HAM as a Hobby

In 2020 I started getting into amateur radio, or HAM, out of curiosity for how radio waves propagate. This came originally as an extension of the work I was doing in 2019 with loudspeaker design. I had become comfortable with building band pass filters and tuning ports, as well as impedance matching. Throughout my 5 original speaker designs, I made incremental improvements and built a foundational understanding of how sound pressure waves and electrical currents behave.

As it turns out, acoustic waves share the majority of their behavior with electromagnetic waves. I was amazed to learn that phenomena such as constructive interference, reflection, and resonance are common to both types.

This led me to begin researching the numerous properties and uses of radio waves. Part of what I discovered was how tightly the RF spectrum is regulated. The frequencies available to even technician class HAM operators were a compelling reason to become licensed, and I took the test in September of 2020.

Primarily, I use 2m/70cm handheld radios due to their affordability, and the ubiquity of repeaters in and around VT. LOS propagation is simple to grasp and has served me well, but I am excited to begin using the NVIS propagation of HF as time and money allows.

If you would like to arrange for a 2m/70cm contact on the GARA net, NEDECN talkgroup 3181, or NFMRA net, please use the form and include your callsign so we can be in touch.