{"id":333,"date":"2013-03-03T17:46:21","date_gmt":"2013-03-03T22:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/?p=333"},"modified":"2015-07-12T14:03:32","modified_gmt":"2015-07-12T18:03:32","slug":"physical-fitness-for-ham-radio-operators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/physical-fitness-for-ham-radio-operators\/","title":{"rendered":"Physical Fitness for “Ham” Radio Operators"},"content":{"rendered":"

Copyright Tom Dove \u0004\u000e 1993 \u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

Physical fitness for the amateur \u0004\u000e\u0003radio operator<\/strong><\/span>
\n by \u0004\u000e\bTom Dove<\/span><\/p>\n

Our spouses and friends may worry that we “Hams” do not \u0004\u000eget enough exercise as we sit for hours in front of our rigs. You \u0004\u000ecan stay fit as you enjoy your hobby with these simple exercises, \u0004\u000erecommended by the creative commuter gang that meets each \u0004\u000emorning on the 147.105 mHz Anne Arundel Radio Club repeater in \u0004\u000e\u0018Davidsonville, Maryland. \u0004\u000e\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

CHOKE CHOKE<\/strong> – Choose an inductor that fits comfortably in your \u0004\u000ehand. Squeeze and release this coil 25 times to build the muscles in \u0004\u000ethe hand and forearm. Inductive reasoning experts recommend \u0004\u000eremoving the coil from its circuit so it does not impede your movement. \u0004\u000e\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

DIPOLE CHIN-UPS<\/strong> – This may require lowering your antenna or \u0004\u000eusing a tall ladder. Reach or jump upward and grab the antenna \u0004\u000eon either side of the feedline. Do chin-ups until you drop. For extra \u0004\u000efitness, climb the feedline to reach the antenna. For extra \u0004\u000eadventure, try this exercise at a friend’s station while he is \u0004\u000eoperating and achieve a special glow. \u0004\u000e\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

HT CURLS<\/strong> – Hold a handheld radio in your palm and lift it to your \u0004\u000eshoulder 20 times. This exercise builds strength in the biceps \u0004\u000emuscles and increases the endurance needed when operating in \u0004\u000epublic service events. While new hams may use small transceivers, \u0004\u000ea greater level of fitness will result from curling radios at least twenty \u0004\u000eyears old. \u0004\u000e\u0001 \u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

POWER SUPPLY PRESS<\/strong> – Disconnect your power supply from the \u0004\u000eradio and hold it with both hands behind your neck. Press it \u0004\u000evertically until both arms are straight. Repeat ten times. The age \u0005\u000eof the power supply should be inversely proportional to the age of \u0004\u000ethe Ham. A healthy college student may be able to press a 1955 \u0004\u000emodel with tubes and an 850 volt transformer, while a sedentary \u0004\u000eamateur may choose two D-cell batteries. \u0004\u000e\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

PTT THUMB PUSH<\/strong> – Set your handheld radio for a quiet simplex \u0004\u000echannel and hold it firmly in the left hand, resting the thumb on \u0004\u000ethe PTT button. Press and release the button repeatedly, being sure \u0004\u000eto identify yourself in compliance with FCC rules. After 25 pushes, change hands (this will require \u0004\u000einverting or rotating the radio) and repeat. This exercise will \u0004\u000e\u0016prevent flabby thumbs. \u0004\u000e\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

TOWER EXERCISES<\/strong> – Climb an antenna tower until your knuckles \u0004\u000eturn white. As you become more proficient, your altitude will \u0004\u000eincrease. Extra points are awarded for leaping from the tower to \u0004\u000ethe ground instead of simply climbing down. Proper execution of \u0004\u000ethis drop is also beneficial to tall people who \u0004\u000e\u0017wish to become shorter. \u0004\u000e\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

YAGI YOGA<\/strong> – After exercising, meditation is beneficial to both body \u0004\u000eand mind. Sit atop a beam antenna in a crosslegged position while \u0004\u000eyour assistant rotates it, beginning at north and going clockwise. \u0004\u000eClose your eyes and repeat the mantra “Ohm” 52 times. \u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0004\u000e\u000f— The End —<\/span><\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Copyright Tom Dove \u0004\u000e 1993 \u0004\u000e Physical fitness for the amateur \u0004\u000e\u0003radio operator by \u0004\u000e\bTom Dove Our spouses and friends may worry that we “Hams” do not \u0004\u000eget enough exercise as we sit for hours in front of our rigs. You \u0004\u000ecan stay fit as you enjoy your hobby with these simple exercises, \u0004\u000erecommended by Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":612,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions\/612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}