Comment on Radio geeks say you can still get 'lost' DoD hurricane data
comador@lemmy.world 3 days agoThey prefer the term Hams and love to remind people (in morris code of course) that not all heroes wear capes.
Hams are responsible for helping out in just about ever natural disaster, war, power outage and just about anything else where a cellphone signal cannot be had.
In truth though, hams are just a bunch of likeminded nerds with a love of the airwaves.
jimerson@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Fun fact! I’m studying for my amateur radio technician license and learned that ham came from calling amateur telegraph operators’ sloppy work ‘ham-fisted’. The amateur radio community decided to lean into it, and thus the ham radio operator was born
comador@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I’ll assume FCC Technician license; it’s a fun hobby. I have had a General license since the 1990s when the FCC still required a proficiency in morris code. At a cost of $35 to renew and the ability to have a cellphone alternative while traveling long distance by car, it’s worth keeping.
Have fun, find your Ham niche and enjoy it for the rest of your life!
jimerson@lemmy.world 1 day ago
That’s the one, and thanks! My son and I got into Meshtastic as a hobby, and I guess ham radio was the next logical direction for our interest. It’s fun learning the science behind how it works.