Ham Radio - Amateur Radio

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Ham Radio
• Date: Jan 31,2008

Ham Radio is what started it all for me. As a young boy, I loved walkie talkies. Most games I had with my friends involved walkie talkies. Over time I had accumulated tons of those fisher price handhelds that I incorporated into those childhood games of hide and seek, spy, WHATEVER. I must have been asking for those things every christmas because I had all kinds.

From the WikiPedia :
Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service that uses various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training. A participant is called an amateur radio operator, or a ham.

Amateur radio operators enjoy personal wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. An estimated six million people throughout the world are regularly involved with amateur radio.[2]

The term “amateur” is not a reflection on the skills of the participants, which are often quite advanced; rather, “amateur” indicates that amateur radio communications are not allowed to be made for commercial or money-making purposes.

Eventually, my mother told me about Ham Radio. In my eyes, this was a grown up version of my game, except with MUCH better radio’s !!! (By then I was 13) So with the help of my Mum, I signed up to the classes. She woke up early with me every sunday to drive me to the Ham Radio Class (Taught by Stephane, VE2STF, GREAT guy btw) and then picked me up afterwards.

I had a hard time with these classes, it was all about electronics, antenna’s, Radio’s ; at the age of 13, my grasp on these subjects were small, to say the least. Luckily, in order to operate the radio’s I wanted to use (VHF, which is mostly Local) I only needed my BASIC ham radio license, which didn’t involve needing to learn any morse code. At the time it was a 100 question multiple choice exam. Still, I had to take it 3-4 times before I passed it. I was so very disappointed after failing that exam the first time (I was a good student in school, I had never failed ANYTHING) that my mum helped me study the 3 relatively large manuals. Every night. For weeks. She learned everything I needed to know in order to help me learn and understand it. That last time I went to take the exam, I told my mother she may as well take the test also and get her license. It was clear she knew the content. I’m not sure if she ever thought about it before that, from what I remember she seemed surprised at the idea, but she agreed. She took the exam and got a much better grade than I did ! So we both got our licenses at the same time. She became VE2MUM, which is so fitting because everyone knew her as the mum of the youngest ham radio operator this club had ever had. I don’t think she ever picked up a radio, but I was so involved, and therefor so was she (Because i’m 13, she’s stuck bringing me everywhere) that everyone knew and loved her. Everyone called her Mum. From that time on, she was always MUM and not MOM to anyone !

I Became VE2JAZ, a well known young ham for 5-6 years, but then thanks to a fcc processing error, became VE2RIF. (I’m very mad at this, even now, so I won’t talk about it anymore, lets just leave it at that, i’m Jason, VE2RIF)

Ham Radio lead to years of fun. Meetings with all kinds of people with lots of knowledge to share, emergency Communications, (Search and rescues, The Great Ice Storm of 1998 kept me away and busy for days, TONS of simulations), volunteer communications for all sorts of community events, Field Days, Ham Fests, were some of the most interesting times of my life.

Ham radio and the people I met peaked my interests in computer, which lead me to BBS’s, and the rest is history.

I haven’t used a ham radio in years now. My solar investigations and off-grid research has somehow motivated me to get involved again. My licence is still good, but I no longer have a Ham Radio. Luckily now i’m older, (27), have a job, a car, I can finally do all the Ham things I wanted without needing other people to help me. I also have lots of knowledge of my own to share now, and have lots of skills that can he handy with the ham community.

I have always been a member of C.R.A.L.L (Club Radio Amateur Laval Laurentides), but I live in montreal now, it’s a little far for the meetings. I’m considering going to visit the Montreal Amateur Radio Club (M.A.R.C) and seeing what kind of people are there, and IF they’re involved in any community / emergency activites. On the other hand, I know the Radio Secours group of C.R.A.L.L is a great one, and may want to stay there.

This has been a long rambling about my thoughts and experiences on Ham Radio in General, I have made a category for this subject so I will go more into details about lots of specific things in the future as I get more involved myself. Now it’s time to find myself a nice Mobile VHF unit and a decent antenna.

73’s to all my fellow operators from Jason, VE2RIF in Montreal Quebec.