Ever since a group of local hams blew everyone's mind at the first (and subsequent) Hawaii Geek Meet (which started as the HawaiiThreads annual anniversary picnic), I told myself I'd get a license and get on the air myself.
There's an active amateur radio community here in the islands, and many of its members are friends. Heck, many veteran HawaiiThreads members were licensed, too (Pineapplejuice, Richfuel...). I borrowed a book or two from some of them years ago, but never opened them. But it seemed every few months I'd run into them at an event, and have to admit that I'd not done anything to get there.
Well, at this year's Geek Meet, I made the same old excuses. But Ron Hashiro (AH6RH) stepped up and said, "I don't teach anymore, but if I tutored you personally, would you commit?"
I couldn't turn down an offer like that. My radio cohost Burt (Quark) and I had both been procrastinating for ages. So just like that, we bought a book, we printed out some online study guides, and we'd meet with Ron every week.
Turns out I picked one of the hardest years of my life to knock this one item off my bucket list. But I persevered. I studied and practiced more than I'd studied or practiced anything since college (which, mind you, took me nine years to get through). And this week, Burt and I took our Technician class license exam, and passed. Our forms are on their way to the FCC, and in about a week, we'll have our callsigns.
However archaic it seems, it's still relevant in terms of independent communications and emergency response. Amateur radio is pretty "old school," the first global "social network" in a way, and that certainly appeals to me as well.
I cant wait to get my first radio, get on the air, and go to my first "Field Day" (June 23). So I thought I'd share, and ask if anyone else here is a ham?
There's an active amateur radio community here in the islands, and many of its members are friends. Heck, many veteran HawaiiThreads members were licensed, too (Pineapplejuice, Richfuel...). I borrowed a book or two from some of them years ago, but never opened them. But it seemed every few months I'd run into them at an event, and have to admit that I'd not done anything to get there.
Well, at this year's Geek Meet, I made the same old excuses. But Ron Hashiro (AH6RH) stepped up and said, "I don't teach anymore, but if I tutored you personally, would you commit?"
I couldn't turn down an offer like that. My radio cohost Burt (Quark) and I had both been procrastinating for ages. So just like that, we bought a book, we printed out some online study guides, and we'd meet with Ron every week.
Turns out I picked one of the hardest years of my life to knock this one item off my bucket list. But I persevered. I studied and practiced more than I'd studied or practiced anything since college (which, mind you, took me nine years to get through). And this week, Burt and I took our Technician class license exam, and passed. Our forms are on their way to the FCC, and in about a week, we'll have our callsigns.
However archaic it seems, it's still relevant in terms of independent communications and emergency response. Amateur radio is pretty "old school," the first global "social network" in a way, and that certainly appeals to me as well.
I cant wait to get my first radio, get on the air, and go to my first "Field Day" (June 23). So I thought I'd share, and ask if anyone else here is a ham?
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