Kellen told me about the amazing Baofeng UV-5r 2-meter radio– this thing is $35 and is probably the cheapest way to broadcast ham radio, short of borrowing equipment. This has all the awesome aspects of a great hobby- connecting with other people, technical learning, electronics hardware and some DIY. Perfect. I’m in.
In my research, I found a YouTube video showing how this tiny radio can connect with satellites overhead and communicate way across the globe- even allowing people to communicate from the US to Cuba:
In the YouTube clip above, you hear “Hector” (EL92SD) from Cuba talking to different people in the US. For Ham Radio operators, connecting to someone very far away is a small badge of honor. Long ago, long distance connections were only possible by bouncing signals off the ionosphere at night, but now we can connect to satellites. Watch a Youtube clip showing Hector EL92SD speaking with Dale KL7R through a satellite.
This guy Hector has connected with other Hams in Alaska and also has presented at Ham Symposiums. If you are interested in connecting to satellites to communicate, the AmSat website’s beginner area is a great place to start.
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