AMATEUR RADIO INFORMATION

People who pursue the hobby of using a personal radio station to communicate, purely for noncommercial purposes, with other radio hobbyists, call it ham radio or Amateur Radio. They call themselves Amateur Radio operators, ham radio operators or just plain "hams."

You already know a little about the hobby--hams communicate with other hams, around the block, on a distant continent--or from an orbiting space station! Some talk via computers, others prefer to use regular voice communications, and some use the efficient and enjoyable 19th-century technology known as Morse code. Some become close friends with the people they talk to on the other side of the globe--then make it a point to meet one or more of them in person. Some can take a bag full of electrical parts and turn it into a station accessory that improves their station's reception of distant radio signals. Some hams talk by bouncing signals off the moon; some hams talk via full-color, two-way TV.

What types of people will you meet as a ham? If you walk down a city street, you'll pass men and women, girls and boys, and people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and physical abilities. They're office workers and students, nurses and mail carriers, engineers and truck drivers, housewives and bankers. Any of them might be a ham you will meet tonight on your radio.

WHO CAN BECOME AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR?

To operate an amateur radio station one needs a license from the authority (BAKOM). Requirement to get the license is the possesion of the certificate of radiotelephonist- or radiotelegraphist (Fähigkeitsausweises). The Fähigkeitsausweis will be issued from BAKOM/OFCOM after passing a technical test.
Persons from the age of 14 years with resident in Switzerland, are allowed to take part at the test. Foreigners, whose homeland has reciprocal with Switzerland can't take part at the test. The candidate has to proof knowledge in the following subjects:

Directions about constructing and operating an amateur radio station
Basis of electro- and radiotechnology
Send and receive of morse code with a speed of 60 signs per minute

Giving the amateur radio license, a callsign will be attachment. The swiss amateur radio stations hold the country prefix "HB", followd by the number "9" and most three letters (e.g. HB9ACH). With this "name" the ham is known in the air.

HOW CAN I BECOME AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR?

The Web Site of USKA Union of Swiss Shortwave Amateurs shows where local ham clubs have their meetings. They will tell you if they have ham classes. The ILT-Schule owned by Ludwig Drapalik, HB9CWA is offering a course at the school or a correspondence course.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

To take the tests for any class of amateur radio license, there is a charge of CHF 70.00 plus CHF 35.00 per subject to pay in advance to the BAKOM.
The cost of a radio is really dependent on what you want to do. You can make your own radio and antenna for under CHF 200.00. You can buy a used single-band radio for CHF 800.00. Or you can buy a new multi-band multi-mode radio with all the doodads for CHF 1500.00-10'000.00. I'd suggest you learn more about ham radio, talk to local hams, find out what you want to do wih ham radio first.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH A HAM RADIO LICENSE?

There are so many things, it's a difficult question to answer, but here are some ideas:

Talk to people in foreign countries.
Talk to peole (both local and far away) on your drive to work.
Hook your computer to your radio and communicate by computers.
Collect QSL cards (cards from other hams) from all over world and receive awards.
Participate in contests or Field Day events.
Have someone to talk to on those sleepless nights at home.
Build radios, antennas, learn some electronics and radio theory.
Participate in transmitter hunt games and maybe you build your own direction-finding equipment.
Experiment with Amateur TV (ATV), Slow-Scan TV (SSTV), or send still-frame pictures by facsimile.
Experiment with amateur satellite comunications.
Talk to astronauts in space, or use the moon to bounce signals back to people on the earth.
Help other people become hams.
Help in emergencies by providing communications.

WHAT CAN'T I DO WITH AN AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE?

The most important thing you can't do is transact business of any kind over ham radio. Interference to other hams or services, as well as obscene, profane or indecent language is not tolerated and is illegal. Music and broadcasting are not allowed on ham radio. Some personal conversations may not be appropriate to Amateur Radio. Do you really want the whole world to hear about Aunt Mabel's hemorrhoids?

Thanks to the Alcatel Amateur Radio Association and North Carolina State University for providing much of their information contained on this page.
Zusammen gestellt aus der USKA-Broschüre "Eine Welt ohne Grenzen". Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der USKA Schweiz.


	All rights reserved © Copyright 2000, Alcatel Amateur Radio Club, Zurich, Switzerland
	Last updated 22-Apr-00 by HB9SOO hb9ab@[email protected]