David Pruett Portland, Oregon. Follow my HAM radio adventures on YouTube!

Transcription

1 David Pruett Portland, Oregon Follow my HAM radio adventures on YouTube!

2 Welcome to the exciting world of amateur radio! Where do I start? The first step is to study and get your operator s license. On February 23, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) eliminated Morse Code testing. The Morse Code requirement was a major stumbling block for many interested in amateur radio. While no longer required for licensing, Morse Code or CW remains an interesting and effective mode of communication by many amateur radio operators. New amateur radio operators typically enter the hobby by obtaining a Technician Class later advancing to the General Class or Extra Class. Volunteer Examiners (VEs) prepare and administer written examinations from published question pools publicly available. Helpful study guides, training courses and online resources are widely available. Technician Class (Element 2) The privileges of a Technician Class operator license include operating an amateur station that may transmit on channels in any of 17 frequency bands above 50 MHz with up to 1,500 watts of power. Technician Class licensees also have privileges in four amateur service bands in the HF range. To pass the Technician Class examination, at least 26 questions from a 35 question written examination must be answered correctly. General Class (Element 3) The General Class operator license authorizes privileges in all 27 amateur service bands. In addition to the above written examination, the requirement for a General Class operator license includes answering correctly at least 26 questions on a 35 question written examination. Extra Class (Element 4) Operating privileges of an Extra Class operator license include additional spectrum in the HF bands. In addition to the two above written examinations, the requirement for an Amateur Extra Class operator license includes correctly answering at least 37 questions on a 50 question written examination. Always check that you are studying the most current question pool for each element. Practice Tests & Question Pool Resources QRZ Practice Test Center QRZ Practice Test Center (large print) eham Practice Exams HamExam Practice Exams & Flash Cards ARRL - Test Question Pools ARRL - Find a Local License Exam The HamWhisperer

3 What can I do with a Ham License?... Better to Ask What Can t I Do with HAM! Amateur radio is the doorway to the world! Talk to people in foreign countries... DX'ing is a favorite activity of many hams. Talk to people both local & distant while driving to work or someone on those sleepless late nights! Public assistance by providing communications during emergencies, natural disasters, parades, bike races, marathons and other public events Help other people become hams... also called "Elmering" Hook your computer to your radio and communicate "computer-to-computer" Collect QSL Cards... collect cards from other hams, from all over the world o Wikipedia on QSL Cards - Participate in radio contests or ARRL Field Day events o ARRL Field Day is held the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and running through 2059 UTC Sunday. The goal of Field Day is to work (i.e. contact) as many stations as possible using any and all amateur bands (excluding the 60, 30, 17, and 12- meter bands) while learning and practicing operations in less than optimal conditions. Field Day also places a premium on developing skills to meet the unique challenges of emergency preparedness and communications in an austere environment. Additionally, Field Day exposes the general public to the diverse capabilities and benefits of Amateur Radio. o ARRL Field Day - Provide radio communication services to your local Civil Defense organization o ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) o RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) o CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) o FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Aid members of the U.S. military by joining the Army, Air Force or Navy/Marine MARS o MARS - Military Affiliate Radio System o Navy / Marine Corps MARS - o Army MARS - o Air Force MARS o Wikipedia on the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) Participate in Fox Hunts or radio direction finding and hidden transmitter hunt games o Receive weather satellites pictures Build radios, antennas, direction-finding equipment Learn electronics & radio theory Use the moon to bounce signals to talk with people on Earth

4 Operate low power (QRP) from remote locations o SOTA Summits On The Air - o Steve WGØAT - o WGØAT Blog - o Andrew K2FR First SOTA Activation! Talk to astronauts in space! o International Space Station (ISS) Fan Club - o ISS on Wikipedia - o KF7ETX International Space Station Contact! (YouTube video) o K2FR International Space Station Contact! (YouTube video) Experiment with Amateur TV (ATV), Slow-Scan TV (SSTV), or send still-frame pictures by facsimile Connect your ham radio to the public telephone system & call friends toll free... auto patching Communicate using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites o AMSAT - o AMSAT Working the Easy Sats o AMSAT Working Your First Amateur Satellite o Andrew K2FR First Sat Contact! Some Basic HAM Terminology ELMER Experienced HAM who teaches and nurtures the neophyte ham radio operator DX Hobby of tuning in and identifying distant radio stations CW Continuous Wave (Morse code) VHF Very High Frequency UHF Ultra High Frequency HF High Frequency 73 Best Regards CQ Invitation for any operators listening on that frequency to respond QSO Contact QSL Acknowledge receipt QTH Station Location QRP Low Power

5 The Amateur Radio Bands (click to download your own copy!) My First Station A great place to start as a new HAM is with a 2 meter / 70 centimeter dual band hand held radio. This will get you active on the local repeaters and nets, as well as, the amateur satellites and the International Space Station. Additionally, 2m / 70cm are the bands used by local emergency radio services such as ARES, RACES and CERT Teams. These radios are small, compact and very portable. They can be used with a rubber duck antenna, a magnet mount antenna on your car or portable antenna with a coax feed line. A handheld 5-watt handheld radio can be found used at very reasonable prices on ebay or the online QRZ Swap Meet. Ultimately you will be tempted to get a base station, upgrade your license and start making long distance contacts. A great resource for setting up your first station can be found at Ham Universe.

6 Station Identification Whenever you transmit on an amateur radio, you are required to identify your transmissions by giving your amateur callsign. Below are some helpful tips: Time While common practice, you are NOT required to identify at the beginning of your transmission You are required to identify with your callsign at least every 10 minutes When you end your contact you are required to identify with your callsign While not required, it is common practice for each station to identify themselves and the station(s) they are in contact (exception: international third party traffic) Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the time standard used by amateur radio operators to avoid confusion related to time zones and daylight savings time. UTC uses 24-hour (military) time notation and is based on the local standard time on the 0 longitude meridian which runs through Greenwich, England. For example, midnight in Greenwich corresponds to 00:00 UTC and noon corresponds to 12:00 UTC. For Mac and iphone users there are some useful applications to consider: For the iphone take a look at the HamClock App (99 ) For a Mac computer consider UTC Clock by Northern Software

7 What is my Grid Square? Grid squares are an easy to communicate shorthand for describing your general location anywhere on the Earth. A grid square measures 1 latitude by 2 longitude and measures an area of approximately miles in the continental Unites States. Grid square notation comprises two letters, the field, and two numbers, the square. For instance, my grid square in the Pacific Northwest is CN85.

8 Grid Square Calculator by David K2DSL Grid Square Locator and Lookup by callsign on HamCall.net Grid Square Locator on Google Maps by F6FVY Wikipedia on the Maidenhead Locator System (Grid Square) What is a Repeater? The purpose of a repeater is to allow its users a greater coverage area than that afforded by "simplex" or single channel operation. A repeater is generally located on the highest area in the locale or region to provide the best service to those who use it. Repeaters have separate input and output frequencies that are published in the ARRL Repeater Directory.

9 The RST Reporting System... sometimes Loud & Clear says it all! The RST System of Signal Reporting is a quick method of reporting Readability, Signal Strength and the Tone. For voice contacts only the "R" and "S" components are used, the "T" component is added for a CW contact. There is a good deal of subjective "averaging all factors" when giving a signal report to another station. As with all things accurate RST reporting requires practice! NOTE: the "S" component is typically not the same as an S-Meter reading as most S-Meters aren't calibrated to track the RST System. R = READABILITY (1-5) 1 Unreadable 2 Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable 3 Readable with considerable difficulty 4 Readable with practically no difficulty 5 Perfectly readable S = SIGNAL STRENGTH (1-9) 1 Faint signals, barely perceptible 2 Very weak signals 3 Weak signals 4 Fair signals 5 Fairly good signals 6 Good signals 7 Moderately strong signals 8 Strong signals 9 Extremely strong signals T = TONE (1-9) 1 Sixty cycle A.C. or less, very rough and broad 2 Very rough A.C. very harsh and broad 3 Rough A.C. tone, rectified but not filtered 4 Rough note, some trace of filtering 5 Filtered rectified A.C. but strongly ripple-modulated 6 Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple modulation 7 Near pure tone, trace of ripple modulation 8 Near perfect tone, slight trace of modulation 9 Perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind Q-Code... what does QSL mean? The International Q-Code is an abbreviated method to exchange a great deal of information with a simple easily communicated three-letter group code. The Q-code was initially developed for commercial radiotelegraph communications and later adopted by amateur radio service. In amateur radio, Q-codes were originally used in CW (Morse code) transmissions to shorten lengthy phrases. Q-codes are also commonly used in voice communications as shorthand nouns, verbs, and adjectives making up phrases. Some Common Q-Codes CQ Invitation for any operators listening on that frequency to respond QSO Contact QSL Acknowledge receipt QTH Station Location QRP Low Power Portland Amateur Radio Club Q-Code Reference

10 The Amateur Radio Q-Code Source: Wikipedia CODE QUSTION ANSWER QRA What is the name (or call sign) of your station? The name (or call sign) of my station is... QRG Will you tell me my exact frequency (or that of...)? Your exact frequency (or that of... ) is... khz (or MHz). QRH Does my frequency vary? Your frequency varies. QRI How is the tone of my transmission? The tone of your transmission is (1. Good; 2. Variable; 3. Bad) QRK What is the readability of my signals (or those of...)? The readability of your signals (or those of...) is... (1 to 5). QRL Are you busy? I am busy. (or I am busy with... ) Please do not interfere. QRM Do you have interference? I have interference. QRN Are you troubled by static? I am troubled by static. QRO Shall I increase power? Increase power QRP Shall I decrease power? Decrease power QRQ Shall I send faster? Send faster (... wpm) QRS Shall I send slower? Send slower (... wpm) QRT Shall I stop sending? Stop sending. QRU Have you anything for me? I have nothing for you. QRV Are you ready? I am ready. QRW Shall I inform... that you are calling him on... khz (or MHz)? Please inform... that I am calling him on... khz (or MHz). QRX When will you call me again? I will call you again at... (hours) on... khz (or MHz) QRZ Who is calling me? You are being called by... on... khz (or MHz) QSA What is the strength of my signals (or those of... )? The strength of your signals (or those of...) is... (1 to 5). QSB Are my signals fading? Your signals are fading. QSD Is my keying defective? Your keying is defective. QSG Shall I send... messages at a time? Send... telegrams at a time. QSK Can you hear me between your signals? I can hear you between my signals. QSL Can you acknowledge receipt? I am acknowledging receipt. QSM Shall I repeat the last telegram (message) which I sent you, or some previous telegram (message)? Repeat the last telegram (message) which you sent me (or telegram(s) (message(s)) numbers(s)...).

11 QSN Did you hear me (or... (call sign)) on.. khz (or MHz)? I did hear you (or... (call sign)) on... khz (or MHz). QSO Can you communicate with... direct or by relay? I can communicate with... direct (or by relay through...). QSR Do you want me to repeat my call? Please repeat your call; I did not hear you. QSS What working frequency will you use? I will use the working frequency... khz (or MHz). QSU QSW Shall I send or reply on this frequency (or on... khz (or MHz))? Will you send on this frequency (or on... khz (or MHz))? Send or reply on this frequency (or on... khz (or MHz)). I am going to send on this frequency (or on... khz (or MHz)). QSX Will you listen to... (call sign(s) on... khz (or MHz))? I am listening to... (call sign(s) on... khz (or MHz)) QSY Shall I change to transmission on another frequency? Change to transmission on another frequency (or on... khz (or MHz)). QSZ Shall I send each word or group more than once? Send each word or group twice (or... times). QTA Shall I cancel telegram (message) No.... as if it had not been sent? Cancel telegram (message) No.... as if it had not been sent. QTC How many telegrams (messages) have you to send? I have... telegrams (messages) for you (or for...). QTH What is your position in latitude and longitude (or according to any other indication)? My position is... latitude...longitude QTR What is the correct time? The correct time is... hours QTU At what times are you operating? I am operating from... to... hours. QUC QUD QUE QUF What is the number (or other indication) of the last message you received from me (or from... (call sign))? Have you received the urgency signal sent by... (call sign of mobile station)? Can you speak in... (language), - with interpreter if necessary; if so, on what frequencies? Have you received the distress signal sent by... (call sign of mobile station)? The number (or other indication) of the last message I received from you (or from... (call sign)) is... I have received the urgency signal sent by... (call sign of mobile station) at... hours. I can speak in... (language) on... khz (or MHz). [AP14] I have received the distress signal sent by... (call sign of mobile station) at... hours.

12 Source: Wikipedia

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14 Anderson Powerpole Connectors THE 12 VOLT CONNECTION OF CHOICE! RACES and ARES organizations, and most HAM radio operators, have now standardized on the Anderson Powerpole for DC power connections. Start off in the right direction by adopting this power connection standard for your station. Anderson Powerpole connectors offer the advantage of handling 15, 30 or 45 amps using the same connector (the contact must be matched to the current load). The connectors are genderless, meaning the supply and load connectors are the same. This reduces the number of parts required, however, just because Anderson Powerpole connectors allow you to hook anything to anything, that does not mean that you can do so without thinking about the potential results! It is always necessary to know what you are connecting, what is a source and what is a load, and which sources should not be attached to other sources. ASSMEBLY OF AN ANDERSON POWERPOLE CONNECTOR INTERIOR ANATOMY OF AN ANDERSON POWERPOLE CONNECTOR

15 Amateur Radio Operating Etiquette Do not transmit before first checking that the frequency is clear. If more than one station responds to your call and you can hear one call clearly then simply respond to that station as described. If only parts of the call sign is heard (e.g. Foxtrot Whiskey or what ever) then in step it may be wise to respond by saying "the station with the Foxtrot Whiskey call sign please make your call." When the complete call sign is established the QSO can continue. Be polite at all times rand promote friendship. If not, avoid transmitting. Set a good example especially for short wave listeners who may be thinking about becoming an amateur. Be a good listener- make some brief notes to keep track of topics / subjects etc. Always reply to CQ calls if possible, and call CQ yourself. It helps keeps amateur radio alive. Speak clearly and slowly, especially when giving your call sign to someone you have never worked before. Try to keep track of everyone in the QSO. Hopefully someone has assumed the role of "traffic director" to make sure everyone has a chance to contribute to the discussion. If not, don't hesitate to do it yourself. Make it clear at the end of each transmission which station is expected to transmit next. Operate on frequencies that are in whole KHz (e.g KHz). This alleviates ambiguity and makes it easier for everyone to be on the same frequency. Allow enough separation between your transmission and other transmissions so as not to cause adjacent channel interference e.g. 3 khz. (Adapted from HamSphere text) SOURCE: Another great etiquette and operating procedural reference: Good Amateur Radio Etiquette: Operating Procedures and Amateur Radio Ethics

16 The Amateur's Code The Radio Amateur is CONSIDERATE never knowingly operates in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others LOYAL offers loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs, and the American Radio Relay League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationally and internationally PROGRESSIVE with knowledge abreast of science, a well-built and efficient station and operation above reproach FRIENDLY BALANCED PATRIOTIC slow and patient operating when requested; friendly advice and counsel to the beginner; kindly assistance, cooperation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community station and skill always ready for service to country and community Adopted by the ARRL from the original version of The Amateur's Code written by Paul M. Segal, W9EEA in 1928 Amateur Radio on YouTube Randy K7AGE Wil AI4QT John W5CYF Steve WGØAT Steve s Blog Andrew K2FR Mark M0SVT David KF7ETX

17 USEFUL RESOURCES FOR THE HAM RADIO OPERATOR ORGANIZATIONS ARRL Amateur Radio Relay League ARES Amateur Radio Emergency Services RACES Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service CERT Civilian Emergency Response Team AMATEUR RADIO MANUFACTURES / EQUIPMENT Yaesu icom Kenwood Ten Tec Ham Radio Outlet Amateur Electronics Supply PowerWerkx Anderson Power Pole West Mountain Radio LDG Electronics MFJ Industries W4RT Electronics Nifty Mini-Manuals BuddiPole Arrow Antenna S-9 Antennas Elk Antennas INTERESTING & USEFUL AMATEUR RADIO LINKS QRZ Gordon West W5YI VEC ARRL Question Pools Study Guides Ham Universe HamCall.net FCC Part 97 Summits On The Air ISS Fan Club Great Grounding Primer Antenna Basics

18 iphone / ipad Applications for the HAM Radio Operator HamClock MaidenHead GoSatWatch EchoLink PocketPacket PacketPAD Open APRS QRZ Clinometer Local and UTC time Get your LAT / LONG / GRID for contests & satellite communications Satellite / International Space Station / Shuttle tracking Access to ECHOLINK for validated Echolink users & licensed Amateurs APRS client for iphone / ipad... receive, view & send packet data View packet transmissions on iphone / ipad APRS client for iphone / ipad Look up HAM radio callsigns on your iphone / ipad Great for estimating angle above horizon for satellite communications While no single document will ever be absolutely complete, I do hope this general primer is useful for those interested in getting involved with amateur radio operations. I am interested in correcting, updating and expanding this reference. Please me with dead links, new & updated links, corrections, suggestions and updates. Welcome to a fascinating hobby with many areas to explore. See you on the airwaves! 73! David Pruett KF7ETX Portland, Oregon usnerdoc@mac.com OCT 2010 (rev 27DEC10)