Post by fondofchips on Aug 16, 2017 16:22:54 GMT
OK so why do we still do Ham Radio in the 21st century?
On the face of it we have the internet, chat rooms and mobile phones, so why does Ham Radio still exist?
I thought about this a bit, bought myself a handheld radio and had a listen, I took it to work and one of my work colleagues said, “Why don’t you make that radio legal?”. So, I took the Foundation exam course and passed it a few weeks later. I had the opportunity to do the Intermediate exam course so I did that and passed the exam a couple of months later. I've now been doing this hobby for 8 months, I've done the theory, now ready(ish) for the practical!
The challenge is bouncing the radio waves off the ionosphere and then they bounce back down, can be thousands of miles away, see pictures below. Some Ham Radio operators talk to other stations where there are no telephones at all. The most surprising fact is that Morse code is still the most efficient way for long distance contacts. You are probably thinking of the wild west and the telegraph office at the railroad station, but even Morse code has kept up with technology. If you want to send Morse with a key then a dual paddle version is now available, one paddle for ‘dits’ (dot) & the other for ‘dahs’ (dashes). However, it is more efficient and easier to use a computer with software to do the job of deciphering and sending the code via the keyboard & display. Even then most radio operators don’t bother with Morse code. You cannot argue with my Morse code tutor, 60% of his contacts are Morse code ones and he has logged over 31,000 confirmed contacts in total since the 1960’s.
Ok so a quick overview of current Ham radio equipment: -
VHF/UHF – mainly restricted to local and mobile contacts, a step up from CB radio, ham radio operators can use more power than CB operators. They come in 3 main types, walkiw talkie style, mobile in car like a CB radio, and full size base station. VHF can possibly go long distance when the signal bounces in between the clouds during an inversion (temperature rises instead of falling as you get to higher altitudes) this is usually associated with high atmospheric pressure. I have heard stations in Denmark from the UK when this phenomenon occured. Repeaters allow greater range for mobile radios, a tone is transmitted with the call to activate the repeater: -
HF – The traditional Ham Radio frequencies, however I’m not going to dwell on the actual frequencies and bands as they are fragmented and the relationship between frequency and wave length takes some practice to understand. Voice is usually single sideband (SSB), Morse code via PC or key, radio teletype is also used (RTTY), there are now more options due to new digital technology. If you can see a large antenna shaped like your TV aerial then this is the radio that will be connected to it.
Antennas – the challenge here is to find the right one that will work in your location, I’m using wire antennas which look like a washing line well out of reach! The problem with the whole thing & the challenge is to check it all out when the conditions are right for communication. So, we have a problem here like stargazing, the weather is in control. In the UK planning permission is needed for the large tower mounted antenna.
Ham Radio is a good partner to stargazing equipment in a warm room as it generally works when it’s cloudy!
I have 3 radios, a Baofeng UV5R VHF/UHF handheld walkie talkie style radio, a Yaesu FT-8900 VHF/UHF quad band mobile/in car radio and a Yaesu FT-920 HF radio. All I have to do now is master them......
On the face of it we have the internet, chat rooms and mobile phones, so why does Ham Radio still exist?
I thought about this a bit, bought myself a handheld radio and had a listen, I took it to work and one of my work colleagues said, “Why don’t you make that radio legal?”. So, I took the Foundation exam course and passed it a few weeks later. I had the opportunity to do the Intermediate exam course so I did that and passed the exam a couple of months later. I've now been doing this hobby for 8 months, I've done the theory, now ready(ish) for the practical!
The challenge is bouncing the radio waves off the ionosphere and then they bounce back down, can be thousands of miles away, see pictures below. Some Ham Radio operators talk to other stations where there are no telephones at all. The most surprising fact is that Morse code is still the most efficient way for long distance contacts. You are probably thinking of the wild west and the telegraph office at the railroad station, but even Morse code has kept up with technology. If you want to send Morse with a key then a dual paddle version is now available, one paddle for ‘dits’ (dot) & the other for ‘dahs’ (dashes). However, it is more efficient and easier to use a computer with software to do the job of deciphering and sending the code via the keyboard & display. Even then most radio operators don’t bother with Morse code. You cannot argue with my Morse code tutor, 60% of his contacts are Morse code ones and he has logged over 31,000 confirmed contacts in total since the 1960’s.
Ok so a quick overview of current Ham radio equipment: -
VHF/UHF – mainly restricted to local and mobile contacts, a step up from CB radio, ham radio operators can use more power than CB operators. They come in 3 main types, walkiw talkie style, mobile in car like a CB radio, and full size base station. VHF can possibly go long distance when the signal bounces in between the clouds during an inversion (temperature rises instead of falling as you get to higher altitudes) this is usually associated with high atmospheric pressure. I have heard stations in Denmark from the UK when this phenomenon occured. Repeaters allow greater range for mobile radios, a tone is transmitted with the call to activate the repeater: -
HF – The traditional Ham Radio frequencies, however I’m not going to dwell on the actual frequencies and bands as they are fragmented and the relationship between frequency and wave length takes some practice to understand. Voice is usually single sideband (SSB), Morse code via PC or key, radio teletype is also used (RTTY), there are now more options due to new digital technology. If you can see a large antenna shaped like your TV aerial then this is the radio that will be connected to it.
Antennas – the challenge here is to find the right one that will work in your location, I’m using wire antennas which look like a washing line well out of reach! The problem with the whole thing & the challenge is to check it all out when the conditions are right for communication. So, we have a problem here like stargazing, the weather is in control. In the UK planning permission is needed for the large tower mounted antenna.
Ham Radio is a good partner to stargazing equipment in a warm room as it generally works when it’s cloudy!
I have 3 radios, a Baofeng UV5R VHF/UHF handheld walkie talkie style radio, a Yaesu FT-8900 VHF/UHF quad band mobile/in car radio and a Yaesu FT-920 HF radio. All I have to do now is master them......