BEGIN HERE -> For Beginners
THIS CHAPTER of my web will contain tips
for new ham radio operators, young and old,
who are just entering the wonderful world of Amateur Radio.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHAPITER "BEGIN HERE" is to help new hams make intelligent decisions on how to enter the hobby, specifically what to spend their money on and more important, what NOT to spend their money on. We have two goals here:
1) Help the newcomer to obtain maximum enjoyment from the radio equipment
(s)he initially purchases.
2) Help reduce the financial loss when (s)he decides to sell any of the things
purchased under "1" above.
PLEASE keep in mind that the information you read here is "my opinion" and opinionated information should always be taken with a grain of salt. Ask others.
If you ask 5 different Old Men what radio transceiver you should buy, you will probably get 6 different answers. The same goes for antennas, microphones, or just about anything else.
How is a new ham to know what to do?
The short answer is, (s)he can't.
Only after the new ham has been a ham radio operator for several months or even one or two years, will (s)he begin to find out which of the diverse activities interest him/her the most.
UNTIL THAT TIME, it is not a good idea to invest a lot of money into the hobby. Should you determine that the radio or antenna or whatever is not the best for your preferred interests, and have to sell it, you will usually lose a lot of money.
The problem with asking others is, they will tell you what works best for them, based on their own particular interests in ham radio. You may have different interests and therefore the good advice from the friend, though good, is simply Not/Applicable in your case.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .