Amateur Radio Operators - are you one or do you know of any ?

[WildRosie]

I'm not but I often listen to their conversations (this is legal, BTW) on the 144-146 MHz frequency band. The 'hams' in question seem to talk about little but radio equipment and antennae, as if they are justifying their very existence, IYSWIM. They are also, in my limited experience, exclusively male. I know there are other frequency bands that the amateurs use but I wonder what the fundamental purpose of their community really is, apart from talking about their rigs and Yagis and so on ?

Any ideas ?

"The 'hams' in question seem to talk about little but radio equipment and antennae."

Because that's all their licence allows them to talk about.

UK AMATEUR RADIO LICENCE
Section 2
Terms, conditions and limitations

1. Purpose

1(1) The Licensee shall ensure that the Radio Equipment is only used: (a) for the purpose of self-training in radio communications, including conducting technical investigations; and (b) as a leisure activity and not for commercial purposes of any kind.

Actually, (b) is pretty broad.

I used to know some hams who did something they called "fox-hunting".

The "fox" would go out and hide. Every half hour they would come on the channel, say something short to the others, and then bleep for half a minute. The others had to find them.

When they were finally all met up they went to the pub or the chippy.

Kept them out of the kitchen anyway.

DH is an Amateur Radio Operator and says they talk about all sorts of things, hobbies, holidays, day to day life. You aren’t really meant to make “political” broadcasts, but most other subjects come up.

I'm a radio ham. I took the exam because of a dare. My husband loved amateur radio but kept putting off doing the exam. I persuaded him to enter on the agreement that if he passed I'd take the exam.

Was quite funny, took the exam at a local college, the room was being used for two exams, radio amateur's licence and a hair dressing exam. I was shown to a seat by the invigilator who then got very confused as I wasn't on his list. The penny dropped and I asked him which list he was looking at, obviously it was the hairdressing exam. I ended up sitting with all the old men and surprisingly I passed.

I'm not interested in it but when there is a lift on and people (men) are madly trying to talk to an operator in New York or somewhere I go on and he will come straight back to me. I say hi and then pass him to DH, I'm like some sort of bait. Funny to think you are chatting to a New York cab driver (that has happened) but after a quick chat about where you are and how good the signal is I haven't much more to say.

A few weeks ago, I heard a very disgruntled fellow (A) tearing a strip off another chap (B) because B had started transmitting on a frequency that A was using to talk to someone in Portugal. B couldn't hear our hero in Portugal so likely assumed the frequency was empty and transmitted over him. A was not at all happy - his tone of voice said it all without recourse to expletives. I had no idea some of the amateurs took their hobby so seriously.