Hello , glad you could stop by. My name is Carl and welcome. The QTH here in beautiful Tampa, Florida
My working conditions have been reworked. I have completed most of the up-grades to the shack. Its been a long time in progress, I had a lot of great help and a valuable learning experience.
Ø In the shack
· Icom 756 Pro II
· Icom 706 MKIIG for 2M SSB and a good backup
· My logging programs are Logic 8 (highly recommended) and Win 1010
Ø In the air
· Force 12 C4S
· M2 6M5X for 6M
· 13 B2 Boomer for 2M
· The tower is a Rohn 25 @ 50 feet.
Ø In the Mobile
· Icom 706 MKII G
· High Sierra Screwdriver
One of my favorite bands is the 10-meter band and I am a member of the 10-10 international Net. The 10-10 international Net inc. is dedicated to maintaining high levels of amateur radio communication on the 10-meter amateur band. The 10-10 international Net was formed in 1962 as the 10-10-Net of Southern California. Its purpose was and still is to promote activity and good operating practice on the 10-meter band.
If
you are into Ten-Ten or just want to see if that band is open and
ragchew please point your beams in the direction of Tampa and set the
frequency to 28.475 give a shout someone is always here.
I am often asked this question from my non-Ham friends...
What is Ham Radio (Amateur Radio)? And what do you do with it. Good question I
hope this helps.
Amateur radio is a community of
people that use radio transmitters and receivers to communicate with other
Amateur radio operators. The things that amateur radio operators do with their
radios are diverse as the people themselves.
Amateur radio operators are often called ham radio operators
or simply "hams." (The origin of this nickname is for all practical purposes
lost. Although some people still speculate about, few agree and even few care.
Amateur radio operators “proudly” call themselves hams. There are about 600
thousand hams in the United States.
I
have a lot of people after I start to explain what ham radio is and what we do
with it say “Oh Ya that’s just like CB…Well kind of but not really
Ham radio operators are licensed by the United States Government and enjoy a
far more privileges of radio operation than "CB" radio operators do. With
these privileges come responsibilities and rules for the operation of an
amateur radio station. Specifically, there are a few things that hams are
not allowed to do:
1)
Hams are not allowed to do anything with their radios that makes them money in
any way. Ham radio is a hobby, but that doesn't mean it's completely
frivolous. (Read on!)
2)
Ham radio operator cannot `broadcast' to the public. This means that ham radio
transmissions are meant to be received by other ham radio operators. While
with a short wave radio or scanner will allow you to listen to the ham radio
bands. What you will hear is hams talking to other hams and not music or other
radio programs of `general' interest.
Within these (and other) guidelines, hams are empowered to do just about
everything that government and private radio stations are allowed to do.
Things you can to do with amateur radio
-
Talk around the world
- With HF
(High frequency) radios hams can talk to other hams in literally any part of
the globe.
-
Talk around town
- With small portable VHF
(Very high frequency) and UHF
(Ultra High frequency) transceivers hams enjoy extremely reliable
communications within their local community.
-
QRP
- Communicating with "very low power" is a challenge that many hams enjoy.
QRP is usually practiced on the
HF bands.
-
Packet radio
- The Internet over ham radio? Not really ... but ham radio operators enjoy
a digital network of their own, all without wires!
-
International Morse code
- To start with you can get a license without knowing one dit or
da of Morse code. Entry-level requirements are now only five words a
minute. After you get started and if you get into Morse code it will open a
new world of communications and a whole new language and give you an
opportunity to work the HF bands and the entire planet.
-
Amateur television
- It's just like real television
because it is real television.
-
Slow Scan TV
- Send pictures around the world for little or no cost.
-
Contests
- You can put your radio operating skills up against other hams and teams of
hams.
-
Emergency and other volunteer
services
- Floods, hurricanes, mudslides,
earthquakes, ice storms ... whenever `normal' communications go out, hams
are ready to use their radios to provide emergency communication services to
their communities.
-
Satellite communications
- Hams have their own satellites... really! (Amateur's satellites are easy
to use too).
-
Traffic handling
- "Ham telegrams" are used to send
messages to people around the world at no cost to the sender or the
recipient all done by ham radio operators volunteering their time and
resources.
How to become an amateur radio operator
The FCC licenses all hams in the United States. Getting a "D" on a
multiple-choice test and paying about Ten dollars is all it takes. The FCC
doesn't give the test ... Hams volunteer to give the test to people that want
to become hams. These volunteer examiners then file the paperwork with the FCC
and your ham radio license is set to you in the mail.
There are many ways to go about preparing for and taking your ham radio
license test.
-
Local clubs
- For those that like a structured approach, many clubs organize meetings
and classes to teach the basic skills of radio operation and prepare people
for their ham radio license test. At the end of the classes, a test is
given. If you pass, you're a ham!
-
Elmers
- An Elmer is the ham equivalent of a "Yoda." Many new hams are taught by
other hams. (Helping people is a common thread throughout the ham radio
hobby.) An Elmer knows the stuff you need to pass your test and will help
you prepare. While an Elmer cannot give the FCC examination, he or she will
be in touch with other hams in your area and know where public examinations
are held.
-
Self-study
- It doesn't seem right to tell you about going it alone, Taking a class or
having an Elmer is a far better way to get your license; then when you pass
your test you will already have friends to talk to. But if you want you
can study alone if you are more comfortable at home. You can get study
material at the library or on line or Radio Shack and take practice tests on
line.
I hope this will help answer you’re a few of your questions or maybe stir up a little curiosity and hopefully you might even work to get your license.
I am a member of the Tampa Amateur Radio Club (T.A.R.C) click the link and check out what’s happening down at the club
|
Member
|
Feel
free to send
me a note tell me what's happening in the shack and possibly work out a
schedule to get on the air.
This page was last updated 04-17-2006 73 Good DX.