It was good to see a local group of amateur radio operators in the ABC 33/40 studio Tuesday night. The group was from ALERT, the Alabama Emergency Response Team, which consists of ham radio operators around north and central Alabama that help coordinate communications with the National Weather Service during severe weather events. Meteorologist Brian Peters of our staff gave the tour, and I had a chance to share a few words. Brian is a licensed amateur radio operator; his call sign is WD4EPR, and my call sign is WO4W. I got my first amateur radio license way back in 1970 when I was 14 years old. I still love the hobby, and I current serve as the Public Information Coordinator for the Alabama section of the American Radio Relay League, the national amateur radio organization. I cherish my teenage years when I spent countless hours volunteering with the Tuscaloosa county Civil Defense, acting as a storm spotter and often serving as “net control” at the emergency center. John Oldshue is also a licensed amateur radio operator; his call sign is KE4LMU.
If you have an interest in weather and storm spotting, getting your amateur radio license is a “must”. The most popular license for beginners is the Technician Class license, which requires only a 35 multiple-choice question written examination. The test is written with the beginner in mind. Morse Code is not required for this license. With a Technician Class license, you will have all ham radio privileges above 30 megahertz. These privileges include the very popular 2-meter band. Many Technician licensees enjoy using small (2 meter) hand-held radios to stay in touch with other hams in their area. Technicians may operate FM voice, digital packet (computers), television, single-sideband voice and several other interesting modes.
Here are some helpful ham radio links:
American Radio Relay League:
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html
Birmingham Amateur Radio Club
http://www.w4cue.com
ALERT
http://www.alert-alabama.org/
If you have an interest in weather and storm spotting, getting your amateur radio license is a “must”. The most popular license for beginners is the Technician Class license, which requires only a 35 multiple-choice question written examination. The test is written with the beginner in mind. Morse Code is not required for this license. With a Technician Class license, you will have all ham radio privileges above 30 megahertz. These privileges include the very popular 2-meter band. Many Technician licensees enjoy using small (2 meter) hand-held radios to stay in touch with other hams in their area. Technicians may operate FM voice, digital packet (computers), television, single-sideband voice and several other interesting modes.
Here are some helpful ham radio links:
American Radio Relay League:
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html
Birmingham Amateur Radio Club
http://www.w4cue.com
ALERT
http://www.alert-alabama.org/