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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 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? : )