Got Your Ticket, Now What?? Introduction to Operating in Today's Ham Radio World
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club (EVARC) Part 1 -- April 21, 2012
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 2 Why Ham Radio Exists Many diversified interests and opportunities for many. In the U.S., recognition as a voluntary noncommercial communication service. Particularly emergency comm. Continuation of hams’ proven ability to advance the radio art. Extension of ham radio’s unique ability to promote international goodwill.
Oh – It’s FUN, too!
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 3 Activities of all Sorts! In a Confused Order!
- DX (long distance) ops Ionospheric fun! - Mountain Topping Colorado - duh! - CW Morse code More bang per watt out - Emergency Comm. Stay tuned next week - Mobile & Portable ops RVs, cars, bikes, ….. - Moon Bounce (EME) Think big antennas! - Am. Satellite Ham Sats piggybacked - Digital modes ops All kinds of bits & bytes - QRP ops <5 watt output, worldwide
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 4 . . . . And more
- Kit / homebrew construction Back to the future! - VHF/UHF repeaters Armchair talk, home or away - Radio / Internet hybrid IRLP, Echolink, . . . - Competitions Contacts galore! Awards. - DXpeditions Ops from remote turf! - ISS Contacts Since STS-9, 1983. US Station NA1SS - Amateur Image Comm. Both “stills” and TV images
A good ref.: http://www.eham.net/newham/
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 5 Operating from Estes Park
Note the CW key in the right hand and the computer screen straight ahead. The old and the new.
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 6 How do we become proficient Hams?
Listen, listen, listen!!
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 7 7 Base Stations
http://www.hamuniverse.com/setuphamstation.html 8 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club Mobile Stations
http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=12686 9 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club Portable Stations
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 10 Antennas & Antenna Stuff
Remember: halfwave dipole ~ 468/f(MHz) feet long
Good “antennas” reference: www.ad4dx.com/pdf/basic-antennas.pdf
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 11 Pick a (Frequency) Band Amateur Band Frequency 160 & 80 meters ~1.6 & ~3.800 MHz
60 meters Channelized, ~5.3 MHz Large
40 & 30 meters ~7.1 & ~10.1 MHz
20 meters ~14.2 MHz
17, 15, & 12 meters
10 meters ~28.5 MHz
6 meters Antennas
2 meters ~146 MHz
70 cm ~430 & 222 MHz Small 33 cm
902 MHz and UP Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 12
Many Variations on the λ/2 Dipole 2 typical HF dipoles
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 13 Common VHF/UHF antennas
Example Calculation:
Freq (mhz) 146 A (inches) 19 5/16 (Note "A" length is to the SO-239 insulator but not critical)
B THRU E (INCHES) 20 3/16
LENGTHS FROM FORMULA ( 234/FREQ MHZ) + 5 % LONGER FOR RADIALS
http://www.hamuniverse.com/antennas.html Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 14 Antenna Safety Issues
- Grounding - Electrical Safety - Lightning Protection - RF Exposure
Good reference on ARRL website: http://www.arrl.org/safety
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 15
Table 1 You must perform an RF environmental evaluation if the peak-envelope-power (PEP) input to the antenna exceeds these limits. Band Power (W) 160 meters 500 80 500 40 500 30 425 Threshold Power Levels for 20 225 17 125 15 100 RF Exposure Evaluation 12 75 10 50 6 50 VHF 2 50 1.25 50 70 cm 70 33 150 UHF 23 200 13 250 HTs SHF (all bands) 250 EHF (all bands) 250 Repeaters: Non-building-mounted antennas: If the distance between ground level and the lowest point of the antenna is less than 10 meters and the power is greater than 500 W ERP. Building-mounted antennas: If the power exceeds 500 W ERP. Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 16 Antenna Safety RF radiation hazards
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 17 What Frequencies and When?
160 and 80m Bands 80 is great “ragchewing” band, phone and CW Longest distance contacts at night (>200 mi.)
160 is “topband”, and similar capabilities to 80m
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 18 60m Band – “Newbie”
Only channelized HF band Max. radiated power limitation 100W ARRL bandplan updated & effective 3/5/12
Check details at: http://www.arrl.org/news/new-60-meter-privileges-now-in-effect
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 19 40 and 30m Bands
40m is home to many! Phone and CW – good daytime & nighttime propagation (hundreds of miles +)
30m has similar prop. to 40m Limited to 200W output, CW & Digital only No Phone Ops
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 20 20m Band
Workhorse of DX (long distance) bands
Usually, 20m is open to somewhere worldwide, day and night
Phone, CW, digital all available
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 21 17, 15, and 12m Bands
Most activity in daylight hours, except during highest sunspot activity periods
Not nearly as crowded as 20m
Good DX with right propagation conditions
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 22 Q Codes, RST, Phonetic Alphabet Some common Q codes used for CW (Morse code) operation QRM Is my transmission being interfered with? You’re being interfered with. QRN Are you troubled by static? You are being troubled by static. QRT Shall I stop sending? Stop sending. QRX When will you call me again? I will call you again at _____. QRZ Who is calling me? You are being call by ____. QSB Are my signals fading? Your signals are fading. QSL Can you acknowledge receipt of message or transmission? I am acknowledging receipt. QSO Can you communicate with ___ direct? I can communicate direct with _____. QST General call preceding a message to all hams and ARRL members. QSY Shall I change to another frequency? Change transmission to another frequency.
QTH What is your location? My location is _____. 23 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Phonetic Alphabet
A – Alfa (AL FAH) N – November (NO VEM BERR) B – Bravo (BRAH VOH) O – Oscar (OSS CAR) C – Charlie (CHAR LEE) P – Papa (PAH PAH) D – Delta (DELL TAH) Q – Quebec (KEY BECK) E – Echo (ECK OH) R – Romeo (ROW ME OH) F – Foxtrot (FOX TROT) S – Sierra (SEE AIR AH) G – Golf (GOLF) T – Tango (TANG OH) H – Hotel (HOH TELL) U – Uniform (YOU NEE FORM) I – India (IN DEE AH) V – Victor (VIK TORE) J – Juliet (JEW LEE ETT) W – Whiskey (WISS KEY) K – Kilo (KEY LOH) X – X-Ray (EX RAY) L – Lima (LEE MA) Y – Yankee (YANG KEY) M – Mike (MIKE) Z – Zulu (ZOO LOU)
Bold syllables are emphasized
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 24 Readability, Signal Strength, Tone (RST) System
25 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club VHF & UHF Operations
Repeaters and More!
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 26 (ID is NØFH)
Our repeater antennas on Pole Hill Road. Folded dipoles, pointed down the hill! (VHF is bigger – UHF are smaller.)
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 27 VHF/UHF Mobile and Base Station Options
Computer to Program HT
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 28 VHF/UHF Mobile and Base Station Options
29 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club IRLP Internet Radio Linking Project Estes Park’s repeater is IRLP capable
Uses the Internet to link distant radio sites
Gives global coverage to normally localized VHF and UHF frequencies
Enables minimally equipped stations to communicate globally
Allows end user control of links via their radio’s DTMF (Touchtone) keypad (Try “recorder” Node 9990 & hear yourself reply)
http://www.irlp.net/
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 30 IRLP in Colorado
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 31 IRLP in the USA, one day in March
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 32 UK & European IRLP? Yes!!
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 33 EchoLink The 800 lb. gorilla of Internet Linking For licensed hams, EchoLink® software opens up new possibilities for communicating around the world with other amateurs. Your PC (or Smart Phone) links you or your local repeater to any of thousands of other stations over the Internet.
There are more than 200,000 validated users worldwide — in 162 of the world's 193 nations — with about 5,000 online at any given time.
http://www.echolink.org/ Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 34 EchoLink - www.echolink.org
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 35 146.52 MHz* Common VHF/UHF FM Simplex Frequencies 146.535 *National Simplex Calling Frequency 146.55 (Add to your scanner!) 146.565 2 meter Band FM Simplex 146.58 (15 kHz intervals) 146.595 147.42 147.435 147.45 147.465 147.48 No Repeater 147.495 147.51 147.525 Assuming both antennas can “see” each other, try 147.54 Simplex from HT, mobile, or base stations. 147.555 147.57 http://www.hamuniverse.com/simplexoperating.html 147.585 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 36 “Grid Locators” Used in VHF/UHF One of the first things you will notice when you tune the low end of any VHF band is that most QSOs include an
exchange of "grid squares."
What are grid squares/locators?
Well, they're more like rectangles, and are just a way of dividing up the surface of the Earth. Grid squares are a shorthand means of describing your general location anywhere on the Earth in a manner that is easy to communicate over the air.
2° Longitude by 1° Latitude Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 37 Grid Locators for Colorado
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 38 HF Calling - Standard Practice Calling CQ to Make a Contact
Let's assume your license permits you to operate SSB on 10 meters.
1. Begin by finding a clear frequency such as 28.460. Speak clearly into the mike and ask "Is this frequency in use? This is VE3BUC." If you get no response you might ask a second time just to be sure. Again if there is no response then proceed to step 2. If someone says that the frequency is in use then just move to another clear frequency and try again.
2. Now call "CQ CQ CQ. This is Victor Echo 3 Bravo Uniform Charlie calling CQ CQ CQ. This is Victor Echo 3 Bravo Uniform Charlie, VE3BUC calling CQ and waiting for a call." Now you listen for the return call. Being on an HF band (10 meters) it is possible to get a call ranging from very strong to very weak.
3. You might hear "VE3BUC this is Papa Yankee 1 Alpha November Foxtrot PY1ANF calling.“
4. You respond by saying "PY1ANF (using phonetics is best) this is VE3BUC. Thanks for the call your signal is 59. My name is Don and my QTH is Ontario. So how do you copy? PY1ANF this is VE3BUC over.“
You have made your first HF contact. At this point you can make the contact as long or short as you like depending on the band conditions and what you find to discuss with your new friend in Brazil.
5. You end an HF contact by giving both call signs and signing off. For example: "... thanks Luis for the contact and 73 to you and your family. PY1ANF this is VE3BUC signing off." What do you do if more than one station responds to your call? If you hear one call clearly then simply respond to that station as discussed above. If you hear only parts of call signs, maybe "Alpha November" then in step 4 begin by saying "the station with Alpha November make your call." Once you have heard the complete call sign you can proceed as in step 4.
http://www.eham.net/newham/operating Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 39 Technician HF Privileges
10 Meter Band (28MHz) 200 W max.
RTTY/data/CW SSB phone
28.000 MHz 28.300 MHz 28.500 MHz
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 40 Confirming the Contact - QSLing A confirmation that proves the contact occurred. These confirmations are required for those seeking awards, and is a great tradition for all ham radio operators.
41 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club QSL Cards from Different Eras
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 42 Methods of QSLing Paper Cards can be sent via 3 methods: by Bureau, by QSL service, by direct mail. Each has different advantages and speed.
Electronic QSLing is also possible Two of the most-used systems are: eQSL and ARRL’s Logbook of the World
(www.eqsl.cc & www.arrl.org/lotw)
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 43 And Finally . . . Don’t get Snowed! Call your Elmer!
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 44 Part 2 -- April 28, 2012
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 45 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Licensed Radio Amateurs Voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment Strong organization in Colorado
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) Licensed Radio Amateurs Can communicate after President invokes the War Powers Act
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 46 State Organization Reports to the ARRL Section Communications Manager Sponsors statewide training activities Supports major incidents in the state (i.e. Forest Fires) District Organization The 29 districts cover all 64 counties District 10 covers Larimer and Weld counties Estes Park is in District 10 Weekly nets Periodic training
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 47 Courses taught by FEMA and ARRL ICS-100 Introduction to Incident Command ICS-200 Resources for personnel who will assume a supervisory position within ICS
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 48 ICS-300 Staffing, organization, reporting, working relationships Transfer of Command Unified Command functions ICS forms Resource Management Interagency mission and planning ICS-700 Overview of National Incident Management System (NIMS)
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 49 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 50 Formal Messages Informal Messages Tactical Messages
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 51 Department of the Interior – Bureau of Reclamation Lily Lake Dam (RMNP Estes Park) Nine hour exercise Bureau of Reclamation; National Park Service; Colorado State Patrol; Larimer Sheriff; Estes Park Fire, Police, Dispatch; EPMC; CDOT; Colorado Dept Emergency Management; NWS; Red Cross; and EVARC Our aspect was communication Such as, communication among four incident commanders located on the front range and in Estes Park
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 52 You must be invited by a served agency to participate An individual may be invited; A club may be invited; An ARES group may be invited Have your ID badge and enough equipment and provisions to stay awhile (say 24 hours) Don’t forget medicines, coats, handhelds, extra batteries You won’t be able to visit the local Walmart once you enter the disaster area A vehicle with an Ham Radio license plate is a good idea. Cost in Colorado is $2.
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 53 Photos courtesy of Rocky Mountain Ham Radio Club
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 54 Not all Go-Bags are equal Members of EVARC or ARES or CERTS are all different District 10 Colorado Go-Bag http://www.coloradoaresd10.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/GoBag.pdf District 10 Net Thursday evenings 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. FREQ: 145.115 MHz 447.275 MHz (tone 100 Hz) Rocky Mountain Division Net IRLP 9871 on the 2nd Wednesday of month at 7:30 MDT ARES HF Net Sunday mornings, 8:00 a.m., 3.810 MHz Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 55 Contacting those faraway places (DX) http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx http://ac6v.com/dx.htm 20 meters; 15 meters; 10 meters Contesting http://www.arrl.org/contests April 15 Rookie Roundup—SSB; June 9-10 June VHF QSO Party; June 23-24 Field Day; November 17-19 November Sweepstakes—Phone; December 8-9 ARRL 10 meter Contest
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 56 Can find DX almost anytime Rare DXepeditions (i.e. islands visited once every 25 years) are planned for years in advance and announced widely The DXCC Challenge Award is for 1,000 band-entities (bands and modes). General awards begin at 100. Most Wanted countries P5 North Korea, KP1 Navassa, 3Y/B Bouvet, VKØ/H Heard Island, 7O Yeman
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 57 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 58 Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 59 It is a mode on your transceiver. It permits the DX station to have a clear frequency while the thousands trying to make a contact with it are spread over other frequencies. Your receiver is on one frequency and your transmitter is on another frequency. If the DX Station is operating on 14.225 MHz listening up 5 to 20 You listen on 14.225 MHz The DX station will listen from 14.230 MHz to 14.245 MHz for you Observe how others are calling (i.e. using whole call sign verses the last two or three characters)
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 60 Collection of Programs http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Software/Propagation/ Local Author – Estes Park http://www.mygeoclock.com/acehf/
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 61 It is really a contest! Put on your type A personality and compete You can call CQ or you can listen for others to call CQ Listen to how others operate the contest to be more efficient Some may average 1 to 2 contacts/minute Most contests last 24 to 48 hours Start to learn contesting by operating for one or two hours at a time. Refine you process. Improve your skills.
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 62 You must read the rules. They are frequently many pages in length. There are deadlines for submission of entries The logs must be in an acceptable format (varies by contest) Many contests will verify your logs. You must copy the call sign of the station worked accurately. Get a high score – You will have bragging rights!
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 63 During Contests & DX Operations Listen Listen Listen Learn how others operate; develop your process
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 64 Ham Radio Conferences http://arvideonews.com/ DX Club of Finland http://www.contestclubfinland.com/CCF/ DVD of WRTC 2002 Upcoming WRTC 2014 DX Videos http://www.dxvideos.com/ DX DVDs http://www.k4uee.com/dvd
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club 65