amateur radio STATION KA2IRQ
marlo montanaro
Coast Radio Networking
amateur radio
.jpeg)
Amateur radio
Callsign: KA2IRQ / Extra Class
WAS / WAC / DXCC
What is Amateur Radio?
Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is "amateur" in name only. Since the beginning of radio in the late 1800's, there have been hobbyists, experimenters, engineers, and scientists who advanced the "radio art." Many were professionals at what they did... Later, the Federal Radio Commission, the precursor to the Federal Communications Commission, licensed these people in the Amateur Radio Service and distinguished them from professional broadcasters because we were not allowed to be paid for our services.
Amateur radio operators today are involved in every aspect of radio communications. Hams come from every walk of life, every profession, and are in almost every country on earth where citizens are allowed to own and operate their equipment. They utilize some of the latest radio equipment, experiment with new antenna designs, develop Software Defined Radio (SDR) and incorporate the latest in computer and microprocessor design to advance the radio art.
Hams communicate with each other around the globe on a regular, daily basis. Your local checkout at the convenience store may be an amateur radio operator... as well as virtually every current astronaut and cosmonaut orbiting in the International Space Station.
Hams use High Frequency (HF) radio frequencies all the way up to extreme microwave frequencies. We use point to point communications, repeater systems, satellite systems and also have a ham station aboard the ISS! Many of our systems are also linked via the Internet, allowing global communications with nothing more than a small, low powered hand-held radio.
What I'm into...
Currently, I live in a small condo. As such, there is no room for even modete antennas which would likely violate condo rules. Therefore, I've developed a sort of "Rube Goldberg" antenna that mounts on a tripod and sits on my 2nd floor balcony. It allows me to communicate on all amateur radio bands from 80-10 meters, 2 meters, and 70 cm. My very modest station consists of a Kenwood TS-140S transceiver for HF, and a Kenwood TM-G707 radio for 2/70. All older equipment, it still performs quite well especially with modest vertical antennas.