Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Any Amateur Radio operators on here? (expecting almost no replies)

840quadra

840quadra

Moderator
Original poster
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,580
6,527
Twin Cities Minnesota
Any Amateur Radio operators on here, talking the HAMs and such.

I hope I am not the only one, but I think it would be cool to assemble a small list to keep track of us.

If you are, I am curious why you got your License, and how long you had it.

73's (Ham Speak)

840quadra
KC0LAW
 
My friend Colin is a radio thingiee.

After the Hurricane, he was at the red cross every day, communicating with people from Louisiana, helping out.

He's had his license since he was like... MAN, I dunno. Ask him,

KU5B.

(what a lid..)
 
840quadra said:
Any Amateur Radio operators on here, talking the HAMs and such?
Click to expand...
I let my license expire many years ago and so I don't consider myself a Ham anymore. I got my license in 1985 (when I was age 15) and so I guess it expired around 1995. My call sign was KB4QQE.
 
My great uncle is really into this, he was demonstrating it to me the other day - really fascinating. He used to use radios, but now he uses echo cast on his computer.
 
I've been working on getting my license off and on. My dad and brother are HAMs and often help with tornado spotting and emergency management. It's something I'm looking forward to helping with next summer.
 
i've always wondered about HAM radio operators...

can someone give me a rundown?


in what capacity do they help out with emergency management?
 
oldschool said:
i've always wondered about HAM radio operators...

can someone give me a rundown?


in what capacity do they help out with emergency management?
Click to expand...

oldschool, I am not the best person to answer this as emergency communications really doesn't interest me. I'm more interested in microwave experimentation and HF mobile applications. HAMs were crucial during the 1989 earthquake that hit the San Francisco bay area. HAMs are also used along marathon routes and bike races to monitor the athletes and call for help if anyone becomes injured or dehydrated. I've been asked if I'd like to volunteer for things like that in the past.

In the olden days, before satellite phones, HAMs would hook up phones to the radios so soldiers away at war could talk to their families.
 
I primarily use my license for doing Automotive Rally Racing events. I am one of the Road marshals that will radio into net control to notify of emergencies, and or conditions that could effect the safety of a rally event.

My interest in getting into radio license came from working at a rally and listening to Net control. The radio operators are an important part of any rally event, because in most cases Cell phones will not work, and CB radios don't have enough distance (or discipline of primary users or protocol ). The HAM radio running on 2m has enough coverage to reach 5 - 10 miles depending on conditions, and offers great freedom.

I am also one of the people that volunteers to spot for weather issues, or during emergency events if needed.
 
The Amateur Radio Network is one composed of many different trained operators who use amateur radio for pleasure and for emergency communications. To find out more see the ARRL website at www.arrl.org.

I am a 17 year old extra class amateur radio operator. I have been licensed for over four years and have enjoyed various different aspects of the hobby, including HF Contesting, HF Dxing, rag chewing, VHF FM, digital modes, and pretty much anything else I can get my hands on. I am a member of the ARRL (American Radio Relay League), The Pasadena Contest Club, Worldwide Young Contesters, and The Bosque County Amateur Radio Club. My HF equipment consists of an Icom IC-718, an MFJ-971 tuner, and Hustler 4BTV Vertical. The rest of my shack includes a Kenwood R-600 Communications Receiver with a 50 foot wire antenna, an Icom T2H portable 2 meter transceiver, and an Alinco DR-130 2 meter radio using a ringo ranger 2 vertical antenna about 20 feet up. The radios are powered by a 20 Amp Astron power supply.

73 de KD5OWO
 
oldschool said:
i've always wondered about HAM radio operators...

can someone give me a rundown?


in what capacity do they help out with emergency management?
Click to expand...

I work in Emergency Management (in the UK). A lot of our plans rely on communicating using mobile phones during an emergency. If the cell goes down for whatever reason (too busy, technical fault, fire etc) then one of our back ups systems would be to use local amateur radio users to pass messages for us. They have created an organisation called RAYNET to facilitate this. To increase resilience this is just one of several back up systems, the others being satelite phones, landlines, other radio systems, pigeons, smoke signals, semafore etc ;)
 
I'm a ham. Been a ham for 7 years now. I got my tech plus in August 1999 a few days after my 15th birthday, then upgraded to extra within 8 months (inc. 20 WPM code). I'm primarily a CW op. I use 2 M now and then, but HF is my favorite place to be. Unfortunately since moving into an apartment, I haven't been able to get on the air. I'm considering trying out an indoor antenna. Don't know how well it will work though. When I get a house of my own, I plan to have a well equipped station as far as antennas go.
 
Adonsa said:
Hi 840Quadra, Yeah, count me in; just took and passed the exam last Saturday. I'm uncertain what i'll do next, as a licensee.
Click to expand...

Congrats on passing your test. There's TONS of stuff to do in ham radio, from building your own gear to QRP, to microwaves, emergency communications training, etc etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back