[AB1OC/AB1QB] Why Ham Radio?

[AB1OC/AB1QB via rec.radio.amateur.moderated Admin]

Our HAM Station

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Why Ham Radio?

Posted: 20 Feb 2017 07:24 PM PST
https://stationproject.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/why-ham-radio/

Freds Truck with Antenna

Every so often, I drive Freds truck into work and people ask me what that
big antenna on the back of the truck is for. I explain to them that it is
for Ham Radio.  But the reply is usually, why ham radio isnt that outdated
technology?  We have cell phones and IM, etcwhat do we need Ham Radio
for?  So I thought I would put down my thoughts as a relatively new Ham
about why I enjoy spending so much of my time with Ham Radio.
Amateur Radio for Public Service
Public Service

The number one reason we still need Ham Radio along with all the other
technology we now have is for public service.  When there is a disaster and
cell phones, television, etc are all not working, Ham Radio operators
provide the critical communication.

Ham Radio operators help locally to keep hospitals and first responders in
contact with each other to help those affected by the disaster.

Hams also use our ability to communicate around the world on HF bands to
help family members around the world to get in touch with loved ones
affected by a disaster.

Ham Radio operators have been on the scene helping in every disaster from
the earthquakes in Nepal to the recent flooding in California.
Amateur Radio Cube Satellites
Technology and the Maker Movement

I only became a Ham 5 years ago but many of my fellow Ham Radio operators
got their license when they were in their early teens and used what they
learned to launch their careers. Many have had very successful careers in
STEM fields, all launched by their interest in Ham Radio at a young
age.  As technology advances, so does the technology used in our hobby.  
We even have a nobel laureate, Joe Taylor K1JT who is a ham. Joe has
developed weak signal digital communication modes that let us communicate
by bouncing signals off the moon!

As technology has advanced, so has the use of it in Ham Radio.   Most Ham
Radio operators have one or more computers in their shack.  Many also have
a software designed radio (SDR), where much of the radio functionality is
implemented using Software, we use sound cards to run digital modes, which
are a lot like texting over the radio, and we use the internet extensively
as part of operating.  We can also make contacts
through satellites orbiting the earth and even the International Space
Station.

Most hams love do-it-yourself technical projects, including building a
station, home brewing an antenna, building a radio or other station
component.  In my day job, I am a program manager for software development
projects, but its been a while since I have built anything. As a Ham I
taught myself how to code in Python and about the Raspberry Pi and I built
the DX Alarm Clock.
QSL Card from VK6LC in Western Australia
International Camaraderie

One of the coolest things about being an amateur radio operator is that you
can communicate with other hams all over the world. Ham Radio is an
international community where we all have something in common to talk
about our stations and why we enjoy ham radio.    The QSL card above is
from a memorable QSO with Mal, VK6LC, from Western Australia, who was the
last contact that I needed for a Worked All Zones award.  I must have
talked to him for 1/2 hour about his town in Australia and his pet
kangaroos!
Amateur Radio Map of the World
Geography Lesson

I have learned much about geography from being on the air and trying to
contact as many countries as I can.  There are 339 DX Entities, which are
countries or other geographical entities and I have learned where each one
is in order to understand where propagation will allow me make a
contact.  I have learned a great deal about world geography. Through
exchanging QSL cards often get to see photos from so many areas of the
world.
DXCC Challenge Award Plaque
Achievement  DXing and Contesting

DXing and Contesting provide a sense of achievement and exciting
opportunity for competition. Many Hams work toward operating awards. You
can get an operating award for contacting all 50 states, contacting 100 or
more countries, contacting Islands, cities in Japan, countries in Asia, or
anything else you can imagine.  Each of these operating awards provides a
sense of accomplishment and helps to build skills.  Contesting builds
skills through competition among Hams to see who can make the most contacts
with the most places in 24 or 48 hours. Contesting also improves our
operating skills and teaches us to copy callsigns and additional data
accurately.
Teaching a License Class
Teaching Licensing Classes Passing it On

Recently I have joined a team of club members who teach license classes to
others who want to get licensed or upgrade their existing Amateur Radio
licenses.  Teaching provides a way to improve my presentation skills and
also helps me to really understand the material that we teach about Amateur
Radio.  It is always a thrill at the end of the class to see so many people
earn their licenses or upgrades.

There are so many interesting aspects of Ham Radio which is what makes is
such a great hobby.  Getting your license can open up a world of
possibilities.  Upgrading to a new license class provides more
opportunities to communicate over longer distances.  Ham Radio clubs,
including our local club, the Nashua Area Radio Club,  provide many
resources to help you get your first license, upgrade to a new license
class, and learn about the many aspects of our hobby.
Filed under: Awards, Contesting, DX'ing, Elmer, Kit Building and Home
Brewing, License Classes and Testing, Mobile HF, Satellites, Software
Defined Radio, Station Tagged: Awards, Contesting, Digital, DX'ing,
Licensing, QSL cards, Satellites, SDR, Software, Software Defined Radio,
Space

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A Portable Satellite Station Part 1 - Simple Station for AO-85

Posted: 20 Feb 2017 06:40 PM PST
https://stationproject.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/a-portable-satellite-station-part-i-simple-station-for-ao-85/

Portable Satellite Station Contact

Our club, the Nashua Area Radio Club, has quite a few members who are
interested in space communications. We decided to build a simple portable
satellite station last year for our 2016 Field Day operation to learn about
satellite communications and to create something new for folks to work with
during 2016 Field Day.
Simple Portable Satellite Station

Our 1.0 Portable Satellite Station was a relatively simple setup built
around an HT, an Elk 2m/70cm satellite antenna, and some gear to improve
the receive performance and transmit power output of the HT. All of the
gear was mounted on a board to make it easy to transport and it is powered
from a LIPO rechargeable battery. The gear in our 1.0 station is made up of
the following:

A Kenwood TH-72A Full Duplex 2m/70cm HT
A Heil headset with a boom microphone to make using the HT easier
A pair of 2m and 70cm Low-Noise RF switched preamps from Advanced Receiver
Research
A Mirage BD-35 2m/70cm amplifier (this amp produces about 25 35W out when
driven by the HT)
A Diamond SX-400 Watt Meter and an MFJ Dummy Load for testing and monitoring
A RigRunner DC distribution block with voltage and current monitoring and
a 4S4P A123 LIPO Battery Pack
An Elk 2M/440L5 Dual-Band Log-periodic Antenna

Improved Satellite Antenna Support

Our first contacts with our 1.0 station were made using the Elk Antenna
hand-held. Later, we created a plumbers special setup with a camera tripod
to make pointing the antenna easier. Note the angle meter from a local
hardware store which measures the elevation angle of the antenna.
AO-85 (Fox-1A) U/V Mode FM Cube Satellite

This setup worked great for making FM contacts through AO-85 (Fox-1A),
a  U/V mode FM EasySat. We used the 1.0 station on multiple occasions
including Field Day 2016 and several of our club members used it to make
their first satellite contacts. The Full-Duplex HT allowed us to hear our
own signal coming back from the satellite which was an important tool to
help with aiming the antenna properly. The ELK Dual-Band antenna is also a
good choice because it uses a single feed point and a single polarization
for both the 2m and 70cm bands.
1.0 Station Team Operating Approach

We used the team operating approach outlined above. This worked especially
well for new folks who had not made a satellite contact before as it
enabled each of the three team members involved in making the contact to
focus on a specific part of the contact. We used orange plastic tent stakes
to make AOS, Time of Closest Approach, and EOS to mark headings for each
satellite pass. Small flashlights used at the stakes made them glow for
night-time passes.

We certainly had a lot of fun with our 1.0 Satellite Station and I expect
that well continue to use it. As we gained a little experience with AO-85,
we decided that we wanted to build a more capable Portable Satellite
Station which we could use to operate with linear transponder satellites
and which included a tracking system and better antennas. I know from
experience with our home satellite station that DX contacts are possible
using higher altitude linear transponder satellites like FO-29.

We would also like to be able to use APRS and other digital modes through
satellites as well as receive SSTV pictures from space.

These goals have become the basis for building our Portable Satellite
Station 2.0. More on the new station in Part 2 of this series.

73,

Fred (AB1OC)
Filed under: Satellites, Station Design, VHF-UHF Tagged: Portable Station
and Field Day, Satellites, Station Design, VHF-UHF, Yagi