Radio ham

Legislation

The hertzian spectrum is a natural resource. Its use is regulated by the United Nations.

The International union of telecommunications (IUT) within UNO is in responsibility of define the distribution and the methods of use of the hertzian frequencies. The IUT-R (division radiocommunication) publishes the Règlement of the Radiocommunications (RR). This international treaty is used by the countries having ratified it to establish their own national regulation.

The payment of the Radiocommunications is revised every 3 years at the time of world conference of radiocommunications (CMR).

The European Conference of the administrations of the Posts and Telecommunications (CEPT) babbit metal and regulates the use of the radiocommunications at the European level. It gives opinions, recommendations and decisions while being based on the Payment of the Radiocommunications. It is made up of 44 members (European, Central European country and Eastern).

Significant recommendations:

T/R 61-1: freedom of movement of the radio hams in the Member States of CEPT
T/R 61-2: harmonization of the national regulations (certificate of operator, programs examination)

The radio ham activity is accessible to all, whatever the educational level, including to the children although certain countries limit the minimum age to 13 years.

The knowledge of the code Morse is not obligatory any more to use the frequencies in lower parts of 29,7 MHZ since the recasting of article 25 of the Règlement of the radiocommunications (RR) at the time of the World conference of the radiocommunications 2003, but certain countries, whose Russia continues to require it. In Europe, recommendation T/R 61-01 does not refer any more to the examination of Morse to obtain a certificate of operator of the service amateur. In France, following the decision ART 04-316, the operators of class 2 are authorized to adulterate on the tapes lower than 30 MHZ.

It is possible only to be involved or in community in a Radio operator Club. This last solution is highly recommended for a greater effectiveness. At the end of 2006, rate of success with the examination was lower than 50% in France which counted only 16149 radio hams at the 12/31/2005 (>80000 in Germany, >60000 in England, >40000 in Spain…). This in spite of the installation of a license very simplified for " novices". The French radioamateurism suffers from a quasi non-existent representativeness near the general public.

The code delivered by the administration is the identifier of the station of amateur, a kind of serial number, and the certified operator will use this code to transmit. The code being attached to the station of amateur, it can have there several operators using the station of amateur. One speaks then about occasional operator. It is the case of a station of amateur of radio-club in particular. Each operator must respect the prerogatives (wavebands, power, type of transmission) of his certificate when it operates on a station of amateur. He will use the code of the radio operator club followed by his own code during the transmissions.

CEPT considers the creation of a license European beginner radio ham which would give access to certain bands radio hams in short waves (HF) with a power reduced like that is done already in Belgium and with the the United Kingdom. The examination would be more elementary for the future radio hams beginners, while being attractive because the long-range communications (DX) would be more accessible. Indeed, to make contacts with long distance out of HF (between 10 and 160 meters), the French must currently be licensee F4 which requires a high technical level. By comparison, the F0 license gives only right to the 144 MHz with a power of 10 Watts which makes it possible to communicate only with European countries, and with the proviso of having a very good directing antenna and the assistance of a good propagation. On the other hand, with a modest antenna (for example a doublet half-wave of 5 meters) and less than 10 Watts out of 28 MHz a radio ham can easily contact the other end of the world if the propagation allows it. This European license was rejected by French associations radio hams.

The “license” (specific document) was unilaterally removed by the France in 1995 and was replaced by a “Administrative authorization” in spite of the obligation of delivery made by the International union of Telecommunications to all its members through the Payment of the Radiocommunications.

One uses in jargon radio ham the term of “pirate” to indicate any emission out of the regulations: power, limits of band, usurpation of code or traffic without license or authorization. These infringements can be continued and severely sanctioned, especially in the event of jamming of other services

In France

The Code of the Stations and Electronic communications regulates the use of the radiocommunications (CP&CE). The minister in charge for the electronic communications

fixes the conditions of obtaining the certificate of operator of the service amateur
lays down the methods of attribution of the codes

The regulatory agency of the electronic communications and the stations (ARCEP) is in load in other of:

the attribution of the frequencies
to fix the conditions of use of the installations radio ham

The National agency of the Frequencies * ensures the management of the codes and of the frequencies

organizes the passage of the examinations on behalf of the minister in charge for the electronic communications.

Any person eager to emit on the frequencies allocated with the services amateurs (AMAT/AMSAT) must meet the following conditions:

to obtain a Certificate of operator of the service amateur
to lay out of a call sign (transmitted by the ANFR following obtaining the certificate of operator)
to discharge renewal fees.

The radio hams are authorized to emit under the double condition of having undergone successfully the examination allowing the delivery of the “certificate of operator of the services of amateur” after which, subject to payment of renewal special fees, the administrative authorization is delivered accompanied by the call sign.

In Belgium

the minister in charge for telecommunications, within the framework of the laws governing telecommunications:

fixes the conditions of obtaining the certificates of operator of the service amateur
lays down the methods of attribution of the codes (a choice exists however)
fixed the attribution of the frequencies
fixes the conditions of use of the radio ham installations.

the regulatory agency is the IBPT or Belgian Institute of the stations and telecommunications. It has in particular as an aim of:

to manage telecommunications and its conditions of use fixed by the minister
to organize the examinations of obtaining the licenses,
to manage the attribution of the codes,
to levy the taxes of monitoring,
to control the use and the conformity of the stations of send-receive, etc

Various activities

More than the message itself, it is the way of establishing the contact which impassions the radio ham. The communications radio hams should not be compared with the communications of the type Internet or cellphones. The radio hams of course use Internet to exchange information, new etc, but the final goal remains always that of the radio: all to implement to make a success of a contact using the radio waves and the natural phenomena by the means which they can be propagated. In certain cases a contact is a true personal exploit.

Thus to free itself from the terrestrial curve (when the waves are propagated like the Lumière, in straight line) certain radio hams use satellites (built by radio hams!) or of the terrestrial relays. But they can also use the natural phenomena like the reflections on the Moon, the trails meteoritic, the clouds of rain or on the polar lights. To be able to exploit such modes of propagation (nonconventional it should well be admitted!), it is necessary to supervise the geomagnetic indices, the solar activity, éphémérides etc It is well there that the charm of the communications radio hams is.

Some prefer to emit with low powers (< 5 Watts but often a few milliwatts), practitioner a type of traffic called “ QRP ”, or on frequencies of several tens of gigahertz in a field where the experimentation is of setting and the personal achievements are obligatory.

Some privilege the almost sporting activity of hunting for the rare contacts, the contests, the graduates. Others develop television amateur, or are devoted to aid operations, or the support of the yachtmen.

Scientific and technical aspect

The emission of amateur is a vast fertile ground for the technical experimentation. Many are the radio hams who take pleasure to build themselves their own antennas and radio stations. This activity is the occasion for of them being interested much in sciences and enriching their personal culture. Certain candidates quite simply learned how to calculate by the means of the courses exempted in the radio-clubs to prepare the passage of the license! For much of others it is the continuity of an early passion for the technique. The technical and scientific contribution of the radio hams is quite real in the development of the techniques of transmission. Today that east can be less the case with the speed of progress in the fields of telecommunications but the radioamateurism remains an activity essentially supporting the individual instruction and the division of knowledge for sciences and technology. An example of individual realization where the intelligence of the radio ham should solve the problems involved in the cost of the equipment…

The advent of the license for beginners " F0" (not of technique, only of the regulation) but also technology not very accessible from the commercial materials have tended cause a drop in the technical level of the new radio hams for a few years.

Radio-clubs and associative activities

The Radio-clubs are associations " locales" gathering the radio hams of a city or an area. The club makes it possible to the radio hams to gather and share their passion. It is an excellent place to have a first contact with the radioamateurism. It is a place of exchange, formation, activity around projects.

Community life is also structured around departmental associations and main roads. These associations have the role to federate the radio hams around projects and of activities as various as:

the civil security
aerospace (balloons and satellites) the
the Television amateur
assistance with the handicapped radio hams
the construction and the maintenance of a relay
etc

The world radio ham is thus naturally an associative sector as much on the international plan that room.

Radio hams and civil security

It is Hiram Percy Maxim, cofounder of the ARRL, the American association radio ham which allotted for the first time in 1914 a function of service to the population to the radio hams activities by distributing stations radio operator relay along the six main roads which crossed the United States. Today, the networks MARCH and ARES ensure this service in collaboration with the Civil protection and the army which intervene each time a disaster is announced.

England set up network RAYNET while Belgium works in collaboration with the Croix-Rouge of Belgium.

There exists in France a National federation of Radiotransmetteurs to the service of the Civil security (FNRASEC). The word radiotransmetteurs replaced radio hams in 2001. Its members are likely to ensure two types of mission of support for the public authorities:

to ensure of the radio communications in the event of natural disaster: Plane Orsec, Plane red;
to take part in the searches of beacons of distress in the event of accident (crash landing) of plane (aéroterrestre rescue plan known as “ SATER ”).

FNRASEC gathers Departmental associations of Radiotransmetteurs to the service of the Civil security (ADRASEC). The FNRASEC is affiliated with the National federation of civil protection (FNPC), an association of voluntary first-aid workers. There exist also departmental associations independent of the FNRASEC.

Radio hams and education

The radio hams also work with the awakening of the young people in the area of the technology. Certain groups of radio hams come to animate workshops in the classes or the children carry out small electronic assemblies. They also allowed, and it east can be the most spectacular side, to carry out contacts between the pupils and the astronauts of the Station_spatiale_internationale ISS. These contacts are carried out within the framework of the project ARISS. The questions put to the astronauts are prepared by the children and the teachers. At the time of the contact, the radio hams return in radio contact with the astronaut on board, read the questions and the children can then hear the answers. The passage lasts only 10 minutes, but each one will much longer have with him very the good memory of this moment of happiness.

In a general way the practice of the radioamateurism can be the base of a technical solid formation and thus represents a chance to be able to approach with dimensions one “practices” of a theoretical knowledge.

" maritime mobile"

Many yachtmen navigators are also radio hams, by using a code their code followed by the suffix " maritime mobile". In addition to the pleasure of the contacts, their concern is also concrete: to give news to the close relations and to obtain a customer support or weather, sometimes of help. But according to the countries, the personal exchanges can be limited to the position or distress calls simple. To allow these contacts, of the ground stations " organize; réseaux" with known frequencies and schedules. Out of territorial water, the maritime mobile often makes distorsions with the legislation, by using the frequencies of sea traffic " ship with navire" , or of the convenient frequencies close to the bands amateur, thus " radiococotier" functioned very a long time between the yachtmen of the Antilles, by using a frequency except band radio ham (13970 Khz). A Thalassa emission was also devoted to " Herb" a Canadian amateur who provided the weather permanently and of the councils of road to the yachtmen in Atlantic crossing.

The code radio ham

This code obeys a general format of the form PPxSSSS defined by the payment of the Radiocommunications:

PP prefix allowing to identify the country, sometimes in connection with its name: F for France, HB for the Swiss ( Helvetischer Bund ), G for the United Kingdom ( Great Britain ), I for Italy, OE for Austria ( Oesterreich ), D for Germany ( Deutschland ), etc sometimes not: ONE with OT for Belgium, VE for the Canada, etc These prefixes are identical to those used to identify the aircraft or the boats;
X a figure qualifying the class of license or the geographical area; some times it can has there to see several figures for example to celebrate one year special in the field of the radio.
SSSS the personal suffix allotted to the holder generally made up from 1 to 3 characters, but being able to go up to 4 characters taking into account the increase in the number of radio hams and owing to the fact that the old codes are not re-used, if possible.
This group of characters is supplemented by the suffix /P for the portable activities, /M for the mobile phone activities and /MM for the mobile maritime activities.

Examples: F5ABC, is a station fixed radio ham Frenchwoman having all the privileges; ON3ABC is a Belgian station radio ham used by an amateur having a basic license (beginner); VE2AAA is a Canadian station radio ham located at the Quebec.

In certain countries, for example in Canada, the prefix associated with a figure is determined by the area where the station is. In Russia the figures depend on the Oblast (area) in which resides the amateur.

The detail of the codes according to the countries and provinces can be obtained on the sites radio ham, like the ARRL.

Special codes

If this nomenclature is followed, it can exist codes in three letters of the kind “ PPnS ” such as the code “ C3W ” allotted to a station of Cyprus (5B). It is about a special code.

In the United States one calls them the codes “ 1x1 ” and are reserved for the commemoration of special events.

Longer codes are authorized, in respect of the legislation. The majority of the countries use this shortened format with 3 or 4 characters because on the one hand it makes it possible to identify the station quickly celebrating an event, which attracts the amateurs, and on the other hand that accelerates the contacts. (QSO).

In parallel, the national administrations can distribute particular codes (that certain software radio ham and sometimes the radio hams themselves always does not recognize as being valid) such as “ Z3100A ” which celebrates the hundredth birthday of an institution. In 2005, code HE1TELE is allotted to the Valaisan radio hams of Switzerland (HB), for the Telethon!

Personalized code

In general it is the administration of supervision which delivers the code with the radio ham according to his class of license or its place of residence according to the case.

Certain administrations authorize the user to choose itself the suffix and sometimes the figure which it wishes to use in his code, but it is not the case in France where the figure corresponds to the class of code.

Certain operators (called YL for Young Lady in the jargon radio ham) can sometimes obtain a code ending in… YL (example: F4XYL or HB9XYL). Radio hams regularly travels from there abroad, ask “for sometimes; X ” after the figure, such “ 5U7X ”.

Codes and abbreviations

To facilitate the communications which can extend to the worldwide from the world, the radio hams communicate mainly in English (with an often restricted vocabulary) by using the Code Q and of the allowed international abbreviations by all. Example of the most current terms used in telephony:

a OM is a radio ham , shortened Old Man: my old man .
a YL (Young lady) indicates a radio ham, or marries it of a radioaoamator.
the " rig " (machine)
the " is the transmitter; shack " (cants) of the station
a " is the room; contest "
a " is a coucours; Net " is a network organized on a frequency
a " pile-up " is the accumulation of calls towards only one station.
a DX is a remote contact

Finally the abbreviation CQ ( Seek you ) used in phone or C-W communication (abbreviations of: telephony and telegraphy) are the beginning of all " Call to all ".

The radio hams use the code Q universal by allotting to certain codes a significance adapted to their practice of which here some examples:

QRA : room where the station of send-receive
QRM is located: jamming
QRN: atmospheric parasite
QRT: to finish its emissions
QRX: to stop its emissions for a short moment
QRZ? : to ask " who calls me? "
QSL : acknowledgment of delivery, chart which confirms the contact
QSO: communication radio bilateral
QTH: name of the place of emission

For further information, to see Code Q.

These codes and abbreviations, initially designed to simplify the transmission of messages in telegraphy, are also used in phone. The use of these codes in telegraphy exempts (to a certain extent) to know English or the language of the correspondent.

Technique

Emission modes

At the beginning of the XXe century, and several tens of years, the radio hams primarily communicated in Télégraphie using the Code Morse known as CW ( continuous wave ). This mode of transmission makes it possible to carry out connections with long distance with a low power because it is easier to decode than telephony when the signals are weak and less prone to the interferences. Moreover one international code authorizes contacts with the whole world while freeing itself from the linguistic barrier. In each band radio ham, beaches of frequencies are reserved by the IARU with this type of transmission. Currently, of many modes are used:

Telephony: SB, AM, FM
Transmission of text: ] (RTTY, Teleprinter), AMTOR, PSK31
Transmission of image: ATV or Television amateur, transmission of image to slow sweeping: Television with slow sweeping (SSTV), Facsimiled (fax)
digital Transmissions: communication network numerical packet-radio, APRS

Frequencies

The radio hams can emit on a score of bands distributed regularly on all the spectrum of the waves radio.

Wavebands usable in Area 1 of the UIT (France and the Island of the Meeting, Switzerland):

135,70 to 135,80 Khz (band limited to telegraphy with 1 W WORSE, authorized since the CAMR of 2007)

Bands HF (Short waves)

1 810 with 1 850 Khz (or 160 m bandage, extending to 1,875 in Belgium)
3 500 with 3 800 Khz (or 80 m bandage)
7 000 with 7 100 Khz (or bandages 40 m, extending until 7 200 Khz in certain countries, like Switzerland and Belgium, in secondary statute until 2009 dates to which the beach of 7 100 with 7 200 Khz will be completely allotted to the radio hams)
10 100 with 10 150 Khz
14 000 with 14 350 Khz (or 20 m bandage)
18 068 with 18 168 Khz
21 000 with 21 450 Khz (or 15 m bandages)
24 890 with 24 990 Khz
28 000 with 29 700 Khz (or 10 m bandage)

Bands VHF/UHF

50,200 to 51,200 MHz (with restrictions according to the department, due to the interferences with band 1 of television)
144,000 to 146,000 MHz (or bandages of the 2 meters)
430,000 to 440,000 MHz (let us notice that on frequency 433 MHz the radio hams have priority and have notable powers of emission and thus that the domestic facilities without license and of very small powers are likely to be disturbed)
1 240,000 with 1 300,000 MHz
2 300,000 with 2 450,000 MHz (let us notice that on the frequency 2 400 MHz the radio hams have priority and have notable powers of emission and thus that the domestic facilities Wifi without license and of very small powers are likely to be disturbed)

Bands ultra high frequencies

5 650,000 with 5 850,000 MHz
10 000,000 with 10 500,000 MHz
24 000,000 with 24 250,000 MHz
47 000,000 with 47 200,000 MHz
75 500,000 with 81 000,000 MHz
119 980,000 with 120 020,000 MHz
142 000,000 with 149 000,000 MHz
241 000,000 with 250 000,000 MHz

The bands of the 10 MHz, 18 MHz and 24 MHz are sometimes called " WARC" bands; by the radio hams because they were affected to them more recently by a conference of WARC (world administration radio conference).

The width of the wavebands can be slightly different for Americas (Area 2 of the UIT) and for Asia/Oceania (Area 3 of the UIT), and some allocated additional wavebands (as band 220 MHz).

Propagation

The decametric waves (HF between 1,8 and 29,7 MHz) in particular the history tapes of the 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 10m, allow remote connections by reflection ionospheric, according to the density of the reflecting layers, related they-even to 11 years the solar cycle. There are thus peaks of propagation and hollows, every eleven years.

The bands with the tops of 30 MHz allow especially connections in optical sight, with however of many exceptional propagations, for example on the sporadic layer E, or the swarms of meteorites. The most used 144-148 MHz (band of the two meters) is the band, where many repeaters amateurs make it possible to carry out remote connections with an economic material.

Bands located above 2 300 MHz are very favorable to the experimentation, as well for the realization of the material as for the communications between high points at (relatively) long distances.

The material

The first amateurs were to entirely build their equipment, but their growing number brought manufacturers has to propose the basic materials for HF and VHF. Moreover the evolution towards more complex modes of transmission, BLU, RTTY, Packet, where the precise details of frequency and filterings require complex techniques, made that the majority of the amateurs use commercial material. Bitten high frequencies with the top of 2300MHz, must on the contrary produce their equipment mainly, sometimes starting from recovery.

The historical marks, almost mythical, of years 60-70, like Hakes, Swan, Drake, Heathkit, gradually left the place to the three Asian suppliers Icom Kenwood and Yaesu. The basic material is a " today; transceiver" combining transmitting and receiving, of bands HF or VHF, with a power de100w approximately. Out of HF it is sometimes supplemented by a linear amplifier of 500W or 1000W.

Antennas

The antennas are still the field more opened with the personal achievements, though much uses commercial antennas, in particular traditional the Yagi tribande with 3 elements on the tapes 20m, 15m, 10m. In low frequencies (160m, 80m, 40m), the telegraphic dipoles are largely used, whereas in VHF, it is the Yagi aerial possibly in several tablecloths (stacking) which equips the majority with the stations.

Traffic

The majority of the contacts are done in rotation, by using the same frequency in emission and reception. The procedure thus resembles the professional procedure of radiocommunication, with some simplifications.

Between two stations which do not know each other, the rules are rather strict:

the code is given in beginning and end of transmission
one exchanges the carryforward (quality of reception) the first name and the place and information on the chart of confirmation (QSL)
each transmission ends in a code of rotation (for example " PSE K" in C-W communication or " with vous" in phone).
One can add information over time (WX) the station (Rig) the antenna, etc

Between stations which know each other, or which converse with several, the procedure is simplified, the code of rotation is useless, the practice is enough to fit between two words, thanks to the automatic commutation of the modern transmitters (VOX).

In the event of " pile-up" on a rare station (DX), the frequencies of emission and reception can be shifted to avoid jamming, and the procedure is very simplified to make pass the maximum of amateurs. In contest (contest or TEST in C-W communication) it is even briefer, a simple exchange with three words is enough.

The modern numerical modes as the packet use an automatic protocol, which makes resemble the contact an exchange of emails, on a software like Airmail resembling a messaging software Internet.

the connections by satellites amateurs use the duplex full, with emission and reception on two different tapes VHF.

Competitions

Contest

The international national associations or reviews like CQ-magazine, organize contests radio ham annually. During these friendly but sometimes intense competitions which last one or more days, the participants try to accumulate a maximum of contacts. Into final a calculation of points whose rules depend on the payment of the contest a classification defines. No price is with the key, simply a paper diploma, and the pride of its score.

For example the CQ-WW lasts two days, in telephony and telegraphy. During this contest, considered as a kind of championship of the world of the radio hams, best placed several thousands of contacts with hundreds of different countries accumulate.

Certain participants temporarily install very powerful stations on high points or islands placed well, to profit from an ideal propagation and interest of the other participants.

In France, the cut of the ref. is organized by association ref. Union.

Forwardings

The research of the remote or rare connections, therefore difficult, (" DX"), is one of the facets of the radio ham activity. It can sometimes resemble a sport, even a competition by the fight which results from it.

The most bitten radio hams traffic organize forwardings towards points isolated to temporarily add an active country DX to the world radio ham and to profit from an intense interest for this period. Thus several American radio hams in the Sixties made the round the world tour in boat, energy of island in island to add possible contacts to the community. French radio hams organized a forwarding towards the small island isolated and uninhabited from Clipperton only to this end.

Recent scientific exhibitions also carried a station radio ham to increase their safety in the event of breakdown of the other bonds, and for the educational aspect, for example J L Etienne.

QSL' S and Graduates

Rare contacts concretized by a " QSL" of confirmation make the pride of the " shack" and give access graduates. The graduates are of all kinds, according to the frequency, the mode used, and its payment, energy of the friendly diploma of a city, until the world classification of the hunters of DX, the DXCC.

The DXCC given by the ARRL, association of the radio hams of the USA, rewards the contact with 100 different countries. Best classified in the classification of the DXCC have with their credit more than 330 countries contacted (In conventions of the DXCC, a remote island of a country counts like a " pays" different, which explains this figure)

History

1844 Samuel Morse invents the telegraph, its assistant Ernest Vail invents the code says Morse.
1866 Mahlon Loomis claims to have carried out the first transmission without wire in Virginia
1883 Thomas Edison invents the vacuum tube
1887 Hertz discovers the electromagnetic nature of the waves. They will be called Hertzian waves.
1889 Tesla produces a generator high frequencies (15 Khz); in 1893, it tries out the first radio communication.
1890 Branly develops the first sensitive wave detector which will be called the coherer against the opinion of its inventor.
1891 and 1893 Tesla patents the system without wire Tesla (radio operator telegraph) and develops cold electronic lamps.
1893 professor Popov de Saint-Petersbourg, discovers the principle of the antenna which will allow connections long distance. Later it will discover without paying attention to it the junction and the effect of amplification by semiconductors (approximately 40 years before the discovery of the transistor)
1895 Marconi tries out the first microwave links on a distance from 1 500 Mr. Marconi applied all the experiments of his predecessors to establish communications without wire at long distance and made a true business of them (The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company Limited). It carried out its first significant tests of wireless telegraphy to Salvan (Valais) in the Swiss Alps, during the summer 1895. Salvan was recognized by the American association of the engineers (IEEE) like the “cradle of telecommunications” .
1900 In France, the general Ferrié develops the electrolytic detector. More sensitive than the coherer of Branly, it allows listening the helmet of the telegraphic messages.
1907 American Lee de Forest invents the first amplifying lamp with hot cathode (three-electrode) which will be the departure of all industry radio-electronics.
1923 on November 26th, the first transatlantic connection bilateral in Short wave is carried out on 2,72 MHz (110 meters) between an American radio ham, Fred Schnell, 1MO, and the radio ham French Leon Deloy, 8AB in Nice. It is on this occasion that the band of the “ 200 mètres ” and in lower part judged a priori without interest for the communications with long distance by the authorities will be used by the radio hams in an assiduous way.
1961 launching of the first satellite radio ham (only 4 years after Sputnik 1). Since then forty satellites of radio ham manufacture were launched.
2003 approximately 2 500 000 radio hams in the world who experienced and communicate in various modes of modulation and on frequencies extending from the LF (135,7 Khz) to the millimetre-length waves (250 GHz).
2006 the number of radio hams in France east of 15.706 operators (- 2,7% compared to 2005) according to the ANFR. In Belgium it is about 6.000 radio hams.

Famous radio hams

Marlon Brando since its retirement in Polynesia, operated a station radio ham a long time, with the name of Martin Brandeaux and code FO5GJ. The former king Hussein of Jordan was active with code JY1. Many American celebrities were radio ham, such as for example Walter Kronkyte, or Barry Goldwater.

In the literature of cartoon, Franquin imagined a king victim of a coup d'etat and requiring assistance on the waves amateur: " QRN on Bretzelburg ".

The film " If all the guy of the world " was entirely devoted to the helps with a trawler in medical emergency, by an international chain radio hams.

SWL

A SWL, for Shorts Wave Listener , in French Radioécouteur, is a person who listens to the radio communications. For the people who listen to the broadcasting stations, one speaks sometimes about BCL, for Broadcast Listener .

See too

External bonds

a radio operator Report on the radio hams

References

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