This summer I was supposed to go on a week long backcountry hike with a youth group. The youth would be split into multiple teams and they wanted an adult with a ham radio to be with each team. I volunteered to get a license since there was only one adult who already had his license and was experienced with ham radio. Getting the license was interesting. I’ve never studied engineering or electronics and a lot of the test was things like being able to read circuit schematics, understanding how inductors/capacitors/tranformers/etc. work, learning ohms law and the power law and being able to solve equations with them, learning laws around ham radio, etc.
What you don’t learn as part of getting a license is what do you do after you have a license. Where do you buy equipment? What kind of equipment do you need? How do you use a radio? What do all the buttons on the radio do? Etc.
I asked someone about this and they said I needed to join my local club to learn this stuff. But, I don’t want to join a club. I have a family, 2 jobs, home remodeling, and various hobbies (woodworking, drawing, reading, board games, baking, gardening, etc.) The last thing I have time for is to join a club ;-)
So I’m in this weird spot where I have a license, but don’t actually know what to do with it. Due to the pandemic, the youth trip was cancelled. But it may be rescheduled for a future year. I’ll need to figure all this stuff out before then.
What you don’t learn as part of getting a license is what do you do after you have a license. Where do you buy equipment? What kind of equipment do you need? How do you use a radio? What do all the buttons on the radio do? Etc.
I asked someone about this and they said I needed to join my local club to learn this stuff. But, I don’t want to join a club. I have a family, 2 jobs, home remodeling, and various hobbies (woodworking, drawing, reading, board games, baking, gardening, etc.) The last thing I have time for is to join a club ;-)
So I’m in this weird spot where I have a license, but don’t actually know what to do with it. Due to the pandemic, the youth trip was cancelled. But it may be rescheduled for a future year. I’ll need to figure all this stuff out before then.