About this episode
Foundations of Amateur Radio
Every single radio amateur has come to this hobby with an itch to scratch. Time and again I've seen amateurs around me pursue that particular purpose, only to come out the other end with a look of bewilderment writ large across their face. For some amateurs it means the end of their involvement in the hobby, for others it starts a new journey into the unknown.
One of the ways we explore our community is by travelling out of our shack into the big outdoors in whatever form that takes. Popular activities include setting up a radio in a location and talking to others, known colloquially as an "activation". We do this all over the planet. Perhaps the most recognisable of these is IOTA, or Islands On The Air, where a station is erected on an island and contacts are made. As amateurs we cannot help ourselves and seem to have an insatiable need to measure our prowess. We do this by counting how many contacts, callsigns, countries, grid-squares, or in this case, islands, we've managed to put in the log.
If an island represents a new callsign, a new country, and a new grid-square, the contact making will turn into a feeding frenzy that can last for days, especially if the station offers multiple bands and modes, making the effort all the more tempting.
We don't stop with islands. Summits, with Summits On The Air or SOTA are popular, as are Parks, POTA, and even over a weekend, the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, or ILLW.
Some of these activations follow rules set out by amateurs like you and I, who thought it would be fun to track such activations and encourage others to participate. For example IOTA World publishes a four page document outlining what's required for those on the island, activators, and those trying to make contact, or chasers. This raises an important point. Rules require documentation, which leads to discussion and disagreement, and versions. I can show you two versions of the IOTA World rules, neither is dated, of course both are different, so if you're going to publish rules, make sure you add a date or version, preferably both, to the rules document.
Disagreements aside, sometimes there are multiple programs with the same name or aims. Two groups came up with the same idea and didn't know about each other, or, a group in a different country wanted to run the show in a different way and a new group was formed.
I'm mentioning this because sometimes these groups are antagonistic towards each other and have forgotten that the whole point of this is to have fun.
So, what else can we activate?
Well, there's Castles and Stately Homes, Bunkers, Beaches, Museums, Walmart Parking Lots and even Toilets On The Air, mind you, Slow Scan Television, or SSTV is discouraged as a mode.
The other day the power was off for maintenance in my street and I planned on escaping to the local library, which caused me to search for libraries across Perth. It seems there's pretty
