Ham radio was one of the original technical hobbies. From those who came back from the great wars, whom had been radio operators, they hadn’t wanted to give up that hobby. Thanks to those pioneers ham radio as a hobby was born.
Ham radio may seem like an odd hobby for someone that spends all their day surrounded by computers, but it can be humbling and exciting. The skill set is different between operating a radio and configuring a computer. There is no simple way to solve the problems of a radio, just like in advanced IT work. The similarities are many, but the differences make it novel and enjoyable.
There are a few different setups used in my personal operating. First is the main home station, running a small computer connected to a Kenwood TS-570G HF transceiver and a manual/automatic tuner dual setup with an end-fed wire for operating the high bands, and a Kenwood 7900 VHF/UHF radio with a j-pole style antenna for local repeater work. The more advanced setup is for portable operating – a portable case holding an older style ICOM 706-MKIIG portable HF radio with HFEDZ endfed antennas and baluns, an automatic antenna tuner, and a second carried power pack for power. This pack has been used successfully in many portable operations.
My main hobbies in ham radio are listening and propagation studies, portable setup and operating, and club work with the local radio club, the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association or SARA.