Derek's Ham Radio Page
I have been licensed for a few decades as
a ham radio operator, first with a license in Canada (VE3 land), and
more recently with an Amateur Extra license in the U.S. What I like
about ham radio is that it combines technical knowledge with
conviviality. In her 1989
Massey Lectures on technology, Ursula Franklin suggested that ham
radio is "personal, reciprocal, direct... It is a dependable and
resilient source of genuine communication."
On the right is an image of me visiting Signal
Hill where trans-oceanic radio communications had their beginning. I
have always had a fondness for radio technology, and as a teenager
became a ham radio operator. I have written about my attraction to ham radio as a hobby,
describing how it started as a hobby and led to a vocation.
I recently appeared on “Ham Radio Perspectives” to discuss how AI (Artificial Intelligence) may impact Ham Radio:
My Station
I like to work voice on the shortwave bands such as the 20, 40, and 80 meter HF bands using an off-center fed dipole antenna and a homemade end fed antenna strung up in my back yard. I also work various HF digital modes, including JS8Call, FT8, FT4, WSPR, (initially using a homemade interface but more recently using a direct USB connection to an IC-7300 radio). My station computer is a Raspberry Pi running various open source programs for amateur radio.
My current shack setup: IC-7300 HF rig, auto
tuner, and Raspberry Pi
My Antennas
Antennas are a critical part of an effective ham radio station. I have used modest wire antennas for shortwave contacts. These antennas are not only of modest cost, but are more discrete, blending into the foliage of my yard. I have built my own endfed antenna, but mostly I have been using an off-center-fed dipole as of late.
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| Homemade matching transformer | G5RV junior antenna |
Some of my previous rigs
My first HF transmitter was a "home-brew" 80m CW rig using a single 815 (dual pentode) tube. It was built on a piece of wood with point-to-point wiring, a hand-wound output transformer, and an air-variable capacitor. It was originally fed by a home-made crystal oscillator (I actually used a colorburst crystal), but later moved up to an old external VFO someone lent me. A picture of that first rig and some former rigs I have owned are shown below.
 My first rig: an 80m "home-brew" transmitter |
 My second rig: an IC-735 |
 An IC-2100 VHF Mobile Rig I used to own |
 My third rig: an IC-718 HF Rig |
Open Source Software for Hams
There is a wide variety of open source software available for hams, and I have created some of my own. In particular, I wrote JTmap, a program that listens to packets sent by WSJT-X, queries online databases to retrieve the call and QTH information, and displays a friendly map with information after each contact is confirmed (alas, this project has not been actively maintained). I also make use of various other open source programs for amateur radio running on a Raspberry Pi.
Digital Modes
One nifty aspect of ham radio is the ability to experiment with all kinds of different transmission modes. Over the years, a plethora of digital modes have arisen for HF. Below are some of the modes I have tinkered with on my Raspberry Pi (yielding me a QSL card from the famous W1AW radio station).
A "Waterfall" plot showing some FT8 signals on
HF
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| fldigi running on a Raspberry Pi decoding a PSK31 signal | W1AW QSL card for FT8 contact |
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| MMDVM on Raspberry Pi Zero | VHF/UHF HT with digital mode capability |
About the Hobby
Amateur radio operators are involved in many public
service activites, from severe weather
monitoring to assisting with emergency communications in a time
of crisis.
Amateur radio operators also organize local clubs, launch experimental satellites, and organize events like “hamfests” and field day (the photo on the left is one of me during the 2020 field day).
To find out more about the fascinating world of Amateur Radio, visit this ARRL site which introduces the hobby.