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| Do you have your ham license? |
| yes |
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47% |
[ 106 ] |
| no |
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26% |
[ 58 ] |
| studying to take the test |
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11% |
[ 25 ] |
| have radio but no license |
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14% |
[ 33 ] |
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| Total Votes : 222 |
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flyhg1
3 thumbs up
Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 66
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 Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:42 am Post subject: |
 #21 |
I purchased a VX-150 a few years ago and also got one for my wife/occasional driver. She graciously agreed to get her license too, so we both studied for a couple of weeks and took the test together.
Despite her having no background in radio or electronics, she passed with something like a 96 if I remember correctly, and that was after nothing more than home study for about 2-3 weeks, on and off.
It's really not that hard to get your license nowadays, and once you have it you can stop worrying about the consequences of getting caught without one.
Having a radio has made life much simpler. I have gone xc and given my wife directions along the way, watching her following below at times. It has also come in handy when flying a sailplane - I can call down 30 minutes before landing and when I roll up to the trailer she is there waiting with a smile and a cold beer! |
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red
3 thumbs up
Joined: 13 Aug 2007
Posts: 2773
Location: Utah, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sol III
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:30 am Post subject: Do you have your amateur radio license? |
#22 |
| TnFlyer wrote: |
Was just reading the links sent  I heard before that the fines were high for using a radio without a valid license, can you imagine flying all day specking out talking to your friends then receiving this in the mail a week of two later.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Enforcement Bureau Spectrum Enforcement Division
Dear Sir:
Information before the Commission indicates that one of your drivers has been operating radio equipment without a license on 28.085 MHz and causing interference to licensed stations in the Ten Meter Amateur Band. Please advise your drivers that operation of radio transmitting equipment without a license is a violation of Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. Section 301, and will subject them to fine or imprisonment, as well as an in rem seizure of any non-certified radio transmitting equipment, in cooperation with the United States Attorney for your jurisdiction. Monetary forfeitures normally range from $7,500 to $10,000.
Sincerely,
Special Counsel cc: FCC South Central Regional Director |
TnFlyer,
You ain't seen *nothing* yet... 
I camped on Point of the Mountain, Utah for a dozen years. One summer, we had some foreign HG pilots show up; they were camping, too. Scores of pilots did that, back in the day.
So, one day, it was not quite soarable, and these guys got bored. The local RC glider club (Inter-Mountain Silent Fliers) borrows the far end of the Point; we work well together, and they are welcome. These bored guys had a Linear Amplifier (illegal to have in a vehicle, even if disconnected), and they found a frequency that would shoot down the RC gliders. These foreign pilots had great fun for several days, with their destructive little game. They had crashed more than a few RCs, before somebody called the FCC. The Feds came out with direction-finding trucks; they triangulated and nailed the foreign van in minutes.
The Feds did not approach the van, until the tow-truck showed up. The tow truck driver said not a word, he just started hooking them up. The foreign pilots were held to one side by the Feds; they were howling that they were not Americans, the van was their house, they NEEDED the camping gear and gliders... Nope, everything was confiscated; the vehicle and contents were used to commit a crime- kiss it all goodbye until court. The Feds told them, First Offense was $10k and impound of the van, and anybody who showed up to claim the van on the court date would be liable in civil court for all property damages claimed by the IMSF, in addition to the slam-dunk FCC convictions and fines. The court date would be in December. (The Point usually looks like Antarctica, in December.) Those jokers came here in a $20,000 van, but they went home in a $120,000 bus...
The FCC (like the FAA) speaks with the force of law, and they answer to *no* President, *no* Congress, and *no* Court in the USA. Appeal all FCC rulings only to the FCC.
The only crime is getting caught...
Cheers,
Red |
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CHassan
3 thumbs up
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Posts: 4598
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:48 pm Post subject: |
#23 |
| Come on it only takes a few bucks. $14.00 for me, and a few hours of study to pass the tech test. Keeps the hounds at bay. |
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axo
3 thumbs up
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1186
Location: Miami Beach
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 2:41 pm Post subject: |
#24 |
Excuse my ignorance... but this thread got me curious.
How high can you go without losing the signal in your cellphone?
Now you know where i am going with this... 
_________________
Aeros Target 13 <---SOLD
Sport 2 135
H2 - AT |
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boarini2003
3 thumbs up
Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 1402
Location: Miami
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:28 pm Post subject: |
#25 |
| Maybe this is a stupid question, but if you transmit while unlicensed, how do they catch you and know who you are? |
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JDyer
3 thumbs up
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
Posts: 703
Location: Alberta Canada
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:35 pm Post subject: |
#26 |
when they here you say "hey driver, come pick me up, I'm at......"
It's not easy to get caught because unless your being an idiot or nuisance they don't really want to find you. But if they want to it's easy for them. even without the sophisticated triangulation stuff they just need to listen. |
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red
3 thumbs up
Joined: 13 Aug 2007
Posts: 2773
Location: Utah, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sol III
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:47 pm Post subject: Do you have your amateur radio license? |
#27 |
| axopro wrote: |
Excuse my ignorance... but this thread got me curious.
How high can you go without losing the signal in your cellphone?
Now you know where i am going with this... |
Axopro,
Um, FCC court?
Sorry, but the FCC regs prohibit cell phone use from any aircraft that is off the ground. They WILL know who did it. Please trust me, there are serious reasons for this one, and probably not what you think.
USAF (SAC) radar tech, ret.
Cheers,
Red |
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JDyer
3 thumbs up
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
Posts: 703
Location: Alberta Canada
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 5:43 pm Post subject: |
#28 |
red, Explain some more about cells in the air. I have never thought twice about it. Nor am I worried about getting caught. I don't see any difference between talking at 8000 feet in the middle of the valley or standing on the ground next to the cell tower at 8000 feet. I always leave my cell on on an airliner and watch the signal. It's usually gone after 10000'
I know a guy that has his phone strapped to his arm with a mic and ear bud and routinely makes/takes calls. bastard starts out with "guess where I am?". |
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axo
3 thumbs up
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1186
Location: Miami Beach
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 5:51 pm Post subject: Re: Do you have your amateur radio license? |
#29 |
| red wrote: |
Axopro,
Um, FCC court?
Sorry, but the FCC regs prohibit cell phone use from any aircraft that is off the ground. They WILL know who did it. Please trust me, there are serious reasons for this one, and probably not what you think.
USAF (SAC) radar tech, ret.
Cheers,
Red |
What!!!!!?????????
wow.. I didn't know that...
Actually, how would they know that you are using your cellphone from a Hang Glider? they would need a "3D" network for that. I know they can tell where you are triangulating or looking at the cellphone's GPS but that does not sound like a way to tell how high you are from the ground.
Still....
did anyone here tried using a cellphone while aloft in a semi rural area where you get signal?
_________________
Aeros Target 13 <---SOLD
Sport 2 135
H2 - AT |
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FBickford
Joined: 26 Nov 2007
Posts: 137
Location: northernamerica
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:28 pm Post subject: |
#30 |
| KI6HLS |
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miguel
3 thumbs up
Joined: 22 Jul 2006
Posts: 587
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject: |
#31 |
| KD6RRL |
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jjcote
3 thumbs up
Joined: 01 Dec 2007
Posts: 3218
Location: Lunenburg, MA, USA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject: |
#32 |
N1EJJ, I've had the license for about 20 years (and I've kept it renewed), but I have yet to actually use it (i.e. transmit on a ham frequency). Now that I fly, and since I recently acquired a VX-170 and headset, I expect that I will quite soon.
In addition to the cell phone being illegal while in the air (might even be illegal to even have it turned on, but I'm not sure), it also seems like it would be pretty inconvenient to use it with a helmet on, although I suppose hooking it up to the same kind of headset that you use with a radio could work. I did have an "incident" last year where I called my girlfriend as soon as I landed (after a flight that lasted over four hours) to let her know that I was okay and was packing up to head home. She was furious: "It's almost dark out, why didn't you call me sooner?". I explained that I had just landed,and she wanted to know why I didn't call her from the air. Maybe that ought to go in the "wuffo questions" thread -- the impracticality of calling her on my cell phone while flying would have been obvious, I would have thought. |
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AlC
3 thumbs up
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 119
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:13 pm Post subject: |
#33 |
I spent 2 days sick at home in December and killed some time on free practice test sites:
kb0mga.net/exams/index.php
aa9pw.com/
and the test question pool: ncvec.org/downloads/2006tech.pdf
Found I was consistently passing the test so I spent the $14 and did a walk-in Ham test (given locally once a month). Passed with only 1 incorrect answer. My wife took a practice test later and scored over 50% with no review at all (pass is 75%). Minimal review and you'll pass.
There is no morse code requirement and the thing is easy. Just do it!
- Al C
KI6NSX |
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mgforbes
3 thumbs up
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 458
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:08 pm Post subject: Cell phones banned in flight |
#34 |
Thanks for the tip, Red. I didn't realize that FCC had specific rules about this;
I thought it was only FAA that worried. Following up, here's a pretty good
Wikipedia link about the topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_on_aircraft
Note that the FCC rules specify "aircraft", and FAA defines our Part 103 craft
as ultralight vehicles....technically not "aircraft". I suspect that trying to make
this argument as a defense would be frowned on with extreme prejudice. 
MGF |
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mgforbes
3 thumbs up
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 458
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:24 pm Post subject: Cell phone physics |
#35 |
| JDyer wrote: |
I don't see any difference between talking at 8000 feet in the
middle of the valley or standing on the ground next to the cell tower
at 8000 feet. |
The difference is that when aloft, you're in range of multiple ground-based
cell sites. These are spaced such that ground-based phones will typically
only see one cell tower as "nearest", and that's the one that will capture the
phone's signal and establish a channel with it. If you're overhead, many
different towers will all see you as "nearest", and the system for allocating
control and frequency will fall apart. If ten towers all hear you equally well,
and start fighting with each other to decide who gets your call, there's a
problem.
Another problem is that in powered airplanes you're moving pretty fast, and
it takes some time to set up the connection to your phone. At 500mph, you're
blazing through the area leaving a trail of half-completed connections and
temporarily-locked-out channels.
Remember that cell sites are not typically located on top of mountains. They
are geographically dispersed, with line-of-sight local access to customers.
You'd pick a reasonably tall spot to put one, within some given area, to
maximize its footprint....assuming the average traffic density makes that a
good decision. If it's a densely-packed area, you'd probably use shorter
towers and get a smaller footprint, packing more sites into the area. Each
cell can only handle so many calls; if it's Las Vegas or NYC, you want a lot
of little-bitty sites, not one big honkin' one. At the LV convention center, I'll
bet you'd want sites that covered *yards*, not *miles*. You wouldn't put up
towers at all in that case...simple transmitters in the corners of the show
floor would be plenty. Imagine the congestion when the National Association
of Broadcasters hits town, with twenty thousand TV executives and their
decorative arm candy all blathering away on their Gucci-emblazoned phones.
MGF |
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flakey
1 thumbs up
Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 669
Location: Huntington Beach, Ca USA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:56 pm Post subject: |
#36 |
| no kidding, I tried it. Just type in the call sign and you get all the personal info you never wanted exposed on the net. |
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JR
1 thumbs up
Joined: 16 Oct 2007
Posts: 611
Location: western MD
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| Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:46 am Post subject: |
#37 |
| N3IWI since 1989 (back in the day when you had to learn Morse code to get a Technician's license), It's so much easier now so there's no reason not to be properly licensed if you intend to use ham radios for communication. |
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Rick M
3 thumbs up
Joined: 22 Apr 2007
Posts: 1071
Location: Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:52 pm Post subject: |
#38 |
Took my Tech test last week. Showed up in the database today - yeah, I'm a ham!
KD0DIY
_________________
Rick
Hang 3 - WW U2 160
FL - ST - FSL - AT - TUR
"Once you have flown you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return" -- Leonardo da Vinci |
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Wingspan34
2 thumbs up
Joined: 14 Mar 2007
Posts: 5652
Location: Central NY
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:55 pm Post subject: |
#39 |
| Rick M wrote: |
Took my Tech test last week. Showed up in the database today - yeah, I'm a ham!
KD0DIY |
I've heard of Puff Daddy, but never K D0DIY?
_________________
WW 141 Fusion SP
Master rated, First flight - May 1975
FL, PL, PA, AWCL, CL, FSL, RLF, TURB, X-C |
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Firefly
Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 13
Location: Back of Beyond.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:30 pm Post subject: |
#40 |
Uhhh... No. I use UHF (477MHz - CB) in Au, The country is littered with UHF repeaters which give a usable range to 100km (25-50km without repeaters) which is plenty for me. A sat phone serves for long range /recovery / emergency communications where cell phones are useless.
PS. There is waaaay to much publicly accessible information associated with these call signs. http://www.wm7d.net |
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