Amateur Radio
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Amateur Radio is a hobby which can be enjoyed by anyone, but can be especially rewarding for those predisposed to the electrical side of life.
Radio broadcasting, pioneered by Marconi (often thought of as the first Radio Amateur) around the turn of the 20th century was the thing that sparked it all off. The first transmitters were very basic but as technology progressed the art was refined until it was possible to transmit information easily and at a reasonable price (much lower since the advent of transistors).
Once this exciting technology spread, many people wanted to get their hands on a set and have a go themselves. Hence, many countries set up an Amateur Radio organisation and instituted a licensing scheme whereby the public could use their radios for amusement and the public good.
Nowadays, organisations such as the RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain) and many others provide services for their members. One such is known as the "QSL Bureau". This is a populer sub-hobby for Hams (as the are known in the US) - for every contact which is made the stations can send a postcard to the other as proof of the contact. If enough cards are collected, some prizes can be won. This could get very expensive, if not for the Bureaux. International agreements allow countries to exchange cards in bulk, at a great saving to the individual amateur. It can be exciting to open up your mail and find cards sent from amateurs the world over!
The two most common ways of human communication are CW (morse code) and phone (speech). Each method has its own jargon, of which I will explain a little here:
In order to save time, CW has many codes and abbreviations, for example: PSE=please, BCNU=be seeing you
There is a well-known code called the "Q" code, which can stand for a statement or a question, eg:
QRP=low power
QRP?=(shall I/could you) reduce power?
QSL=a contact (QSL bureau)
Despite the rise of other forms of mass-communication such as telephones and the Internet, there will always be a place for Amateur Radio and the people who enjoy it.
Radio broadcasting, pioneered by Marconi (often thought of as the first Radio Amateur) around the turn of the 20th century was the thing that sparked it all off. The first transmitters were very basic but as technology progressed the art was refined until it was possible to transmit information easily and at a reasonable price (much lower since the advent of transistors).
Once this exciting technology spread, many people wanted to get their hands on a set and have a go themselves. Hence, many countries set up an Amateur Radio organisation and instituted a licensing scheme whereby the public could use their radios for amusement and the public good.
Nowadays, organisations such as the RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain) and many others provide services for their members. One such is known as the "QSL Bureau". This is a populer sub-hobby for Hams (as the are known in the US) - for every contact which is made the stations can send a postcard to the other as proof of the contact. If enough cards are collected, some prizes can be won. This could get very expensive, if not for the Bureaux. International agreements allow countries to exchange cards in bulk, at a great saving to the individual amateur. It can be exciting to open up your mail and find cards sent from amateurs the world over!
The two most common ways of human communication are CW (morse code) and phone (speech). Each method has its own jargon, of which I will explain a little here:
In order to save time, CW has many codes and abbreviations, for example: PSE=please, BCNU=be seeing you
There is a well-known code called the "Q" code, which can stand for a statement or a question, eg:
QRP=low power
QRP?=(shall I/could you) reduce power?
QSL=a contact (QSL bureau)
Despite the rise of other forms of mass-communication such as telephones and the Internet, there will always be a place for Amateur Radio and the people who enjoy it.
