What use is an F-call?

In the past I've talked about experimentation. It's an activity that lies at the heart of Amateur Radio. In essence, Amateur Radio is a license to experiment. On the face of it, our license is permission to operate radio equipment on certain frequencies and using certain transmission modes, but that's an outcome that came after the experimentation.

As an author on Wikipedia puts it, "Throughout the history of amateur radio, we have made significant contributions to science, engineering, industry, and social services. Research by amateur radio operators has founded new industries, built economies, empowered nations, and saved lives in times of emergency."

Over the past little while I've heard some Amateurs exclaim that doing something was not allowed, or not done. I've heard people claim exclusive use of a frequency or heard them say that a proposal being made was not suitable for some or other reason.

For example, there is nothing saying that a slow-scan 'net cannot be run across a local repeater, or a temporary Echolink node configured during a regular 'net, or the news being broadcast live, rather than from a pre-produced audio file.

I find it interesting that a hobby that includes the notion, nay, is built around the notion of experimentation, can in fact harbour such views.

If you have a license and you have a desire, that should be all that is required to go the next step, that of coming up with new and interesting ideas on how to use radio to do things.

As a student of life I have found myself surrounded by people telling me that things cannot be done. I find it surprising that this view is possible within Amateur Radio.

If you have an experiment that you'd like to try, I'd like to encourage you to go about your buisiness and do just that.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB