Ham radio is a hobby that allows enthusiasts to experiment with radio communications technology. It encourages innovation and experimentation to try different techniques, hack equipment, and test theoretical designs. While originally intended as a way for technical hobbyists to communicate, ham radio operators have pioneered numerous technologies, like early packet radio networks in the 1990s that allowed slow Internet access and APRS, which uses packet radio and GPS to transmit location data and messages. The hobby continues to be a place for wireless experimentation with technologies like WiFi networks operating across long distances, digital voice modes, and amateur radio satellites and remains accessible for those interested in learning about electronics and communications.

1. Ham Radio:
More Than Talking to Pork
Products
Chris Sullivan, NØDOS

2. What is Amateur Radio?
The legal version:
quot;... A radiocommunication service for the
purpose of self-training, intercommunication
and technical investigations carried out by
amateurs, that is, duly authorized persons
interested in radio technique solely with a
personal aim and without pecuniary interest.quot;
-FCC Rules, Part 97

3. What is Amateur Radio?
My version:
Geeks playing with radio.

4. It's supposed to be a technologist's
playground.
It's supposed to be about learning new
things.
It's supposed to be about fun.
When was the last time the government
did something specifically for techno-geeks
to play around?

5. Who are these people? It's a conspiracy!

6. We all know this about ham radio, right?
Disaster communications
(OR/WA floods, Katrina)
Talking to distant places
It must be cool, it's big in Japan!

7. DIY is alive and well in ham radio
Even today, the
homebrew scene is
alive in amateur
radio.

8. Experimentation is encouraged.
You are encouraged to try different
things, test theoretical designs and
experimental equipment, hack, turn
knobs, and generally try to break
things.
And yes, void your warranties.

9. The Distant Past (the early 1990s)
Packet Radio gave slow
(typically 1.2k/sec) access to the
early Internet
It didn't stop there.

10. WiFi.. across miles, not feet
Channel 1-6 is in ham radio
spectrum
Hams are using off-the-shelf
hardware
Homebrew and commercial
amplifiers add range
90 mile WiFi?

11. Montana MultiMedia Network
First experimental link was
mountain top to mountain
top, Red Lodge to Crazy
Peak, near Bozeman MT.

12. The most amazing thing?
IT WORKED.
2-4 Mb/s, 90 miles

13. 1.2k/sec.. 1200 baud.. remember those
days?
Google's new Latitude
service? Hams were doing it
in the 1990's
APRS uses GPS, packet
radio to transmit positions to
other hams, the Internet

14. APRS - Brightkite, unplugged.
APRS can relay more
than location:
telemetry, weather
information, short
SMS-style messages..
all automatically!

15. And guess what?
It does all of this using 1200
baud modems, the likes of
which were quot;obsoletequot; in the
1980's.
A modern modem is 50x faster, and that's WAY slower than
most people's Internet connection now a days... yikes!

16. It's just the tip of the iceberg.
Amateur Television
quot;Impossiblequot; communications - slow modes near noise floor
Experimental modes
Software-defined radios
Store and forward packet radio
Talking to the International Space Station / Space Shuttle
Amateur radio satellites
Earth-moon-earth and meteor scatter
Portable communications
Microwave and Nanowave
Light beam communications
Narrow-bandwidth digital voice
Auroral / coronal discharge
Radios in used pork product tins
Talking to arrogant windbags on 7.290 MHz

17. Modern Ham Radios
The basement room of equipment? Largely gone!

18. There are a few rules.
No commercial use
No profanity
Stay in our yard
Don't be a jerk.

19. There's plenty left to do!
It's never been easier to get started
No more Morse code requirements
Basic electronics, operational knowledge

20. Longer notes, pointers to more information at my website:
http://nødos.org/#ip5