46 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2021
Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.
You may be inclined to think that Amateur (Ham) Radio is
an expensive hobby; that all that high-tech equipment must
cost hundreds of dollars to purchase and operate. While
it's true that you can spend quite a bit on the hobby,
it may surprise you to discover that many of our
members have spent less than a hundred dollars
on their radios and have no plans for acquiring more
equipment. They have found that the easiest, the cheapest,
and possibly the most fun way to get into our hobby is by
operating on what's known as the "2-meter VHF band" with a
"technician class" FCC license (the entry level license class).
Basic, easy-to-learn and operate, radios for this band can be purchased
for around $80 – the Yaesu radio pictured at right is just one example.
Used equipment in excellent condition can cost even less. So, if you've had
an interest in Amateur Radio but were put off by your perceptions of the
cost to do so, now may be the time to explore your options and put that
Christmas gift money to work.
We're a group of Hams who enjoy our hobby, our friendship and working
together to provide communications capabilities for the residents of our
community in the event of an emergency. We meet on Zoom the last Friday
of each month at 10 am and we also coordinate and participate in a pair of
local networks each Wednesday: Family Radio Service (FRS) at 5:15 pm
and the 2-meter VHF net at 5:30 pm. Let us know if you have questions. ~
Jim Peterson, jim.k6jwp@gmail.com
Radio Club
An Inexpensive 2-meter VHF Band Transceiver
