100+ Things to do in Ham Radio
Have fun with Ham Radio doing these things
| Action or Activity | Comment |
| 2M SSB or CW | Working the "weak signal" bands can be fun! |
| 6M - what a great band! | Operate the "magic" band on SSB or FM |
| 10M - This band can really jump | Join 10-10 international and KEEP THE BAND OPEN! |
| 75 Meter Roundtables | Sometime called the groan and moan nets! |
| 160M – Get on the band | The Gentleman's Band – May need a different antenna |
| AM - Operate this "old time" mode | Join the AM net each Wednesday |
| AMSAT - Join and work the universe | Operate one of the amateur satelites like AO-51 |
| APRS - find yourself | And let others know where you are! |
| ARES - Help your NF ARES group | Find your local ARES group and start having fun with them. Pass the IS courses. |
| ARES nets | Check into NF ARES nets and surrounding counties |
| ARRL | Join! Support your hobby with lobbying in Washington. Who else is? |
| Air Mobile | Work from an airborne station |
| Antenna Party | Friends don't let friends build and install HF antennas by themselves! |
| Antennas - Build'em and use'em | Wire antennas, Yagis, quads, hex beams, - then argue about'em |
| Astronomy - Radio version | Looking for signals in all the wrong places |
| Audio - make it better | Heil, Berringer, audio filters, all things audio |
| Badge - tell everyone your callsign | Order your club badge today on the NFARL website/MART |
| Balloonatics | Hams who put expensive transmitters in balloons and watch them fly away! |
| Bicycle Mobile | Talk while riding - look ma - no hands; look ma - no teeth! |
| Boatanchors | Collect and operate old radios. Restore old radios. Cheap fun? |
| Books - read one - write one | Hundreds of books - new - old - used - collecting |
| CW - Learn it! | You only know half the fun of ham radio w/o CW |
| CW - get your speed to 20 wpm | Get your speed up using RUFZ – see the CW SIG page |
| Christian Amateur Radio Fellowship (CARF) | Join your friends on the air |
| Civil Air Patrol | Do the radio work for CAP |
| Class – teach a Ham Cram | Teach a ham class and help others enjoy the fun |
| Club meetings | Don't even get on the air, just attend club meetings - FUN!! |
| Club - .Join/renew! NFARL | A more genearl term - join a ham club! OR join 2 or 3 clubs. More clubs, more fun! |
| Computer Control | Computer control one or more rigs in your shack - Ham Radio Deluxe |
| Contesting | Make a lot of contacts and work on your operating skills at the same time. |
| County Hunting | Work 500, 1000 ... and all 3077 of them. |
| Crystal Radio - build one | Show how simple a radio can be |
| DSTAR | Get on the digital bandwagon! It's everywhere, it's everywhere! Use a dongle from your computer |
| DX - Work other countries | DX The Ultimate Contact Sport – There are 337 country entities so this should keep you busy! |
| DXpedition | Pack it up and hit the road to that small island! |
| Dayton Hamvention | Attend this once in your lifetime, bet you can't "eat just one"! |
| Digital modes | Work one or many of the various FREE digital modes available for download such as FLDIGI! |
| Echolink - computer and ham radio | Work repeaters/other hams via your computer |
| Power Poles | Convert all rigs to PowerPole connectors |
| EmComm - ANTENNA | You never know when you'll need to go PORTABLE so build a portable antenna. J-pole is a good one. |
| EmComm - ARRLcourses | Consider the EC001 and possibly EC002 & EC003 courses. They're fun and you learn a bunch. |
| Field Day | Operate this fun event with your friends. Join the award winning NFARL FD team. |
| Fox Hunting | Tie amateur radio into physical exercise |
| Friends | Meet interesting people and make new friends |
| Grounding | Build an uber ground, find a water pipe, install a ground rod, lay some radials |
| Hamfest | Attend a hamfest - sell that old junk, buy more! Work at the NFARL table for at least one hour! |
| Handi- HAMS | Help a challenged person get their license |
| IOTA | Islands on the AIR - every group of islands has an ID - work'em all! |
| Keys - Collect them | What a great way to enjoy ham radio - telegraph keys |
| Kit - Build some | At least an $8 crystal oscillator or an SW-40 transceiver |
| Linear Amps | Build'em, tune'em, don't get shocked |
| Linux - another computer world | Download a Linux system for a computer and start playing with all the FREE software out there. |
| Logging Software | Get some. I like N3FJP. N1MM is FREE. Using this rekindled my fire for Ham Radio. |
| MARS | Military Affilate Radio - join up, serve your armed forces |
| Magazines - subscribe, | Read, collect, give'em away - copy to CDs |
| Marine Mobile | Work from a Marine station, boating, waterways nets |
| Meteor Scatter | World's shortest and longest QSOs at the same time |
| Mobile - radio in motion | Set up a mobile station - VHF or HF |
| Moonbounce | OK, maybe a bit ambitious |
| Motorcycle Mobile | Shoot the bull while ridin' the HOG! See Bicycle Mobile. |
| Nets | Check in before you check out!! |
| Ocilloscope - Learn to use | Oscilloscopes are a blast. Watch that green trace go! |
| PSK-31 - Digital mode for all! | An easy digital mode |
| Pedestrian mobile | Got an HT? Have a QSO walking around. |
| Public service | Work a public service event (I believe every ham should work at least one each year!) |
| QRP - Try it! | Start trying QRP by turning down power to 5 w (10w SSB) |
| QSL cards | Collect'em, get some printed, mail out some. |
| RACES | ... as in Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service |
| RTTY | An ancient form of digital communications |
| Radio Control Planes | Fly away to your heart's content |
| Ragchew | Be much more active on the NFARL repeater; regularly check into nets. Join RagChewers Club |
| Remote Control your station | Operate your station over the internet |
| Repair Radio Equipment | Help out other hams, fix their radios and yours too |
| Repeaters | Build'em, use'em, fix'em, control'em |
| SHF - Work your neighbor | Work a contact on CW, SSB, digital above 440 MHz |
| SSTV | Operate Slow Scan TV. Several nets meet daily. |
| Satellite-Antennas | Build a couple of antennas and put radio gear together so you can work the ham satellites. |
| Scanning | OK, it's only half radio but hams do it so it must be fun! |
| Schools - do a demo | Go to your kid's school and tell'em all about this stuff |
| Scouting (and ham radio) | Go hand in hand - Jamboree on the AIR! |
| Shack Simplification | See if you can get every rig in your shack down to one microphone and one PTT switch |
| Shack setup | Set up a shack (might need some help with an antenna raising party!) |
| Short Wave Radio | Listen to SW Radio from your favorite country. Follow New Years around the globe for 24 hours? |
| Simulated Emergency Test | The old S.E.T. - readiness - be prepared … See ARES |
| Skywarn | Watch the weather = tell the National Weather Service |
| Software - Ham Radio | There are thousands of programs out there and they are fun to play with. |
| Software - program a chip | Write software to control a micro chip |
| Software Defined Receiver | Build or set up a software defined receiver or transceiver |
| Space Station | Talk to the ISS - chat up an astronaut |
| Tech FEST - attend | Not a hamfest, a TECH FEST! |
| Television - FSTV | Fast Scan TV - on 440 mhz - set up your station and show off! |
| Test Equipment | Make a list and buy or make yours |
| Traffic NETS | Try handling messages via SSB (75M) or CW(80M) |
| Upgrade your license -General Ticket | Or upgrade from whatever class you are, even to EXTRA class. |
| VUCC - Award | Get this award for working 100 grid squares on 6M and above |
| Vanity Callsign - get one | Are you a general or extra class? Well, maybe you should look into a 1x3 or 2x2 callsign, |
| Volunteer Examiner (VE) - become one | Help grow the hobby by qualifying more hams! |
| Website - amateur radio | Set up your own URL and tell everyone what you do |
| Workbench - Set yours up | A place to do all that "fiddling around" |
| Worked All States - W.A.S. | Obtain this and a thousand other awards |
| Write - articles about ham radio | Submit to magazines, become famous |
| YLs - Young Ladies (YLRL) | Promote YL activity, recruit YLs, encourage YLs. |
| Youth - be one - help one | Help your neighbor become a ham. Loan him/her a radio |
Reviewed 2/11/2013 by W4QO
