That's a pretty silly title.<p>Ham enthusiasts WERE the original Hacker community. Go read any of the thousands of Ham magazines from the past and you'll find that the majority of the articles were about building your own gear, modifying ex military equipment, or learning about the fundamentals.<p>And who do you think developed all the SDR hardware and software which is available today? Outside of military R&D, most of today's SDR hardware and software was developed by engineers who were licensed hams.<p>And FWIW, it was only recently that the idiot mainstream media hijacked the term "Hacker" to refer to the antisocial uses of electronics.
I've been a ham since 1979, and I think this he is right on target. Software defined radio, and DSP in general, is revolutionizing what you can do in a small package. I've never been one to sit and talk for hours, though I do think it is neat on those occasions when you can talk around the world. I was always into the more technical things, like Fox hunting, and building gear.<p>We need people pushing the limits of technology who <i>aren't just doing it for profit</i>, and that's where the amateur really shines. Doing things just to see if they can be done has a rich and rewarding history, and I'd like to see it continue.<p>A few months ago, I used a $25 dongle, GNU Radio, and made a VOR receiver, for the heck of it. VOR transmitters are used in aircraft navigation, and I can now firmly establish that I live EastNorthEast of the nearest VOR station to me. ;-)
Went to a meeting of hams. All ancient guys. But they had awesome stories about being in Florida after a hurricane.<p>Basically a ham guy would stop in some small town, and for a week he was the ONLY way to communicate with the outside world.<p>One guy needed energy medication. He was talking to a guy in New Hampshire who could use the phone to call another Ham who could access others in Florida via ham radio. So guy got his medication, through a bizarre chain of hams all across the East coast.<p>There were a bunch of stories like that. Then the more technical stories of how to setup a minivan for extended trips without access to gas electric, etc.
For a noob, what’s the best way to get into this hobby?<p>Likely taking some extended time off from work soon and am looking for a new hardware project to tinker around with.
and vice-versa. The hacker community can benefit from amateur radio, too.<p>I'm an electronics hacker, software developer, audio enthusiast, and ham radio nut. The lines between them are very, very blurry. Radio is just another nerd-toy to me.
Anyone trawling through this thread who sold their gear and feels nostalgic: there are a ton of SDR tuners open to the web, some hooked up to some big antennas. You can't transmit but you can tune around to your heart's content. Google websdr
Ham radio seems to be infested with rule-lovers. Why should it require certification? Usage of public sidewalks involves the same principle of shared resources, but we don’t have sidewalk-walking licenses.