Happy 2016 to everyone!
If you are a new ham, I hope you have made a resolution to be as active in the hobby as much as possible. May I make some recommendations on how you can be more active in the hobby?
- Join a club. Since this is a GARS publication, we have to recommend the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society. GARS is a ham friendly club. We are a large club with lots of Elmers (mentors) to help you get started in the hobby. Other good clubs in the area are the Atlanta Radio Club, the North Fulton Amateur Radio League and the Alford Memorial Radio Club. There are others, as well. A simple web search for “Atlanta area ham radio clubs” will yield the names of other great clubs.
- Get on the air! Program your radio with the frequencies of repeaters you might reach from your location. The GARS repeater frequencies are on our web site, gars.org. Other clubs will have their repeaters listed on their web site. Again, your Elmer will be glad to help get your radio programmed. Most hew hams will have some “mike fright”. If you explain to whomever you are talking with on the air, he or she will be very understanding. Even a ham who has been licensed for 50 years or more was a new ham at one time.
- Be active in your club. Attend your club’s monthly meetings. You will have an opportunity to meet fellow hams in your club. You can ask them for advice or help in person. Face time with fellow hams can sometimes be even more exciting than talking to them on the air! You will see the face behind the voice. Most club monthly meetings have an interesting presentation, too. Also, just about every club has some sort of activities during the year. These are times where hams can get on the air during a special event. Sometimes clubs will build antennas or a special project. Got an idea for a club activity? Just approach a club officer and let him or her know what you would like to do.
- Get on the club’s Yahoo! Group. Just about all clubs have a Yahoo! Group account or “reflector”. Emails, photos, files, etc. are sent to everyone on the group list. It’s a great way to keep informed of what’s happening with your club. Got a question? Just post it on the group. Most times you will receive a quick reply. Want to know what’s happening in other clubs? Most clubs do not require membership in order for you to join their Yahoo! Group.
- Learn all you can about amateur radio. The American Radio Relay League (arrl.org) has many books you can order by mail, as do ham radio stores. Our local radio store (www.hamradio.com) has a lot of good books. On the internet, ham radio web sites abound. Typing in “ham radio” or “amateur radio” will yield numerous results. Going to YouTube (wwwlyoutube.com) and type in “ham radio”. You will find a plethora of videos. I recommend typing in “ham nation” into the YouTube search window. They have over 200 shows that are full if interesting things. Also try Amateur Logic (www.amateurlogic.tv). They have a lot of good programs that are perfect for the new ham.
- Ham radio is much more than two-meter FM. With a Technician license, you can talk to satellite, bounce signals off the moon, operate an amateur television station, and much, much more!
- Considering upgrading your license. With a general or extra class license, you can discover the magic of high frequency (HF) radio. You can talk to hams around the world! I have a modest station and a modest antenna. I recently had a QSO (conversation) with a ham operator in St. Helena, the second most remote island on earth! With amateur radio, there are so many things you can do, the world is literally yours to discover. Discover it!
- 73 de KJ4CMY, David Harden.