Back to basics

Nov 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Donny Jackson

NOT JUST A HOBBY

Ham radio technically is a hobby, and interest in any hobby tends to ebb and flow amid generational changes. But while a decrease in Hula Hoop sales or a waning of interest in quilting may be worthy of a trivial mention in a newscast feature, maintaining momentum in ham radio has societal implications not associated with other hobbies.

That's because, even though rules dictate that they cannot be compensated, amateur-radio operators can render services that arguably are priceless. During the Cold War, it was the only way to talk to people in some communist countries, and the British relied on ham radio to deliver information during the Falklands War when the Argentine government seized control of communications on the islands.

But perhaps the most notable instances of ham-radio use have occurred in the last two years, when natural disasters — a massive tsunami hitting Southeast Asia and India in December 2004 and Hurricane Katrina striking the Gulf Coast last year — disabled even the most sophisticated communications networks. Requiring little power and no supporting infrastructure, ham-radio communications were invaluable in both instances.

“The only other service that really can do that is mobile satellite service,” ARRL's Sumner said. “Mobile satellite is terrific in disaster communications and communicating out of areas; on the other hand, it's expensive and still fairly scarce. So we believe there will continue to be a role for amateur radio for quite some time — until we all have satellite phones dangling from our belts.”

While these dire circumstances exemplify a significant tangible benefit of amateur radio, the technology has brought untold intangible value to the technological community. Many of today's communications professionals say their start in the industry began by discovering amateur radio. Intrado Chief Technology Officer Stephen Meer said ham radio differs from other communication alternatives because operators can learn how the technology works, not just how to use it.

“Ham radio remains a very fertile ground where you can spark imagination because you can really play with stuff,” Meer said. “With so many things now, you can't do anything that the manufacturer did not intend. With ham radio, you can still tinker — it's a sanctioned playground.”

And this playground has helped spur the development of many technological advancements, including packet-based communications (see timeline). The practical knowledge gained through amateur-radio operations is something that is missing from many college-level engineering programs, where computer simulations are the primary teaching tools, Meer said.

“I think the reality is that almost everything gets virtualized and abstracted by the computer right now, whether it's [radio frequency], basic electronics or even basic science,” he said. “It's pretty tough to buy a chemistry set these days, when you think about it.

“[As a college adviser,] one of my pet peeves was that you could become an electrical engineer and have never soldered a wire together. … I don't believe you can be a decent electrical engineer until you've had a capacitor blow up in your face and go, ‘Oh, that's what happens when you put it in backwards.’”

Indeed, the programmers that drive the features in software-defined radios can do so “without knowing a thing about a transmitter circuit or an antenna filter,” Meer said. APCO's Root noted that those who are technically inclined today tend to gravitate to the more lucrative IT industry. As a result, the lack of hands-on RF expertise has become increasingly evident as communications managers try to recruit technical help, he said.

“[RF] technological issues are not really being embraced by a lot of people being brought up,” Root said. “I don't want to say that it's becoming black magic and a lost art, but, potentially, it could go that way.”