I have been thinking of getting my license for the last couple of years.
While I've noticed its decline in the last decade, it still seems to hold some cool factor.
Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
51–60 of 66 posts
Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#52K2KD here :) Glad to see hams getting involved -- disaster communications is one of the strong suits of amateur radio. I still have a to-be-implemented plan of getting a portable HF rig w/ solar charger for my to-be-implemented "go bag". One of the big challenges the whole hobby has faced is the struggle for relevance in the Internet era. When I got my license (early 90s), there basically wasn't an Internet for kids…
W3MCD here. I was fortunate enough to operate W2SZ during my college days, which really cemented my interest in the hobby. I actually do think talking to strangers from afar via amateur radio is still awe-inspiring, considering that you're not running your comms through large underwater sea cables.
I think the highlights these days are contacting DXpeditions, working the space station, and satellite comms[1].
Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#53Interested in Amateur Radio and don't know where to start ?
Head over to http://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio ... we are waiting for you ...
Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#54I wonder how many HN readers have amateur radio licenses? I got one last month (AF7PL). Now I'm working on getting a radio. I don't want to just go out and buy something. I want to do this old-school, and so have at least some of the major components of my shack home built (and ideally home designed). I may partially relent, though, and buy a handheld transceiver for 2m/70cm. My electronic construction skills are pre…
Congratulations on having a serial A call as your first/only callsign! I'm always impressed when a new person walks in off the street and gets Extra.
Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#55Is internet over ham radio still a thing? In this particular case, it could help a lot of people, enabling them to quickly and efficiently update their status with their family via email / twitter / google person finder.
Most of the amateur radio digital protocols are keyboard to keyboard and don't really have the concept of simultaneous traffic, packets, and routing. AX.25 (also known as packet radio) does however and could possibly be used to transmit traffic like that. It is most frequently used on line-of-sight (VHF, UHF) bands. There are some others like the different PACTOR protocols, but they are essentially proprietary, and P…
There's WinLink (http://www.winlink.org/) which is able to send email, photos, position reports etc over HF. It seems to be pretty healthy.
Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#56K2KD here :) Glad to see hams getting involved -- disaster communications is one of the strong suits of amateur radio. I still have a to-be-implemented plan of getting a portable HF rig w/ solar charger for my to-be-implemented "go bag". One of the big challenges the whole hobby has faced is the struggle for relevance in the Internet era. When I got my license (early 90s), there basically wasn't an Internet for kids…
W3MCD here. I was fortunate enough to operate W2SZ during my college days, which really cemented my interest in the hobby. I actually do think talking to strangers from afar via amateur radio is still awe-inspiring, considering that you're not running your comms through large underwater sea cables. I think the highlights these days are contacting DXpeditions, working the space station, and satellite comms[1]. [1] htt…
Excellent points. I totally agree - there's still part of me that wants to dive back into both DXpeditions and contesting, both of which don't really have a parallel in Internet-land. Locking myself in the bedroom and doing the ARRL 10m contest one weekend was still one of the most fun experiences I had as a ham.
And yes - satellites / ISS are great too! Talking to a buddy - even next door - and knowing the signals are being directly repeated by a bird whizzing by overhead is still extremely cool :)
Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#57I wonder how many HN readers have amateur radio licenses? I got one last month (AF7PL). Now I'm working on getting a radio. I don't want to just go out and buy something. I want to do this old-school, and so have at least some of the major components of my shack home built (and ideally home designed). I may partially relent, though, and buy a handheld transceiver for 2m/70cm. My electronic construction skills are pre…
W1CEG checking in! I haven't been as active as I used to be since I have two little ones that take up more of my time.
I guess I'll also take this opportunity to shamelessly plug the software WU2X and I developed (although not under active development for a few reasons (one being what I mentioned above)). I mention it mostly, because some of you may find it interesting and worth looking at. It allows using PowerSDR with some traditional (non-SDR) radios: http://www.wu2x.com/sdr.html
Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#58I wonder how many HN readers have amateur radio licenses? I got one last month (AF7PL). Now I'm working on getting a radio. I don't want to just go out and buy something. I want to do this old-school, and so have at least some of the major components of my shack home built (and ideally home designed). I may partially relent, though, and buy a handheld transceiver for 2m/70cm. My electronic construction skills are pre…
G7PXR here. I used 2M and 70cms back in the early 90s mostly through repeaters. Also did a lot of packet radio work and satellite stuff. Great fun all replaced by the Internet. I have recently bought a baofeng but it's quite quiet here in SW England as most people have gone digital. Would love to have the cash to do some EME work!
Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#59K2KD here :) Glad to see hams getting involved -- disaster communications is one of the strong suits of amateur radio. I still have a to-be-implemented plan of getting a portable HF rig w/ solar charger for my to-be-implemented "go bag". One of the big challenges the whole hobby has faced is the struggle for relevance in the Internet era. When I got my license (early 90s), there basically wasn't an Internet for kids…
I've heard the same talk about declining interest, but in the U.S. at least the number of ham radio licenses is at an all time high: http://www.eham.net/articles/34155
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Re: Amateur Radio in Play in Aftermath of Nepal Earthquake
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
The Amatur Radio Relay Leage (ARRL) has a page with overview on ham radio and information on how to get licensed[0]. The wikipedia page also provides a nice overview[1]. The ARRL sells books which can help you learn the material for the license exams. You might also see if there's an amateur radio club near you; in my experience they're pretty friendly and interested in helping out aspiring hams. [0] http://www.arrl.…
"in my experience they're pretty friendly and interested in helping out aspiring hams." Talk to people who have been there about station building experiences. I think the answer you'll get is the best maximization of fun is spending around $1 on antenna system for about every $1 spent on radio gear. Hooking up a $1000 radio to a $50 antenna system is likely to be far less enjoyable and lower performance than hooking…
It turns out that on the extreme end, the ratio grows to $4 or more per antenna for $1 in radio/computers/etc. A well-equipped tower can have $10,000 worth of parts. This does not count the labor.
The scale range of fun in Ham Radio is quite large.