re: Anyone here a HAM operator?

I had a friend years back who had been big military at one point and then after he retired, went HAM and then MARS. He talked to folks all over the world, relayed messages and stuff like that. Like many others who do HAM, it seemed like he lived on his radio.

I'm sure it is a good hobby to keep your mind active.

I’m an Extra Class ham since ‘90.
Check out Eham.net, QTH.com. ,
ARRL.org, QRZ.com, and check eBay for used gear. As always, buyer beware.

HAM radio operators were invaluable establishing communications with the mainland after Germany attacked Pearl Harbor.

(no message)

My father was a HAM radio operator from the time he was a teenager in the 50's until he passed away in 2004 (K5TP). I have fond memories of spending time with him as a child while he interacted with people from all over the world. Got me interested in learning about geography and foreign places.

Probably the most interesting contact he ever had was with a resident of Jonestown about two weeks before the mass suicide. The guy was mainly promoting their community as some sort of utopian paradise. After the events at Jonestown, Dad remarked that he guessed he wouldn't be getting a qsl card from that particular individual.

I've often thought about getting into it, but it's an expensive hobby if you want to do it right.

I just got back into it myself. You could start with a $25 BauFeng just to learn the ropes before investing bigger $. As for courses, if you’re willing to invest a little money, I recommend HamTestOnline. I studied it for about a month, and passed my Tech and General exams at the same time.

Those BaoFeng radios are great for as cheap as they are. Even if you’re not going to get licensed, it’s worth keeping one around for WX.

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I was not familiar with that brand, but for the price I'm going to give it a try.

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They’re just a cheap Chinese copy radio, but surprisingly work well. There was some controversy a few years back about whether or not they were actually broadcasting within the bandwidths they claimed to be, but to my knowledge that’s been resolved.

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I haven't been on 2 meters in many years, but I used a $400 Yaesu dual-band back in the 90s.

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2 meter is still popular where I am in the Blue Ridge mountains. Mostly because people are poor and dual band radios are cheap

Check out BRARC.Org.
Check out K5ARC website (don’t know url)
Do NOT BUY ANYTHING YET!!!!
Go to meeting
Learn what you want to do with the hobby
Get licensed (use practice test on QRZ.Com or ARRL.org

Don’t throw good money after expectations. Make sure you buy what will do what you want.

If you see a cheap option with less features from what you want, keep saving your money to get what you want. Don’t settle for features. My radio is nearly 30 years old and works great. Do I want a new one? Sure! But am I willing to spend the money on something that does exactly what my current radio does? No.

Don’t just buy to buy. Buy what suites your needs.

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lived in Asheville for 20 years before moving back to Texas five years ago.

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When were you in Br. Eduardo’s dorm?