THE RADIO IN YOUR POCKET
You already use a radio to transmit all the time, although you probably don’t think of it that way. Your mobile phone is actually a very sophisticated, low-power portable radio! You don’t have to have a license to use it, of course; the phone company takes care of that. Nevertheless, your phone is really a radio, transmitting and receiving radio waves that are very similar to some of the radio waves that hams use. As you find out more about ham radio, you’ll also find out more about radio waves in general, and you’ll begin to look at your mobile phone in a whole new light.
Using electronics and technology
Ham radio lets you work closely with electronics and technology (see Chapter 2). Transmitting and receiving radio signals can be as much of an electronics-intensive endeavor as you like. By digging into the technology of ham radio, you’re gaining experience with everything from basic electronics to cutting-edge wireless techniques. Everything from analog electronics to the latest in digital signal processing and computing technology is applied in ham radio. Whatever part of electronic and computing technology you enjoy most, it’s all used in ham radio somewhere … and sometimes, all at the same time!
In this section, I give you a quick look at what you can do with technology.
Design and build
Just as an audiophile might, you can design and build your own equipment or assemble a station from factory-built components. All the components you need are widely available. Some of the original do-it-yourself (DIY) makers, hams delight in homebrewing, helping one another build and maintain stations. In software-defined radio (SDR) equipment, computer code is the new component, and I encourage you to experiment as much as you wish.
Experiment with radio waves
Besides being students of equipment and computers, hams are students of propagation, which is the means by which radio signals bounce around from place to place. Hams take an interest in solar cycles and sunspots and in the ways they affect the Earth’s ionosphere, that uppermost region of the atmosphere that reflects shortwave radio signals back to Earth. For hams, weather takes on new importance, too — microwave radio signals can travel long distances along storm fronts or reflect from rain or snow.
Create your own antennas
Antenna experimentation and computer modeling is a hotbed of activity in ham radio. New designs are created every day, and hams have contributed many advances and refinements to the antenna designer’s art. Antenna systems range from small patches of printed circuit-board material to multiple towers festooned with large rotating arrays. All you need to start growing your own antenna farm are some wire or tubing, a feed line, and some basic tools. I give you the full picture in Chapter 12.
Invent networks and signals
You can write software to create brand-new types of signals. Hams also develop systems that are novel hybrids of radio and the Internet. Hams developed packet radio, for example, by adapting data communication protocols used in computer networks to operate over amateur radio links. Packet radio is now part of many commercial applications, including your mobile phone.
The combination of GPS technology with the web and amateur mobile radios resulted in the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS), which is now used around the world. For more information about these neat systems, see Parts 3 and 4 of this book.
Code yourself a radio
Modern radios are based on software-defined radio (SDR) technology, which allows the radio to adapt to new conditions or perform new functions, as I discuss in Part 4. Hams using design tools like GNU Radio (www.gnuradio.org) can experiment with all sorts of techniques to improve and customize their equipment. Digital signal processing (DSP) is a big part of ham radio and has created some very innovative designs, such as the FlexRadio Systems Maestro operating console shown in Figure 1-1.
FIGURE 1-1: The FlexRadio Systems Maestro combines traditional operating controls with the latest in software defined radio (SDR) design and display techniques.
Digitize your radio
Voice communication is still the most popular way that hams use to talk to one another, but computer-based digital operation is gaining fast. New modes (methods of communication) enable world-wide contacts without requiring high power signals. The most common home station today is a combination of computer and radio. Hams also repurpose commercial network equipment to create their own microwave data networks.
Operate wherever you are
You can operate a remote-controlled station via a tablet or phone from anywhere in the world. All it takes is access to the Internet and some hosting software at the station. Most new radios are designed to support operation over an Internet connection. You can operate your home station while you’re away or, if you can’t have a station at home, use the Internet to access a station and keep on having fun!
Enhance other hobbies
Hams use radio technology in support of hobbies such as flying drones, model rocketry, and high-altitude ballooning. Hams have special frequencies for radio-controlled (R/C) model operation in their “6 meter” band, away from the crowded unlicensed R/C frequencies. Miniature ham radio video transmitters (described in Chapter 11) can beam back pictures and location information from robots, model craft, or portable stations carried by operators. Ham radio data links are also used in support of astronomy, aviation, auto racing and rallies, and many other pastimes.
Joining the ham radio community
Hams like to meet in person and online as well as on the radio. This section discusses a few ways to get involved.
Clubs and online groups
Participating in at least one radio club or group is part of nearly every ham’s life. In fact, in some countries, you’re required to be a member of a club before you can even get a license. There are hundreds of online groups with a variety of interests in ham radio, ranging from hiking to public service to technical specialties.
