For those of my friends who are not Ham radio operators, I’m beginning with a short explanation about the parts of the hobby that I’m involved with. The amateur radio hobby has a huge number of possibilities. Some hams are involved primarily in emergency communications. Some like to get on the radio to just chat with others involved in the hobby. Others are contesters—they participate in contests to complete as many contacts as possible within a specified time. “DX chasers” are interested in collecting contacts with distant or difficult to reach operators. Others are adventurers who travel great, and sometimes treacherous distances to set up temporary stations and allow the dx chasers to make a contact with a rare location. Some hams don’t care much about being on the radio but like to build or design radio gear.
For me, I am involved in emergency preparedness activities. Although I was a ham in high school, I let my license lapse and it was emergency preparedness that got me back into it 50 years later. I do like to chat on the radio, but I find that I don’t have a lot of time to do it. (By the way, hams who chat on the radio—like most other hobbyists—talk about the hobby, not the issues of the day.) I also like to “chase dx.” With the right gear, I have made contacts all over the world. However, while most non-hams think of the radio hobby as involving voice communications, much of it is digital communication, similar to texting. You may think that is boring but think of it as similar to coin or stamp collecting, or beanie babies for that matter. One of the advantages of this type of operating is that it can be done in short sessions, which fits my situation well. Voice communications can take quite a bit of time to search for others, figure out if they can hear you, and possibly butt into an existing conversation.
I enjoy being able to get a rare location that I’ve never contacted before and adding it to my list of scores, in the same way a stamp collector might be excited about finding a stamp from a country they’ve never had. I may run into the other room and tell Janie “I’ve just made contact with Lithuania!” She is excited for me, although she doesn’t really understand the excitement of not having a conversation. Leslie also listens to my reports, since we see each other every day.
Now, you too can share my excitement! Now that you understand what I’m doing, I can report my more exciting contacts, and you can congratulate me on getting my latest stamp, coin or beanie baby! (You don’t really need to respond.) To date I have made contacts in all 50 states, most Canadian provinces, and 44 countries on continents except Antarctica. In my most recent session, I made contacts with Australia, New Zealand, Japan Brazil, Ecuador and Hungary.
And all I thought was going on was you were making friends all over the Globe! I have been collecting Disc Golf discs and accidently throwing them in ponds. Some times they get fished out and I get a call due to my number being on the back and an honest person.
I get to be outside in the woods or fields with the wind in my hair, sun or rain on my shoulders and mother earth underfoot. Other times I find their discs and call them, one guy rewarded me with a cd of his band. Another one gave me and extra as well.
Glad you are enjoying yourself and ready to save our bacon in case of Armageddon!
Good on ya Rich!
Do social media contacts count? I’m in Fullerton, California. Please add me to your count. I’m adding you to my count.
The electrons have to fly through the air, not the internet.
So glad you have found a fund and enjoyable past-time!
I have Bible Study and next as my back permits will attempt minor golf with my husband. ( Maybe we can even travel and play}
Why “collect” exotic locations when you could, like me, collect thousands of dollars worth of collector model cars and airplanes or, like Shelley, hundreds of female action figures? I just don’t get it!