Ham Radio Basics--Why Are We Called Hams?--Microphones

Where did the term, Ham Operator come from? Why are we Hams? When does Ham Radio first appear in a publication?

[@tomvanaalst5790]

Hi Jim. I hope you are feeling much better now. I plan to show the first portion of this Video at the course that our club is hosting. I've never seen an explanation for the term "Ham" before. Love it. Keep up the great work. 73 VA3TVA

[@donaldsmith3048]

I have a head set with mic that I used when I was talking flight training. The mic needs voltage to work, I also have some nice GE and Motorola mics I think the GE are dynamic mic but the Motorola are transistor mic that works like a carbon mic. It would not be a problem to make small circuit to put voltage on the mic to get them to work. The flight headset is noise cancelling transistor mic that works like a carbon mic. The padded headset would be nice in some ways. With a foot switch it will work hands free and the mic is always in front of my mouth and it is noise cancelling to to stop background noise. Not sure if it really a good way to go. Some resistor and some capacitors will make what is needed to power the transistor mic. But I am very new, just got my license yesterday. Would like some input about things.

[@icantstop90]

Surprised by how few views this video has, it seems relatively important to a newbie like me.

[@33csmartin]

Great videos! Helped reassure some things, learned a few things, and helped make me more confident and more willing to get out there and active! Thanks!

[@ham-radio]

That's great Steve. I hope you have lots of fun and learn at the same time. 73, Jim

[@drewt.4353]

Had to also watch a video on who telephraphers were first....

[@ham-radio]

Hi,Thank you for writing. I am sending this same response to many. On Tuesday, November 2nd in the morning at 0300 I was taken by ambulance to the local hospital with severe shortness of breath. I had been having a problem breathing for more than a year. A blood test in the Emergency Room showed my D-Dimer score of 12,281. A D-Dimer of over 500 is considered high. I was told that I set a new record in the ER at 12K. My oxygen level was about 82%. A CT scan showed I had a bilateral pulmonary embolism with almost total blockage. I was close to dying. A powerful blood thinningmedication was injected many times over the next several days. I was in the hospital for 5 days. I was sent home Saturday evening. I was on oxygen full time for a few days and mostly at night. I must use a walker. I can only walk a short distance on a level surface. Treatment for the blood clots is 6 months. It will take that long for some of them to go away. While in the hospital many came by to ask me questions about how I was able to live the last few months. I had been to 3 doctors recently and not correctly diagnosed. The outlook is good. I must follow the doctor's orders carefully. I do not feel strong enough to have vistors and don't want to risk infection at this time. My wife is taking excellent care of me. I will beuploading a video about Pulmonary Embolism soon. All of us who sit for a long time are at risk. Again, thanks for your message. 73, Jim W6LG

[@VK2UAL]

Gday Jim, I enjoyed this video very much! Thanks for all the time and work you put into your videos it is greatly appreciated ! 73z Richard vk2ual

[@ham-radio]

Thanks Richard! 73, Jim

[@ham-radio]

@Kevin Faler Hi, It is not plural. It is singular. It was the number of a message. The telegrapher could use numbered messages so he would not have to tie up the lines for long messages. He might send 4, 5 73. Somewhere I have that list from the 1800's. I think there were 150 numbered messages. 73, Jim W6LG

[@demizer1968]

I've always thought that HAM was some sort of abbreviation "Q/Z" type label for amateur operators.

[@3qdx]

That's what I thought too, from 1908.... ( www.rfcafe.com/references/electrical/origin-of-ham.htm )

[@annaabraham5132]

Doing a great job! Anna VE1VR

[@philthompson3499]

Thanks Jim, W6PD, Phil

[@terrulian]

Great research.

[@ham-radio]

Thanks. It was fun to do that. I spend a lot of time with Ancestry.com and have learned a lot about how to research periodicals, etc. Thanks, Jim

[@terrulian]

@@ham-radio Jim, do you know the history of "Roger?" What follows is my version which I believe is right, but please correct me if you know different. BTW I used the HAM bands when circumnavigating in 2001-2003 and will forever be grateful for the wonderful help I got from HAMs around the world. Here you go: If you go cruising you’ll probably want to learn the phonetic alphabet so you can spell your boat name and perhaps your HAM call sign in a way that can be understood in foreign ports. I can still quickly rattle off “kilo-golf-six-echo-uniform-delta,” sometimes involuntarily at inappropriate moments. However, even if you memorize this way of spelling things, you won’t find any “Roger” among the Mikes, Juliets, and Charlies. But this wasn’t always the case. "Roger" is a holdover from the phonetic alphabet used by the Royal Air Force and the US Air Force prior to 1956, at which time he was replaced by "Romeo" to represent the letter “R.” In addition to changing "Roger" to "Romeo,” "Able" was replaced by "Alpha,” "Baker" was replaced by "Bravo," and “Easy” was replaced by “Echo.” There were some additional changes due to fuzzy comprehension by speakers of Texan, Bostonian, Bronxish, Liverpudlian, and other languages, until the alphabet was adopted internationally. The current phonetic alphabet with "Romeo" was adopted by the International Commission for Air Navigation in 1956, by the International Telecommunication Union in 1959, and then by the International Maritime Organization in 1965. During WWII, the phonetic "Roger" was used to indicate R for "Received" in radio usage. Apparently no one wished to change it to "Romeo" after combat ended and the alphabet changed, with the result that what we have today is a small tribute to the Second World War. So when you say “Roger,” remember those heroes of Normandy and Okinawa, the Po Valley, and the Ardennes Forest.

[@ham-radio]

Thanks. Doing that research I learned that my uncle, Lawrence Dillon Heath was in the Battle of the Buldge, I think Normandie and, and, was awarded the Bronze Star. I have no recollection of him speaking about it except for one occasion where he was in a disagreement and made reference to marching across Europe. That generation of soldiers including heroes like my uncle did not brag about their service. If you go to IMDB.com you can find Larry and his brother Bill and their father Frank Southwell Heath. Thanks for the information. 73, Jim

[@terrulian]

@@ham-radio Wow. Quite a movie biz pedigree.

[@BrianZwienerCCN]

Hi jim, love your videos. But why the cheap headphones?

[@ham-radio]

They were not cheap and not inexpensive either. They are just old. They have real speakers and are good for my aging ears. Thanks Brian. 73, Jim

[@BrianZwienerCCN]

Thanks for getting back to me so soon Jim. That Makes sense. My first pair of headphones were those exact same ones I used to listen to music. 73, Brian KF5CCN

[@r1asimon01]

The word “HAM” as applied to 1908 was the station CALL of the first amateur wireless station operated by some amateurs of the Harvard Radio Club. They were ALBERT S. HYMAN, BOB ALMY and POOGIE MURRAY. At first they called their station “HYMAN- ALMY-MURRAY”.

[@ham-radio]

That story is not true. It is fiction. Ham came about the way I describe. Thanks, Jim W6LG

[@marklowe7431]

I've wondered this for 30 years. I'm excited to hear the answer. "Where the hell does that comes from?" Hahaha that's what always thought......

[@DarxusC]

You keep saying you're a communicator not a broadcaster, seeming to imply that a broadcaster would have different needs in a mic. What are the differences?

[@ham-radio]

Hi and thanks, You ask an excellent question. I am not implying. I am saying it as a fact. As ham radio operators, we only need voice frequencies from about 200/300 to about 3000 Hz. A broadcaster need a much wider range to carry music and other information. We "hams" can be heard over greater distances by tayloring our audio response for a peak emphasis roughly between 1500 and 2500 Hz and removing the very lowest frequencies. The microphones we use need to be clean, clear and not have an emphasis on the lower range 0 to 300 Hz. An inexpensive microphone from Amazon like the BM800 for around $20-$40 sounds very good on single sideband suppressed carrier. A broadcaster might spend 20 to 30K just for the mic. Again, thanks for a good question. Regards, Jim Heath

[@DarxusC]

That makes sense, thank you. HF transceivers don't tend to have the ability to cut off frequencies out of that range? I'd been wondering if I could get a mic that would be useful for both ham, and music recording.

[@paulhernandez7797]

Atta boy Jim. Good Job! Paul, W6WA

[@ham-radio]

Thanks Paul. You have some really great pictures of CO2DB on QRZ.com. I saw what looks like a D104. Ham like your father, CO2DB, did amazing things with little resources. If you hear me on 20 meters, please say hello. 73, Jim W6LG

[@paulhernandez7797]

Honestly the Cuba before 1960 was no banana republic. Dad said you could buy anything and have it shipped there. Yes the venerable D-104 was .used in the CO2DB station and I bought one as a boy as well in the late 60's. The ceramic not the crystal cartridge.Worked well with the Drakes.

[@bennydelph987]

Hi Jim. What a pleasure listening to you. Ham Radio............. You know that the Volkswagen Motor vehicle was a goverment request by no less a person than Adolf Hitler. He wanted a motorcar that would be easy for all the ham handed germans to drive. Wonder why the car was not called HAMWAGEN, ... ham handed learner operators not quite proficient in sending CW. Just for the fun, he he he. Regards from South Africa.

[@francescomazzotta2100]

Very nice Microphones !!! 73 IT9FTU

[@Malc664]

HYMAN, ALMY, MURRAY. First amateur radio station.

[@ham-radio]

That is fiction. My video has the correct answer. There never were 3 little hams. 73, Jim

[@stevenlawhon3695]

High Amplitude Modulation H.A.M.

[@ham-radio]

Keep in mind, there was no modulation when ham radio started. Heck, there wasn't CW. Thanks Steven. 73, Jim

[@stevenlawhon3695]

@@ham-radioI found that during my training at Fort Gordon. Class of 73 05c10 RTTY operator.

[@lscsnv27]

you still not say the reason for calling thE radios HAMS

[@TheLarry113]

Hi Jim really like your videos KJ4LCJ Larry