Introduction to Amateur Radio

Submitted by David Trammel on Thu, 07/05/2012 - 14:25
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The Tenth Circle: Communication and Transportation

I still touch base with an old website, Zombie Squad, which has a large HAM radio community. Zombie Squad may come across as a bit "tongue in check" with their talk of the "zombieapocolipyse" but they are very active in the preparedness community and their charter chapter started here in St Louis.

I thought those here interested would like the links to their four part tutorial on Amateur Radio by Doctor Jest. It has some good links and references.

Part 1: Intro - http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=6309

Part 2: Licensing - http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=6313

Part 3: Equipment - http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=6319

Part 4: Networking - http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=6523

and "Technician and General Class Amateur License Notes" - http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=15156

SaraBeth

Fri, 07/13/2012 - 10:24

Thanks for posting this. I have been thinking about HAM radio as a means of communication.

lathechuck's picture

lathechuck

Tue, 07/31/2012 - 20:43

With a transceiver (combination transmitter and receiver) which puts out 150W, while drawing 12V power (as from a car battery), I've been able to carry on voice conversations with other similar stations as far away as Ukraine, Serbia, Colombia, and Chile (from Maryland). However, there have been times when I have trouble hearing friends who are only 20 miles away. It depends on the sunspots (literally), the choice of frequency, and the amount of congestion from other users. If you learn Morse Code, you can get by with a lot less power, and tolerate more congestion. Getting the license is mostly a matter of showing that you know how to avoid causing interference, and how not to be a danger to yourself and others. You can find practice exams at aa9pw.com. If you look for used equipment (e.g. estate liquidation), you can get on the air for under $100, even without building your own circuits, and if you're not too obnoxious to your local community, they'll help you find bargains.

Lathe Chuck, AB3NA