What a radio ham ?
Definition of small Larousse: "Amateur practising the emission and the reception on short waves."
The term "amateur" representing an individual, it is thus titular somebody of a licence delivered by the ministry for telecommunications with an aim of communicating by radio with other amateurs. Contrary to Cibie that practically everyone can use, it is necessary to pass an examination to be radio ham. In the event of success, a code is delivered with the happy recipient. This code of recognition is a means for the radio hams of being identified between them. Indeed, a code is personalized and can be recognized in the whole world. Thus, two radio hams communicating together will be identified thanks to that. Several types of codes are delivered, according to the type of successful examination. There are several 3 levels of examinations, of beginner at expert to some extent. The examination comprises technical questions of radio electricity and questions about the regulation applicable to the radio hams. According to the level, the radio ham more or less obtains possibility to practise his activity. In the activities page, you will discover that there are many ways of communicating. With the great difference of the radio hams, the ear-phones practise only the reception. My identifier radio operator ear-phone is ONL10718 indicative Mon radio ham is ON3CW (Oscar - November - Tree - Charly - Wisky) having made a success of the examination radio ham in January 2005. I have indeed some friends radio hams and it delayed me to be able to converse with them! The examination was, with my great surprise, very easy. I think that that is largely due to the listening of the world radio ham.
Activities of the radio hams
In addition to the fact of being able to communicate between them, the radio
hams are avid to diversify the means of reaching that point. That is to try connections long distance between country or for simply
dialoguing between them of an unspecified subject (generally of technique!), you
will discover the principal modes of communication used.
Certain radio hams can be called by the representatives of the country in order to bring their assistance to establish the means of communication necessary at the time of natural disasters, release plan orsec, etc...
You will be able to discover below, some of the principal activities practised by the radio hams.
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Telephony
Certainly the means more used because it does not need there knowledge particular to practise this type of communication. (One also says mode of traffic). Indeed, put aside the possible barrier of language (the practice of English is an advantage!) one finds expressions standardized which make it possible to be able to exchange information at the international level.
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Telegraphy
In fact, the Morse code was one of the first "modern" means to communicate. It
proves that this last is forsaken more and more today with the profit of the
"professional" communications numerical. Nevertheless, the radio hams use much the Morse to carry out a connection,
because under certain conditions, the code Morse "passes" better for example,
but it is also and especially a mode of communication to whole share.
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The fax
We approach here the transmissions known as "numerical", the fax being a prelude. The fax was in the beginning a paper sheet rolled up around a drum which was read by a genuine machine before being sent on the waves. This (or almost) is now entirely managed by computers. This mode of traffic makes it possible to send and receive text but also images or charts weather.
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Digital modes
Like the fax, the digital transmissions can convey various types of information,
simple text until the complete message almost like an email with Internet. The principal modes of transmission are the RTTY, the packet, the AMTOR, the
APRS, PSK31 and well of others... These communications allow several "stations"
radio hams to share the same frequency. Any information transmitted by these means is processed by data processing. With
the emission, the message thus is coded, transmitted by radio, is received by
the computer recipient. The stations can be in connection direct or relayed by
stations "relay". Like Internet, the network thus consists of a significant number of stations,
depend in fact on the distance separating the shipper from the recipient.
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Television
SSTV (Television with slow sweeping.)
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Television amateur
Mode used in UHF because one needs a broad space of frequencies to emit in television, black and white or colors. These transmissions generally require a very powerful material for all the chain, of the emission until the reception.
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The contests radio hams
The radio hams very regularly organize contests allowing to measure the respective performances of each one of them. It can be a question of carrying out the greatest number of contact in a given time, to contact very distant stations, multitudes of tests thus making it possible to the radio hams to give free course to their passion, while having a particular goal...
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Forwardings radio hams
Certain radio hams can leave the paths trodden in the daily exploitation of the radio operator amateurism, and decide to assemble forwardings in order to carry out particular contacts, or in a particular way. Iit can be a question of leaving on a usually deserted island and of contacting the greatest possible number radio hams (them also avid to contact a normally deserted island), it also can and more simply to act to install a station portable radio ham in places leaving ordinary, the top of a mountain, a headlight on the coast, an old windmill, a strong castle, a hill, etc...
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Satellites
The radio hams have some satellites in orbit around the Earth allowing them to carry out connections between them, especially with numerical modes of communication. However, there is also the possibility in certain circumstances of being able to contact the American space shuttle or the Mir station. Indeed, certain spationauts (astronauts or cosmonauts) are also radio hams and benefit from their stay in space to practise this leisure and to make it divide with the land radio hams!
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L' EME
Textually EARTH - MOON - EARTH, it acts here to direct the waves emitted by the
station radio ham towards the moon so that they are considered towards the
ground to contact correspondents practising this same activity. We touch here to extremes in much of points, the technicality of the
implementation of the stations, the emitted power, the precision of orientation
of the emissions, the quality of the material, etc, etc, etc...
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1. What a radio ham ? |
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2. The material radio ham |
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3. Activities of the radio hams |
The material radio ham
A certain type of material is necessary to practise this activity. There are also several categories there according to the use, like the transmitter-receivers or only the receivers, the antennas, and all that exists with with dimensions...
The type of material used will depend primarily on the type of traffic which the radio ham will undertake. The essential element will be of course the antennas. There are multiple models. That goes from "a simple" electric wire tended between 2 trees until the parabola motorized for the continuation of the ravelling satellites.
Concerning the transmitters and the receivers, it can be separate apparatuses. To make only listening, it is obviously enough to have a receiver. On the other hand, to practise the emission, a transmitter-receiver should of course be had. Those generally function according to definite frequency bands'. It is thus not rare to see a station radio ham equipped with several transmitter-receivers. A decametric station for HF, a station VHF, a post office UHF, etc...
Except this necessary couple antennas and transmitter-receivers, the equipment
comprises a microcomputer very often now. It perhaps used for the management of
the station radio ham (notebook of traffic, management of the QSL...) but also
for the numerical modes.
Testing devices are used to know the power delivered by the transmitters, to check the correct operation of the antennas or to improve quality of reception...
An important link is the rotor of antenna. Indeed, certain antennas are known as "directives", i.e. that they do not emit and receive only in only one direction. It is thus necessary to have an element making it possible to make turn the antennas in the desired direction. It generally acts of an engine located on the pylon as well as case of control located him in the station of the radio ham.
Nevertheless, it is not necessary to be fortunate to have the basic material necessary. There is a very interesting second-hand market, the possibility of building its own material where the experimentation is queen... As for the antennas, electric wire and cutting pliers are all the necessary one!
