As I am sure that most of you know by
now, I am an avid amateur radio operator. I constantly think about
radio almost every waking hour. I work stations from all over the
world using mostly CW (Morse Code) although I occasionally dig out
the microphone and do some voice, or connect the radio equipment to
my computer for the digital modes like PSK31 or RTTY. But what good
is Ham radio and why do I drone on so much about it.
Amateur Radio, or Ham radio as it is
sometimes referred as, has been a favorite past time of mine over the
years, and many times I get asked why bother, when I can do the same
thing with a cell phone and a cell tower. The interesting part of
that question is that without the developments made by Amateur Radio
operators over the last 100 years or so, that fancy cell phone would
not be possible. After all, it is basically a transmitter and
receiver, or transceiver as it is often called.
And what about that fast WiFi
connection you have that feeds the internet to all the different
computers in your house. Yep! Once again that is basically a
development that you can thank Ham Radio for.
That remote that you are using while
sitting on the couch stuffing your face with chips and beer. Another
low power transmitter.
Like to fly model airplanes or other
Radio Control equipment as a hobby. Amateur Radio is a perfect place
to have no interference with your remote control device.
Have a Garage door opener? What about
the Remote door locks for your vehicle. All radio transmitters. SO
what good is Amateur Radio ?
Amateur Radio operators provide
emergency communications during natural and man made disasters as
well as sporting events, like the Boston marathon. They can setup a
radio station on backup emergency power on a moments notice to help
when disaster strikes.
Ham radio operators also are allowed
to experiment with different modes as well. They are also allowed to
modify existing radio equipment for other services and make it work
on the designated ham bands. They can try out new antenna systems to
talk locally or worldwide.
If you are interested in learning
about electronics Ham radio is the perfect place to design and try
out new radio gear. You can tinker with the older tube equipment or
get in on the cutting edge Raspberry Pi or Arduino boards. With those
boards you can also try your hand at programming. How cool is that.
As you can see, the point of ham radio
depends on what you give to it as well as what you take from it.
Whatever interests you may have, Amateur radio is the perfect place
to jump in and have some fun.