Amateur Radio Operator

[Danielle Kristina]

Ham operators are a small fraction of the general population, so I'd be surprised if there were many of us in the transgender community, but I've been licensed since 1998 and still get on the air today.  Anyone else on Susan's licensed hams?  If so, then 73 and good DX.  If not, then warm hugs!!!


Danielle

[Colleen_definitely]

I am, just a basic technician license.  I generally stick to the 2M band and really am not as active as I ought to be.

[Michelle_P]

I am as well.  Amateur Extra, VE with both ARRL and W5YI, and an instructor for local licensing courses.

I am, alas, a condo dweller, which limits antenna deployment a bit.  I am currently using a magnetic loop antenna on the apartment balcony.

[Danielle Kristina]

Awesome!  I've been a licensed since 1998 and a General since 2000.  I was running HF until my antenna came down.  Hopefully soon I'll get another one out back up.  Until then I'm on VHF/UHF.  I love all my radio bands, but I'm definitely an HF'er when my station is up and running.

[Steph Eigen]

Extra.

[GingerVicki]

Kinda funny that I see this on here. I was looking at FGPA boards https://www.altera.com/products/fpga/cyclone-series/cyclone-v/overview.html.

Anyhow I stumbled across a site that had a kit available to buy. Whoever bought it would have to assemble the kit themselves. I was tempted, but I'm more into the programming side of things.

[Danielle Kristina]

I am as well.  Amateur Extra, VE with both ARRL and W5YI, and an instructor for local licensing courses.

I am, alas, a condo dweller, which limits antenna deployment a bit.  I am currently using a magnetic loop antenna on the apartment balcony.

Your Kenwood is a beautiful radio.  I used to prefer Yaesus, but the longer I'm in the hobby the more I slide into the Kenwood fan club.  I have a few Kenwood radios and I absolutely love them.  Great radios!

[Julia1996]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is ham radio?? I assumed it was something like SiriusXM or Pandora but the equipment in the picture looks ancient and not capable of satellite link up or internet streaming. So what do you do with it then?

[Donica]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is ham radio?? I assumed it was something like SiriusXM or Pandora but the equipment in the picture looks ancient and not capable of satellite link up or internet streaming. So what do you do with it then?

It's a way for people to talk to each other over long distances using radio waves. Similar to walkie talkies and CB (Citizen Band/Side Band) radios, but uses a different set of frequencies and requires a operator's license.

During the early Mercury and Apollo moon mission era, people could use them to listen to the astronauts talk to Nasa.

[Colleen_definitely]

Yep, kind of like a cb radio just with way more powerful transmitters and longer range. If you time things right you can talk to people all over the world thanks to how radio signals bounce around the ionosphere.

It's a fun money pit of a hobby.

[Julia1996]

It's a way for people to talk to each other over long distances using radio waves. Similar to walkie talkies and CB (Citizen Band/Side Band) radios, but uses a different set of frequencies and requires a operator's license.

During the early Mercury and Apollo moon mission era, people could use them to listen to the astronauts talk to Nasa.

Oh ok. But why would anyone bother with radio waves when you can text, Skype or Facebook with anyone anywhere? It seems inefficient. The astronauts used it to talk to earth? It totally amazes me that people actually made it to the moon with no computers or real technology to speak of. Those were some brave people.

[MistressStevie]

With amateur radio / ham radio operator owns their own equipment, backup gear, and has the skill to work when the for profit networks of communication are down.  I have been in areas with no internet and no cell service.   Yet my Yaesu FT60 can find a repeater to talk quite a distance.  More sophisticated gear can go around the world under the right conditions.   

There are many examples of ham radio being the only means of communication with the outside world in local disasters.

Ham Operators also just enjoy talking with people all over the world.   

If you have a bit of time it is not all that hard to pass the Technician exam, get a couple hundred dollar handy talky
and explore the world with echolink.   

I am a less active ham.     
-ms

[Danielle Kristina]

Hi Colleen,

Its primary purpose is to provide emergency communications.  It doesn't get much press, but it is a great service to the community.  For example, here in the southern states we have to face the threat of hurricanes.  While many of the storms we face each year are relatively weak, some can be absolutely devastating.  Such storms can render all forms of communication around the city and outside the affected area out of service.  Telephones, internet, cellular service, and even radio communications used by emergence services like law enforcement, fire, and EMS can all be taken out of commission.  This is where ham radio comes in.  Many amateur operators primarily operate for the purpose of providing such service.  Many have portable stations with battery power, generators, portable antennas which can easily be set up, and regularly practice passing emergency traffic under various simulated situations.  Such stations prepare themselves for relaying vital communications on behalf of their community when all other forms of communications are down.  As was stated before, ham radio covers a lot of distance, so not only can it relay communications around the affected area, but can also reach out for help to the rest of the world when no other form of communication is available.

That said, it is a hobby and it's most often enjoyed recreationally.  Many people experiment with building ether own radio equipment; some enjoy experimenting with new ways to transmit data using radio; and others just enjoy contacting new people or just keeping in touch with their friends or family over the radio.  There's really something for everybody in the amateur radio hobby.  It's a fun hobby and very educational.  There is always something new to learn.  For me, there has always been a certain magic I can't explain when I transmit a radio signal and am heard by a station on the other side of the world on my own personal equipment using absolutely no internet or other aide whatsoever - just radio waves.  While I do understand a little bit about the technical aspects of how radio works, it's still this magic that keeps me coming back for more!


73 (radio slang for "Best wishes")


Danielle

[sarah1972]

The interesting part is that ham radio does work in all kind of circumstances. If you think during Hurricane Katrina, Ham Radio was for days the only communication method into New Orleans.
It does not require any internet connection and depending on equipment allows talking around the world. In the end, it is a bit more reliable.

If you think about your dad's regular work communication: All emergency responders use two-way radios. Ham Radio is the same on steroids since you can talk much longer distances.

In the end, it is a hobby - think of may folks restoring cars. Not really necessary since you can buy a new one at every corner, but they enjoy it.

Hugs, Sarah

It's a way for people to talk to each other over long distances using radio waves. Similar to walkie talkies and CB (Citizen Band/Side Band) radios, but uses a different set of frequencies and requires a operator's license.

During the early Mercury and Apollo moon mission era, people could use them to listen to the astronauts talk to Nasa.

Oh ok. But why would anyone bother with radio waves when you can text, Skype or Facebook with anyone anywhere? It seems inefficient. The astronauts used it to talk to earth? It totally amazes me that people actually made it to the moon with no computers or real technology to speak of. Those were some brave people.

[Julia1996]

The interesting part is that ham radio does work in all kind of circumstances. If you think during Hurricane Katrina, Ham Radio was for days the only communication method into New Orleans.
It does not require any internet connection and depending on equipment allows talking around the world. In the end, it is a bit more reliable.

If you think about your dad's regular work communication: All emergency responders use two-way radios. Ham Radio is the same on steroids since you can talk much longer distances.

In the end, it is a hobby - think of may folks restoring cars. Not really necessary since you can buy a new one at every corner, but they enjoy it.

Hugs, Sarah


Oh ok. But why would anyone bother with radio waves when you can text, Skype or Facebook with anyone anywhere? It seems inefficient. The astronauts used it to talk to earth? It totally amazes me that people actually made it to the moon with no computers or real technology to speak of. Those were some brave people.

Oh ok. Yeah, my dad uses a radio at work all the time. It's actually like attached to his uniform.  Yes I know about car restoration. My dad has an old car he's restoring. It seems like a waste of time to me. He and my brother spend time messing with that old car and now even Tristan has taken an interest in it. Even when they get it restored it's still going to be obsolete. It won't have GPS, sattelite radio and no interface for your phone or other devices. It even has one of those gearshift things where you have to actually change the gears yourself. Who needs that extra bother?  I will never understand why people love obsolete and outdated cars. Old cars are ugly too. All huge and clunky. To each their own though.

[Dena]

Oh ok. But why would anyone bother with radio waves when you can text, Skype or Facebook with anyone anywhere? It seems inefficient. The astronauts used it to talk to earth? It totally amazes me that people actually made it to the moon with no computers or real technology to speak of. Those were some brave people.

They did have computers. On the ground they used mainframe computers to do the orbital calculations and in the command module and the LEM they used the Apollo Guidance Computer.

There are sometimes advantages to do things the old fashion ways. You don't always have more modern stuff available and often the old ways can be far more reliable. When I was young, I was able to visit Barry Goldwater's shack and they had a special license where they could run 3.000 watts instead of the normal one for 1,000 watts. Because this was during the vietnam war, the shack was used to relay personal telephone calls for the members of the military as normal calls were very difficult to make. The length of the call was limited but often service men hadn't talked with their family for months and a call was very welcome.

[Julia1996]

They did have computers. On the ground they used mainframe computers to do the orbital calculations and in the command module and the LEM they used the Apollo Guidance Computer.

There are sometimes advantages to do things the old fashion ways. You don't always have more modern stuff available and often the old ways can be far more reliable. When I was young, I was able to visit Barry Goldwater's shack and they had a special license where they could run 3.000 watts instead of the normal one for 1,000 watts. Because this was during the vietnam war, the shack was used to relay personal telephone calls for the members of the military as normal calls were very difficult to make. The length of the call was limited but often service men hadn't talked with their family for months and a call was very welcome.

Oh yeah, I forgot about those huge computers they had back then. But how much could they even do? Doesn't a smart phone have like 1000 times the computing power of those big computers?  That's really nice that those guys got to talk to their families. But I thought the military had Sat phones. Like super powerful cell phones that they can use even when cell service is down everywhere or that still work after an EMP bomb detonates.

[Dena]

Sat phones don't always work and usage could be restricted because of cost or limited bandwidth. In the case of the vietnam war, they didn't have a satellite parked in an orbit where they could bounce telephone calls off it and the only other option would have been to lay an under the sea communication cable - something rather costly to do. If you wanted to make a land line call, the call would need to be routed through several other countries to connect to a cross ocean connection. Most likely the existing connections were already used for military communications and vietnam being a poor country had little reason to add additional telephone lines.

As for what older computers could do, they depended on clever programming and could often do amazing tasks with even limited computing power. Even now, much of the power of a phone is wasted doing the fancy graphical interface and the phone is doing very little real work.

[Danielle Kristina]

Oh ok. But why would anyone bother with radio waves when you can text, Skype or Facebook with anyone anywhere? It seems inefficient. The astronauts used it to talk to earth? It totally amazes me that people actually made it to the moon with no computers or real technology to speak of. Those were some brave people.

Julia, interestingly enough in today's modern world ham radio does incorporate the internet and other modern technologies into radio operation.  This certainly doesn't mean that all aspects of amateur radio use internet communications, but many hams use computers hooked up to radios and send digital messages through the airwaves.  Some exchange amateur television signals.  There are also internet-linked systems that enable hams to use handheld radios to talk around the world without the need for big antennas and high-dollar equipment.  There are also applications on smart devices that allow hams to use their smartphones and tablets to link to amateur bands and repeaters.  These internet applications would not likely be available during disasters where normal communications are disabled, but under normal circumstances it's readily available.  On top of that, different strokes for different folks - some hams enjoy the modern digital and computer and smart technology incorporation intonham radio, while others enjoy a more classic approach.  And some do both!  As I mentioned earlier, there is something for everyone in the hobby.  It all depends on what the person wants to do and what equipment they have.

[Sarah1979]

OMG! A ham radio thread!!! Any problems with the FCC during transition? Problems changing over your license?
Extra here