KØNR: Radio Enthusiast

Monument, Colorado
Saturday April 21 and Saturday April 28 (8 AM to 5 PM) 2012
Location: Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Station 1
Sponsored by the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Radio Association

 The Technician license is your gateway to the world-wide excitement of Amateur Radio…

• Earn your ham radio Technician class radio privileges
• Pass your FCC amateur radio license exam right in class on the second day
• Multiple-choice exam, No Morse Code Required
• Live equipment demonstrations
• Learn to operate on the ham bands, 10 Meters and higher
• Learn to use the many VHF/UHF FM repeaters in Colorado
• Find out how to participate in emergency communications

There is no cost for the class (donations accepted)
However, students must have the required study guide:
Gordon West Technician Class guide, 7^th Edition $20.95
And pay the FCC Exam Fee: $15.00

Advance registration is required (no later than April 15^th, earlier is better!)

To register for the class, contact: Bob Witte KØNR
Email: bob@k0nr.com  or Phone: 719 659-3727

For more information on amateur (ham) radio visit www.arrl.org or www.wedothat-radio.org

We have a few seats open for the Technician License Class. Pass this along to anyone interested in getting their ham radio license.   – Bob K0NR

Monument, Colorado
Saturday Oct 15 and Saturday Oct 22 (8 AM to 5 PM) 2011
Location: Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Station 1
Sponsored by the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Radio Association

 The Technician license is your gateway to the world-wide excitement of Amateur Radio …

• Earn your ham radio Technician class radio privileges
• Pass your FCC amateur radio license exam right in class on the second day
• Multiple-choice exam, No Morse Code Required
• Live equipment demonstrations
• Learn to operate on the ham bands, 10 Meters and higher
• Learn to use the many VHF/UHF FM repeaters in Colorado
• Find out how to participate in emergency communications

There is no cost for the class (donations accepted)
However, students must have the required study guide:
Gordon West Technician Class guide, 7^th Edition $20.95
And pay the FCC Exam Fee: $15.00

Advance registration is required (no later than October 8^th, earlier is better!)

To register for the class, contact: Bob Witte KØNR
Email: bob@k0nr.com  or Phone: 719 659-3727

For more information on amateur (ham) radio visit www.arrl.org or www.wedothat-radio.org   

It happened again. A disaster hits — this time a series of storms in the southeast— and the amateur radio community rises to the occasion to supply emergency communications. See
Tornadoes and Thunderstorms Keep Radio Amateurs Busy in Midwest, Southeast.

I’ve noticed that there is a tendency for some members of the amateur radio community to characterize this activity as a being a “first responder”. (Most recently: Amateur Radio Newsline, 6 May 2011)  This may make for a more exciting story about how amateur radio operators assist during a disaster, but I think it is just sloppy terminology. Here’s one definition of a first responder from dictionary.com:

first responder

–noun

a person who is certified to provide medical care in emergencies before more highly trained medical personnel arrive on the scene.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration (NHTSA) has a 342-page standard that describes the training required to be a First Responder.  Similarly, the wikipedia entry for Certified First Responder describes the skills necessary to be considered a First Responder. Most hams won’t even come close to meeting this level of training, unless they happen to have it for reasons other than ham radio.

Why does this matter? By telling radio hams they are “first responders”, it puts entirely the wrong emphasis on the Emergency Communications (EmComm) role. The EmComm role is, well, uh, providing emergency communications… in support of First Responders (Fire, Police, EMS)  and agencies that support First Responders (Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc.). Where hams can really make a difference is making sure effective communications are established when disaster occurs. The “I am a first responder” mindset can lead to some behavior that makes some radio amateurs look silly. The folks over at hamsexy.com have made a hobby out of ridiculing the so-called whackers that try to make ham radio into a lights-n-siren kind of operation. An even more serious issue is having radio hams engaging in dangerous activity without proper training.

Now, should radio hams get training on skills such as CPR and First Aid? Absolutely. Actually, everyone should have that training…you might find yourself in the situation of saving someone’s life. But don’t confuse that with being a trained First Responder.

That’s my opinion, what do you think?

- 73, Bob K0NR

P.S. I fully appreciate the role that ham radio volunteers play in providing emergency communications during disasters. It is real, important work.

We wrapped up another 2-day Technician License Class today. The original class roster was 24 but we had a number of people drop out due to a variety of issues (illness, unexpected family activities, etc.). Today, 16 people took the Technician Exam and 13 passed (81% success rate). We also had 2 people that already have their Tech license pass the General Exam.

The instructor team is Stu W0STU, Paul AA0K, Joyce K0JWW and me. We continue to be quite pleased with the 2-day format as a good balance between getting the student to pass the exam and equipping them with enough knowledge to get started in the hobby. We continue to tweak the course content but the general approach remains the same.

The next class is scheduled for October 15 and 22.

73, Bob K0NR

Just this past week, I read the following exchange on one of the many ham radio email lists I subscribe to:

Greetings Group,
I have a rat shack universal DC adapter for my charger. It is rated at 12 volt 500 mA. On the bottom of the [radio brand] charger it specifies 450 mA. My question here, is will it be ok to use the RS adapter without causing damage to the [radio brand] charger cradle?

One person replied with this:

500 ma is the maximum the dc adapter will put out. 450 is the minimum that the charger wants to have available. 450<500.  with 10% to spare.

Not to pick on you, [name], but is there any requirement these days to have a basic knowledge of electricity and/or radios to get a ham license?

The good news is that the second ham provided a helpful answer. The bad news is that he felt it necessary to slam the questioner due to his limited knowledge. (Actually, I didn’t think the question was that naive.) Fortunately, a large number of subscribers jumped in and assisted the questioner and chastised the grumpus.

The truth is that it doesn’t take that much effort and knowledge to get a ham radio Technician license. I think of it as a beginner’s permit. The license exam attempts to enforce a basic set of knowledge required to get on the air. After that, it is up to us to Elmer these newbies as they learn more. When someone asks a question, no matter how basic, that is a good thing — an opportunity for learning.

After all, I really like new ham radio operators —- I used to be one!

73, Bob K0NR