Anyone know of a HAM cram class?

[TurboMinivan]

Technician class is only good for 2m and 6m though right?

No, that's not correct. The "lowly" Technician class has full privileges on everything 6m and above. Since the majority of car-to-car communication happens on 2m and 70cm FM, this is great news. Technicians also have very limited use of a few of the lower HF bands, which is handy for those interested in long-distance communication (that doesn't often happen from a vehicle, though it can). See this chart for the full story:

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'll be heading to byu to take my ham test today. Is anyone else planning to be there? Is the test given via ckmputer, or pencil and scantron?

 

[TurboMinivan]

I'll be heading to byu to take my ham test today. Is anyone else planning to be there? Is the test given via ckmputer, or pencil and scantron?

Unless things have changed, it is given via paper and pencil. There will be multiple examiners who will then check and cross-check your answers to verify your grade.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Great, thanks!

 

[sixstringsteve]

I passed the technician class. The cram session beforehand was just everyone doing hamstudy.org in a group.

The exam was computer-based, but they had paper versions for those who preferred paper.

I should have done this a long time ago.

In hindsight, I wouldn't recommend studying 2-3 weeks before the exam; I had forgotten most of it and I had to re-cram before today's test.

Now I need to actually learn how to use a ham radio.

 

[TurboMinivan]

I passed the technician class.

Congrats! You've just taken your first step into a larger world.

The exam was computer-based, but they had paper versions for those who preferred paper.

Good to know, thanks.

Now I need to actually learn how to use a ham radio.

I would be more than happy to assist you, Steve. You've done a lot to help me over the years, and I'd be glad to return the favor. I'd be willing to bring my radios for you to use, this way you can make some educated decisions on what you might like before you actually buy anything.

 

[Kevin B.]

I passed the technician class. The cram session beforehand was just everyone doing hamstudy.org in a group.

The exam was computer-based, but they had paper versions for those who preferred paper.

I should have done this a long time ago.

In hindsight, I wouldn't recommend studying 2-3 weeks before the exam; I had forgotten most of it and I had to re-cram before today's test.

Now I need to actually learn how to use a ham radio.

How long did it take?

 

[TurboMinivan]

To make you slackers feel bad, here is something that happened while Steve was taking his test.

Backgound info: in December (I think it was), an 11-year-old boy from Springville named Reuben took and passed the Technician exam. As a reward for passing, his father bought him a cheap handheld ham radio. Since that time, Reuben has become something of a celebrity on the Utah county "76" repeater (146.760 MHz). Being so young, his voice is very easy to recognize; many of us older hams enjoy conversing with him.

Anyway, on Saturday he went to the same test session as Steve. He took the General class test and passed it. At the same time, his younger brother (who is 9-years-old) took the Technician test and passed it. Not to be outdone, their father took the top level Amateur Extra test and passed it.

If a 9-year-old can pass the Technician exam, I don't think anybody here has a legitimate excuse for not getting a ham radio license of their own.

 

[nnnnnate]

This is pretty neat, for Steve and these younger kids.

Did your wife take the test as well Steve? For the adventures you guys are going to be having I think it would be a really cool way of communicating while in the middle of no where. Using the handhelds as cell phones more or less and as a safety net if one of you goes on a hike or walk while the other is back in the trailer working out whatever.

Set up a mobile radio in the airstream to work as a repeater and use the smaller handhelds to chat back and forth. You could also setup APRS in the trailer and link that to your website to let people know where you guys are on your travels, you'd have to think about that one a bit more though to hash out the safety side before broadcasting it to the world. Lots of possibilities though.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I would be more than happy to assist you, Steve. You've done a lot to help me over the years, and I'd be glad to return the favor. I'd be willing to bring my radios for you to use, this way you can make some educated decisions on what you might like before you actually buy anything.

That would be amazing, thank you. I will definitely take you up on this. It was ypur enthusiasm for ham that helped push me over the edge.

 

[sixstringsteve]

If a 9-year-old can pass the Technician exam, I don't think anybody here has a legitimate excuse for not getting a ham radio license of their own.

That's awesome. I sat there looking at all 3 of them taking their tests thinking, dang, that's cool.

There was another kid there, about 14 who was taking his technician test. There were also about 4 girls there.

 

[sixstringsteve]

How long did it take?

It took me an hour, start to finish. A bit of papaerwork, showing 2 ids, waiting for them to get organized and print the forms, passing my technician test, failing my general test, and then finishing the paperwork and getting out of there.

The actual test only took 5-10min. I wish I had brought earplugs tgough, the administrators were shooting the breeze the whole time and I really struggled to focus on the test. It was awful.

There were people who had been there since 8am, who had never studied before (the same class Bart mentioned above) who passed it same day.

I probably spent 10-15 hours studying over the past few weeks.

 

[sixstringsteve]

One other cool fact, if I had failed,I could pay $14 for each attempt, and keep going till they left at 5.

If you're going to study on your own, and not in the class, make sure to still register to take your class that day. I wandered around for 45 min looking for them before I found their classroom.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I wish my wife had studied. She has a lot on her plate right now. I'd love for her to get her license, but there's only so much encouraging I can do.

 

[Bart]

Congrats on passing the test and welcome to the Ham Fam. If you guys decide to get together would you mind if I joined? I ordered my cheapy Baofeng UV-5R+ hoping to have it before Safari. It showed up the day after I left. It is still sitting in the box and I really need to get it out, program it, and figure out how to use it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

That'd be great to have you join us. The more exposure I get, the better. I need to decide which radio to order.

 

[TurboMinivan]

If you guys decide to get together would you mind if I joined? I ordered my cheapy Baofeng UV-5R+ hoping to have it before Safari. It showed up the day after I left. It is still sitting in the box and I really need to get it out, program it, and figure out how to use it.

That would be absolutely fine, Bart.

The more exposure I get, the better. I need to decide which radio to order.

I think this would be a great experience for you (and any other brand new, radio-less ham) because it will let you see the pros (low cost) and cons (difficulty of operation, plus all the usual handheld drawbacks) of the infamous UV-5R radios. I do have some resources that will certainly help anyone who has one, so don't worry about it Bart.

Shall we pick a weekday evening? Perhaps a Wednesday or a Thursday, depending on the exact time?

 

[johngottfredson]

I would love to attend that gathering. I live in fear that I will actually need to use my radio in an emergency and won't be able to because I've been too lazy to figure it out.

 

[Hickey]

I don't know about y'all, but I've always found 9 year olds to be quite intimidating.

 

[TurboMinivan]

Earlier, I suggested the following:

Shall we pick a weekday evening? Perhaps a Wednesday or a Thursday, depending on the exact time?

The complete lack of response has been... shocking.

Seriously, I have some free time this evening if anyone would like to get together and discuss radios. I can bring my Baofeng UV-5R and Yaesu FT-60R handhelds, plus the vehicle I drive will have a Yaesu FT-7900R in it. We can try them all so you can see firsthand the pros and cons of each one.

If anybody is game, speak up.