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Ham radio, I had no idea persons still did that! Didn’t that fade into the sunset like the CB fad? Recently I decisive to pursue my technician’s license to aid out in case of emergencies and boy am I receiving an education. Ham radio operators from around the world are filling the radio waves with conversations for fun and to support out in emergencies when communications have been other than as supposed or expected compromised.
The community in which I live, here is southern California, is very conscious when it comes to the ever-present threat of the “big one” hitting us at any time. Constantly reminded that we are over due for the big world quake that could effortlessly wreck mayhem on all our ordinary forms of communication, IE: cell phones and land lines, we are encouraged to become licensed ham radio operators.
As I have begun studying for the technician class ham radio operator license, I was astonished to discover that volunteer ham’s went to Haiti for various weeks to aid after their huge earthquake. They also went in after Katrina hit the gulf states to help. On the fun side of things they talk with each other throughout town or on the other side of the world, even out of this world, they now and then talk with astronauts up in the International Space Station. And even altho Morse Code is no longer required to become licensed, there are frequencies reserved for those who like those dots and dashes.
There are a lot of books available to help you grasp the subject matter and study for the test, they even try to make it fun. Early this morning, when I couldn’t sleep, I did a search on Facebook for ham radio and I couldn’t even look at all of them there were so many! I’m excessively affected emotionally to be learning something new, something that will concede me to be of service to my community in case of a disaster and something that I know will give me hours of fascination, listening to what is happening far far away and in the end talking too.
Hello World Life Ham Radio
To an outsider, the world of ham radio is one of basement transmitters, clunky microphones, Morse code, and crackly, perchance clandestine, global communications, a world both mysterious and geeky. But the real story is a lot more interesting: indeed, there are more than two million operators worldwide, including people like Walter Cronkite and Priscilla Presley. Gandhi had a ham radio, as do Marlon Brando and Juan Carlos, king of Spain.
Hello World takes us on a seventy-year odyssey through the world of ham radio. From 1927 until his death in 2001, operator Jerry Powell transmitted radio signals from his bedroom in Hackensack, New Jersey, touring the world s most remote locatings and communicating with humans from Greenland to occupied Japan. Once he made contact with a fellow ham operator, he interchanged postcards known as QSLs cards with them. For seven decades, Powell accumulated hundreds of these cards, documenting his arousing and attention holding career in novice radio and supplying a dazzling graphic inventory of humans and places far flung.
This book is both an introduction to the arousing and attention holding world of ham and a visual feast for any person fascinated in the universal language of graphic design.
Review”A beautifully designed love letter to…the critical but unsung role radio hams have played in service to our country.” — Amy Fusselman, author of The Pharmacist’s Mate
“Danny Gregory and Paul Sahre broadcast a life in ham radio in HELLO WORLD.” — Vanity Fair, April 2003
“Excellent! An intriguing story that’s ultimately been told.” — Jim Haynie, W5JBP, ARRL President
“[In the HAM radio world] identifying yourself is mandatory… Now that’s an totally dissimilar kind of network protocol.” — Wired, April 2003
About the AuthorDanny Gregory lives in New York City.
Paul Sahre is essential of his own design firm. He lives in New York City.
Hello World Life Ham Radio Image
Hello World Life Ham Radio Picture
Hello World Life Ham Radio Picture
Hello World Life Ham Radio Picture
Talking to the World
With the rise of “personal” electronics–think Internet, tiny cell phones & other wireless connection tools–the world of ham radio seems to have been passed by, forgotten, or other than as supposed or expected relegated to the basement, or worse. But this sideline holds on, arousing and attention holding & attracting those wanting more, a good deal of means of talking, chatting, meeting & interacting with the world at-large. Who want something besides giant corporations (ultimately concerned only with P&L)& sometime foolish can-you-hear-me-now keyboard manipulations. Something beyond the anonymous nature of what we call mercantile radio.
Hams, by & large, stay a curious lot–curious when it comes to how & why radio works. And curious because how is it possible to sit in your room & talk with someone else halfway around the world, without wires or other connections? Curious when it comes to the nature of communicating itself, in regards to who might be on “the other end” of that circuit. And curious with regards to who & what they might be & do. The routine occurs thousands of times, day & night, spanning everything, from continents to cultures to countries to crazy dreams & ideas. There’s a romance to it, listening to signals that are all around us, unseen or felt, until we hook up a radio & observe them. Ham radio lets you put your own message out there, into that vast ethereal space, seeking something only you know about, something only you want.
“Hello World” introduces readers to numerous of that romance, to numerous of what kept Jerry Powell (whose collection of QSL cards form the basis of the work) doing it for 70 years. To galore of what fascinated him, & proceeds to fascinate millions of others around the world. It’s a graphical treat, & a rare look into radio from the amateur’s point of view. Hopefully, a heap of youngster, somewhere, will see it, & want to learn more–about radio, the world, & communication with it thru radio.
And Jerry Powell’s bequest will live on…and on….
N2GJ gives it 2 thumbs up!
First of all, if you’re a radio novice already:
RUN, don’t WALK, to your nearest bookseller, and BUY THIS BOOK! (In fact, I got mine from AMAZON!)
If you’re not, it’s OK to walk to your bookseller and BUY THIS BOOK!
In truth, I have only started out to read the book — an effort that will take me “forever” because of the richness of the fabric these guys have woven. It’s fun, it’s educational, and veritably beautiful; in short, it’s a work of art! I agree with the reader/reviewer who suggested a “true” coffee table edition in hardback! I’d surely get in line to buy one….
It’s loaded with wondrous touches: the timeline at the bottom of each page that puts the reader in touch with world events while following, chronologically, Jerry’s life; the colorful glossary of ham radio jargon/terminology; the wondrous fold-out centerfold map that shows the emplacement of each person whose postcard (QSL) is depicted; and the finish listing of all 369 cards on the back inside cover pages. You may tell a graphic architect played a key role in this project!
With a built-in audience of at least 2.5 million radio novice aficionados world-wide (how ’bout a Japanese translation for the 1 million + hams in JA-land?!) this book ought to be a hit. Hey, I may think of at least 675,000 coffee tables in America where “Hello World” must be displayed and loved.
Dan and Paul: thanks for creating this…and for joining us in “the biggest sparetime activity on world that almost no one knows about!” Best 73,
GJ
P.S. We’ve added Jerry and the writers to our Famous Hams web site. All three of these guys are welcome additions!
Hello world nice to meet you.
I was perfectly incognizant of the ham radio community before reading “Hello World”. After devouring the book upon it’s arrival, I am now wholly enamored with both the hams and “Hello World”. The book teems with lush images and interesting factoids that let me in on an intriguing and lovable culture.
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