Sean,

One of the reasons I got my Extra ticket is because of the
extra bandwidth to work European staions in the lower end of
40, 75 and 80 meters. Plus, if there's contesting going on and
I am not participating in the contest, the extra bandwidth is a
welcome respite.

That's where the juicy DX is. :)

Also, for Nigel's reason of not worring about being out of my
license bandwidth. XD

At least until the FCC changes the bandplans again. :P

I won't lie: the Extra test was difficult for me but I did it.
I'm still glad I did it though.

Agreed on both. I missed 13 when I took mine, but that was good
enough for a CSCE.

I upgraded not so much to work HF (the last time I did that was
on Memorial Day Weekend, 2011, on the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad
Memorial Day Troop Train)...but to become a Volunteer Examiner (VE),
and eventually a team leader. When I'm on the air (mainly for my nets),
I'm in the Technician Class privileges, as I enjoy them.

73,

Daryl, N5VLZ

... NBAcious - Last ditch effort of a player as the buzzer goes off.
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Sean,

From my experience as a VE, most hams taking a test seem to
want to memorize the answers then learn later the actual
information. I did the same myself but through experimentation
and gaining experience, I learned and understood.

That's why I went with HamTestOnline. You are presented both the
questions AND the concepts. So, you're learning something, and NOT
just memorizing answers.

The Part 97 stuff is something you have to read, memorize, and
understand. The FCC doesn't take "I didn't know" for an
answer.

It's a good thing that "Renewal" doesn't mean "Re-Testing".
Otherwise, the hobby would've died out long ago.

73,

Daryl, N5VLZ

... H.A.M. - Have Another Meal, Haven't Any Money, Haven't Any Memory
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Which is definitely the wrong way to do it. It's so
dissapointing to hear hams ask questions about even the most
basic stuff they would've known if they actually bothered to
/learn/ the material, instead of just memorizing. The kicker
is I usually know the answers...and I'm not even a ham! ---

That's why I like HamTestOnline. While it's fee based, they do
offer a money back guarantee if you fail the exam. It's all web
browser based, so there's nothing to download or install on your
computer. They cover the questions, but ALSO the concepts...so you
are actually LEARNING something, and NOT just memorizing answers.

Daryl, N5VLZ

... I don't skinny dip...I chunky dunk.
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Sean,

Hmm, that might be a good thing. Took and passed my General in
2008.

I took the Novice and Technician Written exam on Field Day Weekend
in 1991. At that time, the Novice written was 30 questions, and I missed
2. The Technician was 25 questions, and I missed 6...but it was good
enough for a passing score.

When I studied under HamTestOnline in mid-2007, the General Class
exam had just changed, and I missed 4 on the 35 question exam. The VE
Team asked if I wanted to go for Extra, but I replied "Yes, but not
today!!". Thirteen days later, I took the 50 question Extra, and missed
13, but it was good enough for a passing score.

It's a good thing that renewal doesn't mean re-testing...or the hobby would've died out long ago.

73,

Daryl, N5VLZ

... I got gas for under a dollar the other day...but it was from Taco Bell.
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Sean,

I wish YouTube was around when I was working on my Tech (late
1997). Would have made life much easier.

I wish HamTestOnline was around when I passed the Novice and
Technician written (No-Code) in 1991. I used them to upgrade from
Technician to General in 14 days, and from General to Amateur Extra
13 days later, from mid-July to mid-August, 2007. It was the best
money I ever spent in ham radio.

73,

Daryl, N5VLZ

... I CQ. Therefore, I HAM -- DE N5VLZ
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Daryl Stout wrote to Mortar M. <=-

That's why I like HamTestOnline. While it's fee based, they do
offer a money back guarantee if you fail the exam. It's all web
browser based, so there's nothing to download or install on your
computer. They cover the questions, but ALSO the concepts...so you
are actually LEARNING something, and NOT just memorizing answers.

That's like when we started studying, I bought the books by
Gordon West. They taught the answers, yes, but also the WHY
behind it. I didn't just learn to pass the test, I learned
about radio.


... Crying over spilled CONDENSED milk is okay...
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On 21 Oct 2025, Rug Rat said the following...

I also always thought it was funny. The General had theory in it that would have been great to learn and viable for the Tech, the same with
the Extra, such as satelite operation. It even has one large chapter dealing with VHF/UHF theory and operation. I am not upgrading to Extra
so I can know more about VHF/UHF...

Digging up some slightly older posts... Sorry about that.

Anyway, I absolutely agree. Some of what was in the Extra test pool would have been fantastic to know when I was just getting started. (Yes, I know -- there's nothing stopping me from "reading ahead" as it were, but it's really hard to know what you need to know without being able to practically apply much of anything first.)

I always thought it was curious that we test and license the way we do. I'd suggest that radio is slightly less dangerous for the public at large than driving a car, yet we have thousands of inexperienced drivers on the road before they get their licenses.

I understand the idea of keeping a ham-in-training to bands and modes that cause the least amount of interference to the fewest number of people, but there really should be some allocation to allow a tech somewhere on a reliable HF band beyond CW. Open up a 25kHz stretch of 20m for phone, or at least allow some of the data allocation so they can play FT8 and get their feet wet with other digital modes.

I'm sure there are downsides to that, but given the gradual decline of radio as a hobby, it feels like it's more good than harm.

73,
WZ8Q

... The secret of getting ahead is mastering the guillotine.

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On 21 Oct 2025, Sean Dennis said the following...

Which is definitely the wrong way to do it. It's so dissapointing to hear hams ask questions about even the most basic stuff they would've known if they actually bothered to /learn/ the material, instead of just memorizing.

Case in point: making antennas. That's one of my favorite things about being a ham. But yes, I have seen new hams ask some quiestions about things they should already know,.,.

Based on some of the questions and comments I hear, there are a couple "Extra" class operators near me that I am thoroughly convinced never came close to even smelling a passing score on their exams. (Not knowing what the legal power limit is, or asking questions about re-broadcasting commercial content, ad nauseam.)

I'm like you, though: antennas! I have one lone commercially made antenna, and that's the 2m whip on my truck. Every other antenna in my arsenal is made by hand with common materials, and I absolutely love the process.

73,
WZ8Q

... I can't decide which pants to wear... smarty or fancy?

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On Wed 22-Oct-2025 2:43p, Mortar M.@1:124/5016.0 said to Rug Rat:

ARRL's and didn't care for it; I thought it was lacking in depth which
just made parts more confusing than they needed to be.

This for the Advanced ( I did mention I tried to upgrade to advanced many moons ago ), and Extra (I believe most of the math questions came from the Advanced pool). The material covering resonance and RLC circuits should be broken down into which formula go to which questions. The way it is explained in the book, make it seem like you need 5 fomulae for a single question. What they were doing is showing you how they got the values for each part of the equation, but for someone whos sucks at math my brain was shot before I even got to the relavant formula. So finding out from the online class, that you only needed a single formula and how to plug it into your calculator was a huge help!



Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
Blog and Forums - www.catracing.org
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On Sun, 2 Nov 2025 09:48:10 -0500
"Randall Schad" (1:226/44) <Randall.Schad@f44.n226.z1.fidonet> wrote:

On 21 Oct 2025, Sean Dennis said the following...

Which is definitely the wrong way to do it. It's so
dissapointing to hear hams ask questions about even the
most basic stuff they would've known if they actually
bothered to /learn/ the material, instead of just
memorizing.

Case in point: making antennas. That's one of my favorite
things about being a ham. But yes, I have seen new hams ask
some quiestions about things they should already know,.,.

Based on some of the questions and comments I hear, there are a
couple "Extra" class operators near me that I am thoroughly convinced
never came close to even smelling a passing score on their exams.
(Not knowing what the legal power limit is, or asking questions about re-broadcasting commercial content, ad nauseam.)

I'm like you, though: antennas! I have one lone commercially made
antenna, and that's the 2m whip on my truck. Every other antenna in
my arsenal is made by hand with common materials, and I absolutely
love the process.

I can learn enough to pass and forget the next day. That's why we have
the internet, so I don't have to fill my junk with stuff I will never
use.

Some people can pass exams and forget what they learned. Some people
can remember everything but couldn't pass an exam to save their life.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
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Jimmy,

That's like when we started studying, I bought the books by
Gordon West. They taught the answers, yes, but also the WHY
behind it. I didn't just learn to pass the test, I learned
about radio.

It's a good thing that RENEWAL does NOT mean RE-TESTING. Otherwise,
the hobby would've died out long ago.

73,

Daryl, N5VLZ

... Psychic Hotline -- Don't leave a message. We know why you're calling.
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Randall Schad wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

Based on some of the questions and comments I hear, there are a couple "Extra" class operators near me that I am thoroughly convinced never
came close to even smelling a passing score on their exams. (Not
knowing what the legal power limit is, or asking questions about re-broadcasting commercial content, ad nauseam.)

I've dealt with those also. The Extras I know here are pretty seasoned
except for a few new ones we have in my club that did the "three steps
in one day:" route who are still getting experience.

I'm like you, though: antennas! I have one lone commercially made
antenna, and that's the 2m whip on my truck. Every other antenna in my arsenal is made by hand with common materials, and I absolutely love
the process.

Glad to meet another antenne fan (or would that be "fan antenna"?).
Right now, my living situation does not allow wire antennas but I have a 40-foot long aluminum access ramp for my mobility scooter I use to mount antennas.

I am saving up to buy a Comet CHA-250HD "vertically-oriented dipole" HF antenna. It uses a big coil to eliminate the need for radials. It's
$479--not cheap when you're on Social Security--but well worth it to get
on HF easily.

https://www.cometantenna.com/product/comet_cha_250hd/

-- Sean KS4TD

... I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. I'll let you know.
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The legal power limmit is something I can understand.

For the majority of us, it is something we will never have to even think about. As I don't have any plans on operating on any of the bands that have extreemly low power, and I can not see myself running more than 200W, and at present am limmited to 100W by equipment.

If I ever do get a shack heater, it would be at most 800w. Though even then I can't see myself buying one.

The only application I can see myself using an amplifier would be on my 2m simplex Echolink node, and that would be 100w.

In the off chance that I ever sit down at a station that does run power, with the cost of gear, I am sure I would be given instructions on its propper use.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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On Thu 6-Nov-2025 6:32a, Jimmy Anderson@1:105/7.0 said to Rug Rat:

Right now I'm just using 2m/440 - so my 50w mobile rig is as high as
I'll be going anytime soon...

And my 'base station?' A dupe of the one in my truck. :-)

The Tx'er on my Echolink node is a Yaesu FT2980. So it puts out 80 watts out of the box, but for longevity sake, it would be better to go through an amp. Have the radio put out it's lowest power (10 Watts), and let the amp do the heavy lifting.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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I've dealt with those also. The Extras I know here are pretty seasoned except for a few new ones we have in my club that did the "three steps
in one day:" route who are still getting experience.

I'm relatively new -- just got my ticket 3 years ago while I was off work
for an extended stretch due to surgery -- and this seems to be the norm. It's
a "win" to pass all three exams in one sitting, or something.

I did Tech and General to get started, then got my feet wet for a few months before upgrading to Extra. Even now, I'm still learning A LOT. Massive credit to the welcoming guys in the local club who keep us actively learning and honing skills.

Glad to meet another antenne fan (or would that be "fan antenna"?).

Okay, this one made me giggle. :)

Right now, my living situation does not allow wire antennas but I have a 40-foot long aluminum access ramp for my mobility scooter I use to mount antennas.

I'm fortunate to have a couple acres where I can stretch out a 75m EFHW (or
put up a 40m dipole if I really wanted.

I used to have a loaded dipole hung inverted V off my TV antenna mast. That
was my first "real" antenna, and I'm still surprised at how well that performed. Very little directionality.

I am saving up to buy a Comet CHA-250HD "vertically-oriented dipole" HF antenna. It uses a big coil to eliminate the need for radials. It's $479--not cheap when you're on Social Security--but well worth it to get on HF easily.

I picked up a new 3D printer recently (only $200 or so), and that's really opened up a whole new world. Printing little bits and connectors and mounts and housings and what not.

I found a template for a loading coil that I intend to print this weekend. Wrap the coil around that template, wind up another 49:1 transformer, and hopefully have a vertical very similar to that Comet to keep in the truck for mobile HF.

73!
Randall
WZ8Q

... "Road work ahead" ... I sure hope it does!

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Randall Schad wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

I did Tech and General to get started, then got my feet wet for a few months before upgrading to Extra. Even now, I'm still learning A LOT. Massive credit to the welcoming guys in the local club who keep us actively learning and honing skills.

It's been 28 years, as of this month, since I was licensed and I still
learn a lot.

Okay, this one made me giggle. :)

"Puns are the highest form of literature." -- Alfred Hitchcock

I'm fortunate to have a couple acres where I can stretch out a 75m EFHW (or put up a 40m dipole if I really wanted.

I have a 140' EFHW that is connected to a 9:1 balun at the end That I
have used to work all continents except Antartica. I need an amplifier
to do that it seems.

I used to have a loaded dipole hung inverted V off my TV antenna mast. That was my first "real" antenna, and I'm still surprised at how well
that performed. Very little directionality.

I worked Perth, Australia--10K miles--using a 20 meter dipole I built
using a discarded insulin test strip bottle and some speaker wire in a
sloper configuration on 25 wattes several years ago.

I picked up a new 3D printer recently (only $200 or so), and that's
really opened up a whole new world. Printing little bits and connectors and mounts and housings and what not.

Those are fun. I want one also.

-- Sean KS4TD

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Randall,

I'm relatively new -- just got my ticket 3 years ago while I
was off work for an extended stretch due to surgery -- and this
seems to be the norm. It's a "win" to pass all three exams in
one sitting, or something.

One local ham did just that several years ago...passed his Tech,
General, and Extra in one sitting. The VE Team leader asked the "zero
to Extra licensee" what he did for a living. When the examinee replied
"I'm currently unemployed", the liaison growled "You have too much time
on your hands!!" (hi hi).

I did Tech and General to get started, then got my feet wet for
a few months before upgrading to Extra. Even now, I'm still
learning A LOT. Massive credit to the welcoming guys in the
local club who keep us actively learning and honing skills.

Being an Elmer is the highest compliment a ham can receive. We did
quite a bit of that at a local exam session this morning...2 new Techs,
and 1 upgrade to General...so, everyone walked out with a CSCE.

Unfortunately, with the "government shutdown" (there's a redundancy
in terms if there ever was one), the new Techs have to wait until the government and FCC re-open to process their info. All the VEC's are
holding the data in a batch queue, and it might crash the ULS when the floodgates are opened!! At least those with a callsign and license can
operate immediately with the special suffix identifiers.

Okay, this one made me giggle. :)

If you want more ham radio humor, go to the hyperlink on my QRZ bio,
and click on Selected Ham Radio Humor. It has nearly 125 pages of memes
and text...several lately from the Amateur Radio Funnies Group on
Facebook.

Right now, my living situation does not allow wire antennas but I have a 40-foot long aluminum access ramp for my mobility scooter I use to mount antennas.

Right now, I don't have RF gear, due to cost, and because I'm a heart patient. But, at least my license "isn't just a sheet of paper". There is
a link on the ARRL website, affectionately known as "Free The Antenna". You
go in there, enter your callsign, and the data is populated. Clicking SUBMIT will create and send a letter to your senator and/or representative, to try
to loosen the restrictions of HOA's for the hams that live within them.

I picked up a new 3D printer recently (only $200 or so), and
that's really opened up a whole new world. Printing little bits
and connectors and mounts and housings and what not.

I've known several hams who have 3D printers. John, WA8YXM, in Davison, Michigan, created "Christmas ornaments" with a phrase he heard me use (I
saw it in a meme). There was a little kitten, typing a letter to Santa at
the keyboard...and it said simply "Dear Santa...Define Naughty" (hi hi).
He said those things disappeared as if they were dollar bills!!

73!
Randall
WZ8Q

73 from Daryl, N5VLZ.

... I just bought a cured ham...wonder what it had...
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Randall Schad wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

I've dealt with those also. The Extras I know here are pretty seasoned except for a few new ones we have in my club that did the "three steps
in one day:" route who are still getting experience.

I'm relatively new -- just got my ticket 3 years ago while I was off
work for an extended stretch due to surgery -- and this seems to be the norm. It's a "win" to pass all three exams in one sitting, or
something.

I did Tech and General to get started, then got my feet wet for a few months before upgrading to Extra. Even now, I'm still learning A LOT. Massive credit to the welcoming guys in the local club who keep us actively learning and honing skills.

I did tech with the intention of doing general for HF later, but went
ahead and did both the same day. My wife did tech only because her
interest is not 'talking' but doing weather. She likes to chase storms,
or at least used to... Lots of stormy water under the bridge - medical
issues now, with us and her mom, etc.

I am saving up to buy a Comet CHA-250HD "vertically-oriented dipole" HF antenna. It uses a big coil to eliminate the need for radials. It's $479--not cheap when you're on Social Security--but well worth it to get on HF easily.

That's what I'm looking to LATER after playing with the fan dipole I have now...

I found a template for a loading coil that I intend to print this
weekend. Wrap the coil around that template, wind up another 49:1 transformer, and hopefully have a vertical very similar to that Comet
to keep in the truck for mobile HF.

Interesting!!! Let us know how that goes!


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Daryl Stout wrote to Randall Schad <=-

I picked up a new 3D printer recently (only $200 or so), and
that's really opened up a whole new world. Printing little bits
and connectors and mounts and housings and what not.

I've known several hams who have 3D printers. John, WA8YXM, in
Davison, Michigan, created "Christmas ornaments" with a phrase he heard
me use (I saw it in a meme). There was a little kitten, typing a letter
to Santa at the keyboard...and it said simply "Dear Santa...Define Naughty" (hi hi). He said those things disappeared as if they were
dollar bills!!

I had access to a printer at work and did some gaming stuff on it...

We have a laser cutter at home and plan to make ornaments and other
things for Christmas gifts. I've already made some gaming stuff
(board games - Terraforming Mars, Catan, etc.)

I don't know of any HAM projects I could use it for...

Any ideas? :-)





... Crying over spilled CONDENSED milk is okay...
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Jimmy,

We have a laser cutter at home and plan to make ornaments and
other things for Christmas gifts. I've already made some gaming
stuff (board games - Terraforming Mars, Catan, etc.)

I don't know of any HAM projects I could use it for...

Any ideas? :-)

Not offhand, sorry.

Daryl

... The Pillsbury Dough Boy is a roll model..
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Daryl Stout wrote to jimmy anderson <=-

Jimmy,

We have a laser cutter at home and plan to make ornaments and
other things for Christmas gifts. I've already made some gaming
stuff (board games - Terraforming Mars, Catan, etc.)

I don't know of any HAM projects I could use it for...

Any ideas? :-)

Not offhand, sorry.

No worries! Just asking. :-)



... 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2.
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On 19 Nov 2025, jimmy anderson said the following...

I did tech with the intention of doing general for HF later, but went ahead and did both the same day. My wife did tech only because her interest is not 'talking' but doing weather. She likes to chase storms,
or at least used to... Lots of stormy water under the bridge - medical issues now, with us and her mom, etc.

This is almost exactly the situation with my wife. She love the weather/storm chasing aspect. (She's a huge Ryan Hall of Youtube fame fan as well.) She's had the study guides for nearly a year now. Refuses to let me help her learn. (She's an independent Millennial woman. Yeah, I robbed the cradle. LOL)

She did build a 3-element 2-meter Yagi out of tape measure and PVC for our Halloween fox hunt, though. Fantastic job of it. 1.04:1 SWR on the meter.

I found a template for a loading coil that I intend to print this
weekend. Wrap the coil around that template, wind up another
transformer, and hopefully have a vertical very similar to that Comet
to keep in the truck for mobile HF.

Interesting!!! Let us know how that goes!

Maaaaan, I need to get more routine about my BBS rounds. I'm sorry it's been nearly a month. ADHD or SADD or WTH or something.

I never did get around to printing that thing. I thought I didn't have the wire for the winding, but then while cleaning last night I found it. Someone needs to keep kicking me in the butt to stay on task. :)

73, my friend!
RS - WZ8Q

... Avoid arguments about the toilet seat... Use the sink.

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On 19 Nov 2025, jimmy anderson said the following...

I don't know of any HAM projects I could use it for...

Any ideas? :-)

Oh, man... All the amazing enclosure panels that could be cut for my half-assed projects! :)

73!
WZ8Q

... People say I act like I don't care. It's not an act.

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