What Do Hams Do?
On June 25, 2014, I had the honor of being invited to join a team put together by the Philippine amateur Radio Association, Inc. the national ham radio organization, now led by Ms. Thelma Pascua DU1IVT, that would give a ham radio orientation seminar to some students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
I finished EE in 1977 and was glad to be back in the campus. But the real homecoming I was really excited about was that of Ham Radio since it has been 43 years since the last amateur radio activity in the Diliman Campus. Back then students (1971 operated CW and AM from their DU1UP ham shack in the 5th floor of the Engineering Building. A friend, Mario Quitoriano, ex DU1DFU told me, a lot students operated there were from non-engineering colleges. They taught each other the Morse code.I remember reading Dr. Edmundo Reyes DU1OR's book, stating that I read that the first campus ham radio station was established by an Australian EE student back in the 30s when the campus was still in Manila. Dr. Reyes (who became PARA president multiple times) recounts that this Australian student Sol Mathhew Dakis was first secretary of the Philippine Amateur Radio Association which was headed by Leon Grove, its first president.
I thought I'd share some notes for that ham seminar. It is a question often asked us by many non-hams.
