Ham Radio operators use their radios to communicate with friends, relatives and strangers all over the world. Part of the hobby involves setting up communications for natural disasters, civil emergencies and community events. Ham radio covers a very broad spectrum and has enough special interest areas to satisfy even the most inquisitive minds.

All amateur radio operators are required to have a license. This license is issued by Industry and Science Canada, and can be obtained by any resident of Canada, after successfully passing the basic examination. There are four classes of licenses and these classes include Basic License, Basic plus 5 wpm, Basic plus 10 wpm, and Advanced License. Each level of license gives you more privileges when operating on VHF (Very High Frequency), UHF (Ultra High Frequency) and HF (High Frequency) radio. 5 and 10 wpm are morse code (CW) requirements and you can go as far as you want in your licensing. After passing your basic qualifications you are issued a call sign with a prefix, VE (Canada) 6 (Alberta) and a suffix. An example is the P.C.A.R.C. call sign which is VE6ARC.

Once licensed you will be able to communicate with other amateur radio operators whether they are next door, across town, in the same province, in another country or even half way across the world via different modes of operation. There are approximately 1.2 million hams in the world with about 49,000 in Canada.

There are basically three different modes that amateurs use to communicate with each other. The first is voice mode which seems to be the most popular. The second mode is digital communications which include morse code (CW), radio teletype (RTTY), packet (a relatively new mode requiring a computer), amtor and satellite communications. Some of these modes require special antennas and communication software for computers. The third mode is visual and these include slow scan television, fast scan television and facsimile or FAX transmissions. Your local library will have books covering amateur radio and these different modes are covered in greater depth in these books.

Ham radio operators can operate their equipment at home, in cars, private planes, ships, buses, trains and on their bicycles. Contacts are made directly, through radio repeaters, amateur satellites and even off of the moon (EME), where the moon is used as a reflector to reflect the signal from the earth to the moon and back to the earth.

The equipment required for communicating via amateur radio consist of a receiver and a transmitter (or transceiver), an antenna (which can be as simple as a long wire or as complex as a satellite array), a microphone and/or a Morse code key. Other more complex means of communications can require specialized equipment (such as a computer and satellite tracking software). The cost to set up a station can be low or very high depending on the type of mode you use and whether the equipment is new or used. There is no hard set rule as to cost, that will vary from individual station to station. However, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money to enjoy the hobby.

Amateur radio is a fascinating hobby in which anyone can get involved. If you are interested in this hobby, the Peace Country Amateur Radio Club does conduct classes every fall and winter and would welcome anyone to join in the classes.
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