Stop exposing ham operator's full name and address to google from just their callsign
this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2025
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@Sendpicsofsandwiches @emilvolk 100% yeah. Not being doxx'd asap would be great. Zero interest in the meantime.
Too bad WHOIS privacy/protection never came to HAM?
That's literally the only thing keeping me out of Ham Radio, and I'm surprised that there's not more pushback about it
@Sendpicsofsandwiches @colinstu the dominant Ham demographic is one that has traditionally not needed to be concerned much about their information being publicized, and doesn’t see why anyone else should care. (I was reluctant to get licensed until I learned I could use a PO Box as the address.)
But don't you need to continually pay for that po box after that? Which a po box still isn't a horrible solution, but it seems silly that yiu have to do that
@Sendpicsofsandwiches I already had it and use it for other purposes. That they accept a PO Box shows that the need for an address is a bit of an anachronism especially since they don’t even mail the paper license anymore
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Embrace digital modes.
What is a digital node?
Basically you encode data in a digital stream and send it over the air as a radio transmission. Here a very brief overview: https://www.arrl.org/digital-data-modes
I'm not actively involved in radio but I do have my license. Last I looked hams in general really poo-poo'd digital modes.
Thank you for sharing.
I listen to the hams on my scanner and I’m not trying to take a test, buy a fancy radio just to shoot the shit….I have the whole internet in my pocket I can do that with.
I travel the US with my scanner and listen in….i just don’t see the appeal other than the electronics side of it, and there are other areas to learn about that.
I’d like to want my tech license, but I just don’t know why….sounds like a membership to the dork club, but I’m already in it, so I’m conflicted.
It's not the access to the club or whatever, it's how cool it is that it works at all. The science behind it.
Yeah you can call Japan right now, and your voice will get digitized, and it'll travel thousands of miles over copper, fiber, microwave. It'll go under the sea and to space and back through satellites, through millions of dollars of backbone and infrastructure. And that's pretty cool, but also has become mundane. It's so easy. But that infrastructure is delicate. Now I'm not a prepper or doomsdayer, I'm just saying, think about it it wasn't there. Could you talk across the world? Across the country? Heck, across the state might be hard.
Back in the day, hams in Alaska would communicate with people back in the States to keep families in touch, relay information and well wishes alike, because it was all that was available, and it worked.
I got my license just before COVID, and one of my first contacts was over 6000 miles to Japan. Nothing between me and him but a piece of wire in a tree, and some radio waves bouncing off the ionosphere. His voice in my ear, milliseconds after he spoke. It was just... Kind of awe inspiring, and I was hooked.
Not just because I was talking to a guy in Japan, one with similar interests to me I'll remind you, but because of HOW we were doing it. That's what made it awesome.
And these radio waves are everywhere, all the time, passing through us every day. But unless you know what you don't know, you'll never know.
So I started playing with it more, different antennas, more power, fixing and building my own radios. There's even games to play over the air, both related to the hobby directly, or just using it as a data backbone. You've got POTA, SOTA, fox hunting, digital modes, even Morse code is still heavily used. It was challenging to learn, but fun.
Now I didn't go turbo nerd, I just did this for a number of years, pretty heavily, but I've eased off the gas now. I have a basic setup and I use it a few dozen times a year, maybe more. It's still awesome but it doesn't have to be your life. I have other hobbies. I'm a member of a club, because it costs like $10-20 a year, and they're nice people. They've helped me and I've helped them.
IDK I guess all I'm saying is don't discount it entirely, without knowing what you're missing out on. It's not just a means to an end. Just because it's normally easy to talk across the world, doesn't mean the hard way isn't amazing that it even works, let alone that it still works and we still have access to the bands that let us do it. Even though corporations definitely want to take them.
But still it's ok to not be interested in it 🤷♂️
Oh, the other thing is I live in a very large city. I don’t have room for any antennas so everything has to be ultra portable. Ham radio doesn’t really fit in. Chatting on a local repeater (I don’t even like taking on the phone) isn’t appealing.
I hear what your saying, it’s just not practical for me beyond tinkering….and if I’m going to tinker, I have a world of radio (SDR) that doesn’t have a lot of infrastructure to transmit on….so being a ham does not do much for me.
City living is tough for ham activities, that's fair. I'm in an apartment myself. But I go hiking and bring the radio, set up a hammock and vibe. But that's not for everyone either.
I agree wholeheartedly, local repeaters don't really have much of a place anymore. My buddies and I used to chat on our respective drives to work every day, and home. That was a fun way to keep in touch. But we kind of drifted out of the habit.
You have a transmitting SDR? That's basically a ham radio, which is cool! And also technically illegal to transmit anywhere without a license as it's not type certified. Maybe the ISM bands are ok? I can't remember. Anywho I'm no snitch, just letting you know 🤷♂️
Bottom line I guess is yeah, sometimes it's just not for everyone. And that's ok.
Get them interested in LoRa. Ham radio might follow after that. LoRa is the new ham radio anyways.
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I love the idea of using it, but between getting married, looking for better jobs, and maintaining friendships, I haven't found the time to study for the amateur radio exam, which appears to be considerable.
GMRS is $35 and a license so that I can use a radio with my family, husband, and licensed friends while skiing or mountain biking, making localized communication easy, while the cert process was mostly friction free (looking at you, ancient FCC website and the guides needed to figure out licensing- something less dedicated people forgo, hint hint). The friction for getting ham licensed makes it difficult for young people who don't have much time for additional hobbies.
I do hope it's around when I'm older and (hopefully) have more free time!
I’m not a youth but as an outsider who’s seen a few posts from this community, one thing I feel like you guys could focus on a little more is the typical day to day experience of amateur radio operating. What you’re actually doing and not just the tech/setup stuff. That stuff is interesting but w/o the context of what you do once you’re done setting up your radio would be interesting to see more of as someone who is genuinely interested in getting into the hobby.
As a youth interested in ham, I couldn't agree more. It's been surprisingly difficult to find stuff for beginners who know pretty much nothing. Even having studied for the ham exam, there's still a huge gap between that and the generally available information.
Check out a local club. Literally, check it out. If it is full of arrogant assholes twice your age, leave. If they are cool but you don't fit in, ask them for advice. There are so many retired radio operators who are doing it to stay "in it", or retired engineers who finally have time and so on. Most of them are very happy to info-dump about their hobby.
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Make it affordable isn't a reasonable request...
How about don't trash talk inexpensive equipment. "This $4k radio is what you need, not that Chinese junk." Watch the majority of people will just walk away.
My unused general license is a perfect example. The multiple free HF antennas and free LMR400 run to my free 30' antenna mast I was given didn't even put a dent in offsetting the cost of a radio to use the equipment I have rotting away.
I'll keep my dual band tyt and my 2m Kenwood. If there's an emergency where it is useful, I'll use it.
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Make clubs accessible for younger people again. Lots of clubs became old man's clubs that aren't where kids want to hang out. Clubs are a great way to get access to gear without having to buy it and be able to use it via the club license(s).
I think showing the different types of communications available, including sat coms is helpful. Not everyone wants to ragchew with old men.
Frequently bigoted old men. I'm in a very liberal area, and still, hardly a day goes by where the morning "check in" calls don't take several very problematic detours about trans people or crime statistics or both.
The fuck? It seems I have been lucky. Most people here follow the "don't argue politics" advice.
Ah, so that hasn't changed. I last had contact with hamradio through a friend 25 years ago and it was just what you described. Bigots, racists and otherwise unpleasant men. And it truly was all men. I was interested in this hobby, but why would I pursue this if almost all people you'd talk to were assholes?
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I found the most effective way to get a nerd into ham is: mention that ham radio is in the criteria to become an astronaut. Suddenly they're doing the study courses all on their own. Granted, they have to already be a nerd. ;)
For the non nerds, the prepper angle seems to work with some.
The thing you have to deliver is the "why", not the how. If they've decided they want to learn it, they will.
Give them a reason. I got my license for giggles. It expired because I had no reason to use it or means to get equipment. Honestly if you (whoever cares to push it) can't find niches it complements or fits in.... Why even? You can talk across the planet with <$50 in electronics via used PCs, tablets, raspberryPi, etc... unlicensed and near anonymously.
Plus... Ham Is what? A voice call? Ick. You'd have a better chance at brining back Cybikos.
At the end of the day all you need are dank memes.
I beleive you could send a dank meme to the iss with digital.
🌎🧑🚀🔫👩🚀
This is very one sided. There's SO much more to ham radio than voice.
Maybe the question is "How do we get people to think that ham radio is more than just a voice call?"
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