Full disclosure: ham radio isn’t for everyone, and there are many different facets to it. What appeals to one person might bore another to death. One area of ham radio that has changed a lot …
So, is Ham Radio like the spiritual ancestor of something like Discord Voice Chat? I’m trying to understand why people do it, besides the technical/tinkering aspects.
Why? Because you can. But in terms of useful reasons?
Cellphones, Internet they need infrastructure to work, and that can be disabled either during a natural disaster or war situation. Even by your own government in some cases.
But if I want to communicate, I just need a piece of wire, somewhere to hang it, and a 12v battery and I can communicate for thousands of miles.
Ham radio can be used as voice chat with friends, but that would be a pretty limited view of it. Here’s some things that a Discord Voice Chat cannot do that radio can:
Chat without internet (e.g. places without cell towers).
Chat without voice. (digital communications of all kinds; email/text, keyboard-to-keyboard, pictures, etc).
To build an internet (e.g. building WiFi meshes with extra power [AREDN], AX.25 packet, WinLink).
Used as a tool during emergencies (see ARES/RACES/CERT).
Chat completely randomly (it’s just one big discord channel, but you can only hear some people).
Chasing the challenge of unusual radio propagation (earth-moon-earth, meteor bounce, tropospheric ducting, aurora).
Chasing the challenge of collecting the most point-to-point contacts (contests).
Chasing the challenge of difficult radio propagation (microwave links).
Constructing and using radios that you cannot buy off the shelf parts with (usually with those funny microwave guys).
Higher power versions of things unlicensed folks cannot do (RC toys, Meshtastic/LoraWAN, WiFi, etc).
Historical preservation (restoring old radios, keeping ship-shore coastal stations running [e.g. Maritime Radio Historical Society]).
Conducting scientific experiments (HamSCI, and I conducted one listening to the ionosphere during the recent total eclipse).
Building and controlling satellites (AMSAT).
And there’s even more. The way to view ham radio is the government grants you a license to operate on many pieces of radio spectrum so long as you can show your technical ability to not cause harm (interference, safety, and things that will prevent you from blowing up your radio as well as find success in using it). What you do with that spectrum is up to you!
GREAT answer. It’s funny how I got into ham radio because I thought it seemed a cool way to talk to people… and now I almost never use voice and mostly do what you listed above.
To answer you seriously, yeah kinda! It’s a way of communicating without any internet access. You can talk with people around the world if you want. And it opens up to a whole community of people that really like the hobby.
So people pick a topic and just start talking? It’s kinda a niche hobby, so there’s probably a lot of like-minded people, but what if somebody starts going off on a tirade?
Then you switch to someone else. Also its not just about talking. You can track a number of things: sensor readings, track satellites, airplanes, boats, etc…
What is the practical application of tracking stuff, like are you guys literally just telling each other where stuff is or what does an average tracking session look like?
Edit: I’m very interested in the idea of amateur radio operating, but I guess I’m trying to picture what it would be like practically and wondering if that’s something I’d be into, you know?
Sometimes, in times of disaster or something like that, ham radio operators can keep the flow of information in and out going when Internet or phone communication lines are down.
Other than that, it’s mostly just experimentation and trying to push the envelope of wireless communications. People flex on each other by making contacts further and further away, and as the other person said, doing cool shit like talking to the ISS.
So, is Ham Radio like the spiritual ancestor of something like Discord Voice Chat? I’m trying to understand why people do it, besides the technical/tinkering aspects.
Why? Because you can. But in terms of useful reasons?
Cellphones, Internet they need infrastructure to work, and that can be disabled either during a natural disaster or war situation. Even by your own government in some cases.
But if I want to communicate, I just need a piece of wire, somewhere to hang it, and a 12v battery and I can communicate for thousands of miles.
Personally I just think that’s cool.
Ham radio can be used as voice chat with friends, but that would be a pretty limited view of it. Here’s some things that a Discord Voice Chat cannot do that radio can:
And there’s even more. The way to view ham radio is the government grants you a license to operate on many pieces of radio spectrum so long as you can show your technical ability to not cause harm (interference, safety, and things that will prevent you from blowing up your radio as well as find success in using it). What you do with that spectrum is up to you!
GREAT answer. It’s funny how I got into ham radio because I thought it seemed a cool way to talk to people… and now I almost never use voice and mostly do what you listed above.
To answer you seriously, yeah kinda! It’s a way of communicating without any internet access. You can talk with people around the world if you want. And it opens up to a whole community of people that really like the hobby.
So people pick a topic and just start talking? It’s kinda a niche hobby, so there’s probably a lot of like-minded people, but what if somebody starts going off on a tirade?
Then you switch to someone else. Also its not just about talking. You can track a number of things: sensor readings, track satellites, airplanes, boats, etc…
What is the practical application of tracking stuff, like are you guys literally just telling each other where stuff is or what does an average tracking session look like?
Edit: I’m very interested in the idea of amateur radio operating, but I guess I’m trying to picture what it would be like practically and wondering if that’s something I’d be into, you know?
Sometimes, in times of disaster or something like that, ham radio operators can keep the flow of information in and out going when Internet or phone communication lines are down.
Other than that, it’s mostly just experimentation and trying to push the envelope of wireless communications. People flex on each other by making contacts further and further away, and as the other person said, doing cool shit like talking to the ISS.