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w0lfpack91

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Anyone here in the hobby of either gmrs radio or amateur ham radio? I'm going to be trying for the ham licenses soon. Probably going to take all three the first time through to get the technical and see where I stand and what I need to study on the general and plus test.
 
Yes, I've been a ham since 1971. Been an Amateur Extra since 1988. Also hold the general radiotelephone operator license and the radiotelegraph license. Have done a bit of commerical and broadcast work as well.
 
I'm a General class ham since about 2007. I also have my GMRS and Restricted Radio operator licenses.


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I'm going for it since I'm trying to get into another Hobby, overlanding. CB just ain't what it used to be. It's so overcrowded and vulgar and range is limited. Also we have a few public GMRS repeaters in the area setup by local preppers and 4x4 clubs so overall once someone is dialed into the repeaters the entire Western portion of the state is pretty much covered, also the signal on ham and GMRS is so much cleaner both clarity and language
 
I will be licensed for 26 years in a couple of weeks , it sounds kinda weird but there are 7 Amateur operators on this forum that I know of , there could be more that I haven't met yet.

If you study for all tests and pass them all at once going from zero to extra there is a special pool of callsigns that you can pick your favorite call from , it separates you and celebrates your accomplishment , there are literally a subset of operators who specifically try and contact both those custom calls for that pool as well as seeking out the call signs of the mythical advanced class , when they consolidated license classes they did away with that class but people got to keep there call and status as long as they don't ask to change it , my X-YL can create a pile up of people wanting to work her because she is in the mythical class.

You can't go wrong getting your ticket , there are some anal prick's in the service but they can be ignored ( they retain that 1970's CB mentality and attitude).

Good luck and let us know if you do it , and of course feel free to ask for any help you need, with studying or equipment .

There are both free and paid courses you can study right on your phone or tablet if you don't want to buy the books. And many clubs give free training classes also.


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I agree with Tetra. I actually came up through the ranks because the Morse code was still a requirement. I had a novice in middle school, a tech in college, and then I finally got shamed into passing the 13WPM code test by a ham friend about ten years later. Took me about a month of nuckling down studying to get that under my belt, spent another three months getting up to 20WPM.

The written part was never that onerous to me. I crammed my way to the tech and the 2nd class radiotelephone in college. As soon as I got the code I went straight to advanced (my tech was old enough I'd already taken the general written). Once I got Extra, I became the local VE coordinator for our radio club (the woman who had it before was more than happy to give it up). I presided at some mongo sessions when the NO CODE TECH first got passed (I think we may have been the first testing session in the area after the effective date) and then again when the 5WPM everything got passed. I was out of it by the time they finally deep sixed it for everything. At least with my "20WPM" extra, I got a pass on the Commercial Radiotelegraph Code test (not that this license is good for anything).

As Tetra says there are lots of training material out there for the ham tests. There's a great site for the commercial exams called faatest.com or something. This is how I crammed for the Radiotelegraph written.
 
Interesting to see this thread, I have recently been considering getting my ham license. I have always wanted to, but never had the money or time. I definitely agree, CB is certainly not what it used to be.
 
thickdiapers said:
Interesting to see this thread, I have recently been considering getting my ham license. I have always wanted to, but never had the money or time. I definitely agree, CB is certainly not what it used to be.
The testing fee maximum is $15 which is a bargain especially if you take and pass all 3 tests at once.

Once you get your ticket you can buy a CCR ( Cheap Chinese Radio) for like $35 on amazon that will let you get your feet wet well you save for a rig like a "Shack in the box " Icom 7100,Kenwood TS 2000, Yaesu FT 991 or 991 A , or Alinco SR9T , they are all band all mode radios from 160 meters all the way up to like 70Cm , and range in price from $850- $1500 , so low finances are not a reason to stay away any more , for about $200 you can test get your license and an HT ( handy talkie) as well as a high power mobile for the house or car.

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Tetra said:
you can buy a CCR ( Cheap Chinese Radio)

Ha! I had a good chuckle about that! :biggrin:

The last time I really considered ham was when I was in my late teens, when I was big into CB radio. I even started a local club and we had regular meet ups. At that time though, I remember seeing the high prices for radios, and the exam really seemed out of reach for me. I am looking forward to getting into this again.
 
I never said this but any of those all band radios will put out 100 watts on 11 meters (CB) because hams have privileges at 10 meters, of corse it is illegal to use more than 4 watts on CB , but if you remember the 70's you will know that never stopped anyone , basically the FCC abandoned CB licensing and enforcement because it was virtually impossible to rein in all those big power knuckleheads with there 1000 watt amps, I don't know where you are from but in N.Y city the taxi & Limousine commision impounded a cab and turned it over to the FCC when they inspected it , there was no room in the trunk for luggage because the guy ran like a 5000 watt amp on his CB and it took every inch of the trunk space .

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Tetra said:
I never said this but any of those all band radios will put out 100 watts on 11 meters (CB) because hams have privileges at 10 meters, of corse it is illegal to use more than 4 watts on CB , but if you remember the 70's you will know that never stopped anyone , basically the FCC abandoned CB licensing and enforcement because it was virtually impossible to rein in all those big power knuckleheads with there 1000 watt amps, I don't know where you are from but in N.Y city the taxi & Limousine commision impounded a cab and turned it over to the FCC when they inspected it , there was no room in the trunk for luggage because the guy ran like a 5000 watt amp on his CB and it took every inch of the trunk space .

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Yeah its still large in the trucking industry. If you look close at trucks at truck stops you will see several with heat fins on the back of the radios, those are the guys running "big radios" which are all modified 10m ham radios. Though today most don't reach beyond 300 watts because over the at is proven to kill a modern PCM (engine computer)

I was actually lucky enough to be given a Stryker SR655 10m for free after the receive board was blown out by a lightning bolt hitting nearby $20 in west memphis got it fixed. But it's an 89watt radio. Here's a pic before I took it out and had the modifications repaired to put it back on 10m

6d854426d80dc67f9b7c2b6b9d3a0584.jpg
 
w0lfpack91 said:
Yeah its still large in the trucking industry. If you look close at trucks at truck stops you will see several with heat fins on the back of the radios, those are the guys running "big radios" which are all modified 10m ham radios. Though today most don't reach beyond 300 watts because over the at is proven to kill a modern PCM (engine computer)

I was actually lucky enough to be given a Stryker SR655 10m for free after the receive board was blown out by a lightning bolt hitting nearby $20 in west memphis got it fixed. But it's an 89watt radio. Here's a pic before I took it out and had the modifications repaired to put it back on 10m

6d854426d80dc67f9b7c2b6b9d3a0584.jpg
Wow that's pretty cool and it's the same chassis as some of the 11 m gear , funny how companies will make a buck , I have a friend who runs a full legal limit station that he paid $250 , when other hams have broken stuff that they can't fix or are to lazy to fix they sell it for peanuts , so he bought a bunch of broken Kenwood HF gear and a Palomar amp , fixed it and put it on the air ,when we do ham fests they attach an old radio flyer wagon to the back of my wheelchair so they can shop and just drop the gear in the wagon till its full, then we go stash it in the car and go back for more ,my buddies think that my chair is cool as hell for ham fest shopping ( and I thought they were kidding when they asked if it had a hitch ) . I take it your in the trucking industry ? Do you long haul or do local stuff ? My GF ex is a long hauler for J.B Hunt I think it is , he's got a really nice house that he comes home to like once a month,but he says it pays good. I gave up my CDL back in 05 when I went into pain management , the law is out to get you if your disabled, if someone cuts you off and you t-bone them , you get the ticket because you should have been driving elsewhere, then the accident never would have happened , so although I miss the freedom of being able to drive , I am better off .

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Tetra said:
Wow that's pretty cool and it's the same chassis as some of the 11 m gear , funny how companies will make a buck , I have a friend who runs a full legal limit station that he paid $250 , when other hams have broken stuff that they can't fix or are to lazy to fix they sell it for peanuts , so he bought a bunch of broken Kenwood HF gear and a Palomar amp , fixed it and put it on the air ,when we do ham fests they attach an old radio flyer wagon to the back of my wheelchair so they can shop and just drop the gear in the wagon till its full, then we go stash it in the car and go back for more ,my buddies think that my chair is cool as hell for ham fest shopping ( and I thought they were kidding when they asked if it had a hitch ) . I take it your in the trucking industry ? Do you long haul or do local stuff ? My GF ex is a long hauler for J.B Hunt I think it is , he's got a really nice house that he comes home to like once a month,but he says it pays good. I gave up my CDL back in 05 when I went into pain management , the law is out to get you if your disabled, if someone cuts you off and you t-bone them , you get the ticket because you should have been driving elsewhere, then the accident never would have happened , so although I miss the freedom of being able to drive , I am better off .

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I've driven for a few companies and I still technically own one truck but I went back to Swift as a company driver and one of my cousins drives my truck which is leased on to Roadrunner temperature controled. So I bring in a paycheck off my truck and the Swift company truck which I went company with swift that way I could do the driver training which basically doubles my paycheck from Swift all in all it's not a bad setup I bring in about $3,500 a week net would have been using to repair my credit hoping to add a second truck and Driver to my fleet and my little brother becomes eligible to get a CDL which will put me up into about almost $5,000 a week net. If you play your cards right and build slowly you can make some insane money I'm going on 26 years old this year and my annual gross income is over $100,000 with nothing but a high school diploma. I'm hoping once I can get my little brother rolling I can actually start doing more of another hobby that I like call overlanding I want to plan a trip up to alaska. Another one I want to do which will probably have to wait would be to ship my vehicle down to Australia and take a month or two to explore the Outback. Maybe even contract a Ferry to take me from Alaska over to Russia and cross Siberia one in particular that I keep hearing about over there it's called the road of Bones.
 
There are sites that can help you study for the test. I use ham test online and they have a guarantee that if you don't pass the first time they will give you your money back. I am using it for extra class.
 
Schoolgirl666 said:
There are sites that can help you study for the test. I use ham test online and they have a guarantee that if you don't pass the first time they will give you your money back. I am using it for extra class.
I have three apps that have all the questions for all three tests and I've been practicing and memorizing them I'm not going to pay to take the tests until I'm sure I can pass all three
 
That's some good scratch man , yeah you could build yourself a little empire , save a majority of your income and retire early and pursue your over landing, I saw a program on tricked out overland vehicles lady year and it made me jealous , the guy can go and do anything anywhere in his vehicle with a full commo package including Internet anywhere in the world and the cab has the multi band radios integrated into it ( the radios are more commonly seen in military jets ) and he has a customized little education area for his daughter with access to everything from that seat , he had this thing custom made for an outrageous amount of money, he plans to teach his daughter to use it and inherit it , it cost some crazy amount like 7 million just for the radio gear,when he goes off grid he becomes a grid , supposedly there's no place on earth that he won't be able to communicate from and just about nothing he can get into with this wheel drive behemoth.

Is Swift doing alright I have heard they are getting blasted for working drivers to long and taking senior citizens and putting them on the road , supposedly in almost every big multi car pile up caused by weather like fog or ice there's a swift driver involved who was going to fast or falling asleep, and since there are no age limits if they can pass a physical they drive, this is all rumour crap I have heard, from the nightly news, is any of it true ? Or is this all wild ass fairy tales being blown up by the Media?.

You are obviously in that sweet spot, young and making good money and god knows this country couldn't survive without truckers moving stuff , your kinda in a recession proof job , ahh high school diploma everything I needed for life happened well before high school , granted I am mathematicaly challenged,when I had my stroke last year , that dry erase board in your head were you work things out GONE, board what board , it sucks sometimes I have to bust out the calculator to multiply and divide ,but I will jot be re-entering the job market in this life, my days of work and such are way over , just before thanksgiving I though I was being pranked when the voice on the phone said they were from SS asking me if I was happy , contented, had everything I needed , I laughed and said I am trying to hurry up and die but the doctors are getting to good , and the dude was like that's the opposite of what we want , I told him the government never struck me as the touchy Feely type , what are you ready calling about ? ,then I talked to some other friends who got the same type of call, we are all suspicious and cynical , we just can't figure out what we have to fear YET , LOL.

Trust me there's nothing in this life that sucks worse then losing your health, when that domino falls everything else goes with it . I would really rather be out humping a hose somewhere, but the cards didn't work that way .

Is driving what piqued your interest in diapers or was it pre-existing interest, I became IC when I was a few years younger then you are, medical diapers got really boring and day after day after day that I finally said screw it , I am going to wear every diaper I can find for at least one entire day , now if they only made an interesting selection of catheters to play with , my doctor told me to either recline in my chair or lay in bed when I cath , it removes the "s" curve from your anatomy and goes much easier , even my urologist is surprised that I can carry on a conversation without missing a beat well he is scoping me ( I remember the first time he did it with lidocaine and IV Valium) , I do it 5 x's a day , it has lost the intimidation factor , anyway that's how I found my way here.

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Tetra said:
That's some good scratch man , yeah you could build yourself a little empire , save a majority of your income and retire early and pursue your over landing, I saw a program on tricked out overland vehicles lady year and it made me jealous , the guy can go and do anything anywhere in his vehicle with a full commo package including Internet anywhere in the world and the cab has the multi band radios integrated into it ( the radios are more commonly seen in military jets ) and he has a customized little education area for his daughter with access to everything from that seat , he had this thing custom made for an outrageous amount of money, he plans to teach his daughter to use it and inherit it , it cost some crazy amount like 7 million just for the radio gear,when he goes off grid he becomes a grid , supposedly there's no place on earth that he won't be able to communicate from and just about nothing he can get into with this wheel drive behemoth.

Is Swift doing alright I have heard they are getting blasted for working drivers to long and taking senior citizens and putting them on the road , supposedly in almost every big multi car pile up caused by weather like fog or ice there's a swift driver involved who was going to fast or falling asleep, and since there are no age limits if they can pass a physical they drive, this is all rumour crap I have heard, from the nightly news, is any of it true ? Or is this all wild ass fairy tales being blown up by the Media?.

You are obviously in that sweet spot, young and making good money and god knows this country couldn't survive without truckers moving stuff , your kinda in a recession proof job , ahh high school diploma everything I needed for life happened well before high school , granted I am mathematicaly challenged,when I had my stroke last year , that dry erase board in your head were you work things out GONE, board what board , it sucks sometimes I have to bust out the calculator to multiply and divide ,but I will jot be re-entering the job market in this life, my days of work and such are way over , just before thanksgiving I though I was being pranked when the voice on the phone said they were from SS asking me if I was happy , contented, had everything I needed , I laughed and said I am trying to hurry up and die but the doctors are getting to good , and the dude was like that's the opposite of what we want , I told him the government never struck me as the touchy Feely type , what are you ready calling about ? ,then I talked to some other friends who got the same type of call, we are all suspicious and cynical , we just can't figure out what we have to fear YET , LOL.

Trust me there's nothing in this life that sucks worse then losing your health, when that domino falls everything else goes with it . I would really rather be out humping a hose somewhere, but the cards didn't work that way .

Is driving what piqued your interest in diapers or was it pre-existing interest, I became IC when I was a few years younger then you are, medical diapers got really boring and day after day after day that I finally said screw it , I am going to wear every diaper I can find for at least one entire day , now if they only made an interesting selection of catheters to play with , my doctor told me to either recline in my chair or lay in bed when I cath , it removes the "s" curve from your anatomy and goes much easier , even my urologist is surprised that I can carry on a conversation without missing a beat well he is scoping me ( I remember the first time he did it with lidocaine and IV Valium) , I do it 5 x's a day , it has lost the intimidation factor , anyway that's how I found my way here.

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As for Swift's reputation it's not so much that they have bad drivers but they're closing in on half a million trucks on the road they are literally the largest Transport company in America at any given time there's more Swift trucks on the road than there are any other company so it's more likely that they're going to have a few bad eggs and they also have a habit of hiring anything that has a heartbeat and can pass a DOT physical and CDL test. Doing the driver training I've had my fair share of people who I wouldn't even feel safe putting behind the wheel of a Prius but where most people speak trainees as a secondary source of income and they want to process them and get them out as fast as possible I already have a very potent secondary source of income with my other truck so I focus more about their skill than my paycheck normally the OTR training is one week jumpseat two weeks team, basically means for one entire week I have to be in the passenger seat watching them and then the next two weeks I'm driving while they're asleep and then they're driving while I'm asleep but if I don't feel comfortable then all do all three weeks jump seat I've also had a few trainees that I'd be comfortable climbing into the bunk day one.

As for what piqued my interest I've always had an interest in diapers ever since I was a small boy I was that one kid in school that wet the bed for an unnaturally long time and regularly had accidents in class it was hard on me back then sell I often relied heavily on my Goodnights and I just sort of grew soft spot for them and have never been able to let them go
 
I've just been looking into the different licenses recently for a few reasons but im hoping to learn a bit first before I jump in and sit the tests.
I've been running an old super cheetah (27mhz) c.b that I've had in almost all of my cars over the last 18 years, not so much on there these days but there's still quite a lot of activity to be heard later in the evening and through the night on its usb\lsb channels.
When its clear sometimes I'll take the battletruck for a drive to a nice clearing away from town or a high hill range to improve the reception and just listen (sometimes talk) for hours.
Generally ts not uncommon to be able to receive stations from the far side of Australia, but when the skip? is in my favour I can get quite a few stations around USA too.
(Got no hope in hell of getting to them with my 12watts and my whip antenna lol )
In saying that I'm just starting to play around with making different antennas that can be set up much higher than the battletruck and that don't rely on the vehicle being the ground plane, so I've been looking at making a full wave vertical dipole I can hoist up high in a tree or a 1\2 wave ground plane antenna :)
Its keeping me busy and im learnding way more than I thought I would by just playing with antennas!
The other reason I want my licence is I've got an icom (ic 720a) ham set that I really want to be able to understand and use legally :)
 
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