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Photo: Deutsches Museum | Christian Illing

Electronics

Amateur Radio – Communication around the Globe

Amateur Radio is an experimental radio service and is as old as radio technology itself. From 1895, technology enthusiasts began to construct their own transmitting and receiving systems to communicate with one another worldwide.

Pioneers of Amateur Radio

Wireless communication has its roots in the first experimental evidence of electromagnetic waves discovered by Heinrich Hertz in 1886. Soon, interested members of the public also got together to investigate these phenomena and put them to good use.

The possibility to communicate live and without wires across the globe was something fascinating and new. Moreover, radio technology made it possible to communicate without having to depend on public networks.    

In the beginning, ready-made components for constructing the transmitting and receiving systems were not available for purchase and had to be developed on a do-it-yourself basis. Therefore, it was only natural that interested parties would meet to exchange experiences.

Photo: Deutsches Museum | Reinhard Krause

Photo: Deutsches Museum | Christian Illing

Themes

  • Joining Live
    The operation of Amateur Radio began at the Deutsches Museum back in 1938; however, it was soon banned during World War II. In 1949, the station at the Deutsches Museum received a broadcasting licence with the call sign DLØDM and the station operates in conjunction with the German Amateur Radio Club to this very day. Radio amateurs demonstrate various types of operation from 11–12.00 daily at the Deutsches Museum station.
  • Public and Non-Commercial
    Amateur Radio is operated exclusively for non-commercial purposes. The radio service is not encrypted and is accessible to anyone who can prove their expertise in an exam. Numerous methods of communication exist: from Morse telegraphy, voice radio and digital modes to an amateur radio service via satellites.
  • Amateur Radio as a Hobby
    For many people, electronics is an exciting hobby. Amateur radio operators apply their knowledge of electronics to study radio technology, to communicate with each other and for experimental radio.
Schrotttornado aus Elektroschrott in der Ausstellung Elektronik.

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