Foundations of Amateur Radio

So, you've got yourself a license, or it's coming but you're waiting for the regulator to get the administration done and for your payment to go through. The excitement is building, you're itching to get started and you've told your family and friends what your new callsign is.

Then the day arrives. Your callsign is allocated, it's paid for and you're allowed to call yourself a licensed radio amateur, a member of the community, a part of history, the next thing in radio.

Now what?

Where do you start on this adventure of a thousand hobbies in one?

The truth is that you already did. Look behind you. You have a license, a callsign and you've found the community, well, at least some of it. How do I know that you found the community? Amateur Radio is a secret, known only to those who bounce into it. That bounce is where you found the community.

Like any community you'll find people you like and people you don't. People who share your interest and people who are doing things that make your head explode.

That said, is there any sage advice that I can share with you on your journey?

I do, but, you're not going to like it. In fact until you've been an amateur for a little while you're possibly even going to hate my advice. I know, hate is a strong word. If it's not all black and white for you, you're going to think I'm chickening out in giving you advice.

Wanna hear it?

Start somewhere, anywhere.

Let me say that again.

Start somewhere, anywhere.

One of the most fundamental aspects of this hobby is that it's driven by your personal exploration, your journey, your imagination and your adventure. It's entirely up to you to decide what you like and what you don't.

I know that there are those who think that advice should come in the form of buying a radio, erecting an antenna and getting on-air. For many that's a journey worth doing. For others that's the beginning of the end of the hobby for them. If you're unsure which of the thousands of activities you'd like to do, since you don't know what they are, I'll tell you a secret.

Neither do we.

Seriously. There are so many things to do in this hobby that not a day goes by that I find a new thing to do and look at. A new toy to play with, or a new adventure to embark on. This morning I realised that the antenna design and build I've been working on represents roughly 600 million different variations. If I did those manually, taking a generous 10 minutes per set-up, I'll be here for nearly 35 years, 8 hours a day, trying another set-up. Clearly my hobby now includes automating antenna modelling.

My point is that there are so many different aspects of life, the universe, and everything that intersect in some way with the hobby of amateur radio that there's bound to be several that you can think of right off the top of your head. You might immediately be dismissing them as foolish, but if we all did that, nothing would ever happen.

If you're looking for ideas, that's a whole different thing. Of course the nearest search engine is a possibility, but I do have to confess, it's a dogs breakfast. Another is to visit your local club and see what others are up to. You could watch YouTube videos or listen to podcasts or read articles. All these are options to get suggestions.

Ultimately, the whole point of this hobby is that you embark on your own adventure, start on your own journey, down your own yellow brick road. If you think what you're proposing intersects with amateur radio, you're right!

That's not to say that there's no benefit to be had from engaging with others, far from it, just that you are the chief architect of your destiny. You're in charge.

So get to it. Go do something, anything. While you're at it, document the adventure. One day you'll be glad you did.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB