Tag: amateur radio

Getting Started with Amateur Radio: Choosing Your First Rig

Amateur radio is a unique hobby that blends technical skill, community connection, and the thrill of reaching people across distances. Whether you’re interested in emergency preparedness, exploration, or simply the challenge of mastering radio technology, amateur radio offers something for everyone. If you’ve been curious about getting started, this guide will walk you through the essentials—from licensing to choosing your first radio.

Understanding the License Tiers

Before you can legally transmit, you’ll need an amateur radio license. The good news? The FCC offers three levels of licensing, so you can start at whatever depth matches your commitment level.

Technician Class is the entry point. The exam covers basic radio theory, regulations, and operating practices. Most people pass this with 20-30 hours of study using readily available online resources. Technician licensees can operate on VHF and UHF frequencies, which are ideal for local communication and are where most beginner activity happens.

General Class opens up HF (high frequency) bands, where you can reach operators across the country and around the world. The exam is more involved, typically requiring another 50-100 hours of study, but it’s absolutely worth it if DX (long-distance communication) excites you.

Extra Class is the pinnacle—it grants access to all amateur bands and shows serious commitment to the hobby. If you’re thinking about this level, you’re already hooked on radio, and the Extra exam will feel like a natural progression.

Choosing Your First Radio

Once licensed, you’ll face the fun challenge of picking your first transceiver. Your choice depends on how you want to get on the air, your budget, and your goals.

Handheld Transceivers (HTs) are the most affordable entry point, ranging from $50 to $200. Models like the Baofeng UV-5R have been the gateway radio for thousands of amateurs. They’re portable, durable, and perfect for learning the basics—programming frequencies, understanding repeaters, and getting comfortable with radio protocol. The trade-off is limited range and battery life, but for local nets and practice, they’re ideal.

Mobile Radios (mounted in a car or at home) typically cost $200-$500 and offer significantly more power and range. A mobile radio with a proper antenna can reliably reach repeaters 20-30 miles away and give you much better audio clarity. If you’re planning to participate regularly in local nets or emergency drills, a mobile setup is worth the investment.

Base Stations are the serious player option—stationary radios with dedicated power supplies and antenna systems. These can range from $300 to $1000+, but they give you the performance and reliability to attempt long-distance contacts and participate in nets reliably. If you’re in it for the long haul, this is worth the investment.

Regardless of which type you choose, prioritize reliability and ease of use over flashy features. You want a radio that will work when you need it and won’t frustrate you with complicated menus.

Finding Your Local Community

One of the best parts of amateur radio is the community. Nearly every area has active repeaters—shared transmitters that extend the range of lower-power radios—and local radio clubs that host nets (regularly scheduled check-ins where operators practice).

Start by finding your local repeaters using sites like RepeaterBook. Listen on a repeater’s frequency, get comfortable with the rhythm of conversation, and then jump in on a local net. Established hams love welcoming newcomers, and you’ll quickly build friendships and learn from experienced operators.

Radio clubs (e.g., Bainbridge Island Amateur Radio Club, or BARC) often host in-person meetings, classes, and social events. These connections can turn into mentorships, operating partnerships, and real friendships.

First Projects and Experiments

While your radio works right out of the box, amateur radio thrives on tinkering. Some great starter projects include:

  • Building a dipole antenna: A simple wire antenna you can make for under $20 and mount in your backyard or attic. It’ll vastly improve your transmission and reception.
  • Programming custom frequencies: Learn the quirks of your radio—how to program in repeaters, simplex frequencies, and offset settings. If your radio is compatible, learn to use CHIRP.
  • Participating in a net: Join a weekly net related to your interests (emergency preparedness nets, hiking and outdoor nets, technology nets, etc.) and practice structured communication.
  • Operating portable: Take your HT to a local park or hiking trail and make contacts from the field. It’s surprisingly fun and teaches you antenna fundamentals.

Resources and Next Steps

Ready to get started? Here are the essentials:

  • Study for your license: Use moriscode.org or ARRL.org for exam prep materials.
  • Find repeaters: Check RepeaterBook to discover frequencies in your area.
  • Join a club: Search for ham radio clubs near you—most have websites and welcome newcomers.
  • Connect with mentors: Once licensed, ask for an “Elmer”—an experienced ham who takes newcomers under their wing.

Amateur radio is waiting for you. The barrier to entry is lower than ever, the community is welcoming, and the rewards—both technical and social—are substantial. Start with your license, pick a radio that fits your budget, find your local community, and you’ll quickly understand why millions of people around the world stay on the air.

A Useful Radio App

One of the best apps that I’ve found for ham radio on the road is the Repeater Book App. I’ve used it for years on both Android and my iPhone. It has all of the content of the Repeater Book website but uses the GPS on your phone to tell you which repeaters are closest to you.

Once you choose a repeater that you would like to use, it has all of the pertinent information to set that repeater up on your radio: frequency, offset, PL tone, wide/narrow band, etc.

I thought all of this was great. However, what really puts it over the top is that it caches its content on my phone. I discovered this while camping at Brooks Memorial State Park, where I had no service, data nor voice. I popped open the app on my iPhone at one point, forgetting that I had no data service, and had a list of repeaters at my location. Then I saw a message that said, it was using cached data.

I find this to be the best feature of the app because the best time to find a repeater is when you don’t have cell service.

Battery Boxes

I built a battery box out of a case from Harbor Freight. I had seen a similar box sold by Powerwerx for $259.99. Given the availability of these boxes at a much lower price ($34.99) and the cost of the parts involved ($140.78, with a bigger battery), I thought I’d be better off building a box at a reduced cost (~$176). I would also have the advantage of adding more PowerPole connectors instead of a cigarette lighter socket. If I ever need to plug into such a socket, I have a PowerPole to cigarette lighter socket adaptor that I made from spare parts.

While I did not compute labor costs in the box construction, I included all the parts (except the wiring, which I had lying around the shack). I find building little things like this relaxing. So, the labor costs aren’t really an issue for me. I didn’t even time how long it took me. If you find this laborious, You may want to just buy a box from Powerwerx.

Box Construction

To build this box, I had to drill 3 holes in the side that were big enough for the panel mounts. The three panel mounts I decided to include were a combination USB A/USB C/Voltmeter, and two mounts that house two PowerPole connections each for a total of 4 PowerPole connections.

I figured I could run a radio, an antenna tuner, and a light, which would use up three PowerPole plugs. I could use the fourth plug to simultaneously charge the battery if I’m somewhere with access to electricity or if I want to use a portable solar panel.

To drill these holes, I found that a stepped drill bit helped me select the right-sized hole for the size of the panel mounts. While not all panel mounts require the same size hole, they’re similar. This bit will help you step your way toward the right size so that the threads fit through but not the collar of the panel mount.

Once the holes are drilled, take the nut off the panel mount, slide the mount through the hole, and tighten the nut back on the panel mount until the collar of the panel mount is secure against the side of the box.

Wiring

Wiring is fairly simple. The USB charger comes with its own wire that has a ring on one end for the battery terminal and clips that fit into the back of the panel mount. It’s important to make sure that you get the polarity correct. A ‘+’ for positive (the red wire) and a ‘-‘ for negative (the black wire) is etched in the plastic. If you have trouble seeing them, a flashlight from a cellphone helps a lot.

When it comes to the PowerPoles, you have to be a little more attentive.

Make sure you use the right gauge of wire for the power you want to pull. I probably overdid it with 10 AWG wires, which kept me from putting multiple wires in a ring connector. With four think ring connectors, I barely got the battery screws to hold them down. However, I wanted to be able to pull enough amps to run my 100W radio and didn’t want to worry about which PowerPoles could handle which current. Having the 10 AWG wires on all of them makes that possible.

It is a best practice to use red for positive and black for negative. Doing so will make it less likely that you will attach the wires to the battery incorrectly.

Make sure that the wires are long enough to reach from the battery terminals to the PowerPoles. Put the rings on one wire end and PowerPole inserts on the other. Place the inserts into the PowerPole housings. Then, attach the rings to the terminals of the battery. Red to the positive screw and black to the negative screw.

Preventing Rattling

Once this is done, you’ll want to secure the battery. This step will keep the battery from rattling around when carrying the box by its handle. Fortunately, the box came with a bunch of foam rubber that can easily be separated to match the shape of whatever is being stored in the box. Carefully tear the rubber (along the perforations) to match the large area between the battery and the panel mounts. Then, use the scraps to fill in the area between the battery and the front of the case.

Testing the Battery

At this point, you’re ready to test the battery.

A button on the USB panel turns on the connectors and the voltmeter. Press the button and verify that the battery is charged. The full charge will be somewhere around 13.8V. If the voltmeter doesn’t show anything, the wiring polarity is likely incorrect. The battery probably needs to be charged (see below) if the voltage is too low.

Plug a USB cable into each port and verify that it charges your phone. This is probably what you’ll use it for. In my case, I use it to power a Raspberry Pi. If you want to do this, you’ll need a USB C port labeled PD.

Once the USB system works correctly, check the polarity of the PowerPole ports with a voltmeter. If the voltage is negative with the red lead connected to the red side and the black lead connected to the black side, you’ve wired it backward. If they are all positive, plug a device into each port and verify it has power. If so, you’re good to go.

Charging the Battery

To charge the battery, simply hook a charger to one of the PowerPole ports. I use NOCO chargers. I take the adaptor that comes with the charger and convert it PowerPoles to make this easier. For a battery this size, I use the 1 amp model. Be sure to set the charger’s battery type to the type of battery you put in the box. I use LiFePO4 batteries, so I set the charger to 12V Lithium.

Parts List

Here are the parts other than wires and connectors that I purchased to build this box.