Test Preparation other ham things to start looking at:
1. Use HamStudy.org: HamStudy is a free website that provides practice tests for all ham radio licenses. It can help individuals prepare for their exams and find online or in-person test sessions. www.hamstudy.org
2. Check Out W4EEY on YouTube: W4EEY on YouTube offers excellent ham radio tutorials. He has playlists covering all ham radio license levels and occasionally conducts live classes. This resource can be valuable for learning ham radio concepts. Here are the provided playlists:
• Tech Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ_9BZQ8gpziUWPBT3rOvSV6MCCeCaiK0
• General Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ_9BZQ8gpziv2a26B_IoQ1RbXbIqieP2
• Extra Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ_9BZQ8gpzh7NC1WVKwCCmOTULSj1f93
3. Explore ARRL and Local Clubs: The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) website can help individuals find local ham radio clubs. These clubs often have information about local repeaters, club meetings, and ham radio "nets" (radio meetups). It's a good way to connect with other ham radio enthusiasts in your area. (https://www.arrl.org/find-a-club)
4. WebSDRs: You can listen to other people’s radios for free online http://websdr.org/ . The often have very favorable locations and antenna setups. You can gain skill using hf radios for free. You can use them to see how your propagation is doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C63GoW21JD8
5. Blockstream Satellite: https://blockstream.com/satellite/ with a little skill in radio and ~$100 of parts you can make your own Satellite node. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lahEXV17R0E This would be an awesome local meet up project. Its not “ham radio” to some of the older types of ham, but it is the kind of project that we can do to change that perception.
6. Pod of NVK on radio topics and nostr: https://thank-god-for-nostr.simplecast.com/episodes/nvk-C1mrxPYL
7. M17 and ARDC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dnl5cS83BQ
M17 is a new open source digital mode protocol for ham radio with its own codec, exciting stuff. Look into this and think about what can be done with project even far outside the realm of ham radio.👀 👀
ARDC is a foundation giving out money for people to innovate in ham radio and is one of the groups funding M17 development. They have money ready to distribute to ambitious folks with skills who want to do cool things in this space. 👀 👀
8. Linux Radio Packet Nodes: https://youtu.be/dMZ8mawceuk not a bitcoin node but a radio node
9. Bitcoin sent over radio: https://news.bitcoin.com/no-internet-no-problem-how-to-send-bitcoin-by-amateur-radio/ before you try this, make sure you understand the limitation in your jurisdiction on commercial activity on ham radio and encryption on ham radio. You are ultimately responsible for your own actions. 👀 👀
10. Nick Szabo & Elaine Ou on using Radio to transmit Bitcoin data: 👀 👀 👀
The talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkYXPJMqBNk
Here are the slides: https://scalingbitcoin.org/stanford2017/Day2/Weak-Signal-Radio-Communications-for-Bitcoin-Network-Resilience.pdf
11. S2 Underground: https://www.youtube.com/@S2Underground lots of interesting content. Go to his videos and sort by popular.
12. Ham Radio Crash Course(HRCC): www.youtube.com/@HamRadioCrashCourse
👀 Notable Episode: Mike Glover CEO of Fieldcraft Survival to the HRCC to talk about tactical communications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkfHtzTL6vA 👀
He has an active discord with a lot of younger hams: discord.gg/CWNXQpj there are a lot of people here that are doing the most cutting edge ham projects. If you use discord, you should get in there a mix it up.
13. W4EEY: https://www.youtube.com/@W4EEY Mentioned previously on how to get started Gary is one of the best instructors out there for getting licensed. He has a website too, www.w4eey.com .
14. OH8STN: https://www.youtube.com/@OH8STN huge fan of this guy. https://oh8stn.org/grid-down-comms/
15. The Tech Prepper: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTechPrepper
Notable playlist:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZpc6PnzmzmHfXxqeluz6q-rYCElhMuZa No Random Contacts Series
16. What is a RTLSDR:
RTL-SDR (Realtek Software Defined Radio) is a type of software-defined radio that originally started as a project to develop a low-cost software radio. It is based on the RTL2832U chipset which was meant for DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial) TV reception. However, it was discovered that this chipset could be modified to receive a wide range of frequencies, typically from 24 MHz up to 1766 MHz, making it a popular, inexpensive option for a wide range of radio enthusiasts.
These devices are USB dongles, initially intended for TV and radio reception and recording on computers. The RTL-SDR community has developed various software tools to use these dongles for a variety of applications, such as amateur radio, scanning, aviation and marine monitoring, weather satellite reception, and much more. The RTL-SDR has become popular in the hobbyist and amateur radio community due to its low cost and flexibility.