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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Ham radio, especially the HF bands, can be intimidating for aspiring operators, many being put off by the cost of equipment. The transceiver itself is only part of the equation and proper test and measurement equipment can easily add hundreds of dollars to the bill. However, such equipment goes a long way to ease the frustrations of setting up a usable station. Fortunately [Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE] has been at it again, and recently released the Antuino, an affordable, hackable test instrument for ham radio and general lab for use.
As you can probably guess from the name, it is primarily intended for testing antennas, and uses an Arduino Nano as a controller. It has quite a list of measurement functions including SWR, field strength, cable loss, RF cable velocity, modulation, and frequency response plotting. It also provides a signal source for testing. Its frequency range includes the HF and VHF bands, and it can even work in the UHF bands (435Mhz) if you are willing to sacrifice some sensitivity. The software is open source and available with the schematics on Github.
Most of the active ham radio operators today are of the grey haired, retired variety. If the hobby is to stand any chance of outliving them, it needs to find a way to be attractive to the younger generations who grew up with the internet. The availability of affordable and hackable equipment can go long way to making this happen, and [Ashhar Farhan] has been one of the biggest contributors in this regard. His $129 μBITX HF SSB/CW transceiver kit is by far the best value for money general coverage HF radio available.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 2) by corey on Friday September 20 2019, @09:56PM (16 children)
When I was into amateur radio growing up, I lived in the country 5hrs drive from a major city. So it was about the thrill of real time chat with people on the other side of the world.
Then in 96, a local cyber cafe opened up and the internet provided that capability. Was mind blowing but I lost a bit of interest in amateur radio then.
But it's cool tech, and a great way to really understand RF.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 20 2019, @10:09PM (11 children)
This new, cheap tech will keep the hobby alive. For $30-$150 you can get software defined radio equipment with capabilities far surpassing what was available decades ago. Capable of running with a single-board computer.
The new post-Snowden and Cambridge Analytica paranoia will push more people into it, as well as the doomsday prepping. HAM ain't dead.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 20 2019, @10:25PM (1 child)
You can defeat the locked frequency's off PLL chips very easily.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 21 2019, @06:48PM
with vague clues like you two give out, i don't know why i don't stop what i'm doing and learn this open tech right now...
(Score: 2) by insanumingenium on Friday September 20 2019, @10:48PM (7 children)
It may not be dead, but the local club meetings I attended were held in a senior center, and I would be willing to wager most members were qualified to move in.
There was some great information, but it was interspersed with raffles and old timers vacation slides. Good for them, this is their club and the membership was obviously all at least willing if not super interested, but it wasn't an environment that attracts younger generations to the hobby, even when they have a clear interest and aptitude.
The preppers (in the normal pejorative) and conspiracy theorists wouldn't be following the rules, and will just be abusing baofengs likely without a license. These are the guys that WILL destroy the hobby because they break so many rules that they never even bothered to learn.
Your mention of Snowden is especially funny since his message was use encryption, which is one of the biggest no nos of HAM.
The actual RACES type people were much more like the rest of the club, but were actually what preppers play at being, but they were a dying fragment of a dying fragment.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 20 2019, @10:54PM (1 child)
You used to need a license to use CB radios until about 1977. So many people were abusing it (linear amps, over 100% modulation mikes, extra channels, no license, garbage mouths, etc) they took away the license requirement. The same will probably happen to the HAM bands.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 21 2019, @05:14AM
No - they'll get legislated /shut/, not open. It will be illegal interference.
(Score: 2) by black6host on Friday September 20 2019, @11:38PM (4 children)
Heh, now that I'm at that certain, eligible age I find myself reading the links and thinking, yeah, ham might be a cool thing to learn. Are you sure that it's just not a rite of passage as we get older and there never were any young operators? :)
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Saturday September 21 2019, @12:02AM (3 children)
Same with model trains, hobbies are generally an old man past time. I'm 35 and studying for my tech license now though.
(Score: 2) by black6host on Saturday September 21 2019, @01:05AM
Well good luck and enjoy!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 21 2019, @05:00AM (1 child)
Hit the online practice tests, it's a hoot. I'm 55+ and I've found that the drunker I am, the better I do on the tests. Some of you older folks will remember Johnny Fever of WKRP.
(Score: 2) by black6host on Saturday September 21 2019, @09:15PM
In Cincinnati? : )
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 21 2019, @03:24PM
I don't know about the US, but in our neck of the woods Ham transmissions *are* monitored..and as they're not allowed to scramble/encrypt them...
Ah, to be sure they're great collectors of the gear, and will quite happily (for the old bank balance) pay outrageous sums for the privilege of clearing the cupboard of the stuff that's been gathering dust for the past couple of decades, bless them, but most of them would not know where to start if presented with a schematic of the buggers...
Oblig: No it just smells that way.
I had a lot of time for the older generations of Hams (me?, back in the day when I had an interest, when it came to radio I was occasionally known to dabble on the 'dark side'...pirate radio), but seriously, a lot of the newer breed..they might know what end of a soldering iron is the business end, but are as clueless as your average prepper when it comes to fixing their toys...not that I'm really complaining as I get to make some money picking up the pieces there (sometimes quite literally)
As to the subject of TFA, another toy for the box when I can justify it..
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday September 21 2019, @01:50AM (2 children)
First internet voice chat program I ever fired up, maybe in 1997 or so, I connected with a random guy on the other side of the Atlantic, Ham style - we were both super impressed with the voice quality, and then... bored. The thrill is gone now - it's too easy; though it is nice having a good rationale for not flying all over the country/world just to meet with work people now. Affordable cell service has taken the fun out of UHF repeater towers, too. And, that laser data link I wanted to construct across Biscayne bay just doesn't make any sense since DSL and Cable internet came around.
I've always struggled between the DIY aspects of Ham and just buying a better piece of kit than I could ever construct with my soldering iron. Arduino based projects seem like maybe a nice middle ground.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 21 2019, @03:53AM (1 child)
Even better than that, you can do videoconferencing with anybody anywhere--not just voice, unlike HAM.
Consider the rise of "camgirls" and see if HAM could ever provide that. :-)
HAM is simply obsolete as a hobby.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 21 2019, @04:43AM
hamgirls... phone sex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 21 2019, @07:46PM
I was interested in electronics as a kid, all the way to a BSEE. Theoretical physics took its place. To reconnect to my childhood, I obtained a General ham license.
Not the same now. Before, one could build decent rigs yourself. But, as an adult, assembling a portable HF/VHF/UHF rig for home and camping was fun. Useful for emergencies and the whole experience brought back memories.
There are a couple of clubs in town and there's a decent amount of activity on some of the 2 meter repeaters.
I can understand some people's desire to be less dependent on infrastructure. If all failed, I can power my rig from solar panels or my Jeep to gather information or provide assistance.