Archive for the ‘Crafts Hobbies’ Category
How Ham Radio Operators Enjoy Their Hobby Through Contact With People All Over The World
The most popular ways for amateur radio enthusiasts, otherwise known as ham operators, to enjoy their pastime involve contacting people over their radio sets. This hobby is virtually unlimited as radio hobbyists reach people from different countries all around the globe. They contact people from other cultures, learning about different ways that people live.
Sometimes, there are contests for radio hobbyists where the ham operators contact as many people as they can in a given amount of time. In this case, only basic information is shared. The first things the radio hobbyist will find out are the other's location and station. The zone, region, and particular place are important too. The radio operator gets this information, signs off, and moves on to another contact.
DX-ing is a way of using the radio to contact as many Distant Stations from as many parts of the world as you can. DX-ing QSO means that you are having conversations with people in these far-flung places.
DX-peditions are another way radio hobbyists use their talents. They get together and organize group efforts to contact stations that are remote or special in some other way. The region itself may be far removed from civilization. Sometimes there is travel involved, as ham operators try to reposition themselves to reach these remote stations better. Radio scanners are also used, as they can search for a strong signal.
Another part of the amateur radio pastime is acquiring QSL cards. QSL is a set of three-letter codes. The codes were set up for use with commercial radiotelegraph systems. They were then adopted by amateur radio buffs who continue to use them to this day, even though they are no longer considered essential for amateur radio.
A QSL card can be used as a proof of contact card. This means that whenever radio hobbyists contact other operators through DX-ing and DX-peditions, they can show that they have actually contacted that station. Each station that makes contact will send a QSL card by mail. This proves that contact was made.
These cards can stack up to recognition because they show how good the operator is at contacting other stations. If you want to get more awards and recognition, one way is to make contact with the most remote regions where there are few operators.
Radio hobbyists can also enjoy their pastime by banding together with others who have the same interests. Hamfests are held frequently where the family and friends of ham operators have social events to share their experiences and simply have fun. There is also room at these events for sales and exchanges of equipment.
It may be possible for some people to meet familiar ham operators at these events. In other words, they may have talked to them for years, but never before had the chance to speak face to face. It is also a good time for radio hobbyists to do some networking with operators that are new to them. Besides all this, plenty of good ham radio discussions will take place at such a meeting. It is a good time to talk about all the special aspects of the amateur radio hobby and what makes it so special.
By: Gregg Hall
About the Author:
Sometimes, there are contests for radio hobbyists where the ham operators contact as many people as they can in a given amount of time. In this case, only basic information is shared. The first things the radio hobbyist will find out are the other's location and station. The zone, region, and particular place are important too. The radio operator gets this information, signs off, and moves on to another contact.
DX-ing is a way of using the radio to contact as many Distant Stations from as many parts of the world as you can. DX-ing QSO means that you are having conversations with people in these far-flung places.
DX-peditions are another way radio hobbyists use their talents. They get together and organize group efforts to contact stations that are remote or special in some other way. The region itself may be far removed from civilization. Sometimes there is travel involved, as ham operators try to reposition themselves to reach these remote stations better. Radio scanners are also used, as they can search for a strong signal.
Another part of the amateur radio pastime is acquiring QSL cards. QSL is a set of three-letter codes. The codes were set up for use with commercial radiotelegraph systems. They were then adopted by amateur radio buffs who continue to use them to this day, even though they are no longer considered essential for amateur radio.
A QSL card can be used as a proof of contact card. This means that whenever radio hobbyists contact other operators through DX-ing and DX-peditions, they can show that they have actually contacted that station. Each station that makes contact will send a QSL card by mail. This proves that contact was made.
These cards can stack up to recognition because they show how good the operator is at contacting other stations. If you want to get more awards and recognition, one way is to make contact with the most remote regions where there are few operators.
Radio hobbyists can also enjoy their pastime by banding together with others who have the same interests. Hamfests are held frequently where the family and friends of ham operators have social events to share their experiences and simply have fun. There is also room at these events for sales and exchanges of equipment.
It may be possible for some people to meet familiar ham operators at these events. In other words, they may have talked to them for years, but never before had the chance to speak face to face. It is also a good time for radio hobbyists to do some networking with operators that are new to them. Besides all this, plenty of good ham radio discussions will take place at such a meeting. It is a good time to talk about all the special aspects of the amateur radio hobby and what makes it so special.
By: Gregg Hall
About the Author:
Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about ham radio operators as well as radio accessories at http://www.nsearch.com
Amateur Radio Call Signs
Call signs in the United States used to be very easy for one Ham Operator to tell
which area in the US the Ham they were talking to was from! A 6 call was from
California or some state near, or a 0 call was New York or a state near New York,
they did not even need to look at the call map! Today a Amateur Radio Operator
can move from North Carolina where it is a 4 call to Texas where it is a 5 call and
keep their 4 call.
Call signs (in the United States) consist of one or two letters, a number, and one
to three more letters. The first part of the call sign denoted what country they are
from, with the US being A, AA - AK K, KA - KK, KM - KW, KX - KZ, N, NA - NK,
NM - NW, NM - NW, NX - NZ, WA - WK, WM - WO, WQ - WW, and WX - WZ.
Also in the US, AA - AK was issued only to Amateur Extras.
Each country has been assigned a country designation by a governing body.
This group is made up from representatives from all over the world and is
not only concerned with ham communication but all communication. I am not
going to get into the designations for the countries. There are several charts
available that shows the different designations and the country it relates to.
The number in the Call Sign tells what part of the US they reside in.
0 (zero) told they reside in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.
1 in the call sign Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, Vermont.
2 is New Jersey, New York.
3 is Delaware, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania.
4 is Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia.
5 is Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.
6 is California.
7 is Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Wyoming.
8 is Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia.
9 is Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin.
Hawaii and Alaska have a little different scheme in their call sign.
AL0-7, KL0-7, NL0-7, WL0-7 is Alaska.
AH6-7, KH6-7, NH6-7, WH6-7 is Hawaii.
The first part of the call sign told what country the Ham Call was from and the
number told what area, the last one to three letters of the call sign is never issued
to another Ham in a call sign that has the same first letters and area number.
This makes a call sign only one of a kind in the world.
A valid call sign could consist of 1 letter, a number, and 1 more letter. In Alaska
or Hawaii a valid call could be two letters, a number, and one letter!
As was said before, it WAS very easy to tell about the Amateur Operator you are
talking to! Now there also is a call sign we call a Vanity Call here is the US.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) permit hams to apply for a call
that means something to them. If your Dad, Aunt, or someone you knew had a
call sign at one time that you wanted, you could request that call sign (for a small
fee) as long as no else had that sign. If your name was Joe, you could have those
letters for your last three in your call sign (if no one else had them with the rest of
the letters and number) under the Vanity Call system.
When applying for vacant Vanity call signs that may be available to you,
you have to be aware that it depends on your license class. Extra class
licensees can pretty much choose any vacant US call sign. Advanced class
licensees cannot seek the 1x2, 2x1 or 2x2 starting with letter "A" as they
are Extra class type call signs. What that means is that you cannot seek a
call sign that is above your current license authority, but can take a call
sign that is equal to or below the authority that you currently have!
As of April 2000, there was no longer a morse code requirement for any
of the Amateur Radio Operators tests, and there is only three levels
(Technician, General, and Extra Class) of licensing.
Examinations after that date will only be given for Technician, General and
Extra Class. Hams licensed under the categories that are no longer will be
"grandfathered" so that they may operate as long as the old license remains
in effect. This could be somewhere around 10 years as that is the length of
a license.
So during that time or maybe never at all can you ever tell anything about
the Ham operator that you or another Ham is talking to other than what
country they are from! Guess the best thing is to ask them where they are located!
By: Dave Glass
About the Author:
which area in the US the Ham they were talking to was from! A 6 call was from
California or some state near, or a 0 call was New York or a state near New York,
they did not even need to look at the call map! Today a Amateur Radio Operator
can move from North Carolina where it is a 4 call to Texas where it is a 5 call and
keep their 4 call.
Call signs (in the United States) consist of one or two letters, a number, and one
to three more letters. The first part of the call sign denoted what country they are
from, with the US being A, AA - AK K, KA - KK, KM - KW, KX - KZ, N, NA - NK,
NM - NW, NM - NW, NX - NZ, WA - WK, WM - WO, WQ - WW, and WX - WZ.
Also in the US, AA - AK was issued only to Amateur Extras.
Each country has been assigned a country designation by a governing body.
This group is made up from representatives from all over the world and is
not only concerned with ham communication but all communication. I am not
going to get into the designations for the countries. There are several charts
available that shows the different designations and the country it relates to.
The number in the Call Sign tells what part of the US they reside in.
0 (zero) told they reside in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.
1 in the call sign Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, Vermont.
2 is New Jersey, New York.
3 is Delaware, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania.
4 is Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia.
5 is Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.
6 is California.
7 is Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Wyoming.
8 is Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia.
9 is Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin.
Hawaii and Alaska have a little different scheme in their call sign.
AL0-7, KL0-7, NL0-7, WL0-7 is Alaska.
AH6-7, KH6-7, NH6-7, WH6-7 is Hawaii.
The first part of the call sign told what country the Ham Call was from and the
number told what area, the last one to three letters of the call sign is never issued
to another Ham in a call sign that has the same first letters and area number.
This makes a call sign only one of a kind in the world.
A valid call sign could consist of 1 letter, a number, and 1 more letter. In Alaska
or Hawaii a valid call could be two letters, a number, and one letter!
As was said before, it WAS very easy to tell about the Amateur Operator you are
talking to! Now there also is a call sign we call a Vanity Call here is the US.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) permit hams to apply for a call
that means something to them. If your Dad, Aunt, or someone you knew had a
call sign at one time that you wanted, you could request that call sign (for a small
fee) as long as no else had that sign. If your name was Joe, you could have those
letters for your last three in your call sign (if no one else had them with the rest of
the letters and number) under the Vanity Call system.
When applying for vacant Vanity call signs that may be available to you,
you have to be aware that it depends on your license class. Extra class
licensees can pretty much choose any vacant US call sign. Advanced class
licensees cannot seek the 1x2, 2x1 or 2x2 starting with letter "A" as they
are Extra class type call signs. What that means is that you cannot seek a
call sign that is above your current license authority, but can take a call
sign that is equal to or below the authority that you currently have!
As of April 2000, there was no longer a morse code requirement for any
of the Amateur Radio Operators tests, and there is only three levels
(Technician, General, and Extra Class) of licensing.
Examinations after that date will only be given for Technician, General and
Extra Class. Hams licensed under the categories that are no longer will be
"grandfathered" so that they may operate as long as the old license remains
in effect. This could be somewhere around 10 years as that is the length of
a license.
So during that time or maybe never at all can you ever tell anything about
the Ham operator that you or another Ham is talking to other than what
country they are from! Guess the best thing is to ask them where they are located!
By: Dave Glass
About the Author:
Dave did not change his call sign from KD4YFL to his current call of KS4LI until he was licensed as Amateur Advanced in 1995. After receiving his Amateur Extra License in 1996 he served with several teams that gave licensing exams from Amateur Novice to Amateur Extra including the Morse code exams that were part of the licensing structure at that time. Daves current project is "Amateur Radio Gifts"