Hams do say "over" and "over and out." I don't believe I've ever heard one use "good buddy" on the air, though. And we say "break" rather than "breaker, breaker" -- when you're interrupting a conversation it needs to be short.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Oh, is that what "breaker, breaker" means? Huh.
What do you generally do as a ham radio operator? Sit there and try to get in touch with people? Listen in on conversations? Just keep your equipment in shape in case of emergency?
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I got my license because of the 1992 earthquake, which knocked out power and phone lines in much of the San Fernando Valley. Hams were asked to volunteer at locations throughout the area. (There was one main dispatch location, IIRC.) My then-spouse, who was already a ham, was assigned to a small hospital. They had no power, and NO PHONES. They needed to coordinate getting patients elsewhere, getting supplies, etc. Other hams were assigned to other hospitals, to police and fire stations and I don't know where all else.
Providing volunteer emergency services is a big part of why most hams I know have licenses. (I used to be a member of a local group affiliated with the Beverly Hills PD, for instance.) It's also a fun hobby, and a way to talk to people around the world. Before cell phones were so cheap, it was also a great way to talk to someone who was in the car or wherever. (Not private, but that just meant sometimes you got to talk to other people on the drive home, instead of just your spouse. )
And it's fun for kids. My thirteen-year-old got her license about a year ago.
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Z? What is this Z? I only have a 25-letter alphabet (or an 18-letter alphabet depending on the language).
Posts: 44 | Registered: Nov 2006
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I got my license in high school, for two reasons. First, my dad was big into it; second, they had scholarships. I suppose I'll have to renew it sometime soon.
I've used it once - to talk with my father.
Kilo Bravo Nine Whiskey Zulu Yankee, signing off.
Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Carrie: I suppose I'll have to renew it sometime soon.
Not until 2010, looks like. Licenses are good for 10 years, and then there's a year or two in which you can renew without penalty before you have to start from scratch.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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