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Figure this is the best forum for it as it Tech & Science.

So lets see how many Amateur Radio Operators are out there.

I click on the link hoping this thread would be about pork. You disappoint me, Drun.

I got into it when I was really young. A friend's dad is one, and I learned a bit from him.
Never really followed up on it when I got older.

Is there still the attraction to it that there once was? I mean, everyone has broadband Internet and computers for messaging. I don't really see the attraction to ham radio use.

05/22/2011 01:10 PMPosted by Kybeorie

Is there still the attraction to it that there once was? I mean, everyone has broadband Internet and computers for messaging. I don't really see the attraction to ham radio use.

No, not to the extent that there once was.

But the hobby has not completely died out and many people enjoy talking to friends worldwide, or just collecting contacts.

As a practical matter you can broadcast from many setups even when communications infrastructure and power are lost.







ryryrryryryryryryryry

My dad and sis were into it back in the day. About the time I was old enough to realistically test for Novice it kind of fell out of favor (sister got into...other things, and dad got busy with work and such), and by the time I was old enough to do it on my own totally independently of the "dad and older sister are doing this, it MUST be cool!", Tech no longer required Novice and no one really used the things anymore. -shrug-


Though I do agree, in cases where cell phones go out (and this does happen from time to time and in disaster situations), rubber duckies still send and receive.

Ham Radio?

HAVE I GONE BACK IN TIME TO THE 50s?

I still dabble in it from time to time. Right now I hold a No-Code Technician license. This type of license does require taking a class and you receive a call sign from the FCC. You also learn all sorts of interesting things about signal propagation and antenna design (yes, there's a mathematical reason why antennas are a certain length.)

However, the band allotment for Technician doesn't delve into the High Frequency range where you can participate in long distance communication.

Most of the Technician Frequencies are in the VHF/UHF band (144-148 MHz) for example. During emergencies, these frequencies are frequently used by volunteers for assisting various services. Some cities prefer, or explicitly require, that emergency shelters have at least one method of communication that is 'off the grid' for example.

And many meteorological officers have at least one amateur radio who can activate Skywarn. In this mode, amateur radio operators who have taken a brief Skywarn course, can relay directly to a meteorologist, conditions that they see during inclement weather. The Skywarn course teaches ham operators about weather conditions and exactly what a meteorologist needs to know from the ground.

Part of the thrill that comes with amateur radio isn't just about how far you get your signal, but how far you can get the signal while using the 'least' amount of power. Sometimes it means customizing your antenna or finding an optimal location. Sometimes, it even means getting lucky and bouncing off the trail of a meteor.

It can be very surprising to learn how far a 1 watt can go.

There are many subcultures within the Amateur [Ham] Radio community. You have your QRP folks (extreme low power long distance), your radio data communication folks (think of it as an entire email network that runs on the backbone of wireless signals instead of ethernet), and then there's even the EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) hams. These folks will actually bounce a signal off the moon to hit a point on the otherside of the world.

And there are also many local Techies, like me, who hang out on the various nets in the local area. Many amateur radio groups will host events to bring awareness to this hobby.

Those are just examples of other things.

While it's true, that we can't check facebook on our HTs (handheld transceivers) as can be done on smartphones, I still believe that as more of our communications network become more dependent on backbones, there will continue to be a need for amateur radio operators. Direct two way communications between local services (police, fire, etc.) are being replaced very quickly by more modern trunking cell based comms.

I'm not one to speak about doom. That is not my intention. There are many benefits to these services moving to more modern digital communications. But, in the unusual and unexpected times when they do falter, it's good to always have backup. ;)

Amateur radio may not seem as exciting or interesting of a hobby nowadays as it did decades ago. Email, the Internet and Television have all brought the world much closer together (at least in terms of communication). But amateur radio will continue to be relevant for the foreseeable future.

I've been an ham radio operator for over 30 years and have the advanced class license.

I work satellite and and am a lifetime memeber of AMSAT. I use RTTY, slowscan TV, and voice. I was doing pretty good at CW until I discovered RTTY then never went back.

I was a member of a local group that would help out in disasters and have worked quite a few hurricanes providing communications when all else, including cell phones, were knocked out.
I also worked on a disaster frequency where you contact agencies anywhere in the U.S. for anyone needing emergency supplies etc that my be in a foreign country.

It's a hobby where you can build your own circuits and test them over air but also benefits local communities in helping in disasters and provide communications for those that raise money for charity, such as bikers, 10K runs, etc.

We don't get paid for any of it and have to use our own equipment and provide for our own transportation.

Me... almost 40 years now.

I can't imagine why anyone would do this as a 'hobby'. Setting up radio communications just to get on a net to chat with people seems so pointless to me. I can understand using it for practical applications, where communication outside cell phones and internet are necessary. I'm an operator and technician for communication equipment ranging between HF all the way to EHF. Never would I find it 'cool' or 'fun' to set up LOS comm, including antennas and terminals, just so I can talk through a handset to someone else for giggles.
Long haul communications can be quite interesting on the other hand, but only for a brief period of time. Setting up an HF antenna and being able to receive a broadcast from a Russian radio station is neat, but if you've done it once, you've done it a million times. All the interesting radio chatter you can't even tune into anyway.
I understand and appreciate its practical use, but I have no idea how anyone can find it an enjoyable hobby to pass the time.

Callsign: K1DDO

Got my license many, many years ago when I was like 11-12, for kicks. I do remember studying all about the electronic stuff over Christmas break...for some reason I was really intrigued and my Mom went ahead and let me go through with the whole license process. If I recall correctly, I came out of the testing room and was the only person under like age 30 there and scored a 100% on the test the first try. :]

As a college freshman, looking back at it...damn, that was quite the boring passion for a youngster.

My first experience with Ham Radio was a MARS station in 1968 while in Thailand... I then got my Technician license in 1974 and then upgraded to General class. I have enjoyed the many modes of communication including slow scan TV and EME. I guess my first real experience with radio was before I entered the Air Force when I built a 100 watt 2 way tranciever for a science project when I was in high school

Me...Extra Class for nearly 30 years. Not active however.

I listen to live police scanners online over at http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/
myself. You hear some crazy and funny stuff on them sometimes and they come in handy when there's something going on in the usa on the news involving the police and emergency services

Messed with it for a bit when i was in sigint. Kinda lost interest when I got out. When communications go down, HAM is still there, so it's not a bad idea to know a bit about it.