Just passed my General class test on Saturday!!!!

[tweiss3]

The radiation pattern depends a lot on the height above ground, but even in a bad installation they can be very effective.

https://www.qsl.net/kk4obi/EFHW Straight.html

[WRQI583]

Congrats!!! I have had mine for a year now. I don't really do HF due to all of the DX'ing/contesting but if it is your thing, you are in the right place. PLENTY of room to play night and day.

I built a doublet antenna. 450 ohm feedline with two 60 some odd foot long 18ga wires for radials. Real simple to build and covers the HF bands.

 When you finally get on the radio, starting in the afternoon, they have something called the HF activity group. Check them out at HFQSO.com Real great bunch of guys and a lot of fun. They cover 4 bands (17,15,12,10).

[WSGX394]

Congratulations!

[WRQI583]

On 3/5/2025 at 1:07 PM, WRYS709 said:

Can you imagine the reaction if you go on a Ham Radio Forum and brag about getting your GMRS License!?!

All I had to do is make mention of having a GMRS license on 2 meters. The attitude that came off of the Hams just about dissolved my speaker. Needless to say, I quit talking on ham. I hop on Ham on a rare occasion to check into a net or something but my days of having conversations is probably over. I got this same attitude over making mention of an experience I had on CB radio. Just say the name of another radio service and the most vile hatred oozes out of some Hams.

[OffRoaderX]

42 minutes ago, WRQI583 said:

All I had to do is make mention of having a GMRS license on 2 meters. The attitude that came off of the Hams just about dissolved my speaker. . Just say the name of another radio service and the most vile hatred oozes out of some Hams.

I have been assured by "some people" that this is a lie, this never happens, and it is impossible - and if you spread these vicious lies you are a racist or a nazi, or "too dumb to pass the test"..

[WRYZ926]

Some sad hams hate on other amateur license holders especially the old curmudgeons that had to write essay answers on their tests and had to pass the CW code portion too. They feel that since they had to walk up hill in 2 feet of snow both ways to school that everyone else should have to do the same.

[WSHI838]

Congrats...hope you make many contacts

[CoffeeTime]

Nice!!!

[AdmiralCochrane]

Haters gonna hate.  The same guys hate other hams that use or don't use digital modes etc etc.  As I've said before, the majority of active members in our local club are just into 2 way radios and don't care which license, band or transmission mode you are into.

[WRYZ926]

1 hour ago, AdmiralCochrane said:

Haters gonna hate.  The same guys hate other hams that use or don't use digital modes etc etc.  As I've said before, the majority of active members in our local club are just into 2 way radios and don't care which license, band or transmission mode you are into.

It is the same with most of the members of my local club.

[WRPL700]

Thanks for all the kind words and info from everyone.  I have been having a lot of fun since getting my Tech and then General license.  Lots of great contacts on 10M, 12M, and 20M.  My farthest contact was about 6500 miles to southern Africa (Namibia).  Amazing what you can do with 20 watts and a dipole antenna (at 30 ft elevation) when the ionosphere cooperates.

Last weekend was a bit frustrating, but I was playing with an Inverted-Vee 10M/12M at about 15 ft.  I am going to make it a 10M/12M/15M/17M and then get it up to 30 ft.

 

[WRTC928]

On 4/24/2025 at 6:34 PM, WRQI583 said:

All I had to do is make mention of having a GMRS license on 2 meters. The attitude that came off of the Hams just about dissolved my speaker. Needless to say, I quit talking on ham. I hop on Ham on a rare occasion to check into a net or something but my days of having conversations is probably over. I got this same attitude over making mention of an experience I had on CB radio. Just say the name of another radio service and the most vile hatred oozes out of some Hams.

In my experience, that's actually pretty rare, but the few a-holes make a lot of noise. Most of the hams I know have the attitude that different services are for different purposes, but radio is radio. I'll bet at least half of them have GMRS licenses. Many (most?) hams are old enough to have grandchildren, and we help them learn the basics on GMRS. Don't listen to the haters. They're wee todd it.

[WRYZ926]

15 hours ago, WRTC928 said:

Many (most?) hams are old enough to have grandchildren, and we help them learn the basics on GMRS

That is how it is with some of our club members. And we all enjoy hearing the kids talk on the GMRS repeaters talking to Grandma and Grandpa. Some of the kids are as young as 5 and all of them do really good using call sings when required and waiting their turn when a group of people are on the repeater. Some of the kids might not ever get into amateur radios but I know a few that definitely will.

[WRTC928]

3 hours ago, WRYZ926 said:

Some of the kids might not ever get into amateur radios but I know a few that definitely will.

Someone wiser than me once said, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Get them interested in radios, and they'll never have enough money for drugs.

[WRYZ926]

You can get them into cars, motorcycles, shooting sports, etc etc and they won't have money for anything else.