re: Does anyone still use ham radios?

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What exactly IS a HAM radio?

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I believe it's a short wave radio that can send as well as receive

I know David Letterman was still into it w/in the last 10-15 years. And, many years ago, Marlon Brando would sometimes hold conversations with people in a honking Fargo accent and tell them he was a truck driver from Nebraska.

Pre-internet, it was a way for celebs to communicate anonymously.

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What exactly IS a HAM radio?

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Its a hobby centered around radio. It can be people that work in emergencies to get messages into and out of disasters (Katrina, earthquakes, etc). It can be people who just enjoy talking to each other over the radio (like the internet). It can be contesting where everyone involved attempts to make as many conversations with each other in a certain amount of time (there was even an "Olympics" sort of event where they had participants from countries all over the world competing against each other).

It uses voice (talking), morse code (very efficient) digital modes, television modes, satellite communications, high speed, slow speed, etc.

Ask away, more than happy to answer any questions.

And yes, it is full of geeks who are smart as heck and dumbasses and stinky antisocial old farts.