Background Information #1 (rev1) : What's Amateur Radio

• What's "ham radio" ? ...amateur radio operators are interested in the development and use of many different types of radio technology to communicate in all types of environments between both people and machines.
  • "Hams" can use much higher power and many different technologies to send and receive digital and analog information over much greater distances.
  • An amateur radio operator is part of a group of technology oriented people with decades of experience in solving challenging problems
  • They have a burning desire to share that knowledge to help create new solutions.

What can you do with "ham radio" ? ... Model airplanes and gliders (commands up, telemetry down) ... High-altitude balloons (imagery and telemetry down) ... Satellites, the International Space Station (and formerly the Shuttle), Ocean buoys, Someone or Something in the middle of the jungle with a radio and a solar panel, your new project…

WHO can you talk to with "ham radio" ? ...amateurs come from all walks of life. Many amateurs are in the sciences and engineering. Many build their own ("homebrew") equipment, a subset of the hobby, QRPers, focus on small, portable, low power equipment.

HOW can you be an amateur radio operator ?... A few days of study and a simple 30 question multiple choice test will get you started with your “Technicians” license.

What's next ? ... Robots ? Other kinds of remotely operated vehicles ...
YOUR NEXT PROJECT or ADVENTURE !!

Background Information #1 : What's Ham Radio

What's "ham radio" ? ...amateur radio operators are federally licensed to transmit (anyone can receive) on radio frequencies above and beyond those allotted to consumer electronic devices, often times with much higher power levels.
What can you do with "ham radio" ? ...with the appropriate licenses, hams can transmit analog data (namely speech) in AM or FM formats. Hams can also send in digital ( Morse Code , serial data, etc.) also. This means you can send remote control commands, telemetry, images, speech in your projects and to communicate with other Makers locally and worldwide without commercial communications infrastructure (telco, cell, cable, etc.)
WHO can you talk to with "ham radio" ? ...hams come from all walks of life. Many hams are in the sciences and engineering. Many build their own ("homebrew") equipment. A subset of the hobby, QRPers, focus on small, portable, low power equipment.
WHAT can you talk to with "ham radio" ? ... Model airplanes and gliders (commands up, telemetry down) ... High-altitude balloons (imagery and telemetry down) ... Satellites, the International Space Station (and formerly the Shuttle) ... Ocean buoys
What's next ? ... Robots ? Other kinds of remotely operated vehicles ...
YOUR NEXT PROJECT or ADVENTURE !!