Category: radio

I just got back from passing my Amateur Extra test. This is the top of the licensing structure, I now have full privileges on the ham bands. It's not quite as big of a step from General to Extra as it was from Technician to General, in terms of privileges. There's just a bit more frequencies I can use now, and it feels good to have climbed the ranks. Granted, there's still plenty that I don't know, and plenty that I'm hungry to know more about.

The Extra test was just a written test (no code test involved), but the content is a bit more in depth and alot more technical than the previous tests. I had only really been studying in earnest, this week (Spring Break). I didn't just beat the snot out of the test, it was a nail-biter, much like my previous Morse test. I could probably do better if I took it again at a later date and studied more - but I passed, that's all that matters, and I'm happy for that.

edit:I just passed my Amateur Extra class license test!
As most of you know, I got my General class license for ham radio. This allows me to operate on the HF (<50Mhz) bands. These are the bands that are what most people associate with ham radio: talking around the world. I have been logging my contacts in my log book and have decided to start trying for the ARRL Worked All States Award.
As you can see from the map, I have quite a ways to go, but it should prove to be a fun goal. This is only using the 20m band, which is what my dipole was contructed for. The limitation to this is that it is virtually dead at night.

As far as distance goes, I have logged contacts from my apartment with a station in the Cook Islands (in the South Pacific), the island of Trinidad (in the south Carribean) and 2 contacts in Canada (one in BC, the other in SK). At the SFA radio club station, I have logged various states, Canada, England and even Serbia!

While I'm on the subject of ham radio, I attended a "Hamfest" (ham radio swapmeet) this weekend in Orange, TX. I picked up some radio odds and ends, and an Extra Class study manual. I hope to take this test at the end of next month, but more realistically, it will be in the coming months. The Extra Class test (Element 4) is the highest level test for amateur radio, as well as the hardest and most technically challenging. By passing the test, I will be afforded access to certain portions of the spectrum reserved for other Extra class operators. Big whoop, I know.

update: still making contacts...

Tonight I passed both the written and code section of the FCC Amateur Radio Licensing tests to gain my General license. I had studied Morse Code off and on for the past few months. I thought I was ready back in December, but failed at that attempt. Tonight I passed, not perfect, but a good showing, nonetheless. I was sure I would walk away defeated once more, but after Army, AE5P, counted up more than 35 characters in a row, I was elated to find out I passed.

I also gave the written portion of the test a try and found out I remembered more of it than I thought - I hadn't studied since December! (...and that was studying with a slightly outdated book!) I passed with a 24/30, not as good as I'd liked to have made, but a passing score is a passing score.

It will take a few weeks for the FCC to process the paperwork to officially grant my General class standing, but in the meantime, I can still operate as a General license holder by appending "/AG" to my call. (I think it stands for Awaiting General)

I was really shocked, I was only expecting to eek by on the Element 1 code test, but, in the end, I got both. Very glad to have accomplished this.

I had connection problems with Echolink preventing me from joining the website discussion this evening. I would like to use this to voice my opinion.

All the webserver will need is PHP and MySQL (although, any other database platform would suffice). It is also important that we not sink a ton of money into this venture to begin with. As important as the club is to all of us, and any hams we may talk to, the general public is unaware that there is even a hobby called ham radio! In this vein, our server will not generate very much traffic, especially enough for us to take full advantage of even the cheapest hosting packages. We won't have hundereds of visitors per month. The main users of the site will just be the NARC.
If left up to me, I would design something off of the core of the code you see before you right now. I would use the same blogging technique. I am currently experimenting with neodux to see how easily I can incorporate an RSS feed for syndicated news headlines and alerts. This, among other things, will lend value to our site. As I stated, we won't have that many visitors outside of our group, but, for those that do visit us, we want them to leave feeling more informed and with "gee, I wish our club had that" feeling. I envision a utility that aids in operating practices as well as information dissemination. (Especially as it pertains to any activity surrounding Columbia disaster)

I hope this will fill you in on my thoughts about the subject. I ask for patience as we find the best solution for the club and not just amazing deal that turns sour. I would like to ask all members of NARC to be on the lookout for webspace that is...

...ad-free. banner ads distract, annoy, and can tear down our site credibility.

...supports PHP, for quick and easy code-maintenance.

...has at least one MySQL database for our own, private use.

...has ample space. (10Mb minimum, more if we want to host pictures and club newsletters on this server.)

...is non-contractual. We don't want to lock ourselves into a deal in the event it turns south!

...does not cost us an arm-and-a-leg!

I just got my new license plates in today. Texas allows amateur radio operators to get license plates with their callsign on them for a whopping $2.
I placed the order in the first couple of weeks of November and got them today.

Some people say that ham plates are the epitome of being a radio geek, maybe so, but when I'm driving and I see call letters on the back of a car, I give a wave and almost always can talk to the other guy on 146.52MHz. It's an interesting way to meet other drivers when you're making a long road trip. It's just something neat to do, and it didn't cost me much of anything. So I like it.

Mackieman sez: I got new plates too, but I opted for customized over my ham callsign. Behold the glory that is OMG BBQ.