Ham Radio Technician Class Licensing Course Chapter 1

Ham Radio Technician Class Licensing Course Chapter 1
Welcome to Amateur Radio

Larry Springer K6PJ Instructor
This course is aimed at preparing to pass the Technician Class Amateur radio Exam. This is not an official MSU Course There are no fees there is no credit. Recommended Text: ARRL Ham Radio License Manual These presentations derived from Instructors material on ARRL web site

Introductions State your name and a little about yourself.
Why are you taking this course? What do you know about ham radio? What expectations do you have for yourself and your instructors? You will set the tone for the class at this very first meeting. First impressions go a long way, so spend some time on how you are going to begin the class. Have the room set up the way you expect to have it for the remainder of the class. Participants have a tendency to sit away from the instructor, so you may have to force participants to move forward. Also participants will tend to keep a seat as their own territory once they settle in, so it is a good idea to have just a few seats more than for the audience intended to give them as few choices as possible. Start on time!!!! Remember you will set the tone and expectations during this first meeting. You will undoubtedly have participants wander in late. Don’t make a big deal out of it, acknowledge them and include them as appropriate without interrupting the flow of the class, but being consistent with your start time and class format will ultimately send the message of your expectations and help the students learn.

Course Overview Welcome to Amateur Radio (1 hour)
Radio and Signal Fundamentals (1 hours) Electricity, Components, and Circuits (4 hours) Propagation, Antennas, and Feed Lines (4 hours) Amateur Radio Equipment (2 hours) Communicating with Other Hams (3 hours) Licensing Regulations (3 hours) Operating Regulations (1 hours) Safety (1 hours) Provide your students with a handout that includes the scope and sequence of the class and the dates, times and meeting location for each class. It is important for you to spend some time here and explain how the flow of the presentations will build toward the ultimate goal. There is going to be some emphasis on technical material that might not interest some students or intimidate others. Stress that your intention is not to create engineers out of the group, but it is important that the students understand some basic electronics concepts right from the beginning so that they can understand to meaning of some vocabulary words used throughout the course (and their ham radio careers) that are based on some of the basic electronics concepts. Time you spend during this explanation will be time well spent and put the course in the proper context. You will be using a building block approach, material in previous lessons will be used as the foundation in future lessons. Some material may seem at first to be irrelevant and tedious, but tell your students to hang in there and give it a chance…it will all become clear as the course proceeds (that is if you do a good job of tying it all together).

Expectations Class will start and end on time.
Instructor will be prepared to teach. Students are expected to read assigned material before each class session and be prepared to learn. Ham radio is not a spectator sport. Active participation during class discussions is vital to success in obtaining your Technician Class License (ticket). Here is a good time to state your expectations of the students and also state what they can expect from you.

Let’s Get Started Our goal during this class is for each of you to achieve the Technician Class Amateur Radio License! The license will authorize you to operate an Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) transmitter. Don’t go into license class operating privileges at this time in great detail. To do so would require you to use vocabulary that is unfamiliar to many of the students.

What is Amateur Radio? Amateur (or Ham) Radio is a personal radio service authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To encourage the advancement of the art and science of radio. To promote the development of an emergency communication capability to assist communities when needed. To develop a pool of trained radio operators. To promote international good will by connecting private citizens in countries around the globe. Through ham radio, you will become an ambassador for your community and your country. If you have the technology, you might consider playing a few video clips of ham radio related activities such as the Cronkite video or perhaps some of the material produced by Icom. Tell the audience what ham radio means to you, your personal stories will be very motivational. A key point to make is the private nature of ham radio. Don’t overemphasize this point so that it becomes boring, but simply state that you can’t make money operating a ham radio. (Also don’t quibble about the special exceptions on making money through ham radio. The only exception that most hams are likely to encounter is teachers using ham radio in the classroom…this might be a good exception to bring up.)

What Do Hams Do? Communicate Participate Experiment Build Compete
Serve their communities Life-long learning State briefly (without using a lot of technical jargon) the various ways that hams communicate. This would be a good time to bring up the social aspects of ham radio through participation in clubs and activities…perhaps pitch membership in your own club and mention the benefits of the ARRL. Bring up the technical aspects that are encouraged though ham radio…it is one of the few services authorized to build and operate transmitting equipment. For those who like to build and tinker, mention the aspect of ham radio of building up a station and making improvements as time goes on. For those who like competition, mention the numerous kinds of contests and awards that are available. Emergency communications is also a good hook for many of the participants. Emphasize that ham radio allows all who desire to actively support their communities as emergency communicators regardless of age, gender, or physically abilities. Finally, talk about ham radio as a life-long learning activity that can challenge the mind for a lifetime.

What Makes Ham Radio Different?
There are many unlicensed radio services available. Ham radio is authorized: Fewer restrictions. More frequencies (channels or bands to utilize). More power (to improve range and quality). More ways to communicate. It’s free to operate your radio. Acknowledge that there are many, many radio services out there that the students can use to do many of the same things that they will be able to do with their ham radios, and in many cases better. Some examples are cellular telephones, Internet, Family Service Radios, and even citizens band. But emphasize that ham radio has fewer restrictions than the other services; more frequencies allow more flexibility to take advantage of changing conditions to effect the range or distance of communications (avoid heavy detail about propagation); more power (here compare the power levels of transmitters, most student will have a basic understanding of power and the word watt) improves quality of the received signals (you can relate this to dropped cell phone calls etc.); give some of the unique ways that hams can communicate. Finally, emphasize that except for the examination fee, ham radio operation is free -- no monthly fees or user fees.

With More Privileges Comes More Responsibility
Because ham radios are much more capable and have the potential of interfering with other radio services. Because ham radios have unlimited reach. They easily reach around the globe and into space. FCC authorization is required to ensure the operator is qualified to operate the ham radio safely, appropriately and within the rules and regulation – that is why you are here. Point out to your students that the FCC will authorize them to operate some pretty spectacular technology, and with that privilege comes some responsibility. The licensure program is the way the FCC ensures that the ham is qualified to assume and exercise those privileges.

Steps to Obtaining Your Ticket
Study the material in the Ham Radio License Manual. Review the questions in the back of the book Take interactive practice exams. Pass a proctored 35-question multiple choice test. Questions pulled directly from the 396 question pool. Need to answer 26 questions correctly. $14 fee No Morse code is required. Briefly outline how you expect the students to prepare to pass the test. Emphasize that in your class you will assist them in learning the material, but it will be up to them to study to pass the test. Also emphasize that you will be presenting material that will teach the students to operate a ham radio safely, appropriately, and within the rules and regulations. You will therefore be covering material that is outside the scope of the test, but still important to operating a ham radio. Also note that you may not touch on all topics that are covered by the test, assure them that they will be exposed to all the material if they read the text, and that you will be happy to answer particular questions that individual students may have as they proceed with their studies. They are equally responsible for their success in other words.

So Let’s Begin Your Ham Radio Journey
We have touched briefly on what ham radio is. More detail will follow in the weeks to come. Reading assignment: Introduction and Chapter 1 – this covers materials presented in the first hour already. Chapter 2. Give a quick recap of the material that you covered in presentation. Ask for questions and answer the questions. Don’t be afraid to defer answering questions until later lessons when you have had a chance to present required background material. BUT make sure that you eventually answer the question. Put some responsibility on the student to make sure that their question is eventually answered either during future presentations or directly by the instructor. The students probably have not read material in advance, so ask them to catch up with the material. You can also point them to appropriate questions in the pool that are related to what you covered during the lesson. Give them the homework assignment to read. Briefly state what comes next as a motivator.

Technician License Course Chapter 2
Radio Signals and Waves

The Basic Radio Station

What Happens During Radio Communication?
Transmitting (sending a signal): Information (voice, data, video, commands, etc.) is converted to electronic form. The information in electronic form is attached or embedded on a radio wave (a carrier). The radio wave is sent out from the station antenna into space.

Receiving end: The radio wave (carrier) with the information is intercepted by the receiving station antenna. The receiver extracts the information from the carrier wave. The information is then presented to the user in a format that can be understood (sound, picture, words on a computer screen, response to a command).

This sounds pretty simple, but it in reality is pretty complex. This complexity is one thing that makes ham radio fun…learning all about how radios work. Don’t be intimidated. You will be required to only know the basics, but you can learn as much about the “art and science” of radio as you want.

Radio Waves are AC Radio waves (electromagnetic radiation) are ac waves. All electromagnetic radiation travel at the speed of light in free space. 300,000,000 meters/second Radio waves are used to carry the information you want to convey to someone else.

Wave Vocabulary Before we study radio waves, we need to learn some wave vocabulary. Amplitude Frequency Period Wavelength Harmonics Spend some time with live demonstration to make sure the students are really familiar with the concepts and vocabulary of waves. These demonstrations could include using audio frequency generator connected to a speaker and oscilloscope to allow students to hear a audio sine wave and see the wave. This will allow you to point out the differenced between amplitude and frequency, the relationship between frequency and wavelength, the relationship between frequency and period.

Metric Units

Finding Where You are on the Radio Dial
There are two ways to tell someone where to meet you on the radio dial (spectrum). Band usually approximate wavelength in meters Frequency Usually megahertz or kilohertz 1 Hertz = 1 cycle per second

Wavelength The distance a radio wave travels during one cycle.
One complete change between magnetic and electric fields. This is the time to talk about the mathematical relationship between frequency and wavelength. Go over a few practice problems using examples of test questions. Give some problems for homework that are the test questions.

Radio Frequency (RF) Spectrum
The RF spectrum is the range of wave frequencies which will leave an antenna and travel through space. The RF spectrum is divided into segments of frequencies that basically have unique behavior. Each segment division of frequencies will act the same, for instance, short range, reflect off similar surfaces, interact with the ionosphere the same way, etc.

Radio Frequency (RF) Spectrum
Point out on the diagram where familiar signals are located like AM/FM commercial radio, police and fire channels, TV, satellite TV. Point out how each segment acts differently from adjacent segments. Don’t be afraid to tell them that it isn’t that simple, that the lines between segments sometimes are a little fuzzy, that is part of the fun of radio.

So, Where Am I? Back to how to tell where you are in the spectrum.
Bands identify the segment of the spectrum where you will operate. Wavelength is used to identify the band. Frequencies identify specifically where you are within the band. Give some real examples on how to articulate where to meet someone. I.e., I’ll be on 2 meters this evening, on a frequency of …see you there. Twenty meters is open to Europe today, listen for the rare station on frequency MHz.

Another Use for Frequency and Wavelength
For the station antenna to efficiently send the radio wave out into space, the antenna must be designed for the specific operating frequency. The antenna length needs to closely match the wavelength of the frequency to be used. Any mismatch between antenna length and frequency wavelength will result in radio frequency energy being reflected back to the transmitter, not going (being emitted) into space. Note that this statement is a generalization and there are a million exceptions. Just go with it for instructional purposes and point out that in the beginning, many over generalizations must be made to facilitate understanding. Once the student understands the basic concepts, then the true complexity of radio and in particular antenna theory can be explored.

Adding Information - Modulation
When we imprint some information on the radio wave, we modulate the wave. Turn the wave on and off Voice -- AM and FM Data Different modulation techniques are called modes. You now need to make the jump from the discussion of radio spectrum and antenna resonance to the concept of modulation. The important concept here is understanding that modulation is imprinting information on the carrier radio wave. There are different ways to do this imprinting; those different ways are called modes.

CW - Morse Code – On and Off

Amplitude Modulation (AM)
In AM, the amplitude of the carrier wave is modified in step with the waveform of the information (voice). The ARRL modulation board is an excellent resource that can be used to demonstrate the concept of modulation. This board uses amplitude modulation and demodulation circuits along with an oscilloscope to visually depict what happens during modulation.

Characteristics of Voice AM
AM signals consist of three components: Carrier Lower sideband Upper sideband Voice bandwidth is from 300 Hz to 3 kHz. AM bandwidth is twice the voice bandwidth.

Characteristics of Voice
Sound waves that make up your voice are a complex mixture of multiple frequencies. When this complex mixture is embedded on a carrier, two sidebands are created that are mirror images.

Single Sideband Modulation (SSB)
Since voice is made up of identical mirror image sidebands: We can improve efficiency of transmission by transmitting only one sideband and then reconstruct the missing sideband at the receiver.

Frequency Modulation (FM)
Instead of varying amplitude, if we vary the frequency in step with the information waveform – FM is produced. FM signals are much more resistant to the effects of noise but require more bandwidth. FM bandwidth (for voice) is between 5 and 15 kHz. Discuss the concept of deviation, the amount of frequency change from the center frequency determines the volume of the transmitted information (percent modulation). Discuss what happens if you over deviate. Also discuss that FM can also be produced by varying the phase of the carrier, but this it is hard to distinguish between PM and FM so it isn’t particularly important for the new ham. Here is a good place to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of modulation.

Modulation Bandwidth CW < 150Hz
AM ~6 kHz voice ~10 kHz Music Broadcast SSB ~ 2.6 kHz FM Communications 5 – 15 kHz Also VHF packet FM Broadcast 150 kHz Television 6 MHz

Modulation Selection FM good for local strong signal communications
Most VHF/UHF voice work including Reaters VHF/UHF Packet Radio SSB good for long distance weak signal work Nearly all HF voice is SSB Use for VHF long distance weak signal voice Use LSB below 10 MHz USB above 10 MHz CW will work for much weaker signals than SSB

Frequency Readouts and Band Edges
The Law requires your entire signal to be within the band. Therefore be careful when near the edge. Allow for: Calibration Error Modulation Sidebands Frequency drift Example The top end of the 20 Meter band is Mhz. A Ham on upper sideband operating on MHz is out of band

Basic Station Organization
Station Equipment Receiver Transmitter Antenna Power Supply Accessory Station Equipment Repeaters Go over with the students the basic outline of the material to be presented during this lesson. This lesson is deceptively simple because there is a lot of preparation required to make this lesson effective. You should try to set up an operational station to give some demonstration contact. Use some care that you don’t set up a station that will intimidate the students on the first day. Try to set up a station that would be typical of the type of station that they might set up in the beginning of their ham radio careers. Don’t spend a lot of time at this point demonstrating all the exotic modes available to the students, there will be plenty of time to do that later in the course. I would suggest a basic two meter set up and give demonstration contacts on repeaters and simplex. Then have a simple HF station and make one or two phone and one CW contact. Some advice on contact…don’t depend on a CQ being answered, it may or may not happen. I would suggest you have a few “planted” contacts from your club. These planted contacts are standing by on the frequency ready to step in and make a contact just in case your CQ goes unanswered. Try to get planted contact operators who are good at drawing out conversations on the radio. New operators are intimidated by radio and sometimes need to be prodded to say more than yes or no answers to questions.

Special Stations You Will Use (Repeaters)
Repeaters are automated stations located at high places that receive and then retransmit your signal – simultaneously. Dramatically improves range. The basic components of a repeater are the same as your station: receiver, transmitter, antenna and power supply.

Repeaters But, repeaters are transmitting and receiving at the same time using the same antenna. This requires a very high quality and specialized filter to prevent the transmitted signal from overpowering the receiver. This specialized filter is called a duplexer.

Repeater

Basic Station Accessories
Human interface accessories: Microphones Speakers Earphones Computer Morse code key TV camera Etc. Station performance accessories: Antenna tuner SWR meter (antenna match checker) Amplifier Antenna rotator (turning antenna) Filters Etc.

Accessory Equipment

Quiz Time Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Key -1 T3B01 A B C D T3B04 A B C D T3B05 A B C D
T5C05 A B C D T5C06 A B C D T1B09 A B C D T2B05 A B C D T2B06 A B C D

Chapter 2 Key -2 T8A01 A B C D T8A02 A B C D T8A03 A B C D
T1F09 A B C D T4A02 A B C D T4A07 A B C D

Technician License Course Chapter 3 Electricity Components & Circuits

Fundamentals of Electricity
When dealing with electricity, what we are referring to is the flow of electrons through a conductor. Electrons are negatively charged atomic particles. The opposite charge is the positive charge A conductor is a material that allows electrons to move with relative freedom within the material. Copper, Aluminum, Silver An insulator is a material does not allow electrons to move easily. Glass, wood rubber You need to take some time to make sure all the students are on the same page when dealing with electronics fundamentals. You will probably find a wide range of knowledge from those who have no clue what you’re talking about to those who know far more about the topic than you do. Acknowledge this right up front, but tell the students you are going to lay the vocabulary foundation for material that follows. For those with little knowledge, tell them to hang on because it will become clear as the lesson proceeds. For those more knowledgeable, tell them to be patient and allow for a little instructor license to over simplify so that all can understand.

Fundamentals of Electricity
In electronics and radio, we control the flow of electrons to make things happen. You need to have a basic understanding of how and why we control the flow of electrons so that you can better operate your radio. Use this time to provide some motivation of “why do I need to know this stuff.”

Basic Characteristics of Electricity
There are three characteristics of electricity: Voltage, AKA EMF, E in formulas Measured in Volts (V) Current, I in formulas Measured in Amperes, Amps (A) Resistance, R in formulas Measured in Ohms (Ω) All three must be present for electrons to flow.

Basic Characteristics of Electricity
The flow of water through a hose is a good analogy to understand the three characteristics of electricity and how they are related. Take some time to talk the students through the water analogy. Pressure that pushes water through a hose, in electricity it is voltage (or Electromotive force). The water in the hose, in electricity it is the electrons (current) that will move. The friction that prevents the water from just freely moving through the hose, in electricity it is resistance. Resistance comes from the electrons running into obstacles within the conductor (and other electrons) as they pass through. Have the students rub their hands together and observe what happens (heat). When resistance impedes the flow of electronics (slows the flow down), the change in kinetic energy (energy of movement) must be turned into some form of energy (remember energy is neither created or destroyed), it is just turned into something else) in this case heat.

Characteristics of Electricity are
Inter-related Voltage, current and resistance must be present to have current flow. Just like water flowing through a hose, changes in voltage, current and resistance affect each other. That effect is mathematically expressed in Ohm’s Law. If there is no push (voltage) there is no current (current by definition is flowing electrons), if there is no movement, there can be no resistance. If there is nothing to push, there will be no pressure, no movement - no resistance. There is always going to be some form of impediment to movement. What you are describing here is that inter-relationship which is Ohm’s law

Ohm’s Law Units - volts Units - amperes Units - ohms E is voltage
I is current Units - amperes R is resistance Units - ohms R = E/I I = E/R E = I x R Go over the simple Ohm’s Law math and provide a few examples of how to solve problems. Give some homework problems that are the same as test questions (without telling them that they are test questions). Have the students solve these problems so they are confident that they can do the math.

Meter Basics Voltmeter (Measure Voltage or EMF)
Connect in parallel with circuit where you wish to measure voltage Ammeter (Measure Current or Amperage) Must be inserted in the circuit where the current is to be measured Ohmmeter (Measure Resistance or Ohms) Circuit must be unpowered. Really an ammeter in series with a known voltage Multimeter can do all of the above Can be damaged if not set correctly

The Electric Circuit: An Electronic Roadmap
For current to flow, there must be a path from one side of the source of the current to the other side of the source – this path is called a circuit. There must be a hose (conductive path) through which the water (current) can flow. The following are some vocabulary words that help describe an electronic circuit. This would be a good time to illustrate a simple circuit diagram.

Series Circuits Series circuits provide one and only one path for current flow. Trace the flow of current through the circuit and show there is only one way for current to flow.

Parallel Circuits Parallel circuits provide alternative paths for current flow. Trace the current flow through the circuit and show that there are multiple paths for current flow.

Moving Electrons Doing Something Useful
Any time energy is expended to do something, work is performed. When moving electrons do some work, power is consumed. Power is measured in the units of Watts (W). Discuss the concept of power in electronics. Student will probably be familiar with this concept because of their electric bill.

Power Formula Power is defined as the amount of current that is being pushed through a conductor or device to do work. P = E x I E = P/I I = P/E P Go through some simple problems using the power formula. Again use test question examples for homework. E I

Combining Ohms Law & Power
If you have Voltage & Resistance Use the Power formula and Ohms law P=E*I and I=E/R P =E2/R If you have Current & Resistance P=E*I and E =I*R P= I2*R

Two Basic Kinds of Current
When current flows in only one direction, it is called direct current (dc). Batteries are a common source of dc. Most electronic devices are powered by dc. When current flows alternatively in one direction then in the opposite direction, it is called alternating current (ac). Frequency is how often it reverses direction / 2 Your household current is ac. US 60Hz, Europe 50Hz RF is AC Discuss the two different kinds of current and what they might be used for. Point out to the students that their household ac current is frequently converted into dc to run many household appliances. That conversion is done inside the appliance or inside an external converter like a wall transformer. Explain why house current is ac (easier to transmit the electricity from the power plant to the home).

Quiz Time Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3.1 Key - A T3B02 A B C D T5A01 A B C D T5A02 A B C D
T5C08 A B C D T5C09 A B C D T5C10 A B C D T5C11 A B C D T5D01 A B C D T5D02 A B C D T5D03 A B C D T5D04 A B C D T5D05 A B C D

Chapter 3.1 Key - B T5D06 A B C D T5D07 A B C D T5D08 A B C D

Electronics – Controlling the Flow of Current
To make an electronic device (like a radio) do something useful (like a receiver), we need to control and manipulate the flow of current. There are a number of different electronic components that we use to do this. You are now going to shift into some specifics of how electron flow is controlled. Don’t go into a lot of detail that will bury the students and overwhelm them with advanced information that will just scare them. But using their basic understanding of current flow, give them the basics of what the major component do. Have physical examples of the basic components on hand for show and tell.

The Resistor The function of the resistor is to restrict (limit) the flow of current through it. Resistance in Ohms A variable resistor is usually called a potentiometer Often used as a volume control Circuit Symbol Describe what is inside the resistor.

The Capacitor The function of the capacitor is to temporarily store electric current. Like a very temporary storage battery. Stores energy in an electrostatic field. Capacitance in Farads Usually microfarads or picofarads Circuit Symbol Describe the internal architecture of the capacitor.

The Inductor The function of the inductor is to temporarily store electric current. Is basically a coil of wire. Stores energy in a magnetic field. Inductance in Henrys Usually millihenries or microhenries Circuit Symbol

Resonance Because capacitors and inductors store energy in different ways, the stored energy can actually cancel each other under the right conditions. Capacitors – electric field Inductors – magnetic field Cancelled current = no reactance, just leaving resistance.

Resonant Antenna If an antenna is designed correctly, the capacitive reactance cancels the inductive reactance. Theoretically, the resulting reactance is zero. Leaving only resistance – meaning minimum impediment to the radio frequency currents flowing in the antenna and sending the radio wave into space. Talk here about the design of the basic dipole antenna. Use the wavelength formula to calculate the length of a ¼ wave vertical for two meters and then compare that calculation to a commercially produced antenna.

Antennas are Part Capacitor – Part Inductor – Part Resistor
Antennas actually have characteristics of capacitor, inductor and resistor electronic components. Capacitors and inductors, because they store energy in fields, react differently to ac than dc. Special kind of resistance to the flow of ac – called reactance. This is going to be a big jump for some students. The concepts of reactance and resonance is difficult for even the most experienced hams let alone the new ham. If your students appear to be struggling during the discussion, point out that your main goal is for them to have just a fundamental understanding of the concepts and the vocabulary involved here.

The Diode PN junction allows current to flow in one direction Symbol
Cathode (P-type) often marked with stripe Anode (N-type) Current flows easily from cathode to anode Symbol Zener Diode Light Emitting Diode (LED)

The Bipolar Transistor (BJT)
The function of the transistor is to variably control the flow of current. Three layers NPN, PNP Much like an electronically controlled valve. An analogy, the faucet in your sink. C - Collector B – Base E- Emitter Circuit Symbol C C B B The water faucet analogy is a good one to explain the function of a transistor. E E

Field Effect Transistor (FET)
Gate Voltage controls Drain to Source Current G – Gate D – Drain S – Source Gain measures the ability to amplify a signal P Channel FET N Channel FET MOSFET D G S D G S D G S

The Integrated Circuit
The integrated circuit is a collection of components contained in one device that accomplishes a specific task. Acts like a “black-box” Circuit Symbol Give some examples of the specific kind of task that might be performed by an IC.

Protective Components – Intentional Open Circuits
Fuses and circuit breakers are designed to interrupt the flow of current if the current becomes uncontrolled. Fuses blow – one time protection. Circuit breakers trip – can be reset and reused. Circuit Symbol Spend some time on the safety aspects of dealing with fuses and circuit breakers.

Switches & Relays Single Pole Single Throw Switch manually operated
Relay - A switch controlled by an Electromagnet Single Pole Single Throw Single Pole Double Throw Double Pole Double Throw

Other Circuit Symbols

Putting It All Together in a Circuit Diagram or Schematic
Have other examples of circuit diagrams to share with the students, ask them to point out some of the components that they have learned. It is also a good idea to have a simple circuit board with the associated circuit diagram so that students can see a practical application and the connection between the circuit diagram and an operative circuit. A code practice oscillator would be a good example -- simple but does something.

Chapter 3.2 Key A T5C01 A B C D T5C02 A B C D T5C03 A B C D
T6A01 A B C D T6A02 A B C D T6A03 A B C D T6A04 A B C D T6A05 A B C D T6A06 A B C D T6A07 A B C D T6A08 A B C D T6A09 A B C D T5C01 A B C D T5C02 A B C D T5C03 A B C D T5C04 A B C D T6A01 A B C D T6A02 A B C D T6A03 A B C D T6A04 A B C D T6A05 A B C D T6A06 A B C D T6A07 A B C D T6A08 A B C D T6A09 A B C D

Chapter 3.2 Key B T6C01 A B C D T6C02 A B C D T6C03 A B C D
T6D01 A B C D T6D02 A B C D T6D03 A B C D T6D04 A B C D T6D06 A B C D T6D07 A B C D T6D08 A B C D T6D09 A B C D T6D10 A B C D T0A04 A B C D T0A05 A B C D

Basic Station Organization
Station Equipment Receiver Transmitter Antenna Power Supply Accessory Station Equipment Repeaters Go over with the students the basic outline of the material to be presented during this lesson. This lesson is deceptively simple because there is a lot of preparation required to make this lesson effective. You should try to set up an operative station to give some demonstration contact. Use some care that you don’t set up a station that will intimidate the students on the first day, try to set up a station that would be typical of the type of station that they might set up in the beginning of their ham radio careers. Don’t spend a lot of time at this point demonstrating all the exotic modes available to the students, there will be plenty of time to do that later in the course. I would suggest a basic two meter set up and give demonstration contacts on repeaters and simplex. Then have a simple HF station and make one or two phone and one CW contact. Some advice on contact…don’t depend on a CQ being answered, it may or may not happen. I would suggest you have a few “planted” contacts from your club. These planted contacts are standing by on the frequency ready to step in and make a contact just in case your CQ goes unanswered. Try to get planted contact operators who are good at drawing out conversations on the radio. New operators are intimidated by radio and sometimes need to be prodded to say more than yes or no answers to questions.

Transmit/Receive (TR) Switch
If the station antenna is shared between the transmitter and receiver, the TR switch allows the antenna to be switched to the transmitter when sending and to the receiver when receiving. In a transceiver, this TR switch is inside the unit and requires no attention by the operator.

Transmitting (sending a signal): Information (voice, data, video, commands, etc.) is converted to electronic form. The information in electronic form is attached or embedded on a radio wave (a carrier). The radio wave is sent out from the station antenna into space.

Receiving end: The radio wave (carrier) with the information is intercepted by the receiving station antenna. The receiver extracts the information from the carrier wave. The information is then presented to the user in a format that can be understood (sound, picture, words on a computer screen, response to a command).

This sounds pretty simple, but it in reality is pretty complex. This complexity is one thing that makes ham radio fun…learning all about how radios work. Don’t be intimidated. You will be required to only know the basics, but you can learn as much about the “art and science” of radio as you want.

Simple CW Transmitter Block Diagram

The Superheterodyne Receiver Block Diagram

Filters

Types of Circuits Modulator – combines information with a carrier
Demodulator – Extracts information from a modulated carrier Product Detector for SSB or CW Discriminator for FM

FM Superheterodyne

Receiver Performance Sensitivity (microvolts) Selectivity (Hertz)
The strength of the weakest signal that can be detected. Can be improved by connecting an RF preamplifier between the receiver and antenna. Selectivity (Hertz) The ability to separate signals on near by frequencies

Transverter Transmit / Receive Converter
A device that changes the transmit out and receive in of a transceiver from one band to another For Example if you have 10 meter (28 MHz) transceiver you could use a transverter to operate on 222 MHz

Chapter 3.3 Key T7A01 A B C D T7A02 A B C D T7A03 A B C D

Technician License Course Chapter 4
Propagation and Antennas Make sure you bring in lots of examples of antennas and different kinds of feed lines as examples are you are going through this lesson.

Radio Wave Propagation: Getting from Point A to Point B
Radio waves propagate by many mechanisms. The science of wave propagation has many facets. We will discuss three basic ways: Line of sight Ground wave Sky wave

Line-of-Sight If a source of radio energy can been seen by the receiver, then the radio energy will travel in a straight line from transmitter to receiver. There is some attenuation of the signal as the radio wave travels This is the primary propagation mode for VHF and UHF signals. Line-of-sight is probably the easiest propagation mode for students to understand. You can use a laser pointer to demonstrate line-of-sight. You will probably have to refresh the students memory on UHF and VHF definitions and their position on the RF spectrum. Also these bands will be the primary operating bands of the new hams. The maximum distance for line-of-sight transmissions with two people standing on the surface of the earth is about (roughly) 25 miles, this is due to the curvature of the earth. You can extend this discussion by briefly brining up repeaters and how they extend the line-of-sight range.

Ground Wave Some radio frequency ranges (lower HF frequencies) will hug the earth’s surface as they travel These waves will travel beyond the range of line-of-sight A few hundred miles Point out that this propagation mode is the one used by AM broadcast stations in the day light hours. You can connect with the students experiences with receiving AM broadcast stations using ground waves. What happens at night? Why do they change power levels depending on the time of day? How is the reception at night?

Radio Wave Diffraction
Radio waves can be diffracted around a discontinuity like light. This can allow communication to a station that should be hidden

VHF and UHF Propagation
VHF & UHF propagation is principally line of sight. Range is slightly better than visual line of sight. because they are refracted along the curvature of the earth making the earth appear less curved to the radio waves. UHF signals may work better inside buildings because of the shorter wavelength makes it easier for the signal to escape holes like windows Buildings may block line of sight, but reflections may help get past obstructions. Reflections from a transmitter that is moving cause multi-path which results in rapid fading of signal – known as picket fencing. This multipath can also make your signal much stronger or weaker b moving a few feet. Can cause high error rates on digital signals Line-of-sight is probably the easiest propagation mode for students to understand. You can use a laser pointer to demonstrate line-of-sight. You will probably have to refresh the students memory on UHF and VHF definitions and their position on the RF spectrum. Also these bands will be the primary operating bands of the new hams. The maximum distance for line-of-sight transmissions with two people standing on the surface of the earth is about (roughly) 25 miles, this is due to the curvature of the earth. You can extend this discussion by briefly brining up repeaters and how they extend the line-of-sight range.

Sunspot Cycle The level of ionization depends on the radiation intensity of the Sun. Radiation from the Sun is connected to the number of sunspots on the Sun’s surface. High number of sunspots, high ionizing radiation emitted from the Sun. Sunspot activity follows an 11-year cycle. Here is a good place to discuss the sun spot cycle, some of the students might make the connection between this practical application of science and the study of the sun and to some things they have heard about sun spots on the evening news programs.

Ionosphere Radiation from the Sun momentarily will strip electrons away from the parent atom in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Creates ions The region where ionization occurs is called the ionosphere. Discuss with the students what happens to ionize the upper reaches of the atmosphere. You may have to tap into some old science lessons and vocabulary that the students haven’t thought about in years. Define what an Ion is. The concept of momentarily stripping away the electrons is important when you get into the details of the layers of the ionosphere and the time it takes for the ionosphere to dissipate during the evening and night time hours. You can also refer back to the students experience with AM broadcasts and what they observe at night versus what they observe during the day time.

The Ionosphere – An RF Mirror
The ionized layers of the atmosphere actually act as an RF mirror that reflect certain frequencies back to earth. Sky-wave propagation is responsible for most long-range, over the horizon communication. Reflection depends on frequency and angle of incidence. Night best for low frequencies (160m – 30m) Day best for high frequencies (20m – 10m) If the angle is too steep, the waves go right through. If the frequencies are too low or too high, they also are not reflected, and in some cases are absorbed by the layer. Constant monitoring of the ionosphere indicates the maximum and minimum usable frequencies for sky-wave propagation. Hams interested in DX (you might have to explain DX) will adjust their operating bands to take advantage of those frequencies that are reflected off the ionosphere.

Levels of the Ionosphere
Density of the atmosphere affects: The intensity of the radiation that can penetrate to that level. The amount of ionization that occurs. How quickly the electrons recombine with the nucleus. F layer is primary means of long range communication ~2500 mile per hop E layer (sporotic E) useful on VHF about 1200 miles /hop Mostly 10m, 6m, 2m Often very strong

Special Propagation Modes
Auroral reflection Aim antenna at active aurora Reflected signals fluctuate rapidly andare often distorted Tropospheric Scatter or Ducting Often associated with temperature inversion. VHF & UHF propagation to about 300 miles Meteor Scatter Reflection off ionization trail of meteor Best on 6m useful on 2m & up to 70cm

T3C01 A B C D T3C02 A B C D T3C03 A B C D T3C04 A B C D T3C05 A B C D T3C06 A B C D T3C07 A B C D T3C08 A B C D T3C09 A B C D T3C10 A B C D T3C11 A B C D

The Antenna System Antenna: Facilitates the sending of your signal to some distant station. Back to the falling magnet Feed line: Connects your station to the antenna. Test and matching equipment: Allows you to monitor antenna performance. The transmitter causes electrons to move in the antenna…creating the magnetic field, that changing magnetic field creates an electric field and away we go.

The Antenna (Some Vocabulary)
Element: The conducting part or parts of an antenna designed to radiate or receive radio waves. Driven element: The element supplied directly with power from the transmitter Feed point: Where the transmitted energy enters the antenna. The best way to cover this kind of material is to have a few antennas of various types and point out the different parts of the antenna relative to the vocabulary.

Polarization: The direction of the electric field relative to the surface of the earth. Same as the physical direction Vertical Horizontal Circular The best way to cover this kind of material is to have a few antennas of various types and point out the different parts of the antenna relative to the vocabulary.

Omni-directional – radiates in all directions. Directional beam – focuses radiation in specific directions. Gain – apparent increase in power in a particular direction because energy is focused in that direction. Measured in decibels (dB) Again, manipulatives are the best way to help with this discussion. The concept of gain is an important concept to make sure the students understand. Gain does not increase the amount of power being transmitted, gain gives the appearance of increased power because the transmitted energy (and received energy) is focused in a specific direction by the antenna elements at the expense of energy that would have been send in other directions. A good way to illustrate this is to blow up a balloon. The inflated balloon represents an omni-directional radiation pattern. Now squeeze the balloon in the middle to create a two lobes (if you do it right, you have one big and one little lobe). This represents the same amount of energy, but now it is focused in specific directions. The concept of decibels is also a difficult and scary concept for the math phobic of the class. Don’t spend a lot of time on this, just get them used to the use of dB as a way of expressing the gain or apparent power advantage comparisons between one antenna and another. I guess the important specific gain value to remember is 3. For every 3 dB of gain, the apparent power advantage is doubled (5 watts seems like 10 with 3 dB of gain). You also could mention that -3 dB is halving the power…10 watts is like 5 watts when there is a -3 dB of gain (this is significant when students are looking at the performance of the rubber duck antenna versus a ¼ wave whip).

Polarization Effects For VHF & UHF signals on direct line of sight polarization must match or the signals will be much weaker. FM repeaters use vertical polarization because it is much easier to make vertical mobile antennas. Most weak signal work uses horizontal because the horizontal wave tends to travel a bit further over the horizon. When reflected by the ionosphere the polarization of the wave is randomized.

Decibels dB = 10*log(ratio) for Power 10 dB is 10 tines the power
dB = 20*log (ratio) for voltage or current 10 dB is 10 tines the power 3dB is twice the power

Antenna Radiation Patterns
Radiation patterns are a way of visualizing antenna performance. The further the line is away from the center of the graph, the stronger the signal at that point. This is an opportunity for you to expand on the concept of gain. Walk your students through how to interpret the antenna radio pattern plots. Here is a good time to introduce the concept of front-to-back ratio…another way to describe antenna performance.

Antenna versus Feed Line
For efficient transfer of energy from the transmitter to the feed line and from the feed line to the antenna, the various impedances need to match. When there is mismatch of impedances, things may still work, but not as effectively as they could.

Feed Line types The purpose of the feed line is to get energy from your station to the antenna. Basic feed line types. Coaxial cable (coax). Open-wire or ladder line. Each has a characteristic impedance, each has its unique application. It would be very helpful to have physical examples of the two basic kinds of feed line.

Coax Most common feed line. Easy to use.
Matches impedance of modern radio equipment (50 ohms). Some loss of signal depending on coax quality (cost). Discuss why coax is so common and emphasize how it can be abused and still work well.

Coax Feed Lines RG-174 Small lossy use only for short runs RG-58
OK for HF low power(100w) to ~50 feet RG-8 RG-213 Good for HF to ~200ft & 1500W Hardline Low loss good for VHF & UHF long Runs Go over the different types and grades of coax; examples to show would be helpful. Talk with the students about relative losses and power handling capabilities of each type of coax along with the price.

Coax Connectors SO-239/PL-259 AKA UHF Used for HF N Matched Z
Good for UHF BNC SMA

Open-Wire/Ladder Line
Not common today except in special applications. Difficult to use. Need an antenna tuner to make impedance match – but this allows a lot of flexibility. Theoretically has very low loss. Discuss some applications where ladder line is the only way to go. Emphasize that the antenna tuner is required in most cases to transform the feed line impedance to 50 ohms to match the rig.

Antenna Impedance Antennas have a characteristic impedance.
Expressed in ohms – common value 50 ohms. Depends on: Antenna design Height above the ground Distance from surrounding obstacles Frequency of operation A million other factors Give other common values of antenna impedances. As a general rule, anything within 1 wavelength of the antenna will have an impact on the antenna impedance, antenna radiation pattern, and antenna performance. The complexity of antennas makes a fascinating aspect of the hobby and also makes antenna design an art.

Impedance – AC Resistance
A quick review of a previous concept: impedance. Antennas include characteristics of capacitors, inductors and resistors The combined response of these component parts to alternating currents (radio waves) is called Impedance. You will probably have to spend a little time to re-teach the concept of impedance. It was just touched on previously, now it is time to get a little more serious with the concept because of its importance in the discussion of feed lines and antenna matching.

Standing Wave Ratio (SWR)
If the antenna and feed line impedances are not perfectly matched, some RF energy is not radiated into space and is returned (reflected) back to the source. Something has to happen to this reflected energy – generally converted into heat or unwanted radio energy (bad).

The Dipole Most basic antenna. Total length is ½ wavelength (½ l ).
Two conductive, equal length parts. Feed line connected in the middle. Total length is ½ wavelength (½ l ). Length (in feet) = 468 / Frequency (in MHz).

The Dipole Mention that there are variations of the dipole antenna (flat top, inverted V) and that there are advantages and disadvantages of each.

The Ground-Plane Simply a dipole that is oriented perpendicular to the Earth’s surface (vertical) . One half of the dipole is replaced by the ground-plane. Earth Car roof or trunk lid or other metal surface. Radial wires. Length (in feet) = 234 / Frequency (in MHz). Mention here, or better yet have an example to show, that the ground-plane vertical antenna can have a magnetic mount for the car that precludes drilling holes in the car to mount the antenna.

The Ground-Plane

Loop Antennas – Variations
Quad Delta Horizontal These loop antennas are all 1 wavelength in length, and can be horizontal or vertical polarization.

Directional (Beam) Antennas
Beam antennas focus or direct RF energy in a desired direction. Gain An apparent increase in power in the desired direction (both transmit and receive). Yagi (rod-like elements – TV antennas). Quad (square shape, wire loop elements). Go over the concept of gain again with the students and emphasize that there is no increase in power from the transmitter, only an apparent increase in power because the available power is focused or directed in the desired direction at the expense of that power that would have been transmitted in the un-desired directions. Have on hand photos or examples of the two common beam antennas, Yagi and Quad to illustrate the point here.

All beam antennas have parts called elements. Driven element is connected to the radio by the feed line. Reflector element is on the back side. Director element is on the front side toward the desired direction.

Feed Line Devices Balun Duplexer Antenna switch SWR meter
Antenna analyzer Antenna tuner Briefly discuss the purpose and application of each kind of feed line device that the students may encounter or read about in the literature. Again, physical examples of each device would be helpful during the presentation. Emphasize that the SWR meter or antenna analyzer is probably one of the first pieces of test equipment they would want to add to their station.

Nothing is Perfect Although the goal is to get 100% of your radio energy radiated into space, that is virtually impossible. What is an acceptable level of reflected power or SWR? 1:1 SWR is perfect. 2:1 SWR should be the max you should accept (as a general rule). Modern radios will start lowering transmitter output power automatically when SWR is above 2:1. 3:1 is when you need to do something to reduce SWR. You need to give your students the benefit of your experience on how to use the SWR meter, how you might make adjustments in the antennas to improve the SWR, and also give them some guideline as to what is acceptable and what is not. These are some of my guidelines for dealing with SWR, of course there are exceptions to every rule and there certainly are exceptions to these guidelines.

Care of Feedlines Water penetration causes coax to get lossy
Seal Connectors against Moisture. Look for cracks in jacket Use UV resistant Coax Air core coax is very low loss but easily contaminated by water.

Soldering Antenna construction is often the first Soldering done by hams. Use ONLY Rosen core solder! Use enough heat to get good flow of the solder The result should have bright shiny surface. A dull or grainy surface indicates a cold solder joint.

Test and Matching Equipment
Proper impedance matching is important enough to deserve some simple test equipment as you develop your station repertoire. Basic test equipment: SWR meter. Matching equipment: Antenna tuner.

Standing Wave Ratio (SWR)
If the antenna and feed line impedances are not perfectly matched, some RF energy is not radiated into space and is returned (reflected) back to the source. Something has to happen to this reflected energy – generally converted into heat or unwanted radio energy (bad).

Antenna Tuner One way to make antenna matching adjustments is to use an antenna tuner. Antenna tuners are impedance transformers (they actually do not tune the antenna). When used appropriately they are effective. When used inappropriately all they do is make a bad antenna look good to the transmitter…the antenna is still bad. Spend some time with the students clarifying what actually is happening when they use an antenna tuner. There are many misconceptions about antenna tuners. Basically, the antenna tuner is an impedance transformer that makes the impedance seen by the transmitter look like 50 ohms. An antenna tuner can make a bad antenna look like a good antenna, but the antenna is still bad. Antenna tuners are truly effective when you are truly compensating between impedance miss-matches (an effective antenna at one impedance that needs to transformed to the impedance of the transmitter).

How to use an Antenna Tuner
Monitor the SWR meter. Make adjustments on the tuner until the minimum SWR is achieved. The impedance of the antenna is transformed to more closely match the impedance of the transmitter.

SWR Meter The SWR meter is inserted in the feed line and indicates the mismatch that exists at that point. You make adjustments to the antenna to minimize the reflected energy (minimum SWR). Have an example of an SWR meter on hand to show the students. You can also discuss how SWR meters are now commonly included as a meter function of a transceiver.

Antenna Supports Trees. Towers or masts.
Covenants and antenna restrictions must be considered. Bring up any local antenna considerations for your area. Emphasize that you don’t need expensive towers and antennas in order to have fun with ham radio.

Quiz Time Chapter 4.2 & 4.3 & 4.4

T3B03 A B C D T5B09 A B C D T5B10 A B C D T5B11 A B C D T5C07 A B C D T9A02 A B C D T9A11 A B C D

Chapter 4.3 Key T6D11 A B C D T7C03 A B C D T7C04 A B C D
T9B01 A B C D T9B02 A B C D T9B03 A B C D T9B05 A B C D T9B09 A B C D T9B11 A B C D

Chapter 4.4 Key T3A03 A B C D T3A05 A B C D T7C02 A B C D
T7D08 A B C D T7D09 A B C D T9A01 A B C D T9A03 A B C D T9A04 A B C D T9A05 A B C D T9A06 A B C D T9A07 A B C D T9A08 A B C D T9A09 A B C D T9A10 A B C D T9B04 A B C D T9B06 A B C D T9B07 A B C D T9B08 A B C D T9B10 A B C D

Technician License Course Chapter 5 Operating Station Equipment
Lesson Plan Module 11: Transmitters, Receivers and Transceivers

Generalized Transceiver Categories
Single Band VHF or UHF FM Dual Band VHF/UHF FM Multimode VHF/UHF Multiband HF and VHF/UHF Handheld (HT) In this lesson you will be comparing and contrasting the different kinds of equipment available. You can adjust these categories to meet your personal preferences and experiences. It would be a good idea to have examples of the different kinds of equipment. Catalogs from the major equipment retailers would be helpful to give an idea of the level of costs. Go ahead and deviate from any kind of lesson script during this lesson but keep in mind the time and keep from spending too much time on this topic.

Single Band Transceiver
Probably the most common starter rig. Operates from 12 volts dc, requires external power supply. Requires an external antenna. Can be operated mobile or as a base station. Limited to frequency modulation (FM) and usually either 2 meters or 70 cm bands. Up to approximately 50 watts output. Let students know that the term rig refers to the equipment being used. The specific equipment referenced comes from the context in which the word is used.

Dual Band Transceiver Same as the single band transceiver but includes additional band(s). Most common are 2 meter and 70 cm bands. Could add 6 meters, 222 MHz or 1.2 GHz. Depending on antenna connectors, might require separate coax for each band or a duplexer for single coax. You will have to explain how a single coax can be used for two bands in this rig and the possible complication of dealing with single antennas, dual band antennas, how duplexers are used etc.

Multimode Transceiver
Can be single or multiband. Main difference is that these rigs can operate on all major modes SSB/AM/FM, CW, Data, RTTY etc. More features add complexity and cost. Most flexible of the rigs that will allow you to explore new modes as you gain experience.

Multiband Transceiver
Covers many bands – can be limited to HF or can be HF/VHF/UHF. Also covers all modes. Frequently 100 watts on HF, some power limitations on high bands (50 watts). Larger units have internal power supplies, smaller units need external power (13.8 V).

Handheld (HT) Transceiver
Small handheld FM units. Can be single band or dual band. Limited power (usually 5 watts or less). Includes power (battery) and antenna in one package. An attractive first starter rig – but make sure it is what you want. The HT is probably the most attractive starter rig for new hams. Spend some time discussing the advantages and limitations of the HT, particularly for your area of operation. I emphasize caution in having the HT as the starter rig because of the sometimes disappointing performance in remote or sparsely repeater populated areas. I encourage hams to consider the HT as the secondary radio and steer them toward the single band transceiver as their first rig.

Side-by-Side Single Band Dual Band Multimode Multiband Handheld
Freq Agility Limited Medium Full Functionality Ease of Use Easy Difficult Programming Challenging Easy/Medium Power Low High Cost Modest This how I would assess the various rigs side-by-side, you may want to adjust this based on your assessment. Power levels are all green because it all depends on the area and what the ham wants to accomplish. This slide could generate a lot of good discussion questions, so let it.

Rig Vocabulary We will now go through some jargon and vocabulary specific to the functions and controls of a transmitter and receiver. This is a way to discuss how to operate a transceiver. These controls, though separate, are combined in a transceiver. The following presentation serves a dual purpose. It will allow you to focus on vocabulary that might show up in the examination and also allow you to discuss with the students how you operate a transmitter and a receiver.

Transmitter Controls and Functions
Band selection Memories Main tuning dial (both TX and RX): Controls the frequency selection via the variable frequency oscillator (VFO). Could be an actual dial or key pad or programmed channels. Variable frequency step size (tuning rate, resolution). Could have more than one VFO (control more that one frequency at a time).

Mode selector (both TX and RX for multimode rigs). AM/FM/SSB (LSB or USB) CW Data (RTTY) Could be automatic based on recognized band plan.

Microphone controls Gain How loudly you need to talk to be heard. Speech Compressor or Speech Processor Compacting your speech into a narrow frequency range to enhance “punch.” Use Compression sparingly. Too much gain or compression can cause problems. Splatter Over-deviation Over-modulation

Power output level Automatic Level Control (ALC). Automatically limits transmitter drive (output level) to prevent problems associated with too much gain or compression. Also can control external power amplifier operation.

Transmitter on/off Push-to-Talk (PTT) Voice-Operated Transmission (VOX) VOX Gain VOX Delay Anti-VOX Key jack Spend some time here explaining the various VOX controls and how they affect the control of the transceiver.

Microphones (Mic) Hand mics Desk mics Preamplified desk mikes Speaker-mics Headsets or boom-sets Internal mikes Microphone connectors are not standardized even those of the same type may have different connections and may contain voltages to power active microphones Speak across the mic, not into the mic. As you talk about microphones, give the students some techniques on how close to hold the mic to their mouth, how to speak into the mic (clearly and distinctly), and speak across the mic not directly into the mic (to prevent lip smacking and spitting sounds).

Morse Keys Straight key Electronic keyer and paddle Semi-automatic (Bug)

Receiver Controls and Functions
AF Gain or Volume Controls the audio level to the speaker or headphones. RF Gain Controls the strength of radio signal entering the receiver. Used to limit (attenuate) very strong local signals. Usually operated in the full-open position.

Automatic Gain Control (AGC) Automatically limits the incoming signals during signal (voice) peaks. Prevents peaks from capturing the receiver and limiting reception of lower level portions of the incoming signal. Fast setting for CW. Slow settings for SSB and AM. Not used in FM because of the type of signal used in FM. Receiver Incremental Tuning (RIT) Adjusts the Receiver Frequency offset from transmiter

Carrier Squelch Turns off audio to speaker when signal is not present. Tone (or Code) Squelch Turns off audio to speaker when tone or digital code. Used in FM primarily Open – allows very weak signals to pass through (along with noise). Tight – allows only the strongest signals to pass through. Advance the squelch control until the noise just disappears.

Filters Bandwidth filter SSB – 2400 Hz, CW – 500 Hz Used to narrow the width of signal that is passed. Can attenuate adjacent interference. Notch filter Very narrow filter that can be moved over an interfering signal to attenuate it. Noise blanker or limiter Limits signal spikes that are frequently associated with random naturally generated noise.

Reception and Transmission Meter. In transmit, indicates output power or ALC or other functions as selected by switch setting. In receive - indicates signal strength. In “S” units S1 through S9 – S9 is strongest. Also have dB over S9 to cover very strong signals.

Receivers can be limited to ham bands or can cover other parts of the spectrum. General coverage receivers cover a wide area of the spectrum and can be used for shortwave listening (SWL).

Handheld Transceivers
Single, dual and multiband versions (with increasing cost and complexity). Some have expanded receiver coverage (wide-band receive). Very portable and self-contained. Internal microphone and speaker. Rubber duck antenna. Battery powered. Spend some time discussing how to get the most performance out of the HT (hold the HT vertical, speak across the mic, not into the mic, etc.) Also make sure that you cover that the rubber duck antenna actually has negative gain when compared to other antennas, that the trade-off for the convenience of a small, flexible antenna is reduced performance.

Nice to have handheld accessories
Extra battery packs. Drop-in, fast charger. Extended antenna. External microphone and speaker. Headset.

Chapter 5.1 Key T2B03 A B C D T4A01 A B C D T4B01 A B C D
T7C01 A B C D T8D10 A B C D

Data Modes Connecting computers via ham radio.
Some systems use radio to connect to Internet gateways. The bulk of the work is done by specialized modems or computer software/sound card. Terminal Node Controller (TNC). Multiple Protocol Controller (MPC).

Popular Digital Modes Radioteletype (RTTY)(FSK)
MFSK Multipule Frequency Shift Keying 2,3,4 bits at a time PSK31 or PSK63 Phase Shift Keying Packet Radio usually VHF AX.25 with header, checksum, automatic repeat Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) Winlink

Errors & Codes BER – bit error rate Codes used
Noise interference or multipath can cause errors Adding a parity bit can detect errors. Some modes (ie AMTOR & Packet) are error correcting. Codes used CW – International Morse Code RTTY – Baudot (5 bit) Packet – ASCII PSK31 - varicode

Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS)

Data Station Setup

Internet Gateway

Power Supplies Most modern radio equipment runs from 12 volts dc.
Household current is 120 volts ac. Power supplies convert 120 volts ac to 12 volts dc. 13.8 volts dc is the common voltage you will see. This is the charging voltage for motorized vehicles.

Types of Power Supplies
Linear: Transformers Heavy (physically) Heavy duty current Expensive Switching: Electronics instead of transformers Light weight and small Not as robust Less expensive Examples of the different kinds of supplies would be helpful to illustrate the differences.

Power Supply Ratings Voltage and Current
Continuous duty – how much current can be supplied over the long term. Intermittent duty – how much surge current can be supplied over the short term. Regulation – how well the power supply can handle rapid current changes.

Mobile Power Wiring Safety
Car batteries hold lots of energy – shorting a battery could cause a fire. If power is not well filtered a high pitched wine from the alternator can be heard in the audio. Special requirements for safe car wiring: Fuse both positive and negative leads. Connect radio’s negative lead to where the battery ground connection is made. Use grommets or protective sleeves to prevent wire chafing. Don’t assume all metal in the car is grounded; modern cars are as much plastic as metal. The concept of fusing both the negative and positive leads of the equipment in a car installation might take some explanation.

Batteries Create current through a chemical reaction. Battery types.
Made up of individual cells connected in series or parallel. Ni-cad 1.2 V/cell Alkaline 1.5 V/cell Lead Acid 2 V/Cell Lithium Ion .2 V/cell Battery types. Disposable Carbon –Zinc, Alkaline Rechargeable. Ni-Cd, Lead-Acid, Lithium Ion Power capabilities rated in Ampere-hours. Amps X time. Examples of the different kinds of batteries will help illustrate this point. Discuss how the different kinds of batteries are used.

Battery Charging Some batteries can be recharged, some cannot.
Use the proper charger for the battery being charged. Batteries will wear out over time. Best if batteries are maintained fully charged. Over-charging will cause heating and could damage the battery. Some batteries (lead-acid) will release toxic fumes during charging so require ventilation.

Handheld Transceivers
Battery packs – packages of several individual rechargeable batteries connected together. NiCd (nickel-cadmium) NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) Li-ion (lithium-ion) For emergencies, have a battery pack that can use disposable batteries (AA size) Spend some time discussing how to get the most performance out of the HT (hold the HT vertical, speak across the mic, not into the mic, etc.) Also make sure that you cover that the rubber duck antenna actually has negative gain when compared to other antennas, that the trade-off for the convenience of a small, flexible antenna is reduced performance.

QuizTime Chapter 5.2 & 5.3

Chapter 5.2 Key T4A06 A B C D T4A07 A B C D T7B12 A B C D
T8C11 A B C D T8D01 A B C D T8D02 A B C D T8D03 A B C D T8D06 A B C D T8D07 A B C D T8D08 A B C D T8D09 A B C D T8D11 A B C D

T6D05 A B C D T7B09 A B C D T0A08 A B C D T0A09 A B C D T0A10 A B C D

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)
Unwanted, unintentional signals from some electronic device that interferes with radio wave reception. You can prevent creating RFI by operating your transmitting equipment properly. Point out that RFI can come from virtually any electronic device from overhead power lines, to electric can openers, to computers and TV sets.

Types of RFI Direct detection – offending signals get into the electronics circuits to cause interference. Overload – strong signal that overwhelms the weaker, wanted signal. Harmonics – even multiples of the offending signal that coincide with the wanted signal. Discuss briefly with the students these basic types of RFI, and how they might be able to distinguish between them. At the same time, discuss some techniques they might use to mitigate the effects of the interference. Direct detection usually affects consumer electronic devices (telephones and audio equipment). Can be mitigated by proper manufacture, installation, shielding, filters, ferrite bead chokes, etc. Actually very hard to deal with and generally not the fault of the ham radio operator, but try to convince your neighbor of that who just spent hundreds of dollars on their new equipment. Overload – generally is a problem in fringe reception areas of TV signals. Not as much a problem now days with satellite and cable TV. Usually the problem can be mitigated by reducing transmitter power or filtering. Harmonics – generally are a symptom of poor transmitter design or operation.

RFI Mitigation Filters attenuate (reduce) interfering signals – but do not totally eliminate them. High-pass – generally on the receive side to eliminate overload. Low-pass – generally on the transmit side to eliminate harmonics. Band-pass – used within most radio equipment. Band Reject – Could be used to prevent a 2-Meter transmitter from interfering with a television Emphasize that filters can only attenuate the offending signal, they can not eliminate the signals. Discuss briefly the different kinds of filters and how they might be used. Have a high pass filter on hand that might be inserted into the feed line of a TV set to mitigate interfering signals and discuss how it might be installed.

Cable TV Interference Usually the result of broken shielding somewhere in the cable. Loose connections. Broken connections. Corroded connections. Usually solved by proper cable maintenance by cable supplier. If the subscriber is a legitimate subscriber.

Noise Sources Electrical arcs (motors, thermostats, electric fences, neon signs). Power lines. Motor vehicle ignitions or alternators. Switching power supplies. Computers, networks, and TV sets. Discuss with the students other sources of interfering noise and give them techniques on how to seek out the source of the noise. In many cases of the fixed noise, simply turning off the potentially offending appliance will help identify the source. Power line noise mitigation is the responsibility of the power company. Motor vehicle noise is generally short lived unless it is coming from the hams vehicle. Grounding and filtering in many of these cases will mitigate the noise.

Dealing with RFI Make sure you operate your equipment properly.
Eliminate interference in your own home first.

Dealing with RFI Take interference complaints seriously.
Make sure that you’re really not the cause (demonstrate that you don’t interfere within your own home). Offer to help eliminate the RFI, even if you are not at fault. Consult ARRL RFI Resources for help and assistance.

What the Rules Say RFI from and to unlicensed devices is the responsibility of the users of such devices Bottom line – If your station is operating properly, you are protected against interference complaints BUT – Be a good neighbor because they may (probably) not be familiar with Part 15 rules and regulations Discuss with the students that though the law is probably on their side, their neighbors will not understand that and they will hold the ham responsible for the interference. It takes diplomacy to deal with RFI complaints!!!!!

RF Grounding The safety ground in house wiring is a poor RF ground
The long run of wire has high RF impedance. Use a short (if possible) run of flat Strap or copper braid to a dedicated ground rod or rods. Tie all equipment to common ground bus RF feedback in your transmitter can cause garbled transmission.

Quiz Time Chapter 5.4 & 5.5

Chapter 5.4 &5.5 Key Chapter 5.4 T4A04 A B C D T4A05 A B C D
T7B02 A B C D T7B03 A B C D T7B04 A B C D T7B05 A B C D T7B06 A B C D T7B07 A B C D T7B08 A B C D Chapter 5.5 T4A08 A B C D T7B11 A B C D

Technician License Course Chapter 6 Communicating with other hams

The Typical Telephone Conversation
Greeting. Identify who is participating. Exchange information, generally taking turns. Salutations. End the conversation. Communication is something that we do every day, but rarely to we think about communication in detail. Simply go through a short telephone conversation that the students might have and point out the parts. Greeting: Hello Identify: Mom? This is Ron. Exchange information: I am having a really great time on my vacation….we have done…. Salutations: Well I better get going, I’ll call you tomorrow. End the conversation: Bye

The Typical Ham Contact (QSO)
Greeting. Identify who is participating. Exchange information, generally taking turns. Salutations. End the conversation. Take a moment to mention “Q” signals and what QSO means. Now go over a fictitious ham contact and point out that it is the same as a telephone conversation except that there are a few procedural differences and some special vocabulary. Greeting: CQ CQ CQ this is WA8SME. Identify who is participating: WA8SME this is W6WBT Phil in Coleville calling. Exchange information: Hi Phil, you have a good signal today from Coleville, you’re running 59 here in Bridgeport…. Salutations: Well Phil, I better get to some chores before it rains. Thanks for the contact and I hope to hear you again. 73 for now. End the conversation: W6WBT this is WA8SME, clear.

Radio Manners Speak clearly and distinctly
Giant party line – choose topics accordingly Shared use of frequencies Use of phonetics. Station identification (FCC 10 minute rule) Schedules with other stations Just like using the phone, when you talk on the radio you are communicating only with verbal information, there is no non-verbal feedback or communication. (The majority of communication while face-to-face is in non-verbal form) Therefore you need to make sure you choose your words wisely and speak clearly (you won’t see the raised eyebrows that indicate that you are not being understood). Additionally there will be static and interfering signals that will possibly corrupt the information, and also language barriers and accents. There could be hundreds of people listening in, and the person you are talking to could be in another country with different values, therefore, choose your conversation topics wisely. Avoid controversial and or offensive topics. Avoid talking about religion, politics, off color content, dirty jokes and swearing. Some is just not acceptable, others are flat illegal. You will share the frequencies with other hams, and because of propagation, you may not hear both sides of a conversation going on. It is a good habit to get into to ask if the frequency is in use before you use it. Simply say, “Is this frequency in use?” and wait for a reply. If not reply then go ahead.

Phonetics Use the ITU Phonetics Alphabet (page 6-2)
It is slightly different that that used by US Military My Call – Kilo Six Papa Juliet

Radio Manners Signal Reports Location Name Power level Antenna RST
Readability (1-5) Strength (1-9) Tone (CW only 1-9) “Your signal is 58” Go over the meaning of RST. Talk with your students about adjusting the content and pace of the QSO according to the RST. If signals are strong and perfectly readable, “arm chair copy”, then carry on at a normal pace. If signals a weak and barely readable, give lost of repeats of important information, keep transmissions short and the content light. If the other station can’t hear you well, then there is no need to talk about the meaning of life. Give the location of your station is one of the fundamental components of a QSO. Your location is usually referred to as your QTH. You can give your QTH as city and state, simply your state, major geographic landmarks and street intersections, or by grid square…depending of the context of the conversation.

Some Terms CQ – General call looking for contact. Could be modified to say what kind of contact CQ DX - looking outside of own country CQ Europe – looking for contact in Europe CQ Contest – looking for contest contact. 73 – Best wishes Grid Locator (aka Maiden head square) 1° latitude x 2° Longitude; Bozeman DN45 Clear – I am done with the frequency

Q Signals Can be a statement or a question. QRM – Interferance
QSY – Change Frequency QRN – Noise QSO – Contact QSL – Confirmation QTH – Location QRT –Stop Sending

Radio Manners Ham radio is self-regulated.
ARRL Official Observers. Logging contacts – on paper or computer QSLs Awards Programs Spend some time discussing with the students about how hams deal with unacceptable on-the-air behavior. Stress the importance of not confronting the violation on-the-air. One of the best strategies is to note the violation, but do not indicate to the offender that their behavior is being noticed…that gives them the audience that they are seeking and actually reinforces the bad behavior. Discuss the role of the OO program. Though logging is no longer required, it is a good idea to keep records of your on-the-air activity even if just as an archive of those you have talked to or perhaps as a record of when your station was in use in case of an interference concern. Logging is a good habit. During contests logs are generally required to compete. QSLs- the final courtesy. Bring in some QSL cards and show them to the class. Also bring in some of the operating awards that you have and explain some of the award programs.

Band Plans A band plan is a way of organizing the use of radio frequencies. Formal and legal plan. Informal – gentleman's agreement. HF Band Plans are fairly simple VHF/UHF plans are more complex to cover repeaters satellites and other uses Discuss with the students the need for band plans, to bring organization and prevent potential chaos, but also a band plan allows us to find other hams to contact. Pass out the band plan chart and explain how to extract information from the chart. There are actually two kinds of band plans. The formal or legal plan is the regulated authorization and regulated use of specific frequency ranges (bands) for licensed use. These plans are established by governmental regulatory agencies (like the FCC). Violating the formal band plan could result in legal sanctions. Give examples of the legal band plan. The informal band plan is an organization of operating activities based on accepted practice. These plans are not legally binding but good operator practice and radio manners encourage hams to follow the informal band plans. These informal band plans are established by precedence and accepted practice and also by major organizations like the ARRL. Informal band plans are voluntary, but the FCC expects that good amateur practice means we follow those band plans.

Band Plan Terms Weak Signal – for CW SSB long range digital modes to separate it from FM & Repeaters Satellite Uplinks & downlinks Simplex - Talking and listening on the same frequency Simplex Calling Frequency for initiating contact Repeater inputs & outputs

Making Contacts On repeaters: Simply say your call to establish contact On HF, call CQ – I am calling any station or answer a CQ Give the other stations call then your call. Practice using your radio Off frequency, low batteries or a bad location can cause problems This is a good time to discuss some of the dos and don’ts of operating a radio. Set up situations that the students could find themselves facing and discuss proper operating techniques for those situations. Mention some specifics such as pausing between transmissions on a repeater to allow for a breaking station, saying your call sign every ten minutes minimum, use standard phonetics to help facilitate communication during poor signal conditions, local repeater accepted practices, the difference between starting a contact using CQ or monitoring, etc. If the local repeater has a autopatch, go over how to access it and what are the accepted uses of the autopatch.

Making Contacts Taking turns and breaking-in.
Nets – groups of operators gathered on a specific frequency for a common interest or purpose. Using simplex Calling Frequencies SSB , , MHz FM simplex , , MHz This is a good time to discuss some of the do’s and don’ts of operating a radio. Set up situations that the students could find themselves facing and discuss proper operating techniques for those situations. Mention some specifics such as pausing between transmissions on a repeater to allow for a breaking station, saying your call sign every ten minutes minimum, use standard phonetics to help facilitate communication during poor signal conditions, local repeater accepted practices, the difference between starting a contact using CQ or monitoring, etc. If the local repeater has a autopatch, go over how to access it and what are the accepted uses of the autopatch.

What is a Repeater? Specialized transmitter/receiver interconnected by computer controller. Generally located at a high place. Receives your signal and simultaneously retransmits your signal on a different frequency. Dramatically extends line-of-sight range. If both users can see the repeater site.

A Little Vocabulary First
Simplex Transmitting and receiving on the same frequency. Each user takes turns to transmit. Is the preferred method if it works.

A Little Vocabulary First
Duplex Transmitting on one frequency while simultaneously listening on a different frequency. Repeaters use duplex. Output frequency – the frequency the repeater transmits on and you listen to. Input frequency – the frequency the repeater listens to and you transmit on.

Things to Know to Use a Repeater
Output frequency. Frequency split. and therefore the input frequency. Repeater access tones (if any). All information can be found in a repeater directory

Repeater Output Frequency
Repeaters are frequently identified by their output frequency. “Meet you on the machine.” Here the specific frequency is used. “Let’s go to 94.” Here an abbreviation for a standard repeater channel is used meaning MHz. “How about the NARL repeater?” Here the repeater is referenced by the sponsoring club name. Inform the students of various repeater directory source materials that are available either on-line or in hard copy form.

Repeater Frequency Split
The split, shifts, or offset frequencies are standardized to help facilitate repeater use. There are + and – shifts depending on the plan. Different bands have different standardized amounts of shift. The use of different terms for frequency offset might confuse students, let them know that all the terms refer to the same thing. Discuss with the students that most modern radios will automatically set the standardized offset frequency when programmed, that they must specifically program in a non-standard split for those repeaters requiring it. Finally, let them know that the offset plan is not law, just a plan that is used by convention. There are some repeaters that use non standardized splits in order to limit or control use.

Repeater Access Tones Sometimes multiple repeaters can be accessed at the same time unintentionally. To preclude unintentional access, some repeaters require a special subaudible tone to be present before the repeater controller will recognize the signal as a valid signal and turn on the repeater. These tones are called by various names (depending on equipment manufacturer). CTCSS (continuous tone coded squelch system) PL (a Motorola trade name for CTCSS) Privacy codes or tones DCS (digital coded squelch) You will have to define what sub-audible means and give some examples of tone frequencies.

Repeater Access Tones Access tones are usually published along with repeater frequencies. Could also be announced when the repeater identifies. “PL is 123.0” Tones are generally programmed into the radio along with frequency and offset.

Repeater Controller Computer that controls the repeater operation.
Station identification (Morse code or synthesized voice). Same ID requirements as you have. Time-out protection. Sometimes called the alligator. Protects against continuous transmission in the event of a stuck PTT or long winded hams. Courtesy tone – repeater time-out timer reset. Some Repeaters use auxiliary stations to transmit signals from a remote receiver to the repeater for retransmission Here you should cover some of the characteristics of the local repeaters that the students will encounter. Include in the discussion the different IDs used, what a courtesy tone is and what it means, the length of the time-out timers on some machines, and locally accepted uses of repeaters.

Using a Repeater To contact someone you heard on a repeater:
Say his call then your call To contact anyone on the repeater Just give your call Keep your Transmissions short Allow a little time for stations to break in To break in give your call between transmissions

Repeaters & The Internet
Some repeaters may be linked via the internet Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) Uses VoIP technology to link repeaters To use on a repeater so equipped: Use Keypad to turn on the IRLP connection Use Keypad to enter IRLP node of the remote repeater Once Connection is made operate like normal

Quiz Time Chapter 6.1 to 6.4

Chapter 6 Key Section 6.1 T2B10 A B C D T2B11 A B C D T8C05 A B C D
T2A02 A B C D T2A04 A B C D T2A05 A B C D T2A08 A B C D T2A09 A B C D T2B10 A B C D Section 6.4 T1A11 A B C D T2A01 A B C D T2A03 A B C D T2B02 A B C D T2B04 A B C D T4B11 A B C D T8C09 A B C D T8C10 A B C D

Nets Net is short for “Network” Social nets Traffic nets
Evolved over the years to share and exchange information in an organized and efficient way with accuracy Social nets Traffic nets Emergency and public service nets. Discuss with the students the purpose of nets and some of the nets that are in your area. Invite the students to listen to the nets during the course of the class. Discuss here the purpose and theme of some of the social nets in your area.

Traffic Nets Traffic refers to formal messages that are relayed via ham radio Formal structure to ensure accuracy – National Traffic System (NTS) Procedures Accountability Give the students a copy of the radiogram form and go over the various sections of the form, but not in too much detail. The idea here is to give the students the sense that the NTS system and associate procedures are developed to ensure accuracy of the messages being handled within the system.

Emergency and Public Service Nets
Public service nets – training for emergency nets Training for ham operators as well as emergency groups and managers supported by Amateur Radio Emergency nets Discuss some of the public service nets that are common in your area and how they are related to training for emergency communications while providing a valuable public service. Discuss some of the emergency net operations that are involved in your area. More detail on emergency communications, of which emergency nets are a part, will be discussed a little later.

Net Structure Net Control Station (NCS)
Traffic cop who controls the flow of information Check-in and check-out procedures Communications discipline vital Learn and follow procedures Speak only when directed, and only to whom directed Follow through with your commitments If you have priority or emergency traffic get the attention of the NCS Say Priority or Emergency followed by your call Discuss with the students the structure and general operating procedures of a net. Emphasize the need for communication discipline, particularly for traffic and emergency nets. (Social nets are a different matter) A little role playing may help to demonstrate the point. You might even consider using HTs on a simplex frequency to demonstrate net check-in/check-out procedures and even run through a short script of passing some traffic during a simulated emergency net.

Supporting Emergency Operations
One of the pivotal reasons for the existence of Amateur Radio. You will be licensed communicators. Get involved and use what you have learned. Know where you fit in the overall emergency management team. Here is where you can bring some of your own reasons for participating in emergency communications activities. However, stress a realistic role that ham radio plays in emergency management, don’t give false impressions that ham radio is the sole and primary communications method used by emergency managers. Ham radio frequently is used as a back-up system that is employed when the primary systems fail. In reality, if ham radio is never used during an emergency, that is a good thing, because that means the primary systems worked as planned. One way to look at it is that ham radio provides some redundant capability that will allow emergency managers to deploy and employ their professional resources in a more effective manner than if the redundant communications reserves provided by ham radio were not available. In other words, perhaps emergency managers can stretch their professional communications resources a little thin to meet contingency demands because they know they have ham radio as a back-up.

EMCOMM Organizations Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES).
Supports civil emergencies. National in scope. Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). Local and regional in scope. Supports non-governmental agencies. Discuss the two organizations and how they are similar and how they are dissimilar (this depends on your local organizations).

EMCOMM Tips Don’t become part of the problem.
You are a communicator, not a decision or policy maker. Don’t give out unauthorized information. Know your abilities and limitations-keep yourself safe. Follow radio discipline and net procedures. Protect personal information-ham radio communications is a ‘party line.” FCC Rules still apply Define the term EMCOMM – emergency communications. Then discuss these practical tips.

Emergency Declarations
FCC may declare a Temporary State of Communications Emergency. Includes details of conditions and rules to be followed. Specifics communicated through web sites and ARRL bulletins, the NTS, and on-the-air. Avoid operating on restricted frequencies unless engaged in relief efforts. Discuss with the students how this works, hurricane relief operations are the most common communication emergency that they might encounter. Give them the frequencies used and encourage them to listen in on the relief efforts as a learning exercise.

EMMCOM and your Employer
Beware: “No amateur shall transmit … communications in which the licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including on behalf of an employer Participating in Training organized by your employer can violate this. Exception: Employer is a government agency and a written wavier has been obtained from the FCC.

Making and Answering Distress Calls
Rule number one – speak in plain language! Mayday (voice); SOS (Morse code) are flags Identify Give location State the situation Describe assistance required Provide other important information Again, role playing will help to illustrate the major concepts in making and answering a distress call.

Tactical Communications
Tactical Call Signs. Facilitate communications. Location or function specific. Transcends operator changes. FCC ID rules still apply. Because students will frequently hear tactical call signs being used, it is a good idea to discuss the proper use of tactical call signs and show them that they are (if used properly) are in compliance with FCC station ID rules and regulations. Role playing here is a good way to illustrate this point and an opportunity for you to model the correct way to use tactical call signs.

Emergency Equipment “Go-kits” Portable ham radio equipment.
Emergency power sources. Personal survival supplies and equipment. Some examples of “go-kits” will help students see what type of equipment is appropriate in your area. Don’t forget to discuss personal survival gear, emphasize that personal survival considerations is part of “Not becoming part of the problem” that was mentioned earlier.

EMCOMM Training If you are going to participate in EMCOMM, get training. Actively participate in EMCOMM activities. Nets Public service activities Attend community meetings and get involved in your community. Take EMCOMM courses. ARRL EMCOMM courses NIMS and FEMA courses

Quiz Time Chapter 6.5 & 6.6

T8B01 A B C D T8B02 A B C D T8B03 A B C D T8B04 A B C D T8B05 A B C D T8B06 A B C D T8B07 A B C D T8B08 A B C D T8B09 A B C D T8B10 A B C D T8B11 A B C D T8C01 A B C D T8C02 A B C D T8C03 A B C D T8C04 A B C D T8C07 A B C D T8C08 A B C D T8D04 A B C D

Awards, DXing, Contests On-air activities provide incentive to get on the radio Learn about propagation as you search for specific stations on various bands Improve operating skills Fun!

Awards DXCC WAS VUCC Contacting 100 different entities (countries)
Contacting 50 states VUCC Contacting 100 grid squares on VHF/UHF Bring in your awards for show and tell. These are just a few of the major operating awards that are available. Discuss with the students that awards usually require QSL card confirmation of the contact. Also introduce the students to the Logbook of the World as an alternative to QSL cards. Bring in a stack of QSL cards to show the students. Hand out your own QSL card for the students to keep start their collection. One post class activity that you can do related to QSLing is to make first contacts with the students after they get their licenses. Make it a big deal. Have the class reassemble as a group and pass around an HT for their first contacts. At the end of the class, present QSL cards and First Contact Certificates to each participant as a memento.

DXing Contacting stations far away – a tradition since the first days of radio. On HF, usually means contacting stations in other countries On VHF/UHF, means contacting stations outside your normal coverage area AKA weak signal communications Need Multimode Transceiver Need Horizontal Antenna (Prefer high Gain)

Contests ARRL Sweepstakes State QSO Parties VHF/UHF contests
RTTY contests CQ World Wide DX Contest Contest calendars The object of a radio contest is to contact as many different stations in a defined period of time, using specific frequencies and modes, and exchange some information. Standings are published for the major contests. Contests test operator radio operating skills as well as technical skills. Point out that there are usually at least one contest opportunity each weekend and how to find out about upcoming contests. ARRL Web contest results would be helpful to illustrate the popularity of contesting in the hobby.

Field Day Emergency communications training with a competitive spirit
Set up portable station and antenna (in the field, mobile, anywhere!) and make as many contacts as possible Get started with your local club or group – great way to get involved Yes, Field Day is not technically a contest, but it is treated as such by most ham operators.

Special Events Special Event stations are set up to commemorate some significant local event. Usually stations are demonstration stations set up for public display. Commemorative certificates are awarded for contacting the stations. Bring in some of the special event certificates that you have on hand for show and tell. Bring in the latest QST listing of special event stations to illustrate the variety of special event themes and the number of special events available each weekend.

Radio Direction Finding
Useful for locating interference or noise sources Works best with a directional antenna “Fox hunting” competitions on FM offer a fun opportunity to learn how to do it Good training for search and rescue

Amateur Satellites OSCAR Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio.
Modes FM Analog (SSB and CW) Digital (FM packet) You can use if you are licensed for Uplink Use Minimum power necessary International Space Station. Satellite operating might interest some hams of the hams. Briefly describe the station equipment required to effectively operate through a satellite and the type of satellite modes available. Discuss some of the technical challenges that have to be considered to operate satellites; finding and tracking the satellite, Doppler compensation, working with transponder equipment, etc.

Satellite Terms Uplink – Earth stations transmit to satellite
Telecommand: One way transmission to initiate functions Downlink – Satellite transmits to stations on Earth Telemetry: One way transmission of measurements Beacon – signal from satellite with information about satellite operating conditions Doppler shift – shift in frequency due to relative motion between satellite and Earth station LEO – Low earth orbit

Satellite Terms Spin fading – caused by rotation of satellite
Pacsat – packet radio satellite Tracking software – gives beam heading and times when satellite is in view Mode – bands satellite is using for uplink and downlink (eg Mode U/V = 70 cm uplink, 2 meters downlink)

Other Special Modes Video Sending snap-shot pictures. 70 cm and higher
Slow Scan TV (SSTV) Sending snap-shot pictures. Amateur TV (ATV) 70 cm and higher Similar to analog commercial TV imagery. NTSC Analog fast scan TV

Other Special Modes Radio Control (RC). Telecommand. 50 MHz band.
1 watt maximum power Call and address attached to transmitter

QuizTime Chapter 6.7

Technician License Course Chapter 7 Lesson Module 15: Licensing Regulations: Terms & Working with the FCC

Why is There Ham Radio? Providing emergency communication capability.
Advancement of the art and science of radio. Advance communication and technical skills of radio. Provide a trained reservoir of operators, technicians, and electronics experts. Promote and enhance international goodwill. Discuss the mission of ham radio from your point of view.

Some Definitions Amateur Service – no pecuniary interest (private and personal, non commercial). Amateur Operator – the person holding authorization (license) to operate an Amateur Radio station. Amateur Station – equipment capable of transmitting on frequencies authorized for Amateur Service. Some of this material may seem to be self evident but make sure that everyone understands the subtle differences between amateur radio and the other radio services. Particularly stress the non-commercial nature of ham radio. The lines here are becoming increasingly blurred with more professionals joining the amateur radio community as a way of providing emergency communications capabilities for their organizations.

Licensing Authority Federal Communications Commission
Amateur Radio Intended for: Persons who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest. Amateur Radio operations covered by FCC rules published in Part 97 of Title 47 – Code of Federal Regulations. Use Part 97 for short During this hour you will cover material that is less than stimulating but very important. Discuss the role of the FCC in management of the radio frequency spectrum in the United States and how ham radio fits into the big picture. Point out the official regulations that authorize and manage ham radio operations. Also point out that the students will hear a lot about Part 97 rules, and that this is just a short hand reference to the rules section that pertains specifically to ham radio.

The Amateur License No age limit or citizenship restrictions.
One exception – foreign representatives. License actually contains two parts. Operator License. Station License (the Call Sign). Three levels of operator privileges: Technician, General, Amateur Extra. Discuss the equal opportunity aspects of ham radio, virtually anyone can obtain a license The license actually has two parts, the operator part allows the holder to operate an amateur radio station, the station part authorizes the physical station to be operated. Kind of like your driver’s license and the license plates on the vehicle.

Examinations Preparation Taking the exam Volunteer Examiners (VEs).
Study the content. Question Pool. Taking the exam Proctored exam. Multiple choice. What the fee pays for. Volunteer Examiners (VEs). Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs). License valid when it appears in database Most of this material has already been covered at some point during the first few hours of the course, but this is a good place to tie it all together. Emphasize the purpose of the exam fee and what it is used for. Also emphasize that the actual ham license is free. This is also a good time to mention how examinations are managed and what VEs and VECs are. Perhaps the VE team members could be present during this time to introduce themselves. Have them explain the forms that need to be filled out and have examples of the 605 and CSCE form.

License Term and Renewal
The license is free and good for 10 years. Renewable within 90 days of the expiration date. 2 year grace period for renewal Some personal identification information is required. Tax ID (Social Security number). Current Mailing Address. Federal Registration Number (FRN). Security of personal information is important, but the government needs to know certain things about you before the license can be issued. Social security numbers are one area that makes people uncomfortable giving up. Explain that after the initial license is issued (and the SSN is required for that first issuance) that an FRN number will be assigned and the sensitive SSN will not be required for further interaction with the FCC. The student can wait for the FCC to issue an FRN when they process the first license application, or if the student desires, they and use the FCC Universal Licensing System web site to obtain their own FRN and then use that FRN on the 605 form. Assure the student that the VEC system is pretty secure and there is little risk of sensitive personal information getting into the wrong hands.

Responsibilities of Licensure
Prevent unauthorized operation of your station. Provide personal information as required – keep a current mailing address on file. Returned FCC correspondence can result in revocation of license Make your station available for FCC inspection upon request. The ham radio operators responsibilities might seem intimidating to the new ham, but assure them that it is not a big deal. Give them examples how they can prevent unauthorized operation of their stations (remove the microphone when they are not physically present, etc.) Updating mailing addresses is probably the area where most do not comply, but making the change in the records is very painless and tell them how to do it. Finally, operating a ham radio is a privilege, not a right. Open to inspection is just a requirement to the authorization. The FCC will not inspect your station without cause. Don’t do anything wrong and you’ll be okay.

FCC ULS Web Site www.wireless.fcc.gov/uls
Register for on-line access to your license information. Make changes to your address and other information. Renew your license. Search for other station information. The FCC web site is fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it and it allows the ham to do most if not all the required actions to maintain a current license themselves. The FRN is the key that unlocks those doors. If you have the capability, you could demonstrate accessing the ULS live during the class to illustrate how it can be used. As a suggestion, I write my FRN on my station license so that I can easily find it when I need it.

What can you do with a Technician Class License?
Power limits. Use the minimum power required to get the job done. Up to 1500 watts peak envelope power (PEP). Will generally require an external amplifier to achieve these power levels. Some special cases where power is restricted. Here is where you would point out to the students where they can find the details about power authorizations. First point out the power restrictions for the Technician class license, specifically the restrictions of MHz and the restrictions on 70-cm adjacent to military installations. Point out the power restrictions on the HF segments allowed to Techs. Then you can point out the other restrictions for other HF segments authorized for Generals and Extra.

Frequency Privileges: Band versus frequency. Note the Bottom 100 Khz on 6M & 2M is CW only. 219 to 220 is fixed digital message forwarding only Go over the frequency authorizations for the Technician class. Review the band plan and hand out a band plan chart and show the students how to read it and extract required information. Review with the students how the references to band a frequency are used sometimes interchangeably. Remember, bands are frequency ranges that have the same characteristics. The band identification is like a city name, the frequency is like a specific street address that you want to visit. “Let’s meet on 6 meters tonight.” “No, my 6 meter antenna is down right now, how about 2?” “Okay, 2 meters, how about ?”

Emission Privileges: Review with the students the different emission types. You probably have talked about this already with them. Point out that there may be restrictions, either by regulation or by gentlemen's agreement, on where certain emission types are authorized. This information is on the band plan chart.

Repeater Co-ordination
Done by volunteer regional frequency coordinators Goal is to prevent interference between repeaters Chosen by amateurs in an area who opreate repeaters Uncoordinated repeaters not illegal but discouraged

Primary and Secondary Allocations
Some authorized amateur frequencies are shared. Primary Users. Secondary Users. If Amateur allocation is secondary then amateur stations may not cause harmful interference to the primary user Most Bands above 70cm are secondary Primary users are protected from interference from other stations. Secondary users can use the frequencies if they don’t cause interference. If hams are secondary users of shared frequencies (which is the case most of the time), they must yield the use of the frequencies to the primary users if they are present. If you location is near the Canadian border, emphasize the restrictions with the “Line-A” area on 70 cm.

Amateur Radio - Internationally
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) a UN agency. Regions 1, 2 and 3. CONUS hams are in Region 2. Reciprocal operating authorizations. There are times when there are restrictions on certain countries that we can contact. A country may notify the ITU that it objects to its amateurs communicating internationally Briefly discuss the purpose of the ITU and how the FCC fits into the big picture. There are some differences in frequency authorizations and permitted modes based on ITU rules and regions. If the students are going to operate in a different region, it is important that they review the rules for that region. Also discuss with the students that this is why they may hear voice operations where the US is only authorized CW or data operations. Watch the dial! Especially when attempting to contact an English speaking ham, they may be from country that is authorized voice privileges where the US ham is restricted to code or data.

ITU Regions

International Communication
Communications incidental to the purposes of amateur radio and remarks of a personal nature. – generally permitted You may operate in a foreign country if that country authorizes it. You may operate from any vessel or craft located in international waters and documented or registered in the United States with the permission of the master.

Call Signs US call signs begin with: K, N, W, and A.
US call sign districts: 0-9 Prefix – one or two letters followed by a number Suffix one to three letters Pass out a US map with the call sign districts. Discuss the structure of US call signs and what the students can expect for their first call signs. Have on hand some QSL cards. Use them to illustrate different US call signs. Also discuss the call sign structure for different countries and stress that the beginning character can be used generally to determine the country of the station being contacted.

Call Signs Portable – operating away from primary station location.
If in the different call sign district add: “portable 6” if voice. /6 if Morse code or digital. Not required, just nice to do. If recent upgrade add “AG” or “AE.” Here you can discuss some of the things that students may hear when operations are portable. Though not used as much any more, they might come across portable call sign designators sometime. Point out that when they upgrade, the new privileges are authorized immediately, they just need to add the AG or AE if they are going to use the new authorized privileges before the upgrade is posted in the FCC database.

Special Call Signs Club (minimum 4 members) Special event call signs.
1x1 calls temporally assigned for operations in conjunction with an activity of special significance to the amateur community Vanity call signs. Normally a minimum of 4 characters Discuss with the students briefly how they might obtain a call sign for a ham club. Also talk about the special event call signs and how they are obtained. Finally you can cover how the licensee can request a specific, un-issued, call sign. Just point out that a fee is required to obtain and maintain the vanity call sign.

Quiz Time Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Key Section 7.1 T1A01 A B C D T1A02 A B C D T1A03 A B C D
T1C07 A B C D T1C08 A B C D T1C09 A B C D T1C10 A B C D T1C11 A B C D T1F13 A B C D

Chapter 7 Key Section 7.3 T1A08 A B C D T1A09 A B C D T1B03 A B C D
T1C05 A B C D T2A10 A B C D T2A11 A B C D T8D05 A B C D

Chapter 7 Key Section 7.4 T1B01 A B C D T1B02 A B C D T1C03 A B C D T1C04 A B C D T1C06 A B C D T1D01 A B C D Section 7.5 T1C01 A B C D T1C02 A B C D T1F12 A B C D T8C06 A B C D

Technician License Course Chapter 8 Operating Regulations: Control Operators; Station Identification; Third-Party Communications Interference; Remote & Automatic Operation; Prohibited Transmissions

Control Operator An Amateur Station must have a control operator only when the station is transmitting. Must have a valid Amateur Radio License that appears in the FCC database, or an alien authorized for reciprocal operation. Station must operate within the authorization of the control operator’s license. Control operator must be present at the control point of the station (the on-off switch) or remotely connected by a control link. The control operator must have a license. This does not mean the highest class license of the group. For kids, if they are licensed and their parents are not, the kids are the control operators not their parents. If an Extra Class and a Tech Class ham are operating a station and the Tech is the control operator, then the station is restricted to Tech privileges. If the hams want to use the Extra privileges, than the Extra Class ham is the control operator. The control operator doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the owners of the station. The control operator must be in a position to stop improper operation of the station. In other words, they must be in a position to turn the transmitter off to prevent improper transmissions…this is the on-off switch in its simplest terms. The control operator of a repeater must be able to turn off the repeater if there are improper transmissions being made, this is usually done by remote control.

More Important Information
Control operator responsibilities. The FCC’s primary concern is that transmissions are made only under the control of a licensed operator. Control operator – the licensed amateur responsible for making sure transmissions comply with FCC rules. Control operator designated by the station licensee If the control operator is not the station licensee the responsibility for proper operation is shared. The FCC assumes that the station licensee is the control operator unless there is documentation to the contrary.

Station Identification (ID)
Normal ID. Say your call sign every ten minutes during and at the end of the contact (QSO). Use of Tactical Call Signs. Does not substitute for proper station ID. Ham Guests. For FCC licensed Stations operating Phone Identification must be in English. (may be in CW) You may Append a self assigned indicator For example K6PJ/K7 or K6PJ/mobile Must not conflict with any FCC assigned indicator or ITU Prefix assigned to another country You are only required to say your call sign at 10 minute intervals and at the very end of a contact. Give some examples of proper identification. Also mention that regardless of the language being used for the contact, the station identification must be made in English. It is good practice to say both call signs so that others know who is on the air…maybe they will want to join in the conversation. During EMCOMM and public service operations it is often very convenient to expedite communications that Tactical Call Signs are used. Go over the concept of Tactical Call Signs and how they might be used. Also stress that the 10 minute ID rule still applies and give an example of how to properly use the Tactical and personal call signs to satisfy this requirement. Finally go over a situation where a guest operator who has a higher class license than the owner of the station, and the guest wants to use their high class privileges on the station using the lower class call sign. They would append their call with the station owners call.

ID Rules Apply Repeaters must also ID using the same 10 minute rule.
Can be voice or CW (at 20 WPM or less). Satellites and ISS have special rules. Space Station – located more than 50 km above the earths surface Special event calls. Normal club call or control operator call given once per hour. There are many special circumstances. The important thing here is for the students to recognize that the rules are not always hard and fast and that there are exceptions that need to be understood if they will be involved in these kinds of operations.

Third-Party Communications
Third-party means that a non-ham is involved in communication via ham radio. Could be actually speaking on the air. Could be passing a message on behalf of the non-ham. Two situations – different rules. Within the US. Communication that crosses international borders. Define third-party communications and give some examples.

Third-Party within US No special rules.
Just make sure the message is non-commercial in nature.

Third-Party Across Borders
Make sure that third-party agreement exists. Check for current third-party agreements from ARRL Web site or FCC sources if in doubt. You might be surprised at the countries that we do not have third-party agreements with. During station identification say both stations’ call signs. Point out the table in the text that lists the countries we have third-party agreements with.

Interference QRN Natural interference (thunderstorms). Man-made (appliances and power lines). QRM Interference from nearby signals. Other hams or other users of the frequencies. Operators should avoid interfering with other users of the frequencies. Review these “Q” signals.

Interference Harmful Willful
Interference that is disruptive but not intentional. Deal with it as best you can and help others avoid harmful interference. Willful Intentionally causing interference. This becomes a legal and law enforcement issue. This is rare and there are procedures to deal with this (ARRL Official Observers can help). Give the students some techniques on how to identify the type of interference and how to deal with it. Most of the interference will be unintentional. Everyone makes a mistake and in fact most hams will cause unintentional interference at some time during their operating careers. This type of interference should be discussed with some consideration because the student may be on the receiving end of a complaint themselves sometime. Willful interference is another matter. Give the students some strategies on how to deal with this kind of interference. Basically document the interference and give the information to their local Official Observer. Also avoid giving the perpetrator an audience. In most cases the person doing the interfering will give up and go somewhere else if they do not get the response and attention they are looking for. In all cases, if the students receive and interference complaint, they need to take that complaint seriously and deal with it as best they can.

Preventing Interference
Use common sense and courtesy. Keep equipment in proper operating order. No one owns a frequency; be a good neighbor and share. Yield to special operations and special circumstances. It is hard to teach common sense, but try to give the students some sense of how they can avoid interference problems and how they can mitigate interference should it occur (and it will). It is important to stress that getting into an on-the-air argument about interference is counterproductive and should be avoided.

Remote and Automatic Control
Some stations, repeaters and beacons operate without the control operator physically present at the control point. If a repeater retransmits communications that violate the FCC rules the originating station is responsible These stations must still comply with control operator stipulations. Local. Remote. Automatic. Simply stress that regardless of the technical situation, the control operator must still be able to turn off the station to prevent improper transmissions. Remote control means that there is some sort of control link that allows the control operator to take action. These links can be independent radio links, telephone or Internet lines. Automatic controls are usually computers that have safeguards programmed into the controller to prevent improper operation. You could mention the time-out timer on a repeater as an example.

Prohibited Transmissions
Unidentified transmissions . (not giving your call sign) False or deceptive signals. (using someone else’s call sign) False distress or emergency signals. (fake calls for help) Obscene or indecent speech. (up to interpretation) Music. Most of these prohibited transmissions should be easy to identify. Obscene or indecent language is up to some interpretation. Give the students some examples of things to avoid discussing on the radio.

No Business Communications
You cannot make a profit through the use of transmissions made via ham radio. Advertising ham radio gear is okay as long as it’s not your regular business Exception: teachers may use ham radio in their classrooms. This is also another area where it can get a little gray. Give some examples of acceptable and unacceptable business related communications. It boils down to if the operator is going to profit in some way by the transmission, then they should not do it. If in doubt, don’t use ham radio for the transmission. This can really get sticky in the scenario of professionals using ham radio during an emergency situation.

No Encrypted Transmissions
Encryption involves encoding information for transmission that must be decoded upon reception to interpret the information. This is okay if: Coding is open source. Intention is not to hide the message or deceive. Most students will not get involved in this situation. They should not try to hide or deceive anyone listening in on the transmission through the use of codes. The use of codes does not necessarily have to be technical in nature.

No Broadcasting Broadcasting is sending one-way transmissions with no expectation of getting a response. News Music Exceptions: Code practice. Ham radio related bulletins. Re-transmission of shuttle communications.

Special Circumstances
Ham communication is generally intended for hams. Emergencies and critical situations create special circumstances. Special commemorative events may qualify as special circumstances. Armed Forces Day Communication Test Normal rules return when the situation returns to normal. Though ham communication is generally intended for hams, there are special circumstances where the rules are set aside to support the community at large during the emergency or critical situation. Give the students some specific examples that they might come across in their communities or regions.

Quiz Time Chapter 8

Chapter 8 key Section 8.1 T1E01 A B C D T1E02 A B C D T1E03 A B C D
T1F08 A B C D Section 8.2 T1A05 A B C D T1D11 A B C D T1F01 A B C D T1F02 A B C D T1F03 A B C D T1F04 A B C D T1F05 A B C D T1F06 A B C D T1F07 A B C D T2A06 A B C D T2A07 A B C D T2B09 A B C D

Chapter 8 key Section 8.6 T1D02 A B C D T1D03 A B C D T1D04 A B C D
T1A04 A B C D T2B07 A B C D T2B08 A B C D Section 8.4 T1F11 A B C D Section 8.5 T1E06 A B C D T1E08 A B C D T1E09 A B C D T1E10 A B C D T1F10 A B C D Section 8.6 T1D02 A B C D T1D03 A B C D T1D04 A B C D T1D05 A B C D T1D06 A B C D T1D07 A B C D T1D08 A B C D T1D09 A B C D T1D10 A B C D

Technician License Course Chapter 9 Safety

Electrical Injuries Shocks. 30 V lowest dangerous Burns.
Even small currents can cause problems.

Electrical Safety Avoiding contact is the most effective way of practicing electrical safety. Most modern radio equipment uses currents that are not as dangerous as older equipment but precautions still must be taken. Point out that since most modern equipment runs off of 12 volts, there are still dangerous levels of current, particularly in power supplies that convert 120 volts AC to 12 volt DC. The students still need to be cautious and vigilant around current.

Mitigating Electrical Hazards
Turn off power when working inside equipment! Make sure equipment is properly grounded and circuit protected! Keep one hand in pocket when working around high voltage circuits. The bottom line is use some common sense and avoid direct contact with current. Dangling hands, insulating shoes, knowing how components work and store energy are all good things to know and review when working inside equipment that is powered. Not the mention the damage that the operator can cause to equipment by probing around and shorting out parts of the circuit not intended to handle the level of current. Spend some time talking about battery safety. The current capacities of today’s batteries makes even more important to avoid short circuiting batteries.

Mitigating Electrical Hazards
If power is required: Remove jewelry. Avoid unintentional touching of circuitry. Never bypass safety interlocks. Capacitors hold a charge even when power is off. Storage batteries are dangerous when shorted. The bottom line is use some common sense and avoid direct contact with current. Dangling hands, insulating shoes, knowing how components work and store energy are all good things to know and review when working inside equipment that is powered. Not the mention the damage that the operator can cause to equipment by probing around and shorting out parts of the circuit not intended to handle the level of current. Spend some time talking about battery safety. The current capacities of today’s batteries makes even more important to avoid short circuiting batteries.

Responding to Electrical Injury
REMOVE POWER! Have ON/OFF switches and circuit breakers clearly marked. Call for help. Learn CPR and first aid.

Electrical Grounding and Circuit Protection (in the home)
Make sure your home is “up to code.” Most ham equipment does not require special wiring or circuits. Use 3-wire power cords. Green is safety ground Use circuit breakers, circuit breaker outlets, or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) circuit breakers or outlets Use proper fuse or circuit breaker size. Don’t overload single outlets. It would be a good idea to show the students a properly wired 3-prong plug using proper color code wiring.

Lightning Safety Antennas are not struck any more frequently than trees or tall structures. Ground all antennas. (short & direct with no sharp bends) Use lightning arrestors. Ground all protectors to a common plate tied to external ground Disconnect antenna cables and power cords during storms. Disconnect telephone lines from computer modems. Students should take precautions to mitigate the potential of lightning strikes but they should also be assured that their antennas pose no more of a risk than the trees and other tall structures in the area. Have on hand a lightning arrestor to show the students. Point out that lightning arrestors do not provide absolute protection form a strike. It is a good habit to disconnect antennas when the equipment is not in use. Many people forget that telephone lines and telephone poles are nice lightning rods and can be a source of lightning strikes that can take out equipment. Phone lines connected to computers provide a source for lightning to enter the home and other equipment connected to the household wiring.

RF Exposure Exposure to high levels of RF can cause problems.
RF is non-ionizing radiation. If precautions are taken, RF exposure is minimal and not dangerous. Problem is RF energy can heat body tissues. Heating depends on the RF intensity and frequency. Point out to the students that RF exposure can cause harm, particularly heating of body tissues (much like happens in a microwave oven but to a far lesser extent), BUT, with simple precautions, the potential of harm is very small. It sounds stupid, but articulate a simple rule, don’t stand near an antenna, don’t touch an antenna, don’t put an antenna in your mouth when the transmitter is on.

RF Intensity Power Density Higher power, higher risk.
Actual transmitter power. Higher power, higher risk. Antenna gain and proximity. Beam antennas focus available energy. Being physically close or standing in the beam direction increases risk. Mode duty cycle. The more time the power output is at high level, the higher the risk. Here you will break down and discuss the two components of RF exposure, field intensity and frequency. Try to keep the discussion focused on the big picture, it is easy to get into details, charts and graphs, and using vocabulary of units that are very intimidating. Keep the big picture, know in general terms want influences RF exposure, and how to limit the exposure. It makes sense that the more power you transmit, the more potential there is for harmful RF exposure. Assure the students that if they operate commercial, off-the-shelf equipment (which they probably will early in their ham radio careers) that the power levels are such that there will be little exposure danger. Beam antennas focus the RF energy in desired directions, therefore standing close in the favored direction of the beam will increase the hazard. Finally, spend some time talking about duty cycle…how much time the transmitter is at higher power levels while operating.

Antenna Proximity Controlled Environment. Uncontrolled Environment.
You know where people are standing in relation to your antenna and you can do something about it. More power is allowed because you can make adjustments if needed. Uncontrolled Environment. You have no idea, or have no control of people near your antenna. Less power is allowed because you have to assume the worse case scenario. Power limits are there to protect against exposure. Therefore if you have control of the antenna environment, you are allowed to run more power because you can take steps to limit exposure if required. This is the example I use to explain the difference between controlled and uncontrolled environments and associated power restrictions. Consider a 2-meter mobile installation with an external antenna mounted on the trunk lid. RF exposure to the car’s occupant is mitigated by the metal in the car so that is not much of a concern. When the car is traveling down the highway, there is little risk that someone can get near or touch the antenna while transmitting, so it is a controlled environment and higher power can be used. If however, the car is parked in a crowded parking lot with lots of foot traffic, the operator is not assured that a pedestrian might not get close to the antenna, then this would be an uncontrolled environment and therefore allowable power levels is reduced.

RF Exposure and Frequency
When body parts act like antennas, those parts absorb RF energy at certain frequencies (wavelengths) more efficiently and increase risk. RF exposure risk varies with frequency. More caution is dictated at some frequencies more than other frequencies. Basically some body parts act as antennas and when the wavelengths of the frequencies being used approximate the length of the body part exposed, risk increases. Operators need to be aware of this connection and adjust power levels and exposure potential accordingly to mitigate the risk.

RF Exposure and Frequency

Mode Duty Cycle The more time the transmitted power is at high levels, the greater the duty cycle, and the greater the exposure risk. Note here, that FM, the mode most used by new hams, is 100% duty cycle.

RF Exposure Evaluation
All fixed stations must perform an exposure evaluation. Several methods are available to do this. Calculation based on FCC OET Bulletin 65 Computer Simulation Measure field strenght At lower power levels, no evaluation is required. Varies with frequency – example: below 50 W at VHF. Relocating antennas is one way to reduce RF exposure Also, regardless of the exposure evaluation results, make sure that people cannot come into contact with your antennas – RF burns are painful

Physical Safety Mobile Installations. Secure all equipment.
Place equipment where you can operate it safely while driving Make sure that equipment in cars is securely fastened so that it will not move around and create a hazard. Locate the controls of the equipment so that it does not present a hazard and distraction while driving.

Physical Safety Antenna installation. Clear of trees and power lines.
If it falls it won’t hit anyone or cross within 10 feet of power lines. Towers should use proper grounding techniques. Antennas generally need to be clear of obstacles and as high as practical. However, some common sense needs to be exercised to prevent antennas from becoming a safety hazard. Particular attention needs to be given to power lines and structure attachment points.

Physical Safety Tower climbing considerations.
Proper clothing, hard hat and eye protection. Climbing harness. Gin pole: used for lifting tower sections and antennas. Don’t climb a crank-up tower supported by its cable. Don’t work alone. Finally go over some precautions and safety considerations that must be taken if the students will be doing tower work. Most students will not be installing towers early in their ham careers, but they should be aware that special precautions should be taken and where they can review that information in the future.

Quiz Time Chapter 9

Chapter 9 key Section 9.1 T0A01 A B C D T0A02 A B C D T0A03 A B C D
T0B10 A B C D T0B11 A B C D Section 9.2 T0C01 A B C D T0C02 A B C D T0C03 A B C D T0C04 A B C D T0C05 A B C D T0C06 A B C D T0C07 A B C D T0C08 A B C D T0C09 A B C D T0C10 A B C D T0C11 A B C D

Chapter 9 key Section 9.3 T0B01 A B C D T0B02 A B C D T0B03 A B C D

Ham Radio Technician Class Licensing Course Chapter 1

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