I've built two radio transceivers for use in-world! The KAL-501 base station unit and the CT-101 handheld (Handie-Talkie). They are in final testing stages and will be offered to SLARL Group members through the generous efforts of ambiant Kukulcan.

Both devices transmit and receive text messages (sorry, no voice yet) across all sims, and work like transmitting on the air in RL, so your can learn and practice the common HAM protocols and make QSO contacts!

There are even SL-HAM call signs! You can register your call using either transceiver and it automatically gets registered in the SL-HAM Call Sign database.

I thought I'd post the Information card for these units below, so you can get an idea of how they work and if you might want one. We are working on a vendor now to sell these units, with half the proceeds going to the SLARL group fun for parties, land rentals, classes and contest prizes! (Yep, we're brewing ideas for contests!).

See ya on the SL-Airwaves!
73's
--Kal

Using your SL-HAM Multi-Band Transceivers

Your new transceivers are easy to use and they overcome the chat-distance ("say" and "shout") limitations in Second Life. They will transmit messages into all sims, anywhere in SL. It's a great way to meet other HAMS in SL and learn or practice protocol, too. They support six "bands"

Presently the KAL-501 Base Transceiver and the CT-101 Handie-Talkie only support text messages, with each message being less than 254 characters, but we are working on a model that will also support a text-CW (morse code) operation.

The unit will only respond to commands from its owner. Only the owner will be able to transmit with these radios.

NEW UPDATES: HANDIE-TALKIE! & CALL SIGNS!
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The new Handie-Talkie model has been released and now comes with the purchase of the base unit. The Handie-Talkie's default TX chat channel is "/8". When you see "/7" used below, subsitute "/8" if you are using the Handie-Talkie.

To use the Handie-Talkie, first "wear" it, then say "/8 menu" to turn it on and select the band. Use "/8 off" to turn off the Handie-Talkie. These commands are used because trying to click on an object you are wearing can be a pain.

CALL SIGNS
Now you can get your very own SL-HAM call sign (not to be confused with RL call signs, ever. SL-HAM call signs are to be used in SL ONLY). You can request your callsign directly through the radio (either model). See the command reference section for the commands to get your call.

The structure for SL-HAM call signs is: @RRR7CCC, where:
@ - is a required prefix, partially for instant recognition as an SL-HAM call sign and partially to keep confusion with RL call signs to a minimum.
RRR - is the first three letters of the region you are in when you register your call sign. You may want to register from your favorite sim or your home sim. If you were in Monty, for example, these letters would be MON.
7 - is the last digit of the year the call sign is registered. In 2008, this will change to an 8, etc.
CCC - is the custom portion of your call - you can request between one and three letters of your choice. If the call sign isn't already taken, it's yours!

QUICK-START
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1) Click on the unit to turn it on. It will display a menu of bands.
2) Choose a band by clicking on the button.
3) Check for the "unit is operational" message.
4) Check for the "use /7 to transmit" message (/8 for the HT)
5) Transmit messages by saying "/7 your message here". (/8 for the HT)
6) Turn off the unit when done by clicking on it and clicking "Radio Off", or by saying "/7 off". (/8 off for the HT).

QUICK-START: GET YOUR SL-HAM CALL SIGN
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1) Go to a region (sim) you love, live in, or hang out in, etc. The first three letters of the region name will the the first three letters of your new call sign.
2) Turn on your radio, look for the "operational" message (see above quick start for how to turn on your radio and transmit)
3) Choose from one to three letters for the custom portion of your call sign. These will make up the last one to three characters of your call sign. We'll use 'CCC' to represent those letters in our example.
4) Type "/7 requestcallsign CCC" (use /8 if you using the HT unit).
5) Await confirmation or response from the call sign server.

If successful, your call sign is now registered! Congratulations. Use your call sign to identify yourself when using the SL-HAM bands.

EXTENDED INSTRUCTIONS
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TO TURN ON THE UNIT:
Simply click on the unit to turn it on. You can also say, "/7 menu" ("/8 menu" for the HT). A dialog box will appear asking you which channel you would like to use (or get HELP, which issues this card, or Turn Off the radio unit).

Select the desired channel by clicking on the band button: 2m, 6m, 15m, 20m, 40m or 80m.

VERIFY THE UNIT IS OPERATIONAL:
When you power-on the unit, it runs a self-check as well as a check of the external communications system. You'll want to look for the message like, " SL HAM Radio, Model ABC (v0.9): operational" before you begin transmitting.

If you do not see this message, the communications systems are down and your messages will not transmit. Try again later.

The unit will also report the SL chat channel to use to transmit messages, something like, "Use /7 to transmit". You must be within 20m of your radio to transmit. You can wear your radio on your back or in your hand, if you like to be mobile. The HT, of course, wears in the hand (automatically - just "wear" it from your inventory).

TO TRANSMIT:
If your transmit chat channel is /7 (or /8 for HTs), then once the unit is powered on and operational, simply type /7 and your message, like this:

/7 CQ CQ DE @CAL7BOB

...and it will be transmitted to anyone else listening to thier SL HAM radio on that same band. There is a 3-8 second delay between TX and RX, so be patient when listening for responses.

Your unit will show the message you have sent prefixed with "--*TX*:".

If you happen to transmit before selecting a frequency from the menu, the transmission will go out on the 2m "band" frequency.

TO TURN THE UNIT OFF:
When you are done using the unit, turn it off by clicking on it and clicking the "Radio Off" button in the dialog box. You will see a message like, "SL HAM Radio, v0.8: SL Ham Radio - self-power down" that confirms the unit has powered down.

You can also type "/7 off" to turn the unit off (or "/8 off" for the handie-talkie, for example).

AUTO-POWER DOWN:
Due to script consumption and repetitive looping to check for new messages every few seconds, this unit has an auto-power-down feature. After 100 minutes of use, the radio will automatically self-power-down. To reactivate it, simply click on the unit and turn it on as normal.

This feature cannot be removed and is important to keep your radio from using sim & script resources while you are not in-world or nearby. If you want to refresh your unit's time-to-shutdown, simply pull up the menu by clicking on the unit or typing "/7 menu" ("/8 menu" for the HT), then click the "ignore" button. This will reset the timer.

SUPPORT AND UPDATES
Contact Kalisten VanDornan via IM in-world or at his email address with any questions or problems you may encounter with the unit.

Note that there may be times when either the Second Life communications servers or the SL Trip Tips web server (http://www.sltriptips.com, which is used as the communications hub) may be down for maintenance or service. If your radio doesn't report "operational", then just wait an hour or two and try it again before reporting the problem.

Most of all, have fun and may you meet many other fellow HAM enthusiasts in SL!

COMMAND REFERENCE
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/7 msg - transmits message on the selected band when radio is on and operating.
/7 menu - displays menu to select band or turn radio off.
/7 off - turns radio off.

/7 requestcallsign CCC - replace CCC with 1-3 alpha chars of your choice to get your SL-HAM call sign and have it registered with the call sign database.
/7 mycall - will display your call sign (if it is on file).
/7 whocall @CAL7BOB - will look up the avatar name registered to the call sign @CAL7BOB. Replace with the call sign of your choice.

(Use "/8" in the above commands for your HT)

HAM CODES REFERENCE
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QRL? - is anyone using this frequency right now?
DE - shorthand for "this is"
CQ - is there a station that can hear me?
QSO - a contact, a conversation.
QSY - shall we change bands to... ("QSY 20m")
QSX - I'm listening on... ("QSX 20m 15m 40m @CAL7KAL")

SL-HAM communications don't have to worry about things like signal strength, noise or distance, so most of the Q-Codes for that sort of thing aren't needed (but can be practiced using SL-HAM, certainly!). Learn more RL Q-codes at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_code

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Q: Do I have to have a real HAM license to use the SL HAM radio system?

A: No, you don't. Not at all!

The messages you send via the SL HAM radio "frequencies" are never transmitted over the air; rather, they travel through the Internet. However, if you don't have a real call sign, it is best if you don't make one up on your own and use it in SL - it might accidentally be someone else's real call sign. Instead, use the /7 requestcallsign command to get your own SL-HAM call sign.

We want people who are interested in HAM radio, students and scouts to be able to use SL-HAM as a training and exploration experience, as well as have a nice place for HAMS to chat grid-wide on SL.

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Q: Hey! I can't tell who sent what message! Why doesn't the avatar name or call sign appear in the message?

A: Just like in real-life radio, you only know who is transmitting if they identify themselves. This is so you can practice real HAM protocols, just like you would use "on the air".

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Q: What is the protocol for communications on HAM bands?

A: HAM radio is based on communications from one specific person to another; in other words, broadcasting to the world is a no-no (it's illegal on RL radio bands). But, if you don't know anyone yet, you can request anyone that is listening to communicate with you using a protocol known as "CQ". A normal CQ call and contact might look like this (this example is using SL call signs and is modeled after CW-style contacts):

QRL? (is this frequency in use by someone else at this time?)

Wait about 30-60 seconds to see if anyone answers you. If not, it's clear to go ahead an use this frequency to CQ (call for contacts).

CQ CQ DE @CAL7KAL in Caledon Cay
(with @CAL7KAL being your call sign, for example)
("DE" is CW shorthand for "this is")

You might end up calling CQ over and over for minutes or hours until someone else tunes into the band and starts listening. You might repeat the CQ every two minutes or so. Then, when someone else hears you, they might respond:

@CAL8KAL DE @HUB7ACE in Monty

You can read this as, "I hear you @CAL8KAL, this is @HUB7ACE responding and I'm transmitting from Monty sim"

Now you can chat away easily enough. You'll know your msgs from others because your radio will prefix your transmissions with "TX: ".

When you are done, finish up with your call sign:

Thanks and 73s @CAL7KAL

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Q: Can I run both my base station and my HT at the same time?

A: Sure! Whichever one you TX on, the other will RX the messages, so you'll see your own messages twice (once for the TX confirm, once for the second unit's RX of the message).

HAVE FUN AND SEE YOU ON THE SL "AIRWAVES"!