1 00:00:01,290 --> 00:00:03,610 Welcome in to the next episode of the 2 00:00:03,610 --> 00:00:05,750 Ham Radio 360 Podcast. 3 00:00:06,590 --> 00:00:10,730 No, that was 2014 to 2018. 4 00:00:12,610 --> 00:00:14,970 Welcome in to PrepComms Podcast. 5 00:00:15,329 --> 00:00:19,430 I'm your host, Caleb Nelson, K4CDN, and taking 6 00:00:19,430 --> 00:00:20,950 it back just a little bit. 7 00:00:21,050 --> 00:00:23,730 You know, that's not a surprise I said 8 00:00:23,730 --> 00:00:23,930 that. 9 00:00:24,090 --> 00:00:26,650 Actually, you don't hear a lot of that 10 00:00:26,650 --> 00:00:30,130 in the audio podcast when I'm able to 11 00:00:30,130 --> 00:00:31,610 do a lot more editing than I ever 12 00:00:31,610 --> 00:00:32,710 dream of doing here. 13 00:00:32,850 --> 00:00:35,330 So if you don't like the background or 14 00:00:35,330 --> 00:00:37,210 the fact I shift and move, or I'm 15 00:00:37,210 --> 00:00:39,510 even personally leaning up against the counter right 16 00:00:39,510 --> 00:00:42,150 now, you may want to listen to the 17 00:00:42,150 --> 00:00:43,090 audio only show. 18 00:00:43,250 --> 00:00:45,430 I am the host of this program, started 19 00:00:45,430 --> 00:00:47,890 it, I don't even know, maybe 2024 and 20 00:00:47,890 --> 00:00:48,610 took a break. 21 00:00:48,770 --> 00:00:52,030 And anyway, the whole premise of this show 22 00:00:52,030 --> 00:00:55,890 was to build a library of understanding for 23 00:00:55,890 --> 00:00:58,950 people, preppers, people who coming into the hobby 24 00:00:58,950 --> 00:01:02,550 or the movement or the lifestyle of preparedness 25 00:01:02,550 --> 00:01:05,990 and having, you know, stuff but not really 26 00:01:05,990 --> 00:01:07,510 knowing what to do with some of it. 27 00:01:07,590 --> 00:01:10,130 So I decided, hey, we're going to create 28 00:01:10,130 --> 00:01:13,890 a podcast for communicators or wannabe communicators or 29 00:01:13,890 --> 00:01:17,670 those who want to learn about communicating for 30 00:01:17,670 --> 00:01:18,450 prepping. 31 00:01:19,010 --> 00:01:19,870 And here we are. 32 00:01:20,030 --> 00:01:22,290 So we have started this new series just 33 00:01:22,290 --> 00:01:23,010 the last time. 34 00:01:23,230 --> 00:01:24,930 And thanks for the comments, by the way. 35 00:01:25,410 --> 00:01:26,590 Great to see you too. 36 00:01:27,030 --> 00:01:30,250 We started this, I've started this, this next 37 00:01:30,250 --> 00:01:33,390 chapter, the final chapter of the show. 38 00:01:33,910 --> 00:01:36,970 And we're talking all about the amateur radio 39 00:01:36,970 --> 00:01:37,390 hobby. 40 00:01:37,570 --> 00:01:39,810 I said last week that I thought it 41 00:01:39,810 --> 00:01:44,110 was the pinnacle of communications for a prepper. 42 00:01:44,190 --> 00:01:46,270 And I say, I'll say that again, I 43 00:01:46,270 --> 00:01:47,130 still believe that. 44 00:01:47,230 --> 00:01:48,490 A week hasn't changed. 45 00:01:49,430 --> 00:01:54,190 Because looking at this from a very broad 46 00:01:54,190 --> 00:01:57,330 view, people coming in trying to figure out 47 00:01:57,330 --> 00:02:00,470 what to do, not wanting probably because most 48 00:02:00,470 --> 00:02:02,350 preppers are cheap as nuts. 49 00:02:03,590 --> 00:02:06,650 This is probably about the best they're going 50 00:02:06,650 --> 00:02:06,870 to do. 51 00:02:06,950 --> 00:02:08,210 Now they do have to take a test 52 00:02:08,210 --> 00:02:10,410 or two and do have to buy equipment. 53 00:02:10,870 --> 00:02:13,450 So, you know, there's those challenges there within 54 00:02:13,990 --> 00:02:14,430 preparedness. 55 00:02:14,650 --> 00:02:17,690 But at the same time, the bang for 56 00:02:17,690 --> 00:02:19,850 buck cannot be beat when it comes to 57 00:02:19,850 --> 00:02:20,350 ham radio. 58 00:02:20,550 --> 00:02:22,490 Now I understand again, I want to reiterate, 59 00:02:22,730 --> 00:02:23,410 I get it. 60 00:02:23,510 --> 00:02:24,530 Some of you don't want to come here. 61 00:02:24,610 --> 00:02:26,290 Some of you aren't interested in ham radio 62 00:02:26,290 --> 00:02:26,990 at all. 63 00:02:27,250 --> 00:02:29,390 Some of you think that ham radio operator 64 00:02:29,390 --> 00:02:30,970 is just a bunch of fuds or what 65 00:02:30,970 --> 00:02:32,430 sat hams, I think is the new one 66 00:02:32,430 --> 00:02:32,830 or something. 67 00:02:33,530 --> 00:02:36,710 Okay, then this video, the rest of this 68 00:02:36,710 --> 00:02:39,790 podcast is probably not for you. 69 00:02:40,350 --> 00:02:42,530 And here's your invitation to press the button 70 00:02:42,530 --> 00:02:43,070 and take off. 71 00:02:43,070 --> 00:02:45,270 So those of you that have stuck around, 72 00:02:45,770 --> 00:02:48,510 let's talk about ham radio, amateur radio as 73 00:02:48,510 --> 00:02:52,190 it's also known, and why it matters to 74 00:02:52,190 --> 00:02:52,450 me. 75 00:02:52,890 --> 00:02:56,030 Well, I've been a communicator my whole life. 76 00:02:56,110 --> 00:02:57,530 Got into CB radio when I was about 77 00:02:57,530 --> 00:03:00,750 six years old and Nextel showed up in 78 00:03:00,750 --> 00:03:04,010 the very late 90s, mid to late 90s. 79 00:03:04,150 --> 00:03:04,610 Loved it. 80 00:03:04,810 --> 00:03:07,650 Maybe one of the best communication services I've 81 00:03:07,650 --> 00:03:08,370 ever paid for. 82 00:03:08,910 --> 00:03:10,790 Not necessarily with the service, but the ease 83 00:03:10,790 --> 00:03:12,790 of use and how well it worked. 84 00:03:13,170 --> 00:03:14,790 At the time, it was groundbreaking. 85 00:03:15,610 --> 00:03:18,890 And I'm confident if there were a company 86 00:03:18,890 --> 00:03:20,970 that would release something like that, that could 87 00:03:20,970 --> 00:03:22,930 work with the ease that the Nextel radio 88 00:03:22,930 --> 00:03:24,650 walkies, whatever you're going to call them, worked, 89 00:03:25,030 --> 00:03:27,650 I think that we could definitely move down 90 00:03:27,650 --> 00:03:28,230 that road again. 91 00:03:28,330 --> 00:03:29,830 Now, I guess the next best thing to 92 00:03:29,830 --> 00:03:32,150 that would be those radios you see on 93 00:03:32,150 --> 00:03:36,190 Facebook advertised with, you know, nationwide coverage, push 94 00:03:36,190 --> 00:03:38,370 to talk because those are basically just Nextel 95 00:03:38,370 --> 00:03:40,390 radios without the encryption. 96 00:03:41,830 --> 00:03:44,270 So I'm not talking encryption, but we're talking 97 00:03:44,270 --> 00:03:44,850 ham radio. 98 00:03:45,050 --> 00:03:46,710 So I came into the hobby. 99 00:03:47,530 --> 00:03:50,690 I was actually looking for a communication solution. 100 00:03:51,270 --> 00:03:53,130 We're talking post Y2K. 101 00:03:53,430 --> 00:03:58,170 We're talking post 2008 collapse of the economy. 102 00:03:58,830 --> 00:04:03,890 In 2000, Y2K 2000, I had purchased some 103 00:04:03,890 --> 00:04:05,610 amateur radio gear for the end of the 104 00:04:05,610 --> 00:04:05,970 world. 105 00:04:06,490 --> 00:04:08,130 And the end of the world didn't happen. 106 00:04:08,410 --> 00:04:10,770 So I sold that stuff and bought some 107 00:04:10,770 --> 00:04:13,090 chrome for my Harley that I bought instead. 108 00:04:13,750 --> 00:04:14,950 And did that for a couple of years, 109 00:04:15,029 --> 00:04:17,769 became a dad in 2003. 110 00:04:18,769 --> 00:04:21,110 And things, you know, as you become a 111 00:04:21,110 --> 00:04:22,290 dad, things start to change. 112 00:04:22,430 --> 00:04:23,190 Things look different. 113 00:04:23,330 --> 00:04:25,730 You begin to look different as I'm realizing, 114 00:04:26,550 --> 00:04:28,290 staring at my phone here. 115 00:04:28,750 --> 00:04:30,510 I had a haircut today, so I look 116 00:04:30,510 --> 00:04:33,090 even different, but maybe a little, a little 117 00:04:33,090 --> 00:04:33,770 tidier. 118 00:04:36,710 --> 00:04:40,470 We walked on through the Y2K and the 119 00:04:40,470 --> 00:04:43,430 new parenting, and then a second child, and 120 00:04:43,430 --> 00:04:45,690 then a third child, and then the economy 121 00:04:45,690 --> 00:04:46,190 collapsed. 122 00:04:46,190 --> 00:04:49,690 And we ended up leaving the city and 123 00:04:49,690 --> 00:04:51,590 ended up way down in the country where 124 00:04:51,590 --> 00:04:53,310 there was no cell service. 125 00:04:53,450 --> 00:04:54,430 Nextel didn't work. 126 00:04:54,810 --> 00:04:56,070 Verizon didn't work. 127 00:04:56,550 --> 00:04:58,370 We eventually found that the only thing that 128 00:04:58,370 --> 00:05:00,310 worked here was AT&T and Boost Mobile, 129 00:05:00,730 --> 00:05:02,790 which is a reseller of AT&T. 130 00:05:03,030 --> 00:05:04,770 So we've been AT&T customers for a 131 00:05:04,770 --> 00:05:06,650 long time, but even then I knew I 132 00:05:06,650 --> 00:05:09,230 wanted an alternate means of communications because if 133 00:05:09,230 --> 00:05:13,650 anything I had learned between Y2K and 2008 134 00:05:13,650 --> 00:05:16,890 is, wow, stuff can change real quick because 135 00:05:16,890 --> 00:05:18,970 it did for my family in a very 136 00:05:18,970 --> 00:05:20,130 dramatic fashion. 137 00:05:20,550 --> 00:05:22,870 So I was looking, now being 30 minutes 138 00:05:22,870 --> 00:05:25,490 conveniently located from everywhere, I was looking for 139 00:05:25,490 --> 00:05:28,910 a solution that would allow me to contact 140 00:05:28,910 --> 00:05:32,370 and have connection with others, whomever those are, 141 00:05:32,850 --> 00:05:36,450 maybe my family, maybe others, in case of 142 00:05:36,450 --> 00:05:39,830 an emergency, in case of being resettled like 143 00:05:39,830 --> 00:05:42,710 we had been, in case of needing some 144 00:05:42,710 --> 00:05:45,070 help when the phone stopped working, because again, 145 00:05:45,530 --> 00:05:47,730 they didn't want to work down here in 146 00:05:47,730 --> 00:05:48,910 the deep, deep sticks. 147 00:05:49,130 --> 00:05:53,050 So I ordered the ARRL study manual. 148 00:05:53,570 --> 00:05:55,310 It came in the mail and my wife 149 00:05:55,310 --> 00:05:56,270 said, what are you doing? 150 00:05:57,430 --> 00:06:00,130 You've been talking about this since before Y2K. 151 00:06:00,490 --> 00:06:03,310 You're never going to take the test. 152 00:06:04,390 --> 00:06:06,690 Well, I knew right then that I was 153 00:06:06,690 --> 00:06:08,370 going to take and pass the test. 154 00:06:08,470 --> 00:06:10,610 And in a matter of weeks, studying with 155 00:06:10,610 --> 00:06:14,290 a CD-ROM and the practice test they're 156 00:06:14,290 --> 00:06:16,390 on and their book, back when you read 157 00:06:16,390 --> 00:06:18,790 a book, I studied, I passed the test. 158 00:06:19,310 --> 00:06:20,430 And a couple of weeks later, I went 159 00:06:20,430 --> 00:06:22,970 back and aced the general. 160 00:06:23,590 --> 00:06:24,950 And then that's where I've stopped. 161 00:06:25,270 --> 00:06:28,170 I think about sometimes, you know, going to 162 00:06:28,170 --> 00:06:29,950 the next level of extra just to say, 163 00:06:30,090 --> 00:06:33,270 hey, I'm an extra class licensee, but I 164 00:06:33,270 --> 00:06:36,650 don't really use anything outside of the privileges 165 00:06:36,650 --> 00:06:37,370 I currently have. 166 00:06:37,430 --> 00:06:39,030 I don't have a desire or a need. 167 00:06:39,170 --> 00:06:41,570 So I haven't been able to talk myself 168 00:06:41,570 --> 00:06:44,890 into giving myself 30 minutes a day for 169 00:06:44,890 --> 00:06:46,810 30 days to study and pass the test. 170 00:06:46,930 --> 00:06:48,590 So I'm a general class license. 171 00:06:48,590 --> 00:06:49,870 That means I'm in the middle and I 172 00:06:49,870 --> 00:06:52,670 have virtually all the privileges that I could 173 00:06:52,670 --> 00:06:55,930 stand to use it because the reason that 174 00:06:55,930 --> 00:06:57,670 I use the amateur radio service. 175 00:06:58,310 --> 00:07:00,370 So yeah, I decided to become an amateur 176 00:07:00,370 --> 00:07:04,590 radio operator and I bought a walkie talkie. 177 00:07:05,590 --> 00:07:06,910 And that was all I had for a 178 00:07:06,910 --> 00:07:10,030 very long time because the crunch, you know, 179 00:07:10,310 --> 00:07:11,910 we moved down here for a reason. 180 00:07:12,670 --> 00:07:14,390 And I was a tech and I had 181 00:07:14,390 --> 00:07:15,890 my walkie talkie and I used it as 182 00:07:15,890 --> 00:07:16,610 a base station. 183 00:07:16,750 --> 00:07:18,110 I used it as a mobile. 184 00:07:18,550 --> 00:07:20,410 I used it as a portable station. 185 00:07:20,610 --> 00:07:21,430 It was all I had. 186 00:07:21,710 --> 00:07:22,610 And that was great. 187 00:07:22,730 --> 00:07:23,810 It was $120. 188 00:07:24,910 --> 00:07:26,590 And I wish I'd have gotten it out 189 00:07:26,590 --> 00:07:27,290 to show you. 190 00:07:27,690 --> 00:07:28,650 I still have it. 191 00:07:29,350 --> 00:07:30,430 It still works. 192 00:07:30,510 --> 00:07:33,090 Now, I think there might be one part 193 00:07:33,090 --> 00:07:35,050 of the LCD screen that is dim or 194 00:07:35,050 --> 00:07:36,750 burned out, but it's an Oshine. 195 00:07:37,090 --> 00:07:39,770 I think it's a UV2 Delta that I 196 00:07:39,770 --> 00:07:41,690 bought from a gentleman in North Carolina. 197 00:07:41,750 --> 00:07:43,390 He was one of the only importers at 198 00:07:43,390 --> 00:07:44,590 the time bringing these things in. 199 00:07:44,650 --> 00:07:46,170 This is before they were on Amazon. 200 00:07:46,930 --> 00:07:48,490 And this is before the $30. 201 00:07:49,670 --> 00:07:51,370 Well, it was $30 when it came out. 202 00:07:51,430 --> 00:07:53,810 Now it's maybe $16 for a UV5 or 203 00:07:53,810 --> 00:07:55,330 a Baofeng or a Pofeng, however you want 204 00:07:55,330 --> 00:07:55,670 to say it. 205 00:07:56,130 --> 00:07:58,150 Either way, these were Oshine or Uxon if 206 00:07:58,150 --> 00:07:59,110 you want to say it that way. 207 00:07:59,170 --> 00:08:00,490 And it still works. 208 00:08:00,570 --> 00:08:02,450 It's been a great radio to the point 209 00:08:02,450 --> 00:08:05,450 that I probably have had maybe a dozen 210 00:08:05,450 --> 00:08:06,430 or so of those. 211 00:08:06,570 --> 00:08:08,150 I've had them in different flavors. 212 00:08:08,310 --> 00:08:09,490 And then when Carla was sick, I had 213 00:08:09,490 --> 00:08:11,290 to sell 90% of all the stuff. 214 00:08:11,410 --> 00:08:14,530 So anyway, I still have my original and 215 00:08:14,530 --> 00:08:15,150 it still works. 216 00:08:15,450 --> 00:08:16,130 Works great. 217 00:08:16,490 --> 00:08:18,370 And that got me started. 218 00:08:18,810 --> 00:08:20,390 Eventually I was able to save up for 219 00:08:20,390 --> 00:08:22,550 a mobile radio, a dual band radio, a 220 00:08:22,550 --> 00:08:25,490 Kenwood 707, not that it matters, but it 221 00:08:25,490 --> 00:08:26,430 was a great radio. 222 00:08:26,950 --> 00:08:27,510 I sold it. 223 00:08:28,450 --> 00:08:30,130 But anyway, it worked great while it was 224 00:08:30,130 --> 00:08:31,669 mobile in the truck at that time. 225 00:08:32,210 --> 00:08:35,870 And it didn't take for forever, but I 226 00:08:35,870 --> 00:08:39,150 was able to finally purchase one Easter Sunday 227 00:08:39,150 --> 00:08:43,630 used Kenwood TS-50, which is kind of 228 00:08:43,630 --> 00:08:45,530 the same size as a CB radio. 229 00:08:45,730 --> 00:08:48,170 But back then they made it, it was 230 00:08:48,170 --> 00:08:49,870 10 meters through 160. 231 00:08:50,470 --> 00:08:52,490 If that's not English for you, we'll get 232 00:08:52,490 --> 00:08:52,730 there. 233 00:08:52,790 --> 00:08:55,010 But it's a full on HEF radio for 234 00:08:55,010 --> 00:08:58,650 ham radio operators, a compact 100 watt radio. 235 00:08:59,250 --> 00:09:00,610 I wish I still had that one for 236 00:09:00,610 --> 00:09:00,950 sure. 237 00:09:01,550 --> 00:09:04,710 But that gave me the opportunity to begin 238 00:09:04,710 --> 00:09:07,530 to work in the HEF bands, the short 239 00:09:07,530 --> 00:09:09,330 wave, like we've talked about in the past, 240 00:09:09,710 --> 00:09:12,110 on sideband inmate contacts. 241 00:09:14,370 --> 00:09:16,230 I'm looking at my notes over here. 242 00:09:16,710 --> 00:09:18,950 The reason that I wanted something a little 243 00:09:18,950 --> 00:09:20,490 different than what I've had before. 244 00:09:20,670 --> 00:09:23,250 So by this point we had our AT 245 00:09:23,250 --> 00:09:24,510 &T telephones here. 246 00:09:24,750 --> 00:09:27,530 We had an AT&T MiFi hotspot. 247 00:09:27,750 --> 00:09:30,370 So if you're an old podcast listener from 248 00:09:30,370 --> 00:09:33,330 the 360 days, all that was done, majority 249 00:09:33,330 --> 00:09:35,910 of that was done with a very limited 250 00:09:35,910 --> 00:09:38,270 hotspot that cost a lot every month. 251 00:09:38,530 --> 00:09:39,930 My wife wanted to kill me because I'd 252 00:09:39,930 --> 00:09:42,930 go over every month just recording the shows 253 00:09:42,930 --> 00:09:43,550 with Skype. 254 00:09:43,670 --> 00:09:44,850 Anybody remember Skype? 255 00:09:45,670 --> 00:09:47,830 In addition to that, we've put the driveway 256 00:09:47,830 --> 00:09:49,310 alerts that we've talked about up. 257 00:09:49,430 --> 00:09:51,290 The MERS M-U-R-S radio at 258 00:09:51,290 --> 00:09:54,670 151 point something megahertz is what we used 259 00:09:54,670 --> 00:09:55,150 around here. 260 00:09:55,410 --> 00:09:56,930 It worked great for the farm. 261 00:09:57,350 --> 00:09:58,410 We'd go up and down the road and 262 00:09:58,410 --> 00:09:58,930 it was okay. 263 00:09:59,050 --> 00:10:00,810 We had the walkie, the big monster walkie 264 00:10:00,810 --> 00:10:02,510 talkies we could take in the cars with 265 00:10:02,510 --> 00:10:02,670 us. 266 00:10:02,750 --> 00:10:04,410 And it was great, but I couldn't talk 267 00:10:04,410 --> 00:10:05,070 to my in-laws. 268 00:10:06,070 --> 00:10:07,430 I couldn't talk to my neighbors. 269 00:10:07,550 --> 00:10:09,290 I couldn't talk to someone across town. 270 00:10:10,190 --> 00:10:11,910 Amateur radio gave me that. 271 00:10:12,450 --> 00:10:15,490 CB radio gave me that to an extent. 272 00:10:15,610 --> 00:10:17,550 Like I could talk to my brother, but 273 00:10:17,550 --> 00:10:19,710 there weren't very many people left over on 274 00:10:19,710 --> 00:10:21,570 the CB radio that I was actually interested 275 00:10:21,570 --> 00:10:23,290 in talking to back in the day. 276 00:10:23,410 --> 00:10:25,810 So I decided ham radio was going to 277 00:10:25,810 --> 00:10:27,030 be the answer for us. 278 00:10:27,030 --> 00:10:30,150 And I decided that as great as my 279 00:10:30,150 --> 00:10:33,650 technician license was, that's your first level of 280 00:10:33,650 --> 00:10:35,350 licensing in the amateur hobby. 281 00:10:35,750 --> 00:10:38,090 I wanted the additional license of general that 282 00:10:38,090 --> 00:10:42,050 would give me much more frequency allocations, especially 283 00:10:42,050 --> 00:10:44,750 in the low bands or the high frequencies. 284 00:10:44,890 --> 00:10:46,470 However you want to say it, it's weird, 285 00:10:46,790 --> 00:10:47,470 but it's physics. 286 00:10:48,050 --> 00:10:49,810 So it would allow me to use the 287 00:10:49,810 --> 00:10:51,510 shortwave bands to make contacts. 288 00:10:51,790 --> 00:10:54,390 So I decided to do that because I 289 00:10:54,390 --> 00:10:56,050 wanted more connectivity. 290 00:10:56,390 --> 00:10:58,010 Now, it wasn't that I thought I was 291 00:10:58,010 --> 00:11:00,550 going to call someone, let's say in central 292 00:11:00,550 --> 00:11:03,790 Ohio and say, the aliens are landing in 293 00:11:03,790 --> 00:11:08,250 my backyard, but I wanted to do more 294 00:11:08,250 --> 00:11:11,490 with communications and to have that capability to 295 00:11:11,490 --> 00:11:12,510 monitor things. 296 00:11:12,710 --> 00:11:14,850 And things did happen and we could hear 297 00:11:14,850 --> 00:11:15,330 and whatnot. 298 00:11:15,630 --> 00:11:17,430 It gives you just the opportunity. 299 00:11:18,050 --> 00:11:20,590 Plus being a communicator for at that point, 300 00:11:20,730 --> 00:11:23,510 gosh, 30 years, I was really excited. 301 00:11:23,810 --> 00:11:26,430 I really wanted to be involved in a 302 00:11:26,430 --> 00:11:27,030 geeky guy. 303 00:11:27,450 --> 00:11:29,230 You got questions, I have answers kind of 304 00:11:29,230 --> 00:11:29,990 radio shack dude. 305 00:11:30,930 --> 00:11:32,770 It just fit the MO here. 306 00:11:33,210 --> 00:11:34,530 Now that's the thing to say, I need 307 00:11:34,530 --> 00:11:35,730 to, it's not in the notes, but I 308 00:11:35,730 --> 00:11:36,570 need to toss it in. 309 00:11:37,770 --> 00:11:40,410 Not everybody's a ham, not everybody wants to 310 00:11:40,410 --> 00:11:42,190 be, not everybody needs to be. 311 00:11:42,650 --> 00:11:44,410 Now we'll say that six of the seven 312 00:11:44,410 --> 00:11:46,970 people in my household are amateur radio operators 313 00:11:46,970 --> 00:11:47,830 at some level. 314 00:11:48,330 --> 00:11:50,770 And that's just how we've done it here. 315 00:11:51,170 --> 00:11:54,050 But in most households, if there's one person 316 00:11:54,050 --> 00:11:56,530 interested, maybe the dad or maybe the eldest 317 00:11:56,530 --> 00:11:58,770 son, or maybe probably the youngest son, or 318 00:11:58,770 --> 00:12:00,150 maybe the middle, if he's kind of nerdy, 319 00:12:00,870 --> 00:12:03,830 that's good enough. 320 00:12:03,970 --> 00:12:06,870 I mean, not everybody really needs it because 321 00:12:06,870 --> 00:12:09,010 how many operators are you really going to 322 00:12:09,010 --> 00:12:11,190 have running an HF station anyway? 323 00:12:11,430 --> 00:12:12,830 I mean, I've got three set up here. 324 00:12:13,750 --> 00:12:16,630 And so what I'm saying, it's just not 325 00:12:16,630 --> 00:12:18,170 everybody's going to want to do it. 326 00:12:18,370 --> 00:12:21,470 Not everybody really, even in a proper household 327 00:12:21,470 --> 00:12:23,750 really needs to, especially if someone has a 328 00:12:23,750 --> 00:12:25,910 good understanding and they can help share that 329 00:12:25,910 --> 00:12:27,150 knowledge with the family. 330 00:12:28,490 --> 00:12:30,730 I think I kind of halfway told this 331 00:12:30,730 --> 00:12:32,150 story last time. 332 00:12:32,210 --> 00:12:33,230 I'll just touch on it again. 333 00:12:33,610 --> 00:12:37,590 My primary objective with gaining my general class 334 00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:40,070 license and then buying an HF radio was 335 00:12:40,070 --> 00:12:42,390 to be able to talk regionally, or at 336 00:12:42,390 --> 00:12:45,550 least in the Eastern time zone from Maine 337 00:12:45,550 --> 00:12:48,770 to Miami out to maybe middle central Tennessee. 338 00:12:49,930 --> 00:12:52,370 And within just a matter of minutes, I 339 00:12:52,370 --> 00:12:53,010 had done that. 340 00:12:53,150 --> 00:12:54,570 And over a course of the first few 341 00:12:54,570 --> 00:12:56,970 days of having a wire pulled up at 342 00:12:56,970 --> 00:12:58,650 eight feet off the ground, a hundred and 343 00:12:58,650 --> 00:13:01,470 some odd feet long, connected to a $400 344 00:13:01,470 --> 00:13:04,450 radio, I had done all that. 345 00:13:04,630 --> 00:13:05,650 And I was like, wow, that was really 346 00:13:05,650 --> 00:13:07,910 cool for like 30 seconds, but now what? 347 00:13:08,370 --> 00:13:12,490 And I began to investigate different types of 348 00:13:12,490 --> 00:13:14,370 operating, different modes and whatnot. 349 00:13:14,830 --> 00:13:18,110 And I had a great group of online 350 00:13:18,110 --> 00:13:19,570 mentors over at RFCom. 351 00:13:20,030 --> 00:13:22,230 And if you're watching and you're there or 352 00:13:22,230 --> 00:13:23,230 have been there, thank you. 353 00:13:23,330 --> 00:13:24,550 You helped get me here. 354 00:13:25,150 --> 00:13:27,930 But those guys were great and they encouraged, 355 00:13:28,070 --> 00:13:30,270 we had nets and we would pick times 356 00:13:30,270 --> 00:13:31,590 and days and we would have these random 357 00:13:31,590 --> 00:13:32,570 contact days. 358 00:13:32,670 --> 00:13:34,830 And then we had a 20 meter takeover, 359 00:13:34,970 --> 00:13:37,150 which was hilarious one day, thanks to Piccolo. 360 00:13:37,430 --> 00:13:39,750 And anyway, it was just a really good 361 00:13:39,750 --> 00:13:43,290 solid group of men who were all of 362 00:13:43,290 --> 00:13:46,290 the same mindset and who were all kind 363 00:13:46,290 --> 00:13:48,870 of working in the same direction and wanting 364 00:13:48,870 --> 00:13:51,370 to make sure that they could communicate if 365 00:13:51,370 --> 00:13:51,810 necessary. 366 00:13:52,310 --> 00:13:54,210 So I just fit right in because that 367 00:13:54,210 --> 00:13:55,010 was my mindset. 368 00:13:55,210 --> 00:13:57,190 And actually to this day, that is still 369 00:13:57,190 --> 00:13:57,810 my mindset. 370 00:13:58,090 --> 00:13:59,990 You see, I'm not the ham guy who 371 00:13:59,990 --> 00:14:02,830 wants to have a big station at his 372 00:14:02,830 --> 00:14:06,110 house and make contacts and get awards and 373 00:14:06,110 --> 00:14:06,790 things like that. 374 00:14:06,810 --> 00:14:08,830 That doesn't interest me at all. 375 00:14:09,030 --> 00:14:10,910 I mean, if I hear a contest on, 376 00:14:11,210 --> 00:14:13,110 the contacts are very easy to make. 377 00:14:13,190 --> 00:14:15,090 So I'll jump on and say, hey, make 378 00:14:15,090 --> 00:14:16,730 a couple of contacts and walk off. 379 00:14:16,830 --> 00:14:18,630 I'm not going to sit here for hours 380 00:14:18,630 --> 00:14:19,350 trying to talk. 381 00:14:19,730 --> 00:14:21,150 That's just not who I am. 382 00:14:21,890 --> 00:14:23,690 And it's not the reason that I do 383 00:14:23,690 --> 00:14:24,430 ham radio. 384 00:14:25,030 --> 00:14:28,350 So anyway, it doesn't make it wrong that 385 00:14:28,350 --> 00:14:29,750 I don't do it that way, but there 386 00:14:29,750 --> 00:14:30,650 are a lot of people that do and 387 00:14:30,650 --> 00:14:32,510 they really enjoy it and good for them. 388 00:14:32,590 --> 00:14:34,330 I mean, it's a hobby of hobbies. 389 00:14:34,530 --> 00:14:36,710 Jeremy said that back in the day of 390 00:14:36,710 --> 00:14:39,830 ham radio 360, and it literally is a 391 00:14:39,830 --> 00:14:40,990 hobby of hobbies. 392 00:14:41,330 --> 00:14:43,810 So if you're looking for something kind of 393 00:14:43,810 --> 00:14:46,310 geeky, kind of in the STEM realm, kind 394 00:14:46,310 --> 00:14:49,070 of maybe something you've never tried before, there's 395 00:14:49,070 --> 00:14:52,190 probably something inside the ham radio hobby for 396 00:14:52,190 --> 00:14:52,570 you. 397 00:14:53,270 --> 00:14:55,690 So yeah, it did work literally the very 398 00:14:55,690 --> 00:14:59,970 first time and I've enjoyed it ever since. 399 00:15:00,030 --> 00:15:01,710 So I got to the point where I 400 00:15:01,710 --> 00:15:03,910 thought I wanted to talk to people and 401 00:15:03,910 --> 00:15:06,250 talk, you know, like you're doing a CB, 402 00:15:06,690 --> 00:15:08,150 you know, Hey man, how's it going? 403 00:15:08,450 --> 00:15:11,510 And well, you know that again, a lot 404 00:15:11,510 --> 00:15:13,090 of people, that's what they use ham radio 405 00:15:13,090 --> 00:15:13,450 for. 406 00:15:13,530 --> 00:15:16,470 And their, their, their entire friend group are 407 00:15:16,470 --> 00:15:18,370 people that are all over the world and 408 00:15:18,370 --> 00:15:21,210 have these conversations every day and they're buddies. 409 00:15:21,370 --> 00:15:23,750 And you know, that's fine because that's part 410 00:15:23,750 --> 00:15:25,410 of the hobby and you can enjoy that 411 00:15:25,410 --> 00:15:26,450 if that's what you're looking for. 412 00:15:26,710 --> 00:15:28,230 I wasn't really looking for that. 413 00:15:28,350 --> 00:15:29,510 I just kind of went through that a 414 00:15:29,510 --> 00:15:32,250 moment ago, but it's there. 415 00:15:32,450 --> 00:15:33,010 It's there. 416 00:15:33,150 --> 00:15:36,370 I decided that I was much more interested 417 00:15:36,370 --> 00:15:39,010 in the emergency communications aspect. 418 00:15:39,250 --> 00:15:40,950 Like what happens when the phones quit working? 419 00:15:41,490 --> 00:15:43,630 What happens if 9-1-1 goes down? 420 00:15:43,990 --> 00:15:46,090 What happens if we have another hurricane Hugo 421 00:15:46,090 --> 00:15:49,310 come through South Carolina and we have people 422 00:15:49,310 --> 00:15:51,290 from the coast coming to the upstate that 423 00:15:51,290 --> 00:15:52,030 needs somewhere to go. 424 00:15:52,110 --> 00:15:53,090 We have shelter set up. 425 00:15:53,170 --> 00:15:55,610 Can I go help and coordinate with our 426 00:15:55,610 --> 00:15:56,330 local EMA? 427 00:15:56,750 --> 00:15:57,670 I've done all that. 428 00:15:57,830 --> 00:16:00,350 I've been a part of areas, an assistant 429 00:16:00,350 --> 00:16:02,650 coordinator, all this stuff that really doesn't matter. 430 00:16:03,030 --> 00:16:06,850 But again, if that's what you're into, there's 431 00:16:06,850 --> 00:16:07,750 a place for you. 432 00:16:08,110 --> 00:16:10,130 And back on my old show, I talked 433 00:16:10,130 --> 00:16:12,250 to people that use satellites, they did moon 434 00:16:12,250 --> 00:16:14,230 bounce, they set up in parks back before 435 00:16:14,230 --> 00:16:15,550 everybody else was doing it. 436 00:16:15,690 --> 00:16:17,190 Back when it was brand new, when POTA 437 00:16:17,190 --> 00:16:19,730 was brand new, actually it was NAPOTA back 438 00:16:19,730 --> 00:16:19,910 then. 439 00:16:20,010 --> 00:16:20,690 It's great, great show. 440 00:16:20,750 --> 00:16:21,250 You should check it out. 441 00:16:21,630 --> 00:16:23,570 But there's so many different things you can 442 00:16:23,570 --> 00:16:23,870 do. 443 00:16:25,550 --> 00:16:28,010 And none of that was really for me, 444 00:16:28,110 --> 00:16:31,110 except kind of the emergency communications aspect of 445 00:16:31,110 --> 00:16:34,010 how could I talk to my family and 446 00:16:34,010 --> 00:16:35,890 friends in case of an emergency? 447 00:16:36,410 --> 00:16:38,850 What would happen if we were in or 448 00:16:38,850 --> 00:16:42,830 nearby a hurricane like Helene that destroyed, or 449 00:16:42,830 --> 00:16:45,510 maybe a tornado that went through Joplin, or 450 00:16:45,510 --> 00:16:49,190 maybe a severe earthquake like happened in Nepal. 451 00:16:49,670 --> 00:16:51,510 All these different things that you could think 452 00:16:51,510 --> 00:16:51,830 about. 453 00:16:52,230 --> 00:16:55,690 And my public service background, I guess, just 454 00:16:55,690 --> 00:16:57,850 kind of lends me that direction that, hey, 455 00:16:57,890 --> 00:16:58,390 let me help. 456 00:16:58,650 --> 00:17:01,730 And that's where I kind of live in 457 00:17:01,730 --> 00:17:02,090 the hobby. 458 00:17:02,190 --> 00:17:06,349 Now, I'm no longer necessarily officially associated with 459 00:17:06,349 --> 00:17:08,170 our local areas group, but I do assist 460 00:17:08,170 --> 00:17:11,869 and I do focus my efforts in that 461 00:17:11,869 --> 00:17:14,230 with what infrastructure I try to build here 462 00:17:14,230 --> 00:17:14,609 locally. 463 00:17:15,150 --> 00:17:17,829 And the involvement that I have is more 464 00:17:17,829 --> 00:17:18,490 along those lines. 465 00:17:18,569 --> 00:17:19,810 It doesn't mean that it's the right or 466 00:17:19,810 --> 00:17:21,069 the wrong thing for you. 467 00:17:21,170 --> 00:17:22,230 It just works for me. 468 00:17:22,630 --> 00:17:23,790 I don't want to go too long on 469 00:17:23,790 --> 00:17:24,109 this one. 470 00:17:24,250 --> 00:17:25,810 So I'm watching the clock and my notes, 471 00:17:26,569 --> 00:17:28,410 but talked a lot about hobby. 472 00:17:28,670 --> 00:17:30,430 Now let me talk about the service because 473 00:17:30,430 --> 00:17:34,190 the amateur radio service was actually kind of 474 00:17:34,190 --> 00:17:39,810 put together for a public department. 475 00:17:40,270 --> 00:17:41,150 That's the wrong word. 476 00:17:43,270 --> 00:17:46,810 A gentleman's agreement with a public understanding that 477 00:17:46,810 --> 00:17:49,630 in case of an emergency, in case of 478 00:17:49,630 --> 00:17:52,890 a problem, the communicators would work together to 479 00:17:52,890 --> 00:17:55,170 assist the government in the continuity thereof. 480 00:17:55,730 --> 00:17:57,990 And that sounds kind of, you know, black 481 00:17:57,990 --> 00:18:00,250 helicopter in 2026. 482 00:18:01,270 --> 00:18:03,030 I don't think they had black helicopters back 483 00:18:03,030 --> 00:18:09,450 then, but what can be a semi near 484 00:18:09,450 --> 00:18:15,910 official government type situation or association can also 485 00:18:15,910 --> 00:18:18,310 be a full-blown hobby, right? 486 00:18:18,370 --> 00:18:20,470 So there are a lot of people who 487 00:18:20,470 --> 00:18:22,710 spend a lot of time in the amateur 488 00:18:22,710 --> 00:18:26,930 radio world, but they're closely associated with their 489 00:18:26,930 --> 00:18:30,110 state EMD or their county EMA. 490 00:18:30,530 --> 00:18:33,570 And they, they enjoy that. 491 00:18:33,670 --> 00:18:35,030 That's like their thing. 492 00:18:35,110 --> 00:18:39,010 They like working in that near official public 493 00:18:39,010 --> 00:18:41,230 offering that space. 494 00:18:41,450 --> 00:18:43,130 Now it's okay. 495 00:18:43,470 --> 00:18:45,630 But the biggest thing I ran into with 496 00:18:45,630 --> 00:18:47,010 it was just like when I was a 497 00:18:47,010 --> 00:18:50,410 professional firefighter, the politics of it really takes 498 00:18:50,410 --> 00:18:51,730 the love away out of it. 499 00:18:51,870 --> 00:18:53,310 You know what I'm talking about? 500 00:18:53,510 --> 00:18:55,210 But it also gets in the way of 501 00:18:55,210 --> 00:18:55,690 progress. 502 00:18:56,170 --> 00:18:58,970 So you have everybody jockeying for a position. 503 00:18:59,470 --> 00:19:01,830 And at the same time, those whom you're 504 00:19:01,830 --> 00:19:04,690 called to serve, or you pledge to serve, 505 00:19:05,130 --> 00:19:07,650 are doing without while you're trying to jockey 506 00:19:07,650 --> 00:19:09,370 around positions and figure out who's going to 507 00:19:09,370 --> 00:19:11,430 get the money and what equipment's going where 508 00:19:11,430 --> 00:19:12,310 and all that kind of stuff. 509 00:19:12,430 --> 00:19:14,770 So I just like to watch and help 510 00:19:14,770 --> 00:19:16,030 from the periphery here. 511 00:19:16,510 --> 00:19:18,010 But there is a service. 512 00:19:18,050 --> 00:19:20,690 It is, it was started as a service. 513 00:19:20,990 --> 00:19:23,250 It's kind of morphed into a hobby, but 514 00:19:23,250 --> 00:19:25,510 it actually is one in the same and 515 00:19:25,510 --> 00:19:26,510 you get to decide. 516 00:19:26,670 --> 00:19:29,170 So if you're an amateur radio operator, you 517 00:19:29,170 --> 00:19:32,050 can involve yourself in the service aspect of 518 00:19:32,050 --> 00:19:32,170 it. 519 00:19:32,170 --> 00:19:34,530 If, if you want to just make contacts 520 00:19:34,530 --> 00:19:38,570 and set up at national parks or maybe 521 00:19:38,570 --> 00:19:42,530 do balloons or moon bounce or satellite work, 522 00:19:42,570 --> 00:19:46,130 or just digital messages back and forth to 523 00:19:46,130 --> 00:19:47,750 see how far your signal can go and 524 00:19:47,750 --> 00:19:49,350 what kind of signal reports you get back. 525 00:19:49,450 --> 00:19:50,290 It's all there. 526 00:19:50,510 --> 00:19:52,350 So it's a wide open hobby. 527 00:19:52,710 --> 00:19:55,510 I will say again, because I got some 528 00:19:55,510 --> 00:19:58,050 chuckles on it, Ham is, is just a 529 00:19:58,050 --> 00:19:58,290 nickname. 530 00:19:58,530 --> 00:20:00,390 And it kind of goes back that the 531 00:20:00,390 --> 00:20:03,650 best, the best story for this is back 532 00:20:03,650 --> 00:20:07,470 in the day, they were, you know, telephones 533 00:20:07,470 --> 00:20:10,650 weren't necessarily anywhere, but they were using telegraph 534 00:20:10,650 --> 00:20:11,170 everywhere. 535 00:20:11,790 --> 00:20:14,090 And they would call someone who was not 536 00:20:14,090 --> 00:20:19,210 a very good Morse code sender, a ham 537 00:20:19,210 --> 00:20:21,670 fisted, I guess, you know, you remember the 538 00:20:21,670 --> 00:20:24,010 old cartoons where they, you know, they felt 539 00:20:24,010 --> 00:20:24,350 stupid. 540 00:20:24,450 --> 00:20:25,350 They looked like a ham. 541 00:20:25,930 --> 00:20:28,950 Maybe they, in their mind considered the hand 542 00:20:28,950 --> 00:20:30,970 was like a, like a ham, a butt 543 00:20:30,970 --> 00:20:32,710 ham with the big bone coming out of 544 00:20:32,710 --> 00:20:32,810 it. 545 00:20:32,810 --> 00:20:34,670 Like you've seen on the cartoons from the 546 00:20:34,670 --> 00:20:35,090 forties. 547 00:20:35,650 --> 00:20:36,930 Ham fisted operator. 548 00:20:37,250 --> 00:20:40,570 And somehow, some way that that's one story 549 00:20:40,570 --> 00:20:45,350 of how the ham radio operator nomenclature came 550 00:20:45,350 --> 00:20:47,850 around that, that it just stuck for whatever 551 00:20:47,850 --> 00:20:48,330 reason. 552 00:20:48,510 --> 00:20:49,290 I don't know. 553 00:20:49,670 --> 00:20:52,010 It's not official and it's not an acronym. 554 00:20:52,470 --> 00:20:54,810 So you can call it, you can call 555 00:20:54,810 --> 00:20:56,630 us hams, you can call us amateur radio 556 00:20:56,630 --> 00:20:58,130 operators, or you can call us whatever you 557 00:20:58,130 --> 00:20:58,410 like. 558 00:20:58,450 --> 00:20:59,010 It doesn't matter. 559 00:20:59,510 --> 00:21:01,030 You're probably not still here. 560 00:21:02,090 --> 00:21:03,350 Is it worth it? 561 00:21:04,030 --> 00:21:05,870 Is ham radio worth it? 562 00:21:06,130 --> 00:21:09,070 And man, I tell you, that's, that really 563 00:21:09,070 --> 00:21:10,910 depends on your goals. 564 00:21:11,730 --> 00:21:13,190 For me and my family. 565 00:21:13,470 --> 00:21:13,950 Absolutely. 566 00:21:14,050 --> 00:21:14,670 It's worth it. 567 00:21:14,970 --> 00:21:17,250 It gives me as the father of five, 568 00:21:17,350 --> 00:21:20,730 a husband of one, it gives me peace 569 00:21:20,730 --> 00:21:22,910 of mind knowing that if the phones didn't 570 00:21:22,910 --> 00:21:26,750 work, my wife, my children could contact someone 571 00:21:26,750 --> 00:21:29,130 here in the family and that we could 572 00:21:29,130 --> 00:21:32,150 make a connection if the normal means of 573 00:21:32,150 --> 00:21:33,170 communications failed. 574 00:21:33,890 --> 00:21:36,090 So yeah, it's worth it for me. 575 00:21:36,470 --> 00:21:42,410 I mean, it's a $30, $35 license fee. 576 00:21:42,910 --> 00:21:44,930 You might pay 15 bucks to take a 577 00:21:44,930 --> 00:21:45,290 test. 578 00:21:46,030 --> 00:21:49,910 There's a question pool of 350 questions and 579 00:21:49,910 --> 00:21:53,350 they give you 35 of those question and 580 00:21:53,350 --> 00:21:56,810 answer, you know, like multiple choice that you 581 00:21:56,810 --> 00:21:59,230 can actually get the test and pre-study 582 00:21:59,230 --> 00:22:01,190 so that you can memorize. 583 00:22:01,590 --> 00:22:03,510 I encourage you to do that and pass 584 00:22:03,510 --> 00:22:04,030 the test. 585 00:22:04,170 --> 00:22:06,430 Matter of fact, if you're interested up to 586 00:22:06,430 --> 00:22:08,830 this point, I do have a 30, 30 587 00:22:08,830 --> 00:22:09,510 ham challenge. 588 00:22:09,590 --> 00:22:11,870 It means I have a free challenge that 589 00:22:11,870 --> 00:22:12,830 you can sign up for. 590 00:22:12,970 --> 00:22:15,070 It's a daily thing. 591 00:22:15,070 --> 00:22:15,830 It's free. 592 00:22:15,990 --> 00:22:17,130 It doesn't cost you anything unless you want 593 00:22:17,130 --> 00:22:18,730 to pay for one of the testing services, 594 00:22:18,870 --> 00:22:21,430 which is beyond me, but I've got a 595 00:22:21,430 --> 00:22:23,670 list of free and paid services. 596 00:22:24,190 --> 00:22:25,510 And the deal is you sign up and 597 00:22:25,510 --> 00:22:28,410 every day we connect via email to encourage 598 00:22:28,410 --> 00:22:29,710 you to take and pass your test. 599 00:22:30,330 --> 00:22:32,910 And it's just, it's just somebody else beside 600 00:22:32,910 --> 00:22:35,170 you saying, Hey, don't forget to study today. 601 00:22:35,310 --> 00:22:39,490 I found that most citizens, if you'll spend 602 00:22:39,490 --> 00:22:41,810 30 minutes a day for 30 days, you 603 00:22:41,810 --> 00:22:44,610 can pass your test and probably not even 604 00:22:44,610 --> 00:22:45,970 miss a single question. 605 00:22:46,430 --> 00:22:47,450 Now you're laughing. 606 00:22:47,690 --> 00:22:49,210 Some of you are chuckling 30 days. 607 00:22:50,150 --> 00:22:50,710 Absolutely. 608 00:22:51,130 --> 00:22:53,670 You can probably do it in seven, but 609 00:22:53,670 --> 00:22:56,770 I didn't want to overload busy people and 610 00:22:56,770 --> 00:22:58,550 make them say, Oh gosh, if I couldn't 611 00:22:58,550 --> 00:23:00,250 pass it in seven days, I might as 612 00:23:00,250 --> 00:23:00,790 well quit. 613 00:23:00,870 --> 00:23:02,410 Cause some people have that attitude. 614 00:23:02,590 --> 00:23:05,670 So 30 minutes for 30 days is very, 615 00:23:05,970 --> 00:23:06,550 very broad. 616 00:23:06,670 --> 00:23:09,070 And it allows everybody to get their heads 617 00:23:09,070 --> 00:23:12,070 around the information and be able to pass 618 00:23:12,070 --> 00:23:12,530 the test. 619 00:23:12,950 --> 00:23:14,410 I use the same system. 620 00:23:14,530 --> 00:23:16,470 That's where it came from to help my 621 00:23:16,470 --> 00:23:18,910 youngest son pass his test 30 minutes a 622 00:23:18,910 --> 00:23:19,970 day for 30 days. 623 00:23:20,070 --> 00:23:22,250 And he passed, didn't miss a single question. 624 00:23:22,490 --> 00:23:23,130 It was awesome. 625 00:23:23,550 --> 00:23:25,050 So you can also test at home. 626 00:23:25,110 --> 00:23:26,490 I'm not sure if you're aware of this. 627 00:23:26,950 --> 00:23:29,310 It hasn't always been this way, but COVID 628 00:23:29,310 --> 00:23:31,150 changed everything of course. 629 00:23:31,310 --> 00:23:34,270 So you can actually study at home on 630 00:23:34,270 --> 00:23:36,190 your laptop or your tablet, and you can 631 00:23:36,190 --> 00:23:39,390 also test at home on your laptop or 632 00:23:39,390 --> 00:23:39,950 your tablet. 633 00:23:40,210 --> 00:23:42,890 And it's just like taking the practice test 634 00:23:42,890 --> 00:23:45,870 that you take as you are studying for 635 00:23:45,870 --> 00:23:46,410 your license. 636 00:23:46,550 --> 00:23:48,350 Now I'm sure I'm going to spend some 637 00:23:48,350 --> 00:23:51,470 more time in the next installment here about 638 00:23:51,470 --> 00:23:53,850 testing, but just to mention that real quick. 639 00:23:53,990 --> 00:23:56,090 So is ham radio worth it for me? 640 00:23:56,550 --> 00:23:57,070 Absolutely. 641 00:23:57,710 --> 00:23:59,710 If you, if you don't want to spend 642 00:23:59,710 --> 00:24:03,830 say a thousand dollars to have a station 643 00:24:03,830 --> 00:24:05,450 that can talk around the world. 644 00:24:06,390 --> 00:24:07,610 I'm not talking with a tower. 645 00:24:07,990 --> 00:24:10,310 I'm not talking about some huge antenna in 646 00:24:10,310 --> 00:24:10,890 your yard. 647 00:24:11,070 --> 00:24:13,150 I'm not talking about dedicating the space in 648 00:24:13,150 --> 00:24:15,630 your spare bedroom and having to move all 649 00:24:15,630 --> 00:24:17,610 of your wife's porcelain dolls. 650 00:24:18,010 --> 00:24:19,570 I'm saying you can, you can do this 651 00:24:19,570 --> 00:24:21,030 with a backpack, but you can spend about 652 00:24:21,030 --> 00:24:24,150 a thousand bucks or less and talk all 653 00:24:24,150 --> 00:24:25,450 over the world. 654 00:24:25,630 --> 00:24:27,650 Matter of fact, a little true SDX or 655 00:24:27,650 --> 00:24:28,350 whatever it's called. 656 00:24:28,690 --> 00:24:30,310 It's 120 bucks on Amazon. 657 00:24:30,310 --> 00:24:32,670 It's a little five watt radio, plug it 658 00:24:32,670 --> 00:24:36,090 into your laptop, throw a wire up in 659 00:24:36,090 --> 00:24:37,770 a tree, do the same thing. 660 00:24:38,010 --> 00:24:42,990 So figure 300 to a thousand bucks to 661 00:24:42,990 --> 00:24:45,410 get into the amateur radio service to talk 662 00:24:45,410 --> 00:24:47,530 around the world with a general class license. 663 00:24:47,990 --> 00:24:48,910 So is it worth it? 664 00:24:49,210 --> 00:24:49,650 Absolutely. 665 00:24:49,870 --> 00:24:51,430 Again, I will, I will go to the 666 00:24:51,430 --> 00:24:52,630 grave believing it's worth it. 667 00:24:52,810 --> 00:24:54,230 You're not going to convince me otherwise. 668 00:24:54,490 --> 00:24:56,690 I understand again, CB guys, you have about 669 00:24:56,690 --> 00:24:57,650 120 channels. 670 00:24:58,070 --> 00:25:00,410 If you count the sidebands, the GMRS guys 671 00:25:00,410 --> 00:25:02,670 have 20 with 50 Watts and the MERS 672 00:25:02,670 --> 00:25:04,470 guys can get up to 60 feet with 673 00:25:04,470 --> 00:25:05,350 five channels. 674 00:25:05,870 --> 00:25:07,770 I can't count the different frequencies I have, 675 00:25:07,890 --> 00:25:08,750 but I know it's a lot. 676 00:25:09,530 --> 00:25:10,490 I've never used them all. 677 00:25:10,810 --> 00:25:11,890 I don't know that I could, if I 678 00:25:11,890 --> 00:25:12,710 really wanted to. 679 00:25:13,010 --> 00:25:14,190 Well, I guess I probably could just maybe 680 00:25:14,190 --> 00:25:15,030 take a couple of years. 681 00:25:16,010 --> 00:25:19,330 It is a vast expansion of your capabilities, 682 00:25:19,550 --> 00:25:20,850 but it may not be for you. 683 00:25:21,010 --> 00:25:22,570 And I understand that, but if it is 684 00:25:22,570 --> 00:25:24,430 come back the next time we're going to 685 00:25:24,430 --> 00:25:28,790 continue our conversation about amateur radio, ham radio, 686 00:25:28,970 --> 00:25:31,410 if you will, as we figure out if 687 00:25:31,410 --> 00:25:34,090 it works best for you in regards to 688 00:25:34,090 --> 00:25:37,450 your preparedness plans right here is we're winding 689 00:25:37,450 --> 00:25:39,630 down the prep comms podcast. 690 00:25:40,150 --> 00:25:41,290 I appreciate you listening. 691 00:25:41,450 --> 00:25:42,610 Thanks for being here again. 692 00:25:42,910 --> 00:25:43,990 Thanks for your comments. 693 00:25:44,070 --> 00:25:45,810 The conversations have been fun. 694 00:25:46,250 --> 00:25:48,070 Look forward to continuing with you, but until 695 00:25:48,070 --> 00:25:50,830 next time 73 y'all and God bless.