Ham Radio??

[Slingshot]

Exam's pretty easy (multichoice) just have to learn a few regulations etc. They've taken out morse now so if you were keen you could go in and they'd give you a full license now.

I couldn't be bothered now, cellphones are so much easier and everyones got one now...15 years ago things were a little different. Also with the advent of the internet, worldwide communications has become a whole lot easier.

[StoneChucker]

with the advent of the internet

I've heard about that, never used it though. Thinking of getting it soon. For now, I just plug the little white cable, from the black box on the tower thingie, into the hole inda wall, everything seems sweet after there.

[riffer]

My old mans into ham radio (ZL2BFY), sounds like I had a similar childhood to celticn06. I tryed to get my ham radio ticket when I was thirteen, passed but had to do the morse code as well cause I didn't pass by enough.
It made physics & maths at school kinda easy, I remember my physics teacher making some comments that the stuff we had to know was at 1st year uni level.

Dad was also right into the comms side of search & rescue so we would quite often fly up to mt holdsworth & mt barton to do work on the repeators. That was cool.

Oh and who could forget the jamborie on the air with the cubs, where you actually got to talk to other cubs around the world on Ham radio.

WOW

Shit I nearly forgot about JOTA. We used to host that every year for Eastern Hutt Cubs (I grew up in Stokes Valley).

You're right about the physics and maths stuff. I missed out on my ham ticket due to the morse as well (much to my parents chagrin).

We assembled a 30 metre tall YAGI antenna in the back yard of our property. My father, Ray Gotlieb, and another of the local hams called Barry Feikhart (sp?) who was a mechanical engineer assembled it. Awesome to climb to the top of - you could see nearly all of Stokes Valley from the top. I was the nominated on when the connections to the motor on the top went a bit corroded - sent up to reqire the sucker at 10!!!

Growing up with ham radio in the 70s was a great experience. It introduced me to the concept of world-wide communication, electronics engineering and computers.

I wanted to be an avionics engineer when I left school but diabetes screwed that one up.

Best of luck with your ham stuff dhunt. PM me and I'll give you my folks details if you want to have a chat with them - they've been doing it for longer than I can remember and may even have some gear to sell you if you are interested (big Yaesu and Kenwood Transceivers come to mind...)

You could also look at echonet (I think its called) - Ham Only P2P/Messenging software - taking over with the hams...

[Hitcher]

Despite having a Ham radio competition named after me, I deny all knowledge or connection with said!

[dhunt]

I got a radio on friday so I'm in business ZL2DVY is on the air. For those techinally minded the radio is a YAESU VX-2R and puts out 1.5W's on battery and transmittes on 2m (144Mhz) and 70cm(430Mhz) and receives on everthing from <1Mhz to 999Mhz (Except cellphone area )

I've attached a photo of it. The black one is the radio, greeny one is my cellphone for comparision.

[Mongoose]

HAd a T call for years, or should I say had a T call years ago? Used to be involved with JOTA thru the local club down here, was Pres for a while.
Like some one else said, the morse was not studied enough by me so missed out on a full callsign.
What is needed these days for a full? Or did they do away with T calls?

[dhunt]

HAd a T call for years, or should I say had a T call years ago? Used to be involved with JOTA thru the local club down here, was Pres for a while.
Like some one else said, the morse was not studied enough by me so missed out on a full callsign.
What is needed these days for a full? Or did they do away with T calls?

Not sure what a T call is so maybe the've done away with those??? All you need to do now is pass the theory (60 multichoice) exam and then you can send away for your call sign. Morse isn't need at all anymore, except if you would like to go some particular countries that still haven't done away with it and use your radio there.

[Mongoose]

Not sure what a T call is so maybe the've done away with those??? All you need to do now is pass the theory (60 multichoice) exam and then you can send away for your call sign. Morse isn't need at all anymore, except if you would like to go some particular countries that still haven't done away with it and use your radio there.

Hmm, maybe I should fig the old ticket out, who is in charge of the licences these days?That should give you an idea of how long it is since I had anything to do with it. Was the 2IC for Comms for CD and SAr locally back then. Sort of put it on hold till I grew old and decrepid, which hopefully is still a wee way away

[dhunt]

Hmm, maybe I should fig the old ticket out, who is in charge of the licences these days?That should give you an idea of how long it is since I had anything to do with it. Was the 2IC for Comms for CD and SAr locally back then. Sort of put it on hold till I grew old and decrepid, which hopefully is still a wee way away

MED (Ministry of Economic Development) is in charge of licenses. See http://spectrumonline.med.govt.nz/

If you have your old bit of paper that's says you passed the test, you just need to send that away to them and they'll give you a license.

[Mongoose]

MED (Ministry of Economic Development) is in charge of licenses. See http://spectrumonline.med.govt.nz/

If you have your old bit of paper that's says you passed the test, you just need to send that away to them and they'll give you a license.

Ahhh, yes they kept changing who was in charge of the RF even back then. Yep, still have to bit of paper and the old licence, of memory ZL4TJZ was my call.
Ta for that.