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We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

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Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#61

Post by resters »

setquk wrote: post #54
resters wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> pretty bad time for HF right now Not true, the lower HF bands (80m through 20m) are excellent and there is worldwide communication happening all the time. It's only bad if you recall periods of high sunspot activity with superb 10m and 15m conditions. Certainly something to look forward to in the next few years but not a show stopper in the least. Also, there is now significantly more weak signal activity than in p…

Definitely. 17000km QSO the other day with CW on 6 watts out. FT8 bores the crap out of me unfortunately.

I like both. FT8 is great when you want to multitask while getting on the air.

Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#62

Post by themodelplumber »

nopacience wrote: post #60
themodelplumber wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an incredibly broad hobby. I just got my first award by downloading digital images (SSTV) from the ISS using a $35 handheld radio, and that didn't require any talking at all. There are tons of things you can do, so many that it's hard to sum up. It also combines well with other hobbies. Or it can be a symbol or inspiration of its own kind, an objective reminder that more science in your life is a good thing. One…

care to explain how to download from ISS via radio ?

Sure, when the ISS passes over (and is transmitting SSTV--check the ARISS blog or issfanclub.com), tune your radio to 145.800, turn squelch off, and hold up your speaker to (for example) your smartphone which is running a decoder like Robot36. That's just one specific way...the app will auto-save an image to your phone when it's done. Example video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAHJfE7EBlI&t=12s

You can use an app like "ISS Detector" to get alerts when the ISS is over; that one also has an IAP that will show you any amateur radio satellite that's over your head, as well as the uplink and downlink frequencies. (Last time I was listening to cubesat AO-92, my social "nerd antenna" apparently went up to about 1 MW transmitting and I ended up pointing into the clear blue sky a lot while explaining to interested random passers-by why people still use ham radio. :-))

Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#63

Post by rv-de »

jimhefferon wrote: post #52

The problem is that many on the bands are miserable people. It can be discouraging. The radio is a lot of fun. (I love Morse.) But a sizable percentage of the radio-ers make you want to do something else.

More like grumpy nerds or race-war-fearing survivalists?

Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#64

Post by ObsoleteNerd »

themodelplumber wrote: post #62
nopacience wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

care to explain how to download from ISS via radio ?

Sure, when the ISS passes over (and is transmitting SSTV--check the ARISS blog or issfanclub.com), tune your radio to 145.800, turn squelch off, and hold up your speaker to (for example) your smartphone which is running a decoder like Robot36. That's just one specific way...the app will auto-save an image to your phone when it's done. Example video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAHJfE7EBlI&t=12s You can use an app…

That's so cool, and single-handedly just convinced me to take the plunge and buy a radio to learn more. I've been tempted for a while but had no idea you could do this. I liked the idea of talking to people from far away, but being able to receive stuff from ISS is just next-level awesome.

Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#65

Post by sevensor »

threeio wrote: post #44
snazz wrote: post #40

I am interested in ham radio, but I’m uncomfortable with broadcasting my call sign around (as required by the FCC) since in the US it’s super easy to get someone’s name and home address from their callsign. For currently operating hams: do you just deal with it, or is there something you can do to protect your privacy?

You can get a PO Box or forwarding service as your FCC address.. doesn't have to be street address just mailing addy.

I thought the FCC wanted to know where your station was. Doesn't this defeat the purpose?

Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#66

Post by themodelplumber »

ObsoleteNerd wrote: post #64
themodelplumber wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, when the ISS passes over (and is transmitting SSTV--check the ARISS blog or issfanclub.com), tune your radio to 145.800, turn squelch off, and hold up your speaker to (for example) your smartphone which is running a decoder like Robot36. That's just one specific way...the app will auto-save an image to your phone when it's done. Example video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAHJfE7EBlI&t=12s You can use an app…

That's so cool, and single-handedly just convinced me to take the plunge and buy a radio to learn more. I've been tempted for a while but had no idea you could do this. I liked the idea of talking to people from far away, but being able to receive stuff from ISS is just next-level awesome.

Right on! You picked a great time in history, with a ham operator (Astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor) currently on the ISS and making contacts. It's exciting stuff. :-) Here's one operator's contact from this last Saturday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwm-6tf7KCs

(That amazing feeling post-contact...funny that he left in those clips, but I definitely identify with the adrenaline rush. :-))

Be sure to check out #hamradio and #hamr on Twitter, and /r/amateurradio on Reddit. Edit: And your local club, too! And welcome!

Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#68

Post by themodelplumber »

threeio wrote: post #39
ArtWomb wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're certainly seeing a resurgence of audio content with podcasting. Mostly due to proliferation of mobile and ad spending rotation. But WebSDR is pretty amazing technology. The ability for concurrent users to operate radio via internet could find broad adoption. I'm just not sure what drives it. It might be nice, in an autonomous vehicle future, for example. For idle passengers in neighboring cars to communicate wi…

http://sdr.hu as well for even more locations

I have been using that to figure out what's on while I get my new (1982) HF rig up and running. :-)

Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#69

Post by nutcracker46 »

httpz wrote: post #30

I have a license because my high school teacher made us do it but I never quite understood what hobbyists do with it. I see how it can be a useful skill to have for people in a certain profession but as a hobbyist what do you do? Do people just talk to random people on the radio? I'm genuinely curious.

The hobbyists find many different kinds of satisfaction in amateur radio. In my early days, my knack was building antennas and chasing dx down on HF. Later, I was into VHF: more antennas, preamps, hacking FM limiter - detector circuits, chasing tropospheric dx. Radio math as better hardware.

That was all before the arrival of software defined radio. Radio math as computer code.

Some of my nerdy friends can't stand analog voice and CW, preferring instead to push bandwidth limits on the microwave bands, doing mesh networks, etc.

Hehe, we can't all be hardcore HF/AM godfathers like Timtron WA1HLR. Big signals from home, big signals from WBCQ :-)

Re: We're in a Golden Age for Amateur Radio

#70

Post by II2II »

httpz wrote: post #30

I have a license because my high school teacher made us do it but I never quite understood what hobbyists do with it. I see how it can be a useful skill to have for people in a certain profession but as a hobbyist what do you do? Do people just talk to random people on the radio? I'm genuinely curious.

I was fortunate and got licensed through a club that had a healthy mix of students, people in industry, and retirees. Some of the stuff that we were doing was amazing. Some of the stuff that we talked about was even more so.

Just after the turn of the century we had a fully functional station for long distance terrestrial communications (HF) and satellite communications (including amateur satellites and the ISS). Much of the station could be disassembled and relocated for operations in the field, specifically Field Day. Members had various technical projects ranging from building the station (antennas, feed lines, and radios), to software defined radio. Other people had tangential interests which fit in well with the group. In other words, there was a lot of experimentation.

Amateur radio is a lot like computers: there are those who build the tools and those who use the tools. Both groups serve a purpose (many of the users are involved in community service and emergency communications). What you choose to do largely depends upon what you are interested in.

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