How many HAMs we got here?

[rickr]

My dad had his license at 14. I've grown up with being "persuaded" into helping him throw "just one more" crazy homebrew wire-setup antenna in the back-yard. This new DTV is great though - he put up a new verticle and a big wire and told the annoying old people next door it was "for better reception" or some bull****.

I've run the station for a few contests, on voice and the new digital-waterfall thing. Can't get the code down quite like him, though.

I'd like to get certified at some point, but he always makes fun of people who pass after the code test went away, so I'm not even sure if it's worth it for me.

[Stealth Stalker]

yeah you're right. but i figured most people don't even know how to look up callsigns.

Most people don't know how to look up licence plates either. Callsigns are a lot easier to look up. That's why I would never get Ham plates.

[cell21633]

My dad had his license at 14. I've grown up with being "persuaded" into helping him throw "just one more" crazy homebrew wire-setup antenna in the back-yard. This new DTV is great though - he put up a new verticle and a big wire and told the annoying old people next door it was "for better reception" or some bull****.

I've run the station for a few contests, on voice and the new digital-waterfall thing. Can't get the code down quite like him, though.

I'd like to get certified at some point, but he always makes fun of people who pass after the code test went away, so I'm not even sure if it's worth it for me.

the whole PSK31 thing? or a different digital modulation? i've wanted to get into digital for a little bit, but those radios are EXPENSIVE! plus, i think only icom makes them..

[Motor On]

i've wanted to get into digital for a little bit, but those radios are EXPENSIVE! plus, i think only icom makes them..

Me too, but I'm semi partial to the sound and growing popularity among HAMs of having a P25 repeater in the area. But basically Moto means big $$$ and for how small a group it still is it's nowhere near worth it.

[rickr]

the whole PSK31 thing? or a different digital modulation? i've wanted to get into digital for a little bit, but those radios are EXPENSIVE! plus, i think only icom makes them..

Yup! It's actually a lot of fun once you figure it out, and we've got two monitors hooked up to an old dell laptop running a couple of different programs (I don't really understand it completely, but my dad reads books and articles on HAM stuff constantly, and he does). It hooks up the radio through, basically, an external USB soundcard that is specifically designed for it. The new radio we have for it is pretty expensive, but the amount you can do on it is just ridiculous. Before we got the radio ("took out of storage", if you ask my mom) we had an old kit my dad had built back in Cedar Rapids, and it worked really well - the new radio just opened up some new possibilities.

The radio is one of the few things we've actually bought for the whole set-up, though. My dad got some old coax from a bank he used to work at, the monitors and laptop from his current job, and books from the library. It's kinda cool to see how much he can build in the basement...

[Phil424]

Got a ham here in NYC. Dropped out of the hobby somewhat because of the assholes and BS you have to deal with and the drama that goes on here in NYC. When I find some cool people to talk too, maybe I'll start back up like I use too. 73....

[Stealth Stalker]

LOL! That's a common story. Ham gets boring pretty quickly. The same old people talking about the same old stuff all day, every day. It was great back before cellphones, but I have little use for it anymore.

[John_in_NC]

I'm an Extra and a VE

[Stealth Stalker]

I'm an Extra and a VE

Awesome, John! I wish I were near you. I let my ticket expire long enough ago that I have to re-test now to re-enter the hobby. I'll be doing that soon. No shortage of VEs around here, but it'd be nice to connect with a fellow enthusiast like yourself!

I'm just glad I don't have to re-learn 20 wpm code, because it wasn't easy the first time. I doubt I could do it again, lol.

[34Ford]

KF4IVP