Robert Taylor

yeah I did the same mod maybe 8 months ago. agree its worth it for digital modes, i was having issues with FT8 decode rate being slightly worse than expected and after reading around figured the oscillator drift during warmup was part of it. after the swap my decode numbers came up noticeably in the first few minutes of a session. the install is easy, honestly the hardest part is just not losing those tiny screws when you open the bottom panel lol.
one thing i also did around the same time was the fan mod — there's a resistor swap that makes the fan kick in earlier and run a bit faster under load. doesnt make a huge difference thermally but its one of those things that makes you feel better about running the rig at 100w for extended periods. if you havent looked into that one its pretty trivial to do while you already have the covers off.

not directly related to your EQ question but one thing that helped me a lot was just doing a proper on-air recording and actually listening back to myself. most modern SDRs make it easy, just have someone near you record your signal on a WebSDR or a local club member with a second radio. i was convinced my audio was fine for like two years before i actually heard a recording and was like oh no. sometimes the issue isnt even settings, its mic placement or background noise getting picked up. the PR-40 is cardioid but it still picks up more room than you'd think if your shack has hard surfaces bouncing sound around.

DXpeditions are supported by donations from those seeking verifications, but that doesn't mean you need to donate thousands. Many successful Honor Roll ops got there through persistence and being ready when rare ones come on. Consider digital modes like FT8 for working weak signals too.

same thing happened to me lol. got my general in march and still get a little nervous on HF when theres a pile up going. 10 minutes on simplex is a solid first QSO honestly, some people just get a quick signal report and thats it. congrats on the ticket

the annoyed old timers thing is real lol, dont worry about it too much. some of them act like using 'November' instead of just 'N' is some sacred duty. it's not. that said the point about it becoming habit is legit — i used to just say letters and then i got on HF and completely fell apart trying to give my call during a contest because i hadnt practiced and suddenly B and P sounded the same through the noise
also worth knowing you dont have to use phonetics for numbers, nobody says 'niner' in casual conversation on a local repeater, well okay some people do but you know what i mean

oh man yeah totally. i went almost six months barely touching the rig and then one night i just flipped it on during a storm and ended up on 80m and it was like... why did i ever stop doing this. something about the static and the voices coming in and out just hits different. glad youre back at it

so the waiting period thing — you're thinking of the old system. there used to be a 60 day wait after initial license grant before you could file for a vanity but that went away a while back. now you can apply for a vanity pretty much as soon as your license shows up in the ULS and is in Active status. the $35 fee is separate from whatever you paid for the original license yeah, each application is its own thing with the FCC. as for not getting your first choice — yeah the fee applies regardless of outcome because you're paying for the application not the specific call. so if you apply for something that's already taken or gets snatched up in the same filing window you still paid for the attempt. the way the vanity system works there's actually a 30 day filing window and if multiple people apply for the same call in that window it goes to a tiebreaker based on relationship to the previous holder first, then just random selection i think. 1x2 calls in the 7 district are pretty competitive but not impossible, worth checking ae7q.com for availability searches, way better than trying to dig through ULS directly.

congrats and welcome to the hobby. that first time you key up is nerve wracking for basically everyone, doesnt matter how old you are or how long youve been studying. i remember sitting in my car in a parking lot for like 10 minutes before i finally pressed the PTT the first time. felt ridiculous afterwards because yeah everyone was super welcoming.
the baofeng is fine to start out, dont let anyone give you grief about it. once you get the hang of things and decide what direction you want to go with the hobby youll have a better idea what you actually want to upgrade to. some people stay on VHF/UHF and some get the HF bug real bad. either way youre in for a good time. get on those nets when you can, great way to practice and meet people in your area.

Looking for advice on tackling the new Amateur Extra question pool that went into effect July 1, 2024. The new pool incorporates significant changes compared to the 2020-2024 version with 82 new questions created and 101 questions eliminated.
What are the main topic areas I should focus on? I've heard the math can be challenging.
Any recommended study materials that cover the updated pool? Planning to take the exam in the next few months.

DXpeditions are supported by donations from those seeking verifications, but that doesn't mean you need to donate thousands. Many successful Honor Roll ops got there through persistence and being ready when rare ones come on. Consider digital modes like FT8 for working weak signals too.

DXpeditions are supported by donations from those seeking verifications, but that doesn't mean you need to donate thousands. Many successful Honor Roll ops got there through persistence and being ready when rare ones come on. Consider digital modes like FT8 for working weak signals too.