Running head: AMATEUR RADIO AND THE INTERNET



Running head: AMATEUR RADIO AND THE INTERNET

How the Internet Has Affected Amateur Radio

Francis Ziehm

TECH 310

Bowling Green State University

How the Internet Has Affected Amateur Radio

Amateur radio has been around for over a century and developed a loyal following throughout the years. Radio communications first became possible after Guglielmo Marconi sent his trans-Atlantic message in 1901. Since then, amateur radio has been growing and evolving. Today, amateur radio serves several official and unofficial purposes. It acts as a hobby for thousands of people in the United States and millions more around the world. But it can also be so much more than a hobby. During times of national disaster and emergency, amateur radio operators serve a vital role to emergency officials by providing emergency communications.

With a rich and diverse background, you might think that amateur radio’s future is secure. But that may be anything but the truth. Many amateur radio operators feel threatened by the Internet and the ever-increasing role it is taking in the average person’s life. Just as many communities are feeling the effect of “brain drain”, the Internet may be stealing the best and brightest potential radio operators away.

The Internet is indeed having an effect on amateur radio, but not necessarily in the way many operators think. It is having a profound effect on how amateurs interact. Most of those effects are positives. However, there are still some very serious threats to amateur radio from the Internet that need to be addressed. This paper will examine the areas of amateur radio that the Internet is affecting and determine the overall effect of the Internet on it.

Background

Toward the end of the 19th century, there was much speculation and experimentation in the area of radio communications. The real defining moment in radio came with the successful radio message sent across the Atlantic Ocean by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901 (Cossons, n.d.). Following that, there was an explosion in experimentation and usage of radio. For a period of time, it was a largely unregulated venture. Finally, the United States government set down rules and regulations for radio communications, including amateur radio. Soon, the rest of the world followed suit. The modern purposes of amateur radio, as defined in 47CFR97.1 (2001), are: the enhancement of amateur radio and emergency communications; to contribute to the art of radio; the advancement of communications and technical skill; to promote international goodwill; and to expand the pool of trained radio operators.

Amateur radio operators meet these goals in a variety of ways. There are many different modes and areas of interest that operators, also known as “Hams”, can participate. Operating modes include AM, FM, sideband, Morse code, PSK31, radio teletype, and more (Reed, 2001). There are contests, emergency communications and emergency drills, high frequency or “HF” communications, local repeater operations, training and advancement, and more. We will look at how the Internet has affected these different areas in the following sections.

Amateur radio has been evolving since its inception. The first radio transmitters were spark gap transmitters. Soon, vacuum tube transmitters and receivers became the standard. This soon gave ground to the solid-state transceiver. The original operating mode was using Morse code to communicate. While this is still in use, voice modes soon came on the scene. AM, FM and single side band (SSB) were all met with skepticism and alarm. These eventually became accepted as other modes were making there way onto the airwaves. Due to limited radio spectrum space and the popularity of computers, digital modes are rapidly becoming popular. The common thread that ties all these changes is the fear and apprehension that they were met with by the amateur radio community.

Modes and Activities

Amateur Radio Education

To obtain an amateur radio license and to advance in the ranks of amateur radio, a potential operator must pass a general amateur radio knowledge test and at higher levels, a Morse code test. In the past, it used to be difficult at best to find a consolidated source of information on radio. The Internet has changed all that.

There are many sites on the Internet where people can obtain the needed information. Some sites offer practice tests free of charge. According to Mike Gruttadauria (2003), the random generated tests provide the best possible conditions for properly learning the material in preparation for taking the real test. The latest question data banks can also be accessed in many amateur radio websites.

Morse code proficiency has long been one of the obstacles to advancement to higher levels in amateur radio. In the past, an individual looking to learn the code had few options other than attending a weekend class or purchasing a set of tapes that they soon memorized the pattern of and were useless. This made it very difficult to learn Morse code well enough to pass the test and advance. On the Internet, there are many Morse code programs that are available, which provide a better learning environment than the previous options. There are several generous people who even make their programs available for free. This has made it much easier for many people to learn the code and advance to higher levels.

Even if it does not directly relate to a higher operating license class, education is still an important part of amateur radio. There are many different areas to learn that pertain to amateur radio. Electronics, atmospheric propagation, and new operating modes are just a few of the areas one can learn about on the Internet. There are many tutorials about electronics and projects that can be used to enhance the radio room and the operator’s knowledge. The Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) publishes weekly to its website and sends out via email propagation reports, which help the operator learn about atmospheric conditions and how they affect radio communications.

With new radio operating modes coming out so frequently, it is important to get information and tools for these modes out in a rapid fashion if they are to be adopted. The Internet provides an ideal medium for this, with many sites offering information and free basic versions of the software. The FCC rules state that secret codes are not allowed in amateur radio (47CFR97.309, 2001). Digital modes all use some sort of code and without this information being released to the public about the coding, they cannot be used in amateur radio. The Internet provides the rapid dissemination of information so important to get these new modes released in a timely fashion.

Emergency Communications

Emergency communications are one of the cornerstones upon which amateur radio is built. But effective communications can only happen when there is a minimum of interference. To minimize interference, the FCC occasionally issues a communications emergency on certain frequencies during severe natural or manmade disasters. Since most of the emergencies that warrant this action are relatively short lived, there needs to be a fast way of relaying this information. Once again, the Internet is the ideal medium. Most amateur radio websites post this information and some even offer email bulletins for even faster service.

Operating

The preceding subsections covered information about getting a license and emergency communications but other than that, what else is there to do? Communicate over the radio, of course. And yet again, the Internet provides several tools to help make that easier.

Repeaters.

Communications are useless unless they are able to reach the intended recipient. Repeaters are intermediate radio relaying stations to help extend the range of your communications. But to use a repeater, you must know how to access it. That is where repeater directories come in handy. There are several printed versions, but what if you need the latest information on the new repeaters in the area? The Internet has many sites that have online repeater directories. These can be great assets to enhance your communications.

Nets.

Just as the Internet has chat rooms, amateur radio has something similar called nets. Nets are chat groups on special frequencies an operator can tune to at a specified time to talk about a topic. There is a myriad of different types of nets and one of the easiest ways to find a net you would like to tune in to is by searching the web-based net directories. With the thousands of different frequencies and times to listen to, it would be nearly impossible to find a specific net on the air by chance.

Internet-based radio.

One of the biggest changes that the Internet has brought about in amateur radio is the ability to interface radios directly over the Internet. This provides the ability to use amateur radio to many people who would not normally be able to. Many new subdivisions and housing developments are now created with special zoning restrictions, commonly called CC&R’s, which do not allow outdoor antennas or structures (W0ON, Sep. 24 2003). By being able to interface their radio communications directly over the Internet, instead of going airborne through a large antenna, they are still able to enjoy their hobby while living in these locations. Thompson (2002) believes it would also be good for amateur operators living in long-term care or in group homes. This is a new operating mode that has come about in the past three years. While it has not been embraced by all in the amateur radio community, it will continue to grow in use, as more repeaters are linked.

There are a variety of new linking programs that allow Internet-based linking of radio. Some of the more popular ones are Echolink and the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP). To link amateur radio to the Internet does not require any high-end equipment. Sandman (2002) linked to the Internet using and older computer running Linux based software. He claims that the high level of encryption of the software prevents unlicensed people from pirating the links, while allowing greater access to long distance communications to hams around the world.

Status of the Amateur Radio Population

With all these new changes and advances in amateur radio, one has to wonder what effect it has had on the number of licensees. After analyzing data collected by Speroni (2003) from 1997 to 2003, it can be seen that the number of license holders has actually increased by about one percent during that time frame. While it is good to know that the number of licenses has increased, when compared to population estimates from the United States Census Bureau (2000), the percentage of the United States population that has an amateur radio license has decreased. This has many amateurs clamoring to get new operators into the fold, as they worry about the declining percentages.

Why the Decline?

Once one looks at all that the field of amateur radio has to offer and how it is evolving to accept new technology, you have to wonder why the numbers are going down. There are many different theories about that, but one of the most prevalent ones is that the Internet is drawing people away from amateur radio.

Both the Internet and amateur radio are technology-based forms of communication. So at first glance, you would imagine a strong following for both. But as Shea (1997) explains at the beginning of her book, while the requirements and skills to use the Internet have become more within reach of the average person, the requirements for amateur radio are still high. Amateur radio requires a knowledge-based license and specialized equipment. But in the United States, most families either have a computer, or access to one. Another problem with amateur radio is that many people who enjoy working with technology see amateur radio as a dinosaur. As Mitchell (1997) points out, most public displays of amateur radio show tube radios and code keys with a bunch of old men. There are few displays showing a group of kids interfacing the newest microprocessor controlled radio with a computer to communicate.

Overall, the decline in the percentage of amateur radio operators can be boiled down to two factors. One is that amateur radio is harder to get started in as far as equipment and knowledge than the Internet is. The second factor is that many technologically minded people do not see amateur radio as being high tech. There is no denying the first factor as being true. But the technology point is not. Hams need to work together to reinvent the image of the amateur radio hobby as a high tech hobby.

Conclusion

The Internet is a large and growing part of the way people in the United States communicate and share information. It is only reasonable to expect that it will continue to further ingrain itself more in the future, touching all aspects of our life. Amateur radio is the perfect example of this. The Internet, with its ability to disseminate information rapidly and still provide a record of this information, has had a profound effect on amateur radio. The ease of using the Internet has, in turn, made amateur radio easier to use and more user friendly.

The Internet has benefited almost all areas of amateur radio. It has made the learning and licensing much easier. Use of repeaters and participating in nets has become possible over a wide area without the need to buy printed directories. New operating modes are being released over the Internet, allowing for a more rapid deployment of new ways to communicate with radio. Emergency communications are less likely to experience interference as more people learn about temporary restrictions on frequencies. Using Internet-linked radio, a whole population is able to use amateur radio once again.

However, everything about the Internet has not benefited amateur radio. With its easier use and more readily available equipment, the Internet has likely drawn a portion of the potential Hams away, into its fold. These losses to amateur radio should not be blamed on the Internet. It is the lack of foresight and unwillingness to change on the part of the amateur operators that has allowed these losses. Amateurs must continue to evolve with the Internet, bringing the Internet and computers into their radio rooms (Short, 1998). The greatest threat to amateur radio is amateur radio itself. If the operators do not embrace the technology fully, and learn how to market themselves to the general public, the Internet will take larger and larger chunks out of the number of licensed operators.

References

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