Before
there was Twitter...
before
there was Facebook or MySpace...
before
there was the Internet, even!...
People
communicated with one another, broke big news, shared info and
ideas—all through amateur radio!
Today
is the 87th anniversary of the founding of the
International Amateur Radio Union – and today's celebration has the
theme “Radio Satellites: Celebrating 50 Years in Space.” Amateur
radio itself has been in existence for more than a century.
Another
term for “amateur radio” is “ham radio.” Ham radio operators
use a variety of voice, text, image, and data communications modes
and can get in touch with others across the city, across the world,
or even in space!
Wow!
Apparently
there have been amateur radio satellites in orbit around the Earth
since late 1961 (hence the “50 years in space”), and ham radio
enthusiasts can contact the satellites with even hand-held
transceivers and regular factory antenna. Hams can use the moon, the
aurora borealis, and even meteor trails as reflectors of radio
waves, and they can contact the International Space Station. Many
astronauts and cosmonauts are licensed amateur radio operators!
Here
is a video about ham radio on the Space Station.
Of
course, many of us contact satellites in space multiple times a day,
because we use cell phones now. (I've never chatted with an astronaut
in space, though!) Apparently ham radio can help people stay in touch
in areas that aren't so easy with cell phones. When traveling out of
the area covered by your cell phone service, such as a foreign
country, and when talking to other within 30 miles in mountainous or
remote areas that don't have good cell phone coverage, you can stay
in touch with family and friends using amateur radio. Here is an
article that discusses some of the reasons you might want to get a
ham radio license—and how to get it, too!
Also
on this date:
I have spoken with a #hamradio operator in Space. It was an awesome experience.
ReplyDelete73 de KC5FM k