Subj : Becoming A Ham To : DAN CLOUGH From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Sep 19 2019 08:57:00 Dan, DC>Excellent! I didn't intend my above comment to Daryl as anything DC>bad, just didn't really see the relevance of him putting it like DC>that... I fully grasp the pride you have in the callsign and DC>understand it completely. Something I have thought about getting DC>into for years (decades?) but just never have. Maybe when I DC>retire... Thanks and 73! Actually, one thing you no longer have to worry about is learning the Morse Code. The FCC *DROPPED* that requirement in February, 2007. You can still learn and use it (we also refer to it as CW for "Continuous Wave"), but you don't have to prove that you know it. The funniest example of this (a true story) was where 4 guys were sitting around a restaurant table in Annapolis, Maryland...telling each other dirty jokes in CW, and laughing about it. (As an aside, in ham radio, the term "hi hi" is known as "the telegrapher's laugh", for the Morse Code equivalent of hi -- .... .. -- or dit dit dit dit dit dit. Anyway, this drop dead, gorgeous, curvaceous female, walked up to them, and sternly admonished them. "You boys need to watch your language. I teach CW at the Naval Academy across the street!!", and walked out -- they were as red as tomatoes!! All you need to get on the air is the Technician Class license, and if you study 2 hours a day for 2 weeks, you can learn enough to pass the exam...which covers rules, regulations, frequencies, propagation, RF safety, and basic electronic theory. The General Class license offers more privileges, and much of the Technician Class exam stuff is on the General exam, but in more detail. The Amateur Extra exam is the "booger bear", but it can be done. While I'm an Amateur Extra Class licensee (I had to obtain that, to become a Volunteer Examiner (VE) Team Liaison (leader) (the hams themselves give the exams now)...but, when I'm on the air, I operate in the Technician Class bands, because I enjoy them. I used HamTestOnline (www.hamradiolicenseexam.com). A 6 month subscription gets you all you need to pass the exam. You learn the questions, but ALSO the CONCEPTS -- so, you're learning something, and NOT just memorizing answers. You study in the privacy of your own home, at your own pace. You can do it on dial-up, DSL, or broadband...all you need is a computer and a web browser. When you get to 80% studying, start taking practice tests. When you start scoring 85% or better consistently, you are READY to take the exam, which unlike years ago, in some areas, is available once a month. But, after adequate study and practice tests, if you still fail on exam day, send them proof of the failure, and they will cancel your subscription, and refund your money. So, you get your ham radio license, or your money back...you can't lose!! Normally, when you buy a book or study guide, it's yours...no refunds. Studying 2 hours a day for 2 weeks (you'll burn out if you do more than that), I went from Technician to General in 14 days, and General to Amateur Extra 13 days later. It was the best money I ever spent in ham radio. Prices vary depending on which exam(s) you go for. The exams themselves are taken from sets of Question Pools, in the public domain. So, unless a question has been withdrawn, there's a chance that it'll appear on the exam. The pools have to have at least 10 times the number of questions that are on the exams, in the respective pools. Over 400 questions each are in the Technician and General Pools, and over 700 questions in the Amateur Extra Class Pool. The Technician and General Exams have 35 questions each (you can miss 9, and still pass), with the Amateur Extra Exam having 50 questions (you can miss as many as 13, and still pass). Yet, there is NO DISGRACE IN FAILING. If it takes you a dozen tries or more to pass the exam, even if just barely, you have as much right to be on the air as someone who made a perfect score the first time. And, once you have your license and callsign, it's no one else's business how many times it took you to pass the exams, or what your scores were. As far as they're concerned, you aced it on the first try. Besides, the guy or girl who GRADUATES DEAD LAST in Medical School, is STILL....a DOCTOR. But, I may or may not want them doing a prostate check or a pelvic exam. Daryl, WX4QZ * OLX 1.53 * Tagline Lotto: Scratch Off For Your Prize: 같같같같같같같 --- SBBSecho 3.09-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33) .