I recently spoke with David Sumner
(K1ZZ), the CEO of the Amateur Radio
Relay League (ARRL), at the Dayton
Hamvention, the big ham conference
held every year in Dayton, Ohio. If you’re
a ham, you know about the ARRL, which supports
and promotes amateur radio.
The organization is the ham’s interface with
the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), and it lobbies for spectrum and other
rights and benefits. It publishes the monthly
magazine QST as well as the highly technical
QEX magazine, in addition to The ARRL
Handbook for Radio Communications and
dozens of other ham-related books. The ARRL,
around since 1914, now is more than 175,000
members strong and has become a major force
in the hobby.
According to Sumner, there are about 3
million hams worldwide, but that number
varies depending on how the different countries
count the various operator and station
licenses. There are roughly 680,000 hams in
the U.S. and approximately 500,000 in Japan.
In general, the ham population is growing.
Recently, in the U.S., the FCC ended the
requirement for passing a code test to get a
license. Learning and mastering Morse code has
always been the most challenging part of getting
a ham license. Over the years, the FCC reduced
the code speed requirement, making it easier,
but that stumbling block still kept many away.
Dropping the code requirement in 2007 resulted
in a spurt of new licenses. While a ham can still
operate CW, no code test is needed. Most hams
use voice communications anyway.
Sumner also indicated that there may be a
lull in operation these days, since the spectrum
used by hams is now under the influence of
the dreaded 11-year sunspot cycle. Sunspots
produce radiation that blankets major portions
of the high-frequeny spectrum with noise,
making communications more difficult. It will
diminish shortly, though, creating a much
more welcoming ham band.
Another spectrum issue is the overlap of
some ham bands with the proliferation of unlicensed
wireless devices over the past decade,
including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other industrial-
scientific-medical (ISM) devices. That means
more interference to contend with. And speaking
of interference, the ARRL was instrumental
in influencing the FCC to change and improve
the rules governing broadband over powerline
(BPL) systems.
These systems transmit high-speed data
over ac powerlines to offer broadband Internet
service in competition with cable and DSL. The
initial results produced massive radiation from
the powerlines that interfered with ham radio
operation as well as shortwave-listener (SWL)
reception. Thanks to ARRL’s Ed Hare, the
electrical utilities have reduced and continue to
deal with the interference problem.
Another big effort is the ARRL’s new Emergency
Preparedness and Response training
program. The amateur radio community has
always been a major factor in providing communications
in hurricane, earthquake, flood,
and other disaster situations. It can do more,
but better organization and training are needed
these days to coordinate with the many other
local and national emergency prep services,
like FEMA and the Department of Homeland
Security. The ARRL now has a new manager
assigned to this need.
Sumner also noted a growing interest in the
digital transmission modes. A good example
is PSK31, which uses a very low-speed binary
phase-shift keying (BPSK) signal to transmit
data in very narrow channels on the existing
ham bands. Instead of a hand key, you use a
PC to send and receive messages at low speed.
Hams can experiment with dozens of different
digital modes.
Amateur satellite communications efforts are
also on the rise. It’s easier than ever to transmit
and receive through satellites in low earth orbit
designed and built by hams. The Radio Amateur
Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) designs
and launches satellites. You can see the group’s
work at www.amsat.org. And, of course, the
SDR effort is growing—the ARRL now has an
SDR working group.
Overall, the amateur radio hobby is healthy
and spreading. As Sumner pointed out, ham
radio is still a major source of RF and wireless
knowledge and experience. RF communications
engineers and techs are always in short
supply, but hams are a great starting point. The
hobby also provides a fantastic way for younger
people to learn about radio and electronics
and can ultimately lead to lucrative employment
in the field.
For more details about the AARL, check out
the group’s extensive Web site and additional
resources online at www.arrl.org.