WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.839 Amateur radio. I mean, is that what truckers use to spot bears on their six? 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:12.240 Not quite. Most truckers actually use Citizens Band or CB radio, an unlicensed 00:00:10.559 --> 00:00:17.680 set of channels set aside for use by the general public. Amateur Radio, also 00:00:14.639 --> 00:00:20.160 known as ham radio, is a non-commercial 00:00:17.680 --> 00:00:26.000 but licensed radio service which uses allocated frequencies that aren't being 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:28.480 used by things like AM and FM to allow 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:33.040 radio enthusiasts to provide emergency communications, improve their technical 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:37.440 skills, and enhance international goodwill by having discussions across 00:00:35.360 --> 00:00:41.600 country borders about national snack foods or whatever the case may be. Now, 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:46.640 you may be wondering then, why is amateur radio still relevant when I can 00:00:43.680 --> 00:00:50.879 just go on my computer and talk or play games with my friend across the border 00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:57.199 like that? Well, believe it or not, even in 2016, there are over 700,000 00:00:54.800 --> 00:01:04.080 licensed ham radio operators in the United States, over 1.2 million in 00:01:00.800 --> 00:01:06.479 Japan, and an estimated combined 3 00:01:04.080 --> 00:01:12.159 million worldwide. And part of the reason there's still a vibrant amateur 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:14.080 radio community is due to its simplicity 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:19.680 compared to things like the internet. Ham radio relies on no pre-established 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:23.920 communication grids and a simple radio can be made out of spare electronic 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:28.720 parts in a pinch. Not to mention that ham radio can be quite reliable compared 00:01:26.880 --> 00:01:33.600 to some more modern forms of communication in times of crisis. For 00:01:31.520 --> 00:01:39.200 example, during the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, cell phone service 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:41.439 was overloaded and utterly crippled. So, 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:45.759 amateur radio operators helped victims contact their families and provided 00:01:43.600 --> 00:01:49.840 communications for emergency personnel participating in search and rescue 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:54.799 operations. And while emergency communications is normally cited as a 00:01:52.560 --> 00:02:01.119 primary reason for amateur radio, it's not by any means the only aspect of the 00:01:57.520 --> 00:02:03.280 hobby. There are radio sport contests 00:02:01.119 --> 00:02:08.160 where operators try to contact as many people as possible during a certain 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:11.680 period of time. Um, some operators enjoy 00:02:08.160 --> 00:02:13.040 making a game out of making contacts 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:19.520 which they'll use to get different awards such as, you know, worked all US 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:21.200 states or worked all continents. And if 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:25.920 you operate on the high frequency spectrum in combination with a computer, 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:30.800 you can actually send digital signals including data packets. Amateur radio 00:02:28.640 --> 00:02:35.200 has even found uses well above the Earth as astronauts aboard the International 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:40.560 Space Station are ham radio operators and occasionally use it to make contact 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:45.840 or send pictures. Other operators have moon bounce or EM and meteor scatter 00:02:43.920 --> 00:02:52.319 setups where they bounce signals off the moon and meteors to make contacts around 00:02:48.959 --> 00:02:55.440 the world repurposing space rocks as 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:57.360 satellites. Cool, right? I mean, not to 00:02:55.440 --> 00:03:00.800 everyone, but to some people for sure. But whether you're sending signals into 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:05.519 outer space or just talking to someone down the street, the point is there's a 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:09.680 great deal of flexibility and fun in the ham radio hobby. And it can be, I mean, 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:14.400 like anything, it can get expensive, but it can be done quite affordably. Many 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:18.879 operators are running DIY setups consisting of Arduinos, Raspberry Pies, 00:03:16.720 --> 00:03:23.280 and other microcontrollers. These can be utilized to build GPS trackers which are 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:27.280 placed in their cars or even high altitude balloons to transmit their 00:03:25.200 --> 00:03:31.920 location through amateur radio. You can even rig up a ham to extend the range of 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:36.720 a drone if you find that your Wi-Fi connection just isn't powerful enough. 00:03:34.799 --> 00:03:40.000 So, if any of this sounds intriguing and you're already sitting there coming up 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:44.239 with ways you would use an amateur radio license, getting a license is actually 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:48.480 relatively easy depending on which country you live in. So being in charge 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:52.879 of your own little radio station sounds appealing. Check it out. Just make sure 00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:57.680 that you do have your license first as you don't want a dark suited Gman at 00:03:56.159 --> 00:04:03.040 your door because you are making, you know, pirate radio broadcasts about how 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:07.680 much your ISP is ripping you off. Speaking of ISPs, don't you hate it when 00:04:05.760 --> 00:04:12.400 your ISP is snooping on what you're doing on the internet? Well, Tunnel 00:04:09.920 --> 00:04:16.799 BearVPN lets you encrypt your connection and while you're at it, tunnel your 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:21.199 connection in one of 20 different countries, allowing you to keep the 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:25.759 internet sites that you visit and the online services that you use private 00:04:23.520 --> 00:04:30.479 from your internet provider, as well as the aforementioned websites and 00:04:27.840 --> 00:04:35.360 services. They have easy to use apps for iOS, Android, PC, and Mac. 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