New HAM

[Longrange308]

So I finally got around to taking my test last saturday and passed. I got lucky I think, I studied a bunch for the test two years ago and then chickened out and never took the test.

I spent a total of maybe 4 hours studying and taking practice exams and went to the test last minute and luckily I have a steel trap memory, lots of info came flooding in from the memory banks and I pulled it off. Whew..

So this morning I ordered a Yaesu FTM-400XDR, a Diamond K400S NMO antenna mount, SBB5 NMO antenna, A MEK-2 Mic extension kit, a MMB-98 remote suction windshield control head bracket, an MFJ-281 speaker (radio body will be behind the back seat in a crew cab f-150), and lastly a NMO antenna mount cap for when I pull the antenna off for car washes and such.

All this cool stuff should be here tomorrow and Im stuck, still waiting for my call sign to appear on the FCC website. I am not this patient, haha.. On top of all this, I already owned a Kenwood TM-281 2m unit and I am listening in on a local repeater that is currently linked in with my hometown.. UGH!

So how long does this normally take for the callsign to show up? Im dying over here trying to be patient while still hitting the refresh button on the FCC website every 3 seconds (not really, but I do check it throughout the day)

You guys think I did good on equipment?

 

[opg4759]

Congrats on passing your test. You should have your callsign online within the week.

Equipment wise you look to have made some solid choices. With the FT-400 look up Bluetooth Cat connector, you can use this with an Android phone/tablet to display APRS data on a map with APRSdroid. There are a few different youtube videos on how to do this.

-Josh KB6FJ

 

[prerunner1982]

Congrats and welcome.

I have seen it take about 12 days for a callsign to appear on the FCC ULS. This depends somewhat on how and how quickly the VEs submitted the tests.

 

[Longrange308]

Got my ticket today.. Took 10 days..

KI7GMB

 

[johnspark]

Congrats.

I test on Monday.

 

[texascrane]

I think there should be something on the test about how ham isn't an acronym and therefore shouldn't be capitalized like "HAM". :sombrero:

 

[ChadHahn]

What I wish is that the test would teach you the protocols for using the radio. A lot of the stuff on it doesn't seem relevant for today's ham who orders his equipment from Ham Radio Outlet. I would rather have learned what to say when transmitting and when to use my call sign.

Chad

 

[johnspark]

What I wish is that the test would teach you the protocols for using the radio. A lot of the stuff on it doesn't seem relevant for today's ham who orders his equipment from Ham Radio Outlet. I would rather have learned what to say when transmitting and when to use my call sign.

Chad

What to say when transmitting? The rules say it should be "of a personal nature or having to do with amateur radio"...something to that affect. Say what you want in those boundaries?

"When to use my call sign?" That was in the book... every 10 minutes and at the end of a transmission.

It also said "Listen" to the radio. Ham usage will be learned through doing/listening. That's the OJT portion of HAM HaM hAm ham radio!

What does ordering equipment from HRO have to do with anything? You still have to pass the test and are expected to continue learning about your "Hobby" or am I missing something?

 

[ChadHahn]

It's been over 10 years since I got my license so I can't remember exactly what's on the test but it seemed to me that it was geared more toward home brewing radios and antennas. Things that generally aren't done. After I took my test I wasn't going to build a radio, I was going to power up my Radio Shack 2M and start talking. At the time I wished that the test had more practical information for me and less about what resistor I needed.

Maybe if I had bought a book things would have been different, but I took tests from an internet test pool until I had answered all the questions numerous times.

Chad

 

[DaveNay]

It's been over 10 years since I got my license so I can't remember exactly what's on the test but it seemed to me that it was geared more toward home brewing radios and antennas. Things that generally aren't done. After I took my test I wasn't going to build a radio, I was going to power up my Radio Shack 2M and start talking. At the time I wished that the test had more practical information for me and less about what resistor I needed.

Maybe if I had bought a book things would have been different, but I took tests from an internet test pool until I had answered all the questions numerous times.

Chad

I've been studying for my Technician and General tests in Sept. I am most surprised by the questions regarding zinc-carbon batteries. Have those even been manufactured in the last 40 years?

 

[Kiomon]

@ChadHahn I am licensed Extra and I agree with your sentiment! I went and bought a great book from ARRL that is basically an operator's manual. Goes over the basic stuff that is missing from all the theory. How to call CQ properly, how to terminate a conversation, how to contest, etc. It's quite good. They, ARRL, have a lot of practical resources. You should join if you haven't already.

 

[ChadHahn]

@ChadHahn I am licensed Extra and I agree with your sentiment! I went and bought a great book from ARRL that is basically an operator's manual. Goes over the basic stuff that is missing from all the theory. How to call CQ properly, how to terminate a conversation, how to contest, etc. It's quite good. They, ARRL, have a lot of practical resources. You should join if you haven't already.

Thanks Kiomon I'll have to check out that book.

Chad

 

[Counterpoise]

I highly recommend the ARRL books. You will learn way more about operating procedures than from memorizing online questions. An earlier post mentioned wanting to power up the radio shack 2m radio as soon as he got his ticket. Powering up the radio and listening for a while would be the better option. If you hear 10 codes and cb lingo being used on 2m repeaters, you can bet they didn't have the ARRL books either.

 

[Abe Froman]

Anybody know if there would be an issue if I live in Colorado but took my test in California?
We live in BFE and it would just be so much easier to test when in California over Thanksgiving.
I assume my call sign would be issued to me for my specific region where I live vs where I would test?

 

[snare]

My address is in Vermont, but i just tested in NC. I received a call sign for the area VT is in.