Tune into the radio reality!
You don't need money.
You don't need a formal education.
You do not need persmission.
Study. Research. Build. Experiment.
Noise is everywhere.
Frequency is everything.
So can you.
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Did you know:
the very first <3 dish antenna radio telescope <3 ever created was conceptualized, realized and operated by a radio amateur JUST LIKE YOU??
*NB* "spare parts from a Ford Model T truck"!!!
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Some of these suggestions are entirely free.
Some are not.
THO
Required materials can often be salvaged and thrifted.
Found and repurposed.
Built.
GO TO:
Flea Markets.
Dirt Malls.
Garage sales.
Buy and sells.
Garbage is gold.
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****TUNING IN
-----> GET WALKIE TALKIES:
Maybe your grandma still has the old set laying around somewhere? 2 way radios are cheap, easy to find second hand or free, and get you on the air waves now. Those frequencies reserved for walkies are on the "family band" and they are there for our shared public use.
-----> GET A CB RADIO:
Plug it into the cigarette lighter in the truck. Pick a station and tell your friends. Hang out on that chanel when you're cruising around the neighbourhood. Talk to each other. Choose your own name. A good handle is everything. No rules. All lingo.
-----> GET A SCANNER:
VHF/UHF scanners allow you to hear whatever (un-encrypted) signals are happening around you. Listen to other amateurs, or maybe your local fire depts. MOST interestingly, you can also listen to satellites! There are many "amateur satellite repeaters" in orbit and a basic scanner is enough to catch some of the action live. You won't be able to transmit with a scanner, but you will be able to hear everyone else's transmissions. Including those from space!
-----> GET A FRIEND WHO HAS A CALL SIGN (and a radio?)
If you're specifically interested in trying to get on some HAM airwaves, find a local amateur, club or group. Any person can operate on any other person's HAM liscence so long as the liscenced person is present.
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*****BREAKING OUT
-----> Start talking about radio with people.
You'd be surprised:
- Who might have old bits and bobs laying around, and
- who might be happy to hang out and lend you their call sign, their knowledge, and their patience.
-----> GET ELECTRONIC KITS:
or just nab components out of other old electronics.
Start with tiny simple circuits.
-----> GET A BREADBOARD so you dont have to learn how to solder right away.
Take old broken radios apart.
Try to put them back together as they were, or differently.
(If it already doesn't work, you can't really break it)
Build a "crystal radio" with a toilet paper roll coil and an old pencil lead diode.
There's a "how-to" for the crystal radio build on the resources page as well as other study guides and beginner DIY tutorials.
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*****BUILDING UP
Maybe you need just a bit of inspiration?
-----> WATCH Sisters with Transistors or Contact
-----> LISTEN FOR NUMBER SATIONS ON THE SHORTWAVE RADIO IN YOUR AUNTIE'S GARAGE
(or online: see resources page)
-----> EXPERIENCE GAMBLETRON
-----> LOOK AT THE STARS.
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