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Any Hams here?
Hams?! That ain’t kosher!
The Wolf (who is, himself, non-kosher)
Yawn. Nah.
Ham radio? The internet made it obsolete. Only old-time truckers have them.
i’m confused! joe fill me in please!!!! thanx!
Am I the only ignorant beast here that doesn’t know what ham Radio is? Does it grunt?
I had a friend who once got into ham radio. He had a license, his own callsign, etc. You either get it or you don’t. The internet is cheaper, and it’s easier to find “your own”. I did get involved in helping a friend star an illegal pirate radio station which still broadcasts Jewish music over a few-block radius.
ham is slang for amateur
i almost got a novice license about 45 years ago, but you had to be able to send and receive morse code at that time to be licensed. to much trouble
I’m feeling slow here. Anybody care to enlighten me what a ham is?
it is a nonprofessional licensed radio operator who can use a radio receiver and transmitter to speak to other hams all over the world
You have to be licensed in order to access other hams?
very interestin!
you have to be licensed
My friend is very into this – he recently came in the top 10 in a contest of some sort (like contacting a certain number of people in a certain time period). But no, I do not get involved.
this sounds cool!!$
Jothar – can we pick up the signal for this pirate radio station that plays jewish music at YWN Headquarters?
mod55: sure i’ll make it happen for ya!!!!
Mods, say thanks to Rusty.
squeak: ha ha thanx!!!
anybody on the exact definition off amateur?
Look up my user name on qrz.
Don’t know if my last post made it, but my I think you can figure out my call.
Joseph, I am a proud ham for 35 yrs, and do Field Day every year. However, if I give my call, I would be identifying myself, so will not post it here.
73, OM
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BTW, years ago before cell phones and international calling plans and email, I knew a fellow who went to learn in Israel for a year and brought along a rig, and every night he spoke to his parents who were avid hams for free. He would often relay messages for the other bochurim as well.
There was also a nightly shiur given from Lakewood a number of years back called mesivta direkia.
BTW, Joseph, one of the questions they ask on the FCC exam is if you are a kannai, and if yes, you are disqualified from getting a license. How did you get around that?
Amateur Extra, worked my way up to that in 6 months. Been qrt for about 3 yrs, just bought an HT and a mag mount, but haven’t been too impressed by the quality of hams on the Queens repeaters. I’m heading back down to Texas soon and will pick up my HF and mobile rigs, maybe get back into QRP CW. Problem is trying to put up an antenna here. As I can’t afford the raw material for a good magnetic loop, I’ll probably be stuck with random length wires and hamsticks.
Because my dad got his license and was given KD5YDO, so we don’t wanna break up the family. Also, kd5vdo has a ring to it in CW. I considered N0AH, but it was taken.
Used to be very active in Texas, not so much any more, but trying to get back in. I’m owed 10k by the Army, and as soon as that comes in I’m installing one of my HF rigs in the car and going to be on a lot more. For now it’s just the repeaters when I drive.
About 6 years, well, six years one month, and about 13 hours. Got it groundhog day 2003.
Joseph, have had general class for most of this time, but with code. Started as novice, but rule was you had to upgrade within 2 years. Was very active all through 7th, 8th and high school building kits and equipment and operating CW. Then after I went away to Yeshiva and college, didn’t have so much time, so became less active. However, for a number of years now, I don’t miss a Field Day, where I can operate CW for many hours straight.
Years ago I was active on one of the repeaters, but stopped when I moved away from that area.
After they diluted the code and licensing requirements, I think the hobby lost much of its luster. They even started publicizing all the possible questions and answers, so you only had to memorize the whole pool. No more calculating and figuring. In my day, you had to go down to the FCC office and they gave the code and theory tests under rigorous conditions. Now it is done at the local ham club and I think it is all multiple choice. All this bothers me, and makes me nostalgic for the old days. (I am not that old, BTW.)
Also with email and cell phones, the draw has been lessened. It is a shame, since I used to think it was the greatest hobby in the world. We live in a different generation. Kids today think they are high tech with all their gizmos, but in fact, they have no clue how they work. It is like telling time. You can read a clock or drive a car without knowing anything about the internal mechanisms. That is where the lomdus and chochma is.
The same is true with chemistry sets, as well. Years ago they came with real chemicals and experiments. Today, most are about vinegar and baking soda. Go to any yeshiva science fair and you will see many projects of that type. The manufacturers are afraid people will drink the chemicals and they will get sued.
Sadly, it is a different ballgame now. In a way, I think the collapse of the economy is partially because we have watered everything down.
I built many of my own rigs from kits, and many items around the shack from scratch (as I got better w/ electronics even designed a couple simple circuits) and had to take the CW test, mind you only at 5 wpm, but I worked my way up to 20, now I’m back down to 10, having been qrt. I always homebrewed my antennas, except for mobile, too much trouble there. The point being that there’s still fun to be had if you put your mind to it, plenty of kits and tinkering, especially if you live in a place with a nice supplier of components.
As for the Army, I’m a reservist with 8 months of active duty under my belt. Was originally in human resources, then food inspection–they kicked me out at the end of training when they found I wouldn’t taste the food–and now as a dental specialist, essentially a dental assistant. The Army is amazingly accommodating regarding shabbos and kashrus if you have the guts to ask for it, btw. I want to get my code speed back up in case I’m deployed I understand that ham radios are allowed to be operated in OEF/OIF.
Frum yid, got yeshiva time as well as Army and college, and whatnot. Done quite a bit being only 21. I come to this site for the comedic value.
Couple months, started posting today only b/c of this post.
Joseph, why did you start this thread? Are you a ham or not? Why keep us in suspense.
Oh he’s a ham alright. A ham actor.
Is ham kosher?
Joseph, unfortunately, I don’t have an antenna set up now on HF bands. Also, I almost exclusively used CW when I was active.
On another topic, your hashkafas don’t seem to fit with your worldly pursuits. I mean most of the yeshivishe/kannaishe velt would never have heard of ham radio, and even if they did, would say it is bitul zman. Now, I happen to think it is educational, and gives one skills to study electronics and possibly go into engineering to make a living (which usually requires college). However, the camp that you associate with would frown upon limudei chol, and in Israel there is none after 7th or 8th grade. So how do you reconcile your world view with these secular pursuits?
Pashuteh Yid, for those of us not familiar with the metzius of ham radio, can you please describe the typical experience with it, and if you shmoozed with yidden or goyim? Is it just a radio version of an internet chat room?
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