• Passed technician exam today

    From Zarnock@21:1/174 to All on Sun Nov 22 22:45:51 2020
    Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that today I took my technician license exam and passed.

    So, as soon as it hits the ULS I'm looking forward to joining the community (beyond just listening).

    And now, on to studying for my general exam...

    -Zarnock

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: The Zone BBS - zonebbs.net (21:1/174)
  • From Nigel Reed@21:2/101 to Zarnock on Sun Nov 22 22:52:29 2020
    Zarnock wrote:
    Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that today I took my technician license exam and passed.

    So, as soon as it hits the ULS I'm looking forward to joining the community (beyond just listening).

    And now, on to studying for my general exam...

    Congrats. It took me 8 years from getting my license to getting a radio, and
    it is only a small HT at that. I passed my general but haven't upgraded. I
    want to pass extra before doing that then I won't have to worry as much as to which frequencies I can and cannot use.
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)
  • From Zarnock@21:1/174 to Nigel Reed on Mon Nov 23 02:34:54 2020
    On 22 Nov 2020, Nigel Reed said the following...
    Congrats. It took me 8 years from getting my license to getting a radio, and it is only a small HT at that. I passed my general but haven't upgraded. I want to pass extra before doing that then I won't have to worry as much as to which frequencies I can and cannot use.

    Thanks! Also, wow 8 years? How did you get interested in amateur radio without having a radio? That's got to be a pretty interesting story!

    I also have a small HT. I got it because I have people HT simplex range that
    I want to be able to get a hold of in the event of an emergency. 2020 has really made me realize just how unprepared I was.

    I started learning about it and finding repeaters in the area and listening
    to the nets and general conversation and got really interested in the hobby/practice.

    I just got a RTL-SDR that helps make it easier to find random conversations
    and repeaters I didn't know I could pickup. I've been sticking to
    listening to things in the 2m and 70cm range just so I don't get interested in something I can't talk on anytime soon. LOL. There is a ton of activity on both of them in my area, so they should keep me well occupied while I study
    up.

    -Zarnock

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: The Zone BBS - zonebbs.net (21:1/174)
  • From Nigel Reed@21:2/101 to Zarnock on Mon Nov 23 07:08:40 2020
    Zarnock wrote:
    On 22 Nov 2020, Nigel Reed said the following...
    Congrats. It took me 8 years from getting my license to getting a radio, and it is only a small HT at that. I passed my general but haven't upgraded. I want to pass extra before doing that then I won't have to worry as much as to which frequencies I can and cannot use.

    Thanks! Also, wow 8 years? How did you get interested in amateur radio without having a radio? That's got to be a pretty interesting story!

    I used to have a CB radio back in the UK with all sorts of illegal mods like SSB and the like. I managed to speak to someone in Brazil one night, so it's always been a bit of an interest.

    Now I'm a member of the local CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and one thing you learn is no matter what happens, ham radio is going to be able to transmit and relay when everything else around you is down.

    I also have a small HT. I got it because I have people HT simplex range that I want to be able to get a hold of in the event of an emergency. 2020 has really made me realize just how unprepared I was.

    I can't reach much with mine. We have a repeater run by the local radio club and I can just about manage to hit that and have a few conversations. I generally don't have much so say so when I use it, I mainly just listen.

    I started learning about it and finding repeaters in the area and listening to the nets and general conversation and got really interested in the hobby/practice.

    Now that you're going to get a callsign, you'll be able to use EchoLink too http://www.echolink.org which is interest based but you can talk to repeaters or others direct. It really defeats the object of finding people randomly, but it is useful if you're having a bad reception day.

    I just got a RTL-SDR that helps make it easier to find random conversations and repeaters I didn't know I could pickup. I've been sticking to
    listening to things in the 2m and 70cm range just so I don't get interested in
    something I can't talk on anytime soon. LOL. There is a ton of activity on both of them in my area, so they should keep me well occupied while I study up.

    My HT also has 2m/70cm for the same reason, and like I said earlier, why I've not upgraded until I pass my Extra. The thing I balk at is the insane prices some of these radios fetch....and where am I going to put the antenna!
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)
  • From Andy@21:3/128 to Nigel Reed on Mon Nov 23 14:59:03 2020
    Congrats Nigel :)

    Several years ago I was interested in amateur radio too, but the requirements to pass the exam are very hard in Germany.

    How ever, I am happy that you did it (Y)

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: Omega BS (21:3/128)
  • From Nigel Reed@21:2/101 to Andy on Mon Nov 23 12:58:57 2020
    Andy wrote:
    Congrats Nigel :)

    Several years ago I was interested in amateur radio too, but the requirements to pass the exam are very hard in Germany.

    How ever, I am happy that you did it (Y)

    It's not unusual for non-US citizens to gain a license through FCC exams. All you need is a US mailing address and I'm sure someone can help you out there. --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)
  • From Ed Vance@21:1/175 to Zarnock on Mon Nov 23 15:41:00 2020
    11-22-20 22:45 Zarnock wrote to All about Passed technician exam to
    Howdy! Zarnock,

    Congratulations!!!!!

    @MSGID: <5FBB308D.504.fsx_ham@capitolcityonline.net>
    Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that today I took my technician license exam and passed.

    So, as soon as it hits the ULS I'm looking forward to joining the community (beyond just listening).

    And now, on to studying for my general exam...

    73 de Ed W9ODR . .


    ... 6 out of 7 dwarfs are not Happy.
    --- MultiMail/MS-DOS v0.49
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)
  • From Andre@21:3/117 to Zarnock on Tue Nov 24 08:19:39 2020
    On 22 Nov 2020, Zarnock said the following...

    Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that today I took my technician license exam and passed.

    Congrats! Kind of sucks that you're coming in now, with everyone in lockdown mode, since finding a good club and set of mentors (elmers) is pretty
    critical to success.

    Like anything tech-related, most of the people in ham radio are self-learners... So they really respond best if they can tell you've made some effort to figure something out before asking for help. People who are a bit dense or are instantly asking to be shown everything end up being shunned.
    Not saying it's right, just saying what I've seen.

    But once you find the right friends in the hobby, it gets fun pretty quickly. Also, try to find a good Field Day site (if in the US, check ARRL's website). It's mine (and my son's) favorite part of the hobby.


    - Andre, WT9X

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  • From nristen@21:1/161 to Zarnock on Tue Nov 24 11:46:31 2020
    Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that today I took my technician license exam and passed.

    Congrats!

    nristen (Karl Harris)
    https://karl.theharrisclan.net

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/03/07 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: The Search BBS bbs.theharrisclan.net (34123/2222) (21:1/161)
  • From Warpslide@21:3/110 to Nigel Reed on Mon Nov 23 14:37:39 2020
    On 23 Nov 2020, Nigel Reed said the following...

    It's not unusual for non-US citizens to gain a license through FCC
    exams. Allyou need is a US mailing address and I'm sure someone can help you out there.

    I use Kinek for a free US mailing address. Sometimes it's free shipping within the US and something stupid like $80 for shipping to Canada, so I'd just ship it there and then go pick it up since I'm only 45 minutes away.

    Well, I used to, before covid...

    There's also a service called usa2me.com where they'll scan your mail to you, but it's not free.


    Jay

    ... Inspecting mirrors is a job I could really see myself doing

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2020/10/23 (Raspberry Pi/32)
    * Origin: Northern Realms (21:3/110)
  • From Nigel Reed@21:2/101 to Warpslide on Fri Nov 27 03:46:48 2020
    Warpslide wrote:
    On 23 Nov 2020, Nigel Reed said the following...

    It's not unusual for non-US citizens to gain a license through FCC exams. Allyou need is a US mailing address and I'm sure someone can help you out there.

    I use Kinek for a free US mailing address. Sometimes it's free shipping within the US and something stupid like $80 for shipping to Canada, so I'd just ship it there and then go pick it up since I'm only 45 minutes away.

    Licenses are no longer mailed out, you have to print it, but you do need a US address. This helps with all the other junk you get from being listed on an open government computer system.
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)
  • From Nkeck72@21:3/122 to Nigel Reed on Fri Nov 27 16:34:39 2020
    In article <5FC0EF32.79.fsx_ham@finalzone.ddns.net>
    "Nigel Reed" <nigel.reed@21:2/101> writes:

    Licenses are no longer mailed out, you have to print it

    This particular point makes it seem like your liscense is forged,
    especially with the "Official *copy*" watermark. I've had to back my
    paper liscense up with the database entry before to curious passers-by,
    and I can only imagine what would happen if a cop decided you were
    forging it.
    -----
    -nkeck72 (Mac Plus)
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: Final Zone BBS - finalzone.ddns.net (21:3/122)
  • From Nigel Reed@21:2/101 to Nkeck72 on Sat Nov 28 23:52:06 2020
    Nkeck72 wrote:
    In article <5FC0EF32.79.fsx_ham@finalzone.ddns.net>
    "Nigel Reed" <nigel.reed@21:2/101> writes:

    Licenses are no longer mailed out, you have to print it

    This particular point makes it seem like your liscense is forged,
    especially with the "Official *copy*" watermark. I've had to back my
    paper liscense up with the database entry before to curious passers-by,
    and I can only imagine what would happen if a cop decided you were
    forging it.

    All they have to do is stick your callsign into Google. When I enter mine, the FCC ULS entry is the first result. They can then check the address in the
    entry with the address on your ID. Simple enough though they're probably not trained to do that.
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)
  • From Orbitman@21:2/131 to Zarnock on Sun Nov 29 17:11:22 2020
    On 22 Nov 2020, Zarnock said the following...

    Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that today I took my technician license exam and passed.

    So, as soon as it hits the ULS I'm looking forward to joining the community (beyond just listening).

    Congrats!

    de KG4CNA

    ----
    Thanks!
    Orbitman (Allen)
    Orbit BBS, Opp, AL USA
    orbitbbs.ddns.net:7210

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    * Origin: Orbit BBS-Opp, AL. USA | orbitbbs.ddns.net:7210 (21:2/131)
  • From Avon@21:1/101 to Zarnock on Wed Dec 2 17:32:35 2020
    On 22 Nov 2020 at 10:45p, Zarnock pondered and said...

    Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that today I took my technician license exam and passed.

    Congrats!

    ZL4PH

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)
  • From Chaise@21:1/108 to Zarnock on Sat Dec 5 16:36:16 2020
    On 11/22/20, Zarnock said the following...

    Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that today I took my technician license exam and passed.


    Congrats! KT2KT

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A38 2018/01/01 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: Eternal Domain (21:1/108)