Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!brl-tgr!ron
From: ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>)
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: Re: Amateur.vs_CB
Message-ID: <6005@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 21-Nov-84 14:17:57 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.6005
Posted: Wed Nov 21 14:17:57 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 23-Nov-84 07:36:44 EST
References: <176@isosvax.UUCP>
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
Lines: 20

> 
>     AMATEUR RADIO,  ON THE  OTHER HAND,  IS QUITE  DIFFERENT.   AMATEUR RADIO
> OPERATORS, SOMETIMES  REFERRED TO AS  "HAMS," MUST TAKE  FOUR DIFFERENT TESTS
> ADMINISTERED BY  THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION.   THESE TESTS CONSIST
> OF MORSE  CODE, SENDING AND RECEIVING, ELECTRONIC  THEORY ON HOW THEIR RADIOS
> AND  ANTENNAS WORK, RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND  MATH.  AFTER PASSING ALL FOUR
> OF THESE TEST, HAMS ARE THEN ISSUED A LICENSE AND CALL SIGN.
> 
My first HAM ticket didn't have any MATH test and my later ticket didn't
involve Morse code sending (only a multiple choice receiving test).


>     MOST HAM RADIO OPERATORS BUILD  THEIR  OWN  EQUIPMENT  OR  RESURRECT  OLD
> SURPLUS JUNK.   THERE IS LOTS OF EXPERIMENTAL  RADIO WORK BEING DONE BY HAMS,
> SINCE MOST  OF  THEM  ARE  ELECTRONICALLY  TECHINCAL  PEOPLE  BY  PROFESSION.
> MARCONI, THE INVENTER OF THE "WIRELESS" (RADIO), WAS HIMSELF AN AMATEUR RADIO
> OPERATOR AND EXPERIMENTER.
> 
With the advent of cheap Japanese rigs, a lot of the homebrew and commercial
retrofit is disappearing, Sigh.