Amateur radio is a fascinating and fun hobby that uses radio equipment for communication, experimentation, self training and public service. You can use it to communicate with people in the UK, around the world and even out into space. It is non-commercial, so you can’t use it for business or to broadcast, like the BBC does.
What can you do?
There are so many facets to amateur radio, you may know several licensed operators and each of them does something different. For example, lots of people talk to their friends in their local vicinity, whereas others like to talk to new people all around the world. Some folk prefer communicating using Morse Code, whilst others use digital modes. These digital modes generally require a computer / phone connected to the radio which enables the operator to send and receive text based messages. Finally, there are visual modes such as the transmission of still pictures and even video – pre-recorded or live.
Getting out and about with amateur radio
The list of things you can do, doesn’t stop there. You can take part in Summits on the Air (SOTA) and operate from a hill or mountain. This allows you to combine your love of the outdoors and walking with amateur radio.
There’s Parks on the Air (POTA) were you can operate from a designated park and loads of other ‘OTA’ (on the air) activities to celebrate various places, buildings, or events.
Reach out into space
Then there are satellites and the International Space Station (ISS). There are many satellites orbiting the earth that are available for use by radio amateurs and the ISS has an amateur radio station on-board; very similar to the one you might be using at home for local 2m contacts. Many of the astronauts hold amateur radio licenses and you can talk to them when they’re available.
Contesting
If you’re into contests, there are any number of them that you can enter. Some are aimed at local operators, some at long-distance (DX) operators. Others require you to work other amateur radio stations in a specific location, whilst others might ask for you to work stations with a specific letter in their callsign. There are loads more different types of contest – there’s something out there for everyone.
One type of contest combines orienteering with amateur radio. Direction finding requires you to use a radio receiver to find beacons located in a given area using triangulation, and other methods. This is a fun outdoors activity that can be enjoyed by anyone; because you’re only receiving signals you don’t need an amateur radio licence.
Award schemes
Remember the I-spy range of books that had you searching for pink Rolls Royces, or Black Geese for points? Well how about working 50 amateur radio stations in each of the European counties for points, or castles all over Europe. You work the required stations, get the points and then collect certificates to reflect your achievements. Awards are very popular and can give some purpose to your hobby.
Special Event Stations
Some amateur radio operators like to celebrate events, organisations, or places. They will go and set up a special event station at a given location to pay homage to whatever the station has been set up for. For example, every May groups of radio amateurs get permission from lifeboat and coastwatch stations to operate an amateur radio station on their premises, or nearby. This event, called SOS Radio Week, celebrates the work of the volunteers that save the lives of people at sea and around the coasts of the British Isles.
Special Event Stations are allocated a special callsign by Ofcom to help identify these short-lived (max 28 days) commemorative stations. So do listen out for GB0RNLI if you live in the North West, it’s a special event station celebrating the work of, yes you guessed it, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
Experimentation, self training and public service
Along with communication, these three purposes make up the four reasons for using amateur radio according to Ofcom.
Lots of radio amateurs experiment. They design and/or build new antennas, for example. They experiment by making modifications to perfect them. It doesn’t have to be antennas, it could be microphones, or even whole radios.
Almost every radio amateur that has ever existed has learned something through their use of amateur radio. It may be an interest in space weather and what’s happening on the sun and why radio signals vary in their behaviour as a result. Or it could be that you develop an interest in electronics. It might even be that you learn how to print 3D objects to enhance your radio station.
Finally, there is a serious use of amateur radio. Years ago there was a bad storm in the North West of England, Bridges were taken out in Cumbria by the vast amount of water that was flowing down the rivers. With those bridges went the communications cables that enables phones (landline and mobile) to stop working. Emergency service communications went down as they’re only wireless to the nearest communications mast and then it’s cable to the headquarters.
The amateur radio community was asked to step and provide links between key infrastructure such as hospitals, please, fire and ambulance stations, etc. Many radio amateurs communicate for many hours a day, are expert at establishing temporary radio stations quickly (SOTA/POTA operators for example) and able to shift large amounts of data through the air (digital and visual operators).
Our hobby can be used to perform vital roles to help save lives. What a privilege.
Other benefits of amateur radio
I had a friend who used amateur radio to overcome a stammer; because they couldn’t see the person they were talking to the stammer was not present very often. Gradually, as time went by, their stammer disappeared when talking to people face-to-face too. An amazing benefit of using amateur radio.
Getting fit is another unassociated benefit of amateur radio if you take up SOTA. Then again, you might develop your photography skills for transmitting still images around the world.
Now amateur radio is not going to correct your vision, or make your hair grow back, but be prepared for the unexpected with amateur radio. You may find that there are other unconnected benefits to becoming a radio amateur that are unique to you.
Having a go
If you want to have a go at amateur radio to see whether you like it, and want to take it further, you can contact your local amateur radio club. Under the terms and conditions of their licence they can let you operate their station under their direct supervision. Clubs will usually be quite happy to show you how things work and even teach you to get on the air.
Alternatively, if you have a friend who is a licensed amateur radio operator, they can also supervise your use of their computer using their callsign.
Getting on the air yourself
The use of the radio waves is governed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an agency of the United Nations (UN). The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) represents the interests of radio amateurs around the world to the ITU.
It is an ITU condition that countries allowing their citizens to operate on amateur radio frequencies are licensed and that they are assessed as competent to operate without causing interference to other users of the radio spectrum – many of whom have paid many millions of pounds to do so, or rely on wireless radio communications to perform mission critical and life-saving work.
In order to obtain a licence, therefore, you need to undertake some training (using self-training, or organised courses) and sit an exam. There are three levels of licence in the UK; Foundation, Intermediate and Full.
The Foundation level is the starting place for most. It’s not too onerous and the privileges awarded allow you to practice worldwide communication quite easily. Additional privileges are awarded as you progress through the Intermediate and Full levels.
Foundation licence privileges include:
- 25w of power
- Access to most of the amateur radio bands
There are no restrictions on equipment that can be used, you can even build your own if you want.
Course and exam details can be found on the Radio Society of Great Britain‘s (RSGB’s) web site.
Brickworks – building on the Foundation
Once you have obtained your first amateur radio licence (Foundation) it’s time to really start learning what the hobby is all about, how to get involved and how to get the most fun, enjoyment and benefit out of it.
The RSGB has a scheme called Brickworks to help with this. It is run through a number of affiliated clubs that have vowed to support their members and help develop them with lots of practical support. They will lay on lots of practical demonstrations and mentor their members to enable them to complete the challenges that the scheme presents to participants.
I would recommend that all newly licensed radio amateurs seek out an active club and, in particular, an RSGB Brickworks accredited club. Too many people leave the hobby within a year because they don’t know what they’re doing – Brickworks solves this and builds strong radio amateurs who have a lifelong involvement in the hobby ahead of them.