Thinking About Getting Into Ham Radios

So over the last few days I've been listening to William Cooper stuff from You Tube. William Cooper is a famous Ham Radio operator as well as an an American conspiracy theorist, radio broadcaster, and author best known for his 1991 book, Behold a Pale Horse, in which he claimed global conspiracies, some involving aliens.[In short, he broadcasted his theories over the Ham Radio before there was an internet, and before there was Art Bell and he died in 2001. Some people believe he was killed for his beliefs.

So, it has got me to start thinking about getting and operating a ham radio. I realize that I need a license and need to learn how to operate one. I've already found a study guide for it. I've also found places to buy one.

Right now I'm simply considering it it and have not made up my mind regarding it.

So, what kind of helpful advice can you give me about one? What are the pros and cons of using one?

And can one use it for entertainment? Say I wanted to tell a fictional story about werewolves once a month, would I be able to do something like that? And would I need to do something like register for a specific broadcasting frequency?

what is the point i say..
who wants all the wires and antennas? and the ugly looking things you need to use the thing?..
smart phones rule......
imho...

This is something I've often thought about too.

Anyone from the uk know whats required to be legal in the uk?

Originally posted by cantsee4looking
what is the point i say..
who wants all the wires and antennas? and the ugly looking things you need to use the thing?..
smart phones rule......
imho...

until the network goes down

I began going through the process of getting my ham radio license back in high school, but the morse code tripped me up. From what I understand, there is no requirement any more to learn morse code. As far as I know, it is fairly easy.

There should be a ham radio club somewhere near you that might offer a class, or a local college that has a broadcasting program might be able to help you out. I'm sure there is an FCC exam you have to take, so you might be able to self-teach toward it.

reply to post by VoidHawk


well if the poo hits the fan,and the network goes down i will ask a ham radio operator if i can use his radio to contact my family.....lol
seeing as everyone has these contraptions..

My boyfriend is a ham operator - I would suggest
you start with some info online and go from there.
You are right about the morse code, no longer
required but he still uses it on occasion. I stick
to my computer so I am unable to give much
more info. Good luck in getting set up, that
seems to be the fun part.

Ham Radio is still a very viable hobby. It did takes some hits as the Internet blossomed, bit in the last year or two, it's actually had record growth! At least here in the US.

I can only speak to the stateside stuff, but just electrical theory and rules and reg type questions for each level of test. Code is no longer required, which I disagree with (think of it as the original digital communication, you either hear it or you don't!), but there are still plenty of hams that use CW, but there are many modes. In fact we hams (I'm an Amateur Extra), even have satellites we communicate with.

The ham radio Mecca in the US is the ARRL in Newington, Ct is a great place to start. Check them out at www.arrl.org.

Good luck!

reply to post by ctdannyd


Thank you for the link. I've been looking at it, but it seems to want to have money for an account there and right now I am broke.

Personally, I think it's a great idea, especially these days. I was a Morse Code radio operator in the military, but never went Ham. I wish I would have continued with it now, and have had all the equipment already set up and functional. Communication is always a priority target during conflict, whether internal or external. Just seems like we could all use a ham setup for that reason. As long as you still had power, whether normal or backup, you could at least keep up with what was going on. In a time of conflict or natural disaster it will be terrifying to be without communications. Definitely makes a lot of sense...

reply to post by EvilSadamClone


I suggest starting with a communications receiver and listening to the traffic before you decide to make the much bigger investment into a transmitting station. Many inexpensive older, but working, communications receiver models are available on www.qrz.com... or www.eham.net... from other hams - understand what you are buying before using ebay). Most of the established net's are found on 80 and 75 meters in the states. Listen for a while and then jump in when you are ready. I started listening 5 years before I got my Extra Class license.

I am only aware of two UFO related nets on 75 meters; www.arufon.org... and an occasional MUFON net on Wednesday nights in the states.

Best regards,
Z

One way broadcasting is prohibited. The only half way exception is broadcasting of news bulletins that are strictly related to the amateur service and related field of radio/electronics. Even that exeption has been hotly debated from time to time. WA0RCR’s broadcast of his radio news letter on 1860 AM every week has been through the FCC more times than I care to count. Including the occasional QRM battle.

As with every other form of communications, there is general, and sometimes unwritten rules of etiquette. Listen long enough to the day to day grind on the bands before you start talking, and you will pretty much understand what you shouldn’t do.

General rule of thumb. Long winded conversations are OK. Broadcasting is not. It has to be a two way conversation with other people. If it is stupid, or out of place, you will get quick blowback.

Fictional crap doesn’t fly very high on the bands during day to day activities. Fictional radio related stories may be tolerated once in a while, where properly used. Fictional stories that have nothing to do with radio will not make you many admirers. You will get a lot of people pissed at you very quickly. And remember, it is two way, so they can tell you to shut the hell up.

Interactive conspiracy discussions is one thing. But prewritten werewolf stories is a totally different ball of wax. If you just sit there and drone on reading a story while talking to nobody, or continue reading while you ignore the people telling you to get lost. It would be most likely considered as broadcasting. Which may get you a cease and desist letter from the FCC if you irritate someone enough to report you.

I have heard more than one conspiracy person talking and they often devolve into a straight out “knock down drag out” verbal argument if the person just keeps repeating the same crap over and over again without even paying attention to what other people are telling him.

If his response to everyone that points out something wrong with his idea is “you are just an agent of the illuminati” Then he is going to have one hell of a road to hoe real quickly.

Generally, there should be no prewritten/scripted material that you are reading off of, unless you are participating in a message handling net, or reading a radio related news leter.

My best advice is get a good shortwave receiver with good SSB reception capability and listen. Listen before you talk. Listen a lot. I listened on a daily basis for over two years before I made my first transmission. Once you get use to the daily grind, then knowing what you can and can’t do, will be self evident, and there will be no reason to ask questions in places like this.

73s