As a comment - I think what makes your content a step above others, is that you don't assume we know anything and you break everything down for us. I know that for experienced hams, you are so experienced and used to all the terms and lingo, that you just casually assume that everybody MUST know the basic terms and abbreviations - when we DON'T! LOL So, the fact that you really bend over to explain everything, no matter how simple or mundane, is a huge help for us new guys. I have gained more confidence watching your videos than I can say. Please keep it up. Carry on :)

Taking my tech test next week, this channel is a god send.

I just passed my technician license last month and your content is just perfect for me! Looking forward to your future shows and continuing to learn....thanks a bunch Scott.....73

As a newly minted technician I'm starting off the easy way. I have a GT-3TP Baofeng with a signal stick for carrying around and I put the Explorer QRZ-1 in my truck with a hand mike and external antenna. I also made a J-Pole out of 3/4" copper pipe for the house with coax adapters that I can hook up either radio to. I love diy projects and this hobby provides plenty of that. Love your content and channel. KQ4OFG

A church purchased a property down the road and were going to tearing down the house onsite. I went and explored the home before it was gone. I found a lot of ham radio information and a lot about San Antonio ham radio club. Made me interested. There is a 40 foot tower still there onsite, in the back.

I’ve been a ham for a little over a year now. And just recently passed my Extra. But I’m still learning as I go.

I’m somebody that needs things explained in simple terms. You do that very well. Thanks I look forward to watching more videos 🎙️🙋🏻‍♂️

KK7RXI here. New tech license. Bought a Yeasu vx 6 and basic upgrades. Thanks for the great info and especially calling out the HAM SNOBS. No hobby needs people like that and yet every hobby has them. And yes. They all suck.

Great video. My husband and I have been hams for 26 years. We both like you're videos. I feel that you can still learn things no matter how long you've been a ham.

Yeah, I'm flying solo here! No Elmer! Trying get my 817 w/Signalink USB all set up on an older Panasonic Tough Book !!! I've been a General for quite some time! Never even tried hooking up my radio till recently!!! This hobby is unique in, you get your license and don't know Jack about it!!! 😂

im studying for tech., i am surrounded by ALOT of hams', who i have reached out too and im getting nowhere, your videos are so informative and explain in layman's terms for us who are getting into ham radio. thank you . I've sub'd, and look forward to more content from you. 😁

I have been watching your videos on several topics since I found your channel. Really enjoying your website. You are a real asset to us new guys. A life line to the ignorant LOL Keep up the good work.

I've just recently gotten my Technician license and I started watching your videos. This was great for me and getting started. Keep up the good work.

Scott mentioned that 20 Meters goes dead at night. A year after this video was recorded, shortwave conditions have really improved because of the 11 year sunspot cycle. In 2021, 20 meters closed at night -- nothing skipping in over the ionosphere. In 2022, 20 Meters is now open "to somewhere" through the night -- sometimes only a few states away, sometimes a few continents away. With the sun increasing its violent activity for the next few years, higher and higher frequencies (17 meters, 15 meters, 12 meters, 10 meters, 6 meters, and maybe even higher frequencies) will bounce signals off the ionosphere and be "open to somewhere" as the sunspot cycle progresses.

MFJ is a really great US 🇺🇲 company, very impressed with the owner, his staff are second to none.

He’s a good salesman. Has a good delivery. Makes the hobby sound exciting.

I've been an Amateur Radio operator for about 4 decades.... a little more, actually, and (what you call) an Over The Road Truck Driver for a little less. I've operated mostly mobile , but also had home stations, but, since I wasn't home a whole lot, my antennas at home were more often than not ether wire or similar to double bazookas et al. One of the things that really resonated with me on this presentation was that all too often what I call "technocrats" get all full of themselves, the technology and the theory (particularly with regards to antenna systems, but also with so much other radio related topics) and blather on as if they invented radio, or as if anyone who ISN'T like them in attitude is some sort of lesser Ham. They will prattle on for hours about velocity factors, tuned feeders, resonance (or lack thereof), interaction, reactance or whatever the hell is their bent at that time and that things must be ""exactly" as they pontificate because they read it somewhere, or the "theory says" etc etc until the cows come home, without understanding that in many ways the theory works exactly that - in theory, in space, with no other factors (say trees, telegraph poles, buildings, structures and the list goes on) but here in the REAL world, you do what works, what keeps your equipment "happy" and gets out. Over the years I've done many, many things that should NOT work and had tremendous success! People should never be scared to (as we Aussies say it) "have a crack" at something and see if it works. Oh - and mentoring is great, denigrating says more about the denigratOR than the denigratEE!!!!!! Keep up your good work! BTW, there's not much Amateur Radio content on my channel because I tend to do what you are doing, but in person simply because I'm hopeless at editing/rendering etc!!!!!! Kindest regards De VK2XB

great video, thx for making it!!!! I started in radio in the military back in the 70s.... and I got into CB radio.... after that..... now in the early 2000s I got my tech license. Back in the 90s I was talking with a local ham and he brought up about someone local who was not following THE RULES.... and described what was going on. From the description the kid was trying the best he could without help, which I did say to the HAM..... to which he responded with how the local group [club] had dealt with it..... they tracked the kid down, crept up to his antenna and put a thumb tack in the coax. "THAT really fixed HIM!" very proud of at best damaging the kid's property. Needless to say I did not bother to point out the several criminal acts that HAM had broken along with the bad taste the reported club's actions left with me. That HAM and most of his old buddies have either moved on or gone silent......

Love the video, thanks. Ham Radio is one of those hobbies where you actually have a license to make mistakes!

KJ5CHE, just got my license this morning. Thanks for the video.

Got a better antenna. Got the programming cable. Dl'd Chirp. Bought the Baofeng gt 5 r...very happy with it. Still trying to get some traffic to listen to.

I am very grateful for you and your video. I am just getting started and hard to find info on my level.

Scott,thanks,taking Technician test tomorrow 4-15-22

Sad that local clubs deteriorated over the decades. That was always a great resource for new hams. Heck back in the day we felt obligated to help a new ham. I sill buy a new study guide for some that shows interest. Still love the hobby but in some ways it aint what it used to be.

My wife and I been licensing for 4yr now we both have ftm400 and ft3dr and 1 991a radio we find out new stuff every so often about them and about Ham radio :-)

I passed my license last year. Got my first HT today...the Chirp software has been a challenge. Couldn't get my Mac to take it. Got it on my Windows computer. But still, I can't get it to upload right. So, I've been manually programming. It's only the first real day. Once I get some channels going, I think I'll feel better.

Great video and channel! I want to share my thoughts about coax because you mentioned using RG-58 for VHF/UHF. If you put 50 watts into RG-58 on the 440 MHz band you will only get 16 watts out the other end. That's 68 percent of your power being dissipated as heat. Will it work? Sure. You'll probably even hit all your favorite repeaters with near-full or full quieting with 16 watts and a roof-mounted gain antenna. But with this knowledge you are able to make decisions about where's the best place for your dollars to go. A little more for better coax and a 25 watt rig? That's if that's your thing. I really like your attitude about there are as many ways to enjoy ham radio as there are hams, so do what makes you happy.

Ive got the buddipole deluxe long version. Awesome!

love your videos. starting to learn general

Thanks Doug I just passed my tech and now I am using 2 Meter to hit local repeaters and enjoying this. Your presentation is great for newbies! I appreciate your overview and it will help me to progress with this hobby

I bought a comet ds-150s, 1-1300mhz transmit and recieve . I put it 40 feet up on my roof and it did everything I want it to do, if any newbs are looking for a hassle free entry level base ant. I have never had a multi band antenna with such a flawless swr on every flippin frequency, nothing over 1.3, average vhf/uhf is 1.0. It gets out surprisingly well. I switch it between my gmrs, digital scanner and base ham.

Thanks so much Scott! I'm an old guy, but I have always been fascinated with amateur radio. I think I might take the plunge! This was very helpful!

dielectric grease is also recommended on all coax connections. Small tube can be found at most auto parts stores. its also know as tuneup grease

Great info. I opted for a 25w mobile that was bundled with a 30 Amp power supply from R and L electronics. Good advice on going with a better h/t if you can. Especially from a US vendor. My yaesu ft 4xr was twice the price of the Chinese h/t I first had, but 10x the radio. I don't hate the Chinese radio at all, I keep in my work vehicle where it is usable if needed. And it has nooa weather, which is a must in tornado country.

Very helpful !!!! THANK YOU !!!!!

Good stuff, Scott! Thank you.

just got my general on the first try. thanks for all the info

Great info my friend. I did my foundation test last weekend, just waiting for my results and callsign. So far, I have not had any bad experiences with sad or bad hams. Lol. I'm subscribed to most of those youtube channels and Discord. Only been looking into ham radio for a few months, I'm happy to have a new hobby and make new friends around the world. Many helpful guys like you that make it inviting and helpful to get into. Thank you.👍🤓🇦🇺 73

Really cool Mail Bag Monday.

Just passed my pre-test, I am a technician a beginner amateur and I got a book from a ham fest for tips and you help alot for these videos thanks for your help!

Scott, glad I found your channel. You are providing me with exactly what I need. I know zip, nada about ham but it has always interested me. I am way late in the game at 73 but I am serious about getting started. I am waiting on some books to do some studying for the license exam. I have taken several free online exams and have done well on both the technician and General. But, I want to "know" I have the correct answer and not just good guesses. I do have some electronics knowledge on a hobby level. Thank you..... I subscribed and will do some binge-watching.

Hello Scott I'm from the Netherlands and I started 2 months ago to get my license. I just want to thank you for the great videos with tons of very useful information, I don't know any people which are in this Hobby so I have to find out everything by my self. For me it's very interesting to talk and connect with people around the world without the help of internet. With a small set-up a big distance is my goal and mobile in a world without Internet and power I want to be able to communicate. Thanks again greetings from the Netherlands 73

Thanks, sir! Tonight, I’m ordering a Jackery 500w power-station with their 100w solar panel. I hope to (among other things) power a Powerwerx SS-30DV and Alinco DR-735T with it. That’s 2 big firsts for me. First decent little solar setup and first 50w ham radio! Actually, that will be my first non-Baofeng. Definitely excited for that. Still need to research more about station grounding but ultimately love the potential capability. Thanks again for the vid & help! Cool to see you suggesting all sorts of ham channels.

Thanx man I'm a Moonie this really helped

Thank you Scott, just got my technician license and really enjoyed your presentation and recommendations.

Thank you for the content. I am a new ham and obtained my technician license on 29 Nov 21.

Im a beginner! Big help sir for sharing to us your objective and direct info on how to start ham radioing!!!! Thanks! From ph.

@HR4NT Thank you so much for this excellent video summary. I especially appreciated the suggestion to find your "Why" for being in the hobby. That's good advice for any facet of life so I'm going to put some thought into that as I dip my toes into Ham world 🌎 for the first time. I've always enjoying tinkering with electronics including radios 📻 , computers 🖥 and telephones ☎️ since I was a teenager. I've retired recently so I've got a little more time to finally delve into Ham radio a bit & got my Technician ticket this past week. There is *SO* much more technology in radio now tha when I first considered this hobby decades ago. I've purchased an inexpensive HT + antenna upgrade & I'm going to just listen on our local repeaters for a week or so before I try my first contact. Eventually, I'd like to branch into HF as well as that's a good bit more interesting. Will be working to get my General sometime in 2024. So just I just wanted to say 73' and thanks again for the great content. KF0OGU

Great video! Just passed my Technicians test last week. Now waiting for FCC to give me my sign and post. Thanks for the video. I plan on checking all of your info out. Keep up the great work.

Really got a lot out of this. Thank you!

Great laydown. I'm just getting into it because we are into off-roading travel/camping and wanted to have a reliable means of communicating in case we are off the beaten path, great presentation!!

Thanks. The KZfaq channels mostly want to sell me radios. I have radios. Thanks again. Would love to see you go outside.

Along with having multiple antennas you will have multiple radios, don’t fight it, just save up and get it. There is always something new that comes out that you will like and not all radios ( rigs) do the same things the same way or have the same features. M&P makes good coax. Once you get into it you have the bug then after that it’s a way of life. Nice video keep them coming

I recommend the Radiowaves 80/40/20/10 OCFD. Its affordable and works GREAT on a ton of bands.

Thank you for your videos, I’ve learned a lot and your presentation is great. Your delivery is very humble. 👍🏻👍🏻

This is a terrific video - thank you!

Good advice. Also great advice on antenna coax. Don’t go overboard on coax especially if you’re working the low bands, 80/40, at 100 watts with 50 feet or less of cable. The only thing I would dispute is over antenna tuners. Using an antenna tuner to protect the rig is an expensive piece of rig insurance. All modern rigs going back at least 35 years have SWR protection. I would use an antenna analyzer or, if on the cheap like me, use a noise bridge to determine the impedance at the point where the coax meets the rig. If you can get the antenna resonant where you want to operate then you’re best with that arrangement. Except for certain exceptions, like feeding into ladder line feed, using an antenna tuner will be a compromise. Use an antenna tuner if a resonant antenna is not an option.

so true, everything u say👍 73 de WA4ELW in TN 🇺🇸 dit dit 😃

Just got the Ic-705 with the thought being il use this to see what bands I want to get into and then go for a big ham shack base station as I can afford it. Then the 705 becomes the mobile setup. The best thing I’ve done I can recommend is get some wire up in the sky and start tuning it a radio only as good as it’s antenna.

Definitely i enjoy this kind of hobby great to know your channel Scott

Hey Scott , just arrived 2 UVD 8 plus to us! Need manual Simple instructions on programming these. NO calls cause working on Tech Exam study! Thanks The Moores 🙏

Wouxun is pronounced " Oh- shing" Good video for most part. I've been a ham for 22 years and thinking back to my new days you bring up alot of good points. I was an expert when I came to the hobby. I intimidated extras and now I am an extra lol.

Great work. Thanks for sharing. Also consider SDR for beginner.

40 meters is also good during the day for distances up to around 500-600 miles, provided you have a decent antenna. After sunset, the band will "go long" meaning that skip distances will be much further allowing worldwide dx (working distant stations). Ivan VE7IVN

Enjoyed the vid.

Thank you.

Outstanding video!

This was a very informative video. Just what I was looking for since I just got my Technician. 73!

Recently discovered your channel. Good stuff, keep up the good work. Passed my tech back in October, general is next. Completely agree... Josh and HRCC are amazing.

Thanks for this 👍🏽

I’ve got the ftm 300, same features as the 400 without the big touch screen, the face looks somewhat similar to the 400 but scaled down to attach to the radios body and about $130 cheaper, great radio though, I do plan to get the 400 as a base station.

I use RG213! It is better than RG8, but doesn't cost as much as LMR400. the LMR400 is better than RG213 but the RG213 is easier to work and cost less. Everyone needs to study and find out what is best for them. 73. W4DES

Great video!

I totally enjoyed your video. Thank you.

Great information, thank you!!!

Thanks I like this ..

Good stuff! Thanks for the video.

Thanks for the info.

Hello. I’m a complete noob when it comes to H.A.M. Radios. I’ve recently been concerned with the events of the world and got into prepping. Now that I have most of my basis covered I need communication for not only prepping but entertainment. I’m very technically savy I just need a good teacher. I bought two Baofeng radios and as I do more research I hear 50/50 good things about it. Equally bad things. I’m not afraid to spend some cash as I know I want a “good” set up but I feel like I’m getting ahead of myself. I need to understand what is a ham radio and how it works. What I can do with it and what others do with it. I want a home set up and a portable set up. No matter what I search every video starts with assumptions I know more than I do. I need complete dumbed down to the bare bones intro. To H.A.M. Radios. Can you do such a video or recommend one. I want to go about this the legit way and the wink wink way. Just for a post apocalyptic scenario. Any suggestions on what to buy. I figure 800-1000$ for everything is my budget. As previously stated I already own two baofengs and their respective uhf/vhf extended antennas and extended batteries for each. I also bought the data cable everyone says to use. I downloaded things but I have no idea how to use or what they do. The extent of what I’ve done so far is I’ve heard some ems and noaa radio transmissions. That’s it. I enjoy your videos. Thanks in advance.

Next is Equipment and my limitations. 2. I need two equipment - one at home and one in truck. I am mostly in remote forest roads where there is no cell service - how to communicate back home ? Please help !

Thanks for those words, and encouragement! Small bites and trying to learn. Like your bike, love mine! Thumbs up and subscribed! 73, KN6TMF (Gerry)

I have seen other videos of antenna builds. You'd an Dave Kessler are more detailed. Thank you.

HERE'S A TIP! Don't get a Yaesu FT5D until you have a call sign. When you turn it on, you can't get past the first screen until you can provide a call sign.

RG-8X (not RG-8).....RG-8X is the "industry" standard. Only slightly bigger than 58 and ALOT less loss, also very flexible.

Why is your audio cutting out on the Build your own window passthrough?

I just passed my technician class license On Friday I don't even have my call sign yet. Q: Do you like yeasu radios? Specifically the Ft60 and the vx6?

Off topic question but....I've been known to play with rare earth magnets. Should they be kept away from the shack?

Hi Scott. Quick question. I plan to set up “backyard portable” so I can get on the air HF while I wait for some help to set up proper indoor shack. If I use a power supply plugged into 3-prong outdoor A/C outlet, do I still need to ground the power supply and transceiver? Thank you for all your advice and great content. Jim in Oregon. K7NJL

Always great information. Thank you- K5BOU

Just a newbie question... which antenna do you recommend for a Yaesu VX-6R..? I have my first rig on order and I did order 2x extra batteries and the newer upgraded external mic. Thank you for your videos. Subbed with notifications. #hamradio #amateurradio #novice #study #yaesu #vx6r #riskmanagement #communications #ecomms #outdoorsports #hiking #camping #trekking #htradios

What are your thoughts on a tyt th350 try band ht i got one on eBay us d for 50

I have just passed the technician test and am researching affordable equipment. Would a Yaesu FT-60R be an appropriate choice for a technician license?

Tnxs 73

👍

Why having a baofeng is unfortunate?

How do you find a repeater in your area?

Hey Scott! I just got my callsign and first radio yesterday, it’s a Yaesu FT-65, and I also got a Diamond SRJ77CA to go with it. It works, I know that, but I’m having an awfully hard time working other stations or repeaters. I went to an open, elevated area about 15 minutes from my apartment last night and caught the tail ends of some nets and a few conversations on some repeaters, but when I tried to call CQ, nobody indicated they could hear me. Am I doing something wrong, including being rude? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! KC1RRL

Baofeng is the gateway HT. LoL Let's not knock it.

are you fixing your mobile rigs to your vehicle/truck? Or even more mobile by running them not fixed & out of back packing/container use from anywhere you choose for portability?

Thank you Scott for the information. I got my General license at the begining of the year when everything was still closed and was difficult to find direction how to navigate the hobby. The videos you and the other youtubbers you mentioned helpped me get some foundation on how to become a HAM. Again, thank you so much for your time and effort. (De W4RMZ)