Back to Basics Classes & Mentoring Workshops

Back to Basics

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND… SLSRC is starting the 2023/2024 Fall/Winter session of the “Back to the Basics” Classes for Amateur Radio. 

The classes are for all amateurs, but are geared toward new amateurs, those who want to refresh their knowledge, and those who are not amateurs yet. 

The classes will be at 7 PM on the first Friday of each month in rooms 419-420 of the Clinical Learning Institute (Goldfarb School of Nursing) at Missouri Baptist Hospital. (Same meeting location as the monthly SLSRC meetings.)

Back to Basics classes were put together out of the need of new and old hams learning about different aspects of the hobby.  There are many new hams who get their Technician license and ask “what’s next?”.  These classes are to help answer that question!  We will help guide you on “what’s next” and hopefully show you some interesting things along the way.

Back to Basics classes run from October to March on the 1st Friday of the month starting at 7pm.  They are located in our regular club meeting location at Missouri Baptist Hospital, Goldfarb School of Nursing.    Click here for more info on the Back to Basics class location

Mentoring Workshops

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, the Mentoring Workshop will be held on the 146.850 Repeater.

The Mentoring Workshop classes continue the first Friday of each month from April until Sept and are open session for questions, answers and learning anything Ham Radio.  Do you have an antenna that isn’t working correctly?  Have a question about what rig to purchase?  Don’t know how to save a memory channel in your favorite 2m radio?  Bring those questions and we’ll try and answer them!

Schedule

Back to Basics will start back up in Oct 2023 continue into 2024, so if you’re a new ham or old ham wanting to learn new tricks, these classes will help jump start your hobby! The schedule is as follows:

  • October 6– A whirlwind tour of what you can do with Amateur Radio
  • November 3– Setting up your VHF and/or HF station…antenna, coax, etc.
  • December 1– Safety- Antenna, Tower, Electrical, Grounding, RF, etc.
  • January 5 – Testing procedures- Basic instruments and how to use them.
  • February 2 –Activities in Amateur Radio- Awards, Contests, QSL cards, Nets, etc.
  •  March 1 – Other aspects of Ham Radio (HamWAN, Satellite, Digital Modes, SDR, Contesting, QRP, etc.)

Below are topics and recordings from earlier Back to Basics presentations – 2017 to current:

Oct – Buying your first VHF/UHF rig & install – Back to Basics VHF/UHF Rig Oct 2017 Presentation
Nov – Repeater and net lingo – Back to Basics Repeater & Net Lingo Nov 2017 Presentation
Dec – Buying your first HF rig and equipment – Back to Basics HF Dec 2017 Presentation
Jan – Confirming QSO, QSL cards and LoTW, eQSL – Back to Basics Confirming QSO’s, QSL Cards and LoTW Jan 2018 Presentation
Feb – Emergency communications and public service events
Mar – Everything else in ham radio (Satellites, QRP, Contesting, HAM Wan, Digital Modes, SDR, etc..) – Back to Basics Other Aspects Mar 2018 Presentation

Click on the below links for the YouTube Videos associated with the Back to Basics starting Dec 2017.

Jan 2018 – Confirming QSOs, QSL Cards and Electronic QSLing
Dec 2017 – Operating Procedures, Your First HF Rig and Getting On the Air
Feb 2018 – Emergency Communications and Public Service Events
Mar 2018 – Everything Else in Ham Radio