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vesicularThis past weekend I took my Amateur Radio license test. I've been studying off and on for a while now, and decided to stop studying and get the test over with. There are 4 different tests for 3 different classes of license. I of course was going for the first test and first license.
It's not an overly complex test. It's 35 questions, all multiple choice, pulled from a large pool of possible questions that you can see online (and study from). I bought a book to read through to study for, but the biggest problem I faced was many of the questions on the test were from the couple chapters I skimmed over. Uh oh. I was sorta worried.
Still I didn't have much to worry about. To fail you had to get 10 or more questions wrong, and I only had 6 wrong. So I passed! After this the guy doing the exams asked me if I wanted to take the next level test. I said I hadn't studied for it and probably should wait. His response was that it was free and gives me practice and who knows, perhaps I'd pass it.
So I tried it. And bombed horribly. But I knew I would after the first question, it was much harder. Still no matter, I was about to get my Amateur license! They had to send the results of the test into the FCC and after a couple days (they said Thurs) I would get my call sign and would be able to transmit.
So I checked the FCC database today, just for the hell of it, not thinking they'd have approved my license already, but sure enough there it was. I'm officially a Ham. Call sign KCØZCR.
I have a Technician's License, which basically gives me access to various small bands of frequencies in the 6m-13cm (50Mhz-2.45Ghz) range. Basically the VHF/UHF spectrum (which you may be familiar with, all TV channels as well as FM radio fall in this range). Of course I don't get all of it, just small subsets that are reserved for Ham Radio. If I were to upgrade my license, by passing the other tests, I could operate on more bands on both higher and lower frequencies (for example, the next class license, which is the test I bombed, gives access to HF, where most of Shortwave Radio resides).
Anyway, it's all pretty cool. I should get my official license in the mail from the FCC soon. It was nice to set a small goal like this and achieve it. Now all I need is a radio so I can start transmitting. :/
It's not an overly complex test. It's 35 questions, all multiple choice, pulled from a large pool of possible questions that you can see online (and study from). I bought a book to read through to study for, but the biggest problem I faced was many of the questions on the test were from the couple chapters I skimmed over. Uh oh. I was sorta worried.
Still I didn't have much to worry about. To fail you had to get 10 or more questions wrong, and I only had 6 wrong. So I passed! After this the guy doing the exams asked me if I wanted to take the next level test. I said I hadn't studied for it and probably should wait. His response was that it was free and gives me practice and who knows, perhaps I'd pass it.
So I tried it. And bombed horribly. But I knew I would after the first question, it was much harder. Still no matter, I was about to get my Amateur license! They had to send the results of the test into the FCC and after a couple days (they said Thurs) I would get my call sign and would be able to transmit.
So I checked the FCC database today, just for the hell of it, not thinking they'd have approved my license already, but sure enough there it was. I'm officially a Ham. Call sign KCØZCR.
I have a Technician's License, which basically gives me access to various small bands of frequencies in the 6m-13cm (50Mhz-2.45Ghz) range. Basically the VHF/UHF spectrum (which you may be familiar with, all TV channels as well as FM radio fall in this range). Of course I don't get all of it, just small subsets that are reserved for Ham Radio. If I were to upgrade my license, by passing the other tests, I could operate on more bands on both higher and lower frequencies (for example, the next class license, which is the test I bombed, gives access to HF, where most of Shortwave Radio resides).
Anyway, it's all pretty cool. I should get my official license in the mail from the FCC soon. It was nice to set a small goal like this and achieve it. Now all I need is a radio so I can start transmitting. :/
no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 06:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 04:15 pm (UTC)2) It allows me to be a first responder in my area case of a major emergency.
3) Novelty. It's fun to learn new things.
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Date: 2006-12-12 06:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 02:39 pm (UTC)Who you gonna be talking to?
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Date: 2006-12-12 04:31 pm (UTC)Kate Beck is a ham? Never knew that. That's pretty cool actually. Is that still her name? The only Kate Beck in the FCC DB is in Kansas.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 05:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 05:57 pm (UTC)I recall having been really into receiving signals. I remember being amazed at hearing Spanish on the AM dial (of course, I thought I was getting Mexico or something, little that I knew of transmission distances)... But TV, I remember, don't know if you recall, but I used to get a shitload of stations from Milwaukee and even Chicago at times. Didn't have a massive antenna or anything, but it was awesome to get Channel 10, 18 and 24 out of milwaukee (I think that was either how I first saw the monkees, or was able to watch them after they went of the air in our local market)... And I think 57 and 66 were out of chicago. Though I could be wrong. My mom used to watch her christian crap on channel 13 and ... hmm, maybe hers was 57. Anyways, good times. Channel 7 used to come in as well...
There's just something awesome about analog signals to me... So much more ... Free ... I love the interference and distortion you get, that you lose in Digital. Anyways, yeah. I guess I was a TV-FM DXer without even knowing it!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 06:14 pm (UTC)As for DX, that's one of the big things in ham radio, DXing. Basically making contacts from as far away as possible. There are various ways to do this, through satelites, or bouncing signals off the atmosphere, or even bouncing signals off the moon. I remember listening to AM at night sometimes and picking up stations from Kentucky and stuff. I always thought that was cool. When you mentioned your shortwave radio a while back it made me think of those times again as a kid, which like I said is what got me more interested in this whole thing.
Oh, and the other cool thing, our Betamax VCR had separate channel tuners, where you could tune inbetween channels. I've never seen something like that before, but I always used to futz with it as a kid. That's how I learned all the FM broadcast stations are stuffed inbetween channels 6 and 7 on the TV. So I suppose like you, I've always had a general curiosity about it all. And while I like digital for certain things, I agree there are times when analog is just way cooler.
Sweet!
Date: 2006-12-12 02:51 pm (UTC)-Nate
Re: Sweet!
Date: 2006-12-12 06:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 04:55 pm (UTC)Check out digital modes like PSK31 for some real dork factor. You can look at waterfall displays of a chunk of bandwidth on your computer, and see clearly where there are signals and their relative strengths, etc. Then just click on one and start decoding it. It beats listening to guys who still live in their mother's basement, anyway.
Cheers,
-KB1IKC
no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 05:12 pm (UTC)Are you sure about the HF bands with the Tech license? Based on the ARRL site the Tech license can only go down to 6M. I'd need my General to get the HF frequencies.