Happy Hams, or State of the Hobby of Amateur Radio

This post is for obvious reasons very subjective. It may be not at all applicable to other locales or other people's experiences. Still, I find my subjective history in this field significant enough to post.

An Occupation for Old-timers?

Amateur Radio is one of those hobbies where there's a concern about new blood making it into the field; the perception is that no young people bother with it -- why would they, when they have the Internet, easy global communications have always been available to them, and listening to static has to compete with an XBox. The U.S. is not alone in this, and it may have been a reason in removing the requirement for Morse code from the licensing examinations. Morse code (hereafter just code or CW) is still widely used and I feel distinctly hamstrung by not being proficient in it. While archaic, there's no simpler or more reliable way to communicate; CW radios are the simplest you can have, and CW can be received by humans when nothing else will work through the noise. Removing the code requirement wasn't all about "lowering the bar," though. Modern technology has made many digital modes available and arguably they are a much more mature use of the radio spectrum than code. There was lots of hue and cry about dumbing down the exams and letting any old CB'er get a Ham license, now. (There is a deep dislike of all things CB among radio amateurs for some reason. They're treated much like furries on 4chan.)

Amateur Radio for All?

When I got into the hobby in 2001 thanks to my roommate at the time, his interest was also rekindled. We had ran into some of the people in the local amateur radio club entirely by chance at Lai Thai, a local Thai restaurant, where we were dining on September 11th 2001. We had a small wideband receiver with us; we had no idea what was happening, if there would be more attacks, if there would be a state of emergency or what. They also carried a strange looking radio, and conversation soon ensued.

Consequently, we attended a meeting of the club. The first meeting was to be our last. It started with the Oath of Allegiance, saluting the flag, and then moved onto some other business which I don't much recall. The people there were all polite and nice enough, but they were also very much the stereotypical older white male, and neither of us felt at all like we fit in or had much in common with anyone else in the room. Later, another friend of mine who happens to not be a white male commented that when he had ventured to check out the meeting it struck him as something akin to a clan meeting. I'm not suggesting that the people involved are racist, bigots or anything in that vein. I do, however suggest that amateur radio organizations take a good, hard look at how they appear to outsiders from different ethnic, cultural, gender and generational backgrounds. My roommate had also mentioned that the club he and his father belonged to in Atlanta had become rather unpleasant due to people increasingly not getting along and polarizing the club's activities.

Flamewar to Follow

The more dramatic experience is a recent one. I had signed up for my General class license exam, found a used Yaesu FT-450, and since I didn't yet have a high-current power supply, transmit privileges on most bands or even an antenna, I joined a Yahoo group for this particular radio and asked if anyone had suggestions on how to check the health of the used radio short of actually transmitting with it. I figured there'd be a self test, a way to check the noise floors with the transceiver disconnected from the antenna, or something in that vein.

Oh boy. Some of the responses included:

Without a power supply, antenna and/or dummy load you so far have aquired a usless piece of gear. Best you can do is just look at it.

I think some of you are missing a point. KG4OXA has a tech license
and can only work a small portion of 10M with CW and a tiny bit on SSB Phone.

If you guys want to work HF get a general license and act like you are legal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many ex CB'r do not believe any rules apply to them. Normally that new of a radio with out a manual indicates it may be a stolen radio.
Not sure the call matches a actual ham, may be borrowed.

Well, this is why the oldtimers don't like the newbies. If they
continue making contacts where they shouldn't one of these times an
old timer will nail him to the barn wall. One of the first things
they usually do is look up the call and see what kind of license they
have and then make a recording and give it to the FCC. So let this
be a warning.

Well, then. Welcome to Amateur Radio.

There were some more positive notes in there as well, notably WM5Z, KJ4EED and KB3RNS who either gave useful pointers or stood up counter some of the vitriole.

Thank you, KC1JB

The one person and event that made the entire episode so notable, though, was Peter, KC1JB, who had contacted me directly after my post, and offered to send me a power supply and antenna tuner he wasn't using anymore. Despite my repeated attempts to offer to pay for the gear or at least shipping, he declined and only asked that I do a good deed to someone else if I have the chance. Having such incredible, unanticipated kindness and generosity shown made it much easier to just ignore all the negative comments.

Generation Gap

The experiences of myself and my friends also include something a bit more elusive which I suspect is mostly due to the difference in generations, experiences and general knowledge of technology. It may also be that we all have an engineering background, which perhaps isn't all that common in new arrivals to ham radio. My sample size is small, so that's what I have to base my observations on.

Quite often, when we ask for advice or help, a well-meaning veteran begins to explain things -- but in a fashion suited for a middle-schooler, not a person who knows what an electron is and what it does. Consequently, we're stuck being rude and interrupting, or smiling and nodding while we get a lecture of Radio 101 and got no closer to answering our questions.

Having no common ground in things such as favorite TV shows, video games, Internet activities, lifestyle end so forth certainly doesn't make things easier. It'll be interesting to see how I can find more likeminded people within the field.

About Amateur Radio

Why Ham Radio?

Excellent question. I had, of course, been aware of the existence of the hobby for a long time, but did not have any relatives or friends that were into it (short of my college mentor who had done some DX listening in his day). Consequently, my knowledge of what amateur radio was about really consisted of incidental mentions in popular media, with the exception of this Spirou et Fantasio album where it was the central point of the plot. I suspect the English translation of this comic is between hard and impossible to find, but I do recommend it if you have a chance to read it.
Of course, my dabbling with electronics from a young age (taking apart flash lights as a pre-schooler) and consequent physics studies gave me a basic understanding of radio waves and related phenomena -- although I never actually encountered practical radio applications or specifically RF theory in any of my classes or labs. This is even more regrettable since my alma mater, The University of Oulu, has done significant research into space physics and Aurora Borealis, specifically using radar and large radio arrays -- I just ended up in a different group and had little to do with this research.

Enter KE4DYX

Enter 2001 and my roommate, Vince (KE4DYX). He was lugging about an old Yaesu HF transceiver (radio capable of receiving and transmitting) that had lots of neat buttons and dials and knobs. Buttons, dials, knobs (and lights) are close to my heart, so I was nosy. He himself had dabbled with Ham radio due to his father, but hadn't pursued it much after that. Still, I read up for the Technician exam over a weekend to get my mind off a really stressful few weeks at work, got my ticket (Amateur Radio License issued by the FCC), and we headed over to Orlando to AES Ham to buy some modern VHF radios. These consequently have found good use on many a road trip and Space Shuttle launch.

VHF, UHF, HUH?

A bit more explanation may be in place here. Amateur radio uses many different ways of transmitting information over the air -- called modes -- and has many frequencies available to it (ARRL has good band plans showing the frequencies). What someone with a technician license can use are VHF and UHF radios, which are essentially two-way radios much like those your towing company or fire department would use. No Morse code, no talking to Armenia, no big antennas. For those things one needs a more advanced license, and that required knowing Morse code, which I couldn't be bothered to learn. While functionally similar, compared to FRS radios or CBs, there are a few notable differences.

First, there is a lot more that can be done with them. Many locales have repeaters, which allow amateur radio operators to talk to each other over long distances. With a handheld radio in New Tampa I had no trouble reaching people in Riverview. These repeaters can be linked together over the internet, can have dial-out capability and other automation as well.

Second, the equipment is much geekier. I'll go into that in a bit in more detail, but for now suffice it to say that amateur radio equipment is, short of research gear, probably the most configurable and flexible equipment out there. Also, while the average amateur radio handheld radio isn't cheap, they tend to be built very solidly and have all manner of accessories available, from computer programming software to batteries, antennas, headsets and rapid chargers.

Third, there are some more legitimate uses out there for amateur VHF radios. During the 2004 hurricane season amateur radio operators with VHF radios were doing a lot of work for Red Cross and other relief operations in the worst hit areas where most communications were unavailable. When watching Space Shuttle launches, launch audio is provided over an amateur radio repeater. Having a scanner or ham radio capable of receiving this will get you instant friends in the crowd eager to know what's going on.

Let the Geekery Begin

Now, then, about ham radio gear. If you ever want to research bad user interface design, look no further than the nearest amateur radio. The most basic features such as volume, frequency, squelch etc. tend to be very well implemented. However, my "entry level" basic radio has two independent oscillators, hundreds of alphanumeric memory locations, automated beacon ability, computer connectivity, various time-outs and auto-power-offs, various scanning and monitoring modes and ways to mask and prioritize memories, the ability to separate transmit and receive frequencies, the ability to listen to or transmit sub-audible control tones, a voltage meter, adjustable power levels, configurable band edges, automatic transmission of Morse code identifiers and what not. All of this stuff is done via hideously overloaded buttons and cryptic menus that absolutely require you to have a manual handy unless you use a given feature a lot.

As much as I like to rag on the failure of user interface design, the fact that there are so many little things to tweak and play with is something that really gets me excited. Sure, give me decent defaults, but if there's something that can be possibly changed, give me the ability to do so! Buttons that are left for user configurable uses are cool!

It's probably obvious by now why the equipment has geek appeal to me. Still, with a Technician class license you're fairly limited in your options -- unless you know Morse code, ironically. Hence, that's where things were for the next eight years; occasional but very handy and enjoyable use.

Time for General

Enter KF4MYN, who wanted to borrow my handheld VHF radio and gave me his Icom IC-706MKII as a loaner in the interim. This is a radio capable of receiving all manner of transmissions in virtually all the "traditional" amateur radio frequencies. I played around with it over Christmas, and was bitten by the bug again. The FCC had dropped the requirement for knowing Morse code some years ago; you just have to pass a written exam now. Figuring out SSB, data modes, antennas and all that stuff intrigued me, and hence I signed up for the first upcoming general class test and after some hectic Ebaying and searching for used stuff found a new-to-me Yaesu FT-450. With these two things in hand I can now do most of the things a proper amateur radio operator is supposed to be able to do. Sort of. I live in a town house, and there won't be an antenna farm or high-power transmitters making an appearance any time soon. If I want to keep from mucking up everyone's alarms, TVs and stereos, I'm restricted for low power (QRP) operation, and there are a number of other technical challenges to meet. More about those in another post as well.

Isn't Ham Radio Something a bit... Ancient?

In the olden days amateur radio was neat in that one could communicate with people in faraway lands (like Bretzelburg), but with the advent of the Internet, satellite links and cell phones it's pretty archaic. Also, the amount of information that can be exchanged via morse code is rather limited. However, given some limits about signal bandwidth and power, amateur radio operators are basically free to come up with any method of communication using their assigned frequencies, be it AM, FM, single side band, morse code, spread spectrum, or an esoteric digital mode (like Hellschreiber.) We can legally build our own radios, and use them. And, as mentioned earlier, it certainly seems like quite a learning experience. In our increasingly regulated and restricted world, it's about the only legal way (short of engineering research) to dabble with RF technology -- and there's some very neat dabbling going on.

But Isn't Ham Radio what Retired Fat White Guys do out of Mobile Homes?

Sort of. I don't know how much of a preconception the average Joe has of an amateur radio operator, but I do have the stereotype of the subheading. Unfortunately, most of my experiences so far have borne this out. Not that there's anything wrong with retirees having fun with radios! I'll have to expand on this in another post, soon, but by and large I've found that the crowd doesn't consist of people I really want to spend time with -- largely due to a generation gap -- but the exceptions are notable enough. This is also going to be a challenge: to find like-minded, younger people to do stuff with. So far I know of two locals, and that ought to be a good start. KF4MYN has commented on similar problems, and had even tried to resurrect the University Ham Club, but ran into lack of interest and faculty support. Still, I believe there are enough nerds out there that there is something interesting in it for my generation and the next one too.

Welcome to Amateur Radio Adventures

The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences as I delve into amateur radio. It's a separate blog because it may well be of interest to people outside of my immediate social circle, and because a lot of the people reading my personal blog may not care for everything I intend to post here.
This blog will be based on my experiences and will likely be fairly subjective. As in many things, different people find different aspects of a hobby rewarding, different aspects of equipment important, and so forth.
The target audience is, basically, anyone who can be bothered to find this interesting. The next post will be an functional introduction to amateur radio from my point of view; there are good and exhaustive pieces on the hobby at Wikipedia and the American Radio Relay League.