Thank a Ham Radio Operator; They Provide a Valuable Service in Emergencies:

In a burst of brilliance in 1864, James Maxwell theorized that electromagnetic wave (radio and light) could travel through free space without the mythical ether or quintessence. A few years later, Heinric Rudolf Hertz (the unit of cycles per second is named for him) was able to prove electromagnetic wave could propagate through free space, which confirmed Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism. In fact, for many years, radio waves were called Hertzian waves. Radio is derived from the word radiation, or to radiate. You see, the electromagnetic spectrum contains radio waves, microwave, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and Gamma rays. These are all forms of electromagnetic radiation. Waldo Warren coined the word "radio," and it was adopted by the United States Navy in 1912. These waves travel in interesting ways across our sky, in outer space and even into the earth and oceans. Today, the majority of radio-wave devices operate by line of sight, which means the radio waves propagate in a straight line between the transmitter and receiver, such as broadcast TV, cell phones, walkie-talkies, wireless networks, telecommunications microwave links and even satellites. Other radio frequencies, like your AM (amplitude modulation) radio band, can bend over obstacles like hills and journey well beyond the horizon. Your FM (frequency modulation) radio band tends to be more line of sight due to its shorter wave length. Since the early 1900s, no other group has made a greater contribution to radio communications than our treasured amateur or ham radio operators. Even though they are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), they are called amateur radio operators because the FCC has set aside certain non-commercial radio frequencies for their utilization. Consequently, they are not allowed to accept any payment for their services. They are just as innovative today as they were 100 years ago. One local group, the Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club, is primarily made of up of electrical engineering students and faculty at Cal Poly. Amateur radio operators have a distinguished history of public service as well as emergency communications. Tom Tengdin is the President of San Luis Obispo County Emergency Communications Council (SLOECC), a ham radio operator (WB9VXY) and a Senior Telecom Specialist with PG and E. He told me that their motto is "When all else fails, ham radio."

from Ham Radio Times http://ift.tt/2wlGF1u
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