# Holy Crap I have to tell you what happend at the Ham Club Last Night



## biobacon

So I went to a Ham radio club last night for the first time. I have a lot of camo and I often wear my NRA hoodie but left all that stuff at home so as not to offend anyone as this was my first time meeting these people. So I get in there and like 3/4 the people have camo on and one guy starts talking about buying an AR and this leads to a conversation about ammo shortage and how the government is stock piling it. I tell them maybe I should have worn the NRA hoodie and the VP of the club moves her jacket a little bit to show us shes wearing a NRA T shirt. Im like Holy crap I found my people. So we talked about getting my FCC license and they invited me out their 24 hour radio event where they are going to try to contact as many people as they can without using conventional power. I didn't drop the "P" word yet but I think I might be in good company. How cool is that?


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## 21601mom

That's awesome!! Sounds like the people in that group would be great partners, should anything ever happen.


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## Attila

Cool. There's a ham radio club where I live. You have me thinking I'll attend one of their meetings soon. Thanks,


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## Sentry18

I have been resisting all of this HAM business, just because I really don't need another activity in my life. But I recently watched my neighbor (a retired Army Captain) erect a huge antenna in his back yard and then build an addition onto the back of his garage for his radio room. It is quite impressive and well concealed from most angles (unless you are his neighbor). He is trying very hard to pull me in to his hobby and I am betting he is the same kind of "good people" you found at your club.


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## Grimm

My DH and I are on the fence on this. The expense for a decent set up has my DH shaking his head right now. And seeing how we are in the mountains it might not be useful here.


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## k0xxx

Congrats on finding a good club! It can make all the difference when getting started. Their "24 hour radio event" is probably Field Day and it can be a fun way to practice for SHTF operations. You can learn a lot about operating under noisy and "frantic" conditions, that may occur when the S hits TF for real.

It's held the fourth weekend in June, and although alternate power isn't required, it's what most people seem to do. A lot of clubs even have equipment set up for non-licensed people to try their hand at operating (under supervision, of course). Keep us updated on how things go.


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## biobacon

k0xxx said:


> Congrats on finding a good club! It can make all the difference when getting started. Their "24 hour radio event" is probably Field Day and it can be a fun way to practice for SHTF operations. You can learn a lot about operating under noisy and "frantic" conditions, that may occur when the S hits TF for real.
> 
> It's held the fourth weekend in June, and although alternate power isn't required, it's what most people seem to do. A lot of clubs even have equipment set up for non-licensed people to try their hand at operating (under supervision, of course). Keep us updated on how things go.


Yes that's what it is and when it is. They did say they could get me on and make a few contacts with out a license. Im taking it slow with this one. Im not too gung ho about spending money on this as I still haven't recovered my cost of the reloading stuff (I will just not yet). Im just going to learn and take it slow.


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## CulexPipiens

Getting your license is really the cost of a book and the fee ($15 I think... it's been a few years now for me).

Of course the equipment to then use your license costs a bit more...  But even so, starting out you can get inexpensive radios and work your way up depending on what/where you want to go with it.


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## zombieresponder

Grimm said:


> My DH and I are on the fence on this. The expense for a decent set up has my DH shaking his head right now. And seeing how we are in the mountains it might not be useful here.


Usefulness will be determined on exactly what you want it for or from it. If you're in the bottom of a valley, then VHF/UHF probably won't be of any use at all without a fairly tall tower located as high up on the mountain as you can get it. HF on the other hand, won't care as much that you're in a valley since the signal is going to bounce off the atmosphere anyway.


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## partdeux

I'm really regretting letting my dad's ham gear go after mom passed. I looked at it several times, and finally decided I needed another hobby like a hole in my head, and didn't need more junk stored!


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## Jimthewagontraveler

That's AWSOME !
New friends possible prep related go go go!


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## Dixie

biobacon said:


> So I went to a Ham radio club last night for the first time. I have a lot of camo and I often wear my NRA hoodie but left all that stuff at home so as not to offend anyone as this was my first time meeting these people. So I get in there and like 3/4 the people have camo on and one guy starts talking about buying an AR and this leads to a conversation about ammo shortage and how the government is stock piling it. I tell them maybe I should have worn the NRA hoodie and the VP of the club moves her jacket a little bit to show us shes wearing a NRA T shirt. Im like Holy crap I found my people. So we talked about getting my FCC license and they invited me out their 24 hour radio event where they are going to try to contact as many people as they can without using conventional power. I didn't drop the "P" word yet but I think I might be in good company. How cool is that?


*That is fantastic!! Some people have all the luck. *


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## GrinnanBarrett

I was raised around Ham operators and for years now have resisted the urge to play with it again. Like many of you guys I don't need another distraction in my life. Also the cost of starting up buying equipment has kept me from taking the plunge to get back in the water. I agree that Hams tend to be a very tight knit community and they see disasters as their home base. Most of them are great folks. Hope you have a great time in the lifestyle. GB


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## biobacon

GrinnanBarrett said:


> I was raised around Ham operators and for years now have resisted the urge to play with it again. Like many of you guys I don't need another distraction in my life. Also the cost of starting up buying equipment has kept me from taking the plunge to get back in the water. I agree that Hams tend to be a very tight knit community and they see disasters as their home base. Most of them are great folks. Hope you have a great time in the lifestyle. GB


Thanks for the kind words. As I said Im gona take it slow and just kind of hang around for a while and learn and help out where I can for a while. All of this years money and some I didn't have went into reloading and hunting gear so that's my main focus right now, Then onto chickens then maybe the Ham thing. I like the people and I think I will have fun and learn from them and if the S does HTF these are the people to know.:2thumb:


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## invision

biobacon said:


> Thanks for the kind words. As I said Im gona take it slow and just kind of hang around for a while and learn and help out where I can for a while. All of this years money and some I didn't have went into reloading and hunting gear so that's my main focus right now, Then onto chickens then maybe the Ham thing. I like the people and I think I will have fun and learn from them and if the S does HTF these are the people to know.:2thumb:


God for you... Don't be scared of the test.. It is pretty simple, straight memorization... There are both free and paid websites where they help you with the tests... Go for it..


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## TheLazyL

When I was a wee lad, I remember seeing rows of HAM gear in my Great Uncles basement. Remember him showing me how it worked and how to wind a transformer.

Fast forwarded many years. On his death, his son was just going to dump everything he found in the basement! I paid him for the privilege of cleaning out the basement! 

All the HAM gear was gone...

Scrap value of the junk that was left...I almost broke even.


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## smaj100

Congrats Bio on finding what appears to be a like minded group. We are building our new "bunker" ahem I mean house. So I too am waiting before jumping into a new hobby.

I've been reloading for years and have everything needed to reload ever caliber I own to include rolling my own boolits.  What setup are you running?
:beercheer:


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## MotherEarth

You can get good used equipment at hamfests.
The other alternative is if you join a club you may find people there who will help you locate some lightly used equipment for little cost. They may have upgraded and will gladly give/almost free to a newbie.


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## LincTex

biobacon said:


> I'm not too gung-ho about spending money on this as I still haven't recovered my cost of the reloading stuff.


Get a BaoFeng UV-5R($45), an antenna adapter($4), some coax cable ($10) and make a J-pole antenna from copper pipe($15).

On the air for less than $75 combined.


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## Dakine

I went to a training session recently and basically walked into it almost cold, I had 1 day to study the test questions (400 of them, and the pool that I was given is a subset, with X number from every section, and it was... 35??? I think total questions)

I passed!!! YAY! now that's definitely not going to work for everyone! I work with computers and technology all day long every day, and my brain is still in study for success mode from doing EMT school last year. 

I'm hoping my CERT will provide a radio, but if not, I'm going to be looking to buy an entry level mobile unit, the Yaesu FT-60 is popular with CERT teams, and looks like a good place for me to start.

So back to the class... as they are going around the room asking folks why they are there, what they hope to gain from being a HAM, I was shocked at the number of people who said some variation of "prepping for the zombie apocalypse" There were a half dozen CERT's and even more people who said "I'm an off roader" but the people who basically outright said I"m prepping for a collapse stunned me!

Seems like a good group to be able to talk to if/when S does finally HTF.

I'm glad I passed the test but now I have to double back and go learn all of the technology, science and theory behind the things I only memorized for test purposes. I want to take this much further, but I need to OWN the knowledge to build on it. Lots of time to get that done, and I'm legal to transmit as soon as the FCC gives me my call sign 



OH!!! speaking of OPSEC!!!

get a PO Box unless you want your name and address out in the wild. FCC publishes all of that information. mail theft is already a huge issue for my neighborhood so it's something I should have done a long time ago, but now I'm going to do it. I'll just process the change of addy form after I get my call-sign.


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## k0xxx

Congratulations on passing the Technician test! Welcome to Amateur Radio.

As for OpSec, you are correct. You may have noticed that I openly use my call here, but my FCC database listed address is for a piece of property that we own, but is not actually where we reside. Should anyone try to go to that address, they can't get to the address by road without being visually observed and/or recorded on at least one or more video or game cameras. It pays to be careful. ;?)


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## HamiltonFelix

My time and money being limited, I've resisted until now. But I've watched my friends get into it. And now a buddy has ordered me the book for the Technician test (I think they used to call it Novice). I figure a handheld/mobile unit or two and a small base would be a good idea. My wife has a 72 mile commute to work (mine is only about 25). If TSHTF, we can't rely on cell phones. 

I can't invest a lot of time and money in HAM radio, but it's a good prep. Communications could be an import part of the Get Home Bag, same as food, water, weapons, shelter and first aid.


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## biobacon

HamiltonFelix said:


> My time and money being limited, I've resisted until now. But I've watched my friends get into it. And now a buddy has ordered me the book for the Technician test (I think they used to call it Novice). I figure a handheld/mobile unit or two and a small base would be a good idea. My wife has a 72 mile commute to work (mine is only about 25). If TSHTF, we can't rely on cell phones.
> 
> I can't invest a lot of time and money in HAM radio, but it's a good prep. Communications could be an import part of the Get Home Bag, same as food, water, weapons, shelter and first aid.


Im right with you in both the money, my wife has a 50 mile commute, and Im also going to go handheld unit, but not for a while. Im going to go to field day and see If I like it, I think I will. Ive checked out the technicians book from the library and will get to it soon after I get my turkey.


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