SV Gallant Fox: Ham I Am

Fellow Travelers

Mike and Liz on s/v Argonaut
Seattle, to Mexico, to the South Pacific, and...?
Jason & Christy on s/v Hello World
Outfitting and sailing adventures of maybe the last people to have their boat trucked from San Carlos to Seattle.
Geoff, Linda and Jessie on s/v Curare
2 geologists sailing from BC throughout Mexico, with contributing blog posts by mascot Jessie.
Dawn & Tom Baker on Warm Rain
BC to Mexico to crossing the South Pacific.
Iain Sommerville & Ruth Feicht on Bizim
From Seattle to Turkey on a Malo 42.

Photo Albums

For some time, I'd been mildly interested in taking the test to get my HAM radio license, mainly because it would expand the frequencies available to me to use on our single sideband radio. We were either moving around a lot on the boat, or were not in a location where the test was being given; consequently studying for it was never a high priority for me. However, in late 2009 I learned there was a HAM test scheduled in La Paz for December 19, about the time we thought we might be in the area. I still didn't want to sign up for it until I knew for sure we would be in La Paz on that date. Initially it looked like we'd have all our onshore chores completed and be long gone by the 19th - but as circumstances unfolded it became clear that taking the test would be possible. So, on December 17 I signed up to take the test. For both the "Technician" and "General" levels, because the fee for both tests was the same as for just one test ("Buy the Technician test, and get the General test free!"). On the downside, a rudimentary knowledge of radio waves, equipment and protocol is required to qualify for any level of HAM license, so with just 48 hours before the test, I had to study, and study efficiently cram.

I got obscenely lucky with 2 days of reliable Internet connectivity on the boat, combined with some good study materials I found online. Repeating the study habits I last used in law school a couple decades ago, I read the study materials through once, then took a couple of practice tests; reviewed the answers, then re-read the study materials focusing on the areas in which I'd made mistakes. For the last 6 hours of study, I dispensed with the study materials and just took practice test after practice test.

The morning of the HAM test, I showed up, sat down, filled out the application form,...and made mistakes in two different spaces due to my misreading of the instructions. Not an auspicious start. If I had been giving the test, I'd have thrown me out right then.

So, I actually managed to successfully complete a second application form, and somehow was able to read and follow the instructions on the two tests themselves, completing them in succession. I knew I'd made some mistakes, especially on the second, more difficult, General exam. But in the end there were no worries - the three volunteer examiners graded the tests while all the examinees waited, and...whaddya know, I passed both tests.