Design and building equipment
Designing and building is a vital part of the hobby. For some amateurs it is the most important bit while the operating is just the proof that it works. Home building is often the only way to get equipment working at a sufficiently high standard to utilise our bands in the best and most efficient way. The link between transmitter and the outside world is the aerial (antenna). For most amateurs their aerials are limited by the size of their garden and as such it always necessary to optimise a home built antenna to work in the best way.
One way to compare one's station with other amateurs is to take part in contests. The object of a contest is to contact as many stations as possible in a period of time on a certain band or on certain bands. Operating skill and a well setup station plus a good knowledge of propagation is necessary. Many amateurs enjoy obtaining various awards. The most noted award is the DXCC (DX Century Club). DX can be interpreted as Long distance or a rare station. The requirement for this award is to submit proof of contact with 100 different countries. Proof is normally accepted to be qsl cards from 100 countries. Qsl cards are postcard size cards which the station which you contact sends to you containing details of the contact to confirm that two way contact in fact happened. These cards are normally sent via a qsl bureau. These are usually run by the national society in each country who forward the cards to the other countries.
Emergency situations
Most countries have an amateur emergency service setup in case a disaster occurs and the normal communications are damaged or destroyed. In the UK this is RAYNET. Raynet will co-ordinate communications under the control of the local county council emergency committee. The last major operation in the UK was the Lockerbie disaster where the police and county council communications were totally overloaded and due to the very hilly nature of the terrain, many areas were out of reach of the professional services. Raynet will also respond to pass on messages when there is a major disaster in a foreign country where UK nationals
may be present or where nationals of that country living in UK may wish to contact their relatives at home. Abroad, major disasters where communication systems are more sparse than here in UK, occur quite often. In recent times Earthquakes in Alaska, Mud slides and flooding in Central and South America have given the amateur emergency services plenty of work.
Professional versus amateur
Professional engineers mostly work in a very narrow field in the radio/television business and as such do not have such a wide knowledge as the average amateur. Also the normal professional engineer will have no operating skills and propagation knowledge. A professional radio circuit will of necessity be of high quality 100% reliability unlike an amateur circuit which can be a very marginal one utilised very expertly by the amateur. Often amateur operating modes and techniques are too sophisticated for the average professional.
Handicapped
Amateur radio is a marvellous hobby for the housebound, the blind and persons with other handicaps providing them with a link to the outside world.
It is hoped that these notes will provide a guide to the special magic of amateur radio - an activity that anyone can take up.
Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) 0870 904 7373 http://www.rsgb.org
Designing and building is a vital part of the hobby. For some amateurs it is the most important bit while the operating is just the proof that it works. Home building is often the only way to get equipment working at a sufficiently high standard to utilise our bands in the best and most efficient way. The link between transmitter and the outside world is the aerial (antenna). For most amateurs their aerials are limited by the size of their garden and as such it always necessary to optimise a home built antenna to work in the best way.
One way to compare one's station with other amateurs is to take part in contests. The object of a contest is to contact as many stations as possible in a period of time on a certain band or on certain bands. Operating skill and a well setup station plus a good knowledge of propagation is necessary. Many amateurs enjoy obtaining various awards. The most noted award is the DXCC (DX Century Club). DX can be interpreted as Long distance or a rare station. The requirement for this award is to submit proof of contact with 100 different countries. Proof is normally accepted to be qsl cards from 100 countries. Qsl cards are postcard size cards which the station which you contact sends to you containing details of the contact to confirm that two way contact in fact happened. These cards are normally sent via a qsl bureau. These are usually run by the national society in each country who forward the cards to the other countries.
Emergency situations
Most countries have an amateur emergency service setup in case a disaster occurs and the normal communications are damaged or destroyed. In the UK this is RAYNET. Raynet will co-
Professional versus amateur
Professional engineers mostly work in a very narrow field in the radio/television business and as such do not have such a wide knowledge as the average amateur. Also the normal professional engineer will have no operating skills and propagation knowledge. A professional radio circuit will of necessity be of high quality 100% reliability unlike an amateur circuit which can be a very marginal one utilised very expertly by the amateur. Often amateur operating modes and techniques are too sophisticated for the average professional.
Handicapped
Amateur radio is a marvellous hobby for the housebound, the blind and persons with other handicaps providing them with a link to the outside world.
It is hoped that these notes will provide a guide to the special magic of amateur radio -