Virtually ham radio

One of my main interests outside of work is ham radio. I hold the callsign G4ILO, which allows me to operate a transmitter and contact other licensed enthusiasts on the air. While setting up a new antenna I injured my back, and am currently confined to bed. Being bored , and unable to access my radio gear, I stumbled across HamSphere, a VOIP simulation of the amateur radio shortwave bands.

Many radio enthusiasts scoff at the idea of making ham radio contacts, complete with callsigns and correct radio operator protocol, via the net. Since the point of ham radio is to use radio, to see how far you can get bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere, what possible interest can there be in simulating it on the internet. If a bunch of hams just want to chat without the hassle of interference, noise, fading and other problems of short wave communication, why not just use Skype or a similar service? They have a point. And I guess a lot of other people think that way, since HamSphere is not exactly heavily used.

I thought the same, until being confined to bed with a laptop my sole form of entertainment made be try out HamSphere out of interest. And I have to admit that it is really a nice idea.

Yes, Skype might be a better way to communicate with a specific individual. But one of the fun aspects of ham radio is making random contacts, sending "CQ" calls and seeing who replies. No-one dials telephone numbers or makes Skype calls at random - at least, I assume that normal, sane people don't. But in a virtual environment that looks and sounds like real radio, that's used by other licensed operators, you don't feel self-conscious about calling a complete stranger for a chat. If you can't get on the real radio, the next best thing is a virtual ionosphere

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