Full disclosure: ham radio isn’t for everyone, and there are many different facets to it. What appeals to one person might bore another to death. One area of ham radio that has changed a lot …
Then you switch to someone else. Also its not just about talking. You can track a number of things: sensor readings, track satellites, airplanes, boats, etc…
What is the practical application of tracking stuff, like are you guys literally just telling each other where stuff is or what does an average tracking session look like?
Edit: I’m very interested in the idea of amateur radio operating, but I guess I’m trying to picture what it would be like practically and wondering if that’s something I’d be into, you know?
tracking is mostly done via software. the airplane, satellite, boat, etc will have some way of transmitting data (lat/long, speed, weather data…) and a receiving station (for instance, a computer a ham operator controls) will pick up that transmission and usually post it somewhere. An example would be something like APRS
Ham operators themselves can track in a way. When you are communicating with another ham, you will usually give your callsign, location, other pertinent info, and then you can log/record that you talked to someone from a certain area.
Sometimes, in times of disaster or something like that, ham radio operators can keep the flow of information in and out going when Internet or phone communication lines are down.
Other than that, it’s mostly just experimentation and trying to push the envelope of wireless communications. People flex on each other by making contacts further and further away, and as the other person said, doing cool shit like talking to the ISS.
Then you switch to someone else. Also its not just about talking. You can track a number of things: sensor readings, track satellites, airplanes, boats, etc…
What is the practical application of tracking stuff, like are you guys literally just telling each other where stuff is or what does an average tracking session look like?
Edit: I’m very interested in the idea of amateur radio operating, but I guess I’m trying to picture what it would be like practically and wondering if that’s something I’d be into, you know?
tracking is mostly done via software. the airplane, satellite, boat, etc will have some way of transmitting data (lat/long, speed, weather data…) and a receiving station (for instance, a computer a ham operator controls) will pick up that transmission and usually post it somewhere. An example would be something like APRS
Ham operators themselves can track in a way. When you are communicating with another ham, you will usually give your callsign, location, other pertinent info, and then you can log/record that you talked to someone from a certain area.
Sometimes, in times of disaster or something like that, ham radio operators can keep the flow of information in and out going when Internet or phone communication lines are down.
Other than that, it’s mostly just experimentation and trying to push the envelope of wireless communications. People flex on each other by making contacts further and further away, and as the other person said, doing cool shit like talking to the ISS.