category: Radio

When I last posted, I was discussing preparing to pursue the “Extra” class license as a ham operator. That eventuality is now reality. I tested and passed my exam last night with flying colors! So, what does that mean? In truth, not a lot. In terms of privileges, the extra class designation gives me access to little bit of extra bandwidth on the 15, 20, 40, and 80 meter bands. That’s a bit of a mixed bag, though, since that extra bandwidth, being available to only a subset of ham operators, also limits the number of potential contacts in those frequencies. That can be both a blessing and a curse, I suspect. That is, while there are fewer users in those frequencies, that also means that there’s less congestion. So, it’s really a mixed bag. Truth be told, though, access to those extra frequencies is not why I pursued the upgrade. ...

In an earlier post I noted that have renewed my interest in amateur radio. Several years back I had given great thought to pursuing my Extra Class certificate. If you’re not familiar with amateur radio, Extra Class is the highest level of certification in amateur radio. This give you the greatest privileges and signifies, sort of, that you have a fairly decent understanding of radio theory, electronics, and so on. It doesn’t mean that you know everything there is to know or that you’re and “expert”. But it does mean that you’ve dug a little deeper, learned a little more, and that you’re likely to keep on learning. ...