radio amatur & komersi.al

Gemukkkkkkk

Saturday April 4, 2009
Stories by ROSE YASMIN KARIM

On the same wave length

You'd think that with the advent of Skype and Wap phone, ham radio would be sucked into the black hole. But think again, because the analogue radio is alive and kicking as a toy for radio-heads.

The radio beeps and displays the word, Pradas.  Pushing a knob on the ham radio (amateur radio) set, I launch my first ever call.
Papa Romeo-Charlie Sierra. Handle operator Yasmin. Pak Long di mana? Over.?

Sharing a table with me outside a banana-yellow shipment container-turned-ham shack in Jalan Klang Lama are 10 or so hams (amateur radio operators), all members of Persatuan Peminat Radio Komunikasi Dua-Hala Selangor (Pradas), the only registered two-way commercial radio club in Malaysia.


Female ham enthusiast Noorasmawati Mohd Adnan.


We take pride in teaching newcomers the ropes to get them started in the hobby, says the club president, Major (R) Zakaria Utin, or Pak Zak, 54.  

Pradas provides training to prepare members for the Radio Amateur Exam (RAE) set by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to earn a class B licence. They have fun doing it with a free flow of coffee, tea and food.

We teach the operating principles, radio technology, regulations, etiquette and Q-codes (a series of three-letter codes for common phrases), says Zakaria.  Thankfully there is only a handful of Q-codes you really need to know in day-to-day ham speak, like QTH (What's your location?) and QRZ (Who is calling me?).

More experienced Pradas members (elmer) guide newly-licensed hams when we hear them on the bands. We answer their questions and share pointers on good operating practices. By being a good listener, you are better able to organise your thoughts before transmitting.

Pak Zak, a former military man, has been tinkering with ham radio ever since he joined the ranks and still gets a buzz remembering those days.  In the 60s, ham radio seemed almost magical. There was no Internet, long-distance telephone calls were expensive and air travel was limited. Hams provided emergency communication during disasters and played an important role in military communications during World War II, he relates.


A radio-head communicating via a mobile set


While it may sound antiquated, ham radio is nowhere near life support just yet.  
What's not to love? It's a tool that takes life-long learning studying for the licence, trying out new gadgets, testing new transmissions. There are plenty of excitement, including taking part in contests, meeting other hams at eyeball events and making new friends in all parts of the world.  It also gives one an opportunity to serve the community, making public service announcements, sharing traffic information, helping to communicate during emergencies. If you talk to 10 different hams, youare going to get 10 different reasons for their interest.

But why would anyone need a big antenna and radio equipment to communicate when you can talk to someone on the opposite side of the globe using a computer, a web camera and a microphone?  
Apparently for the same reason that we have a pestle and mortar, when there is already the blender.  Hams are self-contained. We don't rely exclusively on network providers for communications. You can talk all you want and not be served with a fat bill at the end of the month, says Pradas vice president and lead steward for a commercial airline, Ismail Yusof, 44.

On top of that, hams can go where handphone users can.  You can even bounce signals off the moon and talk to astronauts aboard the ISS or space shuttle.


Scouts showing their adeptness at using the two-way radio.


Pradas, explains Ismail, has been allocated its own frequency station (142.8000mhz) by the MCMC for communication amongst its members.  Members are given a call sign, which is a unique designation. The Pradas call sign is made up of the prefix Papa Romeo (PR) and a suffix that may contain two or three letters. My call sign for instance is PRIY, says Ismail.

Brotherhood of hams
Having trouble with the car? Broadcast an SOS, and hams in the area are most likely to come to your rescue. Many hams, like Pak Long, are cabbies and would be glad to help if you need a ride, or simply could use some directions to find your bearings on the road.

I am on the road half the time, and tuning into the ham frequency keeps me amused, says Pak Long, whose real name is Ahmad Safri Abdul Aziz.  Some of my passengers also enjoy listening to the broadcast and a few even asked whether it is a DJ on air, says the 45-year-old.



His family members are also hams.  My wife is not troubled by my safety because she can hear me over the air waves.?

Cindy Khoo's first contact with Pradas happened by chance.  I got myself a portable VHF radio to communicate while on treks in the jungle because I couldn't get a signal on my handphone, says the 37-year-old team-building consultant.  One day, I was listening in when I overheard someone announcing a Pradas membership drive at Lake Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur. I quickly drove over to sign up and later attended pre-exam classes conducted by the elmers.  In November 2007, I earned my Class B licence, she relates.

Also known by her callsign, PRCJ, Cindy often tunes into the frequency while travelling around the country for work.  She made many friends from all over Malaysia through ham radio. I was in Ipoh some time back when the back window of my car shattered. I asked the other hams for the nearest police station, and to my surprise, a few hams took the trouble to come over to make sure I was OK, she says.

Given the gadgets kids are exposed to these days handphones that can do anything but water a plant most would look at a ham radio and yawn, but not so for Pak Long's son, Aizat, 17.  

It doesn't matter whether you're 17 or 87 on the band, everyone's equal, says Aizat.  I get to speak to people of all ages and professions. The friends I've made have also helped me in making educational choices, says the fifth former who aspires to become a chef.  He's a chatty person by nature so making conversation, even with adults, comes easy to me. But there are hams who'd just tune in to listen and not utter a word because they're shy. The trick is to just think of everyone as family. Soon, it'll come easy, Aizat advises.

So why isn't he on Facebook like other people his age?  I don't like the idea of posting my photo online. Not that I'm not handsome, because I like to think I am, he jokes, But you never know what people are capable of these days. I don't want to risk my face being plastered onto someone else's body circulating on the Internet!

On Thursday evenings, the Pradas frequency is taken over by what Pradas members call XYLs and YLs, ex-young ladies and young ladies.  

It's a women's only session, where we get together share stories and ideas, says Noorasmawati Mohd Adnan, 36.  I hardly listen to commercial radio now. The band in almost always tuned in to the Pradas frequency.

My husband and I are both hams, says Zaharah Ahmad, 41, a mathematics lecturer at a private college in Puchong.  

When we're both on the band, we address each other as Kak Lang and Pak Husin. Of course, off air, we use other terms of endearment for each other, but by calling him Pak Husin, it's an automatic reminder to myself that ham radio is not a platform to engage in private conversations. People can listen to you talking, and you can't tell who's listening unless they say something, she says.  

Zaharah also encourages her students to become ham members.  It helps build confidence in your speech and it's useful as a networking tool. For instance, hams would sometimes announce job openings and invite people to apply.

The ham radio fraternity worldwide, according to recent statistics, number six million people. In Malaysia, there are only 5,000 hams, compared to 7,000 in Indonesia.

The magic of ham is not gone, but it has gone into hiding, says Ismail.  

To expose people, especially youths, to this hobby, we have arranged demonstration booths at public events and schools.  Our club is one of the most active in the country. Members meet up regularly for social and recreational activities like 4X4 adventure tours, paintball and cycling. Last year, 196 Pradas members cycled from Klang to Ipoh, and in May, we'll be cycling from Banting to Malacca, says Ismail.

Those with a competitive streak may also like the idea of fox hunting?  
It's  almost like a treasure hunt. The challenge is to find a hidden radio transmitter using a hand-held portable receiver, antenna, topographic maps and compass.?

Fun and games aside, amateur radio also has a serious face.
In the past, when catastrophe wiped out telephones and Internet networks, hobbyists have stepped in to pass health and welfare messages, says Ismail.  We helped relay information back to relief officials to coordinate a rescue during the recent flash flood in Hulu Langat, the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, and also in search operations for lost mountain climbers. All these make ham radio more relevant today than ever, but its main appeal is that you get to communicate with some of the friendliest and sharpest bunch of people. Hams are people with a lot of dedication and passion.

And who knows, maybe someday your amateur radio contact may be Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the astronaut. He is a licensed amateur radio operator too!
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komen:
saja nakbagitau, bila dia mention pasal ipoh, esp PRCJ & kayuhan basikal ~~~ Vee99

[ Last edited by  Gemukkkkkkk at 4-4-2009 10:43 ]

nik2121

aku dengar radio online je
Jiwang FM

Gemukkkkkkk

kalau pakai all-band punya rig, usahkan radio, siaran tv pun boleh dapat  

ashna

iols pernah ala2 follow eye ball gang2 ham radio dolu2...
mcm ramai yg kertu jer

Gemukkkkkkk

ekekekekekek ramai la yang muda-muda.  cuma belum jumpa je.  lagipun kau dulu lepak dengan otai tnb.  sah-sah le ramai otai je lepak dengan dia.  

kau dah lama tak masuk thread lagi satu kat bod sana la...  kat sana ada je rakan ham.  amatur ada, komersi.al ada.  budak pradas pun ada sorang...

Gemukkkkkkk

hampeh le takde sape minat jadi amatur radio ke...

ashna

Originally posted by Gemukkkkkkk at 8-4-2009 10:53
hampeh le takde sape minat jadi amatur radio ke...

kahnnnn?

Pikir

Originally posted by ashna at 4-4-2009 11:12
iols pernah ala2 follow eye ball gang2 ham radio dolu2...
mcm ramai yg kertu jer

statement tak bleh blah

ashna

Originally posted by Pikir at 8-4-2009 10:58


statement tak bleh blah

dah mmg kenyataaan..
nak buat cam mana

singleside

umm... kata pradas ni radio komersil. tapi macam mana mengaku ham pulak? aku ingat ham ni orang radio amatur aje.. konpius aaa

Caranthir

wa dah 3 tahun sbg pemegang lesen amatur radio.. jarang ke jaluran, pasai rig takdak lagi..

rikiruj

pegi bod agensi keselamatan, polis & tentera.. kat situ ada thread 4 ham radio (amateur radio).

ashna

Originally posted by Caranthir at 8-4-2009 12:04
wa dah 3 tahun sbg pemegang lesen amatur radio.. jarang ke jaluran, pasai rig takdak lagi..

kau pun join bendalah ni jugak ker??
masuk persatuan mana??

ashna

ham radio neh haku kalau takat jadi listener hokay la kots...
kalau gigih nak join sembang pelbagai sorry la...
mcm choii jer nak kena guna callsign bagai

jAck666

budak opis aku ade lesen..aku biase guna call since dia...tp mase masuk hutan main 4x4 jer la...memekak ajer dlm jeep...

ashna

bila aku dah cukup kertu bagu aku join kots just to fit in??

Caranthir

takder club pun, blajar ngan budak2 MARES. amik test ngan budak kelab2 kereta

dpt callsign jadi la.. nak kena praktik kan selalu je..

shahx

aku guna walkie talkie je...

Gemukkkkkkk

Balas  #7 ashna\ catat
ala, diorang belum ada exposure lagi, kurang la minat tu...  


Balas  #14 ashna\ catat
ala, tak semestinya kau kena bercakap selalu.  sekali-sekala bila ada mood nak join qso, barulah kau memancar.


Balas  #8 Pikir\ catat
hampehhh hang naaa..  hang pun dah nak kertu occayyy  


Balas  #10 singleside\ catat
kita bersangka baik.  kerana memang ada ahli pradas yang juga dah ada lesen amatur...


Balas  #11 Caranthir\ catat
salam contact perdana, rakan.  ala, tak semestinya bila berlesen mesti rajin memancar.  dan tak semestinya mesti ada rig baru rajin nak memancar.  pakai handy pun boleh.  qth di mana, kot-kot ada rakan lokalan yang boleh pinjamkan handy/antenna/rig...

kalau kau ambik dengan MARES, kau patutnya dah tau ada sorang otai MARES kat forum ni...


Balas  #12 rikiruj\ catat
saya pun join thread itu juga...


Balas  #15 jAck666\ catat
orait la tu.  jadi swl dulu.  lelama bila tengok sejauh mana boleh berkomunikasi dan dah ada minat, tak susah la nak upgrade dapatkan lesen kelas B


Balas  #18 shahx\ catat
alah, kat tempat hang kan ramai rakan amatur radio.  tahun ni boleh la kitorang pergi bukak kaunter kat tempat kau lagi ye?




sori aku lambat reply... sibuk sikit hari ni...

alinone78

aku ader callsign .......................

hehehehehehehhehehhhhh

n masih aktif di udara ..