Can Ham Radio be used for purely personal use?
trat444 said:
I don't know much about Ham Radio and shortwave and wanted to know from people who do. Why do you have to have a license and do you have to be connected to the internet to use packet radio or is data purely sent over the radio for free? I ask because I see this packet radio as potentially developing into a free alternative to the internet. Does it seem to be moving in that direction for those of you familiar with the technology? Thank you.
By law, ham radio can’t be used for any commercial purpose. I can talk with friends, compete with others for distance, and provide public service. But I can’t order a pizza. The Internet does not have that restriction. The Internet is nearly free already. You usually have to pay to get access delivered to your home. Even if I invented a way to generate electricity for free, I would still need to pay for the infrastructure to transport and distribute it.
If you use WiFi to wirelessly connect a laptop to the Internet, you are using a form of packet radio, which hams helped develop. Even beyond the commercial usage restriction, hams have no reason to try to duplicate the Internet. The technology is much less cost effective and harder to reliably deploy.
It is becoming common for businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels to provide free (or low cost) WiFi. Some communities are doing it as well. Google partnered with Mountain View CA to do so.