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  #1  
Old 06-30-2017, 09:28 AM
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lnx64 lnx64 is offline
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Going for my general's license July 15th

Wish me luck! I studied, and now I've been practicing the exam, and making sure I learn WHY the answer is why it is, not just memorizing it.
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Old 06-30-2017, 10:08 AM
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Lucky you! I had to pass 13 words per minute (wpm) code to get mine. Then I took another written to get my Advanced class, but they did away with that license class. Took me 6 weeks of continuous practicing code listening to tapes, went from zero to over 13 wpm, then I never used code again. When they lowered the code requirement on the Extra to 5 wpm, all I needed was the Extra written part. I wish I had kept up code practice but it's pretty much gone now. Like keeping up a foreign language.

Good luck btw.
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Old 06-30-2017, 10:14 AM
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I might try and learn code just to do it, but with computers, it's almost a moot point. A computer can read and generate CW just fine, but computers of course can go down, so learning how to do it properly is another thing altogether.
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Old 06-30-2017, 10:24 AM
madlabs madlabs is offline
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Yep, if you don't just memorize you won't forget it when the time comes. Some drilling doesn't hurt either, once I felt I had the material down I got an app on my phone and drilled, drilled drilled.

What are your plans for getting on the air? Do you have an HF rig already? I get into FL decently on 20 meters so maybe we can have a QSO sometime.

Good luck on the test!
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Old 06-30-2017, 10:35 AM
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I don't have any rig currently.. I have a 10 meter radio, but it only has FM modulation, so it's basically useless for anything real.
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Old 06-30-2017, 07:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lnx64 View Post
I don't have any rig currently.. I have a 10 meter radio, but it only has FM modulation, so it's basically useless for anything real.
Once you get your license, you can get a Baofeng UV-5R 2-band (UHF and VHF) hand-held transceiver at Amazon.com. The rig is not expensive (the UV-5R can be had for $30-$35), so it won't break the bank. One user review I read for the UV-5R said that "if you drop (the UV-5R) in the toilet, you won't cry" because the radio is so inexpensive.

If you do get a UV-5R or one of its variants (UV-82, et al.), however, I would purchase the Nagoya NA-771 VHF/UHF whip antenna, as the stock antenna that comes with the UV-5R doesn't work well at all, unless you are very close to a local repeater (say within a mile or less).

The Nagoya whip works much better than the stock antenna on VHF and even FM broadcast (the Baofeng UV-5R also covers the FM broadcast band). Bear in mind the stock antenna is only meant to match the transceiver's output impedance, not to radiate signals, as I read in one review; in fact, that antenna may be one of the worst stock antennas ever to ship with a 2m handheld.

However, you get what you pay for. The UV-5R is good for what it is, but it is no match for expensive HTs from well-known amateur gear manufacturers such as Yaesu, Kenwood or Icom. If you simply want an HT to get on the air quickly, by all means get a Baofeng, but don't expect big-rig performance. If you are within a reasonable distance of one or more 2m or UHF repeaters, the UV-5R (or any of its variants), feeding a Nagoya NA-771 whip, will probably work well.

You can also get an adapter which will allow the use of any standard rubber-duckie HT antenna. The reason an adapter must be used is because the Baofeng HTs have a non-standard antenna connector, known as an SMA. The stock antenna (!) and the Nagoya whip will fit this connector, but standard 2m rubber-duckie antennas will not, the reason being that all standard ducks have a BNC connector that mates with the matching female socket on most HTs made by major ham-gear manufacturers. The BNC connector will not fit the SMA threaded connector on Baofengs, hence the need for the special adapter I mentioned.


Note: The UV-5R Baofeng HT has been discontinued by the manufacturer, although some online merchants such as Amazon.com may still have a few in their inventory; however, I wouldn't count on it. Log onto Amazon.com and search for "baofeng uv-5r" to verify availability. If you go the Baofeng route, I would suggest one of the newer variants such as the UV-82, whose newer design could, and likely will, outperform the UV-5R, not to mention having more and newer features.

BTW, good luck on your General class exam next month. The General ticket is the one most amateurs, Technician class or less, eventually want. The code requirement for the General and even the Amateur Extra Class license is only 5 wpm. Even if you never use the code (also known as CW) after you get the license (many if not most new hams these days don't, opting to use FM, SSB or other modes that do not involve the code), the test is still required. Seventy-four percent or more is the passing grade for the written test.

73,
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Last edited by Jeffhs; 06-30-2017 at 07:37 PM.
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  #7  
Old 06-30-2017, 07:40 PM
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Quote:
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...The code requirement for the General and even the Amateur Extra Class license is only 5 wpm.
73,
Just to clarify, the FCC dropped the code requirement for all license classes in 2007.
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  #8  
Old 06-30-2017, 07:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed in Tx View Post
Just to clarify, the FCC dropped the code requirement for all license classes in 2007.
Thanks much for that bit of info. Until I read your post, I didn't know (or realize) the CW requirement had been eliminated for every class of amateur license. I guess the FCC realizes that, in today's computerized world (including ham radio, of course), the code is all but obsolete, so why bother having a code test at all? As another VK member stated in an earlier post to this thread, the widespread use of computers in 21st century ham radio has made it unnecessary for new hams to know even one dot of the code Samuel F. B. Morse invented well over a century ago, and which had been a staple of amateur radio from the hobby's beginnings. Sad, but so true.
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  #9  
Old 06-30-2017, 08:08 PM
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I actually already have a UV-5R, as I hold a Technicians license currently. But when I gain my General's license, it'll be rather useless for HF communication.

http://i.imgur.com/tTt4ug2.jpg

It's a pretty decent HT. When I was in St. Augustine in the fort, I was able to reach one of the local towers, and communicate to someone between there and Daytona. I had it in just 1 watts of power at the time.
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  #10  
Old 06-30-2017, 08:09 PM
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As far as coding, while I won't need to learn it, I do want to learn it eventually, if computer systems go out, and I need a means of communication in an emergency, etc.
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  #11  
Old 07-01-2017, 09:47 AM
madlabs madlabs is offline
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As to rig, it depends on your budget. At the low end and assuming you like building a kit, look at the BITX40. And of course you can spend about as much money as you like. What does your antenna situation look like, do you have room?
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  #12  
Old 07-01-2017, 02:29 PM
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lnx64 lnx64 is offline
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Currently I am using a VHF/UHF discone antenna in the attic, with a 6m whip on top. It only "just" fits.. For HF I was considering using a wire antenna from a pole to a tree, to prevent my HOA from even seeing it.
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  #13  
Old 07-01-2017, 04:48 PM
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When you take the general, and if you pass, try the extra. It won't cost any extra at the same test session.
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  #14  
Old 07-01-2017, 05:23 PM
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lnx64 lnx64 is offline
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I plan to try, but I don't know if I'll have time for that one.. Apparently someone is coming over on the same day and I need to get back home after taking the exam.
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  #15  
Old 07-05-2017, 03:41 PM
Dude111 Dude111 is offline
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Good luck buddy
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