Essex Ham Radio Free Learning Course

[Arzosah]

cbp, thats so helpful, thank you! My nearest big town is Brighton, absolutely - hopefully that doesn't create too much extra work for you.

I'm seriously not buying anything I don't *have* to buy until all this is over - nothing physical, anyway, I'll buy that kindle version of the new foundation book that has the digital info in. But I'm sure I'll be able to hear my neighbour, at least, even with the little aerial that comes with the Baofeng - he has a WWII aerial thats about 40 feet tall, I kid you not

Found the Baofeng, btw: "two way portable radio, vhf/uhf, ultra compact dual band transceiver with wide band coverage. Frankly, I'll have to scan the instruction leaflet and make a pdf document so I can enlarge the print enough to read it the model number must be on there, but I just can't see. Perhaps thats a hint I should go to bed.

Thanks again cbp.

[cbp125]

cbp, thats so helpful, thank you! My nearest big town is Brighton, absolutely - hopefully that doesn't create too much extra work for you.

I'm seriously not buying anything I don't *have* to buy until all this is over - nothing physical, anyway, I'll buy that kindle version of the new foundation book that has the digital info in. But I'm sure I'll be able to hear my neighbour, at least, even with the little aerial that comes with the Baofeng - he has a WWII aerial thats about 40 feet tall, I kid you not

Found the Baofeng, btw: "two way portable radio, vhf/uhf, ultra compact dual band transceiver with wide band coverage. Frankly, I'll have to scan the instruction leaflet and make a pdf document so I can enlarge the print enough to read it the model number must be on there, but I just can't see. Perhaps thats a hint I should go to bed.

Thanks again cbp.

Brighten and eastbourne are close so you both would use the same repeaters, so get the same code plug. The baofangs are all very similar and all the manuals are gibberish! its better to check youtube, search UV5R as they all work the same. Once your licenced some one would show you in seconds how to work them. btw my dad is in raynet sussex, they are the emergancy responce unit to help out if comms go down for the police/fire etc. worth joining once your ready

[Arzosah]

Thats gret to know, ta muchly

[Arwen Thebard]

Great thread guys. No excuses to get on with learning anymore now we have all this free time.

[Pete_59]

I've been thinking about getting my HAM licience for a while and this has encouraged my to sign up. I'll probably be on the course starting in May I've ordered my Foundation Licence Manual and I'm thinking about buying this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Upgraded-BAO ... SwX21c5G0T is it suitable?

[Arzosah]

Hi Pete, one of the people who actually understand will be along soon, I'm sure - plus, when you sign on to the next course, there's a space for chat and actual questions. Lovely helpful people. What you've linked to looks like the one I bought about four years ago (and never did anything with, until now ) and thats all I'm qualified to say

I'm having a tough time with the course simply because my computer is almost dead, and switches itself off after half an hour or so but I'll be taking module 2 of 9 this afternoon, managed to copy the info onto my kindle before my computer decided it had had enough for the day.

[cbp125]

I've been thinking about getting my HAM licience for a while and this has encouraged my to sign up. I'll probably be on the course starting in May I've ordered my Foundation Licence Manual and I'm thinking about buying this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Upgraded-BAO ... SwX21c5G0T is it suitable?

Yes that radio is suitable, I have 3 of that model along with several other models of the same it is a UV5R, generic chinese radio however they are very good. The hardest thing is programing them. I am trying to put together a "codeplug" for it but my codes are no an old computer.

Basically with ham radio the cheaper the radio the harder they are to set up, the more expensive radio's are either set up for you by the shop or set up automatically via gps. However in use they are near identical. The choice of a £15 or £20 radio or a £400 radio is usually quite easy lol, they all break if thrown on the floor. Normally you would do a course at a local club and they would set your radio up while your there, but ob not at the moment.

Where abouts in UK are you (roughly)

[Arzosah]

OMG I am *so* far from understanding any of this I'm really good at "big picture" science, a la Horizon TV programme but using formulae and understanding voltage, current etc rather than nodding at them on a list and moving on ... nope. Even taking the test for module 2 (of 9) was agony, and it was still a fail. And I was cribbing It reminds me of the Physical Anthropology component of my wiffly waffly General Arts degree: there was quite a bit of science involved, where I had to understand and use it or fail the whole degree I spent an hour a day working through something called the Hardy-Weinberg equations, for about three weeks, until one day I just got it.

Trouble is, at this stage, it's all disconnected facts, it doesn't *mean* anything - wattage, voltage, whatever. I'm seriously language and arts I'm entitled to two more goes on the module 2 test ... I may get it, I may not. If I keep on feeling nauseous, I don't think I'll carry on best be honest here!

[korolev]

OMG I am *so* far from understanding any of this I'm really good at "big picture" science, a la Horizon TV programme but using formulae and understanding voltage, current etc rather than nodding at them on a list and moving on ... nope. Even taking the test for module 2 (of 9) was agony, and it was still a fail. And I was cribbing It reminds me of the Physical Anthropology component of my wiffly waffly General Arts degree: there was quite a bit of science involved, where I had to understand and use it or fail the whole degree I spent an hour a day working through something called the Hardy-Weinberg equations, for about three weeks, until one day I just got it.

Trouble is, at this stage, it's all disconnected facts, it doesn't *mean* anything - wattage, voltage, whatever. I'm seriously language and arts I'm entitled to two more goes on the module 2 test ... I may get it, I may not. If I keep on feeling nauseous, I don't think I'll carry on best be honest here!

A couple of years ago I had to teach some new people about old (but still used) data technology.
I asked who knew Ohms law and got a sea of blank faces. I tried to find a video to explain it and found this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CztiI0re5Eo
They all said it explained it very well, so give it a go.

[Pete_59]

I've been thinking about getting my HAM licience for a while and this has encouraged my to sign up. I'll probably be on the course starting in May I've ordered my Foundation Licence Manual and I'm thinking about buying this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Upgraded-BAO ... SwX21c5G0T is it suitable?

Yes that radio is suitable, I have 3 of that model along with several other models of the same it is a UV5R, generic chinese radio however they are very good. The hardest thing is programing them. I am trying to put together a "codeplug" for it but my codes are no an old computer.

Basically with ham radio the cheaper the radio the harder they are to set up, the more expensive radio's are either set up for you by the shop or set up automatically via gps. However in use they are near identical. The choice of a £15 or £20 radio or a £400 radio is usually quite easy lol, they all break if thrown on the floor. Normally you would do a course at a local club and they would set your radio up while your there, but ob not at the moment.

Where abouts in UK are you (roughly)

I thought there'd be a catch with it being so cheap still at that price it's worth getting and having a play with.

As to my location I'm in the fens, nearest town is Wisbech.