[Bloominglabs-announce] Ham Cram - Sat. March 2nd

Thu Feb 28 08:31:00 EST 2013

Just to close the loop on this, I've gotten a lot more responses (thank
you!) and we'll hold this on Saturday.  Testing will still be offered
Sunday the 10th (or the first saturday of any month).

Cheers,
-Corey

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 10:38 AM, Corey Shields <cshields at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I've had 1 response - will decide tomorrow night if there is enough demand
> to do this on Saturday.   Another option would be to spread it out over
> some wednesday nights (one per test element maybe?) but my wednesday nights
> are not very consistent.  So, please let me know soon if you were planning
> on attending.
>
> Thanks,
> -Corey
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 9:01 PM, Corey Shields <cshields at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi all!
>>
>> tl;dr - if you are interested in learning about amateur radio (ham radio)
>> and getting a license, keep reading.
>>
>> Saturday, March 2nd, 9am-5pm I'm going to offer a 1-day "ham cram" at the
>> space where I attempt to cover everything you need to know to pass the
>> Technician class license exam.  Some people follow these cram days
>> immediately with a testing session, but we have another group, a Monroe Co
>> CERT team, looking to do a special testing session in March as well.
>>  Amateur radio testing is not done by the FCC these days but by Volunteer
>> Examiners (VE's), that are vetted by a couple of authorized organizations
>> to administer tests.  It takes a minimum of 3 VEs to administer an exam
>> session.  So, to avoid stretching some of these guys too thinly I'm going
>> to forego any testing as they will already be offering a special session in
>> March.  This will be on Sunday March 10th at 4:30pm (logistics below).
>>  This gives you a chance to listen to me for a day and try to soak it all
>> in, and have a week to practice and brush up on flash cards online.  If
>> that date does not work, they also do testing the first Saturday of every
>> month in Bloomington at noon (I can get details if you'd like)
>>
>> Logistics:
>>
>> There is a lot to cover and it will be a long day, so we will start early
>> (9am) and promptly on 3/2.  The class is free, though I will ask that if
>> you are not a Bloominglabs member you make a donation to help pay for the
>> use of the space (which you can do in person or through paypal at
>> http://www.bloominglabs.org ). I will arrange for some pizza to be
>> delivered so please bring a few bucks for that, and PLEASE RSVP to me
>> directly (even if you don't need pizza) so I know how many are coming and
>> can arrange the space accordingly.   The next available test will be on
>> 3/10 at 4:30 (registration opening at 4:00) at the Maple Grove Christian
>> Church, 1503 W Simpson Chapel Rd. I am told that "the meeting room is in
>> the building next to the airplane" which I can only hope is a literal
>> interpretation. There are NO MORSE CODE requirements to ANY amateur radio
>> exam since 2003. Testing is $15 (not refundable if you fail), and when you
>> pass you will typically get your callsign through the FCC ULS database
>> within a few business days and then are legal to transmit.  Also required
>> is a photo ID and SSN or FCC FRN.  More details on that at
>> http://www.arrl.org/what-to-bring-to-an-exam-session
>>
>> About the test:
>>
>> The nice thing about amateur exams is that the entire question pool (and
>> answers) are publicly available.  For the technician exam there are 35
>> questions from a 394 question pool.  Don't let that number scare you, there
>> are a lot of questions that are repetitive in topic. A lot of them cover
>> electronic topics that many of you know already (ohm's law, anybody?).
>> Since the question pool is public, there are plenty of online practice
>> exams and flash card style sites.  My recommendation is
>> https://hamstudy.org/browse/E2_2010/T1  Basically, you can in fact
>> "study to the test" and pass.  If you fail, you're out $15.  Don't sweat
>> the test!  There is no age requirement to getting a license, and I won't
>> put an age requirement on the session - though this is a "cram" session and
>> as such I'll be going through topics quickly.
>>
>> Why Ham Radio and Bloominglabs?
>>
>> I have many reasons for proselytizing ham radio:
>>
>> 1 - Amateur radio gives you a license to experiment in various radio
>> waves (within certain boundaries, of course). This goes hand in hand with
>> the Hackerspace movement.  For example, there are radio shields for Arduino
>> that would allow you much longer range communication, albeit slower, than
>> with wifi.
>>
>> 2 - It is another way for hackerspace members to communicate!  Sure, IRC
>> and email are great; radio gives you all a chance to chat on the air as
>> well.
>>
>> 3 - A more selfish reason, I am the emergency coordinator for Monroe
>> County ARES (amateur radio emergency services).  Along with a very similar
>> RACES organization (radio amateur civil emergency services), we offer
>> communications during emergencies and serve the county and state EMA.  I'm
>> always looking for more volunteers, especially as we branch out into more
>> digital communications in emergency situations.   Oh, and that point about
>> ARES and RACES providing communications in times of emergency, that's a
>> question on the test.  You're getting this already..
>>
>> 4 - Similarly, we do a few public service events throughout the year
>> where we provide communications across an area that makes cellular
>> difficult, and we always need more help.  A good example being the Hilly
>> Hundred bike ride, where we provide SAG vehicles with voice communication
>> and GPS tracking through the hills of the course, along with communications
>> to all rest areas and race headquarters, all without cellular or internet..
>>  And its not all work, we have fun testing out new methods and modes
>> through these events.
>>
>> 5 - dozens of different things to do in this hobby.  I haven't even
>> touched on the global communications aspect of it.  There's something cool
>> about talking to a person in New Zealand using no infrastructure - just a
>> radio and an antenna you built to go along with it.  Just as cool is taking
>> a portable HF radio and an Eeepc on a backpacking trip, setting up a
>> low-powered station and doing digital chat with people across the country.
>>  Here's a not-so-cheesy video advertising Field Day a few years back that
>> shows a few things possible:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=varHL752Odk
>>
>> Cost of gear:
>>
>> With the introduction of cheap radios from new Chinese manufacturers in
>> the past few years, getting into the hobby is cheaper than it has ever
>> been.  A cheap Handheld Transceiver ("HT") that covers the popular local
>> frequencies can be found for $50-$100, and with the repeaters we have in
>> town that is all you need to get started.  Mobile radios (also used as a
>> base radio) tend to have about 10x the power and start in the $200-$300
>> range, plus the cost of an antenna. Of course, as you add features, power,
>> and frequencies the cost goes up and the sky is the limit.  One nice thing
>> about the hobby is that the gear does not depreciate in usefulness the way
>> a lot of tech gear does (like your computer or phone).  The mobile radio I
>> put in the space is a model from the mid 90's.
>>
>> So - if you've made it this far in the email, drop me a line and let me
>> know that you'll be there!   (feel free to email me questions as well)
>>
>> Cheers,
>> -Corey (ham callsign KB9JHU)
>>
>> Other links to study with:
>> http://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed
>> http://www.hamradioinstructor.com/guides.html
>>
>> --
>> Corey Shields
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Corey Shields
>

-- 
Corey Shields
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