eHam.net News

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What Ham Radio Taught Me About Mentorship, Innovation, Building Community:

Posted: 06 Mar 2017 04:03 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38760


Growing as a kid in the 1980s, I had been fascinated about radio
communications since I first encountered amateur radio rigs. The very idea
of being able to communicate with other people on-the-air and without wires
was magical, especially considering that cellular phones were still a
luxury back then, and even through much of the early 1990s. Mainstream
internet was still in its nascent stages, and Wi-Fi was but a glimmer in
some engineer's eye. But did you know that amateur radio operators had been
exchanging text messages in the 1980s through packet radio, as well as
talking to people halfway around the world by bouncing radio waves off the
ionosphere? My interest in amateur radio had a renaissance in the past
couple of years, and I finally got myself licensed with both the
Philippines' National Telecommunications Commission (callsign DW1ZDK) and
the United States' Federal Communications Commission (callsign N2RAC).
Having these licenses allow me to experiment with different kinds of
equipment in different bands, ranging from high-frequency (below 50Mhz), to
VHF, to UHF, and beyond. But beyond the technical capability, one other
fascinating experience I have had with radio communications is community.
Amateur enthusiasts form clubs and groups around certain interests, and we
also network with each other. People are generally helpful, and the more
experienced amateurs would often act as mentors or "elmers" to the younger
generations or the beginners.


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Amateur Radio Newsline Headlines for Ham Nation:

Posted: 06 Mar 2017 04:04 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38759


Amateur Radio Newsline Headlines for Ham Nation. March 8, 2017.