Ham Radio

[Pleater]

My brother has a licence - he knew someone with a budgie (budgerigar) which imitated Morse code in the background when he was chatting - used to joke that if it made any sense he'd have to get it a licence of its own.

I can still remember a few bits of code - da di da dit di di dit

I still remember the Hancock episode 'the radio ham'
This is GLK London transmitting on shortwave 10.4 metres, 250 megacycles per second, come in Tokyo..

Anne the Pleater

[Jock Scot]

My brother has a licence - he knew someone with a budgie (budgerigar) which imitated Morse code in the background when he was chatting - used to joke that if it made any sense he'd have to get it a licence of its own.

I can still remember a few bits of code - da di da dit di di dit

I still remember the Hancock episode 'the radio ham'
This is GLK London transmitting on shortwave 10.4 metres, 250 megacycles per second, come in Tokyo..

Anne the Pleater

I was thinking of “ the radio ham” too.With the memorable line of:
........“It is raining in Tokyo also”.......

[AmateurKiltsmen]

My brother has a licence - he knew someone with a budgie (budgerigar) which imitated Morse code in the background when he was chatting - used to joke that if it made any sense he'd have to get it a licence of its own.

I can still remember a few bits of code - da di da dit di di dit

I still remember the Hancock episode 'the radio ham'
This is GLK London transmitting on shortwave 10.4 metres, 250 megacycles per second, come in Tokyo..

Anne the Pleater

That code sounds like a corrupted CQ, and the radio ham is a classic, I need to listen to it again.

[Pleater]

dah di da dit di di dit (CS) followed by the call sign for the station being called.

dah di di dit dah (BT) was another bit of shorthand.

dah di dah is K which is used for 'over'

I've always had a mind that hoovers up everything and anything, useful or not.

Anne the Pleater

[tuathanach]

I also have a license, though I have not been active in several years. My father was a ham, and after he passed, I got his call sign. I will probably do it again at some point, but life and other things have interfered.

I used to wish I could power the radio from a battery and recharge the battery from solar panels so that I was not dependent on the power grid. I can easily do that now, but I just haven't gotten back to it.

[Couper]

Back when I was a teen (a half century ago) I had in interest in amateur radio. I knew most of the techie stuff but never advanced with learning code. Now that I'm retired I may have to look around to see if that interest can be kindled anew.

[tuathanach]

Back when I was a teen (a half century ago) I had in interest in amateur radio. I knew most of the techie stuff but never advanced with learning code. Now that I'm retired I may have to look around to see if that interest can be kindled anew.

Well, I would never want to discourage someone from learning Morse code, but the requirement to be proficient in Morse code was dropped some years back. I would guess that most new hams do not know Morse code.

The person who said that Morse code can sometimes get through when nothing else can is exactly correct, but knowing Morse code is no longer required. There are a lot of helps on the network to prepare you for the exam.

Go for it! Get your license!

[fw_kilt]

Been licensed since 1957 (WN2HVB), WB0ZRY (1976) and now KB7SR (1980). Operated - CW, AM, SSB, FM, packet, digital. Still somewhat active and a kilt wearer.

[timemeddler]

USA ham, run mostly 2 meters but, I do occasionally run a swan-500c on 40 meters off a 1/4 wave vertical. Then I've got an alinco running an extended double zepp on 10 meters, which can tune down to 20 meters reasonably.