How To Become a HAM Radio Operator

[Jesu27]

Does the gauge of wire matter? Should it be stripped for best results?
Thank you for the info

 

[DonTom]

Does the gauge of wire matter? Should it be stripped for best results?
Thank you for the info

The gauge of the wire makes no difference for other than being strong enough for the wind and weather. No need to strip it. Very simple and easy and you can do almost anything you want and it will work. But the lower frequencies you want to listen to, the wire should be longer. It can never be too long for a receive only antenna, so the longer the better. The lower frequencies are a longer wave length, so that is why the antenna for lower frequencies should be longer. But even too short will work, just not as well as longer. Too short could cause the wanted signal to get weaker than your internal noise, which usually isn't a problem anyway after several feet of wire.

Again transmit antennas are a totally different story, but receive only antennas are very simple and not critical.

73, -Don- AA6GA, Reno

 

[4wheeler4]

Ham radio session in Pahrump 7/8/17

Reminder, HAM radio Exam Saturday, 8 July 2017 at 1300 hours (1PM) in Pahrump at the Nye County Emergency Operations Center, 1510 Siri Lane, for anyone interested.

There will also be a Technician class study from 8 am to 12 noon at the same location, if you have been studying for your Tech class license and want some extra study, have questions answered by three old hams, two of whom are Electronics Engineers, call Dick Grady at 775-513-4388 and make a reservation for the class.

This class ALONE WLL NOT give you the information you need to be able to pass the exam, you will need to have studied the material for a couple of weeks in advance.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Reminder, HAM radio Exam Saturday, 12 August 2017 at 1300 hours (1PM) in Pahrump at the Nye County Emergency Operations Center, 1510 Siri Lane, for anyone interested.

There will also be a Technician class study from 8 am to 12 noon at the same location, if you have been studying for your Tech class license and want some extra study, have questions answered by three old hams, two of whom are Electronics Engineers, call Dick Grady at 775-513-4388 and make a reservation for the class.

This class ALONE WLL NOT give you the information you need to be able to pass the exam, you will need to have studied the material for a couple of weeks in advance.

 

[Saladin]

testing

Had a pleasant chat with the gentleman this morning advising him that I was going to attend the study-testing session on the 12th.
Been hitting the material on the net for Tech exam (90+ average now) he suggested I hit the General information and go ahead and give it a shot. Might just as well !

See ya there,thanks for all the information you have provided in this thread !!

Saladin :thumbup1:
"Let no mans ghost say his training let him down"

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Had a pleasant chat with the gentleman this morning advising him that I was going to attend the study-testing session on the 12th.
Been hitting the material on the net for Tech exam (90+ average now) he suggested I hit the General information and go ahead and give it a shot. Might just as well !

See ya there,thanks for all the information you have provided in this thread !!

Saladin :thumbup1:
"Let no mans ghost say his training let him down"

Will look forward to seeing you then and there.

 

[megawatt]

I passed the technical class exam on April fools day. I was able to study about an hour a day (most days) for about two and a half weeks and passed the exam the first time. The are good free study/quiz apps for smartphones out there.
I haven't been able to attend club meetings with work in the way but the exam is out of the way.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

I passed the technical class exam on April fools day. I was able to study about an hour a day (most days) for about two and a half weeks and passed the exam the first time. The are good free study/quiz apps for smartphones out there.
I haven't been able to attend club meetings with work in the way but the exam is out of the way.

Congrats Joe, long time no see, here or at the skeet field!

Now move on up to the General class so you can do some DX'ing.

 

[megawatt]

Congrats Joe, long time no see, here or at the skeet field!

Now move on up to the General class so you can do some DX'ing.

Hey SB, always good to hear from you. Summer is busy time at the power plant, but I am going to make time for more lessons, (sometime this century). Best kept secret is lessons from NYECOGunsmith.

 

[DonTom]

Congrats Joe, long time no see, here or at the skeet field!

Now move on up to the General class so you can do some DX'ing.

It seems to me that all the DX is on the very bottom of the CW bands-the Extra section.

Even though I am an Extra, I rarely am in the Extra bands as the only time I chase DX is when it's the only thing on the air. And that is often the case on 40M CW after midnight or so.

73, -Don- AA6GA, Reno, NV

 

[Saladin]

Well ,made the journey over the hump bright and early for the study and test.:driving:
Kudos to Steve and Crew !!
I was the only one signed up and derived the benefits of that knowledgeable group.
Had taken the time to use the online self study/self testing guides for about four weeks prior.
That,and the study class (four hours) enabled me to pass the Technician test with a good score.:smilewinkgrin:
At their urging I pressed on and took a swing at the General test, with no exposure /study I hit a little under half the right answers.
My study guides for General and Extra have been on order for about a week now,shipped yesterday. And I feel confident that with the same study/test protocol I used for the Tech prep I should have the same outcome when I retake the General test.
Looking forward to the hump again soonest !

Again, Thanks Guys !!!!!

Saladin

"Let no mans ghost say his training let him down"

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Was a pleasure meeting ya, check the FCC ULS site along about Friday, your call sign could be there as early as that.
Holler if you have questions about the general or extra material, radio's (YAESU!) Or getting on the air.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Next HAM EXAM in Pahrump is Saturday, 9 September 2017 at 1300 hours, at the Nye County EOc, 1510 Siri Lane.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Exam session Saturday 21 Oct 2017 in Pahrump IS be back on, but without the study class the usually proceeds it in the morning, will post as soon as the folks in charge make up their minds, again!

Normal schedule for Pahrump is the second Saturday of the month, however, for October only, it will be the THIRD Saturday of the month, 21 OCTOBER 2017, at 1510 Siri Lane, the Nye County Emergency Operations Center (usual place) due to a scheduling conflict, this month only will be the THIRD Saturday of the month.

 

[Dusty]

This is something else I need to get off of my but and do! Been a busy year though. I need to see if I can find that darn ham book again and study up.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Dusty, Send me a PM with your e-mail and I can send you the current question pool , diagrams, etc. it's free on the ARRL web page. If the book you have doesn't say it is for the Technician class question pool valid from 1 July 2014 through 30 June 2018, then it is out of date and won't do you any good.

 

[SundevilSG]

Hey [MENTION=60]NYECOGunsmith[/MENTION] can you post a link to the current exam questions? I have the ones you sent me maybe 18 months ago, but I want to make sure they're still correct.

Thanks

edit: is this it? http://ncvec.org/downloads/2014-2018 Tech Pool.pdf

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Current Link To ARRL Technician Class Question Pool

Sure, I can do that...............you gotta dollar?

The current question pool for the Technician Class License is good from 1 July 2014 through 30 June 2018.

It can be found at:

http://ncvec.org/page.php?id=362

Page looks like this:
2014-2018 FCC Element 2 Technician Class Question Pool.doc
2014-2018 FCC Element 2 Technician Class Question Pool.txt
2014-2018 FCC Element 2Technician Class Question Pool.pdf

2014-2018 FCC Element 2 Technician Class Question Pool Graphics Only.doc
2014-2018 FCC Element 2 Technician Class Question Pool Graphics Only.pdf
2014-2018 FCC Element 2 Technician Class Question Pool Graphics Only.jpg

Graphic T-1.jpg
Graphic T-2.jpg
Graphic T-3.jpg

I suggest downloading the .doc versions, going through them the first time, and erasing the three incorrect answers, leaving only the correct answer, then study the questions and just the correct answer.
The correct answer is shown in parenthesis just above each question, immediately following the question number. DO NOT memorize the letter that indicates the correct answer, it will be different on the real exam!

Remember to also download the THREE schematic drawings for the question pool!

The General Class Question Pool is valid from 1 July 2015 through 30 June 2019, and can be found at this URL:

http://ncvec.org/page.php?id=364

You want the file that looks like this:
February 11, 2015 FINAL REVISED 2015-2019 General Class Question Pool 2-11-2015.doc and the schematic .....
2015 G7-1 Diagram

Same thing applies to the General and Extra class pools, use the Word.doc form, and study just the correct answers.

The Extra Class question pool, valid from 1 July 2016 through 30 June 2020, is found at:
http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=365

And you want these two files, the questions and the diagrams

2016-2020 Amateur Extra Class Question Errata Pool with 2nd Errata.doc
2016-2020 Amateur Extra Class Question Pool Diagrams.pdf

Any questions, drop me a note.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Hey [MENTION=60]NYECOGunsmith[/MENTION] can you post a link to the current exam questions? I have the ones you sent me maybe 18 months ago, but I want to make sure they're still correct.

Thanks

edit: is this it? http://ncvec.org/downloads/2014-2018 Tech Pool.pdf

Can't tell if that is it or not, since it doesn't show the revision level or the dates through which it is valid. Best to just download a fresh copy of the current one I think.

 

[SundevilSG]

I've been trying to use this study guide and man.. I cant take it any more. Talk about dry.

https://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2014-no-nonsense-tech-study-guide-v20.pdf

I think I'll back to just memorizing the answers as suggested. I was looking for a more comprehensive/concept based approach (I like to know the "whys and hows"), but that aint it!!