Do YOU Have What It Takes To Be A HAM Radio Operator? Take The Quiz

6 out of 11. I know nothing about electronics.

That's pretty good if you haven't studied.

I failed. 5 of 11 :(

I've got a whole series on how to get that score up A. snowman.

6 of 11.

I actually found that site a couple of days ago.i am thinking of gettin my license. How it all works still baffles me. Bands and all confuse me. I can't even successfully listen to anything on an online radio. Waterfalls have something to do with radios ? Puzzling ...

6 out of 11
I know very little about HAM radio operations. I got an HT and a mobile FM rig for emergencies about a year ago, but I never really studied for the test. I need to do that some day.

My husband has his license and is learning morse code - it'll be good when TSHTF.

9 out of 11.

But I've already passed the Technician class exam years ago, just never applied for the license.

Why not take the test? It is $15.

same here

should not need another piece of permision paper to communicate.

ill just stick with my old cb

Because I realized that most hams are old dickheads that I don't care to spend time talking to.

Don't worry, I still monitor the local 2m repeater to see if they've changed. And they haven't.

Took my son to a Field Day a couple of years ago and couldn't get anyone to give me the time of day.

7/11

Never studied

Ham radio is not all about yakking to other boneheads. It is an awesome way to build and experiment with electronics. Basically manipulating things that you can not see to make them do things that manifest in the mechanical world.

For almost every electronic function there is a mechanical equivalent ( and mathematical) that can explain it.

I invite everyone to use this resource to its maximum, and if you are a technical type, this hobby is definitely for you to expand your mind.

6 of 11 in 5:42

I've read the Technician Class book by "Gordo", but most of it was Greek to me and I didn't recognize any of your questions.

Guess I need to read it again.

Oh I agree, experimenting is fascinating. Just got an Arduino and am playing with the possibilities.

Haven't met any hams yet that aren't glorified CB operators, yammering about inane stuff and being judgemental about anyone outside their sphere.

I'll have to settle for some of the experimental meshnets using unlicensed bands.

For the record, I'm especially ticked at the Blossomland club. If you want to attract new operators, at least acknowledge people who show up for your public events.

I dont know anything about Arduino, but I have heard the name a lot. I wouldnt mind learning about it.

I build radio stuff from scratch, from design to the PC boards, to the cabinets and cases, it merges mechanical and electronic function. Us home brewers are out there amongst the multitudes of appliance operators. I dont like to even get on the radio unless its with something I built myself.

I got 4 ... no HAM for me

pass the bacon

You are the kind of person who could entice me into becoming licensed, I would love to know someone who is into homebrew, who isn't afraid to engage outsiders.

I actually have a Yaesu 2m rig sitting in storage, a widow was wanting to give it away and I thought that I'd rather pick it up than have some yahoo grab it and be obnoxious.

It's not that I want to break the rules and be a vigilante, I'm just biding my time and hoping that someday the rules won't be enforced.

OMG I did worse than random guessing

I only got 1 right

Is 7/11 good enough to pass real test?

Thank you

And thats where ideas come from. Dont mess with people who try to put down what you enjoy, especially if you are the constructive type. There are some real old timers out there with the attitude that they will happily share with you everything they know, but all too often you have to wade through the grouchy lazy people to find them.

I like to share whats in my mind and even though Im not good at algebra and formulas, I like to dream about making the impossible come to life. This is why we have stagnated technologically, the direction of development is all geard toward cellphones it seems. But theres a lot to be done out there.

I have dreams of quantifying magnetism as a "field" that can be switched on and off as a transistor switches a large current. The implications would be staggering. Actually to figure this out would be infinite energy, and I think if I could figure it out, that black hole might show up in the center of the earth and eat up all the matter in the solar system, so I better not study to hard......:)

I have an article for people just begining. There is a link to a study guide at the end:
[link to tinhatranch.com]

I think if you spent about an hour a night for three nights reading the study guide and also took some practice tests at hamstudy.org you could walk out of a test in 10 minutes with your license. The technician license isn't that hard.

Study really hard or let me know before you turn the switch on. You know, so I can get off the rock first.

I've experienced the exact opposite. The HAM's in my area are very friendly and always wanting to help new people. Yeah, the conversation on 2m can revolve around ailments and social security checks but for me the whole point is you are talking to people on your terms. Especially on HF, there is nothing but your equipment and theirs, no internet, no government, no ISP's. Just you and some radio waves.

My first ham radio contacts were bootleg with home made shortwave gear. I just wanted to see if it would work.....I had made up a callsign and didnt know morse code that well so I wrote down the dots and dashes on paper first. When I heard someone repeating my call, im said, YEP, it works!!!And didnt do that anymore because I didnt want to deal with getting caught. I quickly got good at code, passed the test, and got back on the air but I have to say that one contact was exhilarating.

Nowdays you dont have to learn the code to use voice on the shortwave bands. Just pass the theory.

But be careful messing around on 2 meters, hams can be good at direction finding.....especially on that band.

Meh, I will conceed that there are hams out there that are genuinely working to further their hobby but I haven't met them yet. I had hoped that exposure to a technology like amature radio would stimulate my son, who is very adept at technology.

Alas, there doesn't seem to be a way for a casual person to break into the scene around here. You have no idea how infuriating it is to have be shut out by a community who, at face value, is supposed to welcome inquiring minds.

Where I was stationed I needed a ham ticket (to patch into the towers, because I was WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY out in the bush..lol, so I got mine covering everything (HF/VHF/UHF)..and all it took was a bottle of Whiskey and a zipped lip....but since being where I was stationed I havent bothered with it.

4 of 11 questions answered correctly
Your time: 00:03:56

I guess it's back to walkie talkies for me.

I have never operated that rig and never will unless there are different circumstances, I know what the rules are and I know that hams often love a good fox hunt.

I follow the rules and am penalized by the community when I approach them.