Ham radio
- Thread starter treesmith
- Start date
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vharrison
Island Girl
Do you need a license to participate?
Mick!
TreeHouser
Hasn’t the internet rendered that a bit pointless?
vharrison
Island Girl
Not if the power/phones/internet is out. Like after a hurricane or natural disaster.Then Ham radios might be the only way to communicate.
Mick!
TreeHouser
Well not pointless perhaps, but like CB radio, superceded is a better word.
pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
When three mile island started melting down I headed out of town. Got north enough on my motorcycle (BMW R90/6) that I got into snow. Left it in the basement of a car dealership in Keene, NH, and started hitchhiking. One ride was a ham. Headed to his place and he got on and arranged hand-off rides for me all the way to my friends place in Maine.
We had ham radio on the boat...an all band tranciever.
Started to do the work for a ham licence but it was a LOT. Back then you had to learn and pass morse code at a certain speed (1990ish).
And yes, listening was ok, and we could transmit in an emergency.
Before the days of global internet and when satellite phones were the perview of the rich and famous, ham radio was a link to the world when you were 1300miles from anywhere.
There was a bloke in Bermuda who used to gather all sorts of weather data from nascent internet and satellite info, collate it and he had a list of cruising yachts around then world, and on a schedule you would find in and he'd give you a very detailed weather report.
We were sailing off the coast of Cyprus and got through to him and got our weather report...also while crossing the Atlantic.
NOAA had weather report schedules as well, but old mate in Bermuda was way better.
Started to do the work for a ham licence but it was a LOT. Back then you had to learn and pass morse code at a certain speed (1990ish).
And yes, listening was ok, and we could transmit in an emergency.
Before the days of global internet and when satellite phones were the perview of the rich and famous, ham radio was a link to the world when you were 1300miles from anywhere.
There was a bloke in Bermuda who used to gather all sorts of weather data from nascent internet and satellite info, collate it and he had a list of cruising yachts around then world, and on a schedule you would find in and he'd give you a very detailed weather report.
We were sailing off the coast of Cyprus and got through to him and got our weather report...also while crossing the Atlantic.
NOAA had weather report schedules as well, but old mate in Bermuda was way better.
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squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
A bad example, cb or two radios certainly haven't been superseded by the cellphone or interwebs. I know nothing about ham radio but still think it's pretty cool. I use two way radios daily at work and have one in my truck so I can safely navigate active haul roads when tramping around the bush.
stikine
Treehouser
not sure if this is helpful or not... https://transition.fcc.gov/oet/spectrum/table/fcctable.pdf
had a roommate many years ago who was a ham radio user. I don't know anything about them though
I'm in the camp of not relying totally on cellphones and internet. Been through too many hurricanes where the system crashed.
Good old copper line telephone and radio to stay in touch.
We also carry the radios, travelling the back gravel roads during the week get on channel for the log trucks or mine traffic , can save you some grief.
Good old copper line telephone and radio to stay in touch.
We also carry the radios, travelling the back gravel roads during the week get on channel for the log trucks or mine traffic , can save you some grief.
