Via Southgate: Ham radio: You never know who’s on the other side

The Puget Sound Repeater Group membership includes a large contingent of Seattle tech workers — engineers, coders, product designers and more — who share a common preoccupation: Obsessive tinkering with science and technology

Geek Wire reports:

When was the last time a total stranger, or even an acquaintance, gave you three minutes — three whole minutes — to share whatever was on your mind?

In the age of social media, we all have bigger and more powerful megaphones than ever. But attention spans are shorter than ever, and the reality is our friends, family and colleagues are likely to doomscroll right past what we’ve shared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — especially if it’s a read that takes three minutes or more.

Yet, a group of Puget Sound-area amateur radio enthusiasts are finding a way to be heard — and taking the time to hear each other

Each day, the Puget Sound Repeater Group, an organization of local ham radio enthusiasts that celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, take to the airwaves for three broadcasts, known as “nets” — once at 9 a.m., again at noon and again at 9 p.m.

The chats can include more than 50 people. Most are from the Seattle area, but voices can appear from as far away as Europe, South America and Australia.

Late-night hours are perfect for reaching other radio users on far-off continents because the ionosphere’s composition changes when it’s untouched by the sun’s energy. Under these conditions, short-wave and AM radio signals are endowed with strength they wouldn’t have in the daylight and can reach thousands of miles.

“At night it really opens up and you get to talk around the world,” Caudron said, adding that he recently connected with a man who had spent decades “building a nice little radio station” in Japan, not far from Mount Fuji.

“It sounded very peaceful,” Caudron said. “You never know who’s on the other side.”

Read the full Geek Wire story at
https://www.geekwire.com/2022/you-never-know-whos-on-the-other-side-amateur-radio-enthusiasts-use-old-school-tech-to-connect/

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