Can you tell your level from your call sign?

[TNFrank]

Other than looking up a call sign is there any way to tell which HAM license you have from it? 

[SteveShannon]

17 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

Other than looking up a call sign is there any way to tell which HAM license you have from it? 

Not exactly but shorter calls are reserved for general and amateur extras and call signs beginning in A are amateur extras (and some Advanced, a class that is not issued anymore).  
But if you get the QRZ app for your phone it’s really easy and fast to do the lookup. 
Here is the FCC page explaining amateur call signs:

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service/amateur-call-sign-systems

[TNFrank]

So there is a difference in call signs then. So if I went on 40M(not a Technician approved frequency) and threw out my call sign folks would know that I'm not legal.

[SteveShannon]

4 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

So there is a difference in call signs then. So if I went on 40M(not a Technician approved frequency) and threw out my call sign folks would know that I'm not legal.

I don’t think they would immediately know from the call sign, but most people who are operating hf keep a logging application running and they enter your callsign in so they know something about you. 

[TNFrank]

I'd like to do 10M but it looks like I can only do CW on a limited amount of the Band. 

[WRYS709]

You have a 2x3, which is what most Technicians have.

Once you pass General, you would retain your 2x3 unless you apply for a Vanity Call within the General callsign parameters (1x3 if available)

So one cannot tell which Class license for sure, unless their newer call is shorter than 2x3.

A Technician, in addition to CW, can do digital, like FT8 and YOU CAN do SSB from 28.3 to 28.5!

The band is very hot right now due to the maximum of the current solar cycle having peaked in November, 2024 and you should take advantage of it:

Radiodditty has its QT-60 Pro 60 watt 10 meter mobile radio ( https://www.radioddity.com/collections/mobile-radio/products/radioddity-qt60 ) currently on sale for $172 and you can easily mod this radio to 12 meters, once you are a General and perhaps even 15 meters too.

[hxpx]

46 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

I'd like to do 10M but it looks like I can only do CW on a limited amount of the Band. 

It's tiny, but you can do SSB from 28.300 to 28.500 on a technician. [source]

Edit, dang, WRYS709 beat me to it.

[TNFrank]

1 hour ago, hxpx said:

It's tiny, but you can do SSB from 28.300 to 28.500 on a technician. [source]

Edit, dang, WRYS709 beat me to it.

I noticed that. I guess it's better than nothing. I have that radio in my list on Amazon but it's still $259.

[hxpx]

2 hours ago, TNFrank said:

I noticed that. I guess it's better than nothing. I have that radio in my list on Amazon but it's still $259.

Yeah, nothing on HF is cheap. Except maybe wire.

[SteveShannon]

If you really want to get started in HF, I would strongly recommend a radio that does more than just 10 meters.  You’ll spend way more time on 40 and 20.

The Xiegu G90 is a 20 watt output radio that does 160-10 meters, has a small but usable color spectrum scope, and a really good built in impedance matching “antenna tuner” that can handle up to 10:1 impedance mismatch. It’s available for about $430 in a kit with a digital interface and cooling stand.  When you decide to go for a larger, more full featured radio from Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, etc., the G90 would be a great mobile or even go bag radio.

[TNFrank]

My Technician's license only gets me down to 10M so there's no point in getting a radio that'll do 20M or 40M.

One that would do 10M, 6M, 2M, 1.25M and 70cm would really be nice.

[WRYS709]

3 hours ago, TNFrank said:

I noticed that. I guess it's better than nothing. I have that radio in my list on Amazon but it's still $259.

the difference in price for it being more expensive on Amazon is their return policy.  As I mentioned it is only $176.11 tonight on Radioddity's site: https://www.radioddity.com/products/radioddity-qt60

you will of course need to invest in an antenna too.

Radios that do HF and VHF/UHF get VERY expensive.

[WRYS709]

4 hours ago, hxpx said:

It's tiny, but you can do SSB from 28.300 to 28.500 on a technician. [source]

Edit, dang, WRYS709 beat me to it.

Jinx: you owe me a Coke!

[wayoverthere]

13 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

My Technician's license only gets me down to 10M so there's no point in getting a radio that'll do 20M or 40M.

One that would do 10M, 6M, 2M, 1.25M and 70cm would really be nice.

Except the slice of 10m that Techs have access to is specified for SSB phone (not FM), and all the 10/6/2/.70 radios I can think of are FM only.

More generally, are you thinking toward upgrading to General in the future?  IMO, the jump in difficulty from Tech to General is a lot smaller than from General to Extra (spoken as a General studying toward Extra).  If General is in the cards , consider whether it's worth a "buy once, cry once" jump now, play with 10m, and then you're better set for the future.  Also, TX aside, you can listen to other bands all you want, even as a Tech (or not even ham licensed)....if that interests you.

 

4 hours ago, WRYS709 said:

You have a 2x3, which is what most Technicians have.

Once you pass General, you would retain your 2x3 unless you apply for a Vanity Call within the General callsign parameters (1x3 if available)

So one cannot tell which Class license for sure, unless their newer call is shorter than 2x3.

A Technician, in addition to CW, can do digital, like FT8 and YOU CAN do SSB from 28.3 to 28.5!

 

Minor correction; FCC lumps General and Tech together in the C & D group calls (1x3 and 2x3), with Extra getting access to the 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 calls.  From personal experience, while I was still a Tech, I chose to request a vanity call ahead of the fee implementation, shortening my sequentially assigned 2x3 (KN6) to a 1x3 (K6), but retained the same suffix as assigned.  (Tech in 3/2021, did the vanity 7/2021, upgraded to General 6/2023)

IIRC, when you level up to General and Extra, there's a box you can mark to request a new sequential call as well.

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service/amateur-call-sign-systems

so...a 1x2, 2x1, or 2x2 is a dead giveaway of a higher class (Advanced or Extra)

[Lscott]

17 hours ago, TNFrank said:

Other than looking up a call sign is there any way to tell which HAM license you have from it? 

Simple answer is NO. For example my Ham call is the same exact one since I was first licensed as a Tech. I've since upgraded to an Extra class level and left my call sign the same. I have zero interest in changing it. 

Oh, you can't tell which radio "district" a Ham lives in now either, based on the number in the call sign. The FCC lets you move clear across the country and keep the same call. Oops.

[Davichko5650]

16 hours ago, TNFrank said:

I'd like to do 10M but it looks like I can only do CW on a limited amount of the Band. 

You can work CW on the entire Technician portion of the band from 28.000 to 28.500. In practice it is preferred you do so below 28300 where the Phone privileges begin. You can do digital modes on 28.000 - 28.300 (in practice 28.297 to make sure your signal doesn't go above 28300) . I work plenty of Techs on digital modes like FT8/4, JS8, RTTY, VarAC. PSK31, Olivia, etc. etc. I generally only do CW  for contests, never been big on the mode for ragchews or other contacts.  I talk a good portion of my work day on two-way DMR UHF, so I prefer to "let my fingers do the talking" when I operate on the amateur HF bands. Technicians can operate Phone on SSB from 28.300 - 28.500 (again 28.497 so as not to operate out of band). So pick up the mic. and make some calls!

 

73 de NØTXW/WJG283

[TNFrank]

I thought this was interesting.

 

[WRYS709]

Good find!  I never knew about WRL before...

And good discussion of DIY inexpensive 10 meter dipole antenna, too.  Remember they are bi-directional only; and horizontally polarized, which is good for HF.

[Davichko5650]

3 minutes ago, WRYS709 said:

Good find!  I never knew about WRL before...

 

WRL has a very good email reflector - always something worth checking out on their weekly updates!

[kc2zpk]

14 hours ago, WRYS709 said:

Good find!  I never knew about WRL before...

And good discussion of DIY inexpensive 10 meter dipole antenna, too.  Remember they are bi-directional only; and horizontally polarized, which is good for HF.

Bi-directional?

[SteveShannon]

15 hours ago, WRYS709 said:

Good find!  I never knew about WRL before...

And good discussion of DIY inexpensive 10 meter dipole antenna, too.  Remember they are bi-directional only; and horizontally polarized, which is good for HF.

Well, when the dipole is horizontal their signals are horizontally polarized when they leave the antenna* and the directionality of the signal is strongest perpendicular to the axis of the wire if they’re raised highly enough, but the directionality is greatly dependent on the height above ground.

If the axis of the dipole’s radiator is vertical its polarization is vertical when the signal leaves the antenna* but it propagates equally in all directions perpendicular to the axis of the radiator.  Directly upward is the weakest direction.  For 10 meters it’s relatively easy to build a vertical dipole, especially if you have a tree or non-conductive mast. Here’s an article about “your first dipole”. https://www.eham.net/article/24060
As soon as a signal bounces off something the polarization changes.  HF signals often are reflected so the polarization of an HF signal as it leaves the antenna is not very important at any distance.

[WRYZ926]

And a dipole hung as an inverted V is horizontally polarized but it is more omni directional. I started out with a 10m inverted v dipole and worked all over the world with it on FT8 and SSB. Yes a technician can use digital modes such s FT8/4 on 10m. FT8/4 allows you to work those weak signals that you would never be able to work on SSB.

I personally would not recommend one of those cheap import 10m radios. Unless you never plan on using anything other than SSB mode and you never plan on upgrading to general or Extra. The Xiegu G90 is a great little 20 watt HF radio. The downside is it does not work on 6m. I use a G90 for POTA.

You won't find any radio that does all modes on just 10m, 6m, 2m, and 70cm. You are going to want an all mode since you can only use CW/digital and SSSB on 10m as a tech.

There are radios (shack in the box, that does all modes and all bands from 160m - 70cm such as the Yaesu FT-991, Icom IC-7100, and some Kenwood radios. I'm not a fan of shack in the box radios since you are putting all your eggs into one basket. Most will do 100 watts on HF and 6m, 50 watts on 2m and 25-4- watts on 70cm (depending on brand/model)

Most HF radios will work on all of the HF bands and 6m. You can get mobile HF radios or base station radios. The majority will do 100 watts on HF and 6m.

If you want an all mode/all band radio and are on a tight budget, then look for used radios. The Icom IC-706MkII-G can be found for decent prices. I just picked up a 706MkII-G for $400 a couple of months back.

When it comes to call signs. Some will keep their original call sign even after upgrading while others want a certain vanity call sign. Others wait until they get their Amateur Extra before getting a vanity call sign so they can get a short call sign for working CW. I won't bother with a vanity call sign until I upgrade to Extra and get proficient at CW first.

[Jaay]

3 hours ago, kc2zpk said:

Bi-directional?

If you hang your dipole east to west, then it will Transmit north to south, and vice versa when hung in the opposite directions. Inverted V's work well in some instances too.

[Davichko5650]

3 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

 For 10 meters it’s relatively easy to build a vertical dipole, especially if you have a tree or non-conductive mast. 

When I first got my Tech+ upgrade in 1996, I needed an antenna for my HTX-100 at home. Went to the hardware store and bought 2 20 ft. long pieces of 1/2" galvanized conduit. Cut them  down to size for 10 meters.  Put it on a wooden dowel about 10' off the ground and ran it vertical. Worked all over the states and So. America, and even got Japan on that thing running a whopping 25 watts.  It's amazing how you can make things that radiate for not much $$$.

 

Sometime thereafter, I got an A-99 vertical and got it up at the same QTH up 20' with swaged antenna masts.  When I got back into the hobby in 2020, still had that in the garage at the new QTH, threw it  up on a 15' mast and got it working, with internal tuner on the TS-440S on 15/17 and 10m.  replaced with the Comet CHA250B up 35' which does nicely on 80-6. but take the A-99 out to our "Hams in the (non POTA) Park" get togethers and it still does the job.

Speaker wire, Twin Lead, lamp cord; pretty much any wire will make an effective radiator of RF!

[kc2zpk]

2 hours ago, Jaay said:

If you hang your dipole east to west, then it will Transmit north to south, and vice versa when hung in the opposite directions. Inverted V's work well in some instances too.

I get that, but it real world applications, it's not as dramatic as that. The inverted vee will be more Omni...