1) First off, I'd like to extend my hearty "Welcome to Ham Radio" to Dockhead!!!!
From everything I've read of your postings, I think you'll make a fine ham!!!
If there is anything I can do to help/advise/"Elmer", please let me know...
2) Secondly, while I was/am one of those "old-timers" who originally opposed the elimination of the morse proficiency requirement for all amateur radio licenses, I do not feel this change has caused major harm to the amateur
service, and as such I accept this as our "new norm"...
{However, I still do believe that the FCC made a serious error in eliminating this requirement for the Extra Class license...just my opinion here, and I accept that others feel differently!!! Heck I've been an advocate for making the Extra Class written test even more difficult, as I personally believe that it has been seriously "dumbed-down"....but I digress....}
3) Thirdly, with the amateur radio population worldwide of approx. 3 million licensed operators (approx. 750,000 in US and 1,300,000 in
Japan, and entire rest of the world making up the final million...), this represents less than 1/20 of one percent (< 0.05%) of the world's population....
And, this means that we are a VERY small part of the world, BUT have a very large impact on the world!!! (and the responsibility of this wide impact should be remembered by all ham operators!!!)
I suspect that the percentage of
offshore sailors/cruisers that are licensed hams is lower today than in the past, it is still a much higher percentage than the population in whole....(many reasons for this have been discussed in the past.....and "sailing" and "ham radio" do seem to go well together!!!)
And, if you think that the small number of
offshore sailors/cruisers-ham operators, is so small to not matter....you would be wrong!!!
Ham radio in general has made, and continues to make, significant impact on societies worldwide...especially those in developing countries (and 3rd-World countries).....and all ham operators are "good will ambassadors" to the whole world.....and ham operators with direct contact to others (hams or non-hams) in other countries / other cultures, have even more significant impact!!!
Also, stories like "deckofficer's" are actually quite common.....even today with all the "connectivity" of the modern world, ham radio DOES make significant impacts, and should be understood for the wonderful
service it is....
A hobby for many, yes.....but, it is a SERVICE to/for all that must not be forgotten, nor diluted by/with the trivial....
I have always believed and always stated that there is room in ham radio for everyone!!!! (check out my qrz profile for proof of this...
KA4WJA - Callsign Lookup by QRZ.COM )
No matter what your particular interest, as long as you believe, understand, and stand-up/stand-behind the basic purposes/principles of the amateur radio service, there is a place for you and I will welcome you with pleasant words and a helpful attitude!!!!
But, those whose primary goal is to use the amateur radio service in order to circumvent other communications services, and/or as a "cheap"/"free" means to handle traffic that could be better handled using other services/means, etc. I would ask them to consider whether they would actually be better served by other services/means....
{An example would be someone that just wishes for "free e-mail", gets a ham license, and uses winlink....without any consideration for what the amateur radio service is for.....would they not find Sailmail to be a better choice??? With a more robust
network, and P4 now being supported, Sailmail is certainly a better choice.....
Or, even use of a satphone or
satellite communications terminal, would serve the user better....
Yes, I DO understand the issue of cost ($$), but I hear/read many discuss iPhones/Smart Phones, iPads/Tablets, etc. etc.....and those who can afford iPhones and/or Ipads, etc. can certainly afford the $250/yr for sailmail....}
Please understand that I'm NOT trying to discourage anyone from joining the ranks of ham radio....
NOT AT ALL!!!
I'm just trying to point out that there are very specific purposes/reasons for the amateur radio service and there are requirements / expectations of/for those that aspire to become a licensed ham operator.....and if you are unwilling/unable to live up to these expectations and/or unwilling or unable to even attempt to fulfill these purposes, then perhaps ham radio is not for you.....
Those that are not clear about what I am referring to (US Federal regulations)....here are the 5 basic purposes of the Amateur Radio Service in the United States (and these are also used by the UN/ITU to establish the basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio Service internationally)....
US FCC Part 97.1
Quote:
§97.1 Basis and purpose.
The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur’s proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.
(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur’s unique ability to enhance international goodwill.
|
If you keep the above 5 basic purposes for the Amateur Radio Service in mind, then you should be able to see that there ARE reasons and purposes that prospective ham operators need to learn "the basics" (basic electronic theory, basic radiowave propagation, basic radio operating techniques, etc. etc..) even for an "entry-level" license ( such as the "Technician Class").....and these prospect hams should learn more than just "the basics" for a normal-level license (such as the "General Class")...
Those that advocate that there is no reason to learn these things may not fully understand the Amateur Radio Service???
{Further, I do understand that some advocate "learning while on the air"....and while this does work to some extent, it is not consistent (works for some and not for others)....and has one significant drawback....
This drawback is "human nature"....you know that old attitude of once you've got the license, what else do I "need" to know!!!
I'm not saying that the "learn while on the air" idea is bad (it is actually one of the best ways to learn advanced radio theory and advanced radio propagation), but rather that it isn't the best way to learn "the basics"!!!}
4) Unfortunately, denverdon, I must disagree with you here completely....and, in my opinion this is a very short-sighted approach and
advice such as this promote poor operators....
Further, the
fact is that since most ham radios have multiple adjustments and it is the complete responsibility of the operator to make sure his/her signal is clean/clear, and does not cause
interference to others, it IS VERY IMPORTANT for the ham radio operator to understand the basics of electronics and radio communications....
Quote:
Originally Posted by denverd0n
I don't want to sound argumentative, but no, you really do NOT need to understand any of this
Quote:
You really need to understand the functions of electronic components
|
to make basic use of your ham license.
Sure, if you want your transmission and reception to be the absolutely best that they can be, then you need to know that stuff. If you want to build your own radio, tuner, or parts for it, then you need to know that stuff. If you want to be able to troubleshoot issues with your radio or antenna for yourself, then you probably need to know that stuff. In fact, it's a lot of fun to learn that stuff, so I encourage people to dig into it. But it is definitely NOT any sort of a requirement, and you'll probably learn a lot of it over time just as part of using your radio.
|
Saying that if you want your transmission and reception to be "the absolute best", is one of the only reasons for learning about basic electronics / radio communications, is seriously flawed!!!
The FACTS are that if a ham operator desires to transmit any signal at all, they MUST know the basics of radio communications...it IS a "requirement"!!!
And, in my opinion, giving
advice to the contrary does a disservice to both the Amateur Radio Service AND the "sailing/cruising community"!!!
While this is technically possible, it is NOT advisable for "ham radio"....but rather this is what the
commercial radio services are for, such as the Maritime Radio Service (as well as the "Fixed" or "Land Mobile" services)....
Quote:
Originally Posted by denverd0n
You can buy a radio, a tuner, a TNC, and an antenna, and be up on the air, communicating quite effectively with other hams without understanding anything at all about resistors, capacitors, or inductors.
For those who are new to ham radio, or who are just thinking about getting into it, please don't let yourself be scared off by thinking that you have to understand electronics to this level before you can get anything useful out of it. A lot of hams derive a lifetime of enjoyment and use from it without ever having even the least clue what an inductor is.
|
In addition to not even trying to live up to the 5 basic purposes of the Amateur Radio Service, those taking this tack are usually the ones who unintentionally cause
interference to others, all the while thinking all is well.....
And even further, in my experience, these are usually the ones who produce some of the worst sounding and poorest quality signals when trying to communicate on SSB-Voice (whether on the ham radio bands or on the marine bands)...
Again, in my opinion, giving advice to prospective or new ham operators that there is no need to learn about electronics / radio communications and encouraging them to just "buy some equipment" and "be up on the air" is seriously flawed, and just plain WRONG!!!
I am NOT wishing to scare-off any prospective hams, nor do I wish to discourage anyone....
NOT AT ALL!!!
But, I am trying to provide real factual information.....
Some of this information comes from my personal experiences from approx. 40 years of radio communications experience....Ham and Maritime....spanning from low-band dx'ing, to vhf/uhf/microwave communications and experimenting, to moonboune, to QRP work, to expeditions, to maritime-mobile ops, etc....to rag-chewing, etc....much radiosport/contesting
events, net operations/traffic handling, etc....
And, some of this information comes from US Federal
Regulations.....
Bottom line:
Ham Radio is a fantastic Service and it is an honor and a privilege to be a part of it.....and yes, many hams (like me) get great enjoyment out it, (some great more enjoyment out of it as just a "hobby", but still take the "purposes" seriously!!)
But, realistically I understand that there are few around the world (0.05% of the world) that desire to be a part of such a wonderful and fulfilling service, so while I wish there were more of us, I accept Amateur Radio for what it is, and I Love It!!!!
BTW, when I was a teenager studying for my ham license, my favorite aunt was visiting and she asked me what "ham radio" was....after I explained things to her, she TAUGHT ME something about "ham radio"...
She asked me if I knew why they called it "amateur radio", and I replied that it was because we weren't "professionals" and didn't get paid...
She then taught me the REAL reason....
She taught me that the word "amateur" comes from the Latin root-word "ama", meaning "love"....and an "amateur" is someone doing something "for the LOVE of it"....so, an "amateur radio operator" was someone who operated a radio because of their "love" of radio communications.....
That "lesson" from my aunt was about 40 years ago, but I have never forgotten it!!!
So, from a proud "amateur radio operator", I wish you all Fair Winds!!!
John, KA4WJA
s/v Annie Laurie, WDB6927
MMSI# 366933110
Quote:
Originally Posted by denverd0n
For those who are new to ham radio, or who are just thinking about getting into it, please don't let yourself be scared off by thinking that you have to understand electronics to this level before you can get anything useful out of it. A lot of hams derive a lifetime of enjoyment and use from it without ever having even the least clue what an inductor is.
|