Computer enthusiasts are known for their infatuation with anything even loosely connected to a microprocessor and a MOdulator/DEModulator. Having spent the first sixty years of this century refining the capabilities of wireless communications, hams ran gleefully and headlong into the arms of the computer revolution when it arrived. It was love at first byte.

It's interesting to look back at the early days of wireless because the parallels with today's computer industry are downright eerie. That era crackled with the thrill of inventive progress, glory-hogging ego maniacs, start-ups bloating into huge corporations, corporate skulduggery, utopian pronouncements of a the new communications revolution, industry-shaking lawsuits and forgotten pioneers.

The hardware hackers of their time (1937).

By 1900, communication at the speed of light had been going on for nearly half a century but was limited to those who had the wires and owned the poles to which they were attached. In the teens and twenties, speed of light communications literally jumped the track. Because it no longer required the confinement of overhead wires, anyone with the knowledge of how to build a simple transmitter and receiver was suddenly in the wireless business.

The only game in town was a band of frequencies we now know as AM. Here, commercial, government and citizen operators were all joined in an unregulated broadcasting free-for-all. With inevitable congressional regulation sponsored by business and eagerly supported by the military, hams were relegated to a part of the spectrum thought to be of no value. However, after years of tireless amateur experimenting, the new spectrum turned out to be valuable indeed and short wave radio was born. As a reward, hams were given thin slices of various parts of this huge new territory. The rest was awarded to government and business interests.

With every step of this technologically driven century, hams have played a major role. And just as with computer programmers, hams have never been satisfied with the status quo. They continue to seek out ways to transmit on ever higher frequencies using less bandwidth and less power to go further on less money. Here's a classic example: In 1957, the Russians inaugurated the space race with the launch of Sputnik I. A year later, the U.S. launched its first satellite. Two years after that, the first amateur radio satellite, OSCAR I (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio), was launched. Designed and built by volunteers, it hitch-hiked aboard an Air Force rocket as an auxiliary payload (the first of its kind) and was boosted into orbit from the launch vehicle by a US$1.15 spring from Sears. Years later, hams pioneered the use of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites for digital and voice communications, all the while having to fend off spectrum grabbing by the big boys.

Today there are millions of hams around the world and hundreds of thousands in the U.S. alone. Because amateur radio is regulated in the US by the FCC, hams have learned to "play by the rules." Fortunately, these rules are fairly liberal. There is, for instance, no age limit on obtaining a license. There are hams from 6 to over 90 years of age. Licenses are good for 10 years and (except in the case of vanity call signs) require no renewal fees. While most hams are men, women are joining the ranks in steadily increasing numbers. Getting licensed is easy and almost free. Technician Class is an entry level license and allows operations in all modes on all the VHF and UHF bands. The test consists of 50 questions taken from a pool of 200 approved by the FCC. There is no code test and testing fees are usually $5-6. The test covers FCC rules and regulations, general operating procedures and some technical questions concerning radio and electronics basics. Texts covering the exam material can be bought at Radio Shack or the American Radio Relay League. There are even videotape courses for those not wanting to read the text. Exams are administered by local amateur radio clubs. Results and license applications are sent in by the local club to the FCC for assignment of the individual's call sign.

While the bulk of amateur transmissions are done via voice, there is a strong contingent of Morse Code (referred to as "continuous wave" or "cw") operators who actually prefer to "chat" in what many believe to be an outdated mode. Hams use what's known as International Morse Code which is different from the original American Morse used by railroad telegraphers. Over the decades, operators have refined the code to the point where many common words and phrases are reduced to abbreviations. A system of "Q" codes helps keep the word count down as does eliminating most vowels. For instance: "...wx hr stormy hvy QRN = hv to QRT = cul de KS4ZR" reads "weather here is stormy much static, must leave the air, see you later from KS4ZR". It takes nearly half the time to send and the message is clear.

Western Union Transatlantic Cable Key Circa 1860s.

There are few "brass pounders" left, those communicating via old fashioned telegrapher's keys. Instead, many prefer operating with "automatic bugs," electronic keys, which when tapped in one direction, make the dash or "dah" and the other direction sends a stream of dots or "dits." The advantage is easily doubling the sending speed and a lot less tiring on the "fist." Many are now using computers to send cw too. Cheap and easily available programs allow senders to simply type their message on the keyboard, which the program converts to Morse Code as it's typed, to be instantly transmitted. These same programs also convert received cw and display it as text on the computer screen.

The next step up the digital evolutionary ladder is RTTY (RadioTeleTYpe). Advanced RTTY modes include Forward Error Correction (FEC). This concerns the problem of conditions on the short wave bands which are rarely optimal: static crashes (QRN), fading (QSB) and adjacent frequency interference (QRM) decrease the percentage of correct copy.

Other digital modes include facsimile (FAX), slowscan TV (SCTV) and packet. FAX is used to send still images, SCTV to show live, but still-frame images, and packet to send messages just like standard computer email. While all these modes are found on the short wave or high frequencies (HF bands), they are limited in capability due to the nature of HF. That limitation is speed. It takes the better part of half a minute to send an SCTV image via HF and packet operations are confined to an excruciatingly slow 300 baud with 1200 baud allowed on 10 meters (28MHz). The picture on VHF and UHF is considerably better with 19.6 kilobaud for VHF and 56 kilobaud for UHF. Above the 902 MHz region, hang onto to your joy stick, there's no speed limit!

One of ARRL's popular tomes on amateur satellite tracking.

The disadvantage to sending packet in the VHF and UHF bands is the line-of-sight limitation of operating FM at high frequencies. Hams have gotten around that problem by building and launching their own LEO communications satellites. Some of these sats act as global mail carriers, picking up packet messages over one location on the planet and making it available for the recipient somewhere else on the globe in less than 90 minutes.

Here's how it works: Using simple transceivers and antennas hooked up with their computers, hams send packet messages to the satellite as it whizzes over their location. The satellite stores the message on-board and continues its path around the globe (maximum orbit time of around 90 minutes) until the recipient accesses the satellite with similar equipment and downloads the message. If the recipient is asleep or unable to access the satellite, it stays on-board until he or she has the time to access the bird on a future pass. One big advantage to this system is its worth in an emergency when conventional phone lines, cell systems, and Internet connections may be adversely affected. These ham email systems are very small, portable and can all be operated "off the grid."

In fact, emergencies are where ham radio really shines. One of the reasons hams invest so much in equipment and training is to be able to offer alternative communications in times of emergencies. For decades hams involved in the national Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) have routinely stepped in to fill the communications gaps when commercial and government services fail. Most common are the hurricane drills in which thousands of hams across the South participate, but less known, are the other emergency drills taking place all year around the country in which hams work with local emergency preparedness officials in dealing with potential emergencies peculiar to their locales. Some do earthquake drills, others do nuclear power plant drills, in "Tornado Alley," its severe storm drills. Some areas actually have to prepare for them all!

In addition to the ARES services, routine daily communications are handled through the National Traffic System (NTS). This is one outgrowth of the original American Radio Relay League from the early years of this century. Operating on various local and regional nets in the HF bands NTS messages (or traffic) by the thousands, are passed from net to net by voice or cw from the originating station to the intended recipient. Depending on the efficiency of the operators, the nets involved and the urgency of the message, traffic can be relayed from coast to coast in hours or days. But the point is that the NTS is in place and operating all year just waiting for an emergency.

Local ham clubs all over the country have built and maintained two-way repeater systems in the 2 meter band (144-148 MHz). These are used for daily chatting, emergency preparedness drills, and transmitting local information to travelers. Some repeaters are used solely for the relay of packet communications. Repeater coverage area ranges from a radius of 20 to 50 miles depending on antenna and terrain and provides a nearly seamless system of communications from coast to coast. Some clubs have operators on stand-by to handle emergency or information requests from travelers in the area and many repeaters allow direct access to 911 operations from any 2 meter transceiver in range of the repeater. The phone tones are transmitted by a keypad on the front of the 2 meter handi-talkie (HT). Some repeaters allow direct access to local phone systems. Years before the cellular phone business began, hams were calling home to say they'd be tied up in traffic via 2 meter repeaters.

Most hams are always looking for new ways to communicate, but for others, it's the opposite. There is a lot of activity in vintage amateur radio. These operators refurbish old gear (lovingly referred to as "boatanchors") from the vacuum tube era and operate in the AM mode (the only voice mode available in those days). They pride themselves on their near-broadcast quality stations using gear 50 and 60 years old. There are vintage nets where enthusiasts get together on a regular basis to swap on-air tales of yesteryear with more than a few operators having received their licenses 60 or more years ago.

A moonbounce antenna array.

Space is the place for many hams. While some use the LEO satellites previously mentioned, others shoot for the Moon. Building complex antenna systems and using high power, often over 1,000 watts, there are quite a few hams involved in Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) or "moonbounce" communications. This is a difficult facet of the hobby because, not only is it expensive to build the necessary antenna systems, but the signals are so weak, after the nearly half a million miles round trip, that only ultra-sensitive receivers can dig those signals out of the cosmic noise. Only cw is used in EME.

Another favorite space target is the Space Shuttle and the now unused MIR space station. Zipping overhead at roughly 17,000 mph, the Space Shuttle is not an easy target to acquire. It comes up over the horizon and is gone in about 10 minutes. With thousands of hams trying to get in touch by voice, only a handful are actually recognized. It's much easier with packet as the operations are computer controlled and far more information can be sent and received. Since Shuttle missions are so short, there's little time for ham operations, but for MIR, it was the opposite. The length of stay for most cosmonauts and visiting astronauts was several months at the minimum. Between that and the inoperability of many of MIR's official communications channels, ham radio was a real bonus. During the height of MIR's technical problems, their ham station provided some gripping listening for those who tuned in.

Steve Roberts's crazy, sexy, cool BEHEMOTH.

Hams find ways to communicate at every opportunity. There are many who combine bicycling and amateur radio. Known as "Bicycle Mobile Hams of America," this group promotes touring, racing and ham radio in one fitness-crazed, ham-filled, peddle-fest. Probably the extreme case of this particular disease was caught by Steve Roberts whose BEHEMOTH bicycle, ultimately valued at several million dollars, featured the latest in both computer and ham equipment. The spectacle of his gizmo-laden recumbent bike tooling down the road was a once in a lifetime experience.

Hams take their equipment everywhere, on the road, on the hiking trail, out to sea and to the most remote places on earth, just for the fun of communicating with the rest of us who didn't make the trip. Getting started in amateur radio is not as difficult as you might think. Take a Technician Class practice exam, and remember, you only need to make better than 74% to pass! Check out the ARRL "New Ham" page and find out where the next exams will be held near you. Before you know it, you may be getting your email from an orbiting mailbox cobbled together in some guy's garage!

Some useful links:
Boatanchor Pix "Boatanchor" is amateur radio slang for heavy vintage radio equipment typical of the tube era.
Antique Wireless Association
ARES
NTS
Shuttle Amateur Radio
Great pix of Earth-Moon-Earth antennas
Bicycle Hams of America
Practice exams
ARRL's New Ham Page

- Ken Reitz [12/6/99]

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