Amateur Radio
I got my no-code Technician license February 20, 2004 and later advanced to Amateur Extra class September 24, 2004. My Technician call sign was KI4EDO but it changed to AI4HK when I earned my extra class license. Visit the N4THM Turkey Heaven Mountain Repeater Association site to find out more about Ham radio in the East Alabama (and West Georgia) area. I have added a new page with a list of local repeaters.
Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and ending at 2100 UTC Sunday.
Free Study Materials
I'm always skeptical when I hear "free" or "cheap." That usually means you don't get much, or at least not what you expected. The free site links here will have you on the air in no time and you don't have to spend a penny. That means you have extra money to buy more ham radio equipment. I listed these sites here because they worked for me and will work for you too if you invest a little time. If I can do it, anyone can.
If you are looking to get your no-code technician ticket, W8BBS has a great study guide that is free to download. Bruce Spratling's study guide will save you a lot of time and money. In order to promote amateur radio, and encourage new hams, Bruce wrote a study guide for the element 2 exam. His study guide only has 12 pages of material, but it answers every question in the element 2 question pool. The material is presented in a logical order, unlike the order of the question pool. The question pool is over 24,000 words, but his study guide is only about 9,000 words. The study guide is like "Cliff's Notes", in that everything is condensed. It can be read in 2 hours. Bruce says he would like to see the study guide get distributed through amateur radio clubs. If a club wants to print and distribute the study guide, he will make a copy that has the club's name on the cover.
I used KB0MGA to study for General and Extra, although the site does cover all levels. The flash cards are great and the practice test remember the areas where you need the most work. This site tries to learn which questions you know, and which ones you don't by keeping track of your answers. Using this system, you are guaranteed that you will eventually see all of the questions from a given test. And, you are more likely to see questions that you need help with again and again until you get them right. I highly recommend this site for all levels of study. This site appears to have been updated and changed to HamExam.org.
Most of the rest of this page applies to morse code which is no longer required.
Ray Goff, G4FON, has a CW trainer program, based on the that is free and will give you all the practice you want or need, at a speed determined by the user. Slightly different from the Farnsworth method, this system is based on the Koch method, developed by a German psychologist, Ludwig Koch, in the 1930's. It allows you to control all parameters of the code that is sent, and will even add realistic QRM. The program starts with only two characters and adds a single character each time ninety percent proficiency is achieved. Dave Finley, N1IRZ, has a good article that further discusses the Koch method.
Although not free, I suggest Gordon West tapes or CD's in the beginning. The G4FON trainer program is confusing until you have had at least an introduction to copying code. Gordon West recordings are awesome for beginners. Gordo will capture your attention and you will not want to stop even when he tells you to take a break. One night with his system and you will be well on your way to using Morse Code.
It is possible to practice code over the air. W1AW sends practice text and bulletins. You can visit the W1AW site for a list of frequencies and the schedule. Also on the website, the key to the text is published so you can see how you did. You can even download mp3's and play them on your computer if you don't have your station set up to receive HF. I burned the MP3's to CD and listened while driving. I feel that mental practice is useful, even without writing the characters down. Don't try to write while driving; just listen and recognize the characters, even say them aloud if you like. Don't be surprised if you hear a few prosigns on W1AW that are not required for Element 1.
Be prepared in Element 1 to copy call signs, model numbers and names of common ham rigs, locations, punctuation, and prosigns. The test will not be plain text, but will resemble an actual QSO.
Dave Cushman, G8MZY, has a page that is useful in memorizing and learning the actual characters. It gives a visual representation of how the dots and dashes fit onto the characters. (page was down last time I checked)
Please bookmark this page so you don't lose these valuable links and pass it along to anyone you think would be interested in Amateur Radio.
US Amateur Bands June 1, 2003 ARRL Color Chart
New ARRL Band Chart May 6, 2008
Ham Radio Links
N4THM Turkey Heaven Mountain Repeater Association
CCERC Calhoun County Emergency Radio Club
Handi-Helpers Helping all ham operators with disabilities meet the challenges of amateur radio
RFI, Ferrites, and Common Mode Chokes For Hams by Jim Brown K9YC of Audio Systems Group, Inc.
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