I'd be very grateful if some HAM-oriented people could give this a read.
My goal is to maintain communications with my mom. She's fiercely independent and tough, but you know... Gotta' look after mom!
We're rural, and the phones are not always reliable.
According to the topo she's two miles away (1.96miles) as the crow flies with less than a hundred yards of land in between that's about 20 feet higher than line-of-sight. This doesn't include trees.
I suspect that HAM radio is the solution, even if I have to mount antennas to our homes.
Before things went nuts I purchased each of us a Yaesu FT-60R. We've studied for the exam. However, when I called the local club a few weeks ago the contact told me that exams are delayed because of the virus.
So, it looks like we're grounded. Can anyone recommend a way to move forward? I certainly want to remain compliant with the HAM rules. I also want to have a way to keep track of her status in the event that things go further south.
As it stands I've figured out how to access NOAA. Are there any other cool tricks I can learn before getting my license?
To make a long post longer by summarizing:
1. My first priority is figuring out a way to establish non-phone contact with my mom two miles away.
2. Second priority is general knowledge and cool tricks. One outcome is that she would stay interested in having the radio around.
Any insight on how to move forward with these goals is very much appreciated.
I'm a nerd but very new to this, so please don't assume much knowledge on my end.
My goal is to maintain communications with my mom. She's fiercely independent and tough, but you know... Gotta' look after mom!
We're rural, and the phones are not always reliable.
According to the topo she's two miles away (1.96miles) as the crow flies with less than a hundred yards of land in between that's about 20 feet higher than line-of-sight. This doesn't include trees.
I suspect that HAM radio is the solution, even if I have to mount antennas to our homes.
Before things went nuts I purchased each of us a Yaesu FT-60R. We've studied for the exam. However, when I called the local club a few weeks ago the contact told me that exams are delayed because of the virus.
So, it looks like we're grounded. Can anyone recommend a way to move forward? I certainly want to remain compliant with the HAM rules. I also want to have a way to keep track of her status in the event that things go further south.
As it stands I've figured out how to access NOAA. Are there any other cool tricks I can learn before getting my license?
To make a long post longer by summarizing:
1. My first priority is figuring out a way to establish non-phone contact with my mom two miles away.
2. Second priority is general knowledge and cool tricks. One outcome is that she would stay interested in having the radio around.
Any insight on how to move forward with these goals is very much appreciated.
I'm a nerd but very new to this, so please don't assume much knowledge on my end.
