Probably will be a bust, Shortwave/Ham radio users?

Id love to get into this. Its just I've not had a lot of extra cash laying around. So got any advice on where to go for training, radios, and information?
Its a hobby that would be really nice to have especially for emergency communication during disasters.

 

I have been trying - like recently recently, only 4 months, although I was able to find some stuff for the FPGA I was using - to get into software defined radio, and I have picked up an ARRL study guide.

So hopefully I'll be able to say "yes" pretty soon. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time.

 

Can you make a radio with a wireless NIC? Isn't that kind of what they are anyways?

 

Hmmm sounds like it can be a fun hobby. Aside from having a way to listen to and talk to people ALL over its also a good way to get information from out of state.

 

Have actually been a ham for a long time. I am a Volunteer Examiner too, and the test costs $15, renewing the license is free, but you have to do it every 10 years. For those that are interested in being licensed, here is one of the many sites that offers free practice tests online. eHam.net Ham Radio Practice Exams

 

I have never done anything with ham radio.

I haven't done much with shortwave. But, as a teenager, the idea seemed interesting when I had a phase of being interested in old tube radios. At one time, it was not uncommon for radios to have some sort of shortwave band. It was not something you'd find in the cheapest radios, but I've seen many console radios of the 1940s that had a shortwave coverage of some sort. As I said, it was something that interested me, although I never really did anything. What few radios I actually ever had were tired, worn wrecks. But I do recall managing to get some foreign stations to come in a time or two, even with the built in antenna.

---------- Post added 13th Jan 2014 at 02:50 AM ----------

As I think of it, I did have a chance to play with an old Zenith Transoceanic. This name was used by many radios. The specimen I played with was tubed, except for the rectifier. It could be used on battery power, and, judging from the battery compartment, the battery was pretty big. And the radio had at least some shortwave coverage. I don't recall getting much of interest, but I was the only kid in school who had a clock set by some short wave time station!

---------- Post added 13th Jan 2014 at 03:03 AM ----------

This might or might not be interesting...

But another memory hit: the Hardy Boys once solved The Short-Wave Mystery. I think I have a copy of the original text edition. I can't remember the plot except for the fact that the crooks were stealing radio parts, and they communicated by (I think) ham radio. (Note: the book I'm thinking of has been out of print since the sixties. The title lives on, but the text was revised. No idea anymore what the revised version is like--I read it decades ago.)

 

Foxface, thanks for this thread, and thanks to those who posted some helpful info in it. This is something I've always been interested in, and now I actually have a bit of knowledge on how to go about getting started.

 

Wish I had enough electrical engineering to know how to. Now ask me about chemistry or biology... that's a different story.

 

I never did the whole formal SWL thing, with QSL and all that, but I did listen to shortwave as a teenager and one of my fondest memories of that period is when I actually saw sporadic E happening, by pure luck. I just switched on our TV to play video games and suddenly saw a foreign TV station on an unused channel (TV station that normally used it had some financial difficulties and only broadcast in prime time...) I knew that it's possible in theory, but I never really expected to see it just like that, without even trying, and I was awed.

 

I have been a ham for a few years now, but really only use it when offroading and camping. Beats the pants off Citizens Band radios which are quite popular here in the states, for reasons that still stump me.

I don't find that the local repeaters are terribly friendly unless you get to know the regulars. It tends to be a bit of a "good ole boys" club. But with friends on a hike, or calling home from hundreds of miles away. It is pretty sweet and amazingly easy to learn.

 

When I was a kid my father had a ham radio setup, my brother and I took our tests for licensing, the technical test wasn't that hard back then (1998) There was also a morse code test back then, did they get rid of that?

 

I'm a Ham Radio operator from England, the youngest to ever to pass the examination in England&Wales at the time I did it but I found out just a couple days ago that I've been outdone by a few years. I was 11 at the time(6yrs ago) and I spoke to an 11 year old MW6 station on 40m a couple days ago who did his Foundation(MW6) license when he was 8! He's planning on going for his Intermediate(2W0) later this year before he turns 12, I of course wished him very good luck but was also a bit sad that I have been outdone! I mainly listen on 2m but I also listen to a few interesting nets one being a UK net on 80m and another very interesting UK net with some great(and old!) characters on 160m.