Thanks QuantumLogic for this thread. I wanted to start a similar thread for a while, and actually was planning to do so in the next days when I found this threat!
Anyway, I got my class-A-license (highest license in Germany) a year ago and fulfilled an old childhood dream - actually I was encouraged here in the forum by Carl
a while back, thank you Carl! I think it's a great idea to pursue a "useful hobby" in terms of personal growth and preparedness.
So here are some of my experiences. The original idea was of course to become a radio amateur for preparedness reasons. However I found that this is only one aspect - more importantly, I learned a lot since becoming licensed! But first, here are a couple of things you can do with ham radio that come to mind:
- Voice communications on VHF/UHF: Either via repeaters, via your own repeater or direct; range is limited, but it's very useful to maintain contact to your local community. You can buy a chinese dual band handheld radio for less than 40 Euros such as the Baofeng UV-5R. Put it in your car with a magnetic mount antenna (30 Euros) and you have a mobile station (I build my first mobile antenna myself, but for safety and aesthetic reasons I replaced it with a commercial antenna). I think it's important to get to know the local hams by talking to them, so you already have some kind of network in place. Many reapeaters are linked to the internet as well providing worldwide communication, as long as the internet is still working of course (there have been cases where this was useful during disasters)
- Data communication on VHF/UHF: Connect the radio to a computer and you can exchange data direct or via mailboxes (Packet Radio) or send text messages/position data via APRS. You can even send E-Mails to the internet via APRS (_http://www.aprs-is.net/email.aspx), as long as you reach a gateway station that is connected to the internet.
- Voice communication on HF - you can communicate locally (using an NVIS antenna on 80m/40m, see _http://www.w5jck.com/nvis/W5JCK-NVIS-Antenna-Presentation.pdf), regionally or world wide.
- Data communication on HF - maybe one of the greatest assets in terms of preparedness is the Winlink system (_http://www.winlink.org/) - a network of worldwide nodes connected to the internet. You can send/receive E-Mails worldwide even in the case that, say, your whole continent experiences an internet-blackout. Sailors and emergency groups use it daily. It works great. Of course, there are all kinds of direct data communications modes available which enable you to directly send text/data to other stations.
- Morse code (CW) - I actually learned the code not long ago, and it's a great tool. Transmitters are really simple and you can reach stations even with very little power and under poor conditions. Highly effective. Plus, it's a great exercise in concentration and willpower to learn the code and apply it.
- Meteor detection - I haven't tried this yet, but you can use the effect of radiowaves bouncing back from meteors to statistically analyse the number of meteors hitting earth. (google "meteor scatter" and/or "radio astronomy"
As I said, without expecting it, I learned a lot during this last year from amateur radio. This already began with the exam - which was a challenge for me, since I don't have any technical background and I had difficulties with exams in school and university. It has been a great exercise in willpower and dedication. Then there is all the practical knowledge from building antennas, antenna tuners, soldering circuits etc., which came kind of naturally to me since I wanted to go on the air - and I never soldered anything before! Also, now, I'm trying to really understand radio technology and I'm planning to build my own little transmitter, and I found that knowing about radio theory really can open the mind to all kinds of thoughts, since in the cosmos, it seems to be all about frequencies! It's a very interesting area to study, just out of curiosity and on your own level of understanding.
Another aspect is that I found the ham radio community itself to be very interesting. Through our local club and my on-the-air contacts, I got to meet some very friendly (mostly older) guys, who love to share their knowledge. Ham radio seems to attract many "hands on" people who are very talented in many ways. Also, there seems to be some "STO-touch" to the hobby: It's about personal growth and sharing, especially in the technical parts of the hobby. Many hams feel that they want to "give back to the hobby" by sharing their process, helping newcomers etc. That's I guess why you'll find tons of blogs, studies, articles, videos etc. by hams on the net.
Finally, if you are interested in amateur radio, here are some books that I can recommend (all except the last one available for kindle as well):
- The Hobbyist's Guide to the RTL-SDR: Really Cheap Software Defined Radio - this book describes how you can receive almost everything with a 15-Euro-Dongle (Software Defined Radio) - a great way to explore the radio spectrum, and you don't need any license!
- Ham Radio For Dummies - a very good introduction to amateur radio, which covers almost everything (though not in great detail)
- SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics - a wonderful book which I think captures a lot of the "spirit" of amateur radio. The author also has a podcast (soldersmoke.com)
- Zen and The Art Of Radiotelegraphy - a great step-by-step guide to learning Morse code, with special emphasis on the necessity to train your subconscious mind.
- Experimental Methods in RF Design - If you want to experiment with radio electronics or build/repair your own equipment, this is a wonderful book. It's a bit advanced though, and to be honest for the moment I only slowly begin to grasp the basic concepts. The great thing is that the authors encourage you to experiment on your own to learn - following your curiosity. No need to "understand it all" from the beginning.
I think the idea of creating an alternative communication network is great, and you can be a real asset to your community as a ham, especially if you know how to build stuff, as QuantumLogic says, and you practiced with your equipment beforehand. Anyway, if you are interested in radios, I can highly recommend getting licensed.
meta-agnostic said:
There wouldn't be any direct link-up between the handheld radios and the HAM but the HAM operator could verbally or manually relay messages from the local network. That doesn't violate any rules, does it?
I guess it depends on the country, but here in Germany, for example, "third party" traffic is strictly prohibited, except in case of emergencies. Also note that encryption is strictly prohibited as well on the ham bands.
LQB said:
I've recently been working with several local groups on general preparedness, and local HAM comms is one element. Lots of folks are now getting their licenses (not just the groups I'm working with). Last Sunday my brother and I did some local tests using the Anytone radios (using one as a cross-band repeater - at high elevation). In this very hilly area (where I'm at), we demonstrated link closure over nearly 100 sq miles - pretty good considering we were using only 5W handhelds.
A very good way to get folks involved is to hold weekly on-air HAM nets where everyone meets to practice protocol and experiment with their own local coverage (and shoot the breeze).
LQB, that all sounds very interesting. May I ask how you went about this - finding local preparedness groups, how you got involved, how they/you use the radio equipment? Here I don't think there are any preparedness groups, and the ham community has not so much to do with preparedness (at least in my region)... I'm just curious.
