Passed General

[JohnyMac]

I passed my General exam this evening. 

I will probably get a 20, 40 & 80M dipole antenna up this weekend. Who wants to start a Prepping net on either of the three bands? 

On another note: With your technical exam you can access many repeaters. I was able to access most repeaters in the southern tier and western part of NY as many are connected. Similarly across the northern tier of PA and Northern NJ from my AO.

So with an FCC Technical license and a Baufeng $40- VHF/UHF radio, and a good antenna, you will be able to communicate with folks hundreds of miles from your AO. Don't put it off!   

[Kbop]

Congrats JM!
 

[Erick]

Congratulations!

[APX808]

Congratz John 

[Well-Prepared Witch]

Well done!

[Jackalope]

Congratulations again Johny!  Regarding your posting of interconnected repeaters, I wouldn't count on them being interconnected if TSHTF.  The interconnection adds another level of complexity. which is reliant upon the internet, or microwave links.  The simplest method of communication, simplex or point to point,  is usually the most reliable, though perhaps not the most effective.  The nice thing about amateur radio is that it teaches you how to use radio frequencies appropriate for the distance involved.  Anyways, a Baofeng radio with a modest antenna is good for short distances, but I wouldn't count on it for large area coverage.

I'm looking forward to talking to other amateurs interested in getting a regional "prepper" net active.  It'll be important to find a frequency that isn't already saturated with activity, probably on the high end of 75 meters.

[JohnyMac]

Cool beans Jackalope!

Had a good day at the Horesheads Ham Fest.

My 12 year old neighbor who only passed his Technical Wednesday night, spend all in total ~$20- and walked away with a shit-ton of stuff including a home-brew 2 meter antenna using copper pipe leads and a gamma match. When we got home we hooked it up with his BaFeng radio and had no problem pinging and then talking with a ham on a repeater ~30 miles away on 5W. One of the cool things was vendors/hams at the fest were asking him why he was there and when he told him he just passed his Technical they started selling him stuff pennies on the dollar or giving him stuff free. He bought a VHF 80 watt amp that was market $50- for $15- and the a fore mentioned antenna that was market $20- for $1-! I am going to try that line next time..."I am a 12 year old boy and I just passed my Tech exam........"

I spent under $20- on a bunch of cool stuff including a box of coax, ladder line, and other stuff for $10-. When I got home and started to rummage through it I had ~$75- worth of stuff. I also spend a questionable amount on a Larson VHF/UHF antenna and mount for $60-. Everyone told me it was a good deal as it was new but...Well I will say it works great though. Not getting the picket fence I am use to enjoying in the truck on my old antenna. LOL.

I kept looking for a 80-20 M dipole antenna but alas none in my price range. So I will have to make a Maypole/multi frequency one tomorrow. MrsMac keeps reminding me that I need to cut, split and stack another 2 cords before October 1 while playing with my ham stuff.

Crap! This hobby is addictive.