W8LVN. Licensed in 1961.
Was dropping the morse code requirement a mistake?
Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
51–60 of 109 posts
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#52My father was pretty serious about this as a hobby - SP7DRV - had shortware CW and voice connections with pretty much all the coutries, remote islands (when there was an expeditions) and some countries that do not exist anymore so his tally was more countries than there are in the world. Personally I prefer the convenience of fibre connection + TCP/IP but I get that in a time of hypothetical crisis or war this could…
Did he (or anyone here) get to talk to King Hussein of Jordan?
https://www.dx-world.net/the-ham-radio-operation-that-made-h...
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#53I do. I'm not sure I like exposing my home address by providing my callsign with my HN account (something to think about for other posters).
> I'm not sure I like exposing my home address by providing my callsign with my HN account
Please explain. Surely one simply opts out of having ones address published in your countries call book?
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#54Foundation licensee here in the UK, working on my Intermediate (and hoping to pass that exam this year). I manage the radio system for the UK Discworld Convention (every other year, next instance August 2026), and I spend a chunk of time on the VHF repeater near me, in the Cambridge area (mostly listening).
5 and 5, 73.
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#5573 from G8KIG. Licensed in 1974.
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#56Yep, did a speed run of foundation, intermediate and full in the UK back in 2016 (within the year). Full means I can build radios up to 400W, which is nice. Not sure I actually could though now, without a LOT of revision. At least if "the collapse" comes in my lifetime I might know which components to gather.
Sold Yaesu portable unit at the height of COVID after some fun with it. Still mess with the HTs sometimes but looking for an opportunity (time wise) to get back into it.
I'm part of a code club at the local school, and would love to show them radio too, spark that curiosity and imagination. I think it'll be out of scope for this year though.
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
I hold an Extra Class license... the old 20 wpm kind. The cool thing is, I got my extra back when I was 19 years old and it set me up for a great tech career since I understood RF. Not going to dox myself here putting my callsign in a post.
AD0NIS — that you?
Heh. I mean you are kinda close.
My callsign is a 2x1 call.
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#58I do. I'm not sure I like exposing my home address by providing my callsign with my HN account (something to think about for other posters).
> I'm not sure I like exposing my home address by providing my callsign with my HN account Please explain. Surely one simply opts out of having ones address published in your countries call book?
In the US it's a public database, and you don't get to opt out of providing your name and a mailing address (mailing, needs to be valid but doesn't need to be your home address, PO Boxes work).
https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#59AC3ME. Probably the most useless ham licensee ever. Wanted to be able to say hi on a local repeater for fun and testing a handheld I got, turns out it's not too hard to get US amateur extra when you already know most of the electronics theory and just need to memorize some rules and adapt to terminology, but I don't really use it very actively. But glad I have it - I have some beacon design projects in mind for the someday maybe pile, but basically everything I play with is in the ISM bands and I usually work a layer or three above physical.
Re: Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
#60I do. But I haven't found a use of it, yet. I don't even have a ham radio. I guess I just impulsively got a license and that was it.
For people who don't use radio for communication (chat), what do you do? I guess it's useful as an emergency measure, but I could simply purchase an ordianry radio or use my car's, not a ham radio.