New Ham

[jviss]

Ha, I forgot to post this! In my retirement, as they say...

I studied for 6 days and took all three exams on Oct. 7, 2023, and passed all three. So, I am an Amateur Extra, callsign AC1QC. I am not on the air yet.

I have some gear, and antennas, not yet deployed. I really should get going!

Haven't considered any ham gear for the boat. Is marine SSB still a thing?

jv

 

[JamesG161]

Welcome, I am WD4IWB but not had time to set my rig since Hurricane Zeta repairs have me very busy.

I got my General license when you had to read Morse Code at minimum of 15 words per minute.

HAMs are used in many Crisis Events.

Jim...

 

[jviss]

Yea, no more Morse code requirement. I'm kinda bummed about that, but then, I wouldn't have made it in the short time I spent. I have a couple of keys, a keyer, and so forth, I intend to learn it and use it.

 

[JamesG161]

DIT DIT DIT -- DAH DAH DAH -- DIT DIT DIT

Save Our Ship = SOS

Roger Out for now... [R = Romeo today]

Jim...

PS: Can still hear 5 wpm Morse Code.
PSS: US Marines must still Learn Morse Code.

 

[jviss]

DIT DIT DIT -- DAH DAH DAH -- DIT DIT DIT

Save Our Ship = SOS

Roger Out for now... [R = Romeo today]

Jim...

PS: Can still hear 5 wpm Morse Code.
PSS: US Marines must still Learn Morse Code.

Ha, ha. Cool.

I was thinking - do you think there's a market for "books on Morse?"

One issue might be lack of certain punctuation and formatting codes, but the code could be extended to cover that.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Ha, ha. Cool.

I was thinking - do you think there's a market for "books on Morse?"

One issue might be lack of certain punctuation and formatting codes, but the code could be extended to cover that.

. Morse (CW) is still quite popular even among the new guys as that’s where a lot of the DX is. You won’t gain any proficiency in Morse from books. Learning comes only from listening and use (Practice).

Marine SSB is still common among offshore sailors but most coastal cruisers rely on ham SSB as it encompasses both. It’s actually easier to erect an effective antenna on a sailboat compared with most backyards and the effect of a salt water counterpoise is dramatic. I worked stations in India and American Samoa 2 days ago from the boat, both on 20 M CW. You picked a great time to start as the sunspot cycle is currently at its peak.