2014 No Nonsense Ham Tech Study Guide v20

7/25/2019 2014 No Nonsense Ham Tech Study Guide v20

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The No-Nonsense,Technician Class

License Study Guidefor tests given between

July 2014 and June 2018

Dan Romanchik KB6NU

Copyright 2014 Daniel M. o!an"hi#

$ll rights reserved. %o part of this publi"ation !ay be reprodu"ed& stored in a retrieval syste!&

or trans!itted in any for! or by any !eans& ele"troni"& !e"hani"al& re"ording or otherwise&

without the prior written per!ission of the author.

revision 2.0& '()(201*


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Table of Contents

What is amateur (ham) radio?..............................................................................................................1

How do you get into amateur radio?................................................................................................1

How much does it cost?...................................................................................................................1

Where do I take the test?..................................................................................................................1

Can I really learn how to be an amateur radio operator from a study guide like this?....................1

How do I use this study guide?........................................................................................................

!ood luck and ha"e fun...................................................................................................................

#lectrical principles$ math for electronics% electronic principles% &hm's aw.....................................

#lectrical principles% units% and terms$ current and "oltage% conductors and insulators% alternatingand direct current% resistance% power...............................................................................................

&hm's aw$ formulas and usage.....................................................................................................

#*amples..........................................................................................................................................+

#lectronic principles$ ,C power calculation...................................................................................-

ath for electronics$ con"ersion of electrical units% decibels% the metric system...........................-

#lectronic principles and components$ resistors% capacitors and capacitance% inductors andinductance% batteries........................................................................................................................./

0emiconductors$ basic principles and applications of solid state de"ices% diodes and transistors. .

Circuit diagrams% schematic symbols% component functions...........................................................

&ther components............................................................................................................................2

3adio wa"e characteristics$ properties of radio wa"es% propagation modes......................................11

4re5uency% wa"elength% the electromagnetic spectrum.................................................................11

3adio wa"e characteristics% how a radio signal tra"els% propagation modes.................................11

H4 6ropagation..............................................................................................................................1

7ntennas and feedlines.......................................................................................................................1+

7ntenna types% antenna polari8ation..............................................................................................1+

4eedlines$ types of feedline% connectors........................................................................................1+

0tanding wa"e ratio and antenna measurements...........................................................................1-

7mateur radio signals.........................................................................................................................1


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odulation modes% signal bandwidth............................................................................................1

,igital modes$ packet% 6091.......................................................................................................1

#lectrical safety$ 7C and ,C power circuits% antenna installation% 34 ha8ards................................12

6ower circuits and ha8ards$ ha8ardous "oltages% fuses and circuit breakers% grounding% lightning

protection% battery safety% electrical code compliance...................................................................12

7ntenna safety$ tower safety% erecting an antenna support% o"erhead power lines% installing an

antenna...........................................................................................................................................:

34 ha8ards$ radiation e*posure% pro*imity to antennas% recogni8ed safe power le"els% e*posure to

others% radiation types% duty cycle.................................................................................................:

7mateur radio practices and station setup..........................................................................................

0tation setup$ connecting microphones% reducing unwanted emissions% power source% connecting

a computer% 34 grounding% connecting digital e5uipment.............................................................

&perating controls$ tuning% use of filters% s5uelch function% 7!C% repeater offset% memory

channels.........................................................................................................................................

0tation e5uipment...............................................................................................................................+

3ecei"ers% transmitters% transcei"ers% modulation% trans"erters% low power and weak signal

operation% transmit and recei"e amplifiers.....................................................................................+

Common transmitter and recei"er problems$ symptoms of o"erload and o"erdri"e% distortion%

causes of interference% interference and consumer electronics% part 1- de"ices% o"er and under

modulation% 34 feedback% off fre5uency signals% fading and noise% problems with digital

communications interfaces............................................................................................................+

;asic repair and testing$ soldering< using basic test instruments< connecting a "oltmeter%

ammeter% or ohmmeter.................................................................................................................../

&perating 6rocedures.........................................................................................................................

4 &peration.................................................................................................................................

H4 &peration.................................................................................................................................=

!eneral !uidelines........................................................................................................................=

6ublic ser"ice$ emergency and non>emergency operations% applicability of 4CC rules% 37C#0

and 73#0% net and traffic procedures% emergency restrictions.....................................................=

7mateur satellite operation% ,oppler shift% basic orbits% operating protocols% control operator%

transmitter power considerations% satellite tracking% digital modes...............................................:

&perating acti"ities$ radio direction finding% radio control% contests% linking o"er the Internet%

grid locators...................................................................................................................................:

4CC 3ules% descriptions and definitions for the 7mateur 3adio 0er"ice% operator and station licenseresponsibilities....................................................................................................................................


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7mateur 3adio 0er"ice$ purpose and permissible use of the 7mateur 3adio 0er"ice%

operatorprimary station license grant% where 4CC rules are codified% basis and purpose of 4CC

rules% meanings of basic terms used in 4CC rules% interference% spectrum management..............

7uthori8ed fre5uencies$ fre5uency allocations% I@A regions% emission modes% restricted sub>

bands% spectrum sharing% transmissions near band edges..............................................................

&perator licensing$ operator classes< se5uential% special e"ent% and "anity call sign systemsuation to

"al"ulate the voltage if you #now the power and the "urrent& or to "al"ulate the "urrent if you

#now the power and the voltage. ,he for!ula to "al"ulate the "urrent& if you #now the power

and the voltage is 7 PNVB.

6or ea!ple& $1 am'e&es are ;lowing in a "ir"uit when the applied voltage is 12 volts DC and

the load is 120 watts. 9,*C11:

7 P N V B P 120 = V 12 G P 10 $

ath for electronics! conversion of electrical units" decibels" the metricsystem=hen dealing with ele"tri"al para!eters& su"h as voltage& resistan"e& "urrent& and power& we

use a set of pre;ies to denote various orders of !agnitude5

B !illi- is the pre;i we use to denote 1 one-thousandth of a >uantity. $ !illia!pere& for

ea!ple& is 1 one-thousandth of an a!pere& or 0.001 $. Fften& the letter ! is used

instead of the pre;i !illi-. 1 !illia!pere is& therefore& 1 !$.

B !i"ro- is the pre;i we use to denote 1 !illionth of a >uantity. $ !i"rovolt& for ea!ple&

is 1 !illionth of a volt& or 0.000001 G. Fften you will see the Aree# letter !u& or W& to

/


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denote the pre;i !i"ro-. 1 !i"rovolt is& therefore& 1 WG.

B pi"o- is the pre;i we use to denote 1 trillionth of a >uantity. $ pi"ovolt is 1 trillionth of

a volt& or 0.000001 WG.

B #ilo- is the pre;i we use to denote 1 thousand of a >uantity. $ #ilovolt& for ea!ple& is

1000 volts. Fften& the letter # is used instead of the pre;i #ilo-. 1 #ilovolt is& therefore& 1

#G.

B !ega- is the pre;i we use to denote 1 !illion of a >uantity. $ !egahert@& for ea!ple&

is 1 !illion ert@. ,he unit of fre>uen"y is the 5e&t/ 9,*C0*: 7t is e>ual to one "y"le

per se"ond. Fften& the letter M is used instead of the pre;i !ega-. 1 !egahert@ is&

therefore& 1 M@.

B giga - is the pre;i we use to denote 1 billion of a >uantity. $ gigahert@& or A@& for

ea!ple is 1 billion ert@.

ere are so!e ea!ples5

B $,311 milliam'e&es is 1.* a!peres. 9,*01:

B $nother way to spe"ify a radio signal fre>uen"y of 1&*00&000 hert@ is $311 k5.9,*02:

B 7ne thousand "olts are e>ual to one #ilovolt. 9,*0':

B 7ne one-millionth o8 a "olt is e>ual to one !i"rovolt. 9,*04:

B 1/3 *attsis e>uivalent to *00 !illwatts. 9,*0*:

B 7f an a!!eter 9a !eter that !easures "urrent: "alibrated in a!peres is used to

!easure a '000-!illia!pere "urrent& the reading it would show would be 0 am'e&es.

9,*0?:

B 7f a fre>uen"y readout "alibrated in !egahert@ shows a reading of '.*2* M@& it would

show 03%3 k5 if it were "alibrated in #ilohert@. 9,*0):

B $ mic&o8a&ad is 1&000&000 pi"ofarads. 9,*08: 96arad is the unit for "apa"itan"e.:

B %2/911 :5is e>ual to 28&400 #@. 9,*12:

B 7f a fre>uen"y readout shows a reading of 242* M@& the fre>uen"y in A@ is %/9%3

G5. 9,*1':

=hen dealing with ratiosLespe"ially power ratiosLwe often use de"ibels 9d:. ,he reason

for this is that the de"ibel s"ale is a logarith!i" s"ale& !eaning that we "an tal# about large

ratios with relatively s!all nu!bers. =hen the value is positive& it !eans that there is a power

in"rease. =hen the value is negative& it !eans that there is a power de"rease.

$t this point& you donKt need to #now the for!ula used to "al"ulate the ratio in d& but #eepin !ind the following values5

B 0 dB is the approi!ate a!ount of "hange& !easured in de"ibels 9d:& of a power

in"rease fro! * watts to 10 watts. 9,*0: ,his is a ratio of 2 to 1.

B ;6 dBis the approi!ate a!ount of "hange& !easured in de"ibels 9d:& of a power

de"rease fro! 12 watts to ' watts. 9,*10: ,his is a ratio of 4 to 1.

B $1 dB is the approi!ate a!ount of "hange& !easured in de"ibels 9d:& of a power

in"rease fro! 20 watts to 200 watts. 9,*11: ,his is a ratio of 10 to 1.

lectronic principles and components! resistors" capacitors and


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capacitance" inductors and inductance" batteries$ &esisto&is the ele"tri"al "o!ponent used to oppose the ;low of "urrent in a DC "ir"uit.

9,?$01: Most resistors have a ;ied value& whi"h is spe"i;ied in oh!s.

o!e resistors are variable& that is you "an "hange the resistan"e of the resistor by turning a

shaft or sliding a "ontrol ba"# and forth. ,hese variable resistors are "alled potentio!eters. $

'otentiomete&is the type of "o!ponent that is often used as an ad+ustable volu!e "ontrol.

9,?$02: Resistanceis the ele"tri"al para!eter that is "ontrolled by a potentio!eter. 9,?$0':

,he type of ele"tri"al "o!ponent that "onsists of two or !ore "ondu"tive surfa"es separated

by an insulator is a ca'acito&. 9,?$0*: $ ca'acito&is the ele"tri"al "o!ponent that stores

energy in an ele"tri" ;ield. 9,?$04:Ca'acitance is the ability to store energy in an ele"tri"

;ield. 9,*C01:The 8a&ad is the basi" unit of "apa"itan"e. 9,*C02:

,he type of ele"tri"al "o!ponent that stores energy in a !agneti" ;ield is an inducto&.

9,?$0?: ,he ele"tri"al "o!ponent that is usually "o!posed of a "oil of wire is an inducto&.

9,?$0): ,he ability to store energy in a !agneti" ;ield is "alled inductance. 9,*C0': The

hen&y is the basi" unit of indu"tan"e. 9,*C04:

$ s*itchis the ele"tri"al "o!ponent used to "onne"t or dis"onne"t ele"tri"al "ir"uits.9,?$08:

$ 8useis the ele"tri"al "o!ponent used to prote"t other "ir"uit "o!ponents fro! "urrent

overloads. 9,?$0:

$s a!ateur radio operators& we often use batteries to power our radio e>uip!ent. o!e

types of batteries are re"hargeable& while others are not. ,he battery type that is not

re"hargeable is the ca&bon-incbattery. 9,?$11:#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ectwhen

tal#ing about battery types that are re"hargeable 9,?$10:5

B %i"#el-!etal hydride

B Hithiu!-ion

B Head-a"id gel-"ell

emiconductors! basic principles and applications of solid statedevices" diodes and transistors$ diodeis an ele"troni" "o!ponent that allows "urrent to ;low in only one dire"tion. 9,?02:

Diodes have only two ele"trodes.#node and cathode are the na!es of the two ele"trodes of a

diode. 9,?0: $ se!i"ondu"tor diodeKs "athode lead is usually identi;ied *ith a st&i'e.

9,?0?:

Hight-e!itting diodes are a parti"ular type of diode. =hen "urrent ;lows through the!& they

e!it visible light& !a#ing the! useful as indi"ators and as part of digital readouts. ,heabbreviation /HBD stands for Li!ht mittin! Diode. 9,?0):

T&ansisto&sare ele"troni" "o!ponents "apable of using a voltage or "urrent signal to

"ontrol "urrent ;low. 9,?01: ,he t&ansisto&is a "o!ponent that "an be used as either an

ele"troni" swit"h or a!pli;ier. 9,?0': Gain is the ter! that des"ribes a transistors ability to

a!plify a signal. 9,?12: ,he t&ansisto&is an ele"troni" "o!ponent that "an a!plify signals.

9,?0*:

$ t&ansisto& is a "o!ponent !ade of three layers of se!i"ondu"tor !aterial. 9,?04:

ipolar +un"tion transistors have layers that are either N-type& whi"h !eans that it has a

positive net "harge& or %-type& whi"h !eans it has a net negative "harge. Ba"h layer has an

=


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ele"trode& !a#ing the transistor a devi"e with three leads.

,here are two types of bipolar +un"tion transistors5 N%N or %N%. $ N%N transistor has two N

layers& with an % layer sandwi"hed between the!. $n %N% transistor has two % layers& with a

N layer sandwi"hed between the!. ,he three ele"trodes of a N%N or %N% transistor are the

emitte&, base, and collecto&. 9,?10:

$nother type of transistor often found in a!ateur radio e>uip!ent is the ;ield-effe"t

transistor. ,he abbreviation /6B, stands for (ield 88ect T&ansisto&. 9,?08: 6B,s& li#e %N%

and N%N transistors have three leads. Sou&ce, !ate, and d&ain are the three ele"trodes of a

;ield effe"t transistor. 9,?11:

Circuit diagrams" schematic symbols" component functionsSchematic symbols is the na!e for standardi@ed representations of "o!ponents in an

ele"tri"al wiring diagra!. 9,?C01: ,he sy!bols on an ele"tri"al "ir"uit s"he!ati" diagra!

represent elect&ical com'onents. 9,?C12:The *ay com'onents a&e inte&connected is

a""urately represented in ele"tri"al "ir"uit s"he!ati" diagra!s. 9,?C1':

6igure ,1 is a s"he!ati" diagra! of a si!ple "ir"uit that turns on a la!p when a positive

voltage is applied to the input.

Co!ponent 1 in ;igure ,1 is a &esisto&. 9,?C02: 7ts fun"tion is to li!it the input "urrent.

Co!ponent 2 in ;igure ,1 is a t&ansisto&. 9,?C0': 7ts fun"tion is to swit"h the "urrent

through the la!p on and off. ,he fun"tion of "o!ponent 2 in 6igure ,1 is to cont&ol the


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Co!ponent ' in ;igure ,2 represents a sin!le-'ole sin!le-th&o*swit"h. 9,?D0': 7t turns thepower supply on and off.

Co!ponent 4 in ;igure ,2 is a t&ans8o&me&. 9,?C0: $ t&ans8o&me&is "o!!only used to

"hange 120G $C house "urrent to a lower $C voltage for other uses. 9,?D0?:

$ &ecti


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,he "ir"uit shown in 6igure ,' is the output "ir"uit of a trans!itter. Co!ponent ' in ;igure ,'

is a "a&iable inducto&. 9,?C10:

,here are two variable "apa"itors in this "ir"uitL"o!ponent 2 and the unlabeled

"o!ponent. $ ca'acito&is used together with an indu"tor to !a#e a tuned "ir"uit. 9,?D08:

Co!ponent 4 in ;igure ,' is an antenna. 9,?C11:

#n inducto& and a ca'acito& connected in se&ies o& 'a&allel to 8o&m a uen"y. =hen the "apa"itor and

indu"tor are "onne"ted in parallel& the "ir"uit has a very high i!pedan"e at the resonant

fre>uen"y.

#ther components,here are !any different types of "o!ponents in !odern radio e>uip!ent. elow& we will

des"ribe the types of "o!ponents you will need to #now about to pass the ,e"hni"ian Class

li"ense ea!ination.

$ relay is a s*itch cont&olled by an elect&oma!net. 9,?D02:

Meters are devi"es used to indi"ate !any different values. 6or ea!ple& a mete&"an be used

to display signal strength on a nu!eri" s"ale. 9,?D04: Meters are also used to indi"ate the

output voltage of a power supply& the output power of a trans!itter& and !any other

para!eters.

.nte!&ated ci&cuit is the na!e of a devi"e that "o!bines several se!i"ondu"tors and other

"o!ponents into one pa"#age. 9,?D0: 7ntegrated "ir"uits !ay perfor! either analog or

digital fun"tions. Fne type of analog integrated "ir"uit that is very "o!!on is the voltage

regulator. $ &e!ulato&is the type of "ir"uit that "ontrols the a!ount of voltage fro! a power

supply. 9,?D0*:

$n LD is "o!!only used as a visual indi"ator. 9,?D0): HBD is short for light-e!ittingdiode. ,hey "o!e in a variety of "olors.

=hen "onne"ting ele"troni" asse!blies together& we often use "ables with one or !ore

"ondu"tors. o!e of those "ondu"tors !ay have a shield around the! that is "onne"ted to

ground. $ "o!!on reason to use shielded wire is to '&e"ent cou'lin! o8 un*anted si!nals

to o& 8&om the *i&e. 9,?D12:

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*adio wave characteristics! properties of radio waves"propagation modes

+re,uency" wavelength" the electromagnetic spectrum

lect&oma!netic is the type of wave that "arries radio signals between trans!itting andre"eiving stations. 9,'$0): ,he usual na!e for ele"tro!agneti" waves that travel through

spa"e is &adio *a"es. 9,*C0): $s the na!e would i!ply& the two "o!ponents of a radio wave

are elect&ic and ma!netic uen"y& or the nu!ber of "y"les that it

goes through per se"ond. ,he unit of fre>uen"y is the 5e&t9@:. 9,*C0*: Fne @ is one "y"le

per se"ond.

$ radio wave travels at the s'eed o8 li!ht through free spa"e. 9,'04: e"ause the speed of

light is about '00&000&000 !eters per se"ond& the approi!ate velo"ity of a radio wave as it

travels through free spa"e is 011,111,111 mete&s 'e& second. 9,'11:

$nother i!portant para!eter of a radio wave is its wavelength. =a"elen!th is the na!e forthe distan"e a radio wave travels during one "o!plete "y"le. 9,'01:

e"ause radio waves travel at the speed of light& no !atter what their fre>uen"y happens to

be& the *a"elen!th !ets sho&te& as the 8&e)uency inc&eases. 9,'0*: ,he for!ula for

"onverting fre>uen"y to wavelength in !eters is *a"elen!th in mete&s e)uals 011 di"ided

by 8&e)uency in me!ahe&t. 9,'0?:

The a''&o>imate *a"elen!th of radio waves is often used to identify the different

fre>uen"y bands. 9,'0): 6or ea!ple& when we refer to the 2 !eter band& we are referring to

the a!ateur radio band that spans 144 M@ to 148 M@. $ radio wave with a fre>uen"y of 148

M@& would have a wavelength of 2.0' !eters.

,he abbreviation /6 refers to &adio 8&e)uency si!nals o8 all ty'es. 9,*C0?: 6or

"onvenien"e& we split the entire range of radio fre>uen"ies into sub-ranges& in"luding high

fre>uen"y 96:& very high fre>uen"y 9G6:& and ultra-high fre>uen"y 9I6:. ,he fre>uen"y

range 0 to 01 :5 is referred to as 6. 9,'10: ,he fre>uen"y li!its of the G6 spe"tru! are

01 to 011 :5. 9,'08: ,he fre>uen"y li!its of the I6 spe"tru! are 011 to 0111 :5.

9,'0:

*adio wave characteristics" how a radio signal travels" propagationmodes$s a!ateur radio operators& we should always try to use the right fre>uen"y and the right

!ode when "o!!uni"ating. ,o do this& we need to #now how radio signals travel fro! one

point to another and what affe"t fre>uen"y& our antennas& and even our lo"ation have on signal

propagation.

Co!!uni"ations at G6 and I6 fre>uen"ies are generally /line of sight "o!!uni"ations.

,hat is to say that nor!ally they travel in a straight line fro! the trans!itter to the re"eiver.

6or this reason& they are nor!ally used for lo"al "o!!uni"ations. ,he reason /dire"t 9not via

a repeater: I6 signals are rarely heard fro! stations outside your lo"al "overage area is that

U5( si!nals a&e usually not &e


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radio hori@on is the distance at *hich &adio si!nals bet*een t*o 'oints a&e e88ecti"ely

blocked by the cu&"atu&e o8 the a&th. 9,'C10: e"ause the a&th seems less cu&"ed to

&adio *a"es than to li!ht, G6 and I6 radio signals usually travel so!ewhat farther than

the visual line of sight distan"e between two stations& !eaning that the radio hori@on is

so!ewhat farther than the visual hori@on. 9,'C11:

Fne proble! often en"ountered when using G6 and I6 fre>uen"ies is !ulti-path

distortion. Multi-path distortion o""urs when your signals arrive at a re"eiving station via two

or !ore paths. in"e the signal paths !ay be different lengths& they !ay arrive out of phase

and "an"el one another. 6or ea!ple& if another operator reports that your stationKs 2 !eter

signals were strong +ust a !o!ent ago& but now they are wea# or distorted& t&y mo"in! a 8e*

8eet, as &andom &euen"ies in"lude auroral re;le"tion&

1


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!eteor s"atter& tropospheri" s"atter& and tropospheri" du"ting. oun"ing signals off the earthKs

aurora is very interesting. $ "hara"teristi" of G6 signals re"eived via auroral re;le"tion is that

the si!nals e>hibit &a'id uen"y bands& su"h as 10!& 1*! and 20!& during the day while propagation is

best on the lower fre>uen"y bands 91?0!& 80!& 40!: at night. Conse>uently& the best ti!e for

long-distan"e 10 !eter band propagation via the 6 layer is 8&om da*n to sho&tly a8te&sunset du&in! 'e&iods o8 hi!h suns'ot acti"ity. 9,'C0:

$ "o!!on pheno!enon of 6 signal propagation is fading. ,he "ause of irregular fading of

signals fro! distant stations during ti!es of generally good re"eption is &andom combinin!

o8 si!nals a&&i"in! "ia di88e&ent 'ath len!ths. 9,'$08:

Inli#e G6(I6 "o!!uni"ations& antenna polari@ation is not >uite so i!portant. ,his is

be"ause signals /s#ip off the ionosphere and be"o!e ellipti"ally polari@ed. e"ause s#ip

signals refra"ted fro! the ionosphere are ellipti"ally polari@ed& eithe& "e&tically o&

ho&iontally 'ola&ied antennas may be used 8o& t&ansmission o& &ece'tion . 9,'$0:

1+


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.ntennas and feedlines

.ntenna types" antenna polari/ation,he !ost "o!!on& and perhaps the si!plest& antenna is the half-wave dipole antenna. $s the

na!e suggests& it !easures "lose to one half wavelength fro! one end of the antenna to the

other. $ si!ple dipole !ounted so the "ondu"tor is parallel to the Barths surfa"e is a

ho&iontally 'ola&ied antenna. 9,$0': ,he dire"tion that radiation is strongest fro! a

half-wave dipole antenna in free spa"e is b&oadside to the antenna. 9,$10:

,he length of a dipole antenna is a"tually about *Y shorter than the value that you would

"al"ulate using the for!ula *a"elen!th in mete&s e)uals 011 di"ided by 8&e)uency in

me!ahe&t. ,he reason for this is that there will be so!e stray "apa"itan"e between the wire

and the ground and other ob+e"ts near the antenna. Conse>uently& the approi!ate length of a

? !eter 1(2-wavelength wire dipole antenna is $$% in"hes. 9,$0: ,o !a#e a dipole

antenna resonant on a higher fre>uen"y& you would sho&ten it. 9,$0*:

Nerhaps the se"ond-!ost popular type of a!ateur radio antenna is the >uarter-waveverti"al antenna. 6or verti"al antennas& the elect&ic ue "alled /loading to

shorten the!. Hoading& when referring to an antenna& !eans inse&tin! an inducto& in the

&adiatin! 'o&tion o8 the antenna to make it elect&ically lon!e&. 9,$14:

$nother popular type of antenna is the bea! antenna. $ bea! antenna is an antenna that

concent&ates si!nals in one di&ection. 9,$01: ,he >uad& 3agi& and dish antennas are

di&ectional antennas. 9,$0?: ,he gain of an antenna is the inc&ease in si!nal st&en!th in

a s'eci


21/48

=hen "hoosing a feedline& it is i!portant to !at"h the i!pedan"e of the feedline to the

output i!pedan"e of the trans!itter and the input i!pedan"e of the antenna. 7!pedan"e is a

measu&e o8 the o''osition to #C cu&&ent


22/48

at that point.

$n = !eter is not the only way to !easure =. $ di&ectional *attmete& is an

instru!ent other than an = !eter that you "ould use to deter!ine if a feedline and antenna

are properly !at"hed. 9,)C08: =hen using a dire"tional watt!eter& you ;irst !easure the

forward power& then the re;le"ted power& and fro! those two values& "al"ulate the =.

$ to $ is the reading on an = !eter indi"ates a perfe"t i!pedan"e !at"h between the

antenna and the feedline. 9,)C04: % to $ is the approi!ate = value above whi"h the

prote"tion "ir"uits in !ost solid-state trans!itters begin to redu"e trans!itter power.

9,)C0*: $n = reading of 451 !eans that there is an im'edance mismatch. 9,)C0?:

Fne way to ensure that the i!pedan"e of the antenna syste! !at"hes the output i!pedan"e

of trans!itter is to use an antenna tuner. $n antenna tuner matches the antenna system

im'edance to the t&anscei"e&s out'ut im'edance. 9,04:

7n addition to the = !eter and the dire"tional watt!eter& there are a "ouple of other

types of test instru!ents "o!!only found in an a!ateurKs /sha"#. Fne instru!ent that every

sha"# should have is the du!!y load. $ du!!y load "onsists of a non-inducti"e &esisto&

and a heat sink. 9,)C1': ,he pri!ary purpose of a du!!y load is to '&e"ent the &adiationo8 si!nals *hen makin! tests. 9,)C01:

$nother "o!!on test instru!ent is the antenna analy@er.#n antenna analye& is an

instru!ent that "an be used to deter!ine if an antenna is resonant at the desired operating

fre>uen"y. 9,)C02: 3ou "an also !a#e a nu!ber of other !easure!ents that will help you set

up an antenna syste!& su"h as =& "apa"itive rea"tan"e& and indu"tive rea"tan"e.

1


23/48

.mateur radio signals

odulation modes" signal bandwidth=hen you get your ,e"hni"ian li"ense& "han"es are 6M is the type of !odulation that youKll use

;irst. 6re>uen"y !odulation& or (:, is the type of !odulation !ost "o!!only used for G6

and I6 voi"e repeaters. 9,8$04: (: is also the type of !odulation !ost "o!!only used for

G6 pa"#et radio trans!issions. 9,8$02:

ingle sideband& or SSB, is the type of voi"e !odulation !ost often used for long-distan"e or

wea# signal "onta"ts on the G6 and I6 bands. 9,8$0': Sin!le sideband is a for! of

a!plitude !odulation. 9,8$01: $ single-sideband signal !ay be upper- or lower-sideband.

U''e& sideband is nor!ally used for 10 !eter 6& G6 and I6 single-sideband

"o!!uni"ations. 9,8$0?:

,he pri!ary advantage of single sideband over 6M for voi"e trans!issions is that SSB

si!nals ha"e na&&o*e& band*idth. 9,8$0): ,he approi!ate bandwidth of a single

sideband voi"e signal is 0 k5. 9,8$08: ,he approi!ate bandwidth of a G6 repeater 6Mphone signal is bet*een $1 and $3 k5. 9,8$0:

Morse Code& or C=, is the type of e!ission that has the narrowest bandwidth. 9,8$0*: ,he

approi!ate !ai!u! bandwidth re>uired to trans!it a C= signal is $31 5. 9,8$11:

.nte&national :o&se is the "ode used when sending C= in the a!ateur bands. 9,8D0:#ll o8

these choices a&e co&&ect when tal#ing about instru!ents used to trans!it C= in the

a!ateur bands 9,8D10:5

B traight ey

B Ble"troni" eyer

B Co!puter eyboard

o!e !odes have very wide bandwidths. ,he typi"al bandwidth of analog fast-s"an ,Gtrans!issions on the )0 "! band& for ea!ple& is about 6 :5. 9,8$10: ,he type of

trans!ission indi"ated by the ter! %,C is an analo! 8ast scan colo& T si!nal. 9,8D04:

'igital modes! packet" -012=hen ha!s tal# about /digital !odes& we are tal#ing about !odes that send digital data

rather than voi"e or other types of analog signals& su"h as television. Isually& we "onne"t our

trans"eivers to a "o!puter to !odulate and de!odulate the digital signals& but so!e newer

trans"eivers "an do this internally.#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ect 9ea!ples of a digital

"o!!uni"ations !ethod: 9,8D01:5

B Na"#etB N'1

B M6

Na"#et radio was one of the ;irst digital !odes. 7t is "alled pa"#et radio be"ause the data to

be sent fro! station to station is separated into a nu!ber of pa"#ets whi"h are then sent

separately by the trans!itting station and re"eived and re-asse!bled by the re"eiving station.

#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ect when tal#ing about what !ay be in"luded in a pa"#et

trans!ission 9,8D08:5

B $ "he"# su! whi"h per!its error dete"tion

B $ header whi"h "ontains the "all sign of the station to whi"h the infor!ation is being

sent

1=


24/48

B $uto!ati" repeat re>uest in "ase of error

o!e a!ateur radio digital "o!!uni"ations syste!s use proto"ols whi"h ensure error-free

"o!!uni"ations. Fne su"h syste! is "alled an auto!ati" repeat re>uest& or $& trans!ission

syste!. $n $ trans!ission syste! is a di!ital scheme *he&eby the &ecei"in! station

detects e&&o&s and sends a &e)uest to the sendin! station to &et&ansmit the in8o&mation.

9,8D11:

$N is one servi"e that uses pa"#et radio. ,he ter! $N !eans#utomatic 4acket

Re'o&tin! System. 9,8D02:# Global 4ositionin! System &ecei"e& is nor!ally used when

sending auto!ati" lo"ation reports via a!ateur radio. 9,8D0':4&o"idin! &eal time tactical

di!ital communications in con?unction *ith a ma' sho*in! the locations o8 stationsis

an appli"ation of $N 9$uto!ati" Na"#et eporting yste!:. 9,8D0*:

$ popular digital !ode on the 6 bands is N. ,he abbreviation N !eans 4hase Shi8t

Keyin!. 9,8D0?: N'1 is a lo*-&ate data t&ansmission mode. 9,8D0): ,he /'1 in N'1

"o!es fro! the fa"t that data is trans!itted and re"eived at about '1 baud and that the

bandwidth of a N'1 signal is only about '1 @.

12


25/48

lectrical safety! .C and 'C power circuits" antennainstallation" *+ ha/ards

-ower circuits and ha/ards! ha/ardous voltages" fuses and circuit

breakers" grounding" lightning protection" battery safety" electrical codecompliance

B S#(

=hen operating or wor#ing on a!ateur radio e>uip!ent& itKs possible to "o!e into "onta"t

with dangerous voltages and "urrents. Neople have died wor#ing on high-voltage "ir"uits or

putting up antenna.

e"ause it would be a sha!e to lose a single person& itKs i!portant to #now how to be safe

when wor#ing with ele"tri"ity. aving said that& '0 volts is the "o!!only a""epted value for

the lowest voltage that "an "ause a dangerous ele"tri" sho"#& and 100 !$ is the lowest a!ountof ele"tri"al "urrent ;lowing through the body that is li#ely to "ause death. ,hese are not very

large values.

#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ect when "onsidering how "urrent ;lowing through the body

"an "ause a health ha@ard 9,0$02:5

B y heating tissue

B 7t disrupts the ele"tri"al fun"tions of "ells

B 7t "auses involuntary !us"le "ontra"tions

=hen properly wired& three-wire ele"tri"al outlets and plugs are safer than two-wire outlets

and plugs& and you should use three-wire plugs for all of your a!ateur radio e>uip!ent. ,he

third wire provides an independent& or safety ground. Sa8ety !&ound is "onne"ted to the

green wire in a three- wire ele"tri"al $C plug. 9,0$0':

#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ect when "hoosing a good way to guard against ele"tri"al

sho"# at your station 9,0$0?:5

B Ise three-wire "ords and plugs for all $C powered e>uip!ent

B Conne"t all $C powered station e>uip!ent to a "o!!on safety ground

B Ise a "ir"uit prote"ted by a ground-fault interrupter

7ndividual pie"es of e>uip!ent !ay have their own fuses to prote"t that pie"e of e>uip!ent

should so!ething happen that "auses that e>uip!ent to draw e"essive "urrent. ,he purpose

of a fuse in an ele"tri"al "ir"uit is to inte&&u't 'o*e& in case o8 o"e&load. 9,0$04: =henrepla"ing a fuse& always repla"e the blown fuse with a fuse of the sa!e type and value. 7t is& for

ea!ple& unwise to install a 20-a!pere fuse in the pla"e of a *-a!pere fuse be"ause e>cessi"e

cu&&ent could cause a uip!ent& be sure to in"lude fuses in your designs.# 8use o&

ci&cuit b&eake& in se&ies *ith the #C hotE conducto& should always be in"luded in ho!e-

built e>uip!ent that is powered fro! 120G $C power "ir"uits. 9,0$08:

=henever youKre wor#ing on e>uip!ent& be sure to dis"onne"t it fro! the power lines& and

even then be "areful wor#ing around a power supplyKs "apa"itors. 7f a power supply is turned

off and dis"onne"ted& you mi!ht &ecei"e an elect&ic shock 8&om sto&ed cha&!e in la&!e

ca'acito&s. 9,0$11:

:


26/48

6inally& be sure to also ta#e pre"autions when using batteries to power your a!ateur radio

station. Conventional 12-volt storage batteries present several safety ha@ards. Sho&tin! the

te&minals can cause bu&ns, 'losion 9,0$01:, e>'losi"e !as can collect i8 not

'&o'e&ly "ented 9,0$0:& and& if a lead-a"id storage battery is "harged or dis"harged too

>ui"#ly& the batte&y could o"e&heat and !i"e o88 'lode . 9,0$10:

.ntenna safety! tower safety" erecting an antenna support" overheadpower lines" installing an antenna$ntenna safety is also of pri!ary "on"ern. ,here are two aspe"ts of antenna safetyLbeing

safe when installing an antenna and safely operating an antenna.

=hen putting up an antenna tower& an i!portant safety pre"aution is to look 8o& and stay

clea& o8 any o"e&head elect&ical *i&es. 9,004: =hen installing an antenna& !a#e sure that

it is far enough fro! power lines& so that i8 the antenna 8alls une>'ectedly, no 'a&t o8 it can

come close& than $1 8eet to the 'o*e& *i&es . 9,00?: ,his is the reason you should avoid

atta"hing an antenna to a utility pole. The antenna could contact hi!h-"olta!e 'o*e& *i&es.

9,00:

3ou also should position the antenna so that no one "an tou"h it while you are trans!itting.

7f a person a""identally tou"hed your antenna while you were trans!itting& they mi!ht

&ecei"e a 'ain8ul R( bu&n. 9,0C0):

$nother safety tip is to use a gin pole designed for use with the tower that youKre installing.

,he purpose of a gin pole is to li8t to*e& sections o& antennas. 9,00*:

#t all times *hen any *o&k is bein! done on the to*e&, !e!bers of a tower wor# tea!

should wear a hard hat and safety glasses. 9,001: efore "li!bing an antenna tower& it is a

good pre"aution to 'ut on a climbin! ha&ness and sa8ety !lasses. 9,002: 7t is ne"e& safe

to "li!b a tower without a helper or observer. 9,00': =hen using a "ran#-up tower& an

i!portant safety rule to re!e!ber is that this ty'e o8 to*e& must ne"e& be climbed unlessit is in the 8ully &et&acted 'osition. 9,00):

Arounding is very i!portant when installing a tower be"ause the tower is basi"ally a big

lightning rod. Local elect&ical codes establish grounding re>uire!ents for an a!ateur radio

tower or antenna. 9,011:

Se'a&ate ei!ht-8oot lon! !&ound &ods 8o& each to*e& le!, bonded to the to*e& and each

othe& is "onsidered to be a proper grounding !ethod for a tower. 9,008: =hen installing

ground wires on a tower for lightning prote"tion& it is good pra"ti"e to ensu&e that

connections a&e sho&t and di&ect. 9,012: Sha&' bends must be a"oided when installing

grounding "ondu"tors used for lightning prote"tion. 9,010:

Hightning "an also be "ondu"ted down a feedline and into your sha"#. ,o prevent this&several !anufa"turers !a#e devi"es designed to shunt this "urrent to ground before it gets

into the sha"#. =hen installing devi"es for lightning prote"tion in a "oaial "able feedline&

!&ound all o8 the '&otecto&s to a common 'late *hich is in tu&n connected to an e>te&nal

!&ound. 9,0$0):

*+ ha/ards! radiation e&posure" pro&imity to antennas" recogni/ed safepower levels" e&posure to others" radiation types" duty cycle6inally& letKs "onsider the safety ha@ards of being eposed to radio waves. =hen using high

power& you are re>uired to perfor! an 6 eposure evaluation& even though G6 and I6

radio signals are non-ioniin! &adiation. 9,0C01: 6 radiation differs fro! ioni@ing radiation

1


27/48

9radioa"tivity: in that R( &adiation does not ha"e su8uired is 31

*atts 44 at the antenna/ 9,0C0':

ow do you perfor! an 6 eposure evaluation'osu&e o8

'eo'le to &adiation. 9,0C10: $ trans!ission with a lower duty "y"le would be less ha@ardousthan a high duty "y"le trans!ission.

Consider this ea!ple5 7f the averaging ti!e for eposure is ? !inutes& % times as much

power density is per!itted if the signal is present for ' !inutes and absent for ' !inutes

rather than being present for the entire ? !inutes. 9,0C1':

e"ause of the way radio waves intera"t with the body& the eposure li!its are different for

ea"h a!ateur radio band. Bposure li!its vary with fre>uen"y be"ause the human body

abso&bs mo&e R( ene&!y at some 8&e)uencies than at othe&s. 9,0C0*: ,he 31 :5 band

has the lowest Mai!u! Ner!issible Bposure li!it. 9,0C02:#ll o8 these choices a&e

co&&ect when tal#ing about fa"tors that affe"t the 6 eposure of people near an a!ateur

station antenna 9,0C04:5

B 6re>uen"y and power level of the 6 ;ield

B Distan"e fro! the antenna to a person

B adiation pattern of the antenna

o& what should you do if your 6 eposure evaluation shows that people are being eposed

to e"essive 6< Fne a"tion a!ateur operators !ight ta#e to prevent eposure to 6 radiation

in e"ess of 6CC-supplied li!its is to &elocate antennas. 9,0C08: 3ou "ould also lower the

power or si!ply trans!it less.

$fter the initial 6 eposure evaluation& you !a#e sure your station stays in "o!plian"e

with 6 safety regulations by &e-e"aluatin! the station *hene"e& an item o8 e)ui'ment ischan!ed. 9,0C0:


28/48

.mateur radio practices and station setup

tation setup! connecting microphones" reducing unwanted emissions"power source" connecting a computer" *+ grounding" connecting digitale,uipment=hen setting up an a!ateur radio station& "hoosing the radio itself is the !ost i!portant

"onsideration& but you !ust also "hoose a wide range of a""essories& su"h as power supplies

and !i"rophones. 7n addition& how you set up the station is i!portant for it to operate

ef;i"iently.

Fne a""essory that youKll de;initely need is a power supply to provide the DC voltage and

"urrent that your radio needs. $ good reason to use a regulated power supply for

"o!!uni"ations e>uip!ent is that it '&e"ents "olta!e uip!ent to a single point& #eep


29/48

leads short& and use a heavy "ondu"tor to "onne"t to ground. (lat st&a' is the type of

"ondu"tor that is best to use for 6 grounding. 9,4$08:

7f you plan to install a radio in your "ar and operate !obile& you have a different set of

"hallenges. Fne is "onne"ting the radio to the "arKs power syste!. o!e a!ateurs "onne"t

their radio with a "igarette lighter plug& but this plug is not designed for high "urrents. 7nstead&

a !obile trans"eiverKs power negative "onne"tion should be !ade at the batte&y o& en!ine

block !&ound st&a'. 9,4$11: ,he positive "onne"tion "an also be !ade at the battery or

through an unused position of the vehi"leKs fuse blo"#.

$nother "hallenge is noise generated by the "ar itself. Fne thing that "ould be happening if

another operator reports a variable high-pit"hed whine on the audio fro! your !obile

trans!itter is that noise on the "ehicleFs elect&ical system is bein! t&ansmitted alon! *ith

you& s'eech audio. 9,4$12:

,he alternator is often the "ulprit. The alte&nato& is the sour"e of a high-pit"hed whine that

varies with engine speed in a !obile trans"eiverKs re"eive audio. 9,4$10: hould this be a

proble!& there are ;ilters that you "an install to !itigate the alternator whine. Fne thing that

would redu"e ignition interferen"e to a re"eiver is to tu&n on the noise blanke&. 9,40*:

#perating controls! tuning" use of filters" s,uelch function" .GC"repeater offset" memory channels,o properly operate a trans"eiver& you need to #now how to use the "ontrols. Nerhaps the !ost

i!portant trans!itter "ontrol is !i"rophone gain. 7f a trans!itter is operated with the

!i"rophone gain set too high& the out'ut si!nal mi!ht become disto&ted. 9,401:

3ou also need to #now how to set the operating fre>uen"y of your trans"eiver. The key'ad

o& (7 knob "an be used to enter the operating fre>uen"y on a !odern trans"eiver. 9,402:

$ way to enable >ui"# a""ess to a favorite fre>uen"y on your trans"eiver is to sto&e the

8&e)uency in a memo&y channel. 9,404:$ "o!!on re"eiver "ontrol on G6(I6 trans"eivers is the s>uel"h "ontrol. ,he purpose of

the s>uel"h "ontrol on a trans"eiver is to mute &ecei"e& out'ut noise *hen no si!nal is

bein! &ecei"ed. 9,40': 7f set too high& then you will not be able to hear low-level signals.

$nother "o!!on setting on G6(I6 trans"eivers is the offset fre>uen"y. ,his is espe"ially

i!portant when operating repeaters. ,he "o!!on !eaning of the ter! /repeater offset is

the di88e&ence bet*een the &e'eate&Fs t&ansmit and &ecei"e 8&e)uencies. 9,411:

$ "o!!on re"eiver "ontrol on 6 trans"eivers is the 7, "ontrol. ,he ter! /7, !eans

Recei"e& .nc&emental Tunin!. 9,40): The &ecei"e& R.T o& cla&i


30/48

8unction *hich s*itches bet*een &ecei"e and t&ansmit. 9,)$0): Most of the ti!e N,,

refers to an a"tual swit"h on the !i"rophone that an operator !ust push to begin

trans!itting& but it also refers to the na!e of a signal line on a trans"eiverKs a""essory so"#et

that "an be used to auto!ati"ally swit"h a trans"eiver into trans!it !ode.

-


31/48

tation e,uipment

*eceivers" transmitters" transceivers" modulation" transverters" lowpower and weak signal operation" transmit and receive amplifiers7n the early days of radio& a!ateur radio operators used separate re"eivers and trans!itter

units. %owadays& however& !ost use radios "alled trans"eivers. $ trans"eiver is a unit

combinin! the 8unctions o8 a t&ansmitte& and a &ecei"e&. 9,)$02:

,here are !any different types of trans"eivers.# multi-mode 5( t&anscei"e&is the type

of devi"e that is !ost useful for G6 wea#-signal "o!!uni"ation. 9,)$0: 7nstead of

pur"hasing a !ulti-!ode G6 trans"eiver& !any a!ateurs use a transverter to "onvert the

signals fro! their 6 trans"eiver to the G6& I6& and even !i"rowave bands. 6or ea!ple& a

devi"e that would ta#e the output of a low-powered 28 M@ e"iter and produ"es a 222

M@ output signal is a t&ans"e&te&. 9,)$0?:

Many& if not !ost& new a!ateurs buy a hand-held trans"eiver& usally "alled an /,& as their

;irst trans"eiver. Fne disadvantage of using a hand-held trans"eiver is that the !ai!u!output power is generally only * =& and be"ause of this& they have li!ited range. ,o in"rease

the low-power output of a handheld trans"eiver& and therefore its& range& you "an use an R(

'o*e& am'liuen"y& or 76. ,he "ir"uit that does this is the !ier. $ mi>e&is used to "onvert

a radio signal fro! one fre>uen"y to another. 9,)$0':

=hen trans!itting& we want to generate an 6 signal with a spe"i;i" fre>uen"y. ,o do that&

we use an os"illator. 7scillato&is the na!e of a "ir"uit that generates a signal of a desired

fre>uen"y. 9,)$0*:

,o trans!it a voi"e or data signal& we have to "o!bine an audio fre>uen"y signal fro! the

!i"rophone with the 6 "arrier signal generated by the trans!itter. :odulationis the ter!that des"ribes "o!bining spee"h with an 6 "arrier signal. 9,)$08: Modulators use a type of

!ier "ir"uit to a""o!plish this pro"ess.

Common transmitter and receiver problems! symptoms of overload andoverdrive" distortion" causes of interference" interference and consumerelectronics" part 23 devices" over and under modulation" *+ feedback"off fre,uency signals" fading and noise" problems with digitalcommunications interfacesin"e MurphyKs HawLthe law that states if anything "an go wrong& it willLapplies to a!ateur

radio as !u"h as it does to any other pursuit& at so!e point you will have to deal with

/


32/48

proble!s. ,hese !ay in"lude overload& distortion& feedba"#& and interferen"e.

HetKs ;irst "onsider interferen"e.#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ect when tal#ing about "auses

of radio fre>uen"y interferen"e 9,)0':5

B funda!ental overload

B har!oni"s

B spurious e!issions.

$ny of these "ould "ause interferen"e to a ,G set or radio& and you will want to ta#e steps to

;ind and eli!inate that interferen"e. 7f so!eone tells you that your stationKs trans!issions are

interfering with their radio or ,G re"eption& you should ;irst make su&e that you& station is

8unctionin! '&o'e&ly and that it does not cause inte&8e&ence to you& o*n &adio o&

tele"ision *hen it is tuned to the same channel or fre>uen"y. 9,)0?:

=hile itKs not very li#ely that your a!ateur radio station will interfere with a neighborKs

"able ,G servi"e& it "an so!eti!es o""ur. ,he ;irst step to resolve "able ,G interferen"e fro!

your ha! radio trans!ission is to be su&e all T coa>ial connecto&s a&e installed '&o'e&ly .

9,)12:

3our a!ateur radio station !ay interfere with a nearby radio re"eiver if your signal is sostrong that the re"eiver "annot re+e"t the signal even though your signal is not on the

fre>uen"y to whi"h the re"eiver is tuned. =hen a &ecei"e& is unable to &e?ect st&on! si!nals

outside the #: o& (: band, it "an "ause a broad"ast $M or 6M radio to re"eive an a!ateur

radio trans!ission unintentionally. 9,)02: Fne way to redu"e or eli!inate the overloading

of a non-a!ateur radio or ,G re"eiver by an a!ateur signal is to block the amateu& si!nal

*ith a


33/48

unintelligible 9,)10:5

B 3our trans!itter !ay be slightly off fre>uen"y

B 3our batteries !ay be running low

B 3ou "ould be in a bad lo"ation

Re'o&ts o8 !a&bled, disto&ted, o& unintelli!ible t&ansmissions is a sy!pto! of 6

feedba"# in a trans!itter or trans"eiver. 9,)11: o!eti!es& garbled or distorted audio when

operating 6M is the result of over-deviation. Talk 8a&the& a*ay 8&om the mic&o'hone is one

thing you "an do if you are told your 6M handheld or !obile trans"eiver is over-deviating.

9,)01:

4asic repair and testing! soldering5 using basic test instruments5connecting a voltmeter" ammeter" or ohmmeter,he !ost "o!!on test instru!ent in an a!ateur radio sha"# is the !ulti!eter. Multi!eters

"o!bine into a single instru!ent the fun"tions of a volt!eter& oh!!eter& and a!!eter.

olta!e and &esistance are two !easure!ents "o!!only !ade using a !ulti!eter. 9,)D0):

3ou use a "oltmete& to !easure ele"tri" potential or ele"tro!otive for"e. 9,)D01: ,he

"orre"t way to "onne"t a volt!eter to a "ir"uit is in 'a&allel *ith the ci&cuit. 9,)D02: =hen

!easuring high voltages with a volt!eter& one pre"aution you should ta#e is to ensu&e that

the "oltmete& and leads a&e &ated 8o& use at the "olta!es to be measu&ed . 9,)D12:

#n ohmmete& is the instru!ent used to !easure resistan"e. 9,)D0*: =hen !easuring

"ir"uit resistan"e with an oh!!eter ensu&e that the ci&cuit is not 'o*e&ed. 9,)D11:

#ttem'tin! to measu&e "olta!e *hen usin! the &esistance settin! !ight da!age a

!ulti!eter. 9,)D0?: =hat is probably happening when an oh!!eter& "onne"ted a"ross a

"ir"uit& initially indi"ates a low resistan"e and then shows in"reasing resistan"e with ti!e is

that the ci&cuit contains a la&!e ca'acito&. 9,)D10:

#n ammete& is the instru!ent used to !easure ele"tri" "urrent. 9,)D04: $n a!!eter isusually "onne"ted to a "ir"uit in se&ies *ith the ci&cuit. 9,)D0':

7n addition to #nowing how to !a#e ele"tri"al !easure!ents& #nowing how to solder is an

essential s#ill for a!ateur radio operators. Rosin-co&e solde& is best for radio and ele"troni"

use. 9,)D08:# !&ainy o& dull su&8ace is the "hara"teristi" appearan"e of a /"old solder +oint.

9,)D0:

=


34/48

#perating -rocedures

+ #perationFn"e they get their li"enses& !ost ,e"hni"ians pur"hase a G6(I6 6M trans"eiver. ,his type

of radio allows the! to use repeaters and parti"ipate in publi"-servi"e events.

$ &e'eate& stationis the type of a!ateur station that si!ultaneously retrans!its the signal

of another a!ateur station on a different "hannel or "hannels. 9,160:#u>ilia&y, &e'eate&,

o& s'ace stations a!ateur stations "an auto!ati"ally retrans!it the signals of other a!ateur

stations. 9,1D0):

,o use repeaters& you need to #now how to set up your radio. epeaters re"eive on one

fre>uen"y and trans!it on another. 3ou progra! your radio so that it re"eives on the

repeaterKs trans!it fre>uen"y and trans!its on the repeaterKs re"eive fre>uen"y.

,he differen"e between the trans!it fre>uen"y and re"eive fre>uen"y is "alled the repeater

fre>uen"y offset. 4lus o& minus 611 k5 is the !ost "o!!on repeater fre>uen"y offset in the

2 !eter band. 9,2$01: 4lus o& minus 3 :5 is a "o!!on repeater fre>uen"y offset in the )0"! band. 9,2$0':

epeater operation is "alled duple operation be"ause youKre trans!itting and re"eiving on

two different fre>uen"ies. =hen the stations can communicate di&ectly *ithout usin! a

&e'eate&& you should "onsider "o!!uni"ating via si!ple rather than a repeater. 9,212:

Sim'le> communication is the ter! used to des"ribe an a!ateur station that is trans!itting

and re"eiving on the sa!e fre>uen"y. 9,201:

,o help a!ateurs operating si!ple ;ind one another& fre>uen"ies on ea"h band have been

set aside as /national "alling fre>uen"ies. 996/111 :5 is the national "alling fre>uen"y for

6M si!ple operations in the )0 "! band. 9,2$02: 14?.*2 M@ is the national "alling

fre>uen"y for 6M si!ple operation in the 2 ! band.e"ause repeaters often operate in environ!ents where there is a lot of interferen"e they

are progra!!ed not to operate unless the station they are re"eiving is also trans!itting a sub-

audible tone of a spe"i;i" fre>uen"y. ,hese tones are so!eti!es "alled NH 9short for /private

line: tones or C,C 9short for /"ontinuous tone-"oded s>uel"h syste!: tones. CTCSS is the

ter! used to des"ribe the use of a sub-audible tone trans!itted with nor!al voi"e audio to

open the s>uel"h of a re"eiver. 9,202: 7f your radio has not been progra!!ed to trans!it the

proper sub-audible tone when you trans!it& the repeater will not repeat your trans!ission.

#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ect when tal#ing about "o!!on proble!s that !ight "ause

you to be able to hear but not a""ess a repeater even when trans!itting with the proper offset5

9,204:

Z ,he repeater re"eiver re>uires audio tone burst for a""ess

Z ,he repeater re"eiver re>uires a C,C tone for a""ess

Z ,he repeater re"eiver !ay re>uire a DC tone se>uen"e for a""ess

Fne of the "ontrols on a G6(I6 trans"eiver is the s>uel"h "ontrol. Ca&&ie& s)uelch is the

ter! that des"ribes the !uting of re"eiver audio "ontrolled solely by the presen"e or absen"e

of an 6 signal. 9,20': 3ou "an set this "ontrol so that you only get an audio output when

re"eiving a signal over a set threshold level.

Mi"rophone gain is also an i!portant "ontrol. ,he reason for this is that the am'litude o8

the modulatin! si!nal deter!ines the a!ount of deviation of an 6M signal. 9,20*: =hen

2


35/48

the deviation of an 6M trans!itter is in"reased& its si!nal occu'ies mo&e band*idth.

9,20?: Fne thing that "ould "ause your 6M signal to interfere with stations on nearby

fre>uen"ies is that you have set your mic&o'hone !ain too hi!h, causin! o"e&-de"iation.

9,20):

7n addition to #nowing how to set the "ontrols of your radio& you need to #now the proto"ol

for !a#ing "onta"ts. 6irst& when using a repeater& it is rare to hear stations "alling C. 7n pla"e

of /C& say you& call si!n to indi"ate that you are listening on a repeater. 9,2$0: $n

appropriate way to "all another station on a repeater if you #now the other stations "all sign

is to say the stations call si!n then identi8y *ith you& call si!n . 9,2$04:

H+ #perationFn the 6 bands& when you want to "onta"t another station& you /"all C. ,hat is to say& you

would say so!ething li#e& /C C C. ,his is ?%I. ,he !eaning of the pro"edural signal

/C is callin! any station. 9,2$08:#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ect when "hoosing an

operating fre>uen"y for "alling C 9,2$12:5

B Histen ;irst to be sure that no one else is using the fre>uen"y

B $s# if the fre>uen"y is in use

B Ma#e sure you are in your assigned band

=hen responding to a "all of C& you should trans!it the othe& stationFs call si!n 8ollo*ed

by you& call si!n/ 9,2$0*: 6or ea!ple& if =8J%O heard !y "all and wanted to tal# to !e& he

would reply& /?%I this is =8J%O. Fver. ,hen& 7 would return the "all& and our "onta"t would

begin.

7tKs i!portant to always identify your station& even when only perfor!ing tests. $n a!ateur

operator !ust '&o'e&ly identi8y the t&ansmittin! station when !a#ing on-air

trans!issions to test e>uip!ent or antennas. 9,2$0?: =hen !a#ing a test trans!ission&

station identiceedin! the ma>imum 'o*e&

'e&mitted on a !i"en band, use the minimum 'o*e& necessa&y to ca&&y out the desi&ed

communication. 9,2$11: o& while you are authori@ed to use up to 1&*00 = output power on

G6 and above 9200= on 6:& you really should only use that !u"h power when you really

need it.

,he basi"s of good operation in"lude #eeping your signals "lean and avoid interferen"e to

:


36/48

other stations. =hen two stations trans!itting on the sa!e fre>uen"y interfere with ea"h

other& common cou&tesy should '&e"ail, but no one has absolute &i!ht to an amateu&

8&e)uency. 9,208:

=hen identifying your station when using phone& use o8 a 'honetic al'habet is

en"ouraged by the 6CC. 9,20: Most ha!s around the world understand and use the %$,F&

or 7,I phoneti" alphabet. Hearn it and use it.

-ublic service! emergency and non6emergency operations" applicabilityof +CC rules" *.C and .*" net and traffic procedures" emergencyrestrictionsFne of the reasons a!ateur radio eists at all is that ha! radio operators are uni>uely set up

to provide e!ergen"y and publi"-servi"e "o!!uni"ations. $s a result& !any ha!s "onsider it

an obligation to be prepared to help out when "alled upon to do so. ,his in"ludes having the

proper e>uip!ent and #nowing the proper operating pro"edures.

,here are two organi@ations that provide e!ergen"y "o!!uni"ations5 the adio $!ateur

Civil B!ergen"y ervi"e 9$CB: and the $!ateur adio B!ergen"y ervi"e 9$B:. ,he

thing that both $CB and $B have in "o!!on is that both o&!aniations may '&o"ide

communications du&in! eme&!encies. 9,2C04: ,he $!ateur adio B!ergen"y ervi"e

9$B: is a !&ou' o8 licensed amateu&s *ho ha"e "olunta&ily &e!iste&ed thei&

)uali


37/48

6or!al traf;i" !essages "onsists of four parts5 prea!ble& address& tet& signature. ,he

prea!ble in a for!al traf;i" !essage is the in8o&mation needed to t&ack the messa!e as it

'asses th&ou!h the amateu& &adio t&a8uen"y&

whi"h is the fre>uen"y on whi"h you trans!it and the satellite re"eives& and a downlin#

fre>uen"y& on whi"h the satellite trans!its and you re"eive. $s with other trans!issions& theminimum amount o8 'o*e& needed to com'lete the contact should be used on the uplin#

fre>uen"y of an a!ateur satellite or spa"e station. 9,802:

Fften& the uplin# fre>uen"y and downlin# fre>uen"y are in different a!ateur bands. 6or

ea!ple& when a satellite is operating in /!ode I(G& the satellite u'link is in the J1 cm

band and the do*nlink is in the % mete& band. 9,808: ,he )0 "! band is in the I6

portion of the spe"tru!& while the 2 !eter band is in the G6 portion of the spe"tru!.

,he 7nternational pa"e tation often has a!ateur radio operators on board.#ny amateu&

holdin! a Technician o& hi!he& class license !ay !a#e "onta"t with an a!ateur station on

the 7nternational pa"e tation using 2 !eter and )0 "! band a!ateur radio fre>uen"ies.

9,804: Hi#e !ost a!ateur satellites& the pa"e tation is in low earth orbit. =hen used todes"ribe an a!ateur satellite& the initials HBF !eans that the satellite is in a Lo* a&th

7&bit. 9,810:

$!ateur satellites are often e>uipped with bea"ons. $ satellite bea"on is a t&ansmission

8&om a s'ace station that contains in8o&mation about a satellite. 9,80*: (: 4acket is a

"o!!only used !ethod of sending signals to and fro! a digital satellite. 9,811:

ow do you #now when you are able to "o!!uni"ate via an a!ateur satellite


38/48

,wo proble!s that you !ust deal with when "o!!uni"ating via satellite is Doppler shift

and spin fading. Doppler shift is an obse&"ed chan!e in si!nal 8&e)uency caused by

&elati"e motion bet*een the satellite and the ea&th station . 9,80): Rotation o8 the

satellite and its antennas "auses /spin fading of satellite signals. 9,80:

#perating activities! radio direction finding" radio control" contests"

linking over the Internet" grid locators,here are !any different ways to have fun with a!ateur radio. Contestin!& for ea!ple& is a

popular operating a"tivity that involves "onta"ting as !any stations as possible during a

spe"i;ied period of ti!e. 9,8C0': =hen "onta"ting another station in a radio "ontest& a good

pro"edure is to send only the minimum in8o&mation needed 8o& '&o'e& identichan!e. 9,8C04:

7n G6(I6 "ontests& stations often send ea"h other their grid lo"ators. $ grid lo"ator is a

lette&-numbe& desi!nato& assi!ned to a !eo!&a'hic location. 9,8C0*:

Fne fun a"tivity that is very pra"ti"al is radio dire"tion ;inding. 3ou would use radio

dire"tion ;inding e>uip!ent and s#ills to parti"ipate in a hidden trans!itter hunt& so!eti!es

"alled a /fo hunt. 7n addition to parti"ipating in this #ind of "ontest& &adio di&ection uen"ies& a

label indicatin! the licenseeFs name, call si!n and add&ess must be a8ed to the

t&ansmitte&.9,8C08:

7f the only radios that you have are G6 or I6 radios& you !ight want to loo# intoB"hoHin# and the 7nternet adio Hin#ing Nro+e"t 97HN:. oth syste!s provide a way to

"o!!uni"ate with a!ateurs far away with a G6 or I6 trans"eiver.

,he 7nternet adio Hin#ing Nro+e"t 97HN: is a techni)ue to connect amateu& &adio

systems, such as &e'eate&s, "ia the .nte&net usin! oice 7"e& .nte&net 4&otocol . 9,8C1':

Goi"e Fver 7nternet Nroto"ol 9Go7N:& as used in a!ateur radio& is a method o8 deli"e&in!

"oice communications o"e& the .nte&net usin! di!ital techni)ues. 9,8C12:

tations that "onne"t to B"hoHin# or 7HN are "alled nodes. Fne way to obtain a list of a"tive

nodes that use Go7N is 8&om a &e'eate& di&ecto&y. 9,8C0: 3ou a""ess an 7HN node by usin!

DT:( si!nals. 9,8C0?: ,o sele"t a spe"i;i" 7HN node when using a portable trans"eiver& use

the key'ad to t&ansmit the .RL4 node .D . 9,8C10:o!eti!es nodes are also "alled gateways.# !ate*ay is the na!e given to an a!ateur radio

station that is used to "onne"t other a!ateur stations to the 7nternet. 9,8C11:


39/48

+CC *ules" descriptions and definitions for the .mateur*adio ervice" operator and station licenseresponsibilities

.mateur *adio ervice! purpose and permissible use of the .mateur*adio ervice" operator7primary station license grant" where +CC rulesare codified" basis and purpose of +CC rules" meanings of basic termsused in +CC rules" interference" spectrum management,he $!ateur adio ervi"e is a servi"e ad!inistered by the 6ederal Co!!uni"ations

Co!!ission 96CC:. The (CCis the agen"y that regulates and enfor"es the rules for the

$!ateur adio ervi"e in the Inited tates. 9,1$02: 4a&t @Jis the part of the 6CC regulations

that "ontains the rules governing the $!ateur adio ervi"e. 9,1$0':

Nart ).1 lists ;ive /purposes for the eisten"e of a!ateur radio. ,he ;irst is re"ognition of

its usefulness in providing e!ergen"y and publi"-servi"e "o!!uni"ations. My favorite&

enhancin! inte&national !ood*ill is another purpose of the $!ateur adio ervi"e rules

and regulations as de;ined by the 6CC. 9,1$0*:

,he rules also "ite the use of a!ateur radio as a way to help people be"o!e better

te"hni"ians and operators.#d"ancin! skills in the technical and communication 'hases o8

the &adio a&tis a purpose of the $!ateur adio ervi"e as stated in the 6CC rules and

regulations. 9,1$01: $""ordingly& allo*in! a 'e&son to conduct &adio e>'e&iments and to

communicate *ith othe& licensed hams a&ound the *o&ld is a per!issible use of the

$!ateur adio ervi"e. 9,1$12:

Nart ) also de;ines ter!s and "on"epts that every a!ateur radio operator needs to #now.

6or ea!ple& the 6CC Nart ) de;inition of an a!ateur station is a station in the #mateu&Radio Se&"ice consistin! o8 the a''a&atus necessa&y 8o& ca&&yin! on &adio

communications. 9,1$10:

Fne of the !ost i!portant "on"epts in a!ateur radio is that of har!ful interferen"e. ,he

6CC de;inition of har!ful interferen"e is that *hich se&iously de!&ades, obst&ucts, o&

&e'eatedly inte&&u'ts a &adio communication se&"ice o'e&atin! in acco&dance *ith the

Radio Re!ulations. 9,1$04:#t no timeis willful interferen"e to other a!ateur radio

stations per!itted. 9,1$11:

,heRadiona"i!ation Se&"iceis one of the servi"es that are prote"ted fro! interferen"e by

a!ateur signals under all "ir"u!stan"es. 9,1$0?: 7f you are operating on the 2' "! band and

learn that you are interfering with a radiolo"ation station outside the Inited tates& you !ust

sto' o'e&atin! o& take ste's to eliminate the ha&m8ul inte&8e&ence/ 9,1$14:

,he 6CC Nart ) de;inition of tele!etry is a one-*ay t&ansmission o8 measu&ements at a

distance 8&om the measu&in! inst&ument/ 9,1$0): ,rans!itting tele!etry is one of the

very few ea!ples of a one-way a!ateur "o!!uni"ation. $nother is sending tele"o!!ands&

usually to a satellite or radio-"ontrol !odel. ,he 6CC Nart ) de;inition of tele"o!!and is a

one-*ay t&ansmission to initiate, modi8y o& te&minate 8unctions o8 a de"ice at a

distance. 9,1$1':

,he (&e)uency Coo&dinato&is the entity that re"o!!ends trans!it(re"eive "hannels and

other para!eters for auiliary and repeater stations. 9,1$08:#mateu& o'e&ato&s in a local

+


40/48

o& &e!ional a&ea *hose stations a&e eli!ible to be au>ilia&y o& &e'eate& stations sele"t a

6re>uen"y Coordinator. 9,1$0:

.uthori/ed fre,uencies! fre,uency allocations" I89 regions" emissionmodes" restricted sub6bands" spectrum sharing" transmissions nearband edges

,he 7,I is a United Nations a!ency 8o& in8o&mation and communication technolo!yissues.9,101: ,here are three 7,I regions. %orth $!eri"an a!ateur stations are lo"ated in

7,I region 2.

Fne of the reasons that it is i!portant to #now about the 7,I @ones is that different @ones

often have different fre>uen"y assign!ents. 6or ea!ple& the fre>uen"y assign!ents for so!e

I.. ,erritories are different fro! those in the *0 I.. tates be"ause some U/ S/ Te&&ito&ies

a&e located in .TU &e!ions othe& than &e!ion % . 9,102: i!ilarly& fre>uen"y assign!ents

for I.. stations operating !ariti!e !obile are not the sa!e everywhere in the world be"ause

amateu& 8&e)uency assi!nments can "a&y amon! the th&ee .TU &e!ions . 9,112:

e"ause operation outside of the a!ateur radio bands is a serious offense& it is i!portant to

#now about the fre>uen"ies and bands that a!ateur radio operators "an use5

B 3%/3%3 :5 is a fre>uen"y within the ? !eter band. 9,10':

B ,he % mete& band is the a!ateur band are you using when your station is

trans!itting on 14?.*2 M@. 9,104:

B 990/031 :5 is a )0 "! fre>uen"y authori@ed to a ,e"hni"ian Class li"ense holder

operating in 7,I egion 2. 9,10*:

B $%@6 :5 is a 2' "! fre>uen"y authori@ed to a ,e"hni"ian Class li"ensee. 9,10?:

B $/%3 mete& band is the a!ateur band you are using if you are trans!itting on 22'.*0

M@. 9,10):

#ll o8 these choices a&e co&&ectwhen thin#ing about why you should not set your trans!itfre>uen"y to be ea"tly at the edge of an a!ateur band or sub-band 9,10:5

B ,o allow for "alibration error in the trans!itter fre>uen"y display

B o that !odulation sidebands do not etend beyond the band edge

B ,o allow for trans!itter fre>uen"y drift

7n addition to de;ining whi"h fre>uen"ies are available to a!ateur radio operators& the 6CC

also de;ines sub-bands for various !odes. 6or ea!ple& C= onlyis the e!ission !ode

per!itted in the !ode-restri"ted sub-bands at *0.0 to *0.1 M@ and 144.0 to 144.1 M@

9,111:.The 6 mete&, % mete&, and $/%3 mete& bands are the bands available to ,e"hni"ian

Class operators that have !ode-restri"ted sub-bands 9,110:. ,he use of phone in

a!ateur bands above *0 M@ is 'e&mitted in at least some 'o&tion o8 all the amateu&bands abo"e 31 :5. 9,21': Data is the type of e!ission that !ay be used between 21

and 220 M@. 9,11':

$!ateur radio operators share so!e bands with users fro! other servi"es. o!eti!es&

a!ateurs are the pri!ary users& su"h as the 2! band& but so!eti!es a!ateur radio operators

are se"ondary users. Fne result of the fa"t that the a!ateur servi"e is se"ondary in so!e

portions of the )0 "! band is that U/S/ amateu&s may


41/48

operation5 station license and licensee5 places where the amateurservice is regulated by the +CC5 name and address on +CC licensedatabase5 license term5 renewal5 grace periodTechnician, Gene&al, #mateu& >t&aare the li"ense "lasses for whi"h new li"enses are

"urrently available fro! the 6CC. 9,1C1': 3ou !ay operate a trans!itter on an a!ateur

servi"e fre>uen"y after you pass the ea!ination re>uired for your ;irst a!ateur radio li"enseas soon as you& name and call si!n a''ea& in the (CCFs ULS database 9,1C10:. Ten yea&s

is the nor!al ter! for an 6CC-issued pri!ary station(operator a!ateur radioli"ense grant

9,1C08:.

=hen the 6CC issues an a!ateur radio operator li"ense& it also issues a station li"ense. ,he

"all sign of that station "onsists of one or two letters& followed by a nu!ber and then one& two&

or three letters. =0#BCis an ea!ple of a valid I a!ateur radio station "all sign 9,1C02:.

$fter you pass the test& the 6CC will assign you a "all sign se>uentially fro! the pool of

available "all signs. 7f you do not li#e this "all sign& you "an apply for a vanity "all sign.#ny

licensed amateu&!ay sele"t a desired "all sign under the vanity "all sign rules. 9,1C12:

,he "all sign you sele"t !ust not only be available& it !ust have an appropriate for!at forthe "lass of li"ense you hold. Btra "lass li"ensees are the only ones who !ay hold 12 or 21

"all signs. K$is& therefore& a vanity "all sign whi"h a ,e"hni"ian "lass a!ateur operator

!ight sele"t if available. 9,1C0*: $ ,e"hni"ian "lass a!ateur radio operator !ay not "hoose

the "all signs $1] or =1]].

T*o yea&s is the gra"e period following the epiration of an a!ateur li"ense within whi"h

the li"ense !ay be renewed. 9,1C0: 7f you donKt renew your li"ense before it epires& or

within the two-year gra"e period& you will have to ta#e the test again to get a new a!ateur

radio li"ense. 7f your li"ense has epired and is still within the allowable gra"e period&

t&ansmittin! is not allo*ed until the ULS database sho*s that the license has been

&ene*ed 9,1C11:.

$!ateurs that set up stations at spe"ial events& su"h as a "o!!unity fair or fundraising

event& "an re>uest a spe"ial "all sign spe"i;i"ally for that event. $ s'ecial e"ent "all sign is the

type of "all sign that has a single letter in both the pre;i and suf;i 9,1C01:. $n ea!ple of a

spe"ial event "all sign is =8N.

Clubs !ay apply for a station li"ense for their "lub station. ,he "lub !ay even apply for a

vanity "all sign.#t least 9 persons are re>uired to be !e!bers of a "lub for a "lub station

li"ense to be issued by the 6CC. 9,1612: 7nly the 'e&son named as t&ustee on the club

station license !&ant!ay sele"t a vanity "all sign for a "lub station. 9,1C14:

=hen you get your ;irst li"ense& you !ust give the ea!iners a !ailing address. hould you!ove& you !ust infor! the 6CC of your new !ailing address. Re"ocation o8 the station

license o& sus'ension o8 the o'e&ato& license !ay result when "orresponden"e fro! the

6CC is returned as undeliverable be"ause the grantee failed to provide the "orre"t !ailing

address 9,1C0):.

3ou are allowed to operate your a!ateur station in a foreign "ountry *hen the 8o&ei!n

count&y autho&ies it 9,1C04:. o!eti!es "ountries have re"ipro"al li"ensing agree!ents&

and you "an operate fro! that "ountry without any spe"i;i" authori@ation. 6or ea!ple& 7 "ould

operate !y station in Aer!any by si!ply using the "allsign DH(?%I. ,here are restri"tions

on your operating privileges& depending on the "ountry fro! whi"h you plan to operate& and

you should investigate these before you get on the air.

/


42/48

3ou "an also operate your station while aboard a ship in international waters. $n 6CC-

li"ensed a!ateur station !ay trans!it 8&om any "essel o& c&a8t located in inte&national

*ate&s and documented o& &e!iste&ed in the United States& in addition to pla"es where the

6CC regulates "o!!uni"ations 9,1C0?:.

.uthori/ed and prohibited transmission! communications with other

countries" music" e&change of information with other services" indecentlanguage" compensation for use of station" retransmission of otheramateur signals" codes and ciphers" sale of e,uipment" unidentifiedtransmissions" broadcasting$s a li"ensed radio a!ateur& itKs i!portant to #now what you "an and "anKt do on the air. 6or

ea!ple& any lan!ua!e that is "onsidered obs"ene or inde"ent is '&ohibited/9,1D0?:. 6or

the !ost part& trans!itting !usi" is also prohibited. ,he only ti!e an a!ateur station is

authori@ed to trans!it !usi" is *hen incidental to an autho&ied &et&ansmission o8

manned s'acec&a8t communications 9,1D04:.

,rans!itting any "odes whose spe"i;i"ations are not published or well-#nown is prohibited.

,he trans!ission of "odes or "iphers that hide the !eaning of a !essage trans!itted by an

a!ateur station is allowed only *hen t&ansmittin! cont&ol commands to s'ace stations o&

&adio cont&ol c&a8t 9,1D0':.

$!ateur radio operators are only allowed to "o!!uni"ate with other a!ateur radio

stations& e"ept in spe"i;i" instan"es. 6or ea!ple& in an e!ergen"y& you are allowed to

"o!!uni"ate with stations in other radio servi"es. $nother ea!ple is during the spe"ial

event "alled $r!ed 6or"es Day Co!!uni"ations ,est. $n 6CC-li"ensed a!ateur station !ay

e"hange !essages with a I.. !ilitary station du&in! an #&med (o&ces Day

Communications Test 9,1D02:.

6CC-li"ensed a!ateur stations are prohibited fro! e"hanging "o!!uni"ations with anycount&y *hose administ&ation has noti


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'&o'e&ty/ 9,1D0:.

o& what is allowed< Communications incidental to the 'u&'oses o8 the amateu& se&"ice

and &ema&ks o8 a 'e&sonal cha&acte& are the types of international "o!!uni"ations that are

per!itted to an 6CC-li"ensed a!ateur station 9,1C0':.

Control operator and control types! control operator re,uired" eligibility"

designation of control operator" privileges and duties" control point"local" automatic and remote control" location of control operator$n i!portant "on"ept in a!ateur radio is the "ontrol operator. 7nly a 'e&son 8o& *hom an

amateu& o'e&ato&A'&ima&y station license !&ant a''ea&s in the (CC database o& *ho is

autho&ied 8o& alien &eci'&ocal o'e&ationis eligible to be the "ontrol operator of an

a!ateur station. 9,1B02: ,he 6CC presu!es the station licenseeto be the "ontrol operator

of an a!ateur station& unless do"u!entation to the "ontrary is in the station re"ords. 9,1B11:

$n a!ateur station is ne"e&per!itted to trans!it without a "ontrol operator. 9,1B01: The

station licensee !ust designate the station "ontrol operator. 9,1B0': =hen the "ontrol

operator is not the station li"ensee& the cont&ol o'e&ato& and the station licensee a&e

e)ually &es'onsible for the proper operation of the station. 9,1B0): The cont&ol o'e&ato&

o8 the o&i!inatin! station is a""ountable should a repeater inadvertently retrans!it

"o!!uni"ations that violate the 6CC rules. 9,1610:

The class o8 o'e&ato& license held by the cont&ol o'e&ato& deter!ines the trans!itting

privileges of an a!ateur station. 9,1B04:#t no time& under nor!al "ir"u!stan"es& !ay a

,e"hni"ian Class li"ensee be the "ontrol operator of a station operating in an e"lusive Btra

Class operator seg!ent of the a!ateur bands. 9,1B12:

,wo related "on"epts are the "ontrol type and "ontrol point. $n a!ateur station "ontrol

point is the location at *hich the cont&ol o'e&ato& 8unction is 'e&8o&med. 9,1B0*:

Local cont&ol is the type of "ontrol being used when trans!itting using a handheld radio.9,1B0: 7'e&atin! the station o"e& the .nte&netis an ea!ple of re!ote "ontrol as de;ined

in Nart ). 9,1B10: Re'eate& o'e&ation is an ea!ple of auto!ati" "ontrol. 9,1B08: $N

networ# digipeaters operate under automatic"ontrol. 9,1B0?:

tation identification" repeaters" third party communications" clubstations" +CC inspectionNroper station identi;i"ation is also very i!portant. ,he basi" rule is that an a!ateur station is

re>uired to trans!it its assigned "all sign at least e"e&y $1 minutes du&in! and at the end

o8 a communication/ 9,160': ,he only ti!e an a!ateur station !ay trans!it without

identifying is *hen t&ansmittin! si!nals to cont&ol a model c&a8t. 9,1D11:The n!lish lan!ua!e is the only a""eptable language for use for station identi;i"ation

when operating in a phone sub-band. 9,1604: Sendin! the call si!n usin! C= o& 'hone

emission is the re>uired !ethod of "all sign identi;i"ation for a station trans!itting phone

signals. 9,160*:

6or so!e types of operations& using a ta"ti"al "all is allowed. $ ta"ti"al "all des"ribes the

fun"tion of the station or the lo"ation of a station. 6or ea!ple& a tactical call is the type of

identi;i"ation being used when identifying a station on the air as /a"e

ead>uarters. 9,1601: =hen using ta"ti"al identi;iers su"h as /a"e ead>uarters during a

"o!!unity servi"e net operation& your station !ust trans!it the stationKs 6CC-assigned "all

sign at the end o8 each communication and e"e&y ten minutes du&in! a communication .

=


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9,1602:

=hen operating !obile or portable& or when you wish to note so!ething about your station&

you !ay use a self-assigned "all sign indi"ator& su"h as /('& /!obile& or /N.#ll o8 these

choices a&e co&&ect when "hoosing for!ats for self-assigned indi"ators that are a""eptable

when identifying using a phone trans!ission. 9,160?:

ZH)CC stro#e ='

ZH)CC slant ='

ZH)CC slash ='

7ndi"ators re>uired by the 6CC to be trans!itted after a station "all sign in"lude AKT, A# o&

A#G *hen usin! ne* license '&i"ile!es ea&ned by CSC *hile *aitin! 8o& an u'!&ade to a

'&e"iously issued license to a''ea& in the (CC license database/9,1608:

,hird-party "o!!uni"ations are "o!!uni"ations on behalf of so!eone who is not the

station li"ensee. 6or ea!ple& if you have a friend over to your house and let hi! or her tal# on

your radio& that is a third-party "o!!uni"ation.

,hese are entirely legal within the Inited tates& but there are so!e restri"tions when you

are in "onta"t with an a!ateur station in a foreign "ountry. ,he 6CC rules authori@e thetrans!ission of non-e!ergen"y& third party "o!!uni"ations to any station *hose

!o"e&nment 'e&mits such communications.9,1611: $ non-li"ensed person is allowed to

spea# to a foreign station using a station under the "ontrol of a ,e"hni"ian Class "ontrol

operator only if the 8o&ei!n station is one *ith *hich the U/S/ has a thi&d 'a&ty

a!&eement. 9,160):

6inallyLand 7 do !ean ;inallyLthe station li"ensee !ust !a#e the station and its re"ords

available for 6CC inspe"tion any time u'on &e)uest by an (CC &e'&esentati"e. 9,161':

,heyKre not going to #no"# on your door at ' a.!. so!e !orning to ta#e a loo# at your sha"#&

but one of your obligations as a li"ensee is to !a#e your station and your re"ords available

when re>uested to do so.

2


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Glossary

#C5 alternating "urrent. $lternating "urrent is the na!e for "urrent that reverses dire"tion on

a regular basis. 9,*$0:. ,he power outlets in your ho!e provide alternating "urrent.

#4RS5 $uto!ati" Na"#et eporting yste!. $N is digital "o!!uni"ations syste! used bya!ateur radio operators. =hile it is nor!ally used for tra"#ing the lo"ation of !obile stations&

it "an be used for other purposes as well. 6or !ore infor!ation& go to http5((www.aprs.org.

#RS5 $!ateur adio B!ergen"y ervi"e. ,he $!ateur adio B!ergen"y ervi"e "onsists of

li"ensed a!ateurs who have voluntarily registered their >uali;i"ations and e>uip!ent& with

their lo"al $B leadership& for "o!!uni"ations duty in the publi" servi"e when disaster

stri#es. 6or !ore infor!ation& go to http5((www.arrl.org(ares.

#:5 a!plitude !odulation. ,he type of !odulation that varies the a!plitude of a radio signal

in a""ordan"e with the a!plitude of a !odulating signal. 6or !ore infor!ation& go to

http5((www.pa2old.nl(;ile

Documents

2014 No Nonsense Ham Tech Study Guide v20