Does anyone have a ham radio??

[cknmom]

I have been wanting to get into ham radios. Dh has looked into it on line and can only find very basic radios for a great deal of money and you have to buy everything else (mics. headphones,etc.) separately. I had been told several years ago that ham radios were not expensive.

Does anyone know anything about them or have one they want to get rid of for not a lot of money?

Monica

 

[Rosalind]

You need to find an amateur radio convention/show. There, they will have all sorts of cheap radios, components, and there will be people there who can get you into (free!) classes to get your FCC license--you need one to operate the radio at all. Amateur Radio Relay League has tons of info. There's a link on there, you can find the local club and they will usually have someone who can give you much more information than you ever wanted.

It's a lot of fun. I got my license when I was in college, volunteering at the school's radio station, and I wanted to learn how to repair the transmitter when it went down, do patch-ins for roaming news reporters and stuff. You can talk to people all over the world.

 

[cknmom]

Thanks rosalind, that is going to help a lot. There is a club/classes at the bottom of our mt.

Monica

 

[LoneCowboy]

What do you consider a lot of money. I have one, an older Yaesu FT-890, but it's a fantastic radio. Very clean, has the auto tuner. I hunted for a long time to get this particular radio because it's really easy to use but they weren't making it any more. I finally found it used and snatched it up. The orginal owner took really good care of it, and I've used it very little. I have the mounting bracket for it too, if you want to put it in your car. I also have a Cushcraft R7000 multi-band antenna that has been used once. I'm an Advanced Class operator, but I've not done anything with it since the last two places I've lived. I did a lot of local UHF/VHF stuff but not much HF

 

[LoneCowboy]

Oh, BTW the ham operators in your area are really wonderful people. I've met some of them, and they did a really nice tribute to my dad when he died, on their weekly net. They also do a road and weather net during the travel time during the holidays to make sure everybody knows what the roads are like and can get their families home safe.

 

[banditgin]

my dh is a ham, he has tried to get me interested in it, he finds good deals at hamfests

 

[k0xxx]

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get into Ham radio. With the basic license (Technician), you are generally limited to the VHF and up bands and you can find radios to get you started in the hundred dollar range. Ground plane and beam type antennas are very easy to build yourself at these frequencies.

You will need to advance to the next license (General) to talk on the HF frequencies and then you can literally work the world. The good news for those just starting, is that Morse code is no longer required. It takes some patience, but basic starter radios for HF can be found in the two to three hundred dollar range. Again, a wire antenna that is easily built your self will get you on the air.

Of course, like any hobby you can spend many thousands of dollars if you have the money to spare. However, it certainly isn't required. My suggestion would be to lok up a local club and visit one of their meetings. Most Hams are more than willing to help you get started.

If I can assist you in answering any questions that you may have or in helping you locate club, please don't hesitate to ask or send me a private e-mail.

73, (Ham speak for Best Regards)
Mark, KØXXX

 

[fosterchick]

My husband and my five children have their license. My husband and one child have their General license and the other four have their Technician license. My husband has a unit in the house and in his car. I have bought the children all their own radios. They all have hand held units. I bought them all brand new and the cost about $150 each. I did spend more on one because one of the children, has a lot of accidents. She drops things alot. It has been a wonderful have the children involved in the radio community. They all do community service. My oldest (16 years old) works with state for emergency comunications. Her dad helps out with this and the rest do comunications for running races. They also get together with other children that have their licenses.

 

[k0xxx]

That's great! Amateur Radio is a great hobby, especially the public service aspect. My wife and two children are Technicians and are all active in ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) and RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services). I hold an Extra class license and I am also the ARES Emergency Coordinator and the RACES Officer for our county.

Cell phone service is real spotty in our hills, so we also have the radio in the car. There is so many interesting things that you can do in Amateur Radio and it is a great learning tool for the kids. We also use the radios for keep in touch around our property. Of course, riding around on our lawn tractor that has a magnet mount 2 meter antenna, sometimes gets me some strange looks from people passing by.

My kids are adults now, and Amateur Radio and public service on their resume' has definitely been a plus for both of them.

Now, if I can only get the family as fired up about chickens!

 

[Parson's Wife]

We have several church folk who are ham crazy! I don't know anything about them, they love them, they love to chat, and they attend Ham Radio Conventions....One man is certified to give tests...the other two have taken tests of some sort...I just don't know that much about it. Just wanted to let you know they enjoy it.