How To Get On The Air With Amateur Radio, Part I

First let me introduce you to the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is charged with overseeing the operation of all equipment that uses radio waves to communicate. This includes amateur radios (ham radios), AM and FM radios, televisions, cell phones, cordless phones, police and fire department radios, CB radios, radio controlled cars, boats, and planes, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. In order to operate a radio in the Amateur Radio Service you have to take and pass a test to show that you understand something about how radios work and what the rules are to operate a ham radio.

The test for the entry level license is not hard at all. Ordinary people as young as 5 years old have become licensed ham radio operators. The most popular license for beginners, as I write, is the Technician Class license, which requires only a 35 question multiple-choice written exam. It covers basic regulations, operating practices, and simple electronics theory. This exam is written with the beginner in mind. Morse code is no longer a requirement for any class of Ham Radio license. A good way to learn the material needed for the exam is to go to a series of classes held by a local ham radio club. Usually the classes are free or at a nominal cost except for the cost of a study book. Check out this list offered by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) to see if there is a club in your area. Then contact the club to see when they are running the next beginners class. Ham Radio Club Search

Some people have been able to pass the test just by reading a book about ham radio, or studying a published license manual, or even going online and reading sample questions and answers. Books about ham radio and license manuals are often sold at stores like Radio Shack, and your local book store. Stop in and ask. Books are also available at the ARRL website and Amazon.com (Ham Radio Books.) Another place to get a good study book for your first license is the W5YI Group. Make sure any book you buy is the current version (not more than a year old). If you decide to take a class, sign up for that first because you will need to use the book they are using.

Last, if you know of any ham radio operators in your town, call them or find out where they live and knock on their door. Ask them if they know of any local classes coming up or if they would have the time to help you learn what you need to know to pass the test. You might be surprised...hams are usually very friendly people.

Until next time...

'73 OM
de wa2kkg k

Ham Radio and April Fool's Day - Past and Present

Another April 1 has come and gone and now the April Fool's Day pranksters have to start planning for next year. I decided to see how many April Fool's Day pranks I could find recorded that relate in some way to Ham Radio. Here are a handful that gave me a chuckle.

In a memorial article about longtime American Radio Relay League staffer, By Goodman, it tells about his dry sense of humor and his series of QST April Fool parodies under the pseudonym Larson E. Rapp, WIOU. Here is one example:

"In the April 1960 issue, a phony full-page ad announced the formation of "Larsen E. Enterprises, Inc," supposedly off Route 128 in "Kippering-on-the-Charles," Massachusetts, with Larsen E. Rapp as president. Bearing a "Not a Advertisement" disclaimer, the ad offered customers free access to the company's air-conditioned "Wonder Workshop" with each kit purchase.

"If you don't have the time to assemble the entire kit yourself, one of our engineers will be glad to do it for you, just for the pleasure it gives him," the ad promised. " More...
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This one, from 2005, is simply titled: Converting a 1955 warbird into a modern ham radio DXpedition shuttle. What a whopper. Read more...

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This one, from 2007, tells how the FCC has made an announcement in the broadband powerline (BPL) interference issue. Read on...
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Here's another scary FCC announcement, from 2004, to take effect in 2008. We're almost there...
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One facet of the hobby enjoyed by Ham radio enthusiasts is direction finding and tracking things like weather balloons and amateur rockets. Radio beacons are put in these devices before launch or release and the ham operators attempt to find them later to retrieve any data collected on the flight. These next two involve those activities.

This one involves a group of ham radio operators who are members of Stratofox, an Aerospace Tracking and Recovery Team. This one was in 2005.

"This year's April Fools' joke was based on the premise that it needed to have the punchline, "the weasel has landed." About a dozen Stratofox members and some of their friends set out to see if it was really possible to fool anyone, even for a moment, that a fictitious organization called "TubeRat Aerospace" had landed a probe on the moon."More...
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This one is a little more tongue-in-cheek. Here is an excerpt from the "Voyage of the Peep-o-nauts" from way back in the year 2000.

"Soon afterward the balloon ruptured on schedule at an altitude of 110,000 ft. Unfortunately, no one had briefed the Peeps about this part of the mission! The audio downlink transmitted a mixture of wind and the payload's audio beacon. You can clearly hear the sounds of rushing wind when the balloon popped (at something over 100,000 feet) and began its plummet toward the ground."Continued...

Well, that's all the fun for now.

Until next time...

'73 OM

DE WA2KKG
K

Ham Radio in Space

I've mentioned a few times that one of the exciting things that ham radio operators can do that no one else can do, is to talk to space travelers via ham radio! While that often means talking to American Astronauts aboard the United States Space Shuttles, there is also a regular schedule with the International Space Station (ISS) as it circles the Earth. These astronauts aboard the Shuttles or the ISS must have amateur radio licenses in order to use the ham bands.

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program schedules ham radio contacts with schools all over the world on a regular basis. This is a big deal for students in those schools as they usually prepare a list of questions in advance and then the students themselves get to key the microphone and speak to the astronauts in person. You can find out much more about ARISS, including how to get your child's school on the program, by visiting the ARRL's pages about the program: ARISS1 and ARISS2. These webpages have many additional website addresses that you can research also.

The fifth private space traveler, Dr. Charles Simonyi, has several school contacts scheduled on his upcoming visit to the ISS. His visit is presently scheduled for launch on April 7, 2007. You can read about his travel to space and his use of ham radio at the below website:

"Space Traveler to Talk with Students ... Directly from Space. Dr. Charles Simonyi to Use Ham Radio and Share Recordings of Conversations on www.charlesinspace.com.
— In his continued effort to inspire youth in the science of space travel, Charles Simonyi, Ph.D., the fifth private space traveler, will speak with high school students in three events across the United States through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program." Click the above link to read the entire article.

In addition to the ARISS program, everyday hams like you and I can call the space station as it passes overhead and make contacts with the astronauts. Of course that is easier said than done and to tell you what is involveded had better be left for another time. However, crew members do make contacts with earth-bound hams as the ISS travels. The contacts are made during their breaks, pre-sleep time, and before and after meal-time.

Until next time...

'73 OM
DE WA2KKG
K