Ham Radio... Ct7/g8huy (1 Viewer)

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
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How would they know if you didn't have a full licence rather than an intermediate to broadcast aboard, don't know anything about Ham just curious

All call signs are issued by the government
Depending on what your ability is will depend on the call sign issued
For instance ( and I am going back to when I passed the exams and things have changed now )..
When you passed the RAE ( Radio Amateur Exam )you were entitled to a B class licence.
When I passed in 1980/81 a B class licence began with G6 ( G6HML )
Other B class licences are
G8
G1
G7

You then had the option to go on and take a morse test ( 12 words per minute ) to gain an A class licence
This I did ( about the a year or so after Larby as it happens ) and gained my G4 call sign ( G4VEL )

Other A class licenced call signs are
G0
G2
G3

After a while, to encourage more people to take the hobby up, the RSGB ( Radio Society of Great Britain ) successfully campaigned for two new licences to be added. They were called Novice licences 2E1 being the equivalent of a B class and 2E0 an A class.
Although the frequencies and types of transmission allowed was quite restricted it did give folk the chance to get involved fairly easily

Things have changed ( a lot ) nowadays but there are still a good many restrictions in place ..

Addendum :
originally B class licence holders could only use VHF and higher frequencies while A class could use frequencies from 1.8 megs to.. well pretty damned high... I believe it is now up to 250 terahertz ( laser )

You can now get involved with ham radio quite easily at a base level by getting a foundation licence..
This is far from heavy and all sorts of people do it, from small children to ( admittedly only one ) centenegarians

Here is a link to a page giving a lot more info on how to get a foundation licence:
http://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/for-students/foundation/
 

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
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How all very, very yesterday!

JJ :cool:
So how many phones have you built JJ ? :xrofl:

The hobby is not really about talking to folk for most involved. it is more about the techy side of things (y)

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GaryH61

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Feb 13, 2015
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I am looking to get started in the Ham Radio lark, background in electronics, like tinkering with stuff so going to have a go at foundation get licenced. Then see if I can talk over a few fields, say Huddersfield, Macclesfield and Sheffield for starters. Good to see the hobby is still going with a few folks, may need to pick some brans along the way
 

laird of Dunstan

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Feb 15, 2015
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I am looking to get started in the Ham Radio lark, background in electronics, like tinkering with stuff so going to have a go at foundation get licenced. Then see if I can talk over a few fields, say Huddersfield, Macclesfield and Sheffield for starters. Good to see the hobby is still going with a few folks, may need to pick some brans along the way
Hi gary
with a background in electronics you will find it relatively easy ,most of the stuff in the foundation i allready knew ,it was the legal side that i had to learn ,if you would like a taster ,theres an online version called hamsphere ,its a software program that runs like the real thing.
I keep meaning to do my intermediate and have a go at the full liscense as one of my ambitions is to use my radio when im in the MOHO ,ive done it in the UK from my caravan when i was sub contracting ,currently trying to persuade the missus that i need a new antenna :D:D

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Nov 13, 2012
439
438
Somerset
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coachbuilt
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since 2000
Just get one of those telescopic poles that people fly flags from and fix a g5rv to it and work the world on phone and cw.
 

Jaws

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 26, 2008
23,821
71,988
Thetford Norfolk
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4,189
MH
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since 2006 ( I think ! )
Just get one of those telescopic poles that people fly flags from and fix a g5rv to it and work the world on phone and cw.
Better make that two poles unless you are gonna have a go at ground wave ! LOL !!
 
May 8, 2016
1,685
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silver coast, portugal
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Boatie for 20 years
All call signs are issued by the government
Depending on what your ability is will depend on the call sign issued
For instance ( and I am going back to when I passed the exams and things have changed now )..
When you passed the RAE ( Radio Amateur Exam )you were entitled to a B class licence.
When I passed in 1980/81 a B class licence began with G6 ( G6HML )
Other B class licences are
G8
G1
G7

You then had the option to go on and take a morse test ( 12 words per minute ) to gain an A class licence
This I did ( about the a year or so after Larby as it happens ) and gained my G4 call sign ( G4VEL )

Other A class licenced call signs are
G0
G2
G3

After a while, to encourage more people to take the hobby up, the RSGB ( Radio Society of Great Britain ) successfully campaigned for two new licences to be added. They were called Novice licences 2E1 being the equivalent of a B class and 2E0 an A class.
Although the frequencies and types of transmission allowed was quite restricted it did give folk the chance to get involved fairly easily

Things have changed ( a lot ) nowadays but there are still a good many restrictions in place ..

Addendum :
originally B class licence holders could only use VHF and higher frequencies while A class could use frequencies from 1.8 megs to.. well pretty damned high... I believe it is now up to 250 terahertz ( laser )

You can now get involved with ham radio quite easily at a base level by getting a foundation licence..
This is far from heavy and all sorts of people do it, from small children to ( admittedly only one ) centenegarians

Here is a link to a page giving a lot more info on how to get a foundation licence:
http://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/for-students/foundation/
I believe that with the dropping of morse requirements in 2003, full RAE or B class licence holders were automatically upgraded to A class (without the morse competency, obviously)

Although amateur radio in Portugal is active, foreign visitors aren't made especially welcome in my experience. All very bureaucratic over here

G6FDE with separate marine and aviation licences, a loft full of radios and not a lot of incentive at the moment to power them up. From FT290s to FT101ZD and an FT450, with 3 19 sets and a load of various 2M/70CM stuff

73s

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Camping Gaza

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May 7, 2016
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Converted a Fiat Ducato PV a while back
a loft full of radios and not a lot of incentive at the moment to power them up.

That's a shame Pyro... but I know what you mean. FT2000, FT102 complete 80's original line up, all of it! (my Fav). FT840 and a FL2100B amp, Kenwood scope, 1 manual 1 auto tuner, lots of SWR/Power meters, bit and bits and bits all over! (and too many power supplies)
 
Last edited:

Jaws

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 26, 2008
23,821
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Thetford Norfolk
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since 2006 ( I think ! )
I believe that with the dropping of morse requirements in 2003, full RAE or B class licence holders were automatically upgraded to A class (without the morse competency, obviously)

Although amateur radio in Portugal is active, foreign visitors aren't made especially welcome in my experience. All very bureaucratic over here

G6FDE with separate marine and aviation licences, a loft full of radios and not a lot of incentive at the moment to power them up. From FT290s to FT101ZD, with 3 19 sets and a load of various 2M/70CM stuff

73s
I currently have a couple of duel band handies, an icon 760 HF with full coverage rx, and a duel band Icom mobile unit.
Antennas are in the main home brew but the mobile hf ones are getting old and tatty now, so may well be replaced with something commercial at some time
.
 
May 8, 2016
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It's a crying shame, @Camping Gaza & @Jaws, all that kit and what the RSGB hasn't done to kill the hobby, the repeater groups achieved and the internet killed completely. All flipping digital repeaters now, for those who can tear themselves away from Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat that is.

Seen some wonderful kit over in Portugal, people still spending big money and with huge antennae going up, but it is a bureaucratic nightmare setting anything up over here (well, over there ATM as blighty bound for a few weeks). I use a couple of Baofeng handhelds (2M & 70 cm) occasionally (and unofficially) for car to car use, and what you get for £25 a set is simply beyond belief. When I see the3 cost of some of that kit from ML&S (£8k for a SDR!!!) I wonder

My loft is full of kit, from an IFR 2965 full radio test set/analyser to decent HP scopes, frequency counters, time standards, the whole caboodle. Plus all the radios. Like the arduinos and Pi's, all projects in progress for that day when I eventually decide "enough is enough" and just retire to do my own thing. Then I will probably be too busy painting walls and running around in the M/H to do some of the things I really want to do (they actually let you licence small arms over in Portugal and encourage sport - target - shooting!)

Sorry, sounding like the 60 year old fart that I am becoming. Now where did I put those blue pills.......?

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Jaws

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 26, 2008
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Thetford Norfolk
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since 2006 ( I think ! )
It's a crying shame, @Camping Gaza & @Jaws, all that kit and what the RSGB hasn't done to kill the hobby, the repeater groups achieved and the internet killed completely. All flipping digital repeaters now, for those who can tear themselves away from Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat that is.

Seen some wonderful kit over in Portugal, people still spending big money and with huge antennae going up, but it is a bureaucratic nightmare setting anything up over here (well, over there ATM as blighty bound for a few weeks). I use a couple of Baofeng handhelds (2M & 70 cm) occasionally (and unofficially) for car to car use, and what you get for £25 a set is simply beyond belief. When I see the3 cost of some of that kit from ML&S (£8k for a SDR!!!) I wonder

My loft is full of kit, from an IFR 2965 full radio test set/analyser to decent HP scopes, frequency counters, time standards, the whole caboodle. Plus all the radios. Like the arduinos and Pi's, all projects in progress for that day when I eventually decide "enough is enough" and just retire to do my own thing. Then I will probably be too busy painting walls and running around in the M/H to do some of the things I really want to do (they actually let you licence small arms over in Portugal and encourage sport - target - shooting!)

Sorry, sounding like the 60 year old fart that I am becoming. Now where did I put those blue pills.......?
Oh I dunno.. All the analogue repeaters around me in Norfolk are still very active.. I am also a fairly avid W A B member and the nets are still very well supported on 40 and 80
 

Dazcaz

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May 1, 2017
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14 years of MHing. Many more Camping
A bit late to the party, but hello from MW5HOC/GW7HOC (I hold both). My wife is MW3YKL and my son is MW6YDP. When in the van we're mainly QRV on 4M and a bit of HF. mainly 40M. 10M mast on the rear of the old van. as yet undecided what's going on the new van.

Darren
 
May 8, 2016
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73's, DE G6FDE (when I can bother to renew, that is). Excellent to see a whole family active.

Welcome to the madhouse :)

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Jun 17, 2012
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Hello from G4TEB.
Keeping busy/healthy running and competing on Top Band DF .
 
May 8, 2016
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Blimey. And there's me thinking everyone has gone digital and might just as well use their smartphones!!

Nice to know there are a few of us about

Used to love running QRP on topband before I got my licence (oops, shouldn't have said that)

I have a hankering to get one of my old 19 sets back into action now
 

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
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Blimey. And there's me thinking everyone has gone digital and might just as well use their smartphones!!

Nice to know there are a few of us about

Used to love running QRP on topband before I got my licence (oops, shouldn't have said that)

I have a hankering to get one of my old 19 sets back into action now
Sorry aint felt able to use the key board since May 4th but getting it back a bit now albeit slowly

I can honestly say I know of only a few folk that have'gone digital'
Most I know are still analogue and one still uses valve based radios cos he builds them all him self :)

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May 8, 2016
1,685
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silver coast, portugal
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Sorry to hear of your inactivity, but glad you are getting back to it

I'm not sure that digital has a huge appeal to me, those I have met who use it are fairly new to the hobby and I have found them a little ignorant of the wider issues. That's the rouble when technology comes in a box at a high price, I suppose

My 3 19 sets are still sitting there waiting for some loving attention from me. I have the job of going through all those capacitors to make sure they don't blow up when I apply power
 

GaryH61

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Well since I mentioned earlier in the year I had an interest in Ham radio I have got my foundation licence and call sign M6JQZ so now its just a case of persuading my QSY to allow the 10m pole I am experimenting with for 20m to be strapped to the ladder rack at the back and then I can go /P. Next stop intermediate so with luck by Xmas I should be 2E0___?

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pappajohn

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All a bit old hat really.
I can pick up my mobile phone and reliably call anyone anywhere in the world.

What is mystery is why the OP posted this thread back in June 2015 yet their screen name is still in GREEN !!!
 
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Gadget

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Dec 15, 2017
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I had my licence back in the 80's (G6FZP) but went silent key after about six months as nearly all my contacts were only interested in telling me what equipment they had and nothing about anything else!
Seemed that most wanted to show how much they spent similar to those who buy Land Rover Defenders and never go off road.
No equipment now so I don't know if things have changed (I hope they have!) and I am not knocking those who operate in the hobby now, when I first started with a home built 4 watt kit and 10 element yagi, it was very absorbing. The radio etiquette learnt then now is very useful as I am a qualified motorsport marshal with radio contact essential around the circuits.
The wife and I use a couple of PMR handhelds when out & find them brilliant when backing the MH into tight spots etc. and around the shows when we often look at different stands then meet up for cups of tea at the Motorhomefun tent.
 

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