im torn between other hardware and the science category
Within the past week or so I’ve been exploring amateur radio I have nothing better to do right now and I decided to get a pair of baofeng UV5Rs (and some high gain whip antennas) to tinker around with and do some scans which is way more interesting than it sounds. Eventually I will probably start studying for a ham license so I can transmit. I’m still learning a lot right now so expect me to not be able to answer a question you may have.
With that out of the way does anyone here have any interest in it or is this too old hat for a tech forum?
It seems like a perfect fit here because you can build your own stuff and tinker and I know you lot like to do that
Things I do know:
my radios are the most controversial handset on the market
I cannot legally transmit, well, at all right now actually, the UV5R can only legally transmit for amateur frequencies and I need a license to do that and nothing outside of it like FRS or GMRS even though it is entirely capable of doing so.
it is literally a sport to find people illegally transmitting, licensed operators can triangulate signals with directional antennas and CAN AND WILL report you to the FCC and you get fined, but the FCC itself does not engage in the searching.
Now there are some resources to use if you really want to dive into it and get a license.
The Big Resource is The National Amateur Radio Association All the links in this post link back to them.
Getting Licensed
There are classed you can take where at the end of the class you can take the exam.
Find a Local Club
Yes there local Clubs for amateur radio especially if you live in a major city. The local club is a good resource for talking with people who are already licensed and to learn from.
I myself haven’t taken time the dive into getting Licensed yet but it is something I do plan to do.
Amateur Radio is possibly right up there for enjoying as much as PC’s/networking/etc. There’s so much tinkering, as you’ve said, and it’s just something relaxing to do. I haven’t gotten my license yet, nor do I transmit, but having the hardware, learning about it, all so much fun! Glad to see a post about this in the forum that’s active, and will gladly add to this as much as I can. I am currently in posession of a couple of Baofeng BF-888S’ so it’ll be fun to get licensed and use them.
So I also plan to get my license (Foundation in the UK for the first level (Foundation, Intermediate, Full)). In my area looks like its next year that the next exams run by the looks of it unless I go a little further afeald.
When are you planning to get licensed? Anyone already licensed?
Also Software Defined Radios are neat little things as well, you can do a lot with them.
I use uhf radio <= 100mW on the regular for work, and thus has my interest expanded to SDR and such. Getting licensed is on my list of things to do, but not immediately beneficial, so it gets pushed down the list. I do tinker a bit with other low power radio transmission as well. A friend of mine is a licensed operator and storm spotter; it sounds cool. I don’t have much interest in just hopping on the waves, but rather in sending data. What are y’all interested in doing other that spending moneybeing enthusiasts?
One reason is educational, i want to learn more about radio, what better way then using it. The other is data using APRS etc. and the data broadcast and collected for various other things, and some interest in long distance communication.
My dad used to be huge into amateur radio. He got his license in the early 80s I think. The past 5 or 10 years he hasn’t participated much in the “scene” as far as I can tell. When he was into it, he was heavy into the backend portion of the hobby. Helping with setting up repeaters and towers and base stations.
When I was younger I went with him to ham events/meetups/etc. I always got the vibe that it was very “clique-y.” It definitely attracted a certain type of person, very unique. If you didn’t fit in, everything was uncomfortable. There’s the stigma or stereotype that hams are tinfoil hat types or are autistic or have Asperger’s. I actually saw a lot of that first hand. It makes for a very closed community with a lot of “gatekeeping,” to use the more recent term.
Don’t get me wrong, though. Amateur radio is and can be very important. Having a separate and isolated radio network apart from the public safety system could be crucial in an emergency.
Probably is in many places. And i get what you mean about a certain type of person, i think for a long time its been gatekept to almost its death. That said, that’s not true everywhere (at least not anymore), ive seen some places around here are very open about getting anyone interested in and younger people. Hams at my work are nice people.
The licensing here is also easier now to make it more accessible (at least foundation seems to be), seems like this is true in the US. To the point where there’s almost no barrier of access
Effective September 30, 2019, no person shall sell or offer for sale hand-held portable radio equipment capable of operating under this subpart (FRS) and under any other licensed or licensed-by-rule radio services in this chapter (devices may be authorized under this subpart with part 15 unlicensed equipment authorizations).
See banning baofengs is bad ish but at the same time good. The problem came when too many people with baofengs illegally transmitting to the point that its becoming overwhelming for a lot of HAM operators to report that many people.
People often ask why do HAM radio people report? The answer is simple… a lot of operators actually operate emergency fall back communications networks. Some within the same band. Interfering with them interferes with their job
So meh ban the baofengs ive come to not care as much. Better radios for more money exist lol
I know you behave according to the spec though. Its others im more concerned about. When you transmit at 4 watts it begins to have implications and even drowns out all other kinds of signals sharing the same spectra…In essence it becomes a many jammer if you leave it in transmit haha
