 Maui Amateur Radio Club January 13, 2016 Minutes – Maui EOC Wailuku, HI
President Tom Worthington called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. The treasurer’s report were approved, and accepted by acclamation. 15 members and guests attended. New Business: Talk Around: K6GSS-John: Listening KH6RS beacon! Renewing license NH6Y-Tom: Lots of contests, N0DQD-Bob: Traveling a lot. KH6H-Mel: Nothing to report AD6E-Alan: Tower is fixed, hoping to get an antenna on it. K5P is now active on Palmara Island. Cwops.org considering hosting a CW class. Conversational contacts. KH6AH-Ron: Not much, helping Delaware friend get a remote running KH6RSB-Shawn: Working on website NH7U-Robin: KC7ASJ – AH6CU – Joe AH6AH – Anita: W1TEC – Jack: Working with new Icom HF transceiver, Having BNC KH6HTV – Jim: PSK31 on 15M sometimes 10, 20M is noisy. Wants one QSO per day! KH6REO – Ed: KH6JAY- Jay: Participated in ARRL RTTY Roundup. CQ WPX RTTY contest in Feb. Wh6EYZ- Maynard: WH6EOD – Greg: KH6PO- Diane: Worked emergency net, worked MARS, worked Chesterfield DXpedition. Cruise ship operation WH6DXW- Robert: Joining tonight. Lots of afternoon net. Worked Chesterfield Island. WH6EXE-Bill: WH6FAM-Trip: First meeting Mike-W5JR: Visiting from Atlanta, operating lots of events, trying to get on National Parks station. KH6TD-Kevin: Veteran from Chesterfield Island K7FR-Gary: Took 2M to top of Haleakala, very quiet. Joining tonight WH6DUE-Amanda: Trying to convince her dad to get his amateur radio license WH6DUB-Devin: Still trying to get tower finished. Thinking about antenna party Next month’s Discussion: Officers for 2016 – Tom President, Shawn Vice President, Kent Treasurer, Bob/Dianne Secretary A tower was offered to the group for taking the tower down. Not much interest National Parks On the Air: Parks service has been contacted, but hasn’t responded. Current thought is to do this activity for one day, during daylight hours. IARU Beacon – K6TD Beacons around the world, KH6RS now transmits on 20,1,15,12,and 10 Meters TS50 controllers, replaced with Icom 7200. Antenna is a 5 band Cushcraft vertical. Located at NH6Y’s QTH. It would be desirable to have a low band 80,40,&160 M beacons. Kevin – Contest station FLEX HF radio, remote, iPad app to operate it remote. Gave demonstration at meeting. Suggested Schedule of activities for 2016: Field Day Series of talks on antennas, types, how they work, modeling, propogation Alternated contest activity - Hawaii QSO party, teams, individuals,
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The KH6RS beacon, part of the IARU Beacon network is finally on the air at Club President, Tom's QTH. You can find information about the network at: http://www.ncdxf.org/pages/beacons.html It will take a while for all the software and websites to get updated with our club call sign, but we are on the air every 3 minutes on 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930 and 28.200 Kevin, K6TD, came to the meeting to talk about the beacon program. He discusses the technical specifications, how the program is setup, and a rare look into the history of the beacons as well. Big mahalo to Kevin for taking the time to share his knowledge with us. Take a moment to view some clips from the discussion below. Kevin was first licensed in 1970. Work, kids and family life took Kevin away from radio, returning in 1988. After having worked as an EE for several Silicon Valley high tech companies, he now finds HF contesting and DXing a pleasant diversion. He has operated mostly in W6 land, but, has been heard from KH6 and BV1. DXpeditions include Midway and Mozambique. He helped with antennas for Wake.
Kevin has served as the chairman of the California QSO Party and as a director of the NCCC. He has co-chaired IDXC for 2011, 2013, and will for 2015.He's also a member of NCDXF, MLDXCC, and PAARA, and a life member of ARRL, charter member of CWOPS, and lastly SOC. The Secret to Getting an FCC Amateur Radio License in Record Time!
by ABAZE originally posted on NOVEMBER 30, 2011, with updated links and revisions by Shawn KH6RSB on January 9th, 2016 Getting your ham license is easier than you think. If you want to be able to use the fancy radio gear that the hams get to use, participate in a local emergency communications team, be prepared to communicate with family and friends even when your cell phone or land-line service disappears, or do the many other cool things that licensed amateur radio operators get to do, you’ll need an FCC license. Here’s the quick version, with explanation and resources farther down:
“Oh no! It must be very difficult jump through all the hoops to get such a license,” many of you are probably saying. Or “How could I possibly learn all of those technical concepts without an electrical engineering degree?”, or “There’s no way I could afford the huge licensing fees.” Good news – none of this is true! It’s easier, probably much easier than you think. The test is easy to pass, and the license application is ridiculously simple. Not only that, the people who administer the test will enthusiastically help you with any questions you have about the application. When it comes to the content of the test, the concepts are not complicated. The electronics information you’ll need to know is super-simple. But wait, there’s more. Have you heard of the… metric system? You’ll need to know about that too. And can you remember some very complex rules? For example, “You have to say your call sign at least once every 10 minutes when you’re talking on the radio.” Remember some rules, some numbers and letters that matter to the FCC, and you’re just about ready. I’m trying to make the point that the test is easy, because it is. But I have one more bomb to drop. Ready? Every possible question and answer you could get for the exam is already published and available for you to study. Yeah. It doesn’t get any easier than that. You will need to review the Q&A before you go take the test, because a lot of the info isn’t stuff you’ll read about in People magazine, or Wired, or whatever you usually read. Once in a while you hear about someone who didn’t pass the Technician exam. I can only guess that the reason why is 1) very poor test-taking skills (e.g., not paying attention to which letter you’re filling in on the answer sheet, even when you know the right answer), or 2) lack of any studying whatsoever (that must be the case for some folks, just like in school. But you don’t have to take the ham test, so why bother? Peer pressure? I don’t know.) So why do I even need to write an article on this, if it’s so easy? Because I want to make it even easier, to help anyone pass the test and get that license and open the doors to all the fun that ham radio can bring. Here are some tips:
Ham Radio License Exam Testing Resources Here are some of the most common, useful books:
Apple iPhone or iPad Android Here are some online testing resources that you can use directly from your computer or laptop. Note: If you have only read one or two chapters of a licensing book and want to take a free online test, and then only get 15% correct, don’t get frustrated and give up! You will need to review the rest of the material in the license book. If you go through all of the Q&A before you take an online test, you will get much better results. I know that may sound like common sense to many of you, but I know a lot of folks who are so itching to take the test that they don’t review all the Q&A first, and they wondered why they didn’t get all of the answers right. :-| But I know you’re smarter than that. What did I do? I started by reading through both of the Q&A books I list below (but I often take an overkill approach). Then I read a book that explained additional info for beginners to ham radio, because I was curious about how ham radio worked. And then I took a few practice tests, until I could reliable get a score greater than 80%. After that, I focused on areas where the answers made the least sense to me, practicing those a few more times, making sure I had the right answers fresh in my memory. This approach made passing the test a piece of cake. Find the study approach that works well for you, and when you’re ready, take a couple practice exams. Once you can pass the online test regularly at 80% or higher, you should be ready to take it for real. You can do it! Seriously – how often does the test you’re taking already have all of the answers available? Where to Take a Ham Radio License Exam Finding a place to take the exam should not be difficult. When I looked, I had a hard time finding a place, but I was on my own with nobody to help me. These resources will make it much easier for you!
Ham Radio FCC License Fees And then you pay. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. The cost of a license is expensive… NOT! An FCC amateur radio license is FREE. You may have to pay ~$15 to take the test, so that the club running the testing can pay for supplies, room rental, postage to ship off your answer sheets to the FCC, etc., but you read correctly about the cost of the license. Free. But wait, what about when you renew, 10 years later? (Yeah, every ten years. Pretty convenient, right?) That’s when you have to pay, right? No, it’s still free. However, there is a special circumstance when you could pay, if you really wanted to. If you want a “vanity call sign”, which means you can pick some of the letters and/or numbers (if that combination isn’t used already). Some hams do that with their initials (like me – my call sign is AB8L). So that must be expensive, right? Sorry to disappoint you once again. It’s $14.25. For ten years. And the cost is the same when you renew, 10 years later. What to Bring to Your Exam Please bring two no. 2 pencils, a pen and if desired, a calculator (memory must be cleared). We will furnish NCVEC Form 605 and scratch paper. In addition, iPhones, iPads, Androids, smartphones, Blackberry devices and all similar electronic devices with a calculator capability, may NOT be used. Candidates must present a legal photo ID. If no photo ID is available, you must present any two of the following: Social Security card, birth certificate, minor’s work permit, school report card, school ID, library card, utility bill or bank statement in your name, postmarked envelope addressed to you at your current mailing address. If applicable, bring the original and a photocopy of your current Amateur Radio license and / Or Certificate(s) of Successful Completion, CSCE. The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA) requires the FCC to collect a TIN/SSN from each person doing business with them. All Amateur Radio license and upgrade applicants must use their Federal Registration Number (FRN), if they have been assigned one, when completing Form NCVEC 605. Using your FRN also means that you need not enter your SSN on Form NCVEC 605. Take your web browser to www.arrl.org/fcc-cores-registration-instructions for info on registering in FCC’s Commission Registration System and obtaining your FRN. Special testing assistance or needs must be arranged in advance. IMPORTANT: As of February 17, 2015, the FCC no longer routinely issues a paper Amateur Radio license document. Licensees can access their official license via the ULS License Manager. You may print an unofficial copy from the FCC’s ULS License Manager or request a paper license from the FCC. www.wireless.fcc.gov or www.wireless2.fcc.gov One more thing — the first license level is called “Technician“. It allows you access to a certain set of UHF, VHF, and some HF frequencies, which will give you the ability to do short- and some medium-range communicating. The second license is called “General“, and gives more access to more frequencies, including a lot more of the HF spectrum, which will be important for medium- and long-range communications. Tip: if you are studying for the Technician exam, you may want to do the General exam at the same time. You can take more than one test in the same testing session for no additional charge! (And the license is still free.) The last type of license is called “Extra” and gives access to all of the frequencies available to amateur radio operators. You will probably need to study a lot more for the Extra exam - it’s quite a bit harder. But Technician and General are probably all you would ever need. Now what? Have I covered all of your questions and concerns? If you have any questions, post them and I’ll reply. Now go out and get a license, and I hope to hear you on the air soon! Mahalo to Andrew, AB8L for creating this guide! |
De KH6RS BLoGAloha fellow hams! This blog is for you. Remember to stop by if you ever miss a meeting or would like to know what the club has been up to. Please feel free to make suggestions on anything you would like to see here.
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MAUI AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
President: Riley, NH70 Vice President: Joe, AH6CU Secretary: Alan, AD6E Treasurer: Kent, KH6CJJ |