Not your Father's Oldsmobile... Ham Radio

The newest trend in American communication isn't another smartphone from Apple or Google but one of the elder statesmen of communication: Ham radio licenses are at an all time high, with over 700,000 licenses in the United States, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Ham radio first took the nation by storm nearly a hundred years ago. Last month the FCC logged 700,314 licenses, with nearly 40,000 new ones in the last five years. Compare that with 2005 when only 662,600 people hammed it up and you'll see why the American Radio Relay League -- the authority on all things ham -- is calling it a "golden age."

"Over the last five years we've had 20-25,000 new hams a year," Allen Pitts, a spokesman for the group, told FoxNews.com.

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Ham is a boon for safety as well as a fun pastime: When normal communications methods fail and cellphone towers are jammed, ham radios will still work and can help out in disaster situations, because they don’t require towers to relay the signal.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/ ... z1eUowtMze

When all else fails, Ham Radio Works!

HAM Radio is a great resource in an emergency and is a great hobby.

The numbers of HAMS are increasing, according to your article, but so is the U.S. population. In 2005, there were 288 million Americans. In 2010, there were 305 million Americans.

I read that in February 2007, the FCC discontinued requiring Morse code proficiency tests and I'm sure that help boost the ranks. I could never master Morse Code for some reason and that was my reason for never becoming a HAM. I remained a Short Wave Listener, which I still enjoy. It's now a lot easier to become a HAM than it was in the olden days, so I may get into it after all.

P.S. I just took a sample exam without studying or refreshing what I remember from decades ago and got 60%. I needed 74% to pass. This gives me hope.

http://www.eham.net/exams/

Color me surprised! I knew the survivalists were into it, but I figured most hams were of the much older generation. Happy to see so many people still out there communicating.

It is not difficult to obtain a Technician class license, the entry level license. Mostly what is required is some basic electricity knowledge and some knowledge about the FCC Rules. Morse code is no longer required for any Amateur Radio license, although it is still an important and useful skill to have.

The [url=http://www.ab0pc.org:3ton5dhh]Park County Radio Club[/url] would be happy to assist anyone interested in obtaining their Amateur Radio license.

jf1acai wrote: It is not difficult to obtain a Technician class license, the entry level license. Mostly what is required is some basic electricity knowledge and some knowledge about the FCC Rules. Morse code is no longer required for any Amateur Radio license, although it is still an important and useful skill to have.

The [url=http://www.ab0pc.org:2xiizq0s]Park County Radio Club[/url] would be happy to assist anyone interested in obtaining their Amateur Radio license.

I was always fascinated with radio as a kid- of course this was before internet and wireless phones. I was lucky to have a ham radio operator notice my interest and he invited me to a class he was teaching at UCLA. I was 14 years old at the time- the stuff he was teaching was way over my head- I attended the class and the spark was started.

I got my novice license at 17- general license at 18 and had my advanced license before I turned 21. I watched the numbers of hams dwindle as the old timers were dying faster than we could replace them, especially after the internet and cell phones got popular. The average age of an operator was 64 years old.

It seems that dropping the morse code requirement did have a positive impact on numbers- attracting people who previously would not learn it. At first I was opposed to the no-code idea, but now I would rather see Ham radio thrive without it than die a slow death with it. It's amazing that we now have 700,000 hams in the US!

I think the latest attraction to people is that- Ham radio is independant of utility and cell phone companies- people are starting to understand the possibility of a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or just the government turning off your communications capability is very real. No longer a matter of if- but when.

As for getting your first license if you are interested.....
Qrz.com offers sample tests that anyone can play with during their free time. These are the actual questions that would be on a real test- if a person just runs through the tests enough- eventually you will learn from your wrong answers and be able to pass the test.

The other thing is that almost all Ham radio operators are willing to help out someone new- if there is anything you do not understnd- just ask around! You do have to sign up for a username and password to get to the sample tests.

http://www.qrz.com/ht/

A good deal of the emergency info that we all benefit from up here in the hills during a crisis are still handled by ham radio operators. Thx JF, Pinedust, chocolove, shilohlady and many more for your dedication and passion.

jf1acai wrote: It is not difficult to obtain a Technician class license, the entry level license. Mostly what is required is some basic electricity knowledge and some knowledge about the FCC Rules. Morse code is no longer required for any Amateur Radio license, although it is still an important and useful skill to have.

The [url=http://www.ab0pc.org:17th5f2l]Park County Radio Club[/url] would be happy to assist anyone interested in obtaining their Amateur Radio license.

I really should pick up a license and a radio.

But do I really have to say "Breaker Breaker" and "Good Buddy"? (just kidding)

[youtube:17th5f2l][/youtube:17th5f2l]

But do I really have to say "Breaker Breaker" and "Good Buddy"? (just kidding)

LOL! You will find out pretty quickly that the use of CB language, including 10 codes, is discouraged

10-4. We don't use CB language- at least most of us do not.

We do have our own language- the Q-signal system goes back to the early days of radio in an attempt to provide a shorthand for common operational functions while transmitting in Morse Code.

Many operators still use these Q signals today- even though they do not have to. Most voice communications are simply using plain language.

For example- at my QTH I will QRO in response to QRM- either that or just go QRT.

Figure that one out.

Even the 10 codes? How about the 9 codes?