Sunday, March 31, 2019

#AtoZChallenge - Amateur Radio

Welcome to my little corner of the Interwebz during this year's installment of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge!

I confess to having a definite lack of early inspiration on a theme this year, so I'm going with basically the odd random things that 1. Make me Happy and 2. Make me....ME!

So A is for Amateur Radio.  I will keep this really short, since it's one of those things that if you're not interested in it - I could start to sound like Charlie Brown's teacher.

In a nutshell, from the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League)'s website... Amateur Radio (ham radio) is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. It's fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need.

First of all - the URL of this blog is my callsign.  N8LTG.  Technically, using proper phonetic spelling, it's said "November 8 Lima Tango Golf" but this is me we're talking about so it's "November 8 Lisa the Great".  I've called myself Lisa the Great since I can remember.  
It's also on the license plate of my car.
I've been a licensed ham since 2009 and drove around with an extra antenna on my car for 2 years before that since the Spouse (who has been a ham for 25+ years) was trying to inspire me in a not-subtle way.  I finally just dove in, took a one day class, took the test at the end of the day and there you have it.

I honestly don't use it for much.  I used to volunteer each month to drive to remotely located outdoor warning sirens for the first Saturday of the month siren tests and report in to the county, but I haven't done that for a while.  I'm also Skywarn qualified because severe weather is cool. 

I use my radio mostly for search & rescue stuff (more on that for my "S" post)!

I couldn't begin to guess how many radios the Spouse has, but here are mine. 
This is my handheld (HT) that is programmed with all  my search & rescue frequencies.
This is an Anytone and I also have a Yaseu.
This is the mobile that's in my car.
a Yaseu FT-7900 Dual Bander

 photo http---signatures.mylivesignature.com-54494-124-9BF74C716651145ECAC7EDD1AB729D6B_zpsxkuumtdq.png

20 comments:

  1. Very cool. I have a friend who is a ham radio operator. He is disabled and can't get out much and ham radio is what keeps him social. I've thought about getting into, but I live in Vietnam and don't expect I would find many English speakers.

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    1. English is the most common language spoken on the radio, so you might be surprised at who all you could talk to.
      I bet it's really interesting living in Vietnam!

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  3. I think that's awesome! I've always thought Ham radio was interesting but never knew a thing about how people get started. I did look into the equipment once and saw that it could get pretty expensive. What a cool hobby, though. Asking for Help to Avoid Burnout

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    1. It can get expensive, the fancy high-tech radios can cost $$$ but there are also basic ones that are very reasonable. Hubby has a friend that builds his own radios (but he is an uber-geek and I feel dumb if I have to talk to him about anything)

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  4. Hi Lisa, I'm Lacey. I dropped by because I found your blog on the A to Z Blogging Challenge signup list. What a great start to the month! I learned something today about Ham Radio! Great license plate too :) Good luck for the rest of the challenge, I'll drop by again later in the month.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! I'll come visit you, too!

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  5. I've never heard of a ham radio but that is all pretty cool!

    Sorry, I don't have a handy link as I'm on my ipad tonight doing some visits. But you can copy and paste this into your browser:

    https://seal-of-melchizedek.blogspot.com/2019/04/atlanta-georgia-temple.html

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    1. Thanks - it's kind of a down-low hobby. There's actually a lot of people involved, but nobody on the outside really hears much about it.
      I'll be stopping by!

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  6. Very interesting. Cool call sign too. Happy A to Z'ing!

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    1. Thanks! The hubby & I both had a laugh when I was able to get this one!

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  7. I had not thought of amateur radio in years. It really is a great hobby.
    Best of luck with a-z challenge.
    Astrology is my A-Z
    ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ
    https://introspectivepress.blogspot.com/

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    1. Astrology is a fascinating topic, too! Good luck!

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  8. Random stuff is a theme I can appreciate!

    Good luck with the Challenge!

    MsDarkstar

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    1. I've done both themed & random A-Zs over the years and they're both fun to write and read!

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  9. Hello Lisa, popping over to say Hi from a fellow A2Z blogger this month. I am an engineer and appreciate the enthusiasm of the Radio Hams out there. Have fun!

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  10. Hello Lisa, visiting from AtoZ. I found your post interesting. Many years ago I remember using a CB radio in my car. I wonder if it's the same thing as a HAM.
    Good luck with the challenge. :)

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    1. It's kinda-sorta similar, except you have to pass a test and get licensed by the FCC to be a ham. You get more frequencies on the air to use than CB.

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  11. Oh wow... This is new information.. Thanks for sharing

    B for Bugs Bunny

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