Where's The Fun For A New Ham Radio Operator?

Since February 23, 2007 when the FCC in the U.S. dropped the code requirement for getting a ham radio license, they have been swamped with new license applications. But this is a good thing because now we have many new operators coming onto the ham bands. If you are one, just take your time and listen a bit before you talk. Learn the lingo and the protocol. For those of you who were using CB, the operating procedures are different here. The operating procedures are even different between HF and VHF. For instance, you say 'phone' on HF and 'voice' on VHF/UHF. Most operators on the bands will be patient and help you with tips if you go astray. Welcome to the world of Ham Radio!

OK, so you're getting, or have gotten, your first Technician class ham radio license. What are you going to do with it? Most hams enjoy talking to other hams. This is called a QSO, pronounced 'Que-so' on voice/phone, taken from the many Q-signals used by CW operators to pass information even in very bad conditions. Here's one source for a list of Q-Signals. Sometimes that QSO is for asking and getting answers to specific questions. Sometimes it involves a technical discussion about equipment (Rigs) or the newest antenna design. Sometimes it is just to talk about nothing of particular importance, like the weather. Listen and learn.

As I said in a previous post, most new Technicians start out on the VHF and UHF bands. You will most likely start out with a handi-talkie (HT) because they are the most economical transceiver for beginners. An HT will get you onto 2 meters (144 MHz) using FM voice. A more expensive HT may also have 1.25 meters (222 Mhz) and/or 70 cm (440 MHz) capability as well.

All of these bands have repeaters owned and operated by other hams. A 'repeater' does what it's name implies; it 'hears' the transmission from your low-power HT and simultaneously retransmits your voice from a higher elevation at a higher power output in all directions. There are probably more repeaters on 2 meters than on any other ham band and that's good because a 2 meter HT is the least expensive radio to buy. Some repeaters are 'closed' (for members only) and most are 'open'. Where are these repeaters? You can purchase printed directories from various sources, but for starters there are any number of online directories which you can find by searching. Here's a good one to get you started.

Until next time...

'73 OM
DE WA2KKG
K

The Ham Radio Playground

As licensed ham radio operators in the United States, we have a vast playground in which to operate. Let's start with some basic definitions. You may have noticed some acronyms in the text under my picture. We'll begin defining some of them now.

• HF - High Frequency. This term covers the 160, 80, 60, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meter bands. These bands cover frequencies between 1.8 and 30 Megahertz (MHz)


• VHF - Very High Frequency. This term covers the 6, 2, and 1.25 meter bands. These bands cover frequencies between 50 and 225 MHz.


• UHF - Ultra High Frequency. This term covers the 70, 33, and 23 centimeter bands. These bands cover frequencies between 420 and 1300 MHz


• In addition, there are 12 additional unnamed bands in what might be called the UUHF - Ultra Ultra High Frequency. These bands cover frequencies between 2300 MHz and over 275 Gigahertz (GHz) and tend to be used by experimenters and not by the average ham radio operator.


• You can download a really nice chart from the ARRL Here.

At one time there were six different license classes: Novice, Technician, Technician Plus, General, Advanced, and Extra Class. Today there are only three: Technician, General, and Extra Class. You may hear of people who still hold one of those other licenses, but they are no longer being issued by the FCC. Now the entry level license is the Technician, so let's look at what bands and transmission types (modes) the Technician licensee can use.

Traditionally the ham radio operator with a Technician class license could operate on any band higher than 50 MHz using up to 1500 watts. That means all VHF and UHF bands and above. Now with the FCC having combined the Novice and Technician classes, the current Technician also has access to some HF bands using up to 200 watts. Specifically they may use CW (code) on parts of 15, 40, and 80 meters. In addition they may use Voice (Single Sideband Phone-SSB), RTTY, CW, and Data on designated portions of the 10 meter band.

While the pastime of many Technician operators is using hand held or mobile radios to talk on the VHF and UHF bands, often using the many ham radio repeater systems available, the latest changes will bring real DX to Technician licensees. We'll talk about this more next time.

Until next time...

'73 OM
DE WA2KKG
K