[PPRAANet] A little guidance requested.

[Roller, Rob]

Hi, Phillip,

I saw your post about getting started in ham radio.  If you've been
monitoring this list for a while, you obviously have a pretty good idea of
what ham radio is, and some of the activities that you might be able to do.
Just curious ... how long have you been on the list?  Have you been to any
of our club meetings?  You didn't say if you've been listening to ham radio
bands too, so we don't know if you have any idea yet what's on the air.

For starters, you and your daughter probably know that you must pass a test.
The test covers amateur radio rules and regulations, operating fundamentals,
and some basic understanding of electricity and electronics, among other
things.  Morse code is no longer a requirement for the entry level test.

You have three options to study the material:  either study for
understanding, or memorize the answers, or a combination of both.  I
personally recommend studying for understanding, as much as possible,
because understanding it is going to make it easier to advance beyond the
basics later.  But I realize that not all the material is easy to
understand, even for well-educated people, and especially for
nine-year-olds, so some memorization is expected.

Locally, there is one amateur radio class offered, usually beginning in
January.  It's sponsored by this club (the PPRAA), and taught by Frank
McNally KF0WF.  The last class ran from 1/8/2002 to 2/7/2002, Tue/Thu, 1900
to 2100.  About a month of twice-weekly evenings.  The text book used is
called "Now You're Talking", which does an excellent job of explaining the
concepts, and also lists all the questions in the back of the book, with
answers.  The PPRAA web site, as well as this reflector, usually has info on
upcoming classes.

The person you wrote to, Mike Anderson WV7T, also has taken on a few people
in a class at his home, teaching at a slower pace probably, and usually
sticking with the folks until they pass their tests.  He may still be doing
that.  (Most people like me don't have time to do that, and I think it's
great that Mike can!)


The book "Now You're Talking" is available at some Radio Shack stores, I
believe.  It's usually available at Centennial Electronics on Bijou St.
Certainly you can get a copy from Ham Radio Outlet in Denver, and also from
the ARRL.  I'm sure there may be other places, but these come to mind the
quickest.

Another tip ... find someone that you can contact with questions, that will
be willing to answer questions.  In ham radio language, that person is
called an 'elmer'.  Someone that sort of acts as a guide, a sponsor, a
teacher, etc, to help a new person get along into the hobby.  You can also
come by our club meeting, which is on the 2nd Wed of each month, and meet
some of us in person.

Mike Anderson is a pretty good elmer.  I'm glad to help out when and where I
can.  There are several others in the club that are more than willing to
provide assistance, from answering questions to helping you set up a radio
or a station.  This reflector is also a great place to ask questions on any
ham radio topic.

If you want to learn more, and don't want to wait for January to come around
for the class, I'd suggest digging in to the book now, and when you're ready
to see how much you've learned, you can take practice tests right on the
web, or you can review the question pool right on the web also.

But if you can wait, and you'll have the time in the evenings, the class is
excellent (Frank has won an award for teaching it) and you'll get everything
you need from it.  The class may not be the best way to go for your
daughter, though, since it's geared more towards adults than kids.  It'll
require a lot of support from you if you decide to take the class with her.
But I suspect you'll provide that support anyway.

You can preview questions on the web in various places.  There is a pool of
questions from which the actual test is taken.  I think the pool has about
400 or so questions, while the test is only around 35 or so questions.  But
you can find a complete listing of all the questions on the web, and even
take a practice exam on the web.  Here are some useful URLs for this:

Question Pool:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/pools.html

On-Line Practice Exams:
http://www.aa9pw.com/radio/index.html

Getting Started with Ham Radio:
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html

Our club's web site:
http://www.qsl.net/ppraa/


Good luck!

Rob Roller
N7LV