Taking my General Class Ham radio test tomorrow.

Only the good ones!

 

Good Job! Hope you enjoy the hobby as much as I have for the past 33 years.
73, nz4d

 

Already offered my congratulations privately, but now wish to do so publicly.

Don’t worry.

You will have ample opportunity to spend plenty of money now that you are fellow Extra.

It depends on what you want to do.

Me, I am happy with UHF, VHF and 220 as those are active in my area with several ongoing nets. Liking the challenge of QRP, hence the Yaesu FT-817D with a good key, such as the Vibroplex Bug.

I like portability for a camping-type scenario. Still working on my CW.

To me, CW offers the most “bang for the buck” in a QRP rig.

The above photo is my basic QRP equipment, in addition to the Yaesu FT-817D and Vibroplex Bug:

A Bioenno 28 watts folding solar panel and a Bioenno 12V 9Ah LIPO rechargeable battery.

 

I also use use the black/red 30 amp wire with Anderson Powerpole connectors.

Whatever gauge you choose, Anderson Powerpole seems to be the standard.

https://powerwerx.com/

 

I may have mentioned it before, but rent a P.O. Box and have your license affiliated with that address.

That way, potential thieves won’t have a physical residence to hit.

This is the single most valuable piece of advice I can offer.

That’s why I have no problem giving out my call sign on this or any other forum.

I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH! RENT A PO BOX AND HAVE YOUR AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE AFFILIATED WITH THAT ADDRESS!

Before you do anything else; especially before purchasing any equipment.

You will thank me again and again.

73,

K5OOH

 

If I had an extra ticket and was starting all over again I'd go buy a Icom 7300 and a Ladder Line/Dipole for 10-40 meters http://www.trueladderline.com/w7fg-design-dipoles/40-10m-x-100-feedline/ like this and go to town. The Radio has a built in tuner so you can work all bands. You won't need a balun if you use the ladder line. You could barely buy the components to build the antenna/feed line for that price. You can do a lot of work with a transceiver and a simple dipole. You'll need a power supply and a good ground system for safety..

 

Just in case I didn’t say so before, from one Amateur Extra to another, welcome!

With the Extra Class license comes great responsibility.

You and I, and around 22% of all other Hams, are now the “Senior Leadership” of Amateur Radio, like it or not.

You will be held to a higher standard, even on the local UHF/VHF and 220 nets.

It is simply amazing how quickly your operating privileges and classification can be determined, even while still transmitting.

Now that you have earned the ticket, be careful of what you asked for!

Lol!

 

Is this a common problem?

I passed my General last week, and the last thing I want is unwelcome guess because my name is in the database.

 

Agree totally!

Unfortunately, my wife and I are temporarily living on the third floor of a complex surrounded by apartments on all sides with a balcony facing the East

As I am trying to be a good neighbor, I am somewhat limited to an antenna such as an MFJ with multiple taps, joined to my Yaesu 817 via an LDG Z817 Autotuner.

Nice reception, but I haven’t tried making any contacts yet.

I am still shy about my CW skills.

 

The FCC license database gives the address of the license holder. If your license is is affiliated with a physical residence, then yes, potential thieves can target that address.

All a thief would have to do is go to the address on file.

I have a simple QRP rig with backup battery power, but I spent over $1,200 dollars on it.

Hate to say it, but that’s dirt cheap in this hobby.

Still, expensive to me as I don’t want to risk being robbed of my hard earned equipment.

Even with a portable antenna that I took down after each use, a thief would still know that there is potentially some expensive radio equipment inside the house if my license was affiliated with a physical residence.

I wouldn’t want to make a thief’s job easier by looking up my location on the FCC database.

Also, keep in mind that if a potential thief believes that you might have expensive radio equipment, you might very well have other valuables such as precious metals, jewelry and guns (this is GT, after all.)

Get a PO Box and tie it to your call sign.

Thank me later.

 

I am thanking you now! I did not know they listed our complete home address in the database.

 

They surely do!

Go look up your call sign at the FCC, ARRL.org or QRZ.com.

You will be in for a surprise.

What did you say your call sign was?

Lol!

Feel free to look up my call sign.

You will discover that I am an Amateur Extra, along with a few other details such as previous call sign (KD5INK) and operator privileges.

No big deal. All public knowledge.

Except for my physical, residential address.

73,

K5OOH

 

The changes to your license, such as address, are also viewable. If you already have your address in the ULS, it will still be there if you change it.

 

Good job. What areas of the hobby are you most interested in?

 

Are you sure about that?

So, if someone ike R.B. Riddick listed his residential address on his original license, the residential address would stil be obtainable even after he updated to a PO Box?


If that is the case, I am especially glad that I gave my PO Box as the point of contact from the beginning.

 

OV1, you did it right starting with the po box. Advanced search will show changes, like vanity call sign, upgrades and address changes. You can also download the full ULS database. It also contains commercial licensing.

 

Grrggggggg.

 

Congrats on your upgrade. As far as registering to a P.O Box? I wouldn't sweat it for a second. Your information is available by a myriad of means to anyone willing to put in a little effort.

KM4HAG