What's a radio ham? (Amateur Radio)

Member Name: T0BY

Product:	Amateur Radio
Date:	20/01/04 (416 review reads)
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Advantages: Fun, Interesting, meet people

Disadvantages: none

Hello, my name is Mike and I have been a keen radio amateur for over 25 years, my Amateur radio callsign is G8VHB

A question I am often asked when people find out about my amateur radio hobby is ?What is this amateur radio all about is it like CB?? There are some similarities with CB or Citizens Band however an amateur radio licence has to be earned and not purchased over a counter. There are many benefits that come with being a radio amateur.

So it's just like CB? Well, no not really. CBers are only allowed to broadcast speech with small transmitter powers and with type approved equipment. Radio Amateurs or 'hams' are allowed to broadcast almost anything (Television, Voice, Computer Data or Morse code. We also get a wider range of frequencies to use than just the one that CBers use. Some of the amateur bands are available for contacting people throughout the 24 hours in a day.

What is a radio amateur? This is a difficult question to answer, because amateur radio has so many different aspects to the hobby. Most days I spend some time talking to friends who live in my own area. We have a common interest in radio and often we share interests in other things. Most days I speak with friends in other countries around the world. Most of the time it is a simple hello how are you. Some people that I talk to I have been contacting for many years on the air. In many cases we meet up from time to time for an ?eyeball? contact. Most days I go looking for contacts with other countries that I have never contacted before. This is I suppose a bit like collecting stamps in that I keep a list of the countries I have had contacts with. Amateurs often exchange ?QSL? cards a bit like a postcard with information about the time and date of the contact and information what radio equipment we use.

What do radio amateurs actually talk about? There are three main types of contact. The first is the 'rag chew' with friends, which like an
y conversation can be about pretty much anything. The second, and probably most common type, is a fairly quick contact in which callsigns, signal strength reports, names, details of equipment are exchanged. The third type is often considered 'impersonal' but is best for a contact with a rare station where there are may other people waiting to make a contact with him or her. Then there is the contest contact. The contest is usually based contacting as many different radio amateurs as possible in a 24/48 hour period. Points are given for the number of people contacted, times the number of different countries contacted, times the total distance in miles or kilometres. This type of contact is a quick exchange of callsigns and signal reports with a serial number if the contest requires it.

Voice, is the most common form of communication. English is the most common language used along with Spanish and Russian. I am always amazed by the number of foreign amateurs who have perfected their English to the point where they can hold a conversation. However, it is traditional to wish your Amateur Radio friend goodbye in their own language when signing off. Most amateurs can get by with just using English and by learning a few words in such as hello or goodbye in another language.

Morse code is also used by a significant number of people and for some it is almost the only method of contact they use. There was a time when knowledge of Morse was a requirement for obtaining a licence but this is no longer the case in many parts of the world.

Amateur radio is a leveller in that people with all kinds of disabilities can join in and unless the happen to mention that they have a disability it often goes un-noticed. It has to be said that the hobby is predominantly a male environment however there are a significant number of female operators around the world and there has been a gradual rise in the numbers of ?YL? operators. (Young Ladies) Men are know
n as ?OM? or old man.

A picture of me and my radio station can be viewed at http://www.qrz.com/callsign type G8VHB in the get callsign box. You can view my web page at http://www.qsl.net/g8vhb remember that this site till needs me to devote some serious computing time to the project.

The next question is, how much does all this cost?

Basically as much as you want it to or can afford. You can buy 'kits' to build your own; you just have to solder them together. You can also, for course, spend larger sums and get very advanced, expensive 'black-box' radios that have been professionally built. These typically start at around £50 on eBay for a second hand VHF or UHF handheld radio. You can also gain free access to equipment by joining your local amateur radio club. Many amateurs are happy to be a mentor or ?Elmer? for those just joining the hobby and will invite you to visit their radio shack this usually involves drinking lots of coffee and even doing some late night operating.

The next question I am asked is ?how can I get an Amateur Radio licence?

International law requires countries to only issue licences to the people who can prove that they are able to install, maintain and operate their equipment properly. Actually it is not difficult to obtain one of the three new licences issued in the UK. When you actually gain your licence and are issued with your radio individual amateur radio callsign you will get a real feeling of achievement. In the UK there are now three different types of amateur radio licences that can be obtained. Each one gives a different level of privileges and requires basic tests to be passed.

The first of these three licences is the Foundation Licence.

This is a new licence that was introduced at the beginning of 2002. The Foundation licence is designed to get you up and running as soon as possible. However before you are allowed to go on the air for the first time
it is important that you know how your radio works, how to avoid interfering with other radio users and the rules and regulations as defined in the Wireless Telegraphy Act. OK I hear you say, how do I learn these new skills. You can only do this by taking the Foundation licence training course. Most of the training is practical hands on basic stuff. There is a small amount of radio and electronics theory to be learned but this again is very basic stuff. Remember the word is Amateur Radio and not Professional Radio. The Foundation Licence training course's are run in a friendly informal atmosphere by other experienced radio amateurs. Over the years I have taught many people to become radio amateurs and many of them have become lifelong friends. The Foundation Licence course will take about less than 24 hours of study time to complete many courses run in half this time. At the end of your course you will sit a twenty five question multiple choice test. Your test paper will be marked on the spot and in the unlikely event of failing the exam you will be encouraged to sit it again after a short break and some additional guidance from your tutors. Many Foundation Licence courses are run at local amateur radio clubs around the country. Some courses are run over a weekend and some maybe run a couple of hours a week over several weeks. Once you have your ?Pass certificate? and issued with your own individual M3 series callsign you will be able to operate on the amateur bands without supervision but with a power restriction of 10 Watts this will still be enough to enable you to communicate with people around the world.


The next step is the Intermediate Licence. Once you have gained some experience I am sure that you will want to step up to the Intermediate licence. To obtain the Intermediate licence it is again necessary to take a further training course. This course will teach the fundamentals of radio communications building on the experience you have gai
ned as a Foundation licence holder. After completing the course you will sit the Intermediate Licence Examination. Again this examination is a multiple-choice test based on what was learnt on the course, covering the basic concepts of radio operating on the amateur bands and the licence conditions. Your power output restriction will be increased to 50 watts.

The third step is to obtain the Full Licence. You will learn what is needed for a full licence while you are doing your Foundation and Intermediate licence courses.

The Radio Society of Great Britain produces a number of books to help.
http://www.rsgb.org/shop/acatalog/index.html?h ttp%3A//www.rsgb.org/shop/acatal og/RSGB_On_Line_Shop_Training_19.html&CatalogBody
Books include ?Foundation Licence Now? the ?Intermediate Licence - Building on the Foundation? which covers all you need to know on the Intermediate licence. The ?RSGB Radio Amateurs Examination Manual? used to study for the Full licence.

Now I suppose I should let you have some useful information on where to get help in finding a suitable course in your area. Send an E-mail to AR.Dept@rsgb.org.uk for information on courses in your area.

Additional information sources.
http://www.rsgb.org/licensing/newlicencestruct ure.htm
http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/starting_radio1.htm

The traditional way to say goodbye is to say either 73 or 88 depending if you?re male of female. You will find out what 73 or 88 are when you do your course. When you get your licence and you hear me on the bands do give me a call.

73 Mike G8VHB

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