i am fascinated by amateur radio, digital mode (RTTY, SSTV) communication, but every time i study for , and take a practice test for a license, i fail, for a variety of reasons (never was good at test taking anyway).
What i want to know is, in the US, is there a band that i can operate on, non-licensed, digital mode?
I don't think i can use CB in digital mode.
~Travis
Certainly, but you will not find anyone to "talk" to. All the ISM frequencies are available for low power communications of any type, I think. Then there is the radio control frequencies that are digital. You can use any of the frequencies that are used by the weather stations, etc. 433 Mhz, etc. They are all digital, but only machines there to talk to!
Come on, anyone that can wire up Ardiuno projects and program a bit can pass an Amature Radio license.
Paul
Just need more practice! At least the tests are multiple-choice.
As far as costs, I have never in all my years bought a NEW HF transceiver. I have purchased a few hand-helds for VHF. I have an old Kenwood TS-520S in my electronic shop, ICOM 706 MKII in my truck and an ICOM 706MKIIG in the house. All used.The ICOMs I bought on Ebay.
I did buy the digital interface new, $100. The PC in the shack to run digital is an old laptop from my business. Almost all the antennas are home brew.
Paul
did you google it?
the required score.
So, take the test problem solved nqp 
I made the mistake of buying a software controlled radio from adafruit, what a piece of garbage.
I have always loved radio and thought the sdr might be an easy way to listen in. It really was disappointing. I bought an old Zenith TransOceanic at a garage sale for $5. It still has the manual and works well.
Wow. I didn't realize how expensive those radios are.
It's only money.
What about an antenna? They are fairly specialized devices, aren't they?
Get a couple of Baofengs.
Enjoy yourself - see if it what you really want to do
Get a couple of Baofengs
Wow....can't beat the price on those!
TKall:
I made the mistake of buying a software controlled radio from adafruit, what a piece of garbage.
You need the right aerial if it is one of the usb dongle type the aerial that comes with them is pretty usless.
This is the one i bought: Software Defined Radio Receiver USB Stick - RTL2832 w/R820T : ID 1497 : $27.95 : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits
I can get one fm radio station and that's about it. The airport is 10 miles from my house but i cant pick up the tower or any planes.
I've got a couple of the USB stick SDRs.
They do need good antennas, and you have to play around with the settings, like AGC.
Do you think the antenna on the one I have can be swapped out ? What would I use as a replacement?
It looks like the antenna can be replaced. What would be a good replacement?
I've used mostly homebrews - I have a colinear for ADS-B, a simple whip for FM.
TKall:
It looks like the antenna can be replaced. What would be a good replacement?
Any one for the band you are interested in.
The lower the frequency the bigger the aerial.
If you wish to use the entire bandwidth of the receiver i would suggest a discone aerial, at the lower frequencies however it will be many feet across.
What frequencies are you interested in ?
What frequencies are you interested in ?
Just like everything, I should have known that there was a lot more to this than simply turning the radio on and tuning in.
I don't really know which frequencies.