Butch tells what ham radio is all about

WHAT'S HAM RADIO ALL ABOUT?

To answer that question, this is a reprint of an article from our newsletter issued in July, 2000.

Butch's Place, come on in - - the shack door is always open. Grab the big blue easy chair (the sleep monster) and have a glass of Dew.

We are hoping that this issue of our newsletter will find its way into the hands of many non-hams. We also hope that some may become interested enough to allow us to show them how easy it is to become hams. That is why I have decided to forgo my usual technical article this month to possibly spur some interest in our great hobby.

I have been a ham off and on since 1962 and actually went to my first Hamfest (amateur radio flea market) when I was 11 years old. My interest in electronics at a very early age pointed me in the direction of amateur radio. I wish it were as easy way back then as it is today. Today you can find a volunteer-run test session almost every week within an hour's drive. Back then, it was necessary to go to the Federal Building in Pittsburgh and it was only given once every 6 months. You didn't know for at leas 6 to 8 weeks weather you passed or failed. Either your license or a letter stating you failed would arrive in the mail. If you failed, the rules required you to wait 6 months before you could take it again. Not an all around pleasant situation.

Today, it is so easy that anyone can get their license and get a lot of help to do it. This article must be far too short to list how, but ask any member of the ECARA and I am sure they will be happy to explain. One of the great things about this hobby is that everyone is equal: man, woman or child. There is also no age limit. At one moment you could be talking to a doctor in Australia, the next a farmer in South America, and then a steelworker in Detroit, or even a grade school student in California. The ECARA has a large portion of licensed women and also a large portion of licensed husband and wife teams. Everyone can enjoy and participate in this wonderful hobby.

But why would you, or anyone, want to become a Ham? Perhaps you have been a CB operator for some time and just want more. Maybe you have always had a fascination with electronics and would like to learn more, or you just retired or are planning to retire in the near future and have thought about it in the past. Then now is the time. This could be a hobby that would not only challenge you, but could also provide you with instant friendship of thousands of like-minded individuals around the world. There is no other hobby that is as diversified as Amateur Radio. The following is a short list of some of the things that you can do as a ham. Someone gave me this list some time ago and I apologize for not knowing the author, but I don't think they would mind its inclusion here.

There are so many things, it's a difficult task to list just a few, but here are some ideas:

* Talk to people in foreign countries. Dxing is a favorite of many hams.

* Talk to people (both local and far away) on your drive to work

* Help in emergencies and natural disasters by providing communications

* Provide communications in parades or walkathons and other civic events.

* Help other people become hams. (We call it "Elmering")

* Hook your computer to your radio and communicate "computer-to-computer. Hams use radio modems.

* Collect QSL cards (cards from other hams) from all over the United States and foreign countries and receive awards.

* Participate in contests or Field Day events.

* Provide radio communication service to your local Civil Defense organization through ARES (The Amateur Radio Emergency Service), or RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) …or even FEMA, (the Federal Emergency Management Agency.)

* Aid members of the US military by joining the Army, Air Force or Navy/Marine MARS (Military Affiliate Radio System).

* Participate in transmitter hunt games (fox hunting) and maybe build your own direction-finding equipment.

* Have someone to talk to on those sleepless nights at home.

* Receive weather picture via satellite.

* Build radios, antennas, learn some electronics and radio theory.

* Talk to astronauts in space (The ISS has hams aboard), or use the moon to bounce signals back to people on the Earth.

* Experiment with Amateur TV (ATV), Slow-Scan TV (SSTV), or send still-frame pictures by facsimile.

* Lash your ham radio to the public telephone system and call your friends toll-free. (Autopatching).

* Communicate through orbiting satellites. (There are many ham satellites in orbit that are owned and operated by the amateur community! And you can use them without any cost whatsoever!).

* Get involved in the search for extraterrestrials by joining SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), get into radio astronomy.

...and this is only the beginning! You are limited only by your imagination and ingenuity.

73
Butch McGee, K3YO