Teiscofan
Joined: Feb 21, 2011
Posts: 513
Ontario
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Posted on May 24 2015 07:35 AM
How many of you are Ham radio enthusiasts. Just curious as I read the posts a couple of members have casually mentioned it. This led me to wonder how many are lurking behind their Fender reverb units playing radio when not banging out surf tunes.
I am a licensed amateur and guitar enthusiast.
73's
— I am not obsolete, I am RETRO....
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Gilette
Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
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Posted on May 24 2015 09:28 AM
I was trained a radio officer in international shipping, but I must say I haven't seen a radio set in years. The technical knowledge has always been a great help in repairing amps.
The only thing I have been active in all these years is listening the shortwave bands for exotic stations. But since most transmitters have been decommissioned I lost interest. QRX?
Frank
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Teiscofan
Joined: Feb 21, 2011
Posts: 513
Ontario
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Posted on May 24 2015 09:41 AM
QSL, I too have found the electronic knowledge very helpfull in trouble shooting guitar projects.
With the downslide of the sunspot cycle alot of the "exotic traffic is gone. 2 months ago Europe was parked in my driveway.....lol. Right now all I hear is static.
Anyone else want to junp in on this inquiry?
— I am not obsolete, I am RETRO....
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Gilette
Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
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Posted on May 24 2015 03:41 PM
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
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Posted on May 24 2015 03:54 PM
I'll play. Got interested in radio carrying Uncle's 30-lb tick on my back. Off/on through a career dabbled when at a base that ran a MARS station until that program largely went the way of the Plesiosaur. Got civ-licensed in 2010. Still do some Morse and a little digital & voice, the first two requiring little bandwidth & working when the atmospherics are in the toilet, either from the Sun being the trashy part of its 11-year cycle, or when Mother Earth is having a hot flash.
That background has come in handy ruling out RF issues from time to time. Many of the shortwave broadcasts of years past are gone; resource & priority issues I suppose. It is interesting from time to time to make contact with someone OCONUS and get their perceptions of the US, or the ground-truth of something in their country that sounds different from what comes out when our own media opens their mouth.
Now that the Tribune Corp has farmed out most of the televised Cubs' games to a variety of trendy stations that most mortals don't receive, I can still catch every game on AM via that nice long wire out the back of the house. I just detune it at the desk from its normal HF duties; works slick, hears like a stethoscope.
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4428
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Dec 12 2017 09:12 PM
FWIW, I’m licensed but haven’t operated for years. Someday, perhaps when I retire, I might consider a bit of CW.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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drumsdick
Joined: May 29, 2007
Posts: 224
Central CT, USA
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Posted on Dec 13 2017 06:44 PM
I'm not a "ham" in this context, - but I do volunteer with Emergency Operations Teams at work and in my community. There appears to be some interest in your vanishing skills to assist communications in the event the internet and cellular networks go down.
— *Dick B.
The Aquatudes
http://www.aquatudes.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Aquatudes/107419619521
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ElMonstroPorFavor
Joined: Sep 01, 2006
Posts: 2718
New Orleans, LA
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Posted on Dec 14 2017 07:53 AM
I'm licensed but never used it and forgot everything.
— Storm Surge of Reverb: Surf & Instro Radio
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