Ham Radio Advice needed

[Magenta16v]

I will be honest to say . I have no licence , I have not got a Ham Radio .. but I know where to get one.
Do you think I would really care about having a licence if the crap hit the fan......
I bet there are loads of people out there without one.

[Zai]

I will be honest to say . I have no licence , I have not got a Ham Radio .. but I know where to get one.
Do you think I would really care about having a licence if the crap hit the fan......
I bet there are loads of people out there without one.

I'm having this exact conversation with another person at the moment. The reasons I think you should get your licence is:

1. No other ham will talk to you without a valid callsign. And yes, they can look you up.
2. The licence training trains you how to use your radio properly. Knowing about propagation (where it is most efficient to transmit) and where it is safe to transmit and receive is vital. You could transmit on important emergency frequencies.
3. You also get trained on how to make antennas for different frequencies so you dont blow your radio up.
4. The licence is cheap as chips and lasts for life. Also handy in non-SHTF situations.
HTH

Zai

[Magenta16v]

I think you missed my point....
I would not care if i was trained or not.... I doult another Ham user who has got his licence/trained etc whould say to me after an SHTF event. Sorry I cant talk to you as you have no licence. Even though I maybe the first person he/she has talked to for weeks.

I was not saying I was going to grab one now and just start using it.

We had this same conversation the other week about 4x4's . I dont own one but believe me , I would have one as I am sure there would be plenty lying around.

[Zai]

I think you missed my point....
I would not care if i was trained or not.... I doult another Ham user who has got his licence/trained etc whould say to me after an SHTF event. Sorry I cant talk to you as you have no licence. Even though I maybe the first person he/she has talked to for weeks.

I was not saying I was going to grab one now and just start using it.

We had this same conversation the other week about 4x4's . I dont own one but believe me , I would have one as I am sure there would be plenty lying around.

OK, so you've decided that 14MHz is a good frequency to try and use. The S has HTF and you have no internet. You need to make an antenna. If you get it wrong by more that 10cm you blow up your radio. What size do you cut your antenna to? what type of antenna would you try to make?

Your radio is useless because you failed to prepare by getting your licence and doing the training that is required.

I know for example that 80m is good during the day to talk to UK hams, 14MHz is good for long distance and 28MHz sometimes doesn't work at all. I know haw to make antennas for all bands, I know which part of the bands to use to which mode (morse, voice, data etc).

Seriously, it's worth doing.

[scoobie]

OK, so you've decided that 14MHz is a good frequency to try and use. The S has HTF and you have no internet. You need to make an antenna. If you get it wrong by more that 10cm you blow up your radio. What size do you cut your antenna to? what type of antenna would you try to make?

Your radio is useless because you failed to prepare by getting your licence and doing the training that is required.

I know for example that 80m is good during the day to talk to UK hams, 14MHz is good for long distance and 28MHz sometimes doesn't work at all. I know haw to make antennas for all bands, I know which part of the bands to use to which mode (morse, voice, data etc).

Seriously, it's worth doing.

Totally echo what you're saying here. It also doesn't cost much to do the course and the 'exam' either.

[gary5wift]

Fully agree

I've joined a club, enrolled on a course, am taking the exam in a few weeks and got a decent handheld - all for less than £100. This is just the start, I'll be learning more and expanding my knowledge/capability next year

[metatron]

I think you missed my point....
I would not care if i was trained or not.... I doult another Ham user who has got his licence/trained etc whould say to me after an SHTF event. Sorry I cant talk to you as you have no licence. Even though I maybe the first person he/she has talked to for weeks.

I was not saying I was going to grab one now and just start using it.

We had this same conversation the other week about 4x4's . I dont own one but believe me , I would have one as I am sure there would be plenty lying around.

OK, so you've decided that 14MHz is a good frequency to try and use. The S has HTF and you have no internet. You need to make an antenna. If you get it wrong by more that 10cm you blow up your radio. What size do you cut your antenna to? what type of antenna would you try to make?

Your radio is useless because you failed to prepare by getting your licence and doing the training that is required.

I know for example that 80m is good during the day to talk to UK hams, 14MHz is good for long distance and 28MHz sometimes doesn't work at all. I know haw to make antennas for all bands, I know which part of the bands to use to which mode (morse, voice, data etc).

Seriously, it's worth doing.

Just use a tuner.

[Arzosah]

Hi all! Without knowing the fundamentals, someone like me wouldn't be able to use a tuner, and wouldn't *know* to use a tuner. And wouldn't know what a tuner looked like if it upped and slapped me with a wet fish (tuna, geddit?).

Thats why I've got the book my local society recommended, and thats why I'm popping along there next week. Having read the book, hopefully

[Zai]

Just use a tuner.

And a radio newbie knows that they need one? Or that they work well with a 9:1 unun and random wire? Seriously, if you are going to use a ham radio, then the Foundation Course provides you with a solid framework of learning that you need for a SHTF situation. You also get access to an expert who will help you with a your specific situation.

My exam and course cost me less than £30 total.
Peppers PREPARE. Buying a radio is not preparing.

[metatron]

Just use a tuner.

And a radio newbie knows that they need one? Or that they work well with a 9:1 unun and random wire? Seriously, if you are going to use a ham radio, then the Foundation Course provides you with a solid framework of learning that you need for a SHTF situation. You also get access to an expert who will help you with a your specific situation.

My exam and course cost me less than £30 total.
Peppers PREPARE. Buying a radio is not preparing.

I think people make it sound harder than it is, if you can read you can learn enough to get by. The hobby is a little dull, if people what the equipment, it doesn't require a licence to own and to listen, just to transmit. I know countless engineers that have no interests in ham radio as a hobby and the licence is useless to them but they have forgotten more than most operators will ever know. A license does not make you knowledgeable an interest in RF engineering and an ability to read and play does (there are other frequencies you can play with).

Even antenna design is relatively easy below 1GHz, unless we are talking some type of fractal antenna or something exotic like a sea water antenna or a liquid metal antenna. I tend to tell people to just buy a used radio, read a book or two, listen and if you want to talk to them get a licence, but for the most part ham radio is useful in case of shtf but as a hobby, its something most people will not care for.

Just because you own a computer does not mean you need to know how to code and know its inner-workings, the same goes with radio. Sure it can save you some money but if you don't care, don't worry about it.