amateur radio

[musicman]

Hey guys new I here, I was thinking of getting a trucker radio as a hobby, I thought it would be cool to talk to other ppl and get in on the road community, I was just wondering what else you use it for? What's this about a license? And am i right that this is the same radio that you put in the car that's like $30 on amazon?

A truckers radio is a cb radio, and No license is required. It is a 11 meter radio. All other frequencies that amateur radio uses require a license as well as written testing.

 

[Jmel]

W4CKA here.

I got into ham radio a few years ago and really enjoy it. I do some qrp, and digital modes too.

I posted in the comms thread as well about my setups. I use a Morningstar duo controller in my van and it's pretty RF quiet.

 

[Duke]

Hey guys new I here, I was thinking of getting a trucker radio as a hobby, I thought it would be cool to talk to other ppl and get in on the road community, I was just wondering what else you use it for? What's this about a license? And am i right that this is the same radio that you put in the car that's like $30 on amazon?

tbarton99: if you are talking about the small handy-talky made by Baofeng, yes it is necessary to obtain a basic HAM license to transmit. The begining lic is called Technician. I took a great on-line course to pass mine, and joined local Amatuer Radio Club- YARC.

This is the outfit I chose. They don't simply get you to memorize answers, they present material for learning and allow you to go further down the rabbit hole should you want to. The quizzing determines material you have learned, then stops asking...more efficient than taking practice exams. When I had a question about the program, they answered my email within the hour and ended up talking on the phone. Rare!
https://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/

You can listen all you want prior to passing. You could, if in a real bonafide emergency transmit. 

They are easily programmable as to local repeater sites and such. It amazes me how well they work, for such a cheap price. Off mountaintop repeaters I talk with friends hundreds of miles away.

Duke

 

[blmkid]

The one that traveling keeps bringing back is amateur radio. Once the equipment is acquired, it only costs amperage.

Be great if you guys had a "HAM" area reserved for ya, at RTR, that is. Be cool to come by and see all the different set-ups in one area. Do they have " HAM festival's? Convention?

 

[velojym]

Oh, yeah. Hamfests all over the country.

I'm a Tech, haven't taken the time to upgrade from there, but I do keep a VHF/UHF Yaesu stealth-mounted in my HHR. If/when I sell that car, I'll move the radio over to the Suburban, if not sooner.

 

[tx2sturgis]

 Do they have " HAM festival's? Convention?

Lots of them all over the country, and in fact, Quartzfest is one of the big ones and it starts as RTR is winding down:

http://quartzfest.org/

 

[DangerBird]

The Quartzfest starts the day the RTR ends. It is only about 15 miles away. http://quartzfest.org/ We will be going there also.

-Mike

 

[JoeNLynn]

Hi all , I am KM6MNS and will be at the RTR this year with my wife and our three cats in our MOHO.. Its a tank LOL.
Will be on the National calling freq for two meters at the RTR .. Also plan to go the Quartsfest .. 
Joe !

 

[arizonatruck]

Hello again. I got my tech license in march. I try to get on the air as much as possible.

 

[DangerBird]

Any body do DMR? I hang out on talk group 3100 most of the day. Will be at the van builds 3rd site tomorrow for a week and at the rtr in jan with the xyl who is also a ham.

Mike. N5AQM

 

[n0zbh]

Oh, yeah. Hamfests all over the country.

I'm a Tech, haven't taken the time to upgrade from there, but I do keep a VHF/UHF Yaesu stealth-mounted in my HHR. If/when I sell that car, I'll move the radio over to the Suburban, if not sooner.

Velojym I have My FTM 400DR remote head mounted in the same place. 

N0ZBH

 

[Brlux]

I have been a ham for 25 years and find the hobby and skills developed while exercising it very useful. It is amazing what you can get in a $25 Chinese Baofeng radio these days. They have a lot of capability that could only be found in a radio 10x their price 10 years ago. But the user interface is an after thought and the receiver is fairly poor. Receiver quality is the defining factor of radio design quality. But they are a great place to start or keep a few around as spares. They will get you on the air.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Currently the Baofeng (and similar chinese cheapos) are under FCC scrutiny and can't legally be sold. (yes I know you can still buy them just about everywhere)

And they can still legally be used by hams for transmitting on ham frequencies, no one is going to knock on your door for using one.

There are some technical requirements that need to be met by these radios to resume selling them legally.

 

[XERTYX]

*Bump*

I'd like to get back into the hobby.

I'm a technician class operator. Mostly VHF frequencies.

One reason I'd like to, I'd like to build a solar powered repeater.

Also I grew up behind a mic. I had a totally legal CB base station with a 16' antenna set up along major highways. Slightly less anonymous than the internet. But still fun.

 

[tx2sturgis]

One reason I'd like to, I'd like to build a solar powered repeater.

That's just a little weekend project...easy-peasy...but...building the 14,000 foot tall mountain to put it on here in the Texas Panhandle...now THAT is the hard part.

 

[G0ldengirl68]

Good to see this thread! I would love to learn AR. I think I'll look into equipment, licensing, and just the how-to's, 101 My X had one and rarely used it. I never tried it, or asked to. About that same time I discovered computers and got so into that, completely forgot about Ham Radio. The way the world's going (seems to be anyway) I would like to be able to use one for sure.

Thanks for the thread, I know what I'm reading about today

 

[G0ldengirl68]

There are some technical requirements that need to be met by these radios to resume selling them legally.

Just read an article included info on the Baofeng, so this was good info.  There are classes you can take that's talked about in the article, to earn a "free" FCC License (limited version):

Amateur Ham Radio - The Ultimate Tool for Survival Communications - Backwoods Home Magazine

 

[XERTYX]

I took mine years ago. 25 bucks I think it was for the test. I went to a local community center on the day of the test and got my license in the mail maybe 2 weeks later. You can go to the online callsign lookup tool on the FCC site and once you have been assigned a call sign you're legal to use that call sign until the paper copies of your license come in the mail.

 

[XERTYX]

That's just a little weekend project...easy-peasy...but...building the 14,000 foot tall mountain to put it on here in the Texas Panhandle...now THAT is the hard part.

HAHAHA TOUCHÉ!


But where I'm planning on moving to is not mountainous exactly, but a lot like my home town. The foothills. Also very rural. I havent looked but I'm doubting that there is a lot of infrastructure in that area as far as repeaters go. So maybe I'll be granted a license for a repeater and help juice the infrastructure.... from the sun. How cool is that?!

 

[tx2sturgis]

... until the paper copies of your license come in the mail.

They don't do that anymore. Fuh-get-about-it...

You can download a copy that you can print...and recently they did have a paper copy 'official' license printing service, but you have to request it and it takes awhile. They have been cutting back services so that is probably gone now also.

I have been watching and waiting for the GMRS fee to officially drop from $70 to $35...when that happens I will post a notice on this forum, and renew mine.....a GMRS license is easy to get and no test required. Equipment is fairly cheap and reliable, and it would be a good way for RVers and vanners to keep in touch, in camp and on the road as they travel in small caravans.