Frank, thank you for posting this. In 1975 I obtained my Novice class license as WN0OWP in Missouri. Most of the summer of 1975, before I could drive, I sat and did CW day and night. With a driver's license came new interests, and my amateur activities eventually came to an end.
In June of last year, however, I attended on a lark the SOCALWUG meeting and heard Mike Outmesguine discuss his Wi-Fi tricks book. I took one look at his 3 element Yagi for 2.4GHz, made of a tongue depressor and paper clips, and was thunderstruck. I had to revisit radio phenomena. Was compelled to, more precisely. I bought Mike's book, marvelled at the powerful simplicity of the antenna construction project, and a week later was struck by another thunderbolt: the best way to learn more about radio (and antennas and propagation) was to practice it, similar to a physician practicing medicine, and an attorney practicing law. By September I had my Amateur Extra Class license, and by December I had assembled from kit form a NorCal40a. The NorCal40a is small CW transceiver and the same radio that is the wonderful subject of Dave Rutledge's (KN6EK and http://www.its.caltech.edu/~mmic/people2/Rutledge.html) book "The Electronics of Radio". So thank you, Mike, for the catalyst that reminded me of one way to take a more active part in wireless technology. Some on the list may wonder what amateur radio has to do with Wi-Fi, or 802.16, or Canopy, or a host of other digital radio technologies. The answer, of course, is that the physics and electronics is the same for all. Wi-Fi and its IT relations are subject to the same laws of RF power and propagation as RF in the amateur bands (which span millimeter to 160m bands - talk about an RF experimentalist's dream sandbox). By visiting the amateur radio testing material and putting oneself through its paces, one is reminded that RF propagation is wave propagation, which in turn is a diffractive, refractive, and reflective process. And which relates to why Wi-Fi is line-of-sight, for example. Like Frank, I have found that what is learned in the context of amateur radio can be readily applied to Internet-related wireless technologies. Everyone has their own learning style, their own way of retaining relevant knowledge. For me, amateur radio has provided the perfect vehicle to keep wireless technology top-of-mind, which allows me to process the import of new wireless technology more easily. Mark On 22Apr, Frank Keeney wrote: > > More than a few years ago when I became interested in the networking > computers using wireless technology, I understood the computer networking > side of doing this but the wireless technology part was fairly new to me. I > found that attending training for passing the Amateur Radio Technician > license to be very beneficial in furthering my understanding of wireless. > > The current Technician license requires no Morse code. I estimate that at > least a 3rd of the SOCALWUG attendees are already licensed. > > In South Pasadena, CA, in May in the evenings of the 12th, 13th and all day > the 14th, a class will be taught. This class will prepare you to pass the > test on the following Wednesday evening. This is the same class I attended > around 3 years ago. This instructor has a 98% pass rate for attendees. If > you are interested please contact me off list. I need to know if you are > interested in the next 2 days. > > If you are not local to this area, do a Google search for local Amateur > Radio clubs or visit http://www.arrl.org > > Some of the fun I've had with Amateur radio: > > Satellite computer and voice communications > Short message relay utilizing equipment on the Space Station > Television communications > Voice communications > > Last month, while driving in the mountains, the alternator seized in my car. > While the cell phone had no reception, I was able to reach several Amateur > Radio repeaters. Another Amateur placed a call for me to dispatch AAA and > send a tow truck. Without my radio, this would have been much much more > difficult. > > > Frank Keeney > KG6JVE > > Co-Founder, Southern California Wireless User Group: > http://www.socalwug.org -- Mark Petrovic Pasadena, CA Amateur radio AE6RT
