First time tech here...

[APW19562]

Just took and passed the Tech exam today in Sinking Spring, PA.
Met a few very nice folks, chatted a bit and managed to miss only three questions.

Would have stuck around longer to "get on the air" at the Field Day event they were hosting, but had to spend the rest of the day with the wife. Married 14 years today.  

I heard a few of the guys talking on the local 2m repeater earlier tonight and I was SO tempted to hop on and say hello...  but just had to keep my mouth shut 'till the license arrives.  

http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r504/yullose/exam3_zps0ec9f422.jpg

[W4KVW]

CONGRATS & Welcome to the Brotherhood.It's a great hobby & I hope you at least upgrade to General Class so you may be able to work the World & enjoy the HF bands. {:>)         

Clayton
W4KVW

[W3HF]

I heard a few of the guys talking on the local 2m repeater earlier tonight and I was SO tempted to hop on and say hello...  but just had to keep my mouth shut 'till the license arrives.  

Good idea. It would have been obvious when you don't have a callsign yet.

But remember that "license arrives" now means when you are listed in the FCC database. You are "official" once you are listed, whether or not you have received that piece of paper they will send you. The paper copy may be suitable for framing, but is really unnecessary from a legal standpoint.

Steve
W3HF

[APW19562]

I heard a few of the guys talking on the local 2m repeater earlier tonight and I was SO tempted to hop on and say hello...  but just had to keep my mouth shut 'till the license arrives.  

Good idea. It would have been obvious when you don't have a callsign yet.

But remember that "license arrives" now means when you are listed in the FCC database. You are "official" once you are listed, whether or not you have received that piece of paper they will send you. The paper copy may be suitable for framing, but is really unnecessary from a legal standpoint.

Steve
W3HF

I will be checking online every few days now. 

[APW19562]

CONGRATS & Welcome to the Brotherhood.It's a great hobby & I hope you at least upgrade to General Class so you may be able to work the World & enjoy the HF bands. {:>)         

Clayton
W4KVW

I looked at some of the general questions and took the online practice test a few times already.
Best I could muster sofar is 22 out of 35 correct.

I will need to do some studying and reading if I want to actually sit down and pass the general exam.
There's just too much stuff to cover that I have never been exposed to before.
To be honest, I really don't understand WHY I need to know how a radio is put together, (right down to reading schematics and identifying electrical components) in order to spin a few knobs and tune-in a radio.
The test is akin to knowing how a car is put together in order to get a drivers license...
I would have gotten a license YEARS ago... but the whole Morse Code requirement was a huge turnoff.

The tech exam was a breeze for me because I have been around much of that info most of my life. I work as an electric forklift mechanic, so the electrical and mechanical background gave me a good headstart. I never studied anything to pass the test... just took the practice test a few times and did some reading on the internet to get familiar with the lingo and technology.
I also messed around with CB's back in the 80's... so some of that knowledge helped too.

Right now I am content with my Kenwood TM-281's... but will certainly look into some HF rigs in the not too distant future. Just 'gotta wait a little... since I have a few other expensive hobbies.
The Corvette is getting some attention next. 

[W3HF]

To be honest, I really don't understand WHY I need to know how a radio is put together, (right down to reading schematics and identifying electrical components) in order to spin a few knobs and tune-in a radio.

There's a reason for that level of knowledge. Even if YOU don't plan to take advantage of it, your license grants you the privilege of building your own radios. All other services only allow operation of radios that have been certified by the manufacturer as meeting FCC technical requirements. Since you can design and build your own, you have the responsibility to make sure they adhere to the rules. And that means understanding how they work.

Now the level of the testing really is NOT enough to actually DO the design work--it's really just a starter, more like enough to understand the buzzwords. And this topic may well attract a lot of discussion, as the general consensus is that the level of technical detail in the tests today is lower than it was in the past.

So my recommendation is to do your best to learn it. You might find that you enjoy it, and are intrigued with the technical details of the hobby. Even if you don't, your enjoyment of the operating portion of the hobby will be enhanced by the understanding of how it all works.

[APW19562]

To be honest, I really don't understand WHY I need to know how a radio is put together, (right down to reading schematics and identifying electrical components) in order to spin a few knobs and tune-in a radio.

There's a reason for that level of knowledge. Even if YOU don't plan to take advantage of it, your license grants you the privilege of building your own radios. All other services only allow operation of radios that have been certified by the manufacturer as meeting FCC technical requirements. Since you can design and build your own, you have the responsibility to make sure they adhere to the rules. And that means understanding how they work.

Now the level of the testing really is NOT enough to actually DO the design work--it's really just a starter, more like enough to understand the buzzwords. And this topic may well attract a lot of discussion, as the general consensus is that the level of technical detail in the tests today is lower than it was in the past.

So my recommendation is to do your best to learn it. You might find that you enjoy it, and are intrigued with the technical details of the hobby. Even if you don't, your enjoyment of the operating portion of the hobby will be enhanced by the understanding of how it all works.

Well I certainly can't argue with that. 

I actually am curious how difficult it would be to build amplifiers for my 2 meter radios. 

[W0FM]

Steve makes a great point.  My first interest in amateur radio was a result of building shortwave radio kits in 1958. 

You have some mechanical background so understanding "what goes where" probably comes easier to you than to some others.  Take a look at the instructions for building this 2M Power Amplifier kit and you just might get bitten by the bug!

http://http://www.hobbytron.com/pdf/PA1E.pdf

Have fun.

Terry WØFM

[SMAUG]

I will be checking online every few days now. 

Days?! I checked every few hours.

[APW19562]

Just checked again after work tonight.

I'm good to go !!!

KC3AWM   

[KK4RXN]

Got mine last month and am going for my General in a week or so. Way to go!

Barry
KK4RXN
Jeremiah 29:11-13 / John 3:16