My theme this year is basically things that I’m interested in. This could be things that I’m currently involved in and would (maybe / maybe not) like to increase my knowledge or things that just fascinate me to some degree.
This sums my brain up pretty well!
So yeah - I'm an amateur radio operator (ham). My callsign is the url of this blog! I've been licensed since 2009.
So this is going to fall into the category of something I'm involved in but would like to have more knowledge. There's no way I can explain everything in a single brief post, so I won't try. Besides definitely not knowing as much as I'd like, there's a LOT of info out there. It's sort of overwhelming. And the acronyms are enough to make anyone crazy.
If you're a knowledgeable ham, don't come at me!
There are 3 classes of operators (you have to be licensed thru the FCC). This higher you go, the more radio frequencies and "modes" you can use.
So there's a Technician class - or entry level operator.
General class - sort of mid-level operator. This is what I am.
Amateur Extra - these operators can operate on all radio frequencies & modes.
There are all sorts of cool things you can do with radio...
Contests of all sorts, emergency communications, you can contact the International Space Station, contact people using signals that are bounced off the moon, go to conventions. You can chat with random people "on the air" or with Morse Code or digitally on the computer, etc, etc, etc.
I should toss this out there that the Spouse has been an active ham since the mid 80s so there's not much that he doesn't know. And I couldn't even begin to guess how many radios he owns. And worse yet - he's crazy smart so it's hard for him to explain things in a manner that an average person can understand.
Currently - I personally only have a pair of handheld radios. The search & rescue team that I volunteer on requires that everyone have at least a technician license. The main reason for that is that we're based out of a county that is mostly rural and sometimes we might be called out onto a search where there's no phone signals. With radio, we can set up relay points and get communications set up with Incident Command. It's pretty useful. I'm pretty proficient with comms, so that's often my assignment for drills and training.
But give me a radio otherwise and tell me make a random contact? I suddenly forget how to speak, I can't remember my name, let alone my callsign, and I just sound like a dork. I need to get over that fear!
This was an interesting post. Thanks for sharing.
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