By Chuck Gerttula W7CRG
Why do we pursue Amateur Radio? The answer is many things to many people. Some find satisfaction in building things. The smell of solder smoke and the accomplishment creating of a working device is very alluring to these hams. Then add to that the pride of operating a something you have crafted and the feeling of accomplishment can be immense.
Other hams are not into the technical side of the hobby. They like to operate! And operate they do! Code, or CW (Continuous Wave), is the oldest modes of radio operation. Going back to the telegraph operators who sent messages over wires using Morse Code to spell out the words; this has been, and still is, a stalwart of radio communication. Since the FCC dropped the code requirement for getting an Amateur Radio License CW has become more popular than ever before! Now we don’t need the wires strung from pole to pole across vast distances, radio waves have very effectively replaced those wires and the dots and dashes of CW carry the message when other modes cannot communicate.
The modes of operation have progressed with the hobby and often have created new technologies and industries. Many hams prefer to use their voice. Transmitting voice over the airwaves has many modes; AM, FM, SSB are among the most popular. When the “Titanic” sent it’s distress calls, it was using Morse Code. Now the letters SOS are more often replaced by a voice calling “Mayday” and giving the position of the ship or plane in trouble. Hams have been the innovators who developed and improved these modes of voice communication.
But we also have the “microphone shy” people who still are fascinated with the concept of communicating over the airwaves. Yes, there are modes that give them the ability to “ham it up”. The first was our old friend CW. Some operators had a “script” that they used so that they were never at a loss for words. Then another mode transitioned from over the wires strung between poles to the airwaves, Teletype. This system basically put a keyboard as the means to send a message that was printed out on paper at the receiving station. It had been developed by the news agencies to send everything from election results to the progress of baseball games. Ronald Reagan spent his early years “calling” baseball games over the radio by reading the teletype printouts. He used his wallet to whack the desk for the sound of the ball being hit by the bat. Hams took the technology and used it to communicate. Often times creating pictures using the letters and symbols on a keyboard creating a picture as simple as a Christmas tree to as complex as a portrait. In the beginning it entailed using machines the size of a small refrigerator. Now radio-teletype (RTTY) is still used but a laptop interfaced with a radio replaces the huge electro-mechanical machines of yore.
Lately, digital technologies have been the mainstay of alternative modes of communication. Computers and keyboards have created new and innovative methods of amateur radio. This was very attractive to hams with hearing loss as they could participate in their hobby despite their limitation and modes such as PSK31 and FT8 have become popular. FT8’s popularity has grown as it has been a means to make contacts that have been elusive to all but the high power expensive antenna array stations. Thus making Worked All States (WAS) and other achievements such as working 100 countries (DXCC) or a certain number of Parks On the Air (POTA) possible to the ham with 100 watts or less and a simple antenna.
Others have developed modes such as Slow Scan Television (SSTV) which transmits a still picture, or Fast Scan Television (FSTV) which transmits a moving picture with sound like a commercial TV station does. Lately, groups have developed microwave communications utilizing re-purposed antennas from TV services such a Dish. Other specialized modes such as (EME) Earth Moon Earth or Moon Bounce and transmitting to an orbiting satellite which re-transmits it to another amateur station are interesting certain hams.
Besides the various modes we have hams who are motivated to provide their skills to Emergency Service and developing communication links during disasters and the like. Some hams like to check into various nets on a regular basis; and there are many nets on HF (High Frequency) as well as VHF/UHF (Very High Frequency/Ultra High Frequency). Others are challenged to get the highest score on contests. They gain points for the number of contacts made, bands used, for using different modes and power and other such things. And some hams just like to talk (Rag Chew) about everything and anything. Sometimes it is about amateur radio and sometimes it is not.
Yes, there are multiple reasons to be a ham. There are multiple interests for amateur radio and multiple activities to participate in. As one activity ends another emerges. I remember during the Vietnam war Military Auxiliary Service (MARS) stations were a source of messages home as the internet and cell phones were nonexistent. Many times a phone-patch was used linking the radio to the telephone system so the family actually heard their soldier’s voice and had to remember to say “over” when they were done talking.
I remember working a station in Zimbabwe for 40 minutes and learning what it was like running a large farm in that African country. Politics and other differences were not part of the QSO, just two people exchanging information on their life and livelihood. Amateur radio can be a wonderful means for people to meet and get to know other people.
What ever is your interest, techie, contester, public service, experimenter, or friendly voice on the airwaves; ham radio has something for you. Look into an aspect of the hobby you didn’t know about or one that has always tickled your fancy and see what it might add to your life.
Chuck Gerttula, W7CRG
President, Lincoln County Amateur Radio Club