Amateur Broadcasting

History

It is difficult to pin down exactly when broadcasting began, or to determine what qualifies as the beginning of broadcasting. Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi created the first wireless transmission device in 1896, when he successfully transmitted a telegraph signal over a distance of just over a mile. Reginald Fessenden, nephew of Alexander Graham Bell, is widely credited with sending the first-ever wireless voice transmission, in December 1900. Within six years, Fessenden had increased his broadcasting distance from a few feet to 12 miles. The technology was adopted almost immediately by ships, as a way to keep in touch with the main land.

After Fessenden broadcast the first radio program in December 1906, interest in the new technology exploded. Amateur radio operators began refining and perfecting the techniques of broadcasting. The industry grew so quickly that in 1912, ten years before the first commercial broadcast, the United States Congress created the first regulations for broadcasting.

One of the first amateur operators (or "hams") to broadcast a regular radio program was Charles Herrold, beginning in 1909. Herrold used a variety of identifications prior to the congressional regulations, eventually becoming licensed and broadcasting with the call letters KQW, which is still in service, now as KCBS. Herrold, incidentally, also coined the term "broadcasting," as well as the less-used term "narrowcasting."

As both amateur and commercial radio gained in popularity, disputes between operators naturally arose. In those early days, it was common for several operators to broadcast on the same frequency, which meant that broadcasts would "overlap," and neither would be audible. Again responding to the needs of the industry, in 1927 Congress created the organization that became the Federal Communications Commission, which specified the bands on which amateurs were allowed to operate, and regulated the operating areas for commercial stations.

Another broadcasting landmark occurred in 1927, when Philo Farnsworth transmitted the first completely electronic television broadcast, of a speech given by then-secretary of the treasury Herbert Hoover. After the success of this broadcast, many people attempted to further develop the new, exciting technology. Unfortunately, interest in television coincided with World War II and the Great Depression, both of which put a damper on purchasing, and hence, broadcasting.

After the war, however, television prices quickly fell and the quality of broadcasts increased. Since there was already an extensive commercial radio industry, the initial television broadcasts were dominated by the established networks, including NBC and ABC, and there was much less of an amateur presence.

Since the introduction of regulation, there have inevitably been those who choose to continue broadcasting on restricted or occupied frequencies, or otherwise disobeying regulations. This practice is usually known as pirate radio and is, obviously, illegal.

Because amateur broadcasts are only transmitted on certain bands, a ham's audience is limited to other hams. As a result, ham radio and television is primary used for information and communication, rather than entertainment. Adding to that is the prohibition of music broadcasts. Still, amateur broadcasting is a growing hobby, as it has a unique ability to connect people from around the world.

Techniques

Hams tend to engage mostly in communication, as the technology allows one to talk to people over great distances using radio waves. Hams have set up networks across the country and the world for this purpose, but many hams prefer to just cruise the dial and begin conversations with people they encounter.

Many amateurs actually use the moon as a kind of sound reflector, to bounce signals from one location to another; of course, both locations must be in view of the moon at the same time for this technique to work.

Hams have been crucial in relaying disaster and emergency information on many occasions, including during the terrorist attacks in the U.S. in September 2001. Since radios do not require any kind of infrastructure, they are perfectly suited for use when other methods of communication fail.

Trends

Today, perhaps the biggest trend in amateur broadcasting is podcasting. This practice was introduced in 2003 but exploded in 2004 and has continued to grow since, to the point where there are now thousands of distinct podcasts on every imaginable topic. In 2018, according to Apple, there were about 550,000 active podcasts; in 2019 there were about 700,000. The term itself is deceptive, as an iPod (from which the name is derived) is not necessary either for making or receiving podcasts. A "podcast" is any multimedia file that is syndicated over the Internet and intended to be played on a computer or a portable A/V device, or the process by which this file is distributed.

Some podcast programming is repackaged radio content, but there is plenty of original programming available as well. The advantage of podcasting for the amateur broadcaster is that it allows him or her to create and distribute content with equipment that is readily available and relatively inexpensive, and requires no license. Podcasts can be created with a computer microphone and a simple audio recording program, and there are many services that host podcasts for download, some of which have free plans.

Learning More

Books

American Radio Relay League. The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications 2006, 83rd Edition. Newington: American Radio Relay League, 2006.

American Radio Relay League. The ARRL FCC Rule Book: Complete Guide to the FCC Regulations, 13th Edition. Newington: American Radio Relay League, 2003.

Bergquit, Carl. Ham Radio Operator's Guide, Second Edition. Indianapolis: Prompt Publishing, 2001.

Cain, James D. YASME: The Danny Weil and Colvin Radio Expeditions. Newington: American Radio Relay League, 2003.

Morris, Tee, and Chuck Tomasi. Podcasting for Dummies. 3rd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2017.