Any Hams Here? I don't mean Honey Baked.
I have been off the air for about 40 years, but with the new Solar 25 cycle potential I have gotten the bug again and hope to be up for the upcoming Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Winter Contest on DEC 19th, band condition permitting. It is only for phone (SSB primarily - not CW or digital).
About 800,000 FCC licensed "hams" in the US, including currently five on the International Space Station (4 just arrived on SpaceX November 2020). Many prior space station folks have also been hams. There are lots of programs that allow students to speak directly with crewmembers on ISS. https://www.ariss.org/hams-in-space.html I see there are many HAM clubs all over Canada, as well as high school clubs, etc. US and Canada have a reciprocal licensing treaty.
If by chance anyone "hams" here interested, the RAC information is at https://www.rac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Canada_Winter_Contest_Rules-2020_e.pdf
I plan to be active on all appropriate frequencies and will point my beam periodically in the direction of Toronto, Montreal, and Victoria where I have traveled
More About Hams Operations
Radio propagation of the Amateur HF bands has been terrible with the decline of Solar Cycle 24 (11-year cycles) that reached the bottom in December 2019. The relationship to the Sun and radio communication is complicated, whether it's Voice of America type broadcast stations or hams. We need sunspots to shoot out "stuff" that causes the various "F Regions" above the earth to ionize. Bouncing radio waves off this ionosphere is why we can have global radio communications. Hams also bounce signals off the moon!
For the last few years, voice communications have been challenging without the sunspot activity most of the time. The main activity has been CW (Morse code) or digital (FT8, D-Star, Packet, RTTY, etc. - none of which I have had any interest in). These modes work for very weak signals vs. what is needed for voice communications.
As hams, we are limited, for the most part, to 1500 watts of power vs. much larger commercial stations. Back when I was very active in the 1960s-70s, I had a full power Henry 2K, and that took 4500 volts to the final amplifier to get to full power. The "2K" was before the FCC changed the rule from input power limit of 2000 watts to the final to now 1500 watts of output power - they are about the same equivalent.
Yet, with good propagation with the Sun cooperating, hams could talk worldwide with 5 watts and inefficient antennas.
We are now starting up again with more sunspot activity and should slowly rise to a peak in about 2025. Scientist predictions vary as to whether it will be a strong or weak cycle, but those of us hams that only like voice (SSB) are starting to see some good band openings.
To monitor the sun's activity, I find on http://solarham.net and http://prop.hfradio.org/ as of 12/15/2020 at 10:00 GMT/UTC time
83 SFI (Solar Flux Index). The typical range is 50 to 300 - usually higher the better, absent other factors. This measures solar wind noise from stuff reaching the earth's atmosphere. The Solar Flux provides an excellent first-order approximation, particularly for the F region responsible for most long-distance ionosphere radio communications propagation.
The solar wind is currently at 333km/second, shooting out 5.0 protons/cm3. How this causes, ionization is far too complex to summarize!
Other indexes can warn against certain activities on the Sun that could disrupt earth communications. In early December 2020, there was a global alert when certain particles reached the earth that could cause a global radio blackout, including interruption of GPS, aircraft communications, and even potentially cell phones. Fortunately, the "hit" was not as strong, although I witnessed the higher ionization for a day or so after, which is typical.
The best correlation of Solar Flux is with levels of the Smoothed Sunspot Number (SSN).
SSN currently is 25. Flares and prominences of SSNs radiate free ions in the ionosphere. This has a significant effect on the ionosphere's stability, resulting in the frequencies that can be used for high-frequency communications to vary depending on the time of day and season.
Hams can be vital in disasters.
Many hams operate from their cars or generators from remote locations. The national organization ARRL has annual "field day" contests for portable operations.
Hams have been vital after hurricanes, tornados, or other events that knock out power, where there is no cell service, Internet, or other means of communications to assist rescue and disaster teams. Hams that help in disasters use VHF (Very High Frequency) ham bands that do not rely on HF propagation but have ranges of 50-100 miles and linked by repeaters with either solar or battery back-up. Some are on mountain tops in Arizona.
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) activates whenever a storm achieves hurricane status within 300 miles of populated landmasses in the Atlantic or at the forecasters' request at the National Hurricane Center.
The Hurricane Watch Net's primary mission is to disseminate advisory information to island communities in the Caribbean, Central America, along the Atlantic seaboard of the US, and throughout the Gulf of Mexico coastal areas. They also collect observed or measured weather data from amateur radio operators in the storm-affected area and any post-storm damage and convey that information to the Hurricane Forecasters in the National Hurricane Center via the amateur radio station in the center (WX4NHC). Also, they provide the same service for the Canadian Hurricane Centre whenever a hurricane threatens their country. Many marine radios are programmed to the nets frequency to hear reports though they are not licensed to transmit on the ham frequencies. They also function as back-up communications for Emergency Operation Centers, as well as the military. More at https://www.hwn.org/about-us/who-we-are.html
Hams can also be licensed with the Military Auxiliary Radio Service (MARS). I was with Navy MARS in the Vietnam war days connecting service members with family via phone patches and messages.
Why are Amateur Radio Operators called HAMS?
In 1908 3 men from the Harvard Radio Club had a station they called "HYMAN-ALMY-MURRAY," which was their last names. At the time, amateur radio was only on CW (Morse code), and it became tiresome to have to key all those letters. So, they changed their name to "HY-AL-MU" - the first two letters of their names. However, this resulted in confusion with another amateur station, "HYALMU," and a Mexican ship by that name. They changed it to just their first names, "HAM."
This was before there was any regulation of amateur stations. In 1911 Congress introduced the WIRELESS REGULATION BILL, and Albert Hyman (the H) wrote his Thesis at Harvard, and after a Senator was sent a copy, "H" was called to testify against the bill.
ALBERT HYMAN took the stand and described how the little station was built and almost cried when he told the crowded committee room that if the BILL went through that, they would have to close down the station because they could not afford the license fees and all the other requirements which the BILL imposed on amateur stations.
Congressional debate began on the WIRELESS REGULATION BILL. Little station "HAM" became the symbol for all the little amateur stations in the country crying to be saved from the menace and greed of the big commercial stations who didn't want them around. The BILL finally got to the Congress floor, and every speaker talked about the "...poor little station HAM." That's how it all started. You will find the whole story in the Congressional Record.
Nation-wide publicity associated station "HAM" with amateur radio operators. From that day to this, and probably until the end of time in radio, an amateur is a "HAM." Source: https://www.rfcafe.com/references/e... changed it to "HY,station CALL became "HAM."
73's Dave WA0JKT
I have been off the air for about 40 years, but with the new Solar 25 cycle potential I have gotten the bug again and hope to be up for the upcoming Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Winter Contest on DEC 19th, band condition permitting. It is only for phone (SSB primarily - not CW or digital).
About 800,000 FCC licensed "hams" in the US, including currently five on the International Space Station (4 just arrived on SpaceX November 2020). Many prior space station folks have also been hams. There are lots of programs that allow students to speak directly with crewmembers on ISS. https://www.ariss.org/hams-in-space.html I see there are many HAM clubs all over Canada, as well as high school clubs, etc. US and Canada have a reciprocal licensing treaty.
If by chance anyone "hams" here interested, the RAC information is at https://www.rac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Canada_Winter_Contest_Rules-2020_e.pdf
I plan to be active on all appropriate frequencies and will point my beam periodically in the direction of Toronto, Montreal, and Victoria where I have traveled
More About Hams Operations
Radio propagation of the Amateur HF bands has been terrible with the decline of Solar Cycle 24 (11-year cycles) that reached the bottom in December 2019. The relationship to the Sun and radio communication is complicated, whether it's Voice of America type broadcast stations or hams. We need sunspots to shoot out "stuff" that causes the various "F Regions" above the earth to ionize. Bouncing radio waves off this ionosphere is why we can have global radio communications. Hams also bounce signals off the moon!
For the last few years, voice communications have been challenging without the sunspot activity most of the time. The main activity has been CW (Morse code) or digital (FT8, D-Star, Packet, RTTY, etc. - none of which I have had any interest in). These modes work for very weak signals vs. what is needed for voice communications.
As hams, we are limited, for the most part, to 1500 watts of power vs. much larger commercial stations. Back when I was very active in the 1960s-70s, I had a full power Henry 2K, and that took 4500 volts to the final amplifier to get to full power. The "2K" was before the FCC changed the rule from input power limit of 2000 watts to the final to now 1500 watts of output power - they are about the same equivalent.
Yet, with good propagation with the Sun cooperating, hams could talk worldwide with 5 watts and inefficient antennas.
We are now starting up again with more sunspot activity and should slowly rise to a peak in about 2025. Scientist predictions vary as to whether it will be a strong or weak cycle, but those of us hams that only like voice (SSB) are starting to see some good band openings.
To monitor the sun's activity, I find on http://solarham.net and http://prop.hfradio.org/ as of 12/15/2020 at 10:00 GMT/UTC time
83 SFI (Solar Flux Index). The typical range is 50 to 300 - usually higher the better, absent other factors. This measures solar wind noise from stuff reaching the earth's atmosphere. The Solar Flux provides an excellent first-order approximation, particularly for the F region responsible for most long-distance ionosphere radio communications propagation.
The solar wind is currently at 333km/second, shooting out 5.0 protons/cm3. How this causes, ionization is far too complex to summarize!
Other indexes can warn against certain activities on the Sun that could disrupt earth communications. In early December 2020, there was a global alert when certain particles reached the earth that could cause a global radio blackout, including interruption of GPS, aircraft communications, and even potentially cell phones. Fortunately, the "hit" was not as strong, although I witnessed the higher ionization for a day or so after, which is typical.
The best correlation of Solar Flux is with levels of the Smoothed Sunspot Number (SSN).
SSN currently is 25. Flares and prominences of SSNs radiate free ions in the ionosphere. This has a significant effect on the ionosphere's stability, resulting in the frequencies that can be used for high-frequency communications to vary depending on the time of day and season.
Hams can be vital in disasters.
Many hams operate from their cars or generators from remote locations. The national organization ARRL has annual "field day" contests for portable operations.
Hams have been vital after hurricanes, tornados, or other events that knock out power, where there is no cell service, Internet, or other means of communications to assist rescue and disaster teams. Hams that help in disasters use VHF (Very High Frequency) ham bands that do not rely on HF propagation but have ranges of 50-100 miles and linked by repeaters with either solar or battery back-up. Some are on mountain tops in Arizona.
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) activates whenever a storm achieves hurricane status within 300 miles of populated landmasses in the Atlantic or at the forecasters' request at the National Hurricane Center.
The Hurricane Watch Net's primary mission is to disseminate advisory information to island communities in the Caribbean, Central America, along the Atlantic seaboard of the US, and throughout the Gulf of Mexico coastal areas. They also collect observed or measured weather data from amateur radio operators in the storm-affected area and any post-storm damage and convey that information to the Hurricane Forecasters in the National Hurricane Center via the amateur radio station in the center (WX4NHC). Also, they provide the same service for the Canadian Hurricane Centre whenever a hurricane threatens their country. Many marine radios are programmed to the nets frequency to hear reports though they are not licensed to transmit on the ham frequencies. They also function as back-up communications for Emergency Operation Centers, as well as the military. More at https://www.hwn.org/about-us/who-we-are.html
Hams can also be licensed with the Military Auxiliary Radio Service (MARS). I was with Navy MARS in the Vietnam war days connecting service members with family via phone patches and messages.
Why are Amateur Radio Operators called HAMS?
In 1908 3 men from the Harvard Radio Club had a station they called "HYMAN-ALMY-MURRAY," which was their last names. At the time, amateur radio was only on CW (Morse code), and it became tiresome to have to key all those letters. So, they changed their name to "HY-AL-MU" - the first two letters of their names. However, this resulted in confusion with another amateur station, "HYALMU," and a Mexican ship by that name. They changed it to just their first names, "HAM."
This was before there was any regulation of amateur stations. In 1911 Congress introduced the WIRELESS REGULATION BILL, and Albert Hyman (the H) wrote his Thesis at Harvard, and after a Senator was sent a copy, "H" was called to testify against the bill.
ALBERT HYMAN took the stand and described how the little station was built and almost cried when he told the crowded committee room that if the BILL went through that, they would have to close down the station because they could not afford the license fees and all the other requirements which the BILL imposed on amateur stations.
Congressional debate began on the WIRELESS REGULATION BILL. Little station "HAM" became the symbol for all the little amateur stations in the country crying to be saved from the menace and greed of the big commercial stations who didn't want them around. The BILL finally got to the Congress floor, and every speaker talked about the "...poor little station HAM." That's how it all started. You will find the whole story in the Congressional Record.
Nation-wide publicity associated station "HAM" with amateur radio operators. From that day to this, and probably until the end of time in radio, an amateur is a "HAM." Source: https://www.rfcafe.com/references/e... changed it to "HY,station CALL became "HAM."
73's Dave WA0JKT
