The Breakroom > The Water Cooler
How Many
75Plus:
Darren, I believe most hams, even the inactive ones, will agree that using POI communications, while more reliable, is not quite the same as pulling a conversation out of the ether. As I mentioned in my previous post, the thrill of communicating with a ham in the UK from the actual site that Marconi used in Nova Scotia in 1902, while sitting in my automobile, could never be matched with Skype.
Joe
Darren:
No of course not Joe, it must have been a great thrill.... :)
Something like firing up your first model steam engine ...
But all the same, the internet must have done a lot of damage...........
SKIPRAT:
Hi All
In answer to Darrens post about the damage the internet has done to ham radio! it also has done it quite a bit of good as there is a system called "Echolink" and another system called "IRLP" by using a repeater that is enabled you can talk to the world via the internet .I will try and describe the system imagine you are a handheld or mobile station if you are within range of a repeater you can talk through it and access any other repeater in the world as each repeater has its own node number and is called up by sending a DTMF code which is unique to that repeater so your signal goes through a repeater over the internet and is sent by the repeater at the other end i have talked to somone on a handheld in New Jersy USA through my local repeater using a handheld myself so you see as well as doing some damage to Ham Radio it has also done it some good if you require further information of this system just put Echolink In your search engine and you will get the information.
Cheers Paul
GrahamC:
--- Quote from: 75Plus on November 15, 2009, 08:32:50 PM --- Been a Ham for a little over 25 years but haven't been active for the last five or so. Just an occasional VHF contact. I was an active mobile HF'er. One of my fondest memories was the time I visited the site where Marconi's first trans Atlantic contact was made in 1902. Not actually a contact as it was only the reception of the letter "S". It took four 250 ft. towers and a ton or more copper wire to capture that one letter! There is a small museum on the site.
The site is in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. A fellow Ham and I were able to make contact with a Ham in the UK on 15 meters from my mobile. I was using an Icom 735 at the time.
Making and mounting mobile antennas was my specialty. I will post an example when I find time to take some pictures. The number one consideration was to install the antenna (as well as the transceiver) in such a way that it could be removed and leave no outward sign that they had ever been there.
I am located in the tenth call area of the US which makes my call sign confusing when it is written (N0FNF). Most people take the second character as a letter not a number.
Joe
--- End quote ---
Actually, the first transatlantic message was recieved on Signal Hill in St. John's Newfoundland on Dec 12, 1901. It was only after this that Marconi moved to Glace Bay, built a new facility and the first trans Atlantic communicatons were established in 1902.
http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jcraig/marconi.html
and http://ns1763.ca/marconi100/marconi1.html
Incidentally, Newfoundland at the time was not a part of Canada and became Canada's 10th province in 1949.
cheers, Graham in Ottawa Canada ex VO1QC (late 1970's)
SKIPRAT:
Hi All
About 5 Years ago i visited the Marconi site on this side of the pond at Poldhu cove Cornwall and took this picture of the Marconi memorial up on the clifftop over looking the cove.
Cheers Paul
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[*] Previous page
Go to full version