Around four years ago I became interested in wireless networks because of my background in computer security. To become more familiar with wireless I decided that associating with others that knew more about this so I went about the steps necessary to get Amateur Radio Technician License. By the way, there is no longer a Morse code requirement for this entry level license.
Every year, on the last full weekend of June, Amateur Radio Clubs practice emergency communication by setting up their radio equipment in temporary locations. Running on batteries or generators, they have a contest from Saturday (1800 UTC) until Sunday (2100 UTC) by trying to make as many radio contacts as possible: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/17/3/?nc=1 Field day is a great time to meet people in the Amateur Radio community and find out more. Visiting a Field Day operation you'll be invited to operate ham radio gear under the supervision of an appropriate control operator. The public is invited and always welcome. Computers and the Internet have invaded most aspects of Amateur Radio use. Some examples: APRS: Automatic Position Reporting System (http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/aprs.html or http://www.aprs.net), often uses PC's to communicate locations and radio "Instant Messages". I have this setup in my car (http://www.pasadena.net/projects/auto.htm) and have used this system to send short messages over the air to other mobile users and over the Internet. ISS: The International Space Station has Amateur Radio gear. Ham's on the ground have spoken with astronaut's for years (http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/17/6/?nc=1). In addition the ISS has an APRS system on board. I have used the radio and computer gear in my car to send and receive short messages to/from other hams in other States utilizing the ISS APRS "repeater" (http://www.ariss.net). PSK31: (http://psk31.com and http://home.teleport.com/~nb6z/scrnshot.htm) PSK31 is a form of keyboard-to-keyboard conversation or chat over RF. HSMM: (http://www.arrl.org/hsmm/) The use of 802.11b(g) equipment under Amateur Radio rules. I'll be attending the Pasadena Radio Club Field Day setup tomorrow, Saturday afternoon: http://bassett.net/personal/prcfielddayflyer.shtml I bring my kids and I encourage them to get on the air. A Google search should find several local clubs in your area. Frank ---------------------------------- Wireless Antennas, Cables and Equipment: http://www.wlanparts.com Co-Founder, Southern California Wireless User Group: http://www.socalwug.org IM: Yahoo: wlanparts, AIM: wlanparts, MSN: frank at pasadena.net VOIP: Skype: wlanparts ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70 http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/5AhqlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ******* Wireless LAN Weblog - WLAN Forum http://www.wireless--lan.com/wlanforum.html Wireless LAN Search http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=6750665 Wireless LAN Jobs - WLAN Jobs http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wlanjobs/ Top WLAN Sites http://topsitelists.com/topsites.cgi?ID=1&user=wirelesslan&area=bestsites Wireless LAN Books http://www.stockhelp.net/bluetoothbooks.html If you got this from someone else you can join at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wirelesslan/ or mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wirelesslan/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
