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I have noticed a correlation where the smartest tech people I know are also Ham operators.
Don't get me wrong, I've come across a lot of wonderful, truly smart hams; but I've also witnessed many hams who really never should have gotten half-smart.
Hams are amateur electricians, hilarity /will/ ensue and it won't all be funny.
Is Ham that hobby? I am genuinely asking. A few days ago a thread here had lots of people agreeing it was mostly old dudes being boring. But I like the idea that maybe I (in Europe) can talk to my friend (in the US) by bouncing radio waves off the moon, or some such, and not relying on intermediaries.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel the opposite. Morse code was a major barrier into HF for many different people. Folks who are musically challenged would fail to copy. People with hand disabilities faced major hurdles. Hearing disabilities made it impractical, even though there are plenty of visual-only modes (sstv, digital tty modes, etc). Removal of morse has allowed far more people to reach more technical levels of ham radio. And, in my an…
Fair enough. I just loved learning it as a boyscout and applying it to HAM and always think of it as this last ditch backup option
Fear not. Code will be with us for decades to come.
I have noticed a correlation where the smartest tech people I know are also Ham operators.
Hams are the quintessential "know just enough to be dangerous" people. Don't get me wrong, I've come across a lot of wonderful, truly smart hams; but I've also witnessed many hams who really never should have gotten half-smart. Hams are amateur electricians, hilarity /will/ ensue and it won't all be funny.
Some of the best RF guys I know, have no formal training - because there is important theory around RF - it doesn't always work like projected.
In my industry a Ham Ticket has taken the place of a GROL as something employers look upon favorably, because it means you generally should already have a foundation of RF theory.
Kind of wish they had kept the Morse code requirement for the radio license. Felt like more of a connection to the old ham requirements and history
Now I'm an Extra, and have been licensed long enough to join the QCWA.
As the internet gets more balkanized, censored, and controlled by a few giant companies, it makes me think that it's time for a different hobby. Something that can be used to subvert censorship (remember the whole "interprets it as damage and routes around it" conceit?) and is more hobbyists and less corporate sounds appealing. Is Ham that hobby? I am genuinely asking. A few days ago a thread here had lots of people…
That said, everything you do in amateur radio is in the open. So if you want to talk to your European friend, only the Sun can prevent you, but anyone can listen.
I have noticed a correlation where the smartest tech people I know are also Ham operators.
Hams are the quintessential "know just enough to be dangerous" people. Don't get me wrong, I've come across a lot of wonderful, truly smart hams; but I've also witnessed many hams who really never should have gotten half-smart. Hams are amateur electricians, hilarity /will/ ensue and it won't all be funny.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hams are the quintessential "know just enough to be dangerous" people. Don't get me wrong, I've come across a lot of wonderful, truly smart hams; but I've also witnessed many hams who really never should have gotten half-smart. Hams are amateur electricians, hilarity /will/ ensue and it won't all be funny.
The smart ones know they just know enough to be dangerous - a foundation of knowledge, not the whole book. Some of the best RF guys I know, have no formal training - because there is important theory around RF - it doesn't always work like projected. In my industry a Ham Ticket has taken the place of a GROL as something employers look upon favorably, because it means you generally should already have a foundation of…
As in, avoid? Or want?