Explore what you can do with your tech license
Ham radio is always something I’ve been interested in just because I love tech, but I didn’t fully commit until this year. I buckled down and just repeated the quizzes on the ham radio app until I was at a high passing level. I took the test in January, 2025 and off I went.
A lot of people get their tech license, quickly lose guidance and then interest in doing more. I luckily ended up on a good journey that has me now seeking to upgrade to general in the next month! Here’s what helped me grow my interest with only a tech license in hand.
What to Do When You Get Your Technician License
- Starting Cheap: Baofeng
- Get on a Net
- Find a club
- Deep dive into APRS and SSTV
- Learn to work some satellite
- Is there anybody out there???
Starting Cheap: Baofeng
The very first radio I got cost $28, that’s it. The infamous Baofeng UV-5R is almost a right of passage as it seems everyone picks one up as a first radio. I started with a video that explained all the menu options and then helped me program my radio using Chirp (free). I found his videos straight forward in explanation and I was up and running in one night. The reason a lot of people start with the UV-5R is help is abundant for it online.
Get On a Net
Once I got repeaters programmed into my Baofeng, antenna (rubber ducky) replaced. It was time to try to make contact. UHF/VHF can be kinda quiet so some the best time way I was able to get my first contacts was through a Net.
The best time to find nets is early before work or lunch time. So, 7am-9am and 11am – 1pm. They usually pick a general topic to chat about and you call in with your response. Boom! First contact!
Find a Club, Find Another Club, and Another…
This is where I stopped, though. Net’s are tightly controlled and didn’t really open up the opportunity for conversation, contacts, etc.
I tried a club social gathering and though they were friendly, I didn’t really get much insight or help from them.
I tried field day and found one person to help but he unfortunately passed away.
I tried a club meeting but it was in presentation form and again, no chance to bring my gear and ask for help.
I tried discord and there I got some guidance on maybe investigating DMR. I set up my hotspot and hit a stopping point.
I asked for help online and I finally found a group on zoom that really helped! I hang out there regularly. They helped me with my gear and pointed me in new directions when I wanted to learn more. I’m planning to upgrade to general soon because of them!
The point is: if you don’t find a group you mesh with at first, try and try again.
Deep dive into APRS and SSTV
Being a bit mic shy, my club introduced me to APRS and SSTV – all perfectly possibly with just a technician license.
APRS is usually used as text message to send location, but in reality it was created to simply be community messages. If there’s something happening in your area, it should be on APRS. Most people use it for beacons, but there’s plenty of programs to explore the text messaging portion of it!
SSTV is another fun thing to try, especially if you’re having trouble reaching local repeaters. It’s simply sending and receiving messages via radio!
You’ll need software and possibly a digirig to work APRS/SSTV and I won’t go into details, but just putting out some of the things that really got me deeper into ham.
Learn to work some satellite
Last, one of your best chances of getting an image on SSTV is when the ISS satellite passes over. There are apps to track it to determine when it is going right over you and you could record the audio on your phone and decode it with programs later. Just an interesting way to use radio!
Is there anybody out there?
After my journey though the the various things above, I really got motivated to make more contacts and for that – you need a general license. I’ll be upgrading soon, but wanted to share what my path looked like for new hams out there!