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.

[WRQI583]

On 4/29/2025 at 6:11 PM, WRTC928 said:

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.

There are a quite a few Hams in my area that do have GMRS licenses and are not afraid to talk on either or mention GMRS on Ham, but I dont live in the areas where they talk on radio. I actually live in a very quiet area when it comes to people talking on radio. It isn't an "in thing" to do.

[WRQI583]

On 4/24/2025 at 7:38 PM, OffRoaderX said:

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"..

I have heard the same. However, I don't make up what I have been told to my face or what I have heard come through my speakers. The way I see it, if these "Hams" don't like it being exposed like that, they should encourage those few Hams out there that have a hatred for other radio services to stop it. I have come across a handful of Hams who think getting people into GMRS is wonderful way to get into radio and then transition into Ham if they want. I know quite a few who have. However, Ham isn't for everyone and I respect that. It doesn't mean a person can't pass the test though.

Out of the people I have talked to that are interested in radio but don't have their ham license, almost all of them don't want anything to do with Ham because of contesting/DXing and talking worldwide. That has been the main reason I have heard because these guys just want to talk local the way people do on CB. Other reasons are the "having to pass a test" just to do the act of talking on the radio to their buddy is dumb. I have only met a couple of people in my life that straight up told me they were not smart enough to pass the test. I know, "some people" will believe what they want, so to each their own. Whatever floats their boat.

[WRQI583]

On 4/24/2025 at 8:09 PM, WRYZ926 said:

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.

I had to laugh when I saw this. It is very true. I get it though. If you look at what Hams had to go through to just get to a General license back in the day, it wasn't easy like it is today. You had CW requirements etc. To get your General license now is actually simple. I have studied all three tests and the Tech is easy. The General takes the Tech and gets a little more in depth but is still pretty easy. The Extra is the one that is hard. I got to General and I am good for now.

Eventually the older crowd will die off and the newer crowd will take full control. I think we have been seeing that already. They are making Ham more inviting and looking less like a brotherhood that you join. Ham is supposed to be fun. It isn't for everyone though, but for those who like it, it can be fun. You have people who just want to key a mic and talk to their friends, and then you have those that are electronics geeks and really get into the meat and potatoes of radio. Neither is bad, they just get into two different things.

[SteveShannon]

10 hours ago, WRQI583 said:

I have heard the same. However, I don't make up what I have been told to my face or what I have heard come through my speakers. The way I see it, if these "Hams" don't like it being exposed like that, they should encourage those few Hams out there that have a hatred for other radio services to stop it. I have come across a handful of Hams who think getting people into GMRS is wonderful way to get into radio and then transition into Ham if they want. I know quite a few who have. However, Ham isn't for everyone and I respect that. It doesn't mean a person can't pass the test though.

Out of the people I have talked to that are interested in radio but don't have their ham license, almost all of them don't want anything to do with Ham because of contesting/DXing and talking worldwide. That has been the main reason I have heard because these guys just want to talk local the way people do on CB. Other reasons are the "having to pass a test" just to do the act of talking on the radio to their buddy is dumb. I have only met a couple of people in my life that straight up told me they were not smart enough to pass the test. I know, "some people" will believe what they want, so to each their own. Whatever floats their boat.

I’m always surprised when people pass on getting their ham licenses because of DXing and contesting.  One of my other hobbies is rocketry. A lot of people in rocketry get their Technician licenses so they can use 2 meters and 70 centimeters.  They’re able to talk on handhelds and put APRS transmitters in rockets.  They never go any further because they don’t have to.  They don’t participate in contests or DXing. There’s almost no contesting or DXing on either 2 meters or 70 cm. The main advantage of a technician licenses over GMRS is the vast number of frequencies available compared to the 30 channels within two shared one MegaHertz wide bands.

Nobody should be pressed into becoming a ham if they don’t want that for themselves, but I have known people who didn’t believe they were smart enough or that they couldn’t do the math.  But the fact is there’s not enough math on any of the tests to prevent a person from becoming a ham or advancing through the levels and the tests are really not aimed at separating folks by intelligence.  Basically, the Technician test is about learning the rules and a few very basic concepts. Memorizing is actually encouraged because that’s how the basics of anything are learned.

If anyone is interested in becoming a ham but has self doubt I hope they will reconsider. They are smart enough and they can get past the math requirements.

[WRQI583]

9 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

I’m always surprised when people pass on getting their ham licenses because of DXing and contesting.  One of my other hobbies is rocketry. A lot of people in rocketry get their Technician licenses so they can use 2 meters and 70 centimeters.  They’re able to talk on handhelds and put APRS transmitters in rockets.  They never go any further because they don’t have to.  They don’t participate in contests or DXing. There’s almost no contesting or DXing on either 2 meters or 70 cm. The main advantage of a technician licenses over GMRS is the vast number of frequencies available compared to the 30 channels within two shared one MegaHertz wide bands.

Nobody should be pressed into becoming a ham if they don’t want that for themselves, but I have known people who didn’t believe they were smart enough or that they couldn’t do the math.  But the fact is there’s not enough math on any of the tests to prevent a person from becoming a ham or advancing through the levels and the tests are really not aimed at separating folks by intelligence.  Basically, the Technician test is about learning the rules and a few very basic concepts. Memorizing is actually encouraged because that’s how the basics of anything are learned.

If anyone is interested in becoming a ham butt has self doubt I hope they will reconsider. They are smart enough and they can get past the math requirements.

When Hams "sell Ham Radio" to non Hams, they tend to do more talking about communicating around the world rather than what you can do locally. Out of the guys  I have talked to, that is the only thing they were ever really told about Ham. I actually tried to change their mind and show them the benefits of the 2m/70cm bands, but they were against it. There is a lot you can do with the local bands. It's too bad they don't get used to their full potential. If I had endless amounts of money to blow, I would be setting up repeater systems, linked networks with all sorts of added goodies and I would utilize the bands up as high as I could go. Sadly, I don't have the money or even the time.

When it comes to the test, that tech test is really easy. It almost seems easier than when I took it back in the 90's. If you encounter any math, it is really simple. Memorizing will help. I really had to do it when taking my general. I passed, but just like the tech, I didn't really learn a lot, until I started talking with other Hams, experimenting, and applying what I learned. I always believe that the true learning part comes after you pass the test and really get into Ham Radio and meet others and start experimenting. I am with you on hoping these interested ones reconsider. The ones I have met were very knowledgeable. They weren't the run of the mill CB'er that just sits and chats. These guys had the basic tech knowledge.

[WSHT525]

9 minutes ago, WRQI583 said:

When Hams "sell Ham Radio" to non Hams, they tend to do more talking about communicating around the world rather than what you can do locally. Out of the guys  I have talked to, that is the only thing they were ever really told about Ham. I actually tried to change their mind and show them the benefits of the 2m/70cm bands, but they were against it. There is a lot you can do with the local bands. It's too bad they don't get used to their full potential. If I had endless amounts of money to blow, I would be setting up repeater systems, linked networks with all sorts of added goodies and I would utilize the bands up as high as I could go. Sadly, I don't have the money or even the time.

I'm in your camp. I have very little desire to collect names from around the world like Pokemon, just isn't my thing. That and the cost of entry into HF is more than I'm willing to spend. I got my General ticket for the challenge more than the added privileges. 2m\70cm\1.25m are very active in my area and I do get a small thrill when I can key up a repeater 50-60 miles away with an HT running through an amp in the car. I've got 3 mobiles, 9 HTs, and still have less invested than a used HF rig would set me back. If I really want to reach out around the world, I can do that on TG 91. Yes, I know that many consider that cheating, then again, I really don't care :). They can enjoy the hobby their way, I'll do mine.

[FishinGary]

Ham is a hobby of hobbies. You figure out what you want to do or what might interest you and you do it. I think a lot of people judge the exams to be harder than they actually are, because they start reviewing the question pool and they don't know most of the material. But, you can learn it. There's also a lot of talk about "Amateur Extra is a lot easier if you have a background in Electrical Engineering", which might be true, but EEs weren't born knowing that stuff either. They had to learn it to get their degree and work in their field. If they can learn it, you can at least learn the minimum you need to pass the exams. I feel like you should aim as high as possible, then you can grow into your license privileges, rather than hitting a wall when you want to try something new and having go back and study for another exam. And, when you reach AE, you can just enjoy no longer being in perpetual "studying for finals mode." Just my take...