So some background information if you wonder where this is going... Amateur radio has been around since the late 1800's and today there are approximately 6 million licensed radio amateurs in the world, with about a million of them in the US and at least 70,000 in UK. So it is a true worldwide hobby. Each radio amateur is issued with a unique callsign which is based on the geographic location where they live. In my case I was licensed as G8SFR back in 1979.
Radio amateurs love to collect information so they have it at their finger tips when they are 'operating on air' and to me a Filofax would seem a great way of keeping that information together in one place, especially if you are travelling around.
I have already created an amateur radio log book page which you can download and print out .doc .pdf. But I'm sure there is scope for other specialised radio pages.
I'm planning on putting together a specialist organiser for my radio hobby, some existing Filofax pages can just used as they are such as the world maps, timezone maps, notes pages, contact pages (useful for noting names and locations as well as callsigns etc).
So this is just a brief insight in to one of my other hobbies (I have too many!) I would love to hear from other radio amateurs, and anyone else who uses their Filofax for their own hobby, however unusual.
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Hello again :)
ReplyDeleteTo carry on from my first mention of Amateur Radio - I was a CB user for approximately 12 years (1990-2002) in the Preston (Lancs UK) area thanks to my husband instigating a revival of his old hobby one night when we were bored.
Preston was a very user-heavy area at the time and we made lots of friends via the airwaves - many of whom I'm still pleased to call friends now.
We moved on to amateur radio in about 2003 to "broaden our radio experience" and it also coincided with the nickname of "muppets" really holding it's meaning for some of the users!! Anyway, I digress.
We took our Foundation exam at a radio club in Preston and I am now M3NJO and my husband went one step further with his studying and passed his Intermediate course and is now 2E0MPO. So please say hello if you ever hear either of us on the airwaves.
I do have a "hobby section" in my Filofax (as you will know if you've read this: http://typecast2000.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-filofax.html - it's Section 2). I have my crafting notes that I keep in my Filofax (knitting and cross-stitch ideas & patterns) and notes for writing (my blog and other stuff that I keep meaning to do... one day....).
Do you still need to learn Morse code in order to get a license? In the US, they eliminated that requirement for amateur licenses in 2007. I think it's a shame that Morse code is falling into disuse. (I don't know it, I just think it's really cool.)
ReplyDeleteI don't carry hobby information in my Filo. The closest I've come is carrying lists that might come in handy during recreational activities, like a list of poker hands in case I'm invited to play, or a list of (American) football teams so I can carry on a conversation with my husband for 4 months of the year. :)
ReplyDeleteIf I were going to take knitting with me when I travel, I'd probably transfer knitting notes into my Filo. (I usually use a large softcover M***skine because it has grid paper.
Nan said:
ReplyDeleteDo you still need to learn Morse code in order to get a license? In the US, they eliminated that requirement for amateur licenses in 2007. I think it's a shame that Morse code is falling into disuse. (I don't know it, I just think it's really cool.)
Steve:
No not these days, although I gained my licence 30 years ago! But Morse is still used on the amateur bands.
What has replaced morse in UK is a more structured approach to getting a licence, with more knowledge and experience gained at each step. It's a growing rather than a dying hobby again.