Inspiring to be a Licensed Ham anyone?

[NorthStar]

Does the Amatuer Radio Community welcome new licensed operators that used to be Cber's?

Or would it be best not to mention that you were or are a cber?

 

[Sonwatcher]

I have found on the Ham forums you have a mixture of both possitive and negative responces. While listening to 2 meter I have hardly CB mentioned. When I did it seemed it was something when talked about in someone's past that it was sort of apologetically but nothing really negative. But I know quite a few that use one. Yesterday I was listening to DX on 38lsb and heard a horrible example of a Ham talking to CBer's. He was swearing mostly telling them how dumb they are and how they didn't know anything about radio and proceeded to share how much he knew and proceeded to say how bad CB radios are. As I listened I thought about this great example of a Ham that was talking, He was talking past the allowed range permitted on a CB, his laungauge was bad enough to be fined for and totally against the "amateur code" and since he was puting down CB radios so much I assumed he was talking on the CB band with an Amateur radio, So in light of all that it made what he had to say about CBers not worth the breath he was exhaling.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

New amateurs are always welcomed regardless of background.The problem is when people bring the CB talk and way of thinking (you know all knobs to the right) that a lot of CB'ers,not all,have over to amateur radio.I keep hearing from CB'ers on this forum as well as others how hams hate CB'ers and don't want them as hams when in reality the problem stems from the CB'ers failure to leave the echo mike and roger beep mentality on 11m.I know a great deal of guys that started as CB'ers in the 80's and eventually got their ticket and have been well received.Almost all these guys were 11m DX'ers and almost never talked AM with echo etc.I just would not fess up to running freeband however.That can be seen as a complete disregard for regulations which hams take seriuosly for the most part.

 

[novakor]

NS it has been my experience that all new hams are welcome regardless of background. I have also noticed that as a new ham op gets more confident and acquires his or her own style of operating you gain more respect.
As far as mentioning that you once was a cb'er is ok in general conversation but probably not a good idea to mention any illegal use such as amps,freebanding, harassing truckers ect.
Also as mentioned by QRN ham radio has it's own language and it's best to leave the good buddy,catch you on the flip flop,roger doger,echo mic stuff behind.
73,Stu

 

[Randy CDX492]

I am not a ham yet, But my brother in law is and I have talking third party on his radio.(2meter) and everyone I talked to welcomed me and were nice to me....Some even offered to help me out if I had questions. Or needed help studying for the test....

 

[Joe]

well I will soon find out, I hope to write my exam at the end of this week or mid next week

I hope to get over 80% so I have a basic with honours. This allows me more privileges.

No matter what I will have it before the end of this month, even if I have to write it 3 times.

The instructor only live 10 mins from my house

by the way for the Canucks on the forum I highly highly recomand this book, its fantastic.

RAC Study Guide for the basic exam

https://www.rac.ca/store/basic-guide.htm

 

[Highlander_821]

In my area, some guys are ok with the CB thing, a few are pretty hostile about it. I learned to just keep my mouth shut about it.

Anymore, I'm more into monitoring, SWLing and scanning anyway, so I don't have occasion to transmit much, and when I do feel like it, I am more comfortable on 11 meters than ham.

But I'm glad I did get my ticket, I learned quite a bit that is useful on 11 meters, so it was worth the time spent, and I just renewed my ham license, just in case I get psyched about it again down the road.

 

[Peddler]

Why don't the hams lean toward elmering instead of browbeating the ex cber and acting like a snobish old blue hair? They can just as easily comment that"we don't do that here" or "that phrase isn't used here".

This is one of the reasons that a CB-HAM war exists.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Why don't the hams lean toward elmering instead of browbeating the ex cber and acting like a snobish old blue hair? They can just as easily comment that"we don't do that here" or "that phrase isn't used here".

This is one of the reasons that a CB-HAM war exists.

I guess it all depends who they are trying to tell.I have several locals that have been repeatedly and politely informed of things that are frowned upon and guess what? They have practically told them to F-off and they will use their damned radios anyway they see fit,after all they have a liscence tone repeated has been dubbed "The 11m repeater" and all the REAL hams have given up on monitoring it due to the "Charlies" on there.Browbeating and snobish old blue hairs are on BOTH sides of the street.

 

[CDX8412]

Hey Ron,

I heard that guy yelling at others on Ch 38 also !

That guy was a perfect example of just how disgusting and ignorant human beings can be. I don't care if he was a ham, a CB'er, or whatever. He was foul mouthed, insulting and just a terrific loser. I am embarassed when I hear people on a radio talking like that, because it makes all of us look like losers.

Unfortunately, many hams will take a dim view of anyone associated with CB radio. For good or for bad, the two services are very different...at least in the eyes of those on either side of the fence.

While I am pretty much the same on either CB (my CB use is strictly SSB-plain talk, no Q codes, no 10 codes, etc) or ham radio, I don't discuss one on the other service. Better to keep some things separated.

 

[Joe]

most ham operators started with a CB they may not admit it but its true, so why would they have the attitude

 

[949Jake]

I can't say that it ever comes up in conversation. The only time I can remember it coming up is when I first went to take my technician test and one of the Examiners asked me what got me interested in ham radio, if I knew any hams, etc. Other than that, it doesn't really come up unless you want it to.

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

hey there...

to start off....
good luck in taking the test and hope you pass..

in answer to your question however...
it depends on who you ask...

what most ham operators will not admitt and want it forgotten
is that at least 70 % (likly more like 80%) of ham operators in USA
came up from the ranks of CB...

here is my own privious and currant thoughts on the subject..

as we turn back the clock and return to the early 80's
i was a avid CB junkie living then in the mountians of nothern NJ

one day i got a flat at 3 am or so and found my new car (a 73 torino....with 351 cleland engin) had a odd wheel lug...
oh well i figured i am a 2 plus hour walk from anywhere (being i was in upstate ny coming back to NJ from a GoGo bar)..
AHH fear not i thought turn on the CB i bet some of my friends are on.....
hey there is so and so...
breaker to so and so
breaker to so and so
HEY BREAKER TO SO AND SO

hey i hear the police cool i will ask them to give me a hand
hey police this is so and so i am broken down a few miles off route 17 in ny..

say what says the cop...
i repeat...
cop say what you drinking boy or are you smoking
no i say mr cop can you help me i am at so and so
cop say is this joke not nice to joke with cop
i say no joke mr cop i am at so and so can someone come and help me

Cop say i am in Texas i will call cop in ny by you to come help you...and i hope you not drunk and or high

i say you are where..........Really....WOW but mr cop i am in so and so and i could use help

well cop came maybe 20-30 mins later...
cop say hey you one call texas cop for help (with my car on wheel jack...i am thinking....humm anyone else call cop in texas maybe hum i think only me)..
yes mr ny cop i call texas cop for help...
my friends down road not hear me...

So what does any of the above mean
was when i desided to look for a radio stronger then typical cb
so regardless of whether there are DX or skip conditions
i can get though to the people i needed to when i needed to
(this was before the days of cell phones)

well i bought a 10 meter radio that was not the allowed 4 watts output but think was 40 watts out on am and 120-150 on SSB

WOW this radio have much channels....
wonder what for.....
ahh look these channels refered to as Freeband....
ahh i like....i can use like those on ham radio use..
talk much far just like them ham ops..

hello europe....hi africa.....hi south america....hi land down under (as i find great hiding spot on mountian)

then Ham ops get on say...
you (meaning me) not allowed talk this frequencys..
you (mean me) get off and get off now and must stay off

aparently i was very very bad man
talk on channels allowed by ham ops
not allowed for cbers...

i thinkem...
i talkem far here on famous 27.555
i like'em this channel...

i tell'em ham ops to go leave me alone..
i also tell em i talk react
i help also others (a few bad car wrects i help em others with)

soon i find em ham ops say
you (me) must go em away

then even wifes of ham ops say me go away
the wifes say me not allowed here..
they wifes allowed even if husbands not home because they husbands are em ham ops..

me tires after a couple yrs of war with em stupid ham op persons....
ham ops very very bad man
ham ops very very bad man...

no me's turn clocks foward again...
me returns to this time...

ahh me losem silly accent...hehe

ahh now is year 2001...
i hear from a few friends (i no longer live in the mountians in nj)
and live accross from mahatten (where i was born breead and raised)...
friends tell me there is a come back with this thing called cb
ah yes i remember cb...
i had lots of fun with it some yrs back..

then after a few months of hearing this from a few friends..
i figure ok why not...
so i go buy a RCI-2970
ahh i remember the skip and DX...

i begin to talk all over europe,africa,carribian,south america etc all over again..
only this time i set up a base station and not mobil station..

well as luck would have it i found a few good cbers
also heard lots of talk of others wanting to go get ham licences

i begins to remember them there accents of stupid red neck ham ops and their wives...

so i resist getting my ham licence....
a friend of mine fails his test 3 times....

i think hey test is easy.....why you fail...
he say to him test very very hard...
test is bad is very very bad....

ahh well i can teach you what you need to know to pass silly test if you insist on being a silly ham operator...
i make apointment for him to take test....
we sit down 1 hour before test in some internet cafe in mahatten a couple blocks from the test...

i go over with him qrz.com
show him what he need to know and what right answers mean

we go to test
he say you taking test also right
well i signed up for it but was not really a priority to me

so we both takem silly test...
i pass easily (did i really need to study for 45 mins...why did i study so long)

needless to say i passed..
as did my friend (who was amased)..

i said to him
told you so....

then i find i get bitten by ham radio desease (is there a cure?)

then i find a few months ago another friend failled his test 2 times...
i tell him he is way smart enough and not just smart in general but in radio (he fixed and regularly moded many cbs)
i say to him you want i help...

but he is stubburn man very stubburn man
eventually he pass on his own..

however

i have come to find that my thoughts about ham radio operators was extemly narrow minded..
that in fact many ham radio operators are quite willing to help even strangers (as i have as well)..

i already knew there were both many good as well as many bad cb operators...

well same thing in ham radio operators..

when you pass your exam
try to put some of the cb ways behind you but do not forget your past and take what you did best with cb and bring it to ham (as countless ham radio operators have done for decades)

Again
good luck and hope you pass your test

Later

P.S. my silly acccent was inspired by a silly tv show called sinfield lol

 

[jw142]

Cool story. I got my ticket in 1991 and let it expire in 2001 (along with the grace period) because I could not get the code down. Since I heard that FCC is going to drop the code in 2006 it has inspired me to start over again. As far as "CB", I think it is an entry level to radio communication. At least it was for me.

 

[Seawolf18]

I am an active ham and still use CB. I run all Mobile HF/VHF. I still have my Cobra 148GTL hookup up in my car, and use it to talk to a few local guys on 38 LSB. Yes, there are bad CB operators, but the same goes for HAM operators too.