HAM Radio?

JClarke said:
I am not famailar with radios and I don't care about morse code - Just 'technology gaget geek and COMPUTER, that's all.
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then you're a poser geek. the kind who just wants to show off. :lol:
 
I just stumbled onto this thread,,,WOW. I am taking the Tech and General exams together Friday 2/12/...I was W8RUZ way back in the '59's No computers in Ham Radio hack then. Let the license go as my hearing got worse. Last Christmas I bought a new computer and gave my old one to a friend, He said "I'm gonna use it for ham radio, Got the juices running again in me. I hope to get my old call back through the vanity program, Should be on air in a few weeks. Listen for me Would love to qso other deaf hams
Blessings
DaveB
 
Amateur Radio

Amateur Radio has come a long way in the last 30 years, with the incorporation of personal computers and the removal of the Morse Code requirement.

There is software called Ham Radio Deluxe which not only allows you to tune the radio, but to operate it as well. A part of the software allows you to run the digital modes one of which is PSK31.

PSK31 and its associated modes display the signals in a waterfall, so you can see who is transmitting and select the pattern with the mouse and start communicating.

Just because someone cant hear with their ears, doesn't mean they have to be left out of the HAM world. You can see and transmit morse code, the other digital modes, but I havent seen yet a speech to text device, but then again I havent looked for that.

There are devices out there I have seen from my limited research where you can type on a computer, and it will turn what you have typed into vibrations with morse code.

I wound up here from researching information for an email I got about a deaf/blind person in Europe who knows morse code and can speak, but its difficult for others to communicate with them.

The Amateur Radio world is a great way to make new friends, chat with folks around the world, and actually doesnt cost a whole lot of money to get into. If you go to ARRLWeb: ARRL Home Page and to QRZ.COM Callsign Database you can find the actual test questions and answers, online practice tests, and more information than you could ever want. I use a Yaesu FT857 mobile device which has digital capability built in, coupled to my computer with two cables, and my antenna is a piece of #12 house wire strung around my back yard. I have talked from North Carolina to Russia, Italy, France, South America, all over the US, Canada just to name a few.

I am sure that with the availability of cheap LEDs now, one could design something that instead of hearing the code from a speaker, you could have lights flash, or use something like a vibrating device, and have a blast working folks from all over the globe.

Another good read is http://cd.textfiles.com/hamradio3/news/hamtrib/ham.trb explaining things about amateur radio...

Remember, When All Else Fails, Amateur Radio WORKS!!!

73's (best wishes)

Gary
K4GHL
Rowan County NC Amateur Radio Emergency Services(ARES) Emergency Coordinator (EC)
Rowan County ARES Home
K4GHL's home on the web
 
Hey Gary and all deaf Hams...A long time ago before going deaf I had a station in Muskegon MI W8RUZ...many factors including deteriorating hearing led me to abandon my license, In Jan of 2010 a hearing friend who is also a ham told me about digital radio and the no code exam. I took the Technician and General exams on Feb 12 in Grand Rapids MI where I now live. Passed the Tech and missed the General by 1 question, My call now is KD8NEX, On Friday of this week (Mar 12) I will try the general again after a month of study, I am also waiting for approval of my Vanity Call application to get back my old call sign. It has actually been inactive for about 55 years so I should get it without waiting too long.

At the moment I am using borrowed gear waiting to see what happens friday at the test before investing in a new transceiver. The rig in my shack now is a Yaesu ht-857d all band all mode 100W. I also have an Icom 2000 fm on 2 meters, working packet radio.

Gary...HRD is indeed a jewel in the software field. It does not however handle VHF packet, but does give the links to the needed drivers and software.

We (some ham friends and I) will be experimenting with speech recognition software on 20 and 40 meter phone, We will be testing Dragon Naturallly speaking and IBM Via Voice to see if we can train them to be reliable with reasonably good input. Windows 7 has speech recognition software also and I have been able to get some fairly decent results with that.

I have found several software packages that will decode and code CW. So darn little activity around here on 6 and 2 meter CW that I have not been able to really test it out, Google morse code decoder software if you are interested,

Didn't mean to be so long winded. Maybe some day we will connect in a DX

73

Dave
KD8NEX
 
DaveB, I am a ham op who is a general. Way to go on the test! I was wondering if any of you guys know if a deaf or hearing impaired person can talk morse code.
 
sallylou said:
Do HAM radios work during and after hurricanes? If so, it would be useful for me or hubby to become an operator. All modern communication shuts down in the aftermath of a hurricane. I'm hoping that we don't get one for a long time!
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yes they can be used in a hurricane and other natrual disasters. they are often the only forms of communications left.
 
Hello Hams folks, I'm jumping in this discussion group. If you guys are still receiving the message. PM me via email about HAM trainings if available for deaf to be certified. Thanks!
 
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