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It’s two years now since I got the license to legally broadcast on the Amateur Radio bands. It takes skill, and knowledge. You can’t just tuck a ham radio into a bug out bag or emergency kit and expect to use it when you need it. I’m still screwing around with UHF/VHF radios. I also use the HF bands, made a few contacts, no international contacts from the US yet. Antennas are not just simple wires in a tree (but the can be if you know what you are doing.)

It’s two years now since I got the license to legally broadcast on the Amateur Radio bands. It takes skill, and knowledge. You can’t just tuck a ham radio into a bug out bag or emergency kit and expect to use it when you need it. I’m still screwing around with UHF/VHF radios. I also use the HF bands, made a few contacts, no international contacts from the US yet. Antennas are not just simple wires in a tree (but the can be if you know what you are doing.)

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[–] • 7 pts

I tried getting into HAM but the muh license fudds were unbearable. I should pull my shit together and try it again.

[–] • 3 pts

I watched YouTube videos while using my treadmill, 30 minutes a day and watched classes by W4EEY. I took practice tests on my smart phone. (Using a Free App.) before I knew it I was scoring a 100% on the Technician License test, I kept going, a month later I was also scoring in the high 90s on the General exam. I kept going, by my test date I was passing the Amateur Extra exam. On test day I paid $15, took the first test, 100%! Took the General test, 97%, asked for and took the Amateur Extra, 94%. (Fun to pass all three tests in one sitting but a word of caution I walked out with an Amateur Extra license but didn’t know jack-shit how to use ham radio! Hence my warning it takes practice, I’ve learned a lot in the last two years but no where close to what an Amateur Extra licensed ham radio operator should know, but studying hard.) HRCC YouTube channel has taught me a lot and helped close my knowledge gap.

[–] • 2 pts

Find your local club and try a couple until you find one you like.

Prepped Net and AmRRON also do a lot to train hams.

[–] [deleted] • 2 pts (edited )

It's easy. Read the question pool a dozen times the day before the test and go take it. Im going take the extra test in a few weeks so i can open up the rest of the HF bands. They dropped the CW requirements and you just run programs now that will decode and encode text. Still cool to learn it though for if you ever need to go old school with just a keyer.