Interesting

[altivo]

Though I've had an amateur radio license for 25 years now, and have had call sign plates on my car since about 1987, tonight is the first time that someone ever approached me and actually asked about becoming a licensed radio operator. Most of the reaction I get is just "Oh, you're one of those strange people?" and quite typically, a lot of confusion about the difference between amateur radio and CB. (They have virtually nothing in common, folks.)

A regular library visitor who spends hours on his laptop connected to our internet link, asked me about it right at closing, because he'd seen the plates on my car. Apparently he was interested in the subject at some point in the past, but never got far enough along to actually get his license.

He didn't know, for instance, that the US no longer requires a morse code test of license applicants, or that modes that use computers to communicate over radio links are becoming increasingly popular.

Unfortunately, I think what he was really looking for was a pointer to a license training class, and I don't have that information. But at least I could tell him where on the web to begin looking.

Slow drippy rain continues, good for the stuff already planted in the garden, but introducing delays in getting the rest into the ground. Sheep get sheared on Saturday. Car goes in for 6000 mile service in the morning. And I have to go to bed.

Comments

[damnbear.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking about finally getting licenced at Dayton this year. I've been intending to for the last 15 years, so I can legitimately use the 6 meter R/C TX I've had for model Heli's ;o)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Good idea. The tech license exam is not that hard, and having it opens the door to other fun stuff. ;D

[octatonic.livejournal.com]

NO MORE MORSE CODE?

I might have to up the ante and get me own liscence, just cause.

^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

There's plenty of morse code on the air, but the FCC did eliminate the examination requirement in February.

Of course, it has been possible since 1991 to get a technician license without taking a code test. But now you can get any level of US amateur radio license without knowing code. Go ahead. The technician exam is just 50 fairly easy questions.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

How can you still be an Amateur after 25 years O.O

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The true sense of amateur. It just means you aren't professional. In other words, you don't get paid for doing it. At least in the US, accepting pay for anything you do under an amateur radio license is a violation of the rules and could lead to loss of your license.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

What could you get paid for? Advertising?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually, quite a few different things. Passing third party messages, for instance, similar to telegrams or faxes (both are possible and legal as long as you don't take any money for it.) Providing communications in support of public functions like parades or athletic events such as marathons. Feeding information to the news media during disasters or emergencies. Broadcasting or advertising. Ordering a pizza for someone, or notifying their stock broker (or bookie) of something they wish to have done.

The big issue at the time the law was originally written was competing with the telegraph services. Hams did and do send messages for the general public free of charge. Typically these are things like birthday greetings or the stuff you'd write on a postcard: "Hi, Aunt Tilly and I were at the county fair today and just wanted to say we're sorry you weren't here..."

Accepting payment for that sort of thing is a big no-no. After telephones were commonplace, hams often did phone patches. This was a way to avoid long distance charges. So you call up the local ham, he gets his buddy in Spokane on the air, and his buddy dials up your Aunt Tilly. They plug the phones into the radio equipment so you can talk to each other for the cost of a local call. This has pretty much died out now because long distance is a lot cheaper than it used to be, and now people use VOIP services like Skype. But 50 years ago it was common and was allowed in the US only if the ham operators accepted no payment for it.