produced talk show–style programs that have large followings. Here are a few of my favorites:
Ham Nation on TWiT.TV (twit.tv/shows) covers operating and technical topics in an informal and fast-paced format. A new show airs every week.
Ham Radio Now TV (www.hamradionow.tv), hosted by David Goldenberg (WØDHG), is a weekly podcast that tackles all sorts of interesting topics. Pearce’s web page lists many other audio and video programs.
Ham Radio Newsline (www.arnewsline.org) is a podcast structured like a news program with the latest ham radio-related stories. It is produced by Neil Rapp (WB9VPG).
QSO Today (www.qsotoday.com), produced by Eric Guth (4Z1UG and WA6IGR) includes podcasts, videos (mostly interviews), and blog entries. This is a great way to meet some of ham radio’s leaders and learn about specific topics, too.
images.google.com) to help, though. If you have a mental picture of what you’re looking for, describe it in the images search window and click on some images that look right. Then follow the links to the web page the image came from.
Email reflectors
The first online communities for hams were email lists, known as reflectors. Reflectors are mailing lists that take email from one mailbox and rebroadcast it to all members. With some list memberships numbering in the thousands, reflectors get information spread around pretty rapidly. Every ham radio interest has a reflector.
Focused online communities like those on Groups.io (groups.io) offer much more than just email distribution. They also offer file storage, photo- and video-display, messaging, and excellent member management. To take advantage of these groups.io services, create a personal account; then search the service (use “Find a Group”) for amateur radio or ham radio.
Table 3-1 lists several of the largest websites that serve as hosts for reflectors. You can browse the directories and decide which list suits your interests. (Be careful, though, that you don’t wind up spending all your time on the reflectors and none on the air.)
TABLE 3-1 Hosts and Directories for Ham Radio Reflectors
| Website | Topics |
|---|---|
www.qth.com
|
Radios, bands, operating, and awards |
www.contesting.com
|
TowerTalk, CQ-Contest, Amps, Top Band (160 meters), RTTY (digital modes) — look under “Contest Lists” and “Other Lists” |
www.dxzone.com/catalog/Internet_and_Radio/Mailing_Lists and www.ac6v.com/mail.php
|
Directories of reflectors and forums hosted on other sites |
Because my main interests are operating on the HF bands, contesting, and making DX (long-distance) contacts, for example, I subscribe to the TowerTalk reflector, the CQ-Contest reflector, a couple of the DX reflectors, and the Top Band reflector about 160 meter operating techniques and antennas. To make things a little easier on my email inbox, I subscribe in digest format so that I get one or two bundles of email every day instead of many individual messages. Most reflectors are lightly moderated and usually closed to any posts that aren’t from subscribed members — in other words, spam.
Online training and instruction
Webinars (online video seminars hosted by an instructor) are very common. Many of these events are archived, such as those hosted by the World Wide Radio Operator’s Foundation (www.wwrof.org) webinar is the next-best thing to your mentor being there in the room with you. Many conferences are also recording their sessions and posting them online for you to learn from. Contest University (CTU — contestuniversity.com) is a good example of a day-long event with many presentations that are recorded and available online. Chances are, any conference or hamfest that presents speakers and training sessions will record and publish the videos for you to watch any time.
If you can take an in-person class to study for your FCC license exam, that is a good way to learn the material in-depth. You may prefer to study on your own, though. If that’s the way you choose, there are study books and online resources for you — I discuss them in Chapter 5. Some books are combined with online practice exams, such as the ARRL’s license manuals and the ARRL Exam Review for Ham Radio software.
Before you get started on getting a license, you should browse the available materials by doing an online search for ham radio license study. You’ll find quite a number of choices ranging from simple flash-cards to interactive videos. Some are free, and none are terribly expensive. Take a look at what’s available so you’ll be ready to go when you decide to dive in and get started!
Many new hams get their licenses to support public service activities. Does that sound like you! If so, you might be interested in getting some training on how hams organize themselves to provide that service. Many ham radio public service groups use the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) model, called NIMS for the National Incident Management System. The FEMA training website (the Emergency Management Institute — training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx) lists numerous free courses, some of which may be required to become part of a public service team. Start with the current version of course ICS-100 to learn about this common method of managing public service activities.
Web portals
Portals provide a comprehensive set of services and function as ham radio home pages. They feature news, informative articles, radio buy-and-sell pages, links to databases, reflectors, and many other useful services to hams. Here are three popular portals:
QRZ.com
