Month: September 2019

Home / Month: September 2019

The FT3DR is here!

September 30, 2019 | Equipment | No Comments

After a few months using the capable, but… well… very Chinese Baofeng UV5 family of HTs.. I spotted a great sale on the new FT3DR at GigaParts and pulled the trigger right after Christmas. Even with all the typical holiday shipping delays it arrived just in time to ring in the near year with a new, legit grown-up radio!

It has a great set of features, including wide-band receive, along with digital modes, which are very popular in this part of Texas. I’m sure it’s going to take me a few days to get this thing programmed and learn how to use the C4FM digital Wires/X etc.

One of the great improvements over the old UV5Rs is this radio supports AM modes,and is capable of picking up aircraft communications. With my son learning to fly, it’s nice to be able to listen to the tower as he works the pattern, and this radio will allow me to do that too.

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By david.demartini

It’s official – I’m a HAM!!

September 6, 2019 | Articles | No Comments

At 10:00 AM 29-AUG-2019, I finally did it.

The 1 hour drive into San Antonio was uneventful and not at all noteworthy.

Parking my car at the testing sight and walking into the test center was a completely different matter.

All the Elmers were nice enough, but all business with regards to getting the paperwork started, the tests handed out the administration. I’d studied hard for weeks, poured through Gordon West’s Technician’s class. In the end it all paid off with me missing just 1 of 35 questions on the test.

So it’s official.. no longer just a listener. It took just about 2 weeks for the FCC to post my ticket. I wasted little time applying for my state Amateur Operator auto license plate tags.

Now, time to charge up the Baofengs and start keying up!

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By david.demartini