What is Ham Radio?

Ham Radio is a technical pursuit for those who
are interested in the science of radio wave
propagation and who are also interested in the
way that their radios function. It has a long-standing
tradition of providing a source of engineers who
are born naturals.

Ham Radio awakens in its aficionados a whole-life
fascination with all things technical and gives
an all-abiding curiosity to improve one's scientific
knowledge. It's a great swimming pool, please dive in!

This excitement causes a wish to share the experience
with ones fellow man, and shows itself in the
gentlemanly traditions of Ham Radio.

Radio Hams are in a unique privileged position in that
they can construct and operate their own equipment! No-one
else has this privilege. Users, such as broadcasters,
the po lice and armed farces, CBers and mobile phone
users have to purchase ready-made gear. Manufacturers
are not licensed to operate their gear. Radio Hams
are qualified to design, build and then
operate their own pieces of equipment. They do this
with gusto, and also repair and modify their own
equipment. This is a privilege well worth the effort
to gain, and one to be jealously guarded.

The excitement that drives a Radio Ham starts with
relatively simple technologies at first, perhaps making
his own Wimshurst machine and primary cells. Small pieces
of test equipment follow, possibly multimeters and signal
generators. Then comes receivers and transmitters. It is with
the latter that communication with like-minded technically
motivated people takes off. The scope for technical
development grows with the years
and now encompasses DSP and DDS. There is also a great deal
of excitement in the areas of computer programming to
be learnt and applied.

The technical excitement motivates Radio Hams to compete
with each other to determine who has designed and manufactured
the best-quality station. This competitiveness is found in DXing,
competitions and fox-hunts.

-----OOOOO----

However, beware! A Ham Radio licence is such a
desirable thing to have that there are large
numbers of people who wish to be thought of
as Radio Hams when, in fact, they are nothing
of the kind! Usually such people are a
variation of the CB Radio hobbyist; they buy their
radios off the shelf and send them back to be
repaired; they are not interested in technical discussion
and sneer at those who are; they have no idea how
their radios work inside and have no wish to find out;
they are free with rather silly personal insults;
they have not satisfied any technical qualification
and their licences prevent the use of
self-designed-and-built equipment.

These CB types engage in the competitive activities
with their Cheque-Book-purchased off-the-shelf radios
in a forlorn effort to prove that they are Radio Hams.

No _REAL_ Radio Hams are deceived by such people!

"Polymath" wrote
Ham Radio is a technical pursuit for those who
are interested in the science of radio wave
propagation and who are also interested in the
way that their radios function. It has a long-standing
tradition of providing a source of engineers who
are born naturals.

=============================

I do not wholely agree.

There are many radio amateurs who are, or have been, professional
engineers, not necessarily radio engineers, who contribute in their
many various ways towards the hobby.

'Hobby' is perhaps not the best of descriptions. It is an
international affair.
----
Reg, G4FGQ

why is amateur radio not a hobby ?

Definition of a hobby

A spare-time recreational pursuit


"Reg Edwards" wrote in message
...

"Polymath" wrote
Ham Radio is a technical pursuit for those who
are interested in the science of radio wave
propagation and who are also interested in the
way that their radios function. It has a long-standing
tradition of providing a source of engineers who
are born naturals.

=============================

I do not wholely agree.

There are many radio amateurs who are, or have been, professional
engineers, not necessarily radio engineers, who contribute in their
many various ways towards the hobby.

'Hobby' is perhaps not the best of descriptions. It is an
international affair.
----
Reg, G4FGQ

On the individual/personal level,
for a great many of us it IS a hobby.

Strictly speaking, however, amateur radio is, by FCC
rules definition, a service.

Cheers,
Bill K2UNK

"..." ..@.. wrote in message
...
why is amateur radio not a hobby ?

Definition of a hobby

A spare-time recreational pursuit


"Reg Edwards" wrote in message
...

"Polymath" wrote
Ham Radio is a technical pursuit for those who
are interested in the science of radio wave
propagation and who are also interested in the
way that their radios function. It has a long-standing
tradition of providing a source of engineers who
are born naturals.

=============================

I do not wholely agree.

There are many radio amateurs who are, or have been, professional
engineers, not necessarily radio engineers, who contribute in their
many various ways towards the hobby.

'Hobby' is perhaps not the best of descriptions. It is an
international affair.
----
Reg, G4FGQ

In article . com,
says...

What is Ham Radio?

snippety

Sooooo many more things than Airy R. Bean, no matter how he may
have misspelled his name in the message headers, could ever imagine.

Radio Hams are in a unique privileged position in that
they can construct and operate their own equipment! No-one
else has this privilege. Users, such as broadcasters,
the po lice and armed farces, CBers and mobile phone
^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Isn't that what we have going on in Iraq at this very moment?

users have to purchase ready-made gear. Manufacturers
are not licensed to operate their gear. Radio Hams
are qualified to design, build and then
operate their own pieces of equipment. They do this

A gross (and inaccurate) generalization. A great many hams I've
met in recent years barely remember what Ohm's Law is, let alone how to
do anything resembling design. They do indeed purchase their radios
'off-the-shelf,' talk about the things that matter to them on the air,
however non-technical the subject matter may be, and often show up at
radio club meetings.

And you know what? The vast majority of them are very smart, very
nice people who, while they're very interested in the public-service and
volunteer emergency service aspects of amateur radio, and may have made
significant contributions to the hobby and their community in other
ways, may never have so much as learned how to pick up a soldering
pencil.

Lack of real electronics experience does not make someone with a
ham license any less worthy of respect, Beany, no matter what you may
believe. I say this as an amateur radio license holder for the last 27
years (first as WD6EOS, then later as KC7GR), and as a professional
electronics engineering tech (for just about the same number of years).

And, for the record: Yes, I've been tinkering with electronic and
radio projects for most of my life.

Many have said that amateur radio is a dying hobby. Personally, I
don't believe that. However, if there is any grain of truth to such
statements, it's not the lack of technical skill in SOME newcomers to
the hobby that's hurting the hobby.

What will quickly kill amateur radio will be expressing ongoing
disrespect and hostility to those who choose to contribute to the
service in non-technical ways. You don't need to know how to use a
multimeter or whatever to be a good on-air operator, or to be of value
in a disaster situation.

You can continue to post whatever kind of misguided "FAQ" you want
to, Beany-boy. It won't change the fact that I, at least, have seen
enough of your previous rantings on Usenet over the last few years to
know your true colors.

*PLONK!*


--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"

Your Childish Broadcast (CB) below serves to
classify you.

Those whom you mention who are operators but
who are non-technical are the CBers whom I warn
against in the FAQ.

Ham Radio is not about operating - that is CB Radio
including CBers-Masquerading-As-Radio-Hams whom you
repeatedly mention.

I have never "ranted" on the Internet - I have only
posted sincere and genuine concerns about the decline
in Ham Radio by the influx of the very Childish
Broadcasters (CBers) that you typify.

If you have indeed been around for as long as you
claim, then you should know better than to enjoin
an international public forum in the rather
silly and infantile style that you adopted.

Shame on you.

Stupid boy.

Dr. Anton T. Squeegee wrote:
In article . com,
says...

What is Ham Radio?

snippety

Sooooo many more things than Airy R. Bean, no matter how he may
have misspelled his name in the message headers, could ever imagine.

Radio Hams are in a unique privileged position in that
they can construct and operate their own equipment! No-one
else has this privilege. Users, such as broadcasters,
the po lice and armed farces, CBers and mobile phone
^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Isn't that what we have going on in Iraq at this very moment?

users have to purchase ready-made gear. Manufacturers
are not licensed to operate their gear. Radio Hams
are qualified to design, build and then
operate their own pieces of equipment. They do this

A gross (and inaccurate) generalization. A great many hams I've
met in recent years barely remember what Ohm's Law is, let alone how to
do anything resembling design. They do indeed purchase their radios
'off-the-shelf,' talk about the things that matter to them on the air,
however non-technical the subject matter may be, and often show up at
radio club meetings.

And you know what? The vast majority of them are very smart, very
nice people who, while they're very interested in the public-service and
volunteer emergency service aspects of amateur radio, and may have made
significant contributions to the hobby and their community in other
ways, may never have so much as learned how to pick up a soldering
pencil.

Lack of real electronics experience does not make someone with a
ham license any less worthy of respect, Beany, no matter what you may
believe. I say this as an amateur radio license holder for the last 27
years (first as WD6EOS, then later as KC7GR), and as a professional
electronics engineering tech (for just about the same number of years).

And, for the record: Yes, I've been tinkering with electronic and
radio projects for most of my life.

Many have said that amateur radio is a dying hobby. Personally, I
don't believe that. However, if there is any grain of truth to such
statements, it's not the lack of technical skill in SOME newcomers to
the hobby that's hurting the hobby.

What will quickly kill amateur radio will be expressing ongoing
disrespect and hostility to those who choose to contribute to the
service in non-technical ways. You don't need to know how to use a
multimeter or whatever to be a good on-air operator, or to be of value
in a disaster situation.

You can continue to post whatever kind of misguided "FAQ" you want
to, Beany-boy. It won't change the fact that I, at least, have seen
enough of your previous rantings on Usenet over the last few years to
know your true colors.

*PLONK!*


--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"

Polymath wrote:
Your Childish Broadcast (CB) below serves to
classify you.

Those whom you mention who are operators but
who are non-technical are the CBers whom I warn
against in the FAQ.

Ham Radio is not about operating - that is CB Radio
including CBers-Masquerading-As-Radio-Hams whom you
repeatedly mention.

I have never "ranted" on the Internet - I have only
posted sincere and genuine concerns about the decline
in Ham Radio by the influx of the very Childish
Broadcasters (CBers) that you typify.

If you have indeed been around for as long as you
claim, then you should know better than to enjoin
an international public forum in the rather
silly and infantile style that you adopted.

Shame on you.

Stupid boy.

Dr. Anton T. Squeegee wrote:

In article . com,
says...


What is Ham Radio?

snippety


Having read this thread, I must agree with the assessment that lowering
standards will NOT help Ham Radio. In the USA, the ARRL is doing its
best to turn the HF bands into an email forwarding facility, by pushing
regulations that will allow PACTOR II and III, used by the PROPRIETARY
SCS Modems, and Winlink, across ALL the bands. Soon there will be
nothing but robots, relaying email to and from the internet. Anyone who
can get a cereal-box license and is willing to spend $1000+ for the
modem, as well as whatever an HF rig will go for, will be able to use
the "ARRL HF Internet Service Provider."

John:

How do you figure anyone here is for lowering standards?

We are for bringing standards up-to-date and getting rid of archaic,
seldom used methods and "historic concepts."

No one is for reducing standards... indeed, how could standards fall much
lower than where they exist now? Amateur radio is already decades behind
technology... that should be nothing less than totally obvious--well,
other than to the the totally clueless...

John

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 15:18:41 -0400, John L. Sielke wrote:

Polymath wrote:
Your Childish Broadcast (CB) below serves to
classify you.

Those whom you mention who are operators but
who are non-technical are the CBers whom I warn
against in the FAQ.

Ham Radio is not about operating - that is CB Radio
including CBers-Masquerading-As-Radio-Hams whom you
repeatedly mention.

I have never "ranted" on the Internet - I have only
posted sincere and genuine concerns about the decline
in Ham Radio by the influx of the very Childish
Broadcasters (CBers) that you typify.

If you have indeed been around for as long as you
claim, then you should know better than to enjoin
an international public forum in the rather
silly and infantile style that you adopted.

Shame on you.

Stupid boy.

Dr. Anton T. Squeegee wrote:

In article . com,
says...


What is Ham Radio?

snippety


Having read this thread, I must agree with the assessment that lowering
standards will NOT help Ham Radio. In the USA, the ARRL is doing its
best to turn the HF bands into an email forwarding facility, by pushing
regulations that will allow PACTOR II and III, used by the PROPRIETARY
SCS Modems, and Winlink, across ALL the bands. Soon there will be
nothing but robots, relaying email to and from the internet. Anyone who
can get a cereal-box license and is willing to spend $1000+ for the
modem, as well as whatever an HF rig will go for, will be able to use
the "ARRL HF Internet Service Provider."

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 20:46:53 +0100, "..." ..@.. wrote:

why is amateur radio not a hobby ?

Definition of a hobby

A spare-time recreational pursuit


Sadly, for many it's a way of life... takes over from family, kids,
work etc... hardly a hobby then!

"Peter" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 20:46:53 +0100, "..." ..@.. wrote:

why is amateur radio not a hobby ?

Definition of a hobby

A spare-time recreational pursuit

Sadly, for many it's a way of life... takes over from family, kids,
work etc... hardly a hobby then!

That's true for every hobby or recreational sport.
There's always a minority of enthusiasts (hams, golfers,
you name it) that are extremists.

Cheers,
Bill S.