by Vern & Phyllis Modeland
As many have found out, RVing with Amateur (Ham) Radio is a combination that affords both a sense of security and an exciting hobby on the road or in the campground.
Visit with someone anywhere on the continent, even anywhere around the world, direct from your RV or tent. Get answers to questions about the road ahead, find the location of services, or call for help through one of the amateur-built radio repeaters that cover the nation and much of lower Canada too with generally strong signals. Join in roundtables with other RVers who are hams who gather on the airwaves regularly at breakfastime, noon and night. You also might come across high adventure as well as warm friendship from this hobby with its long history of public service.
Amateur radio users span all ages, interests and all walks of life. There is royalty (King Hussen of Jordan for one) and celebrity (music, broadcast and movie stars). Since amateurs share use of an international resource (the radio/TV spectrum), a license is necessary demonstrating an understanding of rules and principals as well as accepted operating procedures. If you haven't yet met a ham in some campground (look for extra or unusual antennas on their RV), perhaps the best way to get an idea of what amateur radio is all about is via the American Radio Relay League. The ARRL is the fraternity of amateur radio and its largest membership organization in the U.S. Its web site is www.arrl.org. Its publication, "Now You're Talking" will give a good overview. Publications, training videos and software can be previewed and requested at pubsales@arrl.org
.Amateur radio license examinations are administered by registered volunteer examiners. A visit to a Radio Shack or similar store, Red Cross chapter, a library or to the civic club list keeper of any Chamber of Commerce can lead you to a local ham club or someone who can point you in the right direction for help in becoming a ham. Many police or other public service officers also know one or more local hams or ham clubs.
For Canadian RVers interested in the hobby, the ham organization in Canada is "Radio Amateurs of Canada". Their web site is www.rac.ca. There are four steps to a Canadian license. The applicant must start by learning Basic qualifications but can take the others in any order. The Basic examination covers electronics, radio regulations, and operating procedures and allows access to VHF (very high frequencies) only but without a Morse Code requirement. Code examinations are 5 words per minute (65 characters copied accurately in one minute) and 10 wpm. Passing them allows access to the nation- and globe-spanning high frequency ham bands. Passing an Advanced theory examination expands privledges even more. Most Canadian ham clubs have an Amateur Radio instructor and volunteer "Designated Examiners" for Industry Canada, the former Department of Communications.
Amateur radio equipment is as varied in price and quality as any electronics. A plus, however, is that ham radio sets don't depreciate like computers. Used but very servicable ham radio trancievers can readily be found for a few hundred dollars. Equipment a dozen years old can still command half its new price or more. An on-line trip to www.aesham.com will connect you to Amateur Electronic Supply (just one of many suppliers) for a free catalog showing the scope of equipment and accessories. Don't let the content overwhelm or deter you, though. You can "get on the air" simply, for as little as $100 or less for a hand held radio, or set up operation in the RV for maybe three times that -- or spend whatever more you want.
The beauty of the hobby is in comaraderie and the sense of safety it imparts that CB, even cellular phones, can't supply at any cost.
For specific answers to your questions, contact RVers Online's Volunteer, Vern Modeland, (WA0JOG) at modeland@RunningRiver.com