| Amateur Radio, also known as "HAM Radio," is a public communications service.
Here in the United States, it is authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Their official statement (PR-5000, from the FCC's Private Radio Bureau) says the following:
|
| "The Amateur Service is for qualified persons of all ages who are interested in radio technique
solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interests.
It provides them an opportunity for self-training, intercommunications, and technical investigation..."
"The Amateur Service is authorized in practically every country. Numerous frequency bands throughout the radio spectrum are allocated to the Amateur Service internally, making it possible for amateur operators to communicate with each other in all parts of the world, even in space. Over one million operators [half in the United States] exchange messages by voice, teleprinter, telegraphy, facsimile, and television. In areas where communications are regulated by the FCC, an Amateur Service License is required from the FCC or the Government of Canada in order to operate an amateur station." "An Amateur License conveys many privileges. As control operator of an amateur station, an amateur operator is responsible for the quality of the station's transmission. The transmitter may be designed, constructed, modified, and repaired by an amateur operator." "To qualify for a license, a person must pass an examination. The degree of skill and knowledge in operating an amateur station that the candidate can demonstrate to the examiners determines the class of operator license for which the person is qualified. The examination requires the candidate to demonstrate proficiency in recieving the International Morse Code and to pass a written examination covering the operational and technical qualifications required to properly perform the duties of an amateur operator."
|
| However, effective 14 February, 1991, there is no longer a Morse Code proficiency requirement for the Novice Technician Class licenses,
which allows ALL amateur privilages in frequencies above 30 Megahertz. But, in order to recieve a General, Advanced, or Extra Class license,
one MUST still pass a Morse Code proficiency examination.
Here in Charlottesville, VA, and the surronding area, amateur operators are extremely active. There are well over 400 "Hams" in the Albermarle County and surrounding counties. Among the activities are:
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Other local repeaters include:
|
|
|
| Amateur Radio is not only "serious" stuff.
Hams spend a lot (most) of their time on the radio doing things that are purely recreational.
Among these "fun" activities are:
|
| DX is an old Morse Code term that means "distance." In modern terms, DXing means talking to radio amateurs all over the world.
Some amateurs enjoy "getting" a new country, while others enjoy just having a conversation with someone in a foreign land.
In some cases, operators are making contacts during contests to earn points.
|
| Hams can have their own satellites.
The OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) program was put together by Hams interested in space communications.
From OSCAR-1, back in the '60s, to more than a dozen sattelites now in orbit, Hmas have been finding new and more effective ways to communicate.
|
| This is a little easier than trying to track a fast-moving, low-Earth-orbit satellite, but it requires much better antenna systems.
Most Hams that work with EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) are interested in the design and construcrion of extremely efficient antenna systems and
high-gain (supper sensitive) receivers.
|
| Some Hams are involved with the sending of pictures via Amateur Radio.
There are two main methods: Slow Scan TV and Fast Scan TV.
These processes allow hams to add a little more of a personal touch to their efforts in Amateur Radio.
Like most aspects of Ham Radio, these procedures require specialized equipment.
|
| Well, when you get right down to it, that is pretty much what we are involved with in our activities.
Hams are always looking for ways to improve radio communications.
They are doing research into the effect of the Sun on the radio wave propagation and into theuse of spread-spectrum transmitters/recievers
in order to share theradio spectrum more efficiently.
They are also working on high-speed digital transmission and data network designs.
|
| One of the fastest growing parts of Amateur Radio is all-digital Packet Radio Network.
It allows Hams to send messages, exchange files, and chat with other Hams using compuers and radios.
It is also a technique that uses a single radio frequency, several conversations can take place at once.
|
| Both serious business and sport, Radio Direction Finding provides many amateurs with the opportunity to design, construct, and use equipment
for the purpose of locating signals of unknown origin.
The efforts of these Hams can be benificial to the amateur community by locating interfering signals and getting them off of the air.
|
| Using a radio, a terminal node controller, a Global Positioning System (GPS) reciever, and a computer,
Hams can track properly equiped vehicles all over the United States by using networks of digipeaters.
|
| If you would like to know more about Amateur Radio, send me e-mail, or check out some of the following links:
|
American Radio Relay Legue
Albermarle Amateur Radio Club
J.L., KE4UKZ's, Web Site