Top 5 Tips for New Ham Radio Operators (Beginners)

Top 5 Tips for New Ham Radio Operators (Beginners)

When folks are getting into Ham Radio the process can be confusing and intimidating. Here are some quick tips that I put together based off of questions I get from New Hams or Ham Radio Beginners. Please leave any of your tips in the comments below.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you liked this video you can see more like it here:

You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram:

Thanks,
TheSmokinApe

[rikjohnson]

I'm working on my Technician License and I really appreciate your common sense, no BS approach to Do's and Don'ts ~ very helpful.

[brentweichelt]

Tip #1 summed up. Avoid serious death. Check.

[markh]

Always get bunch of good info from your videos. Concise and to the point. Good safety tips. I bought a surprise box at my club had a power supply in it, I hooked it up the other day got important phone call and stepped away from shack, didn’t get back to shack for a couple hours, opened the door to shack and could feel the heat coming off of it, turn it off unplugged it and right into the trash. I built a space in my shop for shack it was small but it was all i needed, boy was I wrong two years later I’m tearing down walls and moving doors, had to double it in size. Never see me on roof only took me one time falling through a roof, no need repeating that 40 years later. Then there was the day I’m closing up beach house, on the roof blowing off debris pull extension cord for the leaf blower, I hear ladder go down, cellphone in the kitchen was 2 hours before someone drove by to help me. No more roof for me, but if you must, have a buddy with you

[kipdivito]

Thank you for the video. I really appreciate your last comment about hanging out with fun people!

[johnbauman]

Wow. Just so helpful, encouraging and informative. As I listened to your presentation, I kept thinking, "This isn't just about Ham radio, this is great advice for life itself."

So now you're my YouTube Elmer, at least from my viewpoint as a recent subscriber. I hope you accept!
ATB!

[Tommy_Boy.]

Smokin - Nice tips & messages to get out there and well done! I fall under the new-ham category, and I appreciate the tips and encouragement. 👍⚡📻

[stridermtk]

Good stuff awesome advice across the board!

[apexmcboob]

I'm looking at getting my ham license, this was very helpful. Thanks!

[rayhill]

First, I would like to thank you for your very informative insight … spoken like a true Elmer. I own a trucking company and have been using a mobile CB radios (am, ssb, fm) since the late seventies in my trucking business. I just retired and I'm also working on my Tango -Echo-Charlie-Hotel License. For the last month I have been studying two hours a day on both the technician class and general class tests, my goal was to take both tests at the same day. I'm scoring around the 84% range on technician class and approaching 50% on general class practice tests. After watching your videos I'm going to stop trying to build Rome in a day and go find a Elmer. Not sure about the next step. I thinking about going to a local ham radio dealer or contact ARRL, but either way I'm going to pull the trigger on a tech license and stop trying to build the taj mahal. 73

[HamRadio]

That's a helluva shirt you have on there, son.

[billcrow]

Great video. Hoping to test some of my students in a couple weeks.

[stevenmackenzie]

Love the viideos and your straightt forward approach to things. I would recommend a pop filter for your mic the S, P, and T words are coming through the video and are hard to listen to. A pop filter on your mic would soften those sounds making the videos easier to listen to.

[HamRadioDX]

Great video Ape. Plenty of great advice for those starting out. 73

[TheNoCodeTech]

Very helpful. Lots of good information.
#TeamReplay for the win!
#ThNHR

[kevinkconohelijeepworld]

Tip one when working on your amplifier remember they multiply electricity RF is electricity. It can blow a hole through your digits otherwise known to the body as fingers and thumbs. Safety First 😉

[galaxie]

In aviation, we say Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.

[Tump]

yeah, slipping and falling off of the ladder can really hurt and leave you messed up for a long long time.

[PepperandCaseysRV]

Lots of good advice in there. Too much to comment on.. from a newbs perspective. Lol.
Definitely go slow. I got all these DMR and Fusion radios and just be using analog cause I don’t know what I’m doing. Lol

[tomwold]

I have had the icom 7300 recommended to me. How good is this radio? I do have a ham license

[charleszimmermann]

Question for you, I run a Yaesu ft818, I built the EARC end fed 6-40 after watching your video (thanks it’s been working well), in their paper work they say you can run a longer wire (60 feet), I am thinking of placing a spade connector at the end of the thirty foot (current antenna) to be able to attach an additional length to it. I run an auto-tuner with my rig, my question is do you think this will work?