What are you doing for communications?

[Blitzfike]

I started hamming in 1979 through the Choctaw Amateur Radio Club. Passed my Novice exam and started doing morse code in the novice portion of the bands we were allowed to operate on. It didn't take me long to upgrade, and I had to take the exams before an FCC examiner. I have held each class of license and eventually upgraded to Extre Class. I have operated all of the modes that were available up until about 10 years ago. I havent kept up with the newer digital stuff. I was one of the first three hams on Packet Radio in Oklahoma. My hamming now consists mostly of mobile operation and operating from campsites in the woods. I do mostly HF radio these days, but I still have all the other capability on the shelf. If things go south big time, radio is going to become a lifeline again. Cell phones and the internet have drastically reduced the use of Ham Radio, but when disaster strikes, the cell network either goes down or is so crowded it isn't reliable. Some of the neatest operating has been with the Television modes, I have operated both slow scan and fast scan TV. Lots of potential use in a prepper situation. I suspect CB will make a great comeback as people dig out the old radios and plug them back in..

 

[okav8tor]

Congratulations to all those who recently passed ham tests ..... I started off as a Novice many years ago and progressed up to Amaturer Extra. Of late I have been involved with the digital modes at QRP levels. It still amazes me how far you can transmit with just 5W.

 

[amcardon]

Just ordered a baofeng uv-5r+ and am hoping to take my tech & general tests soon. if anybody wants to start a thread with local channels to program CHIRP with, I wouldn't be upset... I'm a complete NOOB with HAM but am looking forward to getting more into it...

 

[OKMinuteman]

Wife and I got our Tech tickets and a pair of Chinese hand Helsa strictly as short trange backups as I didn't want to spend much on something that may never be used.

 

[p238shooter]

Another advertisement for getting your Ham Radio License.

 

[p238shooter]

Hit the wrong key too quickly.

When TSHTF Ham Radio operators can and will talk with each other. We can talk direct world wide, easily US, wide area 50-70 mile radius through repeaters, and locally 10-20 miles direct in most cases. We do not depend on internet, AT&T or anyone else. We are ready, how about you?.

Why wait until you are in a SHTF situation where you are busy with other items and now you are trying to illegally talk on an unfamiliar radio, trying to figure out how to make it work, and how to communicate with anyone you can find. Also at that time where you might be on the air illegally the FCC might be looking for you, and even worse, your neighbors within many miles will be looking to help the FCC find you because you are jamming up their system. They might even go looking their selves. We are not going to let ham radio turn into the CB like radio fiasco now or later because you did not prepare yourself. Expect no help and a lot of additional problems from me, your ham neighbors and even others on this board that are ham radio operatorss if you jump on our frequencies illegally.

A ham radio license is not difficult to get, and very rewarding to have. You can find free information on line, purchase study books for about $20, or go to an online study site for about $20 or so. My partly blond Wifey had no past experience in anything like this and studied an hour or so most evenings for two weeks and passed the test. She used www.hamtestonline.com, there are others I hear. It is not hard, you just have to know the rules and regulations and some other specific items that you are expected to know to answer the questions on the test. Act right, common sense rules, know how to use your equipment, know what frequencies you are legal for, identify yourself with your call sign. They give you very basic electronic/electrical questions that even Wifey could answer. The large part of the plug goes on the left side of the receptacle, the round one is the ground. Most of them are basic items to help keep you safe.

Study an hour or each evening for a couple of weeks and you will be ready to take the Technician test which will give you access to direct communication and repeaters that usually cover a 50mile radius. 2M is almost line of sight with some bending and reflections. The General Class license will give you up to world wide coverage with different radio setups. Tests are given in a lot of places. In Claremore OK, tests will be given at the Green Country Hamfest (The largest ham radio flea market in this area) in the evening on Friday March 8th and then again on Saturday March 9th. Look up the schedule.

A complete home or mobile set up will run you $250-400 depending if you go used or new. General class equipment to talk nation or world wide will run in the $7-800 range minimum, like anything, gold plate with towers and beam antennas for megabucks if you want and talk a little better.

In the ice storm a few years back, electricity, internet, and cell towers were out for over a week here. Our radio connected to our boat battery keep us in contact with friendly hams from Bartlesville, Joplin, Tulsa, Ft. Smith. Several offered to keep their radios turned up late at night in case we had an emergency, they could wake up and help.

Many 12-14 year olds have their license. It is a great hobby for kids to learn real regulations and responsibility, and communicate world wide. Most areas have radio club meetings to have a meal and meet others you talk with locally fact to face.

Great hobby that might have some actual use some day. PM if you have any questions. WB5Y Ken

 

[p238shooter]

Be aware of the requirement for all commercial services to convert
to narrow band by Jan 1 2013[/B]. This is why there is a lot of wide
band radios for sale cheep right now, they are not legal for use on
commercial frequencies any more. Every one has had to buy new
radios to comply with the new rules.

FRS has 14 narrow band, GMRS has 8 wide band.
MURS has 3 narrow band and 2 wide band frequencies..
HAM can use both wide band and narrow band.

My little Volunteer Fire Department just had to have a talk with a family who bought used commercial radios and was using our frequency for personal communications, opposite of ham radio where no business is allowed. They had bought them on ebay. I found a time they were on the air and me and some of my firefighter friends that were hams knocked on their door and advised of them of the situation. I have not heard them on the air since. If we do, they will have a knock on the door by the FCC. The FCC expects us to self police, which we do. If we have to call them for a problem, they know it is past taking a look to see what is going on. It is serious and they directly respond.

Ham radio operators sometimes do what we call "Fox Hunts" where someone will try to hide while they transmit with bouncing signals of metal objects like refineries, buildings, etc, playing tape recorders of train sounds, varying power, etc. No one lasts very long. The winner gets to be the "Fox" next month and we start over. Not one of our "professionals" last more than a couple hours, and we snag the fox. Lots of fun finding him, some chase with minimal equipment, some have very high tech directional antenna systems. Many are found with a handy talkies and a piece of aluminum foil to determine direction. Just keep moving in.

I guess I have an attitude. Do not mess with my communications. Ham radio, Firefighter frequencies, or aircraft control frequencies while I am flying in the clouds. Be legal to talk what you are talking, or stay off and do not jam me up, now or later. A 3 inch section missing from your antenna wire might degrade your signal. WB5Y Ken

 

[dennishoddy]

Ham is awesome. When I was stationed in Korea in the 70's we were a MARS station. The site commander had the license, and we helped lots of soldiers get calls back home. Back in my day, you got one or two calls home a year, as there was nothing but undersea cables. It was $60 a minute for a call. A months pay for a private.
We spent lots of time on our time off days helping these folks make contact with their family's.

Interesting note: The room on the back side of the radio shack was storage for flourescent bulbs. As one talked, the bulbs would flash.

 

[p238shooter]

Radio operators in general seem to try to be helpful when they can. They are accustom to reaching out into the unknown and contacting someone and would like to be able to help others do the same. In your case a call home. A MARS license is a little frequency extension off Ham radio frequencies used by military operators and hams that meet certain criteria. I could not meet their check in time and date requirements to keep mine up to be authorized to use those frequencies, my life was too busy.

Hams try to be helpful, there were over 2000 transmissions by hams made during Katrina generated by someone calling the Red Cross in Tulsa and a ham volunteer relayed the call to check on the health and welfare of others in the affected area and passed information back.

 

[been]

screaming. I do not plan on communicating with others.