Mobile Ham Radio

If you’ve come here after seeing my business card and had wondered, “What is this guy doing?” then you’ve come to the right place. You may have seen my car at an exhibition or perhaps operating at a State or National Park. Amateur Radio, commonly referred to as “ham radio,” is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics, and communication together. People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the need for the Internet, cell phones, or other commercial systems. It’s fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during emergencies. Many entertainers, heads of state, and even some of your neighbors are ham radio operators. You can be, too!

My favorite ham radio pastimes include Parks on the Air (POTA), community event support, communications exercises, and various discussion networks, called “nets.” I routinely act as net control station for Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club’s daily Coffee and Radio net. I’m also beginning to explore VHF contesting.  Click here to read about my current mobile setup; Click here to read about my VHF contest rover build. I even have a bicycle-mobile setup!

Why the draw to ham radio with the proliferation of the Internet and cellular services? Well, the Internet and cellular are both services which require arranged accounts with a fee. “Big deal,” right? Well, they also need infrastructure, such as commercial power and cable/phone services, all of which can fail during a natural disaster or “a major mess-up downtown.” With ham radio, I own the equipment and the communications medium (our atmosphere) is still free until our government finds a way to tax that, too. 😉 Hams are almost always the first to re-establish communications when disaster strikes. Examples include just about every hurricane, earthquake, and other disaster worldwide in the past 100 years, even recent events in developed regions. I believe most ham stations are capable of operating without external infrastructure… at least mine is since it’s mobile.

Feel free to e-mail me via my Contact page if you have a question beyond what I’ve covered in the pages linked above. LEARN MORE ABOUT HAM RADIO HERE.

Here are a few Amateur Radio links:

American Radio Relay League (ARRL) – The largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the USA. The ARRL represents the interests of amateur radio operators before federal regulatory bodies, provides technical advice and assistance to amateur radio enthusiasts, supports a number of educational programs, and sponsors emergency communications service throughout the country.

Bicycle Mobile Hams of America – Combine cycling with Amateur Radio.

QRZ – The Internet’s most popular Ham Radio database. Features call sign lookup, ham biographies, and links to individual sites.

W5YI is an outstanding source of information for those interested in Amateur Radio.

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