A hobby like amateur radio is not for everyone, however it has a lot to offer to a wide variety of interests and people. If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, you may find that ham radio is for you!

Do you like to meet new people?

Ham radio is all about communication and getting to speak with other people around the world, many of whom will share the same interests as you.

Are you interested in learning about other cultures?

With ham radio it's not difficult to find English-speaking operators around the world who would be glad to tell you all about their country and culture. Many would be more than happy to speak with you for a while in their native tongue and help you learn more about their language. Best of all, even if you talk all night, it's absolutely free!

Are you on the go a lot?

Maybe you were thinking of taking that old CB radio out of the closet because you seem to be spending so much time on the road, but keep thinking twice because of the way the CB band has deteriorated over the years. A VHF band amateur radio is the answer. Thanks to a large network of repeater systems around the country, you can be almost anywhere and still have a crystal clear signal to dozens of other operators up to hundreds of miles away. Often the "drive time nets" are filled with commuters like you who exchange road condition reports and enjoy the company on their long commutes.

Do computers and technology fascinate you?

Because amateurs are so dedicated to new technology, the FCC created a license class without any morse code requirement in order to attract computer operators. Ham operators attach radios to their computers and operate from just about anywhere. Ham operators with HP palmtops and portable radios operate from their cars, bicycles, and homes all without wires and without any cellular charges. Many of the first private computers to hit the Internet were named after the ham calls of their owners because of the pioneering nature of these hams. Consider also that with the growth of the Internet, and the increasing demand for technically trained "knowledge workers," the hands-on experience you gain within ham radio in electronics, computers, and communications while working within our friendly, team environment may prove to be invaluable long after you graduate.

Do you think of yourself as a "tinkerer"?

While it's easily possible to go out and purchase a very good ham radio tranceiver, but some amateurs consider that "cheating" and would rather have the satisfaction of putting everything together with ingeniuty and elbow grease. At "hamfests", the gala flea markets of amateur radio, it's possible to find all the parts you need by negotiating and bartering for what you need.

Do you want to play a part in helping others in need?

Founded in 1952, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a public service that provides communication personnel to government agencies in times of extraordinary need. Amateur radio operators are the lifeblood of this system and have proven in the past to be invaluable in time of disaster or national emergency. Baltimore County, for instance, has a strong RACES group which has drills and exercises every month in order to keep their communication skills sharp.

Do you enjoy a good contest?

Amateur operators often participate in nationwide contests to see who can communicate with the greatest number of other operators within a specified time period. These contests bring a huge amount of people onto the airwaves and at times can be highly fast paced and exciting.

Do you enjoy the concept of "living history?"

The first telegram "What hath God wrought" has sent from the capitol in Washington to Baltimore on May 24, 1844. With a comparitively small amount of equipment here in 1998, you can send it back! Amateur radio operators use many "modes" of sending radio signals around, including FM, AM, SSB (single sideband, or "half" of AM), CW (or morse code), packet (computer data), RTTY (radio teletype), and many others. The same mode that was used back in 1844 and was used for decades in ships at sea and wartime communication is still alive and well in ham radio.

Do you want to try something new and innovative?

We have a wide range of interests and activities ranging from traditional (voice communications) to more advanced (space operations, data communications, electronics, and computer software). Experimentation is encouraged. Ham radio operators have used portable radios to control everything from model cars to alarm kill switches in their own vehicles. Amateur operators frequently operate in the UHF band with fast scan television signals.

What do you think?

Are you convinced yet that amateur radio is something that you could enjoy? If you have any other questions about amateur radio that this page didn't answer, try looking on the web page of the American Radio Relay League, one of the largest single groups of amateurs in the United States today.

Scott Rosenfeld, NF3I has a bunch of great ham radio gear, including lots of HF gear and handy talky sets for sale. Contact him for the list.

Folks interested in getting their ham radio licenses:

Dale Ghent, Jason Claiborne, Justin Sabe, Suzanne Henderson

In the meantime, review the material at hamtest.com, and if you have specific questions, e-mail me or order Now You're Talking.

• What amateur radio has to offer
• Club events and activities
• College Park club W3EAX
• AARC sponsored Navy transmitting station tower tour
• Amateur operators on ICQ
• American Radio Relay League: Hudson Division and Maryland/DC Division
• No-Code International Member Number NCI-1267
• Yaesu USA
• Icom America
  Mirex News Flash !
  RACES / Skywarn Page
  Amateur Radio operators on ICQ
  GIF image 216x81 pixels
  Collegiate Amateur Radio Clubs de N3QYE
  SKYWARN Group Search

This page is in tribute to three dedicated amateur operators who were familiar voices in the beginning of my ham radio career and have recently passed away.

Norman F. Bendel, KB2SBB
July 16, 1940 to December 3, 1999

Paul Havala, Jr., KF2KM
December 18, 1936 to December 17, 1999

Jacob S. "Jack" Saperstein, W2IMM
May 7, 1917 to February 23, 2000

I hope they all got to take the last marble out of the jar.

June 16, 2000

Swatch. By deceiving AMSAT organizations in Russia and France, the Russian SCSC (Space Flight Control Centre) in cooperation with the Swatch company had arranged to use the two meter Amateur band for direct advertising via the "Beatnik" satellite (a mini Sputnik-99 project formerly to be known as RS-19) across the entire world. Thanks to the protests of my fellow radio amateurs worldwide, Swatch has cancelled the mission! We've proven again that the fight to preserve and enjoy our amateur radio spectrum is a good one.

May 31, 2000

It's not just ham radio operators that are running scared at commercial interests, it's the military too.

May 30, 2000

http://bellsystem.homestead.com

http://www1.shore.net/~mfoster

These two sites talk about the The Microwave Radio and Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System, including history, pictures, and virtual tours of facilities. You jr. skulkers interested in the technical details of phone systems should check these out.

http://www.jsc.mil/images/speccht.jpg

May 16, 2000 - K1DWU has an awesome Ham Radio Links site.

March 24, 2000 - From Bill Toth, a link to the new Piscataway Amateur Radio Club (K2VOA) web site.

April 22, 2000 - From Bill Smith, an article about NASA's Terra project in the Washington Post. Bill has been testing the MODIS data processing software.

April 30, 2000 - I highly recommend the movie Frequency too anyone. In the movie, a natural phenomenon lets father and son cross the barrier of time over ham radio.
Sperling Reich on about.com has a good interview with the stars.

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Unless noted, all content on epistolary.org is © Copyright 1999-2008 to Rob Carlson with all rights reserved. All information is verified when possible, cited as appropriate and applied in the real world at your own risk. Send all feedback to rob@vees.net.