HAM RADIO

A Backwoods Home Anthology

Amateur radioa sensible communication alternative for people who are self-reliant
By Vern Modeland, WA0JOG

T he kids have quieted down, the days chores are completed, the fire
curls lazily, the TV is boring and the night is yet young. What a great time for a little armchair adventuring! You might meet up again with Uri who taught you how to pronounce Severd Sibirskaya Nizmennost, and sent you to your atlas to find out exactly where that is. Maybe youll chat again with Will who is building a bootstrap business charter-flying his Cessna out of Dillingham, Alaska. Or you and Carlos might be able to continue that conversation you had going about the South American way to coax a better grape harvest out of a few vines like yours. Carlos fives in Chiles bountiful fruit basket. Most of the grapes consumed in the U.S. offseason come from there. You didnt know that until you ran into Carlos on the airwaves. Every one of the above examples shows how hooking up so casually with such interesting people can be a rewarding bonus of the self-reliant lifestyle once youve discovered amateur radio. And once youre hooked, youll find the rewards gained from obtaining an amateur radio license can be about as limitless as are the imaginations and innovations of the 534,503 Americans and several million worldwide who enjoy the hobby today. But why would a busy homesteader go to the time and trouble of studying for a radio license and buying more electronic stuff? Because just like this magazine, amateur radio is a resource for people who value personal independence and self sufficiency, Amateur radio is a way to network wherever you live, wherever you traveland link up with people who

might have experience, educational background or contacts from which you can learn and benefit.

Swapping info & ideas

A chance conversation by radio that begins with a routine exchange about the weather and comparison of radio equipment and what kind of antenna you are using, can easily move along to discovering that the she or he at the other end has years of experience raising milking goat, or knows a source of

parts for your little old Farmall, or cans meats, or collects quilt patterns, or is educating kids at home. Not every amateur radio conversation is guaranteed to solve a pressing homestead problem or initiate a regular schedule of contacts, but everyone can be interesting and rewarding in some way or another. A benefit for parents is the ability of amateur radio to contribute to and reinforce homework assignments about geography and the global community.

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Visiting and trading ideas and information by amateur radio sometimes leads to invitations to stop by the home of the other hamif you ever drive by Trail, Oregon, Flippin, Arkansas,, Deming, New Mexico, or Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Theyre usually sincere invitations. A common interest in amateur radio has built many rewarding friendships that have lasted for decades. amateur radio. Understanding Morse Code remains a requirement by International agreement for borderhopping radio communicators. But today, you can enter domestic ham radio through a code-less Technician license class that only requires you to pass two written tests with a total of 55 multiple-choice questions. (See related story page 33.) For those for whom making sense out of the dit-dahs of Morse Code poses no great problem, a Novice amateur radio license gets you on the air after a five-word-per-minute code comprehension test and a 30-question written exam about basic electronic theory and FCC rules and regulations. More advanced steps up the ladder of amateur radio proficiency include pushing that code speed on to 13 words per minute, or maybe 20, and passing tests about more complicated theory, operating and regulation topics. The rewards for the extra effort involved in obtaining the higher General, Advanced, or Extra Class license are access to larger portions of the radio spectrum in which to communicate to other states and around the world.

Ham satellites
There also are sophisticated satellites in orbit that were conceived, built and funded privately by the amateur radio community. American ones carry the acronym of OSCAR. That stands for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio. These satellites are open for use to communicate freely by voice, code and computer. One new ham satellite even beams back homebrewed remote imaging of the earth and weather from space. The average desktop computer will play back its pictures with TV-like clarity.

Getting started is easy

In this age of deregulation and government redirection, getting into amateur radio has never been easier. Anyone can do it. Really. The hobby has no limits as to age, gender, physical ability, social status or the size of your discretionary income. Its offgrid compatible, too. Modern ham radios tightly packaged transmitters and receiverstransceivers is the termwill coast along for hours of communicating on a small fraction of the energy in any healthy deep-cycle 12-volt battery. The newest ham radio sets also are small enough to ride along in the family pickup without cramping the space of your significant other or that dog in your life. Either of them might require some retraining, however, to get quiet when youre chatting with someone in another state or some other country. Learning the technicalities, the legalities, and the etiquette of the airwaves needed to obtain a U.S. amateur radio operator and station license and then be welcomed back by those you encounter on the air, is generally convenient wherever you choose to live. Printed and computer-compatable self-help programs are available. Local study courses are in place in many adult education programs, in some public schools and at most local amateur radio clubs. Volunteers in your area Administer license examinations for the government.

A great disaster tool

When disaster strikes, amateur radio frequently plays a pivotal role in restoring communications. Ham radio has a long history of being first to report earthquakes, major fires, storms and floods, and to fill in when local phone systems or power lines go kaput. Practice for such emergencies often takes the form of public service communication activities by hams. That includes passing along greetings from special events and fairs, linking first aid stations for marathons and races, going to Scouting jamborees, and annual Field.Day exercises. Each summer, Field Day sends dedicated hams packing off to remote locations where they set up temporary stations and antennas and operate continuously for 24 hours, competing among themselves to see how many other U.S. and international amateur radio stations with which the participants can trade call signs. Being prepared for emergency service is a responsibility most hams feel goes with the privilege of having been granted a license to use a part of the increasingly crowded radio spectrum. U.S. law sets forth the basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio Service as recognizing and enhancing a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications. The Act says that amateur radio contributes to the advancement of the radio art, and expands the reservoir

Talk to astronauts
Or beyond. Both United States and Russian manned space flights have at times included crew members whose hobby is amateur radio. Owen Garriott was the first. In 1983, he carried a 4watt handheld amateur radio transceiver with him and an innovative antenna that fit against a window on the spacecraft Columbia. Other astronauts and Cosmonauts who have followed Garriotts lead have, when off duty while floating along 200-some miles above the earth, traded greetings with thousands of hams. U.S. hamastronauts have visited via amateur radio hookups direct with school classes, enhancing youthful understanding and appreciation for the sciences and geography.

Learning Morse Code no longer a barrier

Learning the Morse Code was once a major barrier to getting started in

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of trained operators, technicians and electronic experts, and recognizes the amateurs unique ability to enhance international good will. radio packet repeater to another until it arrives within reach of the addressee. Entrepreneurial service centers for older radio equipment also exist. Handheld and small mobile or fixed FM radios, for use with the local repeater networks, can cost $400 or more for the latest version that packages frequency storing memory and scanning, and perhaps multiband operation or auto-dialing of stored telephone numbers. The traffic in used FM amateur radio sets also is active at half that new-set price and below.

The cost?
So, whats the tab? No more than what a good camera or a new TV costs today can get you started in ham radio. The new transceivers start in price at around $1000. More elaborate sets sell for well above that figure. The extra cost is for added automatic and sophisticated features such as

Ham radios answer to cellular phones

Having an amateur radio license also can link you with the web of ham radio repeaters that is casually accessed by miniature low power, very-high-frequency FM radios. The handheld sets fit in a pocket, slip into a purse, or clip to your belt. They, and CB-sized FM mobile rigs, are amateur radios answer to cellular telephones without the monthly usage bills. (Keep in mind, though, that the law prohibits using amateur radio for business-related communications.)

Repeater radio systems

Amateur-built or modified commercial radio equipment has been hauled to the top of mountains, tall buildings and lofty radio towers and installed there in order to automatically gather up weak signals and repeat them with gusto. This repeater radio system allows joggers and hikers and folks on the road to stay in touch and easily communicate and network with friends and family, or call for help, or get directions when lost. Its a sort of local wireless party line. Some of the systems allow telephone calls to be made through the radio so that you can check up on the rug rats or see if an extra stop by the grocery store might be in order before you head home from town.

Beverly Modeland listens in on the ham radio from her home in Reeds Spring, Missouri. Modern amateur radio equipment is homestead-friendly. memory and scanning for favorite frequencies, automatic antenna tuning, and computer interfacing for control and display of operating information. However, there is an active market in used amateur radio equipment and sound investments are possible. There are many hybrid and pre-transistor amateur radio sets that seem to have been designed to outlast this century. They are priced at much less than the fancy new compact rigs. Older generally means bigger and will consume more power, but spare parts and radio tubes to keep older ham radio sets going are still available for the more popular makes and models. Some manufacturers continue to offer technical support for their out-of-production sets. Prices for used amateur radio equipment generally depend on the sets condition, features and popularity mote than on age alone.

Antenna requirements
Antenna installations are another consideration in the hobby of amateur radio. High frequency radio communication usually requires a tower or a pole 30 feet or more in height that is sturdy enough to support a sizeable beam antenna in all kinds of wind and weather. The beam antenna is normally hooked to a rotator to allow it to be pointed toward the state or the part of the world where your interest is focused remotely from the radio operating position. However a few dollars worth of Number 12 copper wire, shot

Packet radio
An even newer technological twist allows amateur radio operators who are comfortable with computers to get in touch through radio-linked bulletin boards, leaving messages for each other and catching up on the news. Electronic communication via what is called packet radio can be routed to another ham who might live far across the country. The message will burp its way automatically from one amateur

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into the treetops with a bow and arrow and held in place by nylon rope, might suffice. One of these random length wire antennas has served the author in reliable global communication for many years, from home, motel rooms during business trips, and hugging the perimeter of a third story efficiency apartment floor during two years in a restrictive, Maryland apartment complex.

HAM RADIO

From Scud missiles to sea rescues, ham radio puts you into the action
By Vem Modeland ost newer amateur radio high-frequency transceivers offer the enthuM siast a wide selection of frequencies outside of the limits of the amateur radio bands. As a result, its never been easier to dial in daily to the BBC World Service, to Radio Nederland, Radio Canada International, the Swiss Broadcasting Service, The Voice of Spain, Deutsche Welle, radio from Moscow, Paris, Rome, Quito and Peking, to get a second and third opinion on the news of the day. You can be there when governments are in turmoil. You could have heard the alert and directions to put on gas masks when Scud missiles were on their way toward Israel. You can enjoy soccer tournament play-by-play live and direct from Australia. Nearly every major nation of the world produces its own daily radio broadcasts in English. Some include lessons for understanding native languages on their menu of ethnic news, music, drama, interviews, and features on lifestyles and history. In the spectrum space between international short wave broadcasting allocations, you can count the heart beats of a world alive with human activity and strife. You can listen real-time to rescues at sea, military movements, airliners dodging storms in far-flung skies, commercial fishermen comparing their luck in the Gulf of Mexico and diplomats calling home. Plug in a couple of accessories, and some modern communications radio receivers will turn what sounds like discordant, scratchy music into facsimile pictures and weather maps, or will print out international press dispatches and weather data transmitted as radio teletype. One adapter makes it possible to see on a home computer screen the pictures that a half dozen U.S., Russian, and Japanese satellites transmit. Resource publications for tuning in the world include: The World Radio-TV Handbook, Billboard Books Division, WatsonGuptill Publications, Inc., 1 Astor Plaza, 1515 Broadway, New York City, NY 10036. Popular Communications Magazine. CQ Communications, Inc., 76 North Broadway, Hicksville, NY 11801. Monitoring Times Magazine. P.O. Box 98, Brasstown, NC 28902 DX Listening Digest Review of International Broadcasting, Box 1684, Enid, OK 73702. Journal of the North American Short Wave Association, 45 Wildflower Road, Levitown, PA 19057. ways to get started on even the most limited budget. Bartering is one way. Often youll discover an experienced ham who has equipment he or she is using infrequently or maybe not at all. The ham might be willing to trade for something you have, or something you can do, or will offer to lend you an unused set in order to see an eager newcomer get started in this fascinating and rewarding hobby.
(Vern Modeland is a freelance writer who lives on Deer Mountain in the Missouri Ozarks. For more than 25 years, his amateur radio call has been WA0 / JOG.)

Very high frequency antennas for the FM repeaters and local radio contacts are generally much more compact and lighter in weightbut necessary, especially if yours is a homesite remote from the local repeater location. But again, in town, you might get by with a few inches of wire supported by a magnet attached to a favorable windows curtain rod. There appear to be as many opinions and solutions for what is the right combination of radio equipment and antennas as there are hams. Once youve gotten the amateur radio urge and made connection for learning the ropes, doing some reading and asking lots of questions will begin to reveal

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