Subject: Re: [airstream] cb radio
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 16:56:34 -0600
From: Doug & Judy Stracener
Reply-To: airstream@airstream.net
Ok Byron, I am sold. How does a neophite who can barely wire a light fixture get into Ham radio?
Any books I can read etc.? How much do I have to spend?
 
Hartwell
Great news Hartwell: If you can screw the bulb in the light, wire it, and turn on the switch, you know about 75% of the theory for the no-code technician license, no joke ! Get either the Tune in the
World book by ARRL, or the Gordon West No Code Ham Radio License manual, both available at Radio Shack stores. Read thru them, and enjoy. The Arrl book is a good narrative with a history on ham radio and a lot of stuff that is nice to know, but unnecessary for learning the stuff to get licensed. My only gripe about this book is that the answers are in the back of the book, and a pain to look up.

The Gordon West book has a simple design: The questions in the test pool, in the order you will see the answer possibilities; then the correct answer is shown below the question, then a paragraph or two about why the answer is correct or how to calculate it. (Lower licenses are simple math, nothing fancy).

This format permits you to take a yellow highlighter and highlight the correct answer right after the question, and then when you see it again on the actual test. The answer jumps out at you.

Dont put this off... if you like Airstreams, you will LOVE ham radio.

Oh yea... my wife is also an Extra Class(ie) Ham... We find it quite useful since both of us are on the road nearly all the time. We could not do what we do without the repeater systems around the area, and the linked systems. We stay in touch throughout south Louisiana this way, totally for FREE !!!. On the rare instances she is home and I am out of state, the HF mobile to HF base at home keeps me connected, again for free. Plus, there is a lot of good stuff to listen to on the commercial shortwave broadcast bands when you are out of range of a decent radio station!

Doug/KA5YSY
Judy/KB5ACA