hpr-knowledge-base/hpr_transcripts/hpr4578.txt

Episode: 4578
Title: Alex's journey into Amateur Radio
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr4578/hpr4578.mp3
Transcribed: 2026-07-31 16:14:22 (official HPR transcript)

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This is Hacker Public Radio Episode 4578, for 2026-02-18
Today's show is entitled, "Alex's journey into Amateur Radio"
The host is thelovebug and the duration is 00:13:34
The flag is Clean, and the license is CC-BY-SA
The summary is "Dave talks to his son, Alex, about his experiences as a newly-licensed amateur radio operator"
Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of Hacker Public Radio. My name is Dave and you may
recall some time ago and I'm just actually just going to find out live. This is a live bit of research.
How long ago this was? It was back in 2021. I did an episode number 3473 talking about my journey
into amateur radio. What the reason that I've come back again is because someone else in this house
hold has just started theirs and that is my youngest son, Alex. Hello Alex. Hello. So,
Alex, you have recently passed your amateur radio license and I think what
listeners would be really interested to know is why you decided to go for your amateur license
in the first place. Yes, so I know you had an interest in it for a while and when I went to
maltbee for the first time for our radio club, I enjoyed it and I enjoyed learning about it.
So, I thought it would be an interesting thing to try and take part of. Okay, that's really interesting.
When you were coming along to the radio club with me, I'll be perfectly honest with you on
a main ever of actually said this to you before. I didn't actually seem as though you seemed
that bothered about it. Obviously, that was wrong. So, we know now that you do have an interest
because you've gone and got your sample license past your exam. What are incentives were you
given to actually get your license properly? Well, I did want to try and I thought it would be
interesting to communicate to other people and I was excited to try and learn and see what I could
do. That's nice. I like that because that's as a sense of personal progression. This is
you wanting to learn new things. And I will say that as you've been going through the process,
your desire to learn and your desire to question the things that you had been learning
has been really quite notable. Were you polite to tell? Well, there was a
the bet that we had in multiplayer. If I was the first to pass my license over the other junior
member, I would win was it 20, 10 pounds. That I think was 20 pounds. Yeah. And I did get that.
So, I did have 20 pounds and I also got already along with it. You did. Yeah, absolutely.
You also got a slight bribe for me because I did say I would pay for the license. They
fed the examination for you. So, we've tried to make the journey as painless as possible for you.
So, hopefully that hurts worked. But I think just keeping on that line for a second, when it
came to the training, how easy did you find it? So, the official foundation training book.
I didn't understand very easily because it was quite complicated. But there was the ham train
one which I found much easier to understand. So, I mostly use that one to study.
I've heard a lot of people say exactly the same thing. The ham train book, by the way, ham train
is the training arm of Essex Ham, which is the organization in the UK that is put on free.
Or one of the number of organizations that put some free training for at different levels.
But yeah, you're absolutely right. The ham train foundation book clip is designed more
at a more easy to understand element, where is the RSGB foundation license handbook or manual
which one it is? Is very technical, very matter of fact. And it's almost more of a curriculum guide,
syllabus guide than it is a training manual. So, what about the exam itself? You just spend a lot
of time going through the books and learning and watching the videos from Essex Ham. But when
it came to the examination, was it as difficult or complex as you had imagined that it was going to be?
No, I expected it to be much more difficult. But some of the questions I understood, some of
them I had to go back over. But in the end, I did get an understand most of it. So, I think that was
nice. No, that is good. What course on a GG shoes? I chose M70UO. Why? Well, we were looking over a few
ethics ham, the call sign checker. And I thought it looked nice because it was one of the
few that we found out was available. And it kind of looks like a face. Yes, it does. No, you're absolutely right.
It's a good course, I naturally. And it scans quite well in Elphabet as well, which is good.
So, now that you've got your course sign, you are licensed at the foundation level, which means you
are perfectly within your rights to pick up a microphone and make noise. How does that make you feel?
And it sounds a bit like sitting on a psychiatrist couch. But how does it make you feel that you
have this ability to do it? And I think I'm rather than, oh, it makes me feel excited. And what about
if you were to then pick up the microphone and press the button and speak into it, how would that
make you feel? Well, I'd probably be nervous at first, but once you get the hang of it, you're
sort of, it's easier. And also, I feel like it's more, it's an interesting hobby and I think it's
really nice to learn and get into. Okay, well, we'll come back to that because I do have a specific
question about that. Now, interestingly enough, you would have already made a number of contacts,
supervised contacts, on the air before you had your own license. There was one that we did,
you see my handheld radio when we did the field day outside the clubhouse. Do you remember that one?
Yes. You did how you had one contact on the HF radio at club when I think it was, was it
Liam was was going through it with you? Yes, it was Liam. Yeah. And then what I would consider
an immense privilege for you is you managed to get a contact whilst down at the radio center at
Bletchley Park in December. Yes, I do still have a postcard on my wall from there. Do you
remember which country you were at? You reached Sweden? Almost. Finland? No. No way. Switzerland.
Yes. Yes. As each of those experiences, I mean, specifically those in order because those
of the three you did before you took your exam, starting with the handheld going to HF with Liam
and then speaking to somebody on the rather nice radio installation at the National Radio
Center, how did you find those experiences? Well, the one handheld, I think that was my first ever
chance when it wasn't there. It was definitely a very scary experience. I didn't really know what to say,
but I got the hang of it after a while. For the HF one, which was Liam helped me that one,
I think it was definitely an interesting experience because also I got someone from my thing
Finland or somewhere like that because it was a while away. And for the one I bletchley park,
come actually really proud of that one because it's from, you get from a while away. And also it's an
official, the official radio center. So, financed a very good achievement, transmitting from there.
Well, being able to actually use the National Radio Center call sign, GB,
free RRS. I was going to say to GB2, RRS, but that's the news bulletin. GB3 of RRS is
internationally renowned and recognised as the National Radio Center. So, for you to use that,
is quite a privilege position to be in. Did you find that each of those three experiences got
easier with each one? I think the one at GB3 RRS was one of the scariest because it's from a
big place, but the one from the handheld to the HF, it definitely did get easier. Yeah.
So, I think, in a way, yeah. There was one more. Was that? On the way back from Bletchley Park.
Ah, when I was talking in convoy. When we were in convoy and I was speaking on the on the radio
and I said, right, I've had enough now, you can do it and I shove the microphone in your face.
And you just took to it completely naturally. As if it was something you'd done for
prages. Yes, I do remember that now. We were talking for a while and then you thought that I could
should have a try. Yeah. Well, as I'm sure supervised by somebody who has a license,
then really anybody, absolutely anybody can use the amateur radio bands. Yeah, and I think that's
a nice experience because that's only a recent rule, isn't it? It's a recent change to the rule.
Up until recently, I think you had to be either in this immediate or a full license holder to be
able to do it. So, I think it was about 18 months, two years ago, whether it changed the rules
that actually allowed foundation license, I hold us like myself, to be able to supervise
other users using their call sign. So, technically, either of your brothers who have no interest
in pursuing a call sign, if they wanted to and they want to speak to somebody on the radio,
they could use my call sign with me there. Yeah. So, how many new contacts have you made since you
became licensed in December? Since I became licensed, I believe, I did speak to you on the
last I was walking locally, other than that, I don't think I've made many contacts. That's the
answer I had. It was just me. As a matter of fact, there were two instances. The first one was actually
on the day you got your call sign, where you went out for a walk, and you tried, you had the
hand held and you tried to court. I remember the second time now. And yeah, and the one after that
is when you came and joined us on a walk. So, what's next for you? In terms of your amateur
radio journey, you know I am now studying for my intermediate. So, that's the next step on.
Do you have any inclination to move onto the next level, or are you going to stay where you are
for now, have a look around and see what things are like, just get used to it?
Well, I've not really had much experience in amateur radio yet, so I'll probably stay foundation
for a while. I think I definitely need to try and make a few more contact with people, go to
other places, and try and get contact there. So, now that you've been through the experience
of learning more about it and having a go and going through the training and going through the
examination, what was the best piece of advice you could go back and give yourself when you first
looked into this? And I suppose I actually suppose my extension, what was the best piece of advice
you could give to somebody else thinking about getting into amateur radio? Well, study hard. I think
studying is important to try and get your head into the mindset of amateur radio and for your exam.
Excellent. All right, well, I hope this has given you a bit of a taste of of what it's like
for somebody who has just passed their amateur radio exam, who's just starting to learn their
experiences. And of course, if you do have any questions you want to ask, then please feel free
to leave a comment on the show notes of this episode. Or of course, if you want to, if you want to
to make a bit more of a long comment, or you want to describe your own experiences of having
to have been gone through the same thing, then please do feel free to record an episode yourself.
So, Alex, thank you so much for speaking to me. I know this has taken about a week to
actually get around to doing. But I've been with you on this journey, and I even found this
conversation in lightning, so I'm hoping other people will as well. So, thank you.
Yes, it was a very nice experience. Thank you. So, join us again tomorrow for another exciting
episode of Hacker Public Radio.
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