handheld for under $100.  This can go 100km in conjunction with a good local repeater.

Digital modes allow longer distances with lower power than SSB voice or FM. Suitable software or apps is easily available. The computer then plugs into a transceiver to transmit/receiver.

The $60 transmitter mentioned above (the Bitx40) used to be available a little cheaper but without stable RF oscillator.  This is a review. It's included here as most of the basic circuitry is the same - only it's got a more stable DDS to control the frequency.



These are two ends of the same 500km contact between two Bitx40 transceivers.  I was using a wire antenna approx 60ft long.





So to summarise, it's worthwhile, you don't need Morse to do a lot and it may be cheaper than you think!

[NivagSwerdna]

I got my licence in the UK so national rules may differ but entry level is really easy, no morse required at all, in fact it is straightforward.  I got a licence because I wanted to be educated for when the authorities knocked on my door for the various VHF radio modem 'experiments' I was trying at the time. 

Now the fundamental question... do you want a transceiver.... well it depends on what you want to do... 

... I had an interest and was very patient following ebay second hand equipment and got lucky and found a FT-890 from a genuine seller in the US.  EBAY might not be a good place to buy as there are many sharks so it might be better finding a local club, radio shop or a ham fair and buying from a trustworthy source.

I strung up a bit of wire in my garden and on my second day trying I managed a QSO with a Ham in Oz.... now that is pretty cool.  (They had a great antenna set-up!), also had a lot of fun playing with digital modes and one day I will be brave enough to try out my morse skills I have been trying to practice in my spare time.

So if you can find a decent transceiver... might be worth a go.

At the moment my FT-890 is in a cupboard but when I am at a lose end I will probably get it out again...

73
M0ETA

[KD0CAC John]

Since I do not know you , can not answer , it depends on what you knowledge base is , if you are familiar with electronics , RF , math .
It should be easy , and if you are then you could possibly take all 3 elements [ tech , general , extra ] in one test session and pass .
Of course then there are those that just take the practice test until they memorize the answers without knowing anything , but that sucks , because you will most likely be causing issues on the airwaves and asking endless basic questions .
One good sign is that your listening to short wave , thats a big deal , getting familiar with how to operate , unless you follow the wrong examples .
This could go on for a while , but I think a real ham is one that is technical by nature , and can build / repair a station , but that is not common now days , part of the reason is no real kits anymore .
Maybe 1st , if you have to ask , then no , seems to me you should be interested in ham radio , not follow the others jumping off the bridge

[w2aew]

I see that the OP is in the US.  As others have mentioned, morse code proficiency is no longer a requirement.  There are three license classes: Technician, General and Extra.  Qualifying for each license is a multiple choice test.  Tech and Gen tests are 35 questions each, and Extra is 50 questions.  They must be taken in order - i.e. you must pass the Tech test in order to take the General, etc.

There are some really nice no-nonsense study guides that you can find here:
http://www.kb6nu.com/study-guides/
Makes it easy to see where you need to brush up.

I've personally used the Technician no-nonsense study guide as a teaching aide for Technician classes that I've taught, and have had very good success with them.

FYI:  The technician test has a lot more of the rules and regulations (i.e. memorization stuff) than the General and Extra.  As you move up in ranks, the tests have less about the rules/regs, and more technical content.

[AF6LJ]

I see that the OP is in the US.  As others have mentioned, morse code proficiency is no longer a requirement.  There are three license classes: Technician, General and Extra.  Qualifying for each license is a multiple choice test.  Tech and Gen tests are 35 questions each, and Extra is 50 questions.  They must be taken in order - i.e. you must pass the Tech test in order to take the General, etc.

There are some really nice no-nonsense study guides that you can find here:
http://www.kb6nu.com/study-guides/
Makes it easy to see where you need to brush up.

I've personally used the Technician no-nonsense study guide as a teaching aide for Technician classes that I've taught, and have had very good success with them.

FYI:  The technician test has a lot more of the rules and regulations (i.e. memorization stuff) than the General and Extra.  As you move up in ranks, the tests have less about the rules/regs, and more technical content.

This is very true...
If you can read you can pass the Technician Exam.
The general class in terms of theory isn't very difficult, and will get you more HF privileges.

Since the OP is in the US, I will say the best place to get amateur radio related information in a forum style would be QRZ.com, I send plenty of people over for test equipment help and advice, Sending folk to QRZ for amateur radio related stuff is a sound choice.

You can also find practice tests there on the main page, you would be surprised how well you might score on the Technician question pool just by using a little common sense.
/She who loves the ZED

[james_s]

I have a technician class license, passing the test was trivial. As for whether you should get a radio or not, that depends on what you want to do. I have little interest in yakking on the radio, I got the license so I could legally run reasonably powerful video transmitters on my RC aircraft.

[raspberrypi]

I'm used to tests.  I have passed a Series 7, 63, Life/Health insurance and Annuities LTC and Med Supp. Those tests were eight hours long each.

My boafung radio should be in the mail ($9.00 shipped) Ridiculous.
















.

[AF6LJ]

I'm used to tests.  I have passed a Series 7, 63, Life/Health insurance and Annuities LTC and Med Supp. Those tests were eight hours long each.

My boafung radio should be in the mail ($9.00 shipped) Ridiculous.

You will get what you pay for, My daily driver HT cost eleven times what my 39 dollar Boafung cost. So much better, but we all start somewhere.










.

[Lord of nothing]

But after you've got your callsign many countries no longer charge an annual licence fee. 

You can be happy.
Here you have to pay a hight feel to the Exam + for the Callsign and Monthly for the Callsign.

[Seekonk]

It used to be if you were interested in electronics you became a ham.

I saw something a while ago.  Ireland or Scotland had a number you could call and it would connect you randomly to someone who had signed up to accept random calls from people in other countries.  It actually sounds like a good way to connect to other people in the world.

[james_s]

The internet kind of killed it for me. If I had grown up a couple of decades earlier I'm pretty sure I would have gotten really into the ham thing, but these days there is a lot less magic in making contact with a distant person. I can pull my phone out of my pocket and call my friend in England on his US VOIP line any time I want, for free, and talk as long as I feel like without anyone else interfering. I can get on Google Streetview and "wander" around distant lands. I can hop onto a forum like this and converse with people all over the globe who share my hobbies and interests. There's still some "magic" about pulling in a distant signal but it's just not as exciting as it used to be.

The thing I miss most are some of the mysterious signals that used to be on shortwave. As of a few years ago I could still pick up an eerie Cuban "numbers" station many times in the evening. There used to be a lot more of those spy stations that broadcast a string of numbers read out in a robotic sounding voice. Analog cordless phones were fun too, and back when most police/fire/medic stuff used VHF you'd occasionally pick stuff up from many miles away depending on atmospheric conditions. Much of that stuff is digital now and it's almost all trunked.

[AF6LJ]

Yes you can pull your phone out and make a contact on the other side of the of the world.
Look at all the help you had doing that.
You used a third party with all kinds of communications infrastructure.
There is something to be said for doing the same thing;
With a radio you built or repaired
An antenna you built
Had to deal with the fickle nature of the ionosphere
And did it without paying a monthly fee to do so.
 

[w2aew]

Yes - today, ham radio isn't so much about the capability (talking to folks around the country/world, using satellites, etc.), it is more about the challenge and sense of accomplishment in doing these things, often with homemade equipment or antennas, or simply by doing it relying on knowledge, skill and luck rather than an established communications infrastructure.

[Lord of nothing]

As of a few years ago I could still pick up an eerie Cuban "numbers" station many times in the evening.

And today you hear the Powerline Adapter from the neighbours next to you. I try manything but I could not get any clear signals. The crap transmitt from ~2Mhz up to 30Mhz.

Code: [Select]

Much of that stuff is digital now and it's almost all trunked.And Encrypt. 

[W9GFO]

You used a third party with all kinds of communications infrastructure.
There is something to be said for doing the same thing;
With a radio you built or repaired
An antenna you built
Had to deal with the fickle nature of the ionosphere
And did it without paying a monthly fee to do so.

...and will still be effective when the zombie apocalypse arrives.

[james_s]

I didn't say it isn't still fun, it's just not as amazing anymore now that long distance communication is the norm.

My great uncle was a long time ham, he had cards from contacts all over the world, it was a really novel thing back then to talk to someone on another continent.

If some kind of apocalypse arrives, we could be more useful setting up ad-hoc WiFi networks than relaying messages around on the ham bands. It's nice to know I have the option of using the radio to communicate should the need arise, but I don't actually expect it to be all that useful, it's just a hobby.

[W2NAP]

yes, get a ham license. only go right for general. that way you can get on HF voice,cw and data

[apelly]

You can tip in a lot of money and effort for very little useful outcome. I love it and recommend it highly!

I was looking for a hobby to get into.

Me too. And it's awesome. A whole host of new, (sometimes) expensive and useless toys.

[raspberrypi]

I am so buying that. I like the beach shots, but your January's in aus have just terrible weather. Whats a trusted source to buy one? I talked to some old kodger today about going to a meet up and getting the extra class lic. instead of borrowing a dead persons call sign, he explained how that might not be a good idea.

[VK5RC]

+1 re getting gear from another Ham, esp a local, he is less likely to sell a dud, do check it out though, or have someone else.
The whole idea of Amateur radio is not really to talk to another Ham but as a means to self experiment and learn about electronics esp rf.
From a learning perspective I feel, the license or licenses are just the beginning.
Talking to another, especially with the same interests as you,  can be of both educational  and social interest.
73 Robert
VK5RC

[AF6LJ]

I didn't say it isn't still fun, it's just not as amazing anymore now that long distance communication is the norm.

My great uncle was a long time ham, he had cards from contacts all over the world, it was a really novel thing back then to talk to someone on another continent.

If some kind of apocalypse arrives, we could be more useful setting up ad-hoc WiFi networks than relaying messages around on the ham bands. It's nice to know I have the option of using the radio to communicate should the need arise, but I don't actually expect it to be all that useful, it's just a hobby.

There isn't anything amazing anymore, life is all about settling into what you want to do/learn and enjoy a peaceful existence.

[james_s]

Sure there is, I've seen more amazing technological developments in my lifetime already than I ever would have imagined possible. I mean if 20 years ago someone told me that today I'd be able to buy an inexpensive fingernail sized memory device that holds 32 gigabytes I'd have thought they were on drugs. The fact that I can pull a tiny phone out of my pocket, call someone on the other side of the world and talk to them like they're in the next town is still pretty amazing. Being able to download several gigabytes from a server in another state/country in a short period of time, that's pretty amazing.

[raspberrypi]

Sure there is, I've seen more amazing technological developments in my lifetime already than I ever would have imagined possible. I mean if 20 years ago someone told me that today I'd be able to buy an inexpensive fingernail sized memory device that holds 32 gigabytes I'd have thought they were on drugs. The fact that I can pull a tiny phone out of my pocket, call someone on the other side of the world and talk to them like they're in the next town is still pretty amazing. Being able to download several gigabytes from a server in another state/country in a short period of time, that's pretty amazing.

If someone told me that 20 years ago, I would ask why aren't we using jet packs and hover boards? Replicators (no not goo out of a slow noisy 3d printer)How about a cheap SouthWest hyper sonic flight to Honk Kong that takes 3 hours and costs 89 bucks? Instead we have the same shit as 20 years ago, just a little bit smaller and faster but just as expensive and now with 2 year contracts and convenience fees. My glass is half empty, BUT it's the cups emptiness that makes it useful. You can't do much with a cup thats full except dump it out.
 Yawn.