Handheld amateur radio

I’ve been interested in ham radio most of my life, but never took the time to dive into that world…until now. A few weeks ago I passed my technician exam, and a few days ago I received my new call sign from the Federal Communications Commission. I am now known to the FCC and other hams as KF7DGF: kilo foxtrot seven delta golf foxtrot

UPDATE 14 July 09: My call sign has changed to W3ROK

I have yet to make a transmission, but I’m learning how to use my radio and the protocols for using the local repeater.

Amateur radio – also known as ham radio – has a long history of public service in times of need. I’m a technologist, I use devices that make use of radio waves, and I have public service in my blood after having been a volunteer EMT, an underground mine rescue team member, and a hospital commissioner. Getting involved in something that includes a public service component doesn’t surprise me.

I’m also interested in some of the newer uses of amateur radio bands, including packet radio and digital radio. And as a boy, NASA and rocketry filled my dreams, so it delights me to learn hams can communicate directly with the International Space Station.

There is a more personal reason to take this step, however. Every time the power goes out in the middle of winter, I worry about the health and welfare of my family. The unusual snowfall we experienced in the Pacific Northwest last winter essentially isolated us for more than a week. I’d like to have an alternative means of communication, and ham radio is well-established technology for this purpose.

The radio I’m using will pick up aircraft, police, ambulance, and marine traffic. It includes weather channels. I can transmit on three different bands, one of which allows me to access the local repeater maintained by the Mason County Amateur Radio Club (MCARC). These are all useful features in an emergency or when we become isolated by some kind of disaster or event.

So what am I going to do next? I have no idea! It appears amateur radio is not nearly on the leading edge of technological innovation as it once was, which gives it a modern-day appearance of a hobby more than a service. But amateur radio played an important role in Katrina, and more recently in Pacific Northwest floods. It remains significant, thus it is more than just a hobby.

A few months ago I received some training in incident command at the Washington State Emergency Operations Center, and I was astounded at the number and diversity of ways the EOC can connect with people in an emergency. Ham radio is one of many ways information can be passed to and through the EOC.

As I grow older I realize my personal life and my public life are intertwined. Ham radio is destined to become embedded in my everyday life.

Links

• American Radio Relay League
• Radio frequency band plan
• Phonetic alphabet

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