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I wouldn't know a ham radio from a ham sandwich, but I am curious about something. Many years ago, aviators were required to have a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit. I still have mine, and it is valid for life. Is this license of any value to me should I choose to operate a ham, CB, or any other type of radio mentioned in this thread?

Have you tried this? http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arc ... l-use.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here in Houston, I just wanted to be sure I was buying outside the 500 year flood plain.

G26ster wrote:I wouldn't know a ham radio from a ham sandwich, but I am curious about something. Many years ago, aviators were required to have a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit. I still have mine, and it is valid for life. Is this license of any value to me should I choose to operate a ham, CB, or any other type of radio mentioned in this thread?

no the FCC aviation radio permit is not valid for any thing else. Today it is only required if you operate internationly.'
I have my general ham licence. I keep it renewed although I havent used it in years. I still keep my old 2 meter handheld near by incase of fowl weather. N5KAC

apostate wrote:Have you tried this? http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arc ... l-use.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here in Houston, I just wanted to be sure I was buying outside the 500 year flood plain.

Haven't tried that, but used 1) Google Terrain (not real accurate) and 2) FEMA maps where available, but no "new" ones are out yet for my County/City in Central TX and the "old" ones disappeared https://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/ ... ture=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So
http://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google ... titude.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is best I used so far

Thanks

G26ster wrote:I wouldn't know a ham radio from a ham sandwich, but I am curious about something. Many years ago, aviators were required to have a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit. I still have mine, and it is valid for life. Is this license of any value to me should I choose to operate a ham, CB, or any other type of radio mentioned in this thread?

No, your license is not good for ham radio, or much of anything else either, the requirements for that license, for operating certain equipment of certain bands, were eliminated a long time ago. CB has largely become an unlicensed operation, I still have my CB license around somewhere KAWB6976.

I got my RRO (Third Class Radiotelephone) license in 1964 when I joined the volunteer fire department, and FCC regs required anyone who operated the fire department radios to have a "third phone".

I got my first ham license in 1955, never really used it (a whole 'nother story) and let it lapse. When I went to take the Third Phone test in 1964, I got to the exam location way early, and the young lady running the testing was nice enough to let me take the ham test while I was sitting around waiting. I passed the General written test and the Novice code test, netting a Technician license, which I never really used and allowed to lapse while I was in the Navy.

After I got out of the Navy, a friend mentioned he was going to take a ham test and I should come along and see if they had any extras. They did, and I passed General and flunked the Advanced written. I became and active ham at that time, and upgraded to Advanced the next cycle. I upgraded to Extra just before it went no-code, just to say I did, but have never really used the privileges.

I got my GMRS license WQAX513 in 2004 to operate in a business environment, but don't remember it costing like someone else said. Let it expire after I left that job.

I upgraded to Second Class Radiotelephone in 1984 in order to try to secure a particular job within the phone company, it almost worked. Funny, just looked it up and the FCC still shows the wrong person. My brother and I took different tests on the same day in 1984, and they issued my license to him, but sent the certificate to me. I sent it back with a letter explaining that my brother had taken a ham test and I had taken a commercial one, and they sent me an amended certificate. Later, when they did away with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and just made it "General" they sent me a new cert with his name on it, and I sent it back, with explanation, and they sent me a corrected cert. Now their database shows the license in his name. Oh well, I have no use for it these days anyway.

I have a bunch of ham gear I am willing to sell, but I think I want to keep my handhelds, which are in pretty rough shape anyway.

I don't know where you are in the hill country but if you can pick up KCEN-TV then you can hit the wide area repeater that is at 1600 feet AGL on the KCEN tower. The repeater covers all or part of 20 central Texas counties (radius of 70 miles from Eddy, Texas) and is connected to the NWS in Fort Worth during severe weather situations. It is also the repeater of choice for other emergency events.

There is a net at 8:00 PM on Thursdays...

147.14, pl 123

You just might hear me on it...

CenTex in Central Texas

CenTex wrote:I don't know where you are in the hill country but if you can pick up KCEN-TV then you can hit the wide area repeater that is at 1600 feet AGL on the KCEN tower. The repeater covers all or part of 20 central Texas counties (radius of 70 miles from Eddy, Texas) and is connected to the NWS in Fort Worth during severe weather situations. It is also the repeater of choice for other emergency events.

There is a net at 8:00 PM on Thursdays...

147.14, pl 123

You just might hear me on it...

CenTex in Central Texas

Thanks, I get KCEN, KXXV, KWKT and KWTX TV fine in Burnet County on my rooftop TV antenna
But I don't on indoor rabbit ears ... I need to get my other antenna's up this summer, All I have hooked up(plugged into an AC outlet) right now is a Realistic Pro 2006 with telescoping antenna on the back of it for local-Marble Falls/Burnet/Lampasas/Llano area fire/police/ambulance.
SO, 3 ICOM receivers (R7000, R71A and R7100 and a mess of other little boxes), 2 AOR scanners and a bunch of boxes/interface unit thingies sitting idle Antennas on the spare bed and in the shed and I think I accidentally left the cables in Pasadena when I moved ..

My TV antenna is at 30' above ground (15' above 15' roof peak)
So far, all I have put up is 1 spare antenna mast on a rotor at about 10' above roof peak -25' above ground ... only have RG-11 running to a UHF TV antenna now, and I have 2 old Dish mounts I might put local scanner discones on.

I had it all hooked up from the 1980s till 1993, then moved and lost/misplaced most cabling, and I had the not-cheap stuff which was almost as good as hardline.

My amateur TV receiving stuff (slowscan etc) antennas and boxes might still be in Pasadena,... don't even recall what all I had.

I intended to get licensed this year, but I forgot most of what I knew and should re-study anyway, and I' think I'm not going to be able to make this year's http://hlarc.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... perhaps, no, ..PROBABLY next year.

I dream of a 60 foot folding/telescoping tower on a trailer, so I can take it all with me and not lose stuff ever again ... but then I saw prices ...

Might get around to making my own some day, after my to-do list gets shorter, I have a trailer, my neighbor has a welder ...
http://www.n7qvc.com/amateur_radio/port ... ower.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I notice that all you guys with Ham licenses have given your call sign (assume that's what that is) in your replies. Is that just Ham etiquette, or is it a legal requirement as part of having a license?

The Annoyed Man wrote:I notice that all you guys with Ham licenses have given your call sign (assume that's what that is) in your replies. Is that just Ham etiquette, or is it a legal requirement as part of having a license?

It's just etiquette... only legally required when we're on the radio.

steve817 wrote:Anyone know where to buy a hand held locally? Preferably Arlington.

Not sure of the product quality, but I believe Fry's sells Alinco products.

If you're not in a big hurry, Ham-Com is coming around the first part of June.

The Annoyed Man wrote:I notice that all you guys with Ham licenses have given your call sign (assume that's what that is) in your replies. Is that just Ham etiquette, or is it a legal requirement as part of having a license?

As John mentioned, only required when we're on the radio, but... most hams are proud of their calls, some moreso than others. Some of us have the calls on our license plates (Texas charges us an extra buck for each set each year, unlike vanity plates which are what,, $40 a year and up?), use it as our login names quite often (pretty much guaranteed there's probably no one else in the world using the login name of 'n5wd', since there's only two of us in the world, and one of 'em is an airplane registration number).

Used to have a hat that I wore quite often when my wife and I were overseas - it had my call sign on it. Quite often, I'd be stopped by someone who introduced themselves as a ham, and usually to our benefit. Example: we were shopping in one of the markets in Istanbul when another ham, an Italian who was living in Turkey, introduced himself - wouldn't hear of not taking us home and feeding us a feast and introducing us to a couple of other local hams.. invited us back whenever, etc.

Sometimes, having them funny numbers and letters is just too cool! It makes us a member of one of the largest international fraternity's in the world!

73 Wayne N5WD

n5wd wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:I notice that all you guys with Ham licenses have given your call sign (assume that's what that is) in your replies. Is that just Ham etiquette, or is it a legal requirement as part of having a license?

As John mentioned, only required when we're on the radio, but... most hams are proud of their calls, some moreso than others. Some of us have the calls on our license plates (Texas charges us an extra buck for each set each year, unlike vanity plates which are what,, $40 a year and up?), use it as our login names quite often (pretty much guaranteed there's probably no one else in the world using the login name of 'n5wd', since there's only two of us in the world, and one of 'em is an airplane registration number).

Used to have a hat that I wore quite often when my wife and I were overseas - it had my call sign on it. Quite often, I'd be stopped by someone who introduced themselves as a ham, and usually to our benefit. Example: we were shopping in one of the markets in Istanbul when another ham, an Italian who was living in Turkey, introduced himself - wouldn't hear of not taking us home and feeding us a feast and introducing us to a couple of other local hams.. invited us back whenever, etc.

Sometimes, having them funny numbers and letters is just too cool! It makes us a member of one of the largest international fraternity's in the world!

73 Wayne N5WD

And my TSRA vanity plate has my call K5NRA on it.

jimlongley wrote:And my TSRA vanity plate has my call K5NRA on it.

Wow! A double-vanity!

(For those that are wondering, under certain circumstances, hams can request what's known as a "vanity" callsign. In my case, it was my initials, in a callsign that had never before been used by anyone. Others get the callsign of a deceased relative, or of a special mentor. The sequential license (the one you originally get from the FCC when you pass your license test) is free - the vanity costs extra - about $24 in my case (for a 10-year license).)

G26ster wrote:Many years ago, aviators were required to have a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit. I still have mine, and it is valid for life.

I forgot about that. I haven't seen mine in decades. I wonder if the FCC will issue another one, but I have no idea what the number is.

Chas.

If you're not in a hurry, there's a good chance you'll be able to get hands-on and find some deals at the HamCom convention in Plano on June 8th and 9th.

http://www.hamcom.org