+3
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New ham!

Hey /t/hamradio! Hello to both of ya. I'm very new to ham radio. I'm getting my license on the 29th. Right now I'm stuck to my little Baofeng handy-talkie. Once I learn a little bit more about radio I'm going to finally upgrade to a desk station but what confuses me is the menagerie of gear that's out there for radio. Do either you guys know of a guide that references a few key components of a proper ham shack? Thanks!

9 years ago by Bazill with 6 comments

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  • sarcasimo
    +1

    Heya there, welcome aboard! I'm N1ARC.

    I'm afraid I don't have a lot of insight on HF units. I mainly stick to my handhelds and some software radios. This might help provide some basic information. I would say stop by a local swapfest and get a feel for the equipment around. It's also a good way to meet some local Hams.

    Let us know your call once you have your license!

    • Bazill
      +1

      Certainly! Hopefully I'll see you on the air! From what I understand the Tech license doesn't give you a whole lot of room to move around in the HF bands, right?

      • sarcasimo
        +1

        Yeah, it's not very open, you'll wanna grab your General or go straight to Extra if you wanna have fun in HF.

        • Bazill
          +2

          That's sound advice. Think a radio like this would be better? Given that it's VHF and UHF?

          • sarcasimo
            +1

            That looks like a nice radio, according to some of the reviews I came across. If you're not already using it, I would suggest grabbing programming cables for your radios, and CHIRP. Because programming these things by hand requires a doctorate in VCR programming.

            • Bazill
              +2

              Heh, yeah I learned that first hand when I tried to listen in on a repeater. Cable is in the mail. Can't wait to try it out and listen in.