In one way, it's too bad that the internet and cell phones came along, they stole all the kids and other people that use to fill the ranks of Amature Radio (also known as Ham Radio). There use to be hundreds of thousands of Hams in the US and for many years, just about any electronic or high tech (before high tech became a term) was either started by a Ham or had plenty of Hams working there. When I joined the Air Force and went to school, there was a bunch of classes that taught Ditty Bop... that's morse code.
The Ditty Boppers learned to read morse code in their heads and use a typewritter rather than write it down on paper as they heard it. Some of these guys were pretty darn fast.
Just about any disaster in the world was covered by scores of Ham radios with people getting information out about family and friends and bringing messages in from the outside. Not to mention helping with coordinating recovery. You would find Hams helping with large events, like parades, races, air shows, marathons, and just about any event that covered a large area and a lot of people. And it's the people that were Ham Radio Operators when they were kids and growing up that you can think for satellites, cell phones, computers, the internet, and a whole host of other things that are considered common place today. Kids that were into Ham Radio were the nerds and geeks long before those terms became popular.
And you asked why have Ham Radio when we have cell phones and satellite telephones? Because when all other forms of communications have been wiped out due to storms, power failures, solar storms, atomic radiation, etc., there will still be some form up communications that still works that is taught and used by Hams. This is why morse code has been around forever and was the first electronic means of communicating... the dits and dahs can be punched through almost anything that will stop other forms of communications with just a little bit of power, a piece of wire and a simple radio receiver and transmitter... and still be understandable.
I think Amature Radio is one of the few hobbies where the average age of the particapants are in the 60's or even 70's. There are a lot of old Hams out there. Old Hams don't die, they just fade out with the skip.
I'm a Ham and have been for a long time, although I'm not really active anymore. I still have my Ham gear sitting on my 2nd desk, both HF (high frequency) and 2 meter. I have a couple of antennas up but not connected to the radios right now. I got interested in radio back in the 50's when my dad use to bring home short wave receivers from his Air Force job and I'd sit for hours twiddling the dials and hear all the strange sounds of teletype, morse code, some of the first Sputnik signals and then our own satellite signals after the US launched them. Some of the voice programs I heard were in languages I didn't understand and a lot of those that were in English the people talked funny. Even funnier than the kid I knew from Alabama.
Those of you that are too young to have gone through this period and only know the internet and cell phones have no clue as to what you missed. Some of those times I don't miss, but a lot of it I wish I had spent more time being involved with it.
Mitica, one bit of advice I can give... don't get lost in 2 meters. Get into HF and tty and morse code. There are a lot of areas out there to play with. And don't let the old Hams (those even older than me
) get to you with their gruff manners. Some of them have stories to tell that will really amaze you... and if nothing else, really intertain. And a lot of them are even true.
Good luck and have fun. It's a dieing hobby but it can still be a lot of fun.
Mike
KJ4TX
