Archive for the ‘Ham Radio’ Category

Amateur Radio Information & Resources

Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is a hobby and service that millions of people throughout the world partake in. Various types of radio communications are used by participants, called "hams", for public services, recreation, and self-training. While some may think that the term "amateur" implies a lack of skill, the term amateur refers to the fact that the operators of the communication devices work outside of an official governmental or commercial position.

The practicing of amateur radio did not fully begin until the early 20th century, while origins trace back to at least the late 19th century. There are several different types of transmission by which participants communicate. Voice transmission is the most common form of communication amongst hams. Another form of communication, which dates back to the earliest days of radio, includes radiotelegraphy using Morse code, a system developed by Samuel Morse in the 19th century.

There are many countries that use amateur radio.

All operators require a licensing exam in which participants display their knowledge and understanding of amateur radio. There are three different levels of an amateur radio-licensing exam: technician class, general class, and amateur extra class. In order to become involved the amateur radio world, it is best to start by looking for a local club. At these clubs, you can find licensing, operation, and technical information. Newcomers require independent studying by using books or receiving help from a teacher or mentor.

Call signs are a vital aspect of amateur radio. Operators must use specific call signs to legally identify themselves or their station in situations regarding national government issues.

Radio amateurs may also modify any transmitting equipment without government permission or certification. As long as technical parameters are met, hams have a lot of freedom with the use of radio equipment.

For further information about amateur radio, visit the following websites:

ARRL (http://www.arrl.org): The American Radio Relay League, or ARRL, is the national association for amateur radio. On this site, information can be found regarding education/training, membership, and how to get involved.
Philadelphia ARES (http://www.harcnet.org/aresindex): Philadelphia ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) is dedicated to serving the community with up-to-date when disaster strikes and to build a relationship with amateur radios from other counties. Membership and training is available for those interested in joining the ARES of Philadelphia.
Ham Universe (http://www.hamuniverse.com): For all of you amateur radio needs, visit HamUniverse.com. Here you will find information regarding ham products, license studying, the different components of this high-tech hobby.

Related Ham Radio Articles

The Health of Amateur Radio in Today's Society

Article by P Stox

The Amateur Radio Service has an almost unduplicated position for a recreational activity/leisure time pursuit because of its historically tight coupling to the wireless telecommunications, broadcasting, and military communications industries. Few other hobbies have supplied such a sizable number of both motivated and trained workers and of useful technological improvements to their associated commercial industries.

There was a time when it would have been routinely assumed that an applicant for a technical job was a licensed Amateur operator who had a station on-air. That is no longer the case. But, whether or not most people in the industry explicitly recognize it, the health and survival of Ham radio is still very important for the industry - if for no other reason, because Amateur radio is one of the few remaining services where an individual can still develop practical, hands-on, trial-and-error RF experience on his own! And since such practical RF experience is becoming scarce in today's raging digital flood, that's not a small concern.

In the Curmudgeon's view the health of the Amateur Service today is only average. Not robust but just "so-so," a kind of flabby middle-age. And that is ironic, for the level of RF technology available to the Service has improved tremendously in the fifty years since the Curmudgeon earned his first license. But during these decades the sociology associated with the Service has degraded considerably. That degradation extends to licensees' on-air behavior, to their motivation and interest to learn and to experiment, and to their willingness just to "lend a hand" to benefit others, whether in helping new initiates to qualify for licenses or in public service activities.

Today's Amateur Service is not your grandfather's hamming. "Yep, Bubb, it really was more fun back then!" Too many of today's active hams are too disinclined to pick up a soldering iron, too egocentric in their on-air operating practices, too focused on artificially-produced competitiveness when cooperation would work equally as well. The character of the Service has degraded over the decades, perhaps tracking that of the larger American culture, and the obvious question is "Why?"

The Curmudgeon ascribes the sociology problem to two causes, one natural and one man-made. The natural cause is the aging-out of the senior ham population and with that the demise of some semblance of historical understanding, experience, and quality in the ranks. That of course is unstoppable. The man-made cause is something that the Curmudgeon now has to admit that he erred in initially favoring. That was the restructuring of the FCC license exam process as manifested by the establishment a few years ago of the "No Code" Amateur Radio licenses (for example, no requirement to demonstrate ability to send/receive the International Morse Code, plus other unrelated changes).

Prior to the advent of restructuring, earning an Amateur license probably required more than the amount of work and dedication that would have been proportional to the reward, and thus the arduous licensing requirements overly restricted the entrance of new participants. Now the qualifications for the restructured Amateur licenses are probably set too low, and this has resulted in the influx of telecommunications consumers and casual hobbyists in quantities that threaten to seriously change the nature of the Service.

To be fair, the elimination of the code proficiency requirement itself was inevitable; it was a change that occurred in the same time period when Morse Code was also being dropped as an authorized emissions mode for other (commercial) radio services. By itself "No Code" is probably not sufficient to account for all the degradation. Rather, the Curmudgeon believes that the open publication of the license exam question pool, with its "just cram for the exam" ethic, and the concurrent rise of commercial "Amateur exam quick study courses" of various kinds has created much of the damage.

Just consider the advertisements for the nascent "FCC Amateur exam preparation industry." In one case an entrepreneur advertises that an individual can go from zero telecommunications knowledge to passing the (entry level) Technician Class exam in a one-weekend "camp!" In another case an individual possessing the entrance grade license reported that he successfully passed the (highest level) Extra Class exam after just twelve hours of study using an on-line (for profit) Web site. There are testimonials also from individuals who claimed to have passed all three current levels of license exams from scratch in the course of only two months, using the various exam preparation services! These rapid time scales and minimal work loads were unknown in the Service prior to restructuring.

But perhaps the most telling example of the lowered level of the current exams involves an English ham...a chap who is a graduate engineer and a long-time holder of the highest level UK ham license. Recently he attended a UK national ham convention where he unexpectedly discovered that the US Amateur license exams were being given. With no preparatory studying whatsoever, never having ever read the FCC's Part 97 Rules, and acting strictly on impulse, he instantly decided to take the US exams. Ninety minutes later he departed with a new US Amateur Extra Class license! A "special case," of course, but what does it say about the quality of the current exams?

The Curmudgeon asks, "Where is the growth of skills and knowledge that comes with invested time, experience, and dedication to the Service, producing as a natural consequence the ever-increasing ability to pass the exams? Where are the proven benefits from this new license structure to the Amateur Service? To the industry? Isn't this just more instant gratification for the 'I want it....and NOW!' crowd?" And so the culture and quality of the Service shift and continue to move over time.

Overall, this is a serious problem, and there aren't any quick and easy solutions. Much of any reform that may occur will have to come from within the Amateur Service itself. But there is a definite role for the industry in the pursuit of this reform: recognizing, encouraging, supporting, and demanding the improvement of the Amateur Service! Not solely as a pro bono initiative; it's really in the self-interest of the industry too!

LBA supplies Antenna Test Equipment including Impedance Analyzers such as the TE1000 and FIT series Antenna Testers

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Amateur Radio Supply - Your Ultimate Guide

Article by Avery J. Parker

Experienced hams often debate on which type of transceiver fits a novice ham best. Choices, however, depend on how the radio is going to be used and the budget allotted for it. When you attend an amateur radio course to prepare for a licensure exam, you get to meet lots of beginners from all walks of life and not a single one of them has the same reason for getting the license as the other. Some people use ham radios for work-related purposes. Others do it for local community volunteerism. Most others enjoy the sheer fun of building things and making them work while others would simply like to talk to someone on air especially if the other ham is from a far distant (DX) location.

Every single purpose could mean a certain amateur radio supply applicable to it. The most basic of which are handheld transceivers. These are portable, you can use it at home, in the car, or at work. Handheld transceivers are the equipment of choice for local emergency communications and public service. Handheld transceivers have limited range and power but these can be extended through aftermarket antennas and amplifiers. Most emergency communications are done with these antennas even if access to local repeaters and stock antennas is enough. An aftermarket antenna can prolong power usage because it allows greater range on lower power. Aside from antenna, you can also enhance your technical side by building your own packet interface or a solar charger. However, technical projects you can perform out of a handheld transceiver are limited to those.

Another option aside from handheld transceivers is the mobile FM transceiver. Mobile transceivers are often used in a vehicle. However, they are also referred to by most amateur radio supply shops as a beginner's choice of fixed station. They can also replace handheld transceivers as portable radios given a high-powered battery. Mobile FM transceivers get a lot from properly installed antennas and sufficient power. Maintaining them is a bit costlier compared to owning a handheld but for some beginners, it is worth the expenses.

You may also opt for a dual or tri-band radio despite them being more expensive than mono band rigs. Multi-band radios allow more options for experimenting especially with antenna. If you are on air with a 6-meter and a properly erected external antenna, you have greater chances of working on a DX.

Another school of thought among experienced hams regarding the amateur radio supply perfect for a beginner recommends the use HF/VHF/UHF mode rigs. Novice hams gain interest with the myriad of ways you can use amateur radios. However, all-mode rigs might hurt a novice ham's pocket. Again and again, it all depends on what hams like about the hobby. With HF/VHF/UHF, hams get to reach stations from all over the world. It is the perfect amateur radio supply for DXing.

Once decided on the more basic equipments, you will need to invest on an SWR meter and a multimeter if you want to go technically deeper into amateur radios. Both of these are equipment testers that may be of good use especially if you are building your own antennas.

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Amateur Radio Operators - Heroes?

Article by Sintilia Miecevole

Amateur radio is a hobby and has over 600,000 radio operators in the USA alone. The hobby is about communications and various ways of communicating via radio waves.

What most people do not know about the hobby and the people that are operators is that they are one of the most used groups in a disaster situation.

The amateur radio community has networks set up all over the world that can be activated quickly if there is a disaster anywhere in the world. Amateurs worked weeks at the site of 9-1-1 in New York side by side with rescue crews supplying communications.

When there is a disaster such a hurricanes or tornadoes or the likes of 9-1-1 then one of the first things to go away is the local communications. Phones go down and electricity and the only thing left is amateur radio operators that can operate from a battery and a piece of wire for an antenna.

Many operators were involved this last year in all the hurricanes that we had. The amateurs had hurricane watch nets up all over the world just watching and reporting the advance of these storms. Once these storm passed the radio operators set up nets to pass traffic for rescue groups as well as passing health and welfare traffic to people trying the get in touch with relatives in the stricken area. It is always great to get a message out to someone that says we are ok and we are alive.

Amateur radio operators are the eyes of the National Weather Service. If you do not believe that then just ask someone that works for the weather service. Every National Weather Service office in the USA has amateur radio operators on duty any time that there are storms in the area. The weather service does have a great radar but the radar cannot see the storms like human eyes can.

Some where in this country there are amateur operators watching storms and reporting what they see to the National Weather Service almost any time of the day and night. These radio operators have been trained in storm watching so that they will be able to send reports that the weather service that can used immediately. From that point all the reported storm data goes out to weather radio and local radio and TV stations for broadcast to the public.

These amateur radio operators may or may not be heroes but they are always there when needed to warn the public of danger. The kicker to all this is that the operators buy all their own radio equipment and give their time to keep the public safe.

Always doing the job in the background at no cost to the public. Usually this service gets no recognition for saving lives. Heroes? You decide.

Put Your Amateur Radio License to Good Use - Participate in a Public Service Event

OK, so you've passed your amateur radio exam and are waiting for your "ticket" (license). All that studying, cramming, and worrying are behind you. It's about this time that you start to ask yourself, "What do I do now?" Great question. Your first step is to consider the type of equipment to buy. That's something your Elmer (mentor) can help you with. (A link at the bottom takes you to a discussion of my equipment.) My focus here is to help you put your ham radio skills and enthusiasm to work for the betterment of your community.

One of the more rewarding ways is to get involved with a public service event. Most often a walk or bike ride, these events support the efforts of many fine organizations, including the American Cancer Society, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, among others. It doesn't make sense for organizers to buy and maintain equipment for just a one-day event, so they turn to local amateur radio operators.

"Hams" are happy to help out, particularly for the larger events.

How might you, a new ham radio operator, help? Each event needs operators at numerous points along the route. Hams provide extra sets of eyes, and help ensure a smooth operation. There are a number of areas to choose from:

1. Net control - The command center of all public service events, net control contains the "dispatchers" (net control operators) who keep all radio traffic flowing smoothly. Net operators tend to be more experienced; newer ones may assist with logging, monitoring the APRS system (similar to GPS), or other duties.

2. Aboard a SAG wagon - Support and Gear vehicles ride a predetermined route, looking for injured walkers/riders and broken bikes that are then transported to the appropriate location.

You may also be asked to deliver supplies to a rest stop during the event. (Initial supplies are provided by event organizers.) With your radio, your vehicle can be dispatched as needed.

3. At a rest stop - This can be a more relaxing assignment. Ham radio operators stay in touch with the event volunteers on the scene, and stand ready to call in any needs. Occasionally you'll hear from someone with a broken bike or pooped walker/rider who wants a ride to the finish line.

4. With a Sentry Captain - Some rides employ Sentry Captains. These folks are assigned a particular route, and are responsible for the flag-carrying volunteers (sentries) you find along the route and at many intersections. The Sentry Captain rides the route continuously, making sure the sentries have sufficient water, munchies, and so forth. If you spot any walker or rider needing assistance, you call net control for help.

5. At an intersection - Some intersections are staffed by ham radio operators. Much like at the rest stops, you watch the crowd go by, and stand ready to call in assistance for a rider or walker.

As you can see, there are many opportunities during a charity walk or ride for you to put your amateur radio license and gear to good use. Although you need to get up early, and the morning can seem long, you will feel very satisfied afterward. You helped a worthwhile organization meet its fundraising goals, and in the process, you gave back something to your community.

Your Elmer should be able to help you get involved in public service. You can learn more at most ham radio club meetings and by monitoring the repeater nets. Have fun!

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Ham Radio Hobby - 5 Facts To Enhance The Fun

For those of the ham or amateur radio era, it would be exciting for you to know that ham radio is still an activity considered a hobby. What does this hobby do? Well, like the instant messengers of today's technology Internet, this device is a way of having communications with those who live in distant regions and from other cultures.

It is usually a custom for the two way communicators to identify their position and station and also their zone, region and place. Should the contact be made for a contest to do as many communication touchups with ham or stations radio operators then this information needs to be shared.

1. DX-ing and DX-peditions:

A radio operator's goal, whether they are an amateur or not, is to get into contact with as many stations as humanly possible throughout the entire world.

What does DX stand for? It is short for Distant Stations. The second half meaning DX-ing is followed by QSO which means conversation.

DX-peditions are diverse in that the searching expeditions are intended exclusively for the intention to make contacts. This is especially true for those rare, hard to find and special unrepresentative regions.

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Currently, there are radio frequency scanners that are great tools for just his use. It will scan repeatedly to find a sting signal.

2. QSL cards:

What is a Q code? It is a standard compilation of three letter message indoctrinations that all begin with the letter "Q". It was first designed for the commercial sector of radiotelegraph communications. Later, it was incorporated to other radio sectors including amateur ones. The "Q" codes are not necessary in today's transmission age but are used as form of tradition.

The QSL card, in part with the DX-ing and DX-peditions, is shared. This code means to acknowledge the receipt. it was customary that those who did the initial contact send QSL cards to confirm their contact as well as their conversations. These QSL cards are good for those in a contest to get into contact with a certain amount of stations in the specified amount of time. Not only that, the cards are distinguished because they are efficient for amateur radio operators.

3. Contacting remote regions:

For some countries, there are less radio operators and when these are contacted, they are rather special. Many times when a ham radio operators gets into contact with this region, other ham operators seek communications with these operators. When these places are contacted during special times, they have a place for its award program.

4. Hamfests:

This is when events are centered on those in the ham family and their friends. This event is designed to sell and exchange ham radios and meet real life ham friends. This event is usually done over the period of a few days.

5. Ham Radio Discussion Groups

Like the Internet Chat rooms of today, many ham radio operators offer discussion groups based upon similar interests besides the ham radio. They eventually form networks to help each other out should it be necessary. They can also form a discussion group based on their interests of the ham radio.

Should a radio hobbyist decides to get involved with the many activities that are involved, they are sure to never be bored. So if this is something you would consider fun and entertaining, then see how you can go about getting started.

Talk To An Astronaut - In space - With Ham Radio!

I recently contacted Astronaut Douglas Wheelock on board the intercontinental space Station possessing an extremely simple ham stereo attached to only a tiny magnet mounted antenna within our residence in Appleton, WI. even although a ham stereo license is required, it is not challenging to obtain. Ham stereo clubs within your area will help you acquire one. get in touch with the American stereo Relay League (ARRL) or holiday to ARRL.org to acquire an extraordinary offer more information. The stereo products required is not overly pricey in my opinion. even although I build my get in touch with possessing a stereo even although in the 0 price tag range, an extremely simple a few of meter ham stereo even although in the 0 price tag range can be just good as well. The antenna I utilized was a magnet mount antenna attached through magnet mount to our 4 drawer workplace document cabinet. The antenna is even although in the price tag range. for people that do not possess a document cupboard any huge material item would most possibly purpose as well. relatively a few individuals use kitchen area cookie sheets. A stove would purpose as well as a wooden stove can be excellent.

My earliest get in touch with with him was on 10/11/2010. Was it worth the effort... well... YEAH!!!

• My a few of meter ham stereo utilized fifty watts but you can perform the work possessing a HT (hand-held radio) and 5 watts. individuals have utilized hand-held ham radios and as small as 5 watts. for people that go the transportable stereo route then a satellite antenna (a hand-held beam antenna) is suggested.

• one subject that is required is steering to be the ability to transmit on one volume and listen on another. appear like basic repeater functionality? Yeah - however the range in between the obtain and transmit frequencies is very much higher than on traditional repeaters. research additional for particulars on frequencies. No tones are required for the intercontinental space Station (ISS). Tones are required for other novice stereo satellites.

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• relatively beneficial in my estimation is steering to be the ability to track, or predict, once the intercontinental space Station (ISS) will fly over, what path it will appear from and go to, and what height (angle) it is steering to be even although in the sky. There is nobody preferred method. Your assortment will depend in your budget, resources, etc.. I experienced a PC and internet interconnection and I downloaded the positively free "Ham stereo Deluxe" plan that consists of a satellite tracking program. Get your Ham stereo Deluxe computer software positively free and arrive at uncover out it. I utilized the computer software to alert you, even through electronic voice, when to create your attempt. There are web-based options - do a search engines like google research for "satellite predictions" and "satellite tracking" for relatively a few the great offer more alternatives.

• Know the right frequencies. holiday to AMSAT,org to appear throughout the information and details on many different satellites and the best way to purpose them. For specifics near to the intercontinental space Station (ISS) go to their section. Specifically, research anything from this part http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/ariss/#freqs through the bottom in the page.

• Set-up your radio. Ham stereo repeaters use specific silent tones in some instances. This permits many repeaters to create utilization of the identical volume without any interfering with each and every other. The ham stereo operator transmits a silent tone near to the particular volume to signal which repeater s/he would like to run with. The intercontinental space Station (ISS) utilizes no tone. research to say your contact indication in proper, traditional phonetics. consider that you simply are speaking to certified professionals. They will NOT appreciate and may possibly not even recognize any "cutesy" personalized phonetics. Also research to transmit your neighborhood swiftly subsequent your contact sign. The neighborhood will help other people understand the fact that astronaut would like that you inform them the sleep of your contact indication in circumstance they lose element of it.

• Lastly, do have some patience. They may possibly be busy. you could possibly be busy. consider that ham stereo near to the intercontinental space Station is often carried out within their spare time. beneficial luck busting your earliest space pile-up!

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Jon Kreski, otherwise recognized as AB9NN (FCC novice stereo contact sign) is definitely an additional school ham stereo license holder. that is steering to be the greatest level license available. Jon is often a member of A.R.E.S. (Amateur stereo Emergency Services) and is also certified and authorized to participate in providing ham stereo FCC license exams. Jon can be considered a serious storm spotter - certified in the united states wide environment Service. Jon features with SkyWarn, a country wide storm spotter group, to purpose within of a many-to-many ham stereo storm spotting network. Jon also offers positively free ham stereo communications help to served companies and serves like a volunteer to neighborhood marathons and races. Jon life even although in the Appleton / eco-friendly Bay Wisconsin area and operates on HF cell also to near to the neighborhood a few of meter repeaters. Jon utilizes e-QSL and LOTW.

Hosts: Bob Heil, K9EID, Gordon West, WB6NOA, and Leo Laporte, W6TWT Leo shows off his shiny new call sign, Don explains amateur radio television, George shows us the proper tools that every person needs, and more. Guests: Don Hill, KE6BXT and George Thomas, W5JDXDownload or subscribe to this show at twit.tv We invite you to read, add to, and amend our show notes at wiki.twit.tv. Thanks to Joe Walsh who wrote and plays the Ham Nation theme. Thanks to Cachefly for the bandwidth for this show. Running time: 59:08
Video Rating: 5 / 5

The Radio Amateur's Hand Book

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

List Price: $ 0.00

Price: $ 0.00

Where to Take the Amateur Radio License Exam

The first thing to do is to get yourself registered with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC requires an application to be filled out. The aplication process is free. The only fee will be paid to the Volunteer Examiners (VEs) at the exam session for administering the exam and processing the test documentation. The FCC application is easily done online at the FCC's Universal Licensing Site (http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/). You should do this prior to taking your exam at the testing center because it will speed up the processing of your test results allowing you to get your license issued without delay.

In a previous article called "How To Get Your Amateur Radio License", I told you how to learn what you need to know to pass the exam. Here you'll learn how and where to register and take the exam. A good way to help you retain what you have learned is to take sample question and answer exams. These interactive online exams also tell you when you are ready to take the actual exam. Here are some links where you can practice what you've learned and test yourself: QRZ.COM , AA9PW.COM , eHAM.COM , ARRL.COM . It is a good idea to take more than one of these to test yourself, as they probably use slightly different question pools.

Now, once you've taken your class, studied your license manual, or were tutored by an 'elmer' (an 'elmer' is a friendly ham who helps a newbie get started), the next step is to find out where to take the exam. Amateur radio exams are given by volunteer examiners called VEs. VEs are required to be adults with General class licenses or higher and to pass certain other tests to be certified. VEs are tested and approved by a VE Coordinator staff (VEC). Exam sessions are organized by a VE team who administer and score the exams. As mentioned above, a fee is collected at the time of the exam and passed on to the VEC to cover the cost of checking all documentation and entering the data into the FCC database. You will know before you leave if you passed.

These exams are offered in easy to find places like schools, churches, and other public and private buildings. They are often also given at hamfests. A hamfest is a flea market for amateur radio enthusiats. If you know a ham with a copy of QST, the ARRL monthly magazine for hams, there is usually a listing of upcoming exam locations, dates, and times. You can also go online to the ARRL website (arrl.org) and click on "Exams" at the top left for a list of exam locations, dates, and times which you can search by Zip code or state. These exam location listings will usually have a telephone number and an email address. Be sure to make contact to make sure information is still current and the exam will take place as scheduled. Important: you need to bring a photo I.D. to take the exam.

Well, that's it. Now go do it!