A Cosmic Dance With the Ionosphere

We all know that amateur radio is something very special. But why? And how is it different from other great hobbies? VA7GI offers some insights.

GUY IMMEGA

The Existential Joy of Amateur Radio Ham radio is the most diverse hobby in the world. No other pastime comes close. Radio amateurs erect experimental antennas, build electronic circuits, chat in Morse code, contact countries all over the globe, participate in radio contests, provide emergency communications, launch radio satellites into space, bounce signals off of the moon, and study sunspots. Hams run the gamut from geeky teenagers to Nobel laureates. But diversity doesn’t explain the unique appeal of ham radio. No creature on Earth can sense radio waves. Animals and plants respond to visible light. Sharks and platypuses detect electric fields. Some birds and foxes can detect the planet’s magnetic field. But radio waves are too weak to be sensed. For millennia, humans dreamed of flying like birds, long before…

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CQ Amateur Radio (Digital) - 1 Issue, July 2023

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