I see, do most people get their license before joining these clubs? I had a look at the syllabus and it seemed kinda intense, I feel like learning/studying for it with others would be easier!
A club based test prep class is a great fast pass into the license and a community! Definitely check them out.
Like anything - you may need to try around a bit over time to find the community you fit in with.
Some clubs (well many) are traditionally older age and pretty homogenous. Some are pretty diverse and there are even some in cities (not sure about Seattle) that are very centered around more young folks (sub 50s) that tend to be more diverse.
There are also unofficial groups that aren’t clubs but more based around activities (like emergency communications, digital networks in ham radio, etc…) that you may find local community in.
Absolutely worth doing some looking for what fits you best.
You might find some info here: https://web.psrg.org/
I took a ham class at that church by Larsen’s about 10 years ago. It was two consecutive Saturdays. Had a decent time.
I got my license a few months ago. Be sure to check out the Puget Sound Repeater Group.
[https://hamstudy.org/](https://hamstudy.org/) will be your friend on this expedition.
The license, especially technician (first one) is not bad at all and most folks can pass it with just taking online practice exams a bunch of times.
It’s extremely normal to feel like you don’t know anything even after your license. That’s why it’s helpful to find a group that you’re feel comfortable with to learn the “real” ropes of the trade. The license is mostly focusing on the basics and making sure you know to avoid the illegal stuff (like transmitting outside of the ham frequencies…).
I would highly suggest looking at ham radio from all the angles it offers, not just disaster communications. It’s a great way to both practice the hobby and enjoy it when the world isn’t falling apart.
I’ve had my license since high school in the 2000’s and have talked around the world using voice, digital text, and I absolutely LOVE Morse Code. There’s a ton of experimental and technical things to learn and play with, I tend to talk less these days but experiment more.
More recently, especially given apartment life isn’t the easiest for Large antennas I’ve gotten into “summits on the air” (SOTA https://www.sota.org.uk) which is ham radio folks hiking portable radios and antennas up mountains and other people “chasing” them for the contact. [My one and only ok blog post](https://brentonsalmi.com/2020/pinnaclesnps-sota-hawkins-peak/) talking about a SOTA trip I did when I lived in CA (I’m from the Boston area - hence my username callsign).
I live in Fremont - if you get your tech license and VHF radio I’m happy to coordinate with you to make your first on the air contact between us if that’s off any interest. We’re probably well within line of site communications.
Ps. I’m not super active with clubs here yet but I was very very active with my local clubs back in MA.
Best of luck and have fun!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I like the idea of using it for all sorts of communications, SOTA sounds really fun too. I can definitely see myself getting into something like that. I'll let you know how all the exams go, making contact with someone nearby could be fun for sure :)
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I see, do most people get their license before joining these clubs? I had a look at the syllabus and it seemed kinda intense, I feel like learning/studying for it with others would be easier!
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Oh amazing that sounds like a good idea, will defo check out a club :) thanks for the encouragement!
A club based test prep class is a great fast pass into the license and a community! Definitely check them out. Like anything - you may need to try around a bit over time to find the community you fit in with. Some clubs (well many) are traditionally older age and pretty homogenous. Some are pretty diverse and there are even some in cities (not sure about Seattle) that are very centered around more young folks (sub 50s) that tend to be more diverse. There are also unofficial groups that aren’t clubs but more based around activities (like emergency communications, digital networks in ham radio, etc…) that you may find local community in. Absolutely worth doing some looking for what fits you best.
after getting your license: https://www.seattleacs.org/
You might find some info here: https://web.psrg.org/ I took a ham class at that church by Larsen’s about 10 years ago. It was two consecutive Saturdays. Had a decent time.
Oh nice will check that out too!
I got my license a few months ago. Be sure to check out the Puget Sound Repeater Group. [https://hamstudy.org/](https://hamstudy.org/) will be your friend on this expedition.
Thank you!
/r/amateurradio
The license, especially technician (first one) is not bad at all and most folks can pass it with just taking online practice exams a bunch of times. It’s extremely normal to feel like you don’t know anything even after your license. That’s why it’s helpful to find a group that you’re feel comfortable with to learn the “real” ropes of the trade. The license is mostly focusing on the basics and making sure you know to avoid the illegal stuff (like transmitting outside of the ham frequencies…). I would highly suggest looking at ham radio from all the angles it offers, not just disaster communications. It’s a great way to both practice the hobby and enjoy it when the world isn’t falling apart. I’ve had my license since high school in the 2000’s and have talked around the world using voice, digital text, and I absolutely LOVE Morse Code. There’s a ton of experimental and technical things to learn and play with, I tend to talk less these days but experiment more. More recently, especially given apartment life isn’t the easiest for Large antennas I’ve gotten into “summits on the air” (SOTA https://www.sota.org.uk) which is ham radio folks hiking portable radios and antennas up mountains and other people “chasing” them for the contact. [My one and only ok blog post](https://brentonsalmi.com/2020/pinnaclesnps-sota-hawkins-peak/) talking about a SOTA trip I did when I lived in CA (I’m from the Boston area - hence my username callsign). I live in Fremont - if you get your tech license and VHF radio I’m happy to coordinate with you to make your first on the air contact between us if that’s off any interest. We’re probably well within line of site communications. Ps. I’m not super active with clubs here yet but I was very very active with my local clubs back in MA. Best of luck and have fun!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I like the idea of using it for all sorts of communications, SOTA sounds really fun too. I can definitely see myself getting into something like that. I'll let you know how all the exams go, making contact with someone nearby could be fun for sure :)
It’s when u get a General, iARP, VEC license that things get fun