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Contents of this page:
- Intro
- What does one do with amateur radio now that the internet is omnipresent you might ask?
- My favorite modes of operation
- Winlink 2000 and Airmail
- My favorite links
- Images of some of my gear
Intro
Yes, I have to admit it, I'm a ham ... The objective originally was to be able to communicate worlwide when Catherine and I take of for our "permanent" sailing vacation. But I've discovered a wonderfull hobby that caters to my needs of exploration and discovery.
After getting my basic license in ?? and my morse code in ??, I'm trying to give back to my local ham community acting as a director of the North Shore Amateur Radio Club www.nsarc.ca and as membership officer. I also took the lead on Field Day in June of 2004, thanks to massive support from other club members.
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What does one do with amateur radio now that the internet is omnipresent you might ask?
- It's a hobby ... there's always new things to try and learn
- Challenge ... unbeknownst to me, it's not as easy as picking up a radio and talking into it, a lot more knowledge is required when experimenting with all aspects and modes
- Integration of interests ... amateur radio involves many of my previous interests: technology in general, computers, electronics
- While cruising in the gulf islands, I also bring along my HF radio gear and a computer. Here I am operating from an island across from Nanaimo.
- Volunteering ... VE7CYU and VE7MRQ introduced me to the important role that amateur radio plays in community events such as the Vancouver Sun Run, Storm the North Shore, the Coho Festival and of course the emergency communications team is also a key component of the local Emergency Management Office http://www.nsemo.org
- It's about people ... it's a very personnal experience to talk to someone halfway around the globe
- Field Day ... is a great North American event where tens of thousands of amateurs take to the fields in the last weekend of June to practice operating skills and emergency preparedness. http://www.qsl.net/ve7nsr/field/field.html
My favorite modes of operation:
- Digital : PSK31... PSK31 is keyboard to keyboard amateur radio. Very resilient in otherwise difficult conditions. I can use 20W when I would need 100W for voice operation. The SoundCardInterface is also used for many other modes (RTTY, SSTV, Packet, etc...)
- Mobile ... After many tribulations, I've finally got a setup in the JeepLiberty when I can install and run the AmateurRadio gear in under 1 minute. From the car, I'm usually found on the North Shore Amateur Radio club repeater 147.260 but also enjoy HF mobile using Ham Stick antennas.
- APRS ... Automatic Position Reporting System. Developped by the US Navy for tracking and digital communications. Using a GPS (or manually input latitude and longitude), a transceiver and a packet encoder (either a TNC or a computer) position reports can be automatically broadcast on a pre-determined frequency where other amateurs can receive the signal and display the other stations on a computer screen (with map overlay).
- Morse Code (usually referred to as CW) ... I know what you're going to say: Why? It's actually really fun. I've been having casual QSOs (contacts) with VE7TLH on 2m CW over the past few weeks and it's been very enjoyable. I'm just getting to the point where I'm not hearing the dits and the dahs (what we call the short and long sounds) but instead hearing whole words. Yes, I know, very exciting stuff
... at least for me it is! And that's all that really matters doesn't it?
Winlink 2000 and Airmail
Winlink 2000 is a network of HF and VHF ham radio stations that can bridge messages between the internet and the ham radio domain. Sailors use it to send email from the middle of the Pacific ocean, missionaries use it to communicate back with their homeland HQ when deep in the bush.
All that's required is an HF or VHF transceiver, a computer, a Pactor modem and the will and time to figure things out.
This is my WinlinkCheatSheet , because I forget!
My favorite links:
Images of some of my gear:
- Yaesu FT-857. Mobile HF, VHF, UHF:
- Yaesu VX-2R. 1.5W VHF/UHF:
- FT-857 installed in the JeepLiberty:
