The idea of “getting into” amateur radio, otherwise known as “ham radio” has been in the back of my mind for many years. With all the unusual be-at-home time lately, the idea re-surfaced as I was casting about for enjoyable activities to add to the mix.
Add to that the fact that my birthday was coming up. While I still feel like a teenager in many ways, it is no longer the case that yours truly is a spring chicken. If this thing doesn’t get started soon, then it won’t be a thing at all in my life. I already am disappointed with myself for not starting this journey a long time ago.
What journey? Well, the one that will enable participation in the world of amateur radio, of course! Sure, I could get a receiver and listen in, but I want to be able to transmit and tinker around with all kinds of neat things like packet radio, television, bouncing transmissions off the moon…!
The old saying about a long journey beginning with the first step is so true. So, the first step, as in so many such journeys these days, begins with the search engine web page. I prefer Duck Duck Go because of their stance on privacy protection.
Anyway, after several reconnaissance runs through the searchiverse a found a very helpful article and video entitled Getting Started in Ham Radio on Instructables.com by Becky Stern . Not only did she provide a well-written and produced video with some great information delivered in a fun way, she provided in the posting a succinct list of resources she used to get started in ham radio. I found it to be exactly what I needed to get started. I just clicked on each resource and added to my cart on Amazon. Thank you, Becky!
The poet Robert Frost is very likely my favorite poet. One of his poetry collections on my bookshelf has a first poem entitled The Pasture, which is a two stanza poem in which the reader is invited at the end of each stanza:
…I shan’t be gone long. — You come too.
I am going on a journey into the wonders of ham radio. This journey will, hopefully, be a fun one and provide enjoyment and camaraderie for the rest of my life. This blog will be where I record that journey. So, I invite you… you come too!
-Guy