So you would like to be a ham operator?

Ham radio, does anyone know what it is? “Sure, isn’t that the citizens band stuff that truckers use on the highway? Breaker, breaker good buddy, CW McCall and “we got us a convoy” jargon.”

No, ham radio is something all together different.  While the equipment includes a transceiver and a microphone that is about where the similarities end. 

CB radio does not require licensing of any kind.  Back in the 70’s licenses were required but the FCC dropped that requirement and now if you have the money to buy one you can talk on a CB radio.  Since it is unregulated (that may be a little strong) or loosely regulated the rules are pretty informal and topics and language can be for mature audiences only, sometimes. Many folks have gone to the FRS walkie talkies for mobile to mobile and for family outings at amusement parks and other travel venues just because of the language and topics heard on CB’s.  The FRS equipment does not allow much distance so CB radio can be useful if you need longer distances (up to several miles).

Anyway, ham radio requires licensing for all operators and ham equipment is regulated by the FCC and it is self regulated as well. The hobbiest might find this to be something he/she might enjoy doing as they become less mobile with time or situation. This may also be an interesting hobby for those who have a technical gene and like tinkering with stuff just to figure out how it works.

Many might recall the requirements of knowing and using Morse code to become a ham operator.  As of February 2007 there is no longer a requirement to know Morse code to get an amateur radio license. There is still an awful lot of Morse code being used but it is voluntary rather than mandatory.

The FCC has 3 levels of amateur licensing.  They are titled, Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. The Technician level is the entry level and is pretty restrictive (not much band width) but lots of voice and code opportunities. The next level is General and has very liberal frequency privileges.  Almost all of the frequencies are available and most modes (PSK16 and PSK 31, FAX, Slow ScanTV and several other digital modes) are also available. Finally there is Amateur Extra class which has all amateur radio privileges.  The tests become progressively more intensive. The Technician class is not too difficult and is intended to get folks on the radio and having fun.  The other two classes require testing that is more technical in nature and delves into the circuitry and making of antennas and logic components.  Fun stuff.

The purpose of this blog is to discuss the process where by one can move from the Technician license to the General and Extra licenses.

For most of us, the information that is tested is not stuff we already knew.  So there are some real mental hurdles to overcome. You often hear folks say, “I am not good at math.” Those kind of mental blocks can make getting your radio licenses very difficult.  Electronic circuitry and such are brand new to me and while I understand logic (ANDs, ORs and NAND’s etc) calculating RMS values and oscilloscopes, and frequency analyzers were really new. There is also the test anxiety. I don’t know about you but I have not taken a test of any significance (except my drivers license test) since I left grad school. The thought of failing one of these was pretty debilitating! As I sat in the room awaiting testing this past weekend the 25 or so people waiting with me were practically buzzing with test anxiety.

So let me describe the technique I use and that I would recommend to any who wants to pass these tests.

I enjoy using Gordon West’s Ham Radio books for each of the levels. He does a thorough job of reviewing and explaining the material.  The FCC testing is done in a somewhat unique method.  All of the questions that will be on the test are public information. They are maintained in a public question pool.  There are several sites on-line that provide practice tests and let you verify your knowledge before you every go to take the test.

I have found if I read through the all of the questions and answers and explanations once and highlight the correct answer then I can start taking tests on-line. I used WWW.QRZ.COM and I like to take about 10 repetitions. Make sure you are taking a different test each time. I didn’t worry too much about whether I passed or not. The focus is on learning, not on passing.  Then I reread the entire book, reviewing all of the questions and focus only on the right answers. Then I return to the on-line testing until I pass every time.  Once I am passing every time, I find a place to test (here in Kansas City, Associated Radio has handouts in the their store with the various locations where testing occurs and the dates they are held each month) and clear my schedule for that time. In the Kansas City area you can take test on all but the first Saturday of the month and there is even an evening testing session in Independence.  The test fee is $14. You can take the same license test as many times as you wish until you pass, but you have to pay $14 for each test.  However, if you pass the Technician test you can take the General and if you pass that you can take the Extra all for the single fee of $14.  But if you need to repeat the same test then you must pay an additional $14 for each time you take that test.

Keep in mind I indicated that I work on the tests until I PASSthe tests every time. I know there are some type A’s out there that absolutely have to be perfect and not miss any questions.  You will see reviews on-line of folks who took their test months ago and still remember how many they got wrong!  This is obviously a stressful thing, taking these tests.  But I recommend you focus on learning not passing.  After all, this testing is to allow you to operate a radio and you want as much knowledge as possible, so learn all you can and pass the test so you can get on the air. But much like high school there are several topics that may not ever be relevant to your radio experiences. So strive to pass the tests. Knowledge is always good but generating more stress to do perfect is counter productive.

So to summarize:

Read the entire book and highlight the correct answers

Take 10 tests on-line focusing on learning the material

Reread the book focusing only on the correct (highlighted) answers

Take tests on-line until you consistently pass with a score of better than 85%

VE’s (the folks that administer these tests) indicate that your test results will be within 1 or 2  questions of the level you have had on your on-line tests. So if you have been regularly getting 85% you should expect somewhere between 83% – and 87% on your live test.  Which means you pass!

So buy the book, get on-line and get your license upgrade. It is less than one months worth of work and I believe you will be amazed at how quickly you are ready for your test.

73’s K9RSL

Mom said, “Go Outside and Play!”

I can remember as a young man coming in from school or getting up on a Saturday morning and asking Mom, ” what should I do today?” Mom’s standard response was, “go outside and play.” She had house work to do keeping things neat and orderly, with my younger brother and I, that in itself was pretty time consuming.  None the less, being somewhat typical, we took Mom’s direction (does anyone remember minding what your mother told you to do?) and headed out the door to do the kinds of things that kids in the 50’s and 60’s did.  We played in the park across the alley and rode bicycles, waded in Blackhawk Creek (could this be a hint as to my origins?) and hunted feral pigeons with BB guns in the west end. As I matured (or at least grew older) these pass times turned into more focused hobbies. Playing in the park turned into hiking, hunting and fishing. Wading in the creek blended with pigeon shooting to become a passion for wild fowling and wild critter observation. Recording these events turned into an interest in photography, especially digital photography. Along the way ATVs, four wheel drive vehicles, Boy Scouting, and number of other outdoor based pass times became the core of who I am and what I value.

That said, I cherish most wild things and the world in which they exist. My personal code focuses the conservation of these things, whether it is water fowl or the Druid Peak Pack in Yellowstone. I value the world that let’s us co-exist with nature.  I appreciate the pursuit of wild game and skills needed to make all parties successful, both the predator and prey.

All of that leads to this first blog. Who am I, and what are the things I feel need to be said. In the coming weeks and months I will try and share the world through my eyes.  I have a penchant for research and the logic process needed to come to a conclusion that is useful for me. As with any decision making process the conclusions are never universal. Heck, they often are only valid to my situation for a short period of time. After all they are my criteria so if your posts focus on me and how could I come to that conclusion then please move along smartly on the information highway because I am sharing my thoughts, my process and my conclusions.  If they don’t apply to you, let me know why and how. If you have similar passions let me know about them.  Leave the judgement for those of superior intellect and experience.  You don’t know me, and I don’t know you, so let’s play nice and make this an enjoyable experience for everyone.

You are hopefully going to find me to be a “yarn spinner.” A bit o’ the blarney is not out of the question! Be forewarned.

I will write about outdoor stuff.  Right now it is likely to be duck hunting, selecting ATVs and other things pertinent to fowl hunting in the Midwest. That will quickly give way to more sedentary pass times as the winter sets in for real and drives all of us to cover, where we are safe from mother natures stinging reproach. She’s a crafty one that lady, so beware as the mercury falls deep into the glass vial and the ground hardens, and her north wind blows a sirens song, willing you outdoors for her to have her way with you.  Beware, she’s a tough one. She will play with you until she tires of your folly and then she will do away with you in the wink of an eye.  Be careful. 

So watch for some reports on the the duck and goose migration. Do you know what digiscoping is? We will get into that in a month or so.  As the water fowl season comes to a close that will be a topic of some discussion as a selection of camera adaptors and lenses as well as settings will come into focus. Gosh I may even let my guard down and discuss spotting scopes (I hope that does not happen) and even discuss favorite shotguns.  It is almost a universal truth that discussing other folks fetishes is bad medicine, but we shall see what we shall see. 

As the fowling season closes I want to get some photos of these magnificent birds both as they  head south and then again on their return trip north with their new found partners.  In some cases it looks more like closing time at the local pub than it does mating.

For now it is ducks and I am in the final throws of a decision about and selection of a new ATV so that will get some words very soon. In the mean time if there are technology decisions to be made, I will get after those as well and share my thoughts. I think most of the computer stuff and wireless stuff is put to bed for now. But all it takes is one hardware failure and there we go.  I do have need to discuss some ham radio things (K9RSL) as well, but for now antennas and radios will take a back burner until the winds howl around the window sills and the sleet tap, tap, taps against the glass as we drift off to sleep……