Hamsphere Radio

[Janeth Counter]

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This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part.

HamSphere is a subscription-based internet service that simulates amateur radio communication using VoIP connections over the Internet. The simulator allows licensed radio amateurs and unlicensed enthusiasts to communicate with one another using a simulated ionosphere. It was designed by Kelly Lindman, a radio amateur with call sign 5B4AIT.

The system allows realistic worldwide connections between amateur radio operators as well as radio enthusiasts. In general, it is similar to other VoIP applications (such as Skype), but with the unique addition of characteristics such as channel selection by tuning, modulation, noise effects and shortwave propagation simulation.

Before using the system it is necessary for a radio amateur's call sign to be validated. The HamSphere system relies on different amateur online callbooks for verification before his or her call sign is added to the list of validated users.

The software is written to run on Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X or Linux using Java. Also available are mobile editions of the software running on Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad) available from the Apple App Store, and on Android devices from the Google Play Store. The software is available for download as a free trial but requires a yearly subscription after the free trial expires.

The mathematical algorithm for the wave propagation is based on a stochastic model and pre recorded signal envelope. Multipath propagation is achieved by inducing multiple simulated electromagnetic paths digitally thus producing signal fading and audio distortion.

Signals are received and converted into audible form by using a product detector mixing the local oscillator signal with the received signal, very similar to Software-defined radio. The digital artifact of the decoded audio signal is later filtered with a 17-order FIR filter with a bandwidth of 2.8 kHz.

If you do not already possess a ham licence from another country that has a reciprocal licencing agreement with Thailand, such as the UK, then my advice is forget it! You would need to take a written technical exam in Thai language.

Even with such a licence, you'll find no English language activity on the VHF (2 metre band). And from experience, if you try to converse in English with a licenced colleague, then you will be assumed to be a pirate operator and jammed!

I was thinking to myself...perhaps just get a cheap phone and a list of contacts who indulge in this hobby. Call them and them and simulate radio noises in the background. When they answer, tell them you figured out how to hack into the phone systems with your cb set and some cheap items from radio shack.

What is your nationality? If it's one that has a reciprocal agreement with Thailand, then you could take your ham exam in your home country during eg a family visit, and then get the reciprocal Thai licence in Thailand. (If you are a US citizen, then you can also take your US ham exams at certain locations in Thailand).

[September 2013] At the beginning of wireless communication, early in the 20th Century, amateur operators provided much of the spark of innovation that brought about radio as we know it. Ham operators continue to pursue their hobby, and have some new tools of interest. Mark Shander explains:

For some, Ham Radio was like a gateway experience into the real world of radio broadcasting. For others, their only experience with the exciting world of Ham Radio was CB radio, an experience that was not always a positive one.

True, not all CB transmissions were bad, but the lack of technical requirements to get licensed meant CB became home to many whose motivation was more about being noticed than actually communicating. In the 70s, it was as if someone had opened the doors and let everyone in.

During the most popular days of CB radio, the metro-Phoenix area was dominated by CB communication experts who brought the best of Amateur Radio to CB radio frequencies, delivering some of the most interesting communications in the country.

At the time, the FCC required CB radio operators to be licensed. The AM frequencies were limited to 4 Watts carrier out, single side-band (SSB). Broadcasts were limited to 12 Watts PEP (modulated), power restrictions still in use today.

While he should have been happy with a Firesticktm antenna like everyone else, he elected to use a 102 whip antenna on his bike (which he had gotten really good at flicking back to whip whichever of us followed him too closely). His biggest complaint aside from really poor SWRs was the fact that he could not get an acceptable ground connection. Because of that, he mostly used the bicycle for listening, because transmitting drained his batteries rather quickly.

Another of my friends learned how to work on radios from his father, who had been a CB repair technician. He was a king of interactive engineering conversations, with discussions ranging from chasing skip to repairing repeaters on the same site of the TV transmitter for the station where I worked at the time.

However, since my interests still were in communication and meeting fellow amateur operators, over time I moved on to become a Ham operator and, eventually, a broadcaster. After learning the technical aspects and Morse Code, my wife Dina and I qualified for full Ham licenses, and have held them for 20 years.

It has been interesting to see the technological and regulatory changes over the years. The Digital Age brought more flexible and feature-filled transceivers, while the FCC relaxed some of the requirements, most notably Morse Code proficiency. Nevertheless, time and time again during emergency situations, Ham operators provide essential information and communication links.

It is a free download, written in Java, that works on Macs or PCs as well as iPhones and Android devices. No wonder the app, HamSphere, has caught on and been downloaded by many people. The annual subscription includes free iPhone and Android Handi-Talkie Apps.

Sure, it is easy to dial a number and speak with someone you probably already know, who probably already knows you, there is a certain thrill in not only meeting someone with whom you have something in common, but someone who is as interested in broadcasting and finessing dials for distance as you are as well.

To date, HamSphere has been responsible for converting more than 1,000 users with systemgenerated call signs into real Ham radio operators, so while real Amateur radio operators may consider a Ham radio simulation to be of no use to them, after spending some time monitoring traffic, and seeing how the system works, many new Hams begin to actively participate.

It is very similar to what has been done with sites like Facebook, where the results of your latest accomplishments (ribbons, scores) are posted to your wall so your friends can see how much better they need to do to attain your same rank or to be recognized as being better than you are, or vice-versa.

For instance, unofficially, people outside of the United States have been trying to talk to someone from every state in the USA. When I last signed in, I was bombarded with requests for brief introductions and conversations from Tasmania, Thailand, Japan, the Ukraine, and more. I literally could have interviewed people for hours and still not run out of topics of interest to us both.

There is a 7-day free trial before you are asked to buy an annual subscription, and you should definitely spend several hours using a computer and another couple of hours becoming familiar with the app.

Since 2009, I've been a newsreader and occasional anchor for the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE. Please support AR NEWSLINE by making a donation to this valuable ham radio news service at Listen to the program each week for the latest news in Ham Radio.

Since February 2006, I've been active in the Straight Key Century Club ( ) and have expanded my collection of straight keys and bugs. One of the great pleasures of hamming for me is mastering these machines. My goal is to send code on a straight key that is as close to perfect as I can make it. I hope to be able to send nearly perfect CW on a bug at 35 to 40 WPM. I have a long way to go!

I travel around northeast Florida in my work van equipped with HF. I especially enjoy Mobile HF CW. My work brings me into contact with many hams in the region. Some of my best encounters have been with Hams for whom I have been able to resolve serious power line interference issues.

Radio has been and always will be my passion. Other interests include recumbent tricycling (mostly on paved trails) and aviation. I'm an Instrument rated Private Pilot but don't fly much anymore.

HF Rig Audio Rack includes: RE-27ND microphone, Symetrix 528e Voice Processor, TC Electronic DBMAX 5 band Level Maximizer/EQ/Limiter, Lexicon MPX550 Reverb. Output of the rack is fed directly to the Balanced Line input of the Flex or via a W2IHY iBox to the Balanced Modulator Direct Input on the rear of the Icom IC-756ProIII (when the Flex is offline.)

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