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Foundations of Amateur Radio

Starting in the wonderful hobby of Amateur or HAM Radio can be daunting and challenging but can be very rewarding. Every week I look at a different aspect of the hobby, how you might fit in and get the very best from the 1000 hobbies that Amateur Radio represents. Note that this podcast started in 2011 as "What use is an F-call?".

education how to

All Episodes

5:40

How to lose more than half of your membership?

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/08/24

Foundations of Amateur RadioThe International Amateur Radio Union or IARU, is the governing body of our community. It represents us on the world stage through the International Telecommunications Union, the ITU. As I've discussed before, it consists of four separate organisations working together, the International Amateur Radio Union, the global body, and three regional ones, Region 1, 2 and 3, each representing the hobby of amateur radio. Previously I've looked at the constitution of the IARU to

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7:02

In the beginning was the contact

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/08/17

Foundations of Amateur Radio Getting started in our hobby can be a challenge. Even if you've got a shiny new license and you've been taught what the legal requirements are, you might even have your first radio, but after that it might feel like you're all on your own in this bright and shiny new world. It doesn't have to be that way. First thing to know is that you are exactly where all other amateurs have been before you. In other words, don't stress too much about what you don't know or what

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5:06

Internet access across HF radio

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/08/10

Foundations of Amateur RadioInternet access across HF radio In the mid 1980's there was this thing called a Bulletin Board System or BBS. You would connect your computer to a gadget called an acoustic coupler that you would sit next to a telephone. You'd pick up the handset, dial a phone number and wait until there was a squeal in your ear. Then you'd push the handset into the rubber cups on the coupler and watch as your computer started putting characters on your screen. Now, truth be told, my

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6:11

What kind of hobby is amateur radio?

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/08/03

Foundations of Amateur RadioHaving been a licensed member of this community since 2010 I feel qualified to answer a recurring question: "What kind of hobby is amateur radio?" The single best answer I can give is that it's big. The deeper you become involved, the bigger it gets. I stole the phrase, "amateur radio is 1000 hobbies in one" and I've remarked that I suspect that it's underselling the experience. Point being, whatever you've heard about amateur radio is likely true and guaranteed to be

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7:34

Does the IARU actually represent you?

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/07/27

Foundations of Amateur RadioThe International Amateur Radio Union or IARU was formed on the 18th of April 1925 in Paris. Today, split into four organisations, consisting of one for each of the three ITU Regions, and the International Secretariat, are said to coordinate their efforts to represent the globe spanning activity of amateur radio. Each organisation has its own constitution, which at some point I might compare, but for now I'll focus on the International Secretariat. Last updated on the

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4:50

Being a Maverick is part of the deal

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/07/20

Foundations of Amateur RadioThe story goes that the name of our hobby, at least in some parts of the world, ham radio, stems from the notion that we as a community were perceived as being ham-fisted in our ability to operate a Morse key. We apparently claimed that slur and made it our own. I've never actually been able to verify this narrative, but it goes to the heart of what it is to be part of the hobby of amateur radio, as opposed to Professional radio, which is what I once heard someone refer

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4:24

Planning for Contest Success

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/07/13

Foundations of Amateur RadioOne of my recurring, you might call it, regrets, but probably not quite that strong, is that I often find myself discovering that an amateur radio contest came and went, or worse, I found out on the day, preferably at midnight UTC when many contests start, which happens to be 8 am Saturday morning where I live, right when my weekly radio net for new and returning amateurs, F-troop, begins. Often by that time I already have plans for the weekend and now I know I'm

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8:08

About Australian Callsigns

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/07/06

Foundations of Amateur RadioAustralia has a long relationship with callsigns. Over time the regulator, today the ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, has seen fit to introduce different types of callsigns and restrictions associated with those callsigns. The change that made the most waves most recently was the introduction of the so-called F-call. It's a callsign that looks like mine, VK6FLAB. It has a VK prefix for Australia, the number 6 indicating my state, Western

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5:33

How does the IARU work?

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/06/29

Foundations of Amateur RadioOver the past week I've been attempting to work out what the IARU, the International Amateur Radio Union, actually does and how it works. I started looking into this because the IARU is this year celebrating a century since its foundation in 1925. You might think of the IARU as one organisation, but behind the scenes there are actually four, one for each so-called "Region" as well a Global organisation called the International Secretariat, headquartered at the ARRL in

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5:01

Problem Solving or How to Access a Radio Remotely?

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/06/22

Foundations of Amateur Radio So, I have a confession. I don't know everything. Shocking right? Over the past too many months, actually, come to think of it, years, I have not been on-air with my station on HF using FT8 or Olivia, modes that use tools like "WSJT-X" and "fldigi". This has not always been the case. For a time I used a tiny computer running those tools. It had plenty of issues related to its size and capacity. Overwhelmingly it was slow, unsurprising since it was released in 2009

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6:51

Identity in Amateur Radio

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/06/15

Foundations of Amateur RadioThe recent "incident" at the ARRL in which it disclosed that it was the "victim of a sophisticated network attack by a malicious international cyber group" brings into focus some serious questions around our community in relation to identity and privacy. Let's start with your callsign. Right now in Australia you can use the official register to look for VK6FLAB. When you do, you'll discover that it's "Assigned to Foundation". That's it. No mention of who holds it,

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4:49

Long Wave Radio

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/06/08

Foundations of Amateur Radio If you've heard the phrase "shortwave listeners", you might have wondered what on earth that was all about. It relates to the length of a radio wave used to transmit information. The length of a radio wave is tied to its frequency. The longer the wave, the lower the frequency. When radio amateurs talk about bands, like for example the 40m band, we're talking about a range of frequencies where the wavelength is around 40m. From a frequency perspective, this is around 7

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6:08

The ARRL incident of May 2024

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/06/01

Foundations of Amateur RadioToday I want to talk about something that might feel only tangentially related to our hobby, but it likely affects you. Recently the ARRL announced that it was "in the process of responding to a serious incident involving access to our network and headquarters-based systems". A day later it sought to assure the community that the "ARRL does not store credit card information" and they "do not collect social security numbers" and went on to say that their "member

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6:21

The origin of our amateur bands

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/05/25

Foundations of Amateur RadioThe origin of our amateur bands It's hard to imagine today, but there was a time when there was no such thing as either the 80m or the 20m amateur band, let alone 2m or 70cm. Picture this. It's the roaring 20's, the 1920's that is. Among a Jazz Age burst of economic prosperity, modern technology, such as automobiles, moving pictures, social and cultural dynamism, the peak of Art Deco, we're also in the middle of a radio boom where the world is going crazy buying

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4:45

On the nature of Inspiration ..

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/05/18

Foundations of Amateur Radio Over the years you've heard me utter the phrase: "Get on air and make some noise!". It's not an idle thought. The intent behind it is to start, to do something, anything, and find yourself a place within the hobby of amateur radio and the community surrounding it. Since starting my weekly contribution to this community, thirteen years ago, almost to the day, I promise, this wasn't planned, you'll see why in a moment, I've been working my way through the things that

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5:18

Automatic FM DX decoding

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/05/11

Foundations of Amateur Radio Much is made in our hobby about working DX, that is sending and receiving distant radio signals. How distant is up for debate. Depending on where you are, DX might be outside the continent, outside the country, or in my case you could easily say, anything outside of my state, since the nearest border is about 1,240 km away from here. For giggles, the distance between Albany in the South West and Wyndham in the North East of the state is 2,400 km and that's via radio

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4:58

A place for everything and everything in its place..

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/05/04

Foundations of Amateur RadioSome life lessons require additional reinforcement from time to time. This week I was strongly encouraged to remember a lesson that can be summarised as: "A place for everything and everything in its place." It was first uttered like that to me a quarter of a century ago by a client who used it frequently around their staff. It means that all the stuff that fills up the space around you, in this case, physical stuff, needs to have a specific home and if you're not

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7:44

The origins of the International Amateur Radio Union

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/04/27

Foundations of Amateur Radio In the early 1920's long distance communication using radio was a growing interest. At the time it was thought that communication that we take for granted today, over long-distance HF, was limited to long wave or extremely low frequencies, the lower the better. With that restriction came massive antennas and high power transmitters, available only to commercial and government stations. Then radio amateurs let the cat out of the bag by discovering that so-called "short

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4:18

Weaving radio into your life.

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/04/20

Foundations of Amateur RadioA great deal of energy is expended on the notion of operating portable. I've talked about this plenty of times. Issues like power, antennas, suitable radios, logging, transport and time of day all come to mind. Some activities are framed specifically as portable operations. Things like Summits On The Air, or SOTA, Parks On The Air, or POTA, World Wide Flora and Fauna, or WWFF. There's field days, portable contests and specific activities like the 2014 activation of

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4:02

RF is all around us ... starting your own station...

Foundations of Amateur Radio ·

2024/04/13

Foundations of Amateur RadioAs a self-proclaimed radio nerd I'm aware of the various amateur bands. Depending on your license, your familiarity will likely vary. I've never been on 6m for example, but I have a good working relationship with the 10m band. Amateur bands aside, there's plenty of other activity across the radio spectrum. It occurred to me that I've never actually stopped to take note of what specifically I can hear from my own station. Think of it as a station frequency

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