Re: HAM Radio Resources?

[Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca>]

On Fri, 11 Apr 2008, Steve ][ wrote:
> Well, I'm thinking about getting into HAM radio. I web-searched for II
> and HAM resources, came up dry, so here I am.
That's kind of vague, are you looking for learning material or things
you can do after you get licensed?

There must have been programs for sending morse code practice messages,
which would still be viable today.  If there were quiz type programs
for getting ready for the written test, a lot of that would likely be
dated since the rules have changed since the Apple II was in its prime.

As for applications, I suspect you'll find lots for older things, and
not much for more recent developments, a reflection of the oldness
of the Apple II, and even the limitations of the hardware.

Next month it will be 30 years since Amateur Packet Radio was first
publicly demonstrated.  At the time, there wasn't much choice but
to make simple computers to do the work, because the hardware
wsa fairly limited at the time. So you'd use your existing computer
as a terminal, and if you didn't have that, then you'd scrounge
up a dumb terminal.

There's bound to be lots of morse code programs, for both sending
and receiving, though the latter likely requires some external
hardware.  Circa 1978, ASCII wasn't allowed (I forget exactly
when the rules changed on that) so there would have been many
programs for 5bit Baudot teletype, I have no idea if that
is still being used today (originally, you'd scrounge up a
real mechanical Teletype machine).  Maybe there were some
slow scan tv programs during the Apple II reign, but that might
have been stretching the system too much.

I gather packet radio has pretty much disappeared, I suspect most
of the Apple II related programs were merely terminal emulators,
using an external Terminal Node Controller.

More recent digital modes, I can't help but think they dont' exist
because they came after the Apple II's prime.

There were likely various logging programs.

The Apple II was big at the time, and amateur radio helped set
the tone for the early home computer movement.  So when a lot of
people were scratching their heads over what to do with that
computer now that they had it, amateur radio applications were
some of the first since a good percentage of those interested
in the early home computers had amateur radio licenses, taking
to home computers because it was technology and likely because
it was in the amateur radio magazines.

   Michael