How I became a licensed Radio Ham, By John Allsopp G4YDM
Hello, I am John Allsopp; I hold a class A Amateur Radio transmitting license.
Ham radio is a fascinating unique hobby; Ham Radio permits you to talk to people all over the world, after you get your transmitting license. My Ham Radio interest began many years ago; it was triggered by several Radio related connections.
I had always been interested in how things worked, the only way to do that is to pull them apart, which I did, sometimes to the shock and horror of my elder sister, and she did not take too kindly to her brother investigating some of her electrical toys.
From Bulbs, wires and batteries, a book which sold in their millions in the United Kingdom, I progressed from simple circuits that turned a light bulb on and off, to building my first Radio, a crystal set, or a cat’s whisker which it was commonly known by.
Soon I had a full working crystal set, made from a toilet role inner tube, that I used to build a coil, some very inexpensive tuning capacitors, which were recycled from an old A.M. Radio, a pair of Brown headphones, they came from a friends father, single core wire obtained from the local do it yourself store, and a diode to detect the audio signal within the radio wave.
My first A.M. Radio, A.M. stands for Amplitude Modulation. The set would tune a portion of the Medium Wave band, from 600 Kilohertz thought to 900 Kilohertz. Soon I discovered modifications to the Crystal set, which I found out by reading books on the subject. My Medium Wave receiver was altered with the aid of more and less wire on the coil, and a tuning capacitor with a bigger tuning ratio. I was now able to pick up the local Marine Weather transmissions, on frequencies a little higher than the Medium Wave band.
My father was a member of the local Retained Fire Service, we had a large bell at the bottom of our stairs, which would ring when an alarm call was made, and a siren on the top of the Fire Station was sounded at the same time. During the night the bell sounded only, which was a relief to all those, who were sleeping. By now I knew that the Fire Engine was fitted with a Radio Transmitter.
My endless curiosity which has survived till now was to figure out how to listen to the Radio Messages made By the Fire Appliance, and the Fire control. My knowledge taught me to know that an aerial used on the Fire Appliance was around one quarter of a wavelength long. I measure the aerial one day, my results indicated the frequency was in the 80 megahertz part of the Radio spectrum.
Before long, with help from article published in Practical Wireless, I had my own home brew Radio receiver which was capable of picking up Radio Transmissions from the Fire Engine, another receiver was made to listen to the Fire Control. The control frequency was higher up the V.H.F. band; V.H.F. stands for Very High Frequency.
Soon after the Control receiver was constructed, I found out about how to alter the receiver, to pick up transmissions on the two meter Amateur band. Listening to Hams using all sorts of home brewed receivers and transmitters were another mile stone in my self training in the art of Radio construction. By now I was well into the City & Guilds Book, how to be a Radio Amateur. My license followed, together with a certificate which allowed me to use the Morse code.
From these early beginnings I progressed with my physics studies and eventually gained a Higher National Diploma in Communication studies. This qualification gained me a post as a Radio Engineer working on Transceivers used by local taxi companies, Utility services and the Emergency Services. I then moved from analogue transmission to digital transmission and eventually became involved in commissioning G.S.M. equipment. G.S.M stands for Global System Mobile, the popular cell phone or mobile phone technology.
How I became a licensed Radio Ham, By John Allsopp G4YDM
Stick To The Utility Companies By Making Your Own Solar Module Panels And Save Money
While walking down the walkway to the beach from my condo, I was looking at the lights that lined the walkway to the beach. I suppose I had never noticed them before because they just sit there unobtrusively doing their job… giving light at night so you don’t fall down the steps to go enjoy the beautiful ocean view. The other morning I looked closer at one and noticed something on the top of light, not much bigger than a postage stamp. They were solar powered lights! This might not seem unusual to anybody reading this, but it is indicative of how much more this is becoming prevalent in the world. Solar Power! The great thing about solar power is, once you have built your photovoltaic (PV) panels, it’s free!. F-R-E-E.
You would be surprised how many solar powered gadgets / appliances there are, some of them are:
Radios
Flashlights
Refrigerators
Chargers
Lanterns
Battery Chargers
Car Ventilators
Mosquito Guards
Two of the reasons people do not use solar power more for their homes and appliances is the perception that these are some sort of projects or kits for nerds and the mechanically inclined. You don’t have to be a nerd and you don’t have to be mechanically inclined to make your own solar panels to power your home or just power your appliances… maybe you just want to have a backup source of power or maybe you just want to stick it to the utility company. Whatever your motivation might be, making your own solar panels is more feasible and practical than it ever was.
Granted, some people can’t even seem to dress themselves, much less take on a project like this. I can relate. It seemed like my Father repaired everything with electrical tape: flat tires, leaks, upset stomachs, you name it. I did not inherit the “gearhead” aptitude.
There is so much information on using solar power. Spend a few hours on the internet and you’ll find more information than you could ever read or watch. There are Dummies / Idiots books. There are kits online and in stores to be bought. If you’re like me, sometimes you won’t even think about something and then you develop and interest and you end up with an insatiable appetite to learn everything you can about it. How about saving thousands of dollars every year and being totally energy self sufficient and independent as motivators?
I can remember building ham radios as a teenager and the joy I had of completing the projects (after I had frequently screwed them up and my mother’s NASA engineer friends would come by to fix up my mistakes). I’ve never had any jobs as an adult where I had to use my hands (unless typing counts) so I’d probably get poor really quickly if it were based on my mechanical acumen. However, I do know that even the most mechanically challenged person can follow some well put together instructions and make your own solar module panels to become more self-sufficient, save money and help the environment.
If for no other reason, with all the calamity we have seen all over the world the past few years, it makes common sense to be like a Boy Scout and “Be Prepared.”
Following Radio Operation Rules
In order to help prepare the community for an unexpected natural disaster or loss of communication, many people have invested in HAM radios and other radios designed to be used as part of a network. These people have signed contracts to assist in emergency situations when needed to provide communication around the area and across wide distances.
There are several rules that are associated with joining the HAM radio association in order to make sure that order prevails so that the communication network runs effectively during an emergency situation. The first rule is that you should never act on your own to begin emergency communications.
There are designated people who are trained to begin the communication when needed. As a result it is very important that this hierarchy is maintained so that important messages are not hindered or lost.
The second rule that should be followed is that you should only join the communication network when you are invited to by those in authority.
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Amateur Radio, also known as ham radio, is a largely a communication hobby where operators can receive transmissions from great distancesThis makes sure that too many people do not join the network and hinder communications.
If everyone started panicking and calling for help, nothing would or could be done because of the confusion. It is critical that everything occurs in a straightforward, organized manner so that help can be sent to the areas that need it the most.
However, if you suspect that your help may be needed, you should listen in and be ready to assist, but you should not join until asked to. If you think you may be the first to be aware of an emergency situation in which communication is needed, you should contact the local Emergency Coordinator or Assistant Emergency Coordinator to let them know what is going on.
They can then get things started in the appropriate fashion if it is deemed necessary.
As a result, the proper hierarchy and organization patter will be followed.
Those who are called on to assist in a certain situations should have been preregistered and trained in advance of the situation. As always, the minimal number of qualified operators should be called on to help in order to keep communication channels clear.
Under normal circumstances, the Emergency Coordinator will designate a NCS who will control the local net. This NCS should become the “key station” for that area as it will coordinate the efforts locally.
This station will be key to the effective delivery of messages and some of the most talented and experienced personnel should be posted here. In addition, this station should have been equipped with emergency backup power and enough personnel to take care of all of the incoming messages all day long.
During the emergency situation, this station should be running 24/7 in order to meet the needs of the area. The person assigned to be the net control in the station is the ultimate authority for the area and all of the other operators should follow his or her direction exactly.
Hesitation or disagreement could negatively affect the flow of communication seriously. If order cannot be maintained, then this system will only hinder the efforts of those trying to help those who need it.
The net control will let you know when you should talk and why. You should never use the radio unless he or she tells you to. If the emergency area is quite large, then several nets may be put into operation.
In addition, all of the messages transmitted should be in the proper format. The format that is currently being used is the standard NTS Radiogram format.
This format is idea because it provides a written version of the message that is signed and dated. Later on, this information could be critical to intelligence operations.
Of course, in some cases it will be more important to simply get out the message that a tornado is heading a certain direction and a radiogram will not be necessary, but it should be created later. In addition, all emergency and priority messages need to be signed by the overseeing officer of the station.
Each message should include a statement about whether it is an emergency, how much of a priority it is, how it affects the welfare of local citizens, and the routine suggested. In addition, the amount of time it takes to file these messages will also be very important.
These tasks should be carried out quickly and accurately. However, as you follow these and many other rules, the network will be very effective in assisting those in the surrounding areas who were affected by the disaster.