I passed my General level Amateur Radio test yesterday

[Wiliamr]

I love my Icom 718 great compact radio

 

[kbaxter60]

Congrats! I have not kept up for a while. Is there still a code part of the test?

 

[no2gates]

Congrats! I have not kept up for a while. Is there still a code part of the test?

They removed the code requirement well over 10 years ago.

 

[medicmike]

For study I went clear to Extra without buying any study material. I used the practice tests on QRZ.com. Ran through the question pool, found the areas I was knowledge deficient and studied those researching with Google. There are a lot of different directions the study can be attacked from. Many just cycle the question pool over and over until they memorize the answers but that will not gain you a lot of knowledge, just get you through the tests.

 

[ghostrider45]

Congrats! I though about getting into that too but I have enough hobbies I think.

a man can't have too many hobbies :-)

 

[ghostrider45]

If you start a new thread, be sure to provide a link here.

I think I may start a new thread. Yes, I'll add a link to this one.

 

[ghostrider45]

If you start a new thread, be sure to provide a link here.

here you go:

https://texasguntalk.com/threads/ham-amateur-radio-info.102492/

 

[GoPappy]

Hey VMax, tell us about your home rig.

I’m studying for the Technician test and I’m starting to look around at equipment. Needless to say, my head is spinning.

 

[Charlie]

I can't remember exactly when I got my first license, but it was in the mid to late 70's. Don't do much on the air anymore (only a little bit of VHF and UHF) but I'm thinking seriously about getting an HF rig and getting back into it.

 

[jwynn]

I passed the Technician test in mid Nov and yesterday went for the General and passed it.
So now I can do more on the HF side. I just got set up with a 2 meter and 75CM radio at home, have had a mobile for awhile.
What I’m seeing is the HF rigs are much higher in price starting at about a grand and moving up.

Whats your call sign. IM KC5DWG

 

[Charlie]

CQ, N5ESJ on frequency!

 

[no2gates]

N5ACK here.

 

[vmax]

Whats your call sign. IM KC5DWG

KI5TWA

 

[satx78247]

I passed the Technician test in mid Nov and yesterday went for the General and passed it.
So now I can do more on the HF side. I just got set up with a 2 meter and 75CM radio at home, have had a mobile for awhile.
What I’m seeing is the HF rigs are much higher in price starting at about a grand and moving up.

vmax,

Congrads.

Got my tech during Desert Storm I. - LIFE got in the way of the hobby but as I'm now retired, I'm studying for General.

As to the cost of HF rigs, a Lions Club friend gave me his extra (and $$$$$$$$$$ when it was new, too) ICOM HF radio.

Since then, I was gifted with another HF rig from a silent key's estate. - That ICOM HF will be donated to the new ham radio club at my old boarding school.

BTW, if anyone has "surplus to our needs ham radio gear that the want to donate to the new club, I can get you a donation slip from the school, as we are a non-profit, church sponsored school.

73 de satx

 

[DD130]

I passed the Technician test in mid Nov and yesterday went for the General and passed it.
So now I can do more on the HF side. I just got set up with a 2 meter and 75CM radio at home, have had a mobile for awhile.
What I’m seeing is the HF rigs are much higher in price starting at about a grand and moving up.

AWESOME!! Yeah.. HF rigs are pricey. I waited a year to find a decent deal on an FT-991.. pretty happy with the purchase... but... in hindsight.. I might be enjoying an IC-7300 even more. I've got an FT-3DR that I use for digital... if you've not dipped your toe in the world of DMR/DStart/Fusion on the big groups like Texus Nexus... if you have a digital rig.. I'd check it out. There are regular contacts from all over the world on it... and it's interesting to hear real people talk about what's going on their parts of the world.

Now.. I'll have to catch up on the rest of this thread... congrats on General.. I got mine Dec 2019, but *just* got my HF rig a couple of weeks ago...

- D
KI5GFU - Canyon Lake

 

[vmax]

AWESOME!! Yeah.. HF rigs are pricey. I waited a year to find a decent deal on an FT-991.. pretty happy with the purchase... but... in hindsight.. I might be enjoying an IC-7300 even more. I've got an FT-3DR that I use for digital... if you've not dipped your toe in the world of DMR/DStart/Fusion on the big groups like Texus Nexus... if you have a digital rig.. I'd check it out. There are regular contacts from all over the world on it... and it's interesting to hear real people talk about what's going on their parts of the world.

Now.. I'll have to catch up on the rest of this thread... congrats on General.. I got mine Dec 2019, but *just* got my HF rig a couple of weeks ago...

- D
KI5GFU - Canyon Lake

I've had a FT3D for a few months and have a Fusion repeater 3 miles away
I'm on Texas Nexus alot.
PM me and we can make contact sometime

 

[DD130]

I've had a FT3D for a few months and have a Fusion repeater 3 miles away
I'm on Texas Nexus alot.
PM me and we can make contact sometime

Awesome.. we might be hitting the same repeater lol. I'm in the room quite often. I'll shoot you a PM for sure! I might be on there around lunch time today, work permitting.

 

[GoPappy]

I just passed my General exam today. A week ago, I bought an IC-7300 in anticipation of getting my General.

So now I just have to get it all set up, including getting the coax run into the shack. Can’t wait to get it all fired up.

 

[no2gates]

Congrats on passing and getting the upgrade. That IC-7300 is a nice radio.
Beware... Ham radio is a hobby that is close to the same money suck as guns.

 

[GoPappy]

Congrats on passing and getting the upgrade. That IC-7300 is a nice radio.
Beware... Ham radio is a hobby that is close to the same money suck as guns.

I have figured that out already. Luckily, I haven’t had to sell any guns to fund this new hobby. . . . yet.