4 ms·

I helped a friend do the novice exam, which is really quite easy these days and even permits the use of some HF bands (which I've personally never even have use

I helped a friend do the novice exam, which is really quite easy these days and even permits the use of some HF bands (which I've personally never even have used with my full license from the 90s - I live in a city apartment and simply don't have the space for the required antennas) I can really recommend doing it. If you have some knowledge about electronics and some affinity for it, it's pretty easy. You'll need to study some of the regulations and stuff but it's very doable. When I did mine in the 90s the exams were still pretty hard but even then I studied for a day and passed. Of course having all my existing knowledge of electronics and 5 years of CB experience did help a lot. But overall i just coasted through it. People worry about it too much I think.

beng-nl 2y ago
Is a magnetic loop antenna not practical for HF operation? I’ve never tried it myself, but as someone who is also a little space constrained, that’s what I had my hopes pinned on for HF receiving with limited space.
- wkat4242 2y ago
  It's possible but the problem is I'm on the 1st floor of a 5 story building in a dense European city center, and all the buildings around me are of similar height. Meaning that the signal will basically be absorbed by the buildings around me (best case) and/or the neighbours' electronic equipment (worst case :) ). There's just no way to get a decent signal out from here. The distance to the next buildings is also way shorter than 1 wavelength on HF, the street out front is only 1 lane wide with a tiny footpath (European city...). So the gap isn't even wide enough. It just won't get out and will probably cause a hell of a lot of interference problems. Since I don't have any HF equipment I didn't deem it wise investing in some for this reason. I do have a receiver but the inbound signal is also really meh. With 2m/70cm I have better luck because the repeater is nearby on a tall mountain and the wavelength is short enough to be able to bounce around and get out.
bombcar 2y ago
The novice exam (in the USA) should be passable or nearly passable to anyone who has basic knowledge of electronics and some radio theory. Studying for a weekend from one of the books was all I needed to get ... a step or two up even, since morse code wasn't needed.
zikduruqe 2y ago
> I live in a city apartment and simply don't have the space for the required antennas I used to load the gutters around my apartment as an antenna, I once even loaded up the box spring in the bedroom, then I got a MFJ isoloop also back in my apartment days. There are ways to get on HF. They might not be ideal, but when you do make that contact it sure is sweet.
- eldaisfish 2y ago
  Please don't do this. Do not send power into a device not designed for it, especially one where you cannot always control who might come into contact with it. 50 Watts is all your need to cause a burn.

beng-nl 2y ago

Is a magnetic loop antenna not practical for HF operation? I’ve never tried it myself, but as someone who is also a little space constrained, that’s what I had my hopes pinned on for HF receiving with limited space.

wkat4242 2y ago
It's possible but the problem is I'm on the 1st floor of a 5 story building in a dense European city center, and all the buildings around me are of similar height. Meaning that the signal will basically be absorbed by the buildings around me (best case) and/or the neighbours' electronic equipment (worst case :) ). There's just no way to get a decent signal out from here. The distance to the next buildings is also way shorter than 1 wavelength on HF, the street out front is only 1 lane wide with a tiny footpath (European city...). So the gap isn't even wide enough. It just won't get out and will probably cause a hell of a lot of interference problems. Since I don't have any HF equipment I didn't deem it wise investing in some for this reason. I do have a receiver but the inbound signal is also really meh. With 2m/70cm I have better luck because the repeater is nearby on a tall mountain and the wavelength is short enough to be able to bounce around and get out.

bombcar 2y ago

The novice exam (in the USA) should be passable or nearly passable to anyone who has basic knowledge of electronics and some radio theory. Studying for a weekend from one of the books was all I needed to get ... a step or two up even, since morse code wasn't needed.

zikduruqe 2y ago

> I live in a city apartment and simply don't have the space for the required antennas I used to load the gutters around my apartment as an antenna, I once even loaded up the box spring in the bedroom, then I got a MFJ isoloop also back in my apartment days. There are ways to get on HF. They might not be ideal, but when you do make that contact it sure is sweet.

eldaisfish 2y ago
Please don't do this. Do not send power into a device not designed for it, especially one where you cannot always control who might come into contact with it. 50 Watts is all your need to cause a burn.