Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
Originally Posted By: daves66nova
so what do you guys talk bout or transmit when you have one of these radios? I figure you can only do so much. Why not use a phone to communicate? lol
Sometimes it's just finding out who you can get in touch with. Last time I turned on my HF radio I talked to a ham in the Ukraine. Not everyone can say they talked to someone on another continent without using the Internet or a telephone.
Ever hear of Skywarn? They use amateur radio operators who can report weather conditions to the National Weather Service. I listen in on the repeater so I can hear what's going on in cities nearby. Likewise, I can report what's going on where I'm at.
Hams played a big role in helping with emergency communications after 9/11. Police and fire had their repeaters on top of the towers, which got knocked out. Cell towers that were up there were also knocked out, but we can still communicate without depending on them.
Even when emergencies aren't involved, we do public service. I helped out with a charity event where several companies donated building materials, volunteers, and sent teams to several low-income homes that were in need of repair to fix them up. We had hams at each of these homes so we could call in to the supply warehouse for materials that were needed, or if we had a surplus of supplies we could ask if any other houses needed them. We could also call for more volunteers, and call for buses sinc the local bus service donated their buses and drivers to ferry volunteers. The coordinators and team leaders were glad To have us because unlike cell phones, we could talk to all the hams at each house and supply warehouse simultaneously. No having to dial up and call one at a time. The cell phone company donated phones, but they ended up being useless because they forgot to charge the batteries.
We can build our own equipment, some hams have been experimenting heavily and developing software-defined radio, some hams are into amateur television, radio control, satellite work, talking with hams on the ISS (and previously the Space Shuttle), and radio direction finding. The latter has the fun of trying to find a hidden radio transmitter, but has the practical aspect of sometimes finding sources of interference to other radio services.
But you're right, we can only do so much
N8YQM
ahhh, i see now!! A LOT can be done!!!
