Advanced Radio Course, and a question about HF

VHS ARC
1

I’m wondering if there’s any interest in people studying for the advanced amateur radio qualification? It’s been over 7 months since I got my license, and I’d like to start working towards getting my advanced license – I’d like to be able to build my own radios for some projects I’m dreaming up. I’ve been thinking about getting the advanced study guide from the same place the study guide @toptekkie got the basic ones and just starting to read and study and hammer away at the advanced practice exam generator.

Also, I’ve been looking around for a base station, and it seems like the vast majority of them are HF, not VHF or UHF. Is there any particular reason that HF is so popular, even though most club repeaters seem to be VHF/UHF? My first guess is that it’s due to propagation, but other than that I’m not sure.

2

It’s a combination of propagation and modulation modes.

HF modes (CW/SSB) allow you to talk around the world, and HF rigs tend
to have a lot of fiddly controls that need the space of a base station
to hold them.

FM VHF and UHF, being more suitable for metropolitan areas, get used
more for mobile and portable radios, with simpler operational
controls.

VHF and UHF CW/AM/SSB base station radios do exist, but they are
mainly used by contesters who take them up to mountaintops for
contests.

3

I wouldn’t mind brushing up on the advanced material.

4

I understand the North Shore Amateur Radio Club is planning to run an Advanced course during Fall.

They haven’t updated their website yet though.

Ian

(Sent from a mobile device. I apologize for the brevity.)