August,
:O Based on all the health ailments you've been describing over
the years, I thought you were much older than me. I'm actually
older than you by a few years. :O
While I'm over 60 now, many of the folks I know in amateur radio
are much older than I am...so, I'm considered "a puppy"...but, I
am weaned, and potty trained. <G>
There's enough interest to warrant a weekly report?
Yes...for both a net I run, and a net that a ham in Ohio runs.
The closest I ever got to comms over radio was with some walkie
talkies that supported custom crystals. Once I learned how to
open the radios and replace the crystals with other ones, I
could essentially skip the more common freqs in order to have a
more private channel between them. I was hoping that the
solution could help my parents on the farm (one at home base,
and the other one in the barn or in the field). But I could
never get my dad excited about keeping the radio with him at the
ready. My mom on the otherhand was all for it!
A lot has changed in amateur radio since I first got licensed (these
are related to US Ham Radio licenses):
1) The FCC removed the 5 wpm Morse Code requirement for the Technician
Class license in 1991...that's how I got in. The 5 wpm Morse Code test
still remained for the Novice Class license...but with the No Code
Technician Class license, you had to take the written exam for both the
Novice and Techician Class licenses, but didn't have to take a Morse
Code test.
However, if you wanted the Novice Class privileges on the HF bands
(Morse Code on portions of 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters, and limited voice
and data on a small portion of 10 meters), you had to pass the 5 wpm
Morse Code test.
2) In 2000, the FCC stopped issuing new Novice and Advanced Class ham
radio licenses, but holders of these could still renew these at the
appropriate time. At the same time, they dropped the 13wpm Morse Code requirement for the General and Advanced Class licenses, and the 20 wpm
Morse Code requirement for the Amateur Extra Class license.
The 5 wpm Morse Code requirement was eliminated entirely in 2007. Many
"old time ham radio operators" thought that taking away the Morse Code requirement woudld drop the number of people learning it...yet, the
opposite occurred, as they were learning Morse Code because they wanted
to, and NOT because they had to...and they discovered it was FUN!!
One ham radio operator (who passed away several years ago), told me
that his secret to learning Morse Code was that "he learned all the
dirty words first" <G>.
Indeed, there was a group of 4 older male hams at a restaurant in
Annapolis, Maryland...telling each other dirty jokes in Morse Code
(we also call it "CW" for "continuous wave). Anyway, this drop dead
gorgeous, curvaceous female walked up to them...and sternly admonished
"You boys need to watch your language. I teach CW at the Naval Academy
across the street!!", and walked out. They were as red as tomatoes!!
I was listening to a Morse Code class, and the first word they
taught was the S word (and it wasn't "snow" <G>). But, when you
looked at the Morse Code pattern for it, then it made perfect sense!!
3) Normally, a US Ham Radio license is good for 10 years...and one can
renew only within 90 days before expiration, or up to 2 years after
expiration. You could not "get on the air" if the license was expired,
but you didn't lose your callsign or privileges if you renewed during
that time. If one didn't renew, they lost everything (license and
callsign).
However, it used to be that you had to take everything again...both
written and Morse Code tests. Years ago, that meant a 5, 13, and a 20
wpm Morse Code exam (although it was felt if you could do 20 wpm, you
could do 5 and 13 wpm)...plus written exams for the Novice, Technician, General, Advanced, and Amateur Extra.
Former Novice or Technician class licensees can get back on the air
by passing the Technician class written exam, where they'd get a
Technician Class license, and a new callsign. For former General,
Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class licensees could get back on the air
by providing proof of the former license, and passing the Technician
Class written exam. Since there are no more Advanced Class licenses
issued, those were downgraded to General Class license. So, these
would either get a General or an Extra Class license, once they passed
the Technician Class exam.
In all cases, a Morse Code exam was no longer required...and they
could apply for their former callsign, if it was still available, under
the "vanity callsign system". Now, the FCC recently ruled that there
will be a $35 fee for a new, renewed, or upgraded ham radio license...
a callsign change (sequential or vanity), a request for a rule waiver,
or a request for an STA (special temporary authority), and that'd be
for every time they did such a transaction. However, it won't be in
effect until 30 days after it has been in the Federal Register, and
that posting hasn't occurred, as of Feb. 7, 2021.
Originally, there was a large fee for a vanity callsign (it was
dropped a few years ago), and all you had to pay was the fee at
the exam session, depending on the Volunteer Examiner Coordinator
(VEC) group doing the session. Some were free, but some were $15
per exam. Now, if you passed an exam, you could take the next one
in line at no charge. But, if you failed an exam, you had to pay
another fee, as long as the exam had a different set of questions.
You could do that as long as you had the money, and the VE Team
had the time and resources (exam books) to do such.
I remember at one session I did years ago, this one ham was
trying to upgrade to the next license class (I can't recall if
it was for General or Amateur Extra). But, each time, he was
bringing the test book, answer sheet, and the money up to the
VE Team (he also ran a shop selling ham radio related items,
but he wanted the privileges to operate on HF). Anyway, I asked
him what his wife would say about this, and he growled "This is
a business expense...shut up!!" <G> All of us roared in laughter!!
However, COVID-19 has greatly affected many exam teams with
doing testing. They have either lost the exam site, or have
had to switch to low-contact, in person testing (such as doing
it in a parking lot, but several examiners are there, so each
candidate is monitored to be sure they're not cheating)...or
they're doing remote testing. Other teams like mine, where most
of the members have medical issues have put testing on hiatus
for now.
When I worked for Marconi, in Montreal, while they were still in
the original iconic building, there was a ham club that operated
radio of all kinds on the top floor. That sounded intriguing,
but I seemed to be overworked or just wanted to go home after a
long day - so I never bothered to join the club.
It causes the "purists" (who feel that any form of internet radio
is not ham radio) angst...but the VoIP modes offer those who are in
situations where they can't have RF gear (medical facilities, or in
residential communities that prohibit such), the chance to still get
on the air...where their license isn't "just a sheet of paper".
When I dabbled in CB radio (via the walkie talkies) I eventually
realized that spontaneous chatter over the radio with whomever
was out there (CQ CQ ..) wasn't for me. One of our first phone
lines to the house was a party line for many years - and
although it was kinda funny to be able to pick up on someone's
telephone convos on the phone, I didn't like the interruptions
when I was legitimately using the phone myself.
CQ is from the words "seek you", which is what ham radio operators
use to call other stations to "work them". There is a thing called
"contesting" (there's one every weekend), plus so many different
modes, that there's literally something in the hobby for everyone.
My niches are doing license exams, new ham forums at hamfests (most
of those have been canceled due to COVID-19), and traffic nets. I
run at least 5 nets every week.
So, except for the technology behind ham radio and all that, I
don't see the excitement of just picking up unknown/random
chatter out there.
I don't get on the air except for nets I run, or for a "sked"...
a pre-arranged time with another ham to chat (or "chew the rag" --
it sounds better than "masticating the towel" <G>).
I've been licensed 30 years now, and started it just a few
months after I first started my own BBS on a Radio Shack Model
100 laptop. I no longer have the computer, but still have the
program in the BBS files area.
Daryl, WX4QZ, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison
... Ham Radio QRP: When you care enough to give the least.
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