Any hams on here? Amateur radio that is.

[jaynjeep]

Originally Posted by Berwil

Excuse my ignorance, but what does one do while using a ham radio? Your talking to people around the globe? About what? In English? Is it better conversation than you get on a cb? How do you have a conversation without everyone interrupting?

Bill

Bill,

We talked to people all over the world... It was good conversation if you could find someone that spoke English.. usually talked about the weather, where they were located, how the signal was etc.. Every time you made a contact the user would exchange info and then you would mail each other cards to confirm your contact.. My friend had box after box of cards... I think they were called QSL cards
HAM operators have an understood code of ethics.. nothing like you hear on the CB.. Most HAM operators despise a CB...
They are a good group of people all over the world

[RichardNoggin]

In the 90's while I was in the Navy we had a HAM radio on the ship. We used it to make state side phone calls. We would get on the radio and call for a state side operator that was able to patch into a phone. They (state side operator) would make a collect call to your loved one and patch you through. I was trained to make contact with the HAM operators and then put the sailors on the line to talk to their loved ones. It was a lot of fun and you got to really know the operators. Because of the bounce you could get the same guys over and over. Our call sign was NN0CNP.

Then the internet came along and push the radio out. Todays sailors barely know what mail call is never mind HAM radios.

[OldSkull]

Today nobody speak to anyone face to face they all use their cellular texting to their contacts even when they drive... We live in a digital world, you can order anything from every single place on the planet, you can found a girlfriend or a boyfriend on the internet "Meat market" and even a nice Russian who want to be your wife for few hundred dollars....

As far I'm concern, I prefer traveling and meet people face to face for a good chat or use Skype with my camera to speak to my fellows far away. Nothing can beat the WWW for sharing, communicate and learning....Well their is few more application like video game, online auction, TV.....add what fill your bill to that list...

Sorry to be the guy who tell you that...Ham and CB are things of the past, they are the dinosaurs of what use to be a great communication tool.

[ol'George]

ya a dinosaur but so am I, so no problem.
I type with one finger ,drive old cars/trucks/motorcycles and 2 cylinder farm tractors that I farm with, ok a few Farmalls also.
Maybe in my past life I was Amish, but the only horse power I like, comes from pistons.
The computer is an acquisition tool for hard to find parts,never played a game on it, nor plan too.
I don't own nor use a smart phone.
Tube radio's still are the best sound quality as far as I'm concerned.
And my phone is still is a rotary dial.
I sure have fun with them ppl who say press#1 for English or telemarketers
when I start dialing when they start their sales pitch Ha,LOL!

[Terry C]

I think the appealing thing to me about ham is that it relies on nothing else but you providing electric power which you could generate yourself. Most all other forms of communication require somebody else to help you. it needs only someone else with a radio.

[jaynjeep]

It may be obsolete and a thing of the past, but it is still cool..

Terry, I agree, its simple.. a form of electricity, a radio, and somebody to talk to and you are in business!

ol'George... I really enjoyed using my friends old tube type rig.. it was a lot of fun to use and to work on! I don't own a smartphone either

Most of us still play with Cub Cadets that are old and obsolete!!

[Shrewcub]

Originally Posted by jaynjeep

It may be obsolete and a thing of the past, but it is still cool..

Terry, I agree, its simple.. a form of electricity, a radio, and somebody to talk to and you are in business!

ol'George... I really enjoyed using my friends old tube type rig.. it was a lot of fun to use and to work on! I don't own a smartphone either

Most of us still play with Cub Cadets that are old and obsolete!!

Well said Jay,except for the first line, ham is not dead! I have a longer reply coming to this thread as soon as I can sit down at the computer. CB is dead to everyone but truckers. Ham has shown is value and relavance in many natural disasters. When there is no power grid or phones, amatuer radio is all that is left. I can still talk to the other side of the world with only the wires from the battery to the radio and the radio to the antenna.

[darkminion_17]

I remember in the early 60's my brother building one,running a long wire to a tree as an antenna.Then came the big one on a pole in the yard.
Never could watch tv when he was on the air.

[Conig]

Interesting conversation and sometimes not unlike some of the discussions about ham radio that you can find on the ham forums. I'm not on OCC very often at the moment due to work/family overload. My 104 s/g went bye-bye and has gone out for repair without a return date in site.

Anyway, in answer to the OPs original post, I've been licensed since 1984, currently hold Extra Class license. Enjoy HF for stateside and distant communications, curringly using a tube/solid state rig from the 1980s. Really enjoy HF mobile but I'm reconfiguring the antennas on my truck at the moment.

It's a fun hobby, like any other. Cheers.
Conig

[j4c11]

But what do you do if the infrastructure goes down and there's no cell phones, no telephones, no computers, AND the radio spectrum is being jammed?? That is why I have joined a smoke signal club, equipment is cheap and it's easy to learn. We also do yodeling on weekends as a backup for foggy days.