ARLA/CLUSTER: Nova era para o radioamadorismo mundial no seculo XXI

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

New era of Amateur Radio

Radio amateurs of the past pioneered the way and laid a very
successful foundation for amateur radio which expanded during the 20th
Century.

But at the beginning of the 21st Century there was already a
noticeable drop in amateur activity and it was also observed by some
radio clubs that it was mainly the older generation who attended
meetings.

Why? An analysis from overseas indicates that amateur radio came to
the crossroads and had to make a choice to go forward or return to the
past, and for some strange reason they made the latter choice.
See "Ham Radio's Lost Future" on AmateurRadio.com

Radio technology has developed a great deal over the years, and today
we can find some of the most advanced radio developments in the field
of radio astronomy. Sophisticated digital-processing techniques have
been in use for many years to detect astronomical radio signals that
are a million times weaker than the noise generated in the receiver.

Megawatt radar transmitters are employed to map the obscured surfaces
of planets such as Venus, or measure distances to asteroids and
comets, or establish microwave communications with orbiters and rovers
on other planets. This is when a radio astronomer, Professor Joe
Taylor, K1JT, invented a simplified version of digital data modes for
amateur use.

Our younger generation of radio amateurs, who are very familiar with
computers, will have the honour of advancing the Amateur Radio Service
into the radio world of tomorrow, operating hi-tech SDR equipment for
digital data and voice communications on the VHF, UHF and Microwave
bands. Moon repeaters will follow providing 12 hour DX on Earth daily,
and ultimately also extending the amateur radio range in the solar
system.

Fonte: The South African Radio League