Elmer

What is Amateur Radio? If you were to ask a dozen different amateurs what ham radio meant to them chances are you would get 12 different answers. Radio amateurs have discovered a richly rewarding high-tech hobby that has many different appeals to different people. Whether it is the ability to talk to local friends over the radio waves using a hand-held transceiver (HT), communicating digitally with packet radio to exchange personal messages or vital information in an emergency, talking to other hams anywhere in the world, or engaging in contests with other Radio Amateurs over the airwaves there is something for everyone. The section What Hams Do gets into more detail about these activities. Amateurs or Hams?Amateurs are often affectionately called hams or ham radio operators and frequently the public is more familiar with this term than with the legal term Radio Amateur. The source of the name ham is not known but it has been around almost from the beginning of amateur radio radio in the early 1900s. The name amateur has nothing to do with skill or knowledge but rather implies that ham radio cannot be used for commercial or revenue generating purposes. It is truly a hobby but often one that makes a difference especially in emergency or disaster situations.What Hams Do?Whether you would like to chat with your friends on the way to work or school, check into a net to discuss topics of a mutual interest, or volunteer for emergency services, amateur radio is first and foremost about communication. With hams that means two way communication by radio. Radios can be hand-held transceivers similar to a walkie talkie, a mobile unit for use in a car or other vehicle, or a base station with an outdoor antenna used for local or distance communication. Regardless of the type of equipment radio amateurs have a wide range of activities they can pursue. Some of these are:· Talking with friends within the local community using a hand-held transceiver (HT) on VHF (2 meters) or UHF (70 cm.). You can extend your HT range up to 50 miles or more by transmitting through a local repeater. · DXing. DX means distance communication and with the right equipment worldwide communication on the HF bands (10 through 160 meters) is a regular possibility. See the section Amateur Radio Bands for a more complete description of the band plans. · Assisting with emergency and disaster communication. Organizations in the amateur community such as the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and the National Traffic System (NTS) prepare amateurs with the training needed to assist in emergency situations. · Technical experimenting. Hams come from all walks of life ranging from technicians to engineers, teachers to scientists, and students to retirees. For many of them the attraction to the hobby is to build their own equipment whether it is just a simple antenna, something as complex as a transmitter, or an interface between their radio and a computer. · Contesting. Contesting is often called the "sport" of ham radio. Almost every weekend there is some form of amateur radio contest. Hams get on the air and compete to see who can make the most contacts in a limited period of time. · Talk to an astronaut. Yes, it is really possible. Space stations do have ham radio equipment and licensed ham astronauts take the time to make contacts with amateurs on earth. Hams also have satellites where you can bounce a signal to communicate with other hams on earth. · Use digital communication. Connect a computer to your radio and install some software and you can be communicating digitally over the air. Some of these digital modes can be more effective in marginal transmission conditions and some even sport error free transmission. · Internet communication. Using some of the latest technologies hams can supplement a modest station with Internet connections. Using features such as URL or IRLP on a local repeater a ham in Toronto can talk to one in Vancouver or even Australia using a simple hand-held transceiverAmateur Radio BandsJust as many of us have a favorite fast food that we come back to time after time Radio Amateurs tend to have a favorite band that they use more frequently than other bands. The question of what band to use may be secondary to that favorite band. But the first question should be what band(s) am I licensed to use? From the beginning of the licensing process you will find out what bands your license covers. Next it is a matter of having the right equipment for the bands you want to use. As an entry level license generally covers VHF(2m) and UHF(70cm) and many beginning hams will use one of both of these bands. Also hand-held single-band or dual-band radios for these bands are affordable and don't require a sophisticated antenna or power source. Most metropolitan areas also have amateur repeaters to extend the coverage when using VHF or UHF radios.Popular Bands So what are the bands that most Radio Amateurs use? The table below shows bands that are relatively common and how and when they are in use. Again your license will determine which bands and what portions you are eligible to use. Band(meter) MHz Use* HF 160 1.8 - 2.0 night 80 3.5 - 4.0 night and local day 40 7.0 - 7.3 night and local day 30 10.1 - 10.15 CW and digital 20 14.0 - 14.350 world wide day and night 17 18.068 - 18.168 world wide day and night 15 21.0 - 21.450 primarily a daytime band 12 24.890 - 24.990 primarily a daytime band 10 28.0 - 29.70 daytime during sunspot highs VHF 6 50 - 54 local to world-wide 2 144 - 148 local and medium distance UHF 70 cm 430 - 440 localHF Bands For amateurs who have an interest in long distance communication the HF (high frequency) bands will be of great interest. These bands offer propagation to all parts of the world at some time during the day, night or season. Do you want to talk to Japan from the east coast or Europe from the west? There will often be a time and a band where this communication is possible. During a sunspot high cycle conditions are best for the higher HF frequencies and during a low the low frequencies are often in demand with all kinds of variation in between. Magazines such as QST and CQ Amateur Radio publish charts monthly that predict the best propagation to different areas of the world. These are just best guesses and will help you to choose your times and bands but there is no substitute for getting on the air.How to Become a Radio AmateurTo become a radio amateur requires a license authorized by the appropriate governing body in your country. On this page we will look briefly at licensing in the U.S. and Canada and point you to web sites that contain more licensing information. In Canada and the U.S. you will need to prepare for and take an examination to get your license. The exam material depends on the license level or class that you are applying for. For most budding hams it is a good idea to connect with a local Amateur Radio Club (ARC) where classes are given in theory and/or Morse code as needed to prepare you for the exam. Although you can get the study material to learn on your own it is generally much easier and faster to take a course. In the process you will meet otherAmateur ActivitiesRadio Amateurs have a wealth of activities to choose from. What brought you the ham radio in the first place might be your activity of choice but chances are as you spend more time in the hobby you will find new and exciting ways to enhance your skill and increase your enjoyment. Whether it is simply rag chewing (just talking), DXing, operating QRP, or contesting there is something for you.DXingDXing is making long distance contacts. If you are a 2 meter operator DX to you might be as near as a few hundred miles (or less) while and HF operator when chasing DX is looking for countries outside of his or her own. Generally though DXing is considered an HF activity. To DX you will need an outdoor antenna and a rig capable of putting out 100 watts. Although it is possible to use less power (the author has worked over 100 countries with only 5 watts) 100 is more effective. A directional antenna is useful but even a vertical or dipole and be effective. The author has worked over 200 countries using a vertical antenna and 100 watts on SSB. To work DX successfully is help to listen for stations calling CQ. Pay attention to the style of operation used by the DX station and operate accordingly. If he is simply making one contact after another then don't try to engage him in a conversation when it is your turn. That will just cause frustration for everyone else. Using a DX cluster can also help you identify DX stations that you need. DXpeditions are also good sources for new countries but be prepared to spend time getting through the pileups. As you make DX contacts you will likely want to collect QSL cards. If you haven't already done so see the section on QSLing. As you collect QSLs from 100 or more countries you should consider the ARRL DXCC award. Check out the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) web site for more information.Emergency OperationUnlike DXing you can't just go out there looking for an emergency to operate from. Most amateur radio emergency operating comes in the form of preparation to be ready in the event that an emergency occurs. Amateurs have assisted in emergencies ranging from floods to hurricanes, fires to chemical spills and clearly none of these can be handled adequately without training and preparation. You can participate in training sessions by joining your local Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) connected with the local Amateur Radio Club or Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES). These organizations provide training for local emergencies, setup call up trees of amateurs who can be brought into action quickly when an emergency occurs. Usually amateur support is coordinated with local emergency organizations including the police, fire department, Red Cross and others. ARES and RACES also participate in a number of events that assist in training amateurs for emergency readiness. One of these is a simulated emergency test where all aspects of emergency communication are tested. Another is the local net where amateurs train to be effective net operators. Annually the Field Day contest is popular event that has amateurs operating with emergency power and contacting other amateurs across North American and worldwide.ContestingOn many weekends you will find hams engaged in the "sport" of amateur radio. Contesting is one of the activities that has more participants than any other sport in the world. On the last weekend of October you will find thousands of amateur operators making contacts on SSB worldwide to see how many other stations they can reach. The top stations will make thousands of contacts in just 48 hours but even a modest station can quite easily make several hundred contacts. How about getting your DXCC in just one weekend? It is possible.Contests come in many forms but you will find that most require operating in one mode, either CW, SSB or Rtty. A few, such as QSO Parties, permit both CW and SSB. Some of the most popular contests are: · ARRL International DX (SSB and CW versions) · ARRL Sweepstakes · CQ Worldwide (SSB and CW versions) · CQ Worldwide WPX (SSB and CW versions) · CQ Worldwide Rtty Contesting Web SitesCQ ContestContesting OnlineLA9HW Contest CalendarSM3CER Contest ServiceWA7BNM Contest CalendarQSO Parties are also popular in North America.These are somewhat less demanding than DX contests and can be great fun to operate especially for those who are new at contesting. Many states and provinces have their own QSO Parties. Some of the most popular QSO Parties are: · North America QSO Party · California QSO Party · Pennsylvania QSO Party · Ontario QSO PartyContesting is not as difficult as it might seem although winning your category can be very challenging. To begin you need to be familiar with the contest rules and each one is different. Checkout some of the contest calendar web sites for the rules of a contest that interests you. Pay special attention to the exchange that you will be using in the contest. Then when the contest begins listen to how the other stations operate. When you are ready call a station that is calling CQ contest and when he comes back with your call record his exchange and then give your exchange. It's as simple as that.QRPQRP actually refers to a power level rather than a specific form of operating. When you operate QRP you are using 5 watts or less of radiated power. So with the handheld at 3 watts you are operating QRP. Usually though QRP is an HF activity. QRP Web SitesQRP ARCIAustralian QRP ClubNew Jersey QRP ClubNorCal QRP ClubTo operate QRP you have several choices. Use a regular transceiver that you can turn the power down to 5 watts or less. Most transceivers have this capability. Or if you want to be a true QRPer you might buy or build a QRP rig. These rigs are usually only CW or only SSB although there are exceptions. Some are single band as well. QRP rigs can operate at the 1 watt level and even below that at the milliwatt level. When setting up a QRP station don't forget about the antenna. The better the antenna the better your rig will get out. Although you don't need an antenna capable of running power the more gain in the antenna the more contacts you will make and the better you will be able to hear the other stations especially if they are QRP as well. There are special activities for QRPers such as QRP-only contests. Some of the major contests also have QRP categories.Special EventsIf you tune across 20 meters on a weekend you are likely to hear special event stations. Although not restricted to 20 meters (then can be on other HF bands and also 2m and 70cm) this is a popular band for a special event. What are these stations? Well they can vary from a lighthouse to a submarine, a school to an anniversary of a town. Some special events commemorate a historical event such as the Boston Tea Party or the opening of the PEI bridge. Special events are often announced in QST magazine so you will know when to look for them and how to get a QSL card or certificate. Because these are local event operating on a shoestring budget or none at all it is essential to send not only postage but a self addressed envelope. The QST announcement will tell you what envelope size to use. When in doubt allow for an 8 1/2 X 11 certificate.