total.pardo

The Radio Amateur is:

CONSIDERATE… never knowingly operates in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others.

LOYAL… offers loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs and the American Radio Relay League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationally and internationally.

PROGRESSIVE… with knowledge abreast of science, a well-built and efficient station and operation above reproach.

FRIENDLY… slow and patient operating when requested; friendly advice and counsel to the beginner; kindly assistance, cooperation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit.

BALANCED… radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school, or community.

PATRIOTIC… station and skill always ready for service to country and community.

-The original Amateur’s Code was written by Paul M. Segal, W9EEA, in 1928

What is Amateur (HAM) Radio?

• Ham radio is a hobby which allows enthusiasts to use various types of radio to communicate with other amateur radio operators. You can “chew the rag” (visit) with other people out there, or see how many other amateur radio stations you can contact, or work on getting various award certificates. One may ask how this is different from the Internet and modern forms of communication. It is very different - there is some skill involved in both methods, but amateur radio is generally accepted as a more involved and structured activity (as usenet once was) - in fact, one of the first groups of people the average Internet user will turn to in a disaster is a ham radio operator - “when all else fails” is a motto amateur radio operators take rather seriously. More detail is available at the Wikipedia entry from ham radio. In the United States, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) serves as representation for the interests of the hobby, lobbies the federal government on ham’s behalf, and publishes a monthly journal called QST as well as numerous books.

Where did the term “HAM” come from?

• There many stories about the etymology of the term “HAM” - another Wikipedia entry delineates the urban legends. It was originally a term of contempt - professional radio telegraph operators gave the term to unskilled operators, calling them hams or “lids” (A lid still refers to a bad operator - just not in common use). There is an interesting lexicon in this hobby - more on that here.

What do HAM radio operators do?

• TALK: ham radio operators talk to other ham radio operators - hams like to talk. The people you talk to may be friends in your own geographical area or they can be people you meet on the airwaves from anywhere in the world (called “chasing DX” DX is for distant communication). Some like to communicate via morse code (CW - Continuous Wave) while others like to use voice or computer. Click here to listen to a sample of the code at 15 words per minute speed.
• TECHNICAL: Many hams like to build their own radios and antennas. I’ve built 3 antennas - one is in use for 20 Meters at my QTH.
• CONTESTING: Most of the time contesting involves contacting as many stations as you can during a set period of time from as many different areas as possible. You then calculate your score based on what the rules are. Check out the ARRL contest schedule here.
• AWARDS: There are several awards hams can work towards in the hobby. I’m currently working on the Worked All States - WAS means a ham must make confirmed contacts with other hams in every state. It’s more difficult than it sounds!
• COMMUNITY SERVICE: ham operators over the years have provided lots of community service. This service can be assisting with communications at a bicycle race or watching storms for the National Weather Service. Part of the reason for the hobby’s existence is to provide emergency communication in the time of a disaster - 9 times out of 10, it is a ham that gets this vital service done for a devastated community or group in crisis when all else fails. Your “reliable” cell phone will be a nice paperweight when the system is strained or fails - as it invariably does. The subgroups organized to train and test amateur radio operators for emergencies are: RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service ) or ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service). From the ARRL site:
  • Amateur Radio operators set up and operate organized communication networks locally for governmental and emergency officials, as well as non-commercial communication for private citizens affected by the disaster. Amateur Radio operators are most likely to be active after disasters that damage regular lines of communications due to power outages and destruction of telephone, cellular and other infrastructure-dependent systems.
  • Many radio amateurs are active as communications volunteers with local public safety organizations. In addition, in some disasters, radio frequencies are not coordinated among relief officials and Amateur Radio operators step in to coordinate communication when radio towers and other elements in the communications infrastructure are damaged.
• SKYWARN™ is a concept developed in the early 1970s that was intended to promote a cooperative effort between the National Weather Service and communities. The emphasis of the effort is often focused on the storm spotter, an individual who takes a position near their community and reports wind gusts, hail size, rainfall, and cloud formations that could signal a developing tornado. Some ham radio operators have been trained as storm spotters by the NWS and act as the eyes and ears of the NWS during sever storms and weather events. Involved hams communicate their findings back to the NWS via amateur radio. I work with SKYWARN for Camden County, New Jersey.

How does one become a HAM?

• To become a ham, you must pass a written exam about FCC rules, regulations, radio theory. There are now three levels of licensing - Technician, General, Extra. Specific licensing requirements are here.
• You do not have to learn morse code to become a ham. That requirement was removed by the FCC in February of 2007.
• You can download all of the current exam questions from the ARRL. You can also take practice exams via the web here.
• For learning morse code, I recommend a two part approach.
  • Step 1: Buy the Gordon West book and tape series for Novice from Gordon West Radio School.
  • Step 2: Obtain freeware programs for your computer to help you learn the code - there are many out there - linking them here is not helpful as web sites hosting freeware change often.
• Take a look at ARRL (American Radio Relay League) How To Get Started In Amateur Radio.

To get more information, contact your local amateur radio club - the ARRL lists those clubs in your area on their site. A Google search may also be of aid.

How does pardo operate?

I was first licensed in 1989 when I passed both the old Novice and Technician exam, as well as the 5WPM code tests. I upgraded to General in 2005 and Extra in 2007. I changed my call in 1989 holding onto that trusty call sign until April of 2008. The vanity bug hit me and, when my current call became available, I jumped on the shorter call - one that is a pleasure to send in code.

pardo’s operating position

My station consists of mostly donated equipment from a silent key.

High Frequency (HF) Equipment:

Icom ic-775dsp
Icom ic-756

Microphone: Heil Sound Proset Headset Mic with footpedal switch.

Mobile or Handheld (VHF and above) Equipment:

Kenwood ts-711a
Yaesu vx-7r
Yaesu ft-8800

Antennas:

For DX:
Homebrew 20 Meter Dipole fed with coax - up 40 feet
16 AWG random wire antenna tuned with an MFJ-949e tuner - up 60 feet, sloped
G5RV Lite - up 40 feet - ladder line and coax hybrid fed

For VHF/UHF:
Ringo Ranger - up 50 feet - coax fed