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Anyone wanna help a newbe get started ?

JK08

New Member
Jun 5, 2018
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Hello .... be gentle I'm new to this site and the the whole Ham thing ....
Looking to get started without getting in over my head......
Thanx.
 

Welcome!

Unlike in years past, you no longer have to buy a receiver to hear what's going on as there are plenty of Web connected receivers that allow you to listen in on various bands and modes. That said, do be aware that there are some well-known frequencies that various loonies hang out on and the language is not even PG-13--14.313 and 7.200 MHz come to mind. Fortunately, the majority of the spectrum is not like this and you'll hear friendly conversations and nets in progress up and down the dial.

Some searching with your favorite search engine will give you plenty of leads on study guides and online practice exam resources. You should also be able to find a volunteer examiner group in your area when you are ready to sit for an exam.

As for being in over your head, you are in that fabulous period where everything is new and exciting and no matter the topic you are overwhelmed by the jargon. Don't get discouraged as you try to sip from the fire hose! Eventually all of this will become second nature.

Have fun and ask questions.
 
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welcome to the forum JK08!. we will help you all we can. lots of nice people on this forum. got ant questions ask away bro
 
Very few of the board members would be considered "Cranky Old Hams."
The only stupid question is one that is not asked.
Are you into amateur radio or CB? Plenty of help for either ambition.
 
geez guys!

he said be gentle, and here all of you go with the big welcomes and niceties and you done scared him off LOL.

welcome to the forum JK08. there is no such thing as not getting in over your head in this hobby once the bug bites you.
LC
 
Thanks Guys & Gals for your support....... a little about me, I have a friend at work that started talking about his old hobby of CB, kept on goin on and on day in and day out
he say man you gotta get hooked up !.....So leave it to me to accept another venture
(my wife will attest to that for sure!) So I went out and bought a Uniden Pro 520XL
and installed it into my "JK08" ..(hence the handle) if in fact we/you all still say handle?
:)........and so it was begun ....I did back in the 80's have a midland 23 channel ....really never got into so much.?But now I must be going thru one of those "Mid -Life" things
because as of last November I bought a home base "Cherokee cbs 1000" that mind you know very little about. So this now brings us to this spring and after hearing all of the trash talkin foul mouthin going on I'm really wondering about CB 11 meter ....hmmm
Now I know what your all thinking, and so am I thinking the same thing........So I did it...
I looked into the "HAM" world
 
I drive a lot and got tired of the parking lots on I-95 so i picked up a CB. you can get traffic reports but a whole lot more than i wanted to listen to so i picked up a tyt9800 quad band.. I can still receive cb if needed but it opened a much bigger more structured experience,,..Iam studying for general and already have a idea for a decent shack.. final desire is to DX with the men in the moon!!

KN4NFG
 
Look at hamstudy.org it's free and if you use the flashcards and sample tests on it you'll get your Technician license easy.. that's how I did it. If you register for free it also it will track your progress and the flashcards you miss will be put up again for you again till you get it.. which is super helpful.

Took General 3 months later using same website.
 
A lot of hams are converts from CB. Some will admit it, others won't.
Take your time, study, write the test and hopefully get HF privledges. That is where I have the most fun.
And welcome to the forum.
 
Look at hamstudy.org it's free and if you use the flashcards and sample tests on it you'll get your Technician license easy.. that's how I did it. If you register for free it also it will track your progress and the flashcards you miss will be put up again for you again till you get it.. which is super helpful.

Took General 3 months later using same website.

Here's another vote for hamstudy.org! (y)
 
For the record, ham is not an acronym so no reason to put it in all caps. :D It's nothing other than a slang name for amateur radio these days.

As for how we got started, my first exposure to two-way radio was probably VHF low-band business band in use by various businesses and then CB, both from neighbors and popular culture. We bought CBs for the farm in 1980--when they really started to get cheap--so, yeah, I technically started in CB. I never had an external amplifier, VFO, an SSB CB, or anything like that. I did work a station in Pennsylvania from here in Kansas one time which only whetted my appetite more for getting licensed as a radio amateur so I could do that legally.

Frankly, it's the attitude of the individual that determines the type of operator they will be, not where they first received exposure to the world of radio.
 
So I did it looked into the "HAM" world
Don't get me wrong here but you should know this, We have our Idiots on ham bands too. 14.313Mhz would be a shining example. Amateur Radio Operators are supposed to be more knowledgeable, and maybe a little more educated.
If you were to suppose that perhaps they would be more genteel you would be wrong.
Money won't buy you class and education won't make you smart!
 
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