I was going through some of my webinar questions the other day, and someone was asking if I was still a Ham Radio operator. Well, the answer is yes and my call sign is KB5EWE (extra class).

Another question that was asked revolved around the fact that the 802.11 spectrum is shared RF space and could that cause problems once everyone is using the limited amount of spectrum. Well, this is certainly an issue, but with the low power output and some of the advanced algorithms that the latest generation of AP use, it’s much less of a problem than one might think. That is, until you take the case of someone like a Ham Radio operator who can use much more transmit power and much higher antenna gain on channels 1-6 than someone who is not licensed by the FCC (Part 15 vs. Part 97).

One of the reasons that Ham Radio operators like the VHF and UHF bands (where 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz reside) is the fact that these signals can pass through the ionosphere right into outer space. Some operators will ‘bounce’ signals off the moon to get around the line of sight issues and talk to someone on the other side of the globe. I’ve even used my 144Mhz (2 meter band) radio to talk to an astronaut on the space shuttle as it circled the earth. For more information on Ham Radio, a good resource is the American Radio Relay League (www.arrl.org).