For those of you in the Columbia area that are thinking about jumping into the world of Amateur (ham) radio, the Midlands VE Test Team will be conducting classes with exams for licensing in the ETV Building near downtown Columbia SC.
http://w4cae.com/get-licensed/
The classes run from 6:00-10:00 PM Wednesday through Friday with the exam being held on Saturday. Cost is $10.00 (The VE Team in Augusta charged me $15.00 and I didn't even get any classes
Testing dates:
June 17
September 16
December 16
License classes will be hosted at the ETV Building near downtown Columbia on the following dates:
June 14, 15, 16
September 13, 14, 15
December 13, 14, 15
What are the benefits of Amateur Radio for the off-road enthusiast you may ask?
1. FM on the 2m (VHF) and 70cm (UHF) bands means less static and interference.
2. More Power. FCC limits CBs to only 4 watts whereas some VHF mobile radios have 75. Most dual band mobile radios have 50.
3. Free access to the 240+ repeaters in the state of South Carolina. Some repeaters have a large footprints and some are networked together.
4. Resale value. Whether you decide to upgrade your radio or just decide you don't want to do it anymore, there is a market for used radio equipment on eBay and local swap-meets.
5. Used market. As mentioned above, there is a used market for radios. I acquired my Kenwood used and saved just over $200.00
6. Smaller antennas. 1/4 wave antennas are way shorter than those for CB. I have a center loaded Larson phased for 1/4 wave VHF and 3/4 wave UHF that is 19" tall. This also makes ground-plane issues less pronounced.
7. Another hobby to dump money into that will make those that just don't understand shake their heads.
http://w4cae.com/get-licensed/
The classes run from 6:00-10:00 PM Wednesday through Friday with the exam being held on Saturday. Cost is $10.00 (The VE Team in Augusta charged me $15.00 and I didn't even get any classes
Testing dates:
June 17
September 16
December 16
License classes will be hosted at the ETV Building near downtown Columbia on the following dates:
June 14, 15, 16
September 13, 14, 15
December 13, 14, 15
What are the benefits of Amateur Radio for the off-road enthusiast you may ask?
1. FM on the 2m (VHF) and 70cm (UHF) bands means less static and interference.
2. More Power. FCC limits CBs to only 4 watts whereas some VHF mobile radios have 75. Most dual band mobile radios have 50.
3. Free access to the 240+ repeaters in the state of South Carolina. Some repeaters have a large footprints and some are networked together.
4. Resale value. Whether you decide to upgrade your radio or just decide you don't want to do it anymore, there is a market for used radio equipment on eBay and local swap-meets.
5. Used market. As mentioned above, there is a used market for radios. I acquired my Kenwood used and saved just over $200.00
6. Smaller antennas. 1/4 wave antennas are way shorter than those for CB. I have a center loaded Larson phased for 1/4 wave VHF and 3/4 wave UHF that is 19" tall. This also makes ground-plane issues less pronounced.
7. Another hobby to dump money into that will make those that just don't understand shake their heads.