Thoughts on HAM Radio

[Kitsune]

If you enjoy little projects and tinkering, this hobby is wonderful. If not, the hobby is so commercialized that you could buy everything and not have to endure a single whiff of solder fumes.

My only disappointment comes from my local area club that was completely opposite what my old Atlanta club was founded on: getting people interested in radio, being ready for emergencies, helping the public, and having fun. Make sure you avoid organizations that are highly competitive and are only interested in getting their group callsign on an ARRL Field Day results page -- you won't learn from them, nor will you get any airtime.

Sidenote: if you get a ticket that enables you to get into the HF bands and you happen to live in an evil neighborhood with an HOA, make sure you check on antenna restrictions before you start out. There are interesting ways around them, thankfully, but they require some tricks...