K2KD here :)<p>Glad to see hams getting involved -- disaster communications is one of the strong suits of amateur radio. I still have a to-be-implemented plan of getting a portable HF rig w/ solar charger for my to-be-implemented "go bag".<p>One of the big challenges the whole hobby has faced is the struggle for relevance in the Internet era. When I got my license (early 90s), there basically wasn't an Internet for kids like me, so the concept of switching on an HF rig and talking to someone from Australia from my bedroom in NYC was awe-inspiring.<p>That isn't really the case these days (considered I'm likely communicating with a bunch of people from Australia on this thread alone.) Communication from an "exotic" place like Nigeria or Eastern Europe was rare and exciting. Now it's a source of skepticism.<p>I haven't been following the hobby much for the past few years -- other than disaster coms, any thoughts on what the highlights are these days?
I wonder how many HN readers have amateur radio licenses?<p>I got one last month (AF7PL). Now I'm working on getting a radio. I don't want to just go out and buy something. I want to do this old-school, and so have at least some of the major components of my shack home built (and ideally home designed).<p>I may partially relent, though, and buy a handheld transceiver for 2m/70cm. My electronic construction skills are pretty primitive, and my oscilloscope (unlocked Rigol DS1054Z) only goes up to 100 MHz, so VHF and UHF radios are probably out of my DIY league. That's fine, as I'm actually more interested in HF anyway.
I'm getting a 404 on that link now, it seems to be this: <a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-volunteers-in-nepal-india-continue-to-aid-earthquake-response" rel="nofollow">http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-volunteers-in-nepal-i...</a>
link is broken. This works: <a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-volunteers-in-nepal-india-continue-to-aid-earthquake-response" rel="nofollow">http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-volunteers-in-nepal-i...</a>
Is internet over ham radio still a thing?<p>In this particular case, it could help a lot of people, enabling them to quickly and efficiently update their status with their family via email / twitter / google person finder.
The page has been taken down.<p>Mirror of the original post: <a href="http://i.imgur.com/dpVo40p.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://i.imgur.com/dpVo40p.jpg</a><p>Here's the updated one: <a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-volunteers-in-nepal-india-continue-to-aid-earthquake-response" rel="nofollow">http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-volunteers-in-nepal-i...</a>
Obviously there are more than a few of us. W5ARP, general class. It was much of the digital protocols, especially APRS/AX.25, that got me interested. Its not nearly as high-tech as modern smartphones, but I really like the infrastructure-free tech (living in the middle of nowhere, infrastructure is often in short supply.)
Is there a protocol for making your radio more phone like, that is it rings when someone calls you or beeps when someone texts you? I guess if I were to hack together an RTTY or PSK32 thing to do this my next question would be where can I find a portable cheap low power draining SDR similar to a "smart phone".
Interested in Amateur Radio and don't know where to start ?<p>Head over to <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio" rel="nofollow">http://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio</a> ... we are waiting for you ...
N4TQU checking in. I come from a family of hams, both my father and his father (sk). I've been licensed 26 years now. Just upgraded to General last summer.<p>Good to see other hams here on HN.
2E0KEF checking in. Got my foundation last year, and intermediate a month ago, currently studying for full.<p>It's a great hobby, and I'm learning a ton about electronics - love it!
I have been thinking of getting my license for the last couple of years.<p>While I've noticed its decline in the last decade, it still seems to hold some cool factor.
So, does enabling an FM chip in your cell phone help in a disaster?<p><pre><code> CTRL+F fm
</code></pre>
Doesn't seem like it's being used here...