Amateur Radio Stations AI7R and NI7Y

Updated: September 21st, 2022

I expect the first thing someone might notice is the tower and antenna behind our home. Linda and I are Amateur Radio operators. We talk with people from all over the world daily.

Since most people reading this, probably have no idea what the Amateur Radio Service is unless they have a father, grandfather, or uncle who was a ‘ham’. A short name for Amateur Radio Operator.

The governments of the world have set aside certain bands for radio communications by citizens who have learned about electronics and communications and issued them various classes of licenses based on their knowledge. There are a couple of reasons this was done back when the radio was first invented. Most importantly, many inventions have come from experimenting with people tinkering with electronics. And over the last 100 years, plenty of the technologies we use today were because of some ‘ham’ experimenting.

The other reason to license people worldwide is to have a pool of trained operators ready to communicate with their equipment. We are not government funded, yet we have extraordinary communications options and skills. And we use our own equipment.

The first thought that comes to mind is the cell phones and how you can talk with virtually anyone on the planet easily with a device in your pocket. Why have ham operators anymore? The cell system is very structured and more delicate than you might think. They all depend on the Internet and each other. That is a very vulnerable system that is open to attack or simply a solar flare that could take out entire hemispheres of cell systems. I know; what are the chances? But, there is a chance, however unlikely. Try to imagine zero communications.

So, now you know what that thing is on our property. Oh, and yes, it is completely permitted with Gila County and legal. And as safe as I can make it. You may notice I’ve even installed an anti-climb block at the base to keep kids and grand kids from being tempted. It still wouldn’t hurt to tell your little ones to stay clear of the tower.

To see more about our stations, click on this link and feel free to ask any questions you’d like.