Any Tips For Someone Thinking of Getting A H.A.M. License?

[WRXN668]

1 hour ago, nokones said:

I'm not sure even if the FCC dropped the testing requirement for a HAM entry level license, I would be interested in being licensed for the HAM band. I have had my GMRS license since the mid-90s and I am perfectly happy with what GMRS has to offer. I also have a Part 90 Business Radio Station Authorization (License) with a long list of UHF frequencies and I do use those frequencies.

I use to have a list of VHF frequencies on my license but, hever used them so I removed them from the license.

If I was a HAM licensee, I don't think I would play in the 2M band not sure why, just don't seem to have any interest. 

I am a member of two GMRS clubs. One is highly active in the community and provides services when needed for the community.

And I do enjoy playing with my Part 90 Type-Accepted radios on the GMRS channels

 

What sort of power do you have available to you with your radios, and what sort of range does that give you?

Years ago my job had me driving a cargo van as a tech services van.  On 2m I was able to talk from Mesa to someone up in Cave Creek or Carefree (can't remember which) on a 5W HT with only a cheap mag-mount antenna on the roof of the van.

Longer wavelengths mean longer range typically, and longer wavelengths often translate into sky wave propagation, a phenomenon that doesn't seem to be as common as wavelengths shorten.

If I had gotten into GMRS back in the early noughties then I too might not have gotten licensed, but the options for real range on simplex with comparatively low power levels make amateur radio very attractive for anyone who doesn't want to have to research repeaters as one travels.  And the sheer amount of spectrum available to amateur radio operators means they can find clear frequencies and avoid congestion.  If what I've read elsewhere is true, GMRS is even starting to suffer repeater congestion in some places, where there aren't any upper-number channels left and where private-club repeater networks don't allow for non-members to operate them.  Amateur doesn't suffer this congestion.

For me as a ham, GMRS offers me a good way to talk to my family without everyone having to qualify for their own licenses and potentially to GMRS-licensed friends at comparatively short range.  I'm not especially interested in GMRS repeaters.  I'm certainly not looking to turn GMRS into ham-lite even though I'm probably in the minority on this forum.  I just want to use GMRS for communications among my specific group when cellular is impossible or inconvenient.  I can leverage the knowledge I gained as a ham to set up GMRS radios effectively as well.

A friend and I are talking about 6m.  He has some old Part-90 radios that his dad, also a ham, had set up for 6m years and years ago.  The dad isn't operating much anymore and plans to give these to his son, and he in-turn wants to give one to me.  We'll see what we can do with them.  I'm living in Tempe now and he lives way down into Gilbert, so we can see what kind of range and clarity we'll get out of using 'em depending on antenna selection.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, nokones said:

They don't have to be Part 95 type-accepted to be legal to use on Part 95 Subpart E freqs. Part 95 allows the use of Part 90 type-accepted radio units on GMRS channels.

Not this topic again ... we just went through a full day and a half on this in different thread.

-- good then  --

I open with the FCC rules that seem to contradict your claim and you reply with the rules that supports your claim:

(maybe we can finally put this to rest)

 

§ 95.1761 GMRS transmitter certification.

(a) Each GMRS transmitter (a transmitter that operates or is intended to operate in the GMRS) must be certified in accordance with this subpart and part 2 of this chapter.

(b) A grant of equipment certification for the GMRS will not be issued for any GMRS transmitter type that fails to comply with the applicable rules in this subpart.

(c) No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with a frequency capability not listed in § 95.1763, unless such transmitter is also certified for use in another radio service for which the frequency is authorized and for which certification is also required. No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with the capabilities to operate in services that do not require equipment certification, such as the Amateur Radio Service. All frequency determining circuitry (including crystals) and programming controls in each GMRS transmitter must be internal to the transmitter and must not be accessible from the exterior of the transmitter operating panel or from the exterior of the transmitter enclosure.

 

Your turn 

[wrci350]

23 minutes ago, nokones said:

They don't have to be Part 95 type-accepted to be legal to use on Part 95 Subpart E freqs. Part 95 allows the use of Part 90 type-accepted radio units on GMRS channels.

Show me the paragraph in the *current* GMRS rules (Part 95 E) where it says that.

Oh wait, you won't be able to do so, because there IS no paragraph where it says that.

What it DOES say is that you can have a radio certified for Part 95 E and "another section" as long as it cannot transmit on Part 97 (amateur radio) frequencies.  But the manufacturer still needs to submit for Part 95 E certification in order for the radio to be legal on GMRS.

Nowhere does it say that Part 90 radios are automatically OK to use on GMRS.

[WRXN668]

Can we not argue over the validity of equipment to use on GMRS in the ham radio subforum please?

[OffRoaderX]

1 minute ago, WRXN668 said:

Can we not argue over the validity of equipment to use on GMRS in the ham radio subforum please?

No, please, continue! We NEED to know who is smarter!

[wrci350]

1 minute ago, WRXN668 said:

Can we not argue over the validity of equipment to use on GMRS in the ham radio subforum please?

Is that not where this topic is?

[wrci350]

Just now, OffRoaderX said:

No, please, continue! We NEED to know who is smarter!

It's not a matter of "who is smarter".

I'll use my favorite saying again.

There are the GMRS rules.

There are what people THINK the GMRS rules are.

And then there are what people thinkg the GMRS rules SHOULD BE.

[nokones]

Please carefully read sub section "c" again. The answer/rule is stated as such. Part 90 type-acceptance radios are certified for use on all capable frequencies that the radio can transmit on by internal programming and that includes the GMRS allocated channels thus, no additional type-acceptance is required and is legal. My radios are type-accepted for 450-520 MHz so my radios do not need a Part 95 Type-Acceptance.

GMRS channels are not HAM thus allowed by the rule.

 

[nokones]

You all are overlooking the word "unless" in subsection "c" and do not understand how the rule is written. Radio equipment will only have one type-acceptance.

[wrci350]

Just now, nokones said:

Please carefully read sub section "c" again

Oh, I've read it carefully, many times.  Part C does NOT say what you claim that it says.  It just says that a radio can be type-accepted for GMRS and another service (but not Part 97).  Part 90 isn't even mentioned in that paragraph.

Instead, how about you read sub section "a" again instead:

Each GMRS transmitter (a transmitter that operates or is intended to operate in the GMRS) must be certified in accordance with this subpart and part 2 of this chapter.

In other words, for a radio to be "legal" on GMRS it MUST BE CERTIFIED under Part 95 E.  Not under Part 90, or 80, or 15, or 97 ... Part 95.

[OffRoaderX]

7 minutes ago, wrci350 said:

It's not a matter of "who is smarter".

Oh, it absolutely is. Otherwise you would have both realized you are way off-topic and nobody cares about what you're talking about and would have shut-up already

Carry on, please!

[WRXN668]

6 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

No, please, continue! We NEED to know who is smarter!

I'm not seeing who's ... smarter ... based on this.

 

Back to the an above-board answer to your original question that spawned this thread.  The questions for Technician, General, and Amateur Extra are all defined and openly published, along with the answer list and correct answer.  If you truly want to pass, you can literally self-teach to the test.  If you're the kind of person that has good memory retention based on physically writing things down then you could, for example, print out the full list of questions and just the correct answers, then transpose those questions and correct answers in your own handwriting in order to memorize those answers.

If you want to make a general study of the curriculum available that is of course up to you, and it isn't a bad idea to do that if you want to get into operating on multiple bands in multiple modes with multiple types of antennas either, but if you just want to get started to operate on a particular band with a particular off-the-shelf kit within the rules for that band, it should be easy enough even if you haven't gone through the theory.

[OffRoaderX]

Jeezus Krist this is gold..  Never would I have dreamed this would have worked out so perfectly to plan..  I get that "reading social cues" and comprehending non-literal things is not some of your guy's strong points, but, OMG. So predictable!

Thank you all so much for proving me right, again!

[wrci350]

8 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

Oh, it absolutely is. Otherwise you would have both realized you are way off-topic and nobody cares about what you're talking about and would have shut-up already

Sorry Randy.  Since I'm your FAVORITE VIEWER, I'll stop.

[nokones]

2 minutes ago, wrci350 said:

Oh, I've read it carefully, many times.  Part C does NOT say what you claim that it says.  It just says that a radio can be type-accepted for GMRS and another service (but not Part 97).  Part 90 isn't even mentioned in that paragraph.

Instead, how about you read sub section "a" again instead:

Each GMRS transmitter (a transmitter that operates or is intended to operate in the GMRS) must be certified in accordance with this subpart and part 2 of this chapter.

In other words, for a radio to be "legal" on GMRS it MUST BE CERTIFIED under Part 95 E.  Not under Part 90, or 80, or 15, or 97 ... Part 95.

You are "Less than Correct".

As quoted from subsection "c", what do you think "unless such transmitter is also certified for use in another radio service for which the frequency is authorized" means then? It means exactly what I posted.

You need to understand how bureaucratic writing is written in order to understand the true definition of the rule.

You're just not understanding. Why don't you call the FCC run the question by them in regards to 95.1761.c means.

[WRUU653]

On 5/14/2023 at 8:05 PM, WRUU653 said:

Gathering material for a new YouTube huh? Cool. 

I tried. I did. I tried to tell you all but you went there anyway. Randy -1,  Hams -0

[WRQC527]

On 5/14/2023 at 4:16 PM, OffRoaderX said:

Just curious what tips all the licensed H.A.M. operators would give to someone thinking about getting their H.A.M. license.

I would be surprised if after you've read through 3+ pages and well over 60 replies loaded with happy horses#!+ you would still be even remotely interested in our H.A.M. license.

[jwilkers]

Just curious what tips all the licensed H.A.M. operators would give to someone thinking about getting their H.A.M. license.
 

So now you are just hating all amateur radio operators?

Sent from my SM-A136U using Tapatalk

[WRQC527]

2 minutes ago, jwilkers said:

So now you are just hating all amateur radio operators?

I don't think he hates all amateur radio operators, exactly. Just some people. He's actually had at least one amateur radio operator on his YouTube channel. He does enjoy (maybe too much) roasting some amateur radio operators over a fire fueled with old QST magazines and hard copies of FCC regulations. 

[marcspaz]

3 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

No, please, continue! We NEED to know who is smarter!

 

 

It's me, isn't it?  You can just say it's me. I mean, I already know it's true, but I like a good "that a boy" every now and then.

[WRUU653]

2 hours ago, WRQC527 said:

I would be surprised if after you've read through 3+ pages and well over 60 replies loaded with happy horses#!+ you would still be even remotely interested in our H.A.M. license.

I don’t think he ever was. That’s admittedly just my own opinion but there is some evidence to support my theory.

19 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

 

 

It's me, isn't it?  You can just say it's me. I mean, I already know it's true, but I like a good "that a boy" every now and then.

you got my vote for the humor alone

[JoCoBrian]

On 7/2/2023 at 3:47 PM, WRXN668 said:

It doesn't help that the amateur community both doesn't understand what a potential younger operator wants, or that some of their terminology irrespective of actual operations isn't helping either.

I'm in my forties, I grew up with BBSes before the Internet was generally available to consumers, and even back then we had Fidonet through some BBSes to exchange e-mail and forums across the globe.  Granted, it took days for post to propagate across the entire net as BBSes only synchronized their messages overnight in waves, but even back then we could communicate with other people at distance without having to install massive antennas, buy expensive radios, and pass exams.  Commercial services like Prodigy, Compuserve, and AOL started making it easier for the average person to get online, and then home Internet access made that easier still, with access to Usenet and then to web-based forums.  And then cell phones became cheap and Internet connected.

Former Net Coordinator for 1:231/10 Southside BBS in Indianapolis.  At one point we had about 35 nodes covering all of central Indiana, I think we spun off maybe 3 other networks.  I ran QuickBBS, others ran TBBS, Wildcat, PCBoard, Fidonet, pretty much the entire course of available BBSware at the time.   Man those were the days.  Tradewars was huge, my HSt would explode at 1 minute after midnight with the Trad Warriors all trying to get in first thing of the new day. 

Thanks for the memories.

[pcradio]

58 minutes ago, JoCoBrian said:

 Tradewars was huge, my HSt would explode at 1 minute after midnight with the Trad Warriors all trying to get in first thing of the new day. 

And still going!!!

[PACNWComms]

My joking answer is, don't do it!

Unless you want a hobby to become an obsession, profession, side gig, take over your life, etc.

This leads to taking electronics classes, engineering school, geek related jobs, and taking over your life in some way shape or form. 

In all honesty, I have recently used FRS, GMRS and amateur radio to recruit future radio technicians, as this is a field that is not going away, and IT departments may only be able to take over some of the network connectivity aspects of larger radio systems.....but it can lead to a very lucrative hobby/career. 

The youngest technician I work with is 38 years old, came from Icom America, and will probably inherit an enterprise (nationwide) Motorola based radio network. Which started by him getting his amateur radio license as a teenager. (This was before the recent FRS/GMRS changes that took place in 2017, otherwise I would recommend starting with FRS and then GMRS - no test to take). 

Find a radio club, take the test, learn as much as possible (by doing as much as possible within time/budget) and one day it may pay the bills, fund the hobby/obsession. 

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by PACNWComms
Added detail as FRS/GMRS changes took place in 2017

[RayP]

Well, for one thing, ham is not an acronym.