OT: Ham radio licence.

Many years ago I had CB radios before they became a fad. First ones were Johnson tube types, 3 channel crystal controlled. Channels 10, 12, and 14. Call sign was KWA7191. That would have been late 60's.

When the fad hit I enjoyed it except for the idiots who had nothing to say. I went to sideband to be able to talk to who I had to, including the radios in our trucks and sprayers back at the grain elevator. Sideband would at least double your range anyhow.

That is in the past. CB is dead except for the occasional trucker that still has one.

Now, to get to the point: I don't talk much on a radio anymore, but would like to be able to in an emergency (like happened in Joplin). I already have the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, and am NOT going to cheat by just learning all the answers to the test.

My concern is, how many of the test questions are directly related to the metric units? I know all are indirectly, and we can bring a calculator to the test but none of my calculators will handle stuff as small as the Pico unit, which is 10 to the -12th power or on the other end Tera which is 10 to the +12th power.

Wish I would have been brought up on the metric system. It is a little hard for this old dog to get his arms around it.

I would just be running a 2 meter or dual band handheld from in the car, with a magnet mount antenna. Probably a 5 or 7 watt high power unit with 1 or 2 watt low power similar to a ICOM 92AD or similar. Might get once of the dirt cheap "off breed" radios for a starter unit.

Just wondered how tough the test really is. DOUG

I just happen to be one of the test administration people in central MN.
The calculator Need not go into extremes to the best of my knowledge. The people I have tested (about 6) all had the test done in 1/2 the allotted time. I am not allowed to see the questions, nor answers. All is sealed in envelopes. I would review the practice questions, and prep for the test, then just do it. Jim

I also had a license for a CB, KSP1659. Never did figure out why we were suppose to get a license. Most didn't.I never did renew mine. Were they good for life?

Why do you need a license now? Have you everheard of anyone getting in trouble for usage without a license?

I still have CBs in the combine, tractors and trucks. They are still easier to keep everyone in touch then other sources when we are in the fields working.

Gary

All of the test questions are in a publically available pool. Tests will be made up of selected questions from that pool, different pools for different levels of license. I would go to the link below, take a test, looking up questions you don't know. Keep testing until you feel confident in your knowledge. Note, I don't recommend memorization of the questions. American Radio League will have lots of interesting infro on their site arrl.org.
test here

CB license is no longer needed. But "ham" is POSITIVELY required.

Thanks Ray, I do have the study guide and the practice CD guide that comes with it.

I don't intend to take the "easy" way out and just memorize all the answers possible. I want to do it the right way, but am just getting tripped up on the metric system.

The "big" numbers don't bother me as much as the little ones do. Tera is a Trillion. Giga is a Billion. Mega is a Million. Kilo is a 1000.

That I already know. Hecto is 100.That one trips me up. Deca is 10, decade is 10 years, so no issue.

The minus values are playing with my mind. Deci is 10 to the -1 power. So does that make it just plain 1 (ONE)? I assume so, it seems to take one zero away from 10.

Maybe I can figure this out if I do know the value of Deci. I assume Deci can stand for Decimal points, but do decimal points start at zero or one? DOUG

Electrical engineering has always used metric units. Only a few english units are used (mainly horsepower and Btu), and none of those are used in electronics. Volt, amp, watt, ohm, farad, and henry are all metric units and have no english equivalent.

I don't think you're so concerned with the metric units (which you already use) as you are of scientific notation, or more specifically "engineering notation", where exponents are always multiples of three.

All you need to know was covered in high school algebra, which you probably took but just don't remember. If you have problems with scientific notation, pick up a high school algebra textbook, it will have all you need to know.

Consider this: Calculators that can handle scientific notation are relatively new devices, the first ones came out in the early 70's. Before that, engineers used slide rules, and slide rules can't handle exponents at all. Only the mantissas of the operands are used with a slide rule; exponents must be calculated on paper or in the engineer's head.

Knowing how to do scientific notation will help you take the test, but I'd still recommend you plunk down for a "scientific" calculater. Scientific calculators can normally handle numbers between 10^-99 and 10⁺⁹⁹. A good scientific calculator will run around 30 bucks.

IIRC, any number to the zero power is 1 (one).
So 10 to the zero power is one, 10 to the -1 power is .1, 10 to the minus 2 power is .01, etc.
10 to the power of 1 is 10, 10 to the power of 2 is 100, etc.
Lots of good info in the posts of other responders.

I received my license in the late 60's KCO 5019 and to my knowledge they are still to be used if / when talking to an emergency center like a local 911. A command center, or to a police officer that may have one in his "TAXI" If following the rules still handed out with the purchase of a new radio.

You are still on record with those call letters.
will get you better service if needed because they know you wouldn't put out numbers registered in your name to make a prank call.

Gary,

KACF2653 comin' back atcha from Florida...must have got a skip to be able to reach you that far away.

When I was a recruiter for Collins Radio (as we called it in the old days), my handle was "Headhunter" and later "Road Apple". Used to get someone who would ask "what's a road apple". I figured if they didn't know, they were better off.

Stan

Just study the test samples and take the test. Contact your local HAM club and see if they have a class on the Tec test.
Dale N8SAC

Doug
Got my 2 meter Technician Class ticket a little over 4 years ago. Code is no longer required for any class. Ham lic is good for 10 years. Test is pretty basic on theory, big on rules. Wrote the test in 15-20 minutes. Haveing a background in military communications helped, common sense helps too. Had CB lic, KBM4741 back in about 67,68.
All the repeaters across the country are on 2 meter. By gentleman's agreement, traveling freq is 146.52 simplex.
Lots of info at QRZ dot com.
Willie
KC0YQO

VE3 THO

The technician test is not hard, as best that I can remember. It's been 22 years since I tested, so I can't remember much about it, other than I was disappointed when I passed the last one. Sit down and study the metric values and you'll feel comfortable with it. Be thankful that the CW portion of the test was dropped, although CW is my favorite mode.

If I can pass it, I promise that you can.

Paul
KE9WR

(quoted from post at 21:48:16 05/26/11) The technician test is not hard, as best that I can remember. It's been 22 years since I tested, so I can't remember much about it, other than I was disappointed when I passed the last one. Sit down and study the metric values and you'll feel comfortable with it. Be thankful that the CW portion of the test was dropped, although CW is my favorite mode.

If I can pass it, I promise that you can.

Paul
KE9WR

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Paul, I agree, the tests are not that hard although I have never tested before a volunteer exam group. My first call was N3CBO and the general was KA3FMD, should have kept that one (Fried MY Diodes). Finally I upgraded and was issued KC3EH which I hold today. I have taken the sample exams for Extra on the AA9PW site and do about 50% without any prep. I had to travel to Philadelphia, Pa. to the FCC offices to test "back in the day". If I brush up I am better than 20 WPM code speed as far as comprehension but have problems putting it on paper. I did pass 13 which was required for General at the time. I wonder how many others hold tickets and have not said so ?? mEl