This is a good way to learn about Ham Radio, meet some operators, or make some contacts for those that are already licensed. If you check out our local club site (Stillwater Amateur Radio Club ) the current front page shows the special event done back in May.
Another good place to find special events for both attendance and contacts is the ARRL site. No matter how you do it, get involved, have some fun, learn something about the basis for the event being held. It might be historical! – WD0AJG
Every weekend there are special event stations on the air, depending what
they are representing some are on the air for longer than just the week-end!
With all the new Ham Operators that are getting their license, Special Event
Stations are a good way to get their feet wet operating, and also good
experience. Ham operators that have had their license for some time know
that it is a lot of fun, they get to talk to people they usually do not talk
to. They probably even learn a little history or facts that they did not
know before.
Special Event Stations will send you either a card or something usually on
an 8×10 piece of paper that says you have made contact with them on frequency
xxx.xxx, on date mm/dd/yyyy, and at what time and it may also include some
other verbiage. To get this (it documents your connection) you must send
them your QSL card or something with your information, and a self addressed
stamped envelope.
Like I said before, this is very good experience for the new Ham. Some
stations run on multiple frequencies and modes of operation. They publish
in several Amateur Radio magazines a small block of a frequency that they
will operate on and what mode they will operate. One of the reasons that
they say somewhere in this range is that they may have to move up or down a
couple of KHZ to avoid another station, noise, or a net that may be on that
or nearby frequency. Some of the Special Event Stations publish several
different frequencies such as 10, 20, 40, 70/80 meters along with the blocks
of KHZ that the Special Event Station will operate in. The modes can be
upper sideband, lower sideband, or some digital mode. Some have even been
known to operate RTTY and Morse Code!
Amateur Radio Operators have used their contact with these Special Event
Stations for years to hone their radio operating skills. With the flood of
new Amateur Radio Operators coming into this hobby, contact with these
stations will give them a chance to operate on different frequencies, as
well as experience operating in different modes on their new radios.
Dave did not change his call sign from KD4YFL to his current call of KS4LI until he was licensed as Amateur Advanced in 1995. After receiving his Amateur Extra License in 1996 he served with several teams that gave licensing exams from Amateur Novice to Amateur Extra including the Morse code exams that were part of the licensing structure at that time. Dave’s current project is “Amateur Radio Gifts [http://www.amateurradiogifts.com]” at =>[http://www.amateurradiogifts.com]
Author: Dave Glass
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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