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About Ham Radio
There
are many aspects to Ham Radio. These pages will introduce you to some
of them.
What
is a HAM?
In
the USA, Ham Radio is a special area of radio transmissions licensed
by the FCC as the Amateur Radio service.
This is a place for hobbyists, not commercial operations.
In other countries of the world licensing is handled by the governing
agency. This
one is a worldwide agency.
Ham
Radio is found on many frequencies in the air ways. In order to prevent
interference, the FCC assigns specific frequencies to the various
entities that need to transmit information over the air. This includes
Military, Aircraft, Emergency services, Private companies, TV, Radio
(AM & FM) and hobbyists Ham, Boating, Radio Controlled Toys, etc.
What
makes Ham Radio different is that we are assigned a range of frequencies
and may operate on any frequency within the range of our license.
Other services are assigned a specific frequency and may only transmit
on that frequency. Usually it is the company or organization that
obtains the license and the individuals using the radios are not licensed.
In Ham Radio the license is assigned to an individual.
The
assigned frequencies are designated as HF, VHF, UHF and similar. The
range and allowed use of these frequencies is available on the Internet.
Some information available here
and here. This
site has info about frequency allocation worldwide.
For a discussion of frequency allocation by the FCC, check this
page.
For a very good chart of all the ways radios are used, check this
page.
Here are a couple of places to download a printable chart of allocated
frequencies.
From
Icom
From ARRL with selections,, another
page from ARRL, The
printable PDF
The
various ways to transmit have varied over the years. CW (Morse Code)
, AM, FM are methods used by a radio to transmit signals over the
air. Today we have analog Vs digital and the Internet that have provided
a great variety of ways to communicate.
Some
Ham Radio operators have been licensed for many years and many "Hams"
are new to the hobby. Until a few years ago it was required to learn
Morse Code to get a license. Since that requirement was dropped, a
lot of people have received a license that were prevented by the CW
requirement.
If
you are new to ham radio, here are a couple of suggestions to get
you started. Echolink and QRZ
For
those Hams that have been licensed over 40 years, there is a group
called the OOTC (The Old Old Timers Club). If you qualify and want
info please send me an E-mail or just check it out here.
There
is a lot of good information about Ham Radio and the activities happening
in the interconnecting of computers and Ham Radio on the Internet.
Google IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project), VOIP (Voice Over Internet
Protocol) and Allstar (a particlar type of VOIP).
There is information on getting licensed and operating procedures
all over the web.
In
the past getting involved usually required purchasing a variety of
expensive equipment. Today that has all changed. You can now get involved
in Ham Radio using a computer, tablet or a cell phone. Of course you
can still spend money. Some radios are computer controlled and run
many thousands of bucks.
A
ham used to be known by his "Ham Shack". A place where his
radios and transmitting equipment reside. Today you might see a "Ham"
talking to someone across the world on their cell phone.
This
a very general discussion. So if you are not aleady a Ham please join
us.
For info about licensing, start at the ARRL site here.
The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) is the backbone of Ham Radio
in the USA. For more info about them check
this out.
If you are a Scout, you can earn a badge for getting involved in Amateur
Radio. Read about it here
and here
and here
and here.
If you have questions, send me an E-mail or just Google for info.
Another
area that causes problems for hams is living in an HOA.
Here
is a discussion and links for current thinking.
Hams
can talk to other hams by simplex or by a repeater.
Simplex
is talking from one radio to another radio directly. The common simplex
frequency in the USA is 146.520. The dist\ance covered is limited
to the ability of the 2 radios to reach each other. may be from a
couple of miles to many miles if either of the radios has elevation.
Repeaters
allow 2 or more hams to communicate over long distances, even worldwide.
A repeater operates by receiving a transmission on one frequency and
retranmitting it one a second frequency. Many TV and radio stations
use this process to reach other areas.
A
repeater can be located at high elevation for greater coverage or
at a hams house for local coverage.
For
more discussion on repeaters, check this page.
There
are even songs about ham radio. Check
this site. While you are at it check AL7MI on QRZ. He provided
the link for the music.
And
here is a song called CQ Serenade.
It's an MP3 download.
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