4-H 365.00 General OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION PROJECT IDEA STARTER Amateur Radio By Ron Cramer, President, Dayton Amateur Radio Association, KD8ENJ; Gene Fischer, Greene County, Ohio Sheriff, KX8GCS; and Rebecca Supinger, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development. Reviewed by Tracie Montague and Kelly Royalty, Extension Educators, 4-H Youth Development. Amateur radio communication has been Amateur radio transmitter/receiver with around for more than 130 years. Learning to push-to-talk microphone and two radio communicate using radio waves is fascinating, walkie-talkies. and the community of amateur radio operators is friendly and welcoming. This fun, interactive hobby can last a lifetime. Amateur radio operators use radio frequency to Radio waves were discovered in 1888 by Heinrich transmit voice, text, image, and data communications. Rudolf Hertz. Communicating with radio waves A radio wave is generated by a transmitter and picked evolved and by the beginning of the 1900s, the up by a receiver. This system allows the average system we use today was developed. A measurement citizen to communicate across the club, community, of a sound wave frequency, or hertz, is named country, or world. About three million amateur radio after him. operators across the world use this skill daily. The Amateur radio operators are also called “hams.” Hams United States has more than 700,000 licensed typically use the amateur radio bands to communicate operators, so there are plenty of folks who are willing during an emergency, train others about radio to listen! operation, communicate with other hams, and test equipment. Amateur radio operation is a subgroup of commercial radio and is non-commercial. That’s great because you won’t hear any advertisements while you’re on the air. Ham operators are frequently involved in transmitting information during local and national disasters. Natural disaster organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), American Red Cross, and Salvation Army provide reliable communications during these times. Ham operators can quickly spread information to those who need it. For example, let’s say a region is affected by a hurricane. Traditional communication lines are down, and people cannot communicate as they regularly PLAN YOUR PROJECT Use this idea starter AND publication 4-H 365 Self-Determined Project Guide as the starting place for your 4-H self-determined project. TheSelf-Determined Project Guide is available from your county OSU Extension office or on the Web atohio4h.org/selfdetermined . You may choose to do a little or a lot depending on your level of interest. Be sure to register your project with your county OSU Extension office. – 2 – Amateur radio operators have call signs, similar to a license plate on a car. Call signs have letters and numbers. Each operator’s call sign has a prefix. The prefix consists of either a one-letter (K, N, or W) or two-letter prefix (AA-AL, KA- KZ, NA-NZ, WA-WZ). A number in the middle (0–9) represents a geographic location. Then, a one-, two-, or three-letter suffix follows. Many operators put their call signs on their cars. In the past, many amateur radio operators had very tall antennas in their yard or on their house. Now, most connect over the internet and do not need antennas. Some operators have small antennas would. Ham operators, however, The FM radio band has a for their cars so they can connect can receive and transmit vital consistent signal strength. This while traveling. If there is a power information directly through air band also uses a higher frequency outage, most operators have waves. They don’t depend on range and a bigger bandwidth backup generators, battery- being part of a network the way than AM radio. Because of this, it operated equipment, or solar cell phones and the internet do. transmits more information and panels to charge both the Ham operators can communicate sounds clearer than the AM band. generator and batteries. with other operators around the Before 1990, individuals who world. It is common practice wanted an amateur radio license for ham operators to keep a needed to know Morse code. log of all their contacts—with Many amateur radio operators date, time, frequency, call sign, know Morse code, but it is not a location, etc. Ham operators requirement anymore. Morse code can even communicate with the is a series of short and long taps International Space Station! of sound (called dots and dashes) All operators must pass a test to and silence using an electric wire. earn a federal license governed This method was used to send by the Federal Communications messages before it was possible Commission (FCC). This test to transmit human speech. Each letter and number had its own ensures that operators have a Ham radio antenna basic understanding of electricity, series of dots, dashes, or both. operating rules, and how to Amateur radio is an extremely use the equipment. License popular hobby. The United States requirements for operating has over 2,000 amateur radio amateur radio vary from country clubs. Amateur radio is constantly to country. Operators can use changing and evolving. Operators voice, text, pictures, and data are looking for ways to incorporate communication methods. The coding, apps, and drones into A Morse key used to most common method, however, amateur radio operation. transmit Morse Code. is voice transmission over the frequency modulation (FM), or the FM radio band. – 3 – AREAS OF INTEREST AND THINGS TO DO Every self-determined 4-H project has various areas of interest. Each area offers specific things members can address during their project adventures. Using the 4-H 365 Self-Determined Project Guide, identify at least three areas of interest with at least three activities per area to explore. Take your ideas from the list below or make up your own. History An Army mobile field radio still | Research how communication usable today with modifications. has changed over the centuries by reading “A Brief History of Communication” | Successfully complete one of | Visit dummies.com/ at localhistories.org/ the license tests—Technician, programming/ham-radio/ communications.html. Make General, or Amateur Extra. The how-to-operate-a-ham- a timeline chart to share with Technician license is the entry- radio-in-an-emergency and your club. level license. Make a copy of become familiar with handling | Explain the different situations your license and keep it with an emergency using amateur of ham operators during World this project. radio. Print the list of the steps I and World War II. Start your | Explore the rules and and keep it handy. research at hamradioprep. regulations for operating | Make a poster of the various com/history-of-ham-radio. amateur radios at arrl.org/ abbreviations and common Write a summary of each fcc-rules-and-regulations. terms used in Ham Radio situation. Bookmark this site so you can culture. Check out this glossary | Study how women refer to it easily. at arrl.org/ham-radio-glossary. contributed to amateur radio | A record of your contacts is not | Explore the different safety at themarysue.com/female- required by the FCC, but you hazards associated with ham-radio-operators. Create might find it useful anyway. Find radio transmissions. Make a a poster showing the impacts out more about keeping a log list of five hazards and how they made. at arrl.org/keeping-a-log and to prevent or avoid them. | Explore how amateur radio has create one of your own. Start your research at arrl. helped in various emergencies | Learn about call signs and what org/safety. at arrl.org/amateur-radio- each letter and number means. | Amateur radio operators emergency-communication. If you could create a vanity call sometimes use diagrams to Share what you learn with sign, what would yours be? show how their components club members or friends in Find out if it is available at arrl. are connected. A standardized another group. org/advanced-call-sign-search. symbol represents each Licenses item. Review these electronic Equipment schematic symbols at radioing. | Explore the three types of | Prepare a list of items needed com/hamstart/symbols.html. licenses at arrl.org/ham- to communicate over amateur Print this page so you can refer radio-licenses. Explain radio. Include the basics and to them as needed. their differences to your accessories, and the price of project helper. each item. – 4 – Career Development | Explore three careers that use RESOURCES | Participate and volunteer in a amateur radio skills at arrl.org/ “22 Things You Can Do with local ham radio event with a careers-and-amateur-radio. Amateur Radio: Technology That’s parent or other trusted adult. Record in a journal what you as Cool as You Want to Make It,” Start by searching online for a like about each one, what kind arrl.org/shop/files/pdfs/Youth%20 “ham radio event near me.” of post-high school education Flyer.pdf is needed (trade, college, or | Give a demonstration on This ARRL video gives a short but something else), and which various radio communications thorough overview of amateur courses to take in school now at a club or county event. radio: youtu.be/wDn-6SDxyD4 to help you reach this goal. For example, show how to communicate with other 4-H | Connect and communicate SOURCES over amateur radio with members across the United The National Association for another 4-H member or other States or around the world, or Amateur Radio, arrl.org show how to help those in a group member in a different Federal Communications natural disaster. county or state. Log the date, time, who you spoke with, Commission, fcc.gov | Interview or shadow a local and a summary of what was ham radio operator.