Amateur Radio Not Dead Yet

I spent most of the last four days in Dayton, Ohio, helping staff a booth at the Hamvention 2015.  This annual event attracts some 10,000 amateur radio operators, or “hams,” as they are called, from around the world.  Held at the Hara Arena, the convention took up almost every square inch of the indoor space and most of the adjacent parking lot.  My participation was part of a STEM outreach initiative being piloted by the National Voice of America Museum.

While as a kid I was interested in amateur radio and I have done my share of listening to broadcasts from around the world on my short wave radio, I never did take the test to become a Ham.  In fact in recent years I questioned why anyone would be interested in the hobby which enables you to talk to people around the block or around the world.  After all I have a perfectly good iPhone which enables me to do just that without the hassle of all that geeky ham gear.

Two things helped to change my mind during my time at Hamvention. First was the educational aspect of ham radio. As we strive to get kids interested in science and engineering study we first have to get them excited.  What better way than to begin with radio.  For a few bucks a kid can build a radio and begin to understand the fascinating technology behind it.  In our presentation to middle school kids we end our demonstration about electricity, magnetism and radio with two simple questions.  We ask if any of them has a mobile phone.  Even in the early grades many have one and all the kids certainly know about them.  The second question is, how many radios are built into that mobile phone. 

The answers vary widely but very few have any idea that the technology that allows them to text their friend, send a picture to their favorite aunt or find their way home with a gps, is using much the same technology found in the lowly radio on the kitchen counter.  In reality most smart phones have between 7 and 12 different radios built in. (the subject of a column to come)

The second realization that changed my mind is related to the mobile phone.  Our current mobile technology is wonderful when it works.  The fact is that for it to work requires countless devices and circuits.  Even a simple phone call across town will route your conversation in such a way that it will pass hundreds of points of potential failure.  Most of the time all works flawlessly, but in the time of storms or other disasters we have already seen that it can fail.  The simple point to point amateur radio communication is something we just might want to keep around.  The time is certain to come when we will need it.