Ham Radio For Dummies
3rd Edition
Published on 15. May 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-1-119-45484-7 (ISBN)
Description
Your how-to guide to become a ham
Ham radio, or amateur radio, is a way to talk with people around the world in real-time, or to send email without any sort of internet connection. It provides a way to keep in touch with friends and family, whether they are across town or across the country. It is also a very important emergency communication system. When cell phones, landlines, the internet, and other systems are down or overloaded, Amateur Radio still gets the message through. Radio amateurs, often called "hams," enjoy radio technology as a hobby, but are often called upon to provide vital service when regular communications systems fail.
Ham Radio For Dummies is your guide to everything there is to know about ham radio. Plus, this updated edition provides new and additional information on digital mode operating, as well as use of amateur radio in student science and new operating events.
* Set up your radio station
* Design your ham shack
* Provide support in emergencies and communicate with other hams
* Study for the licensing exam and choose your call sign
If you're looking to join a college radio club or just want to learn the latest tips and tricks, this book is a helpful reference guide to beginners, or those who have been "hams" for years.
Ham radio, or amateur radio, is a way to talk with people around the world in real-time, or to send email without any sort of internet connection. It provides a way to keep in touch with friends and family, whether they are across town or across the country. It is also a very important emergency communication system. When cell phones, landlines, the internet, and other systems are down or overloaded, Amateur Radio still gets the message through. Radio amateurs, often called "hams," enjoy radio technology as a hobby, but are often called upon to provide vital service when regular communications systems fail.
Ham Radio For Dummies is your guide to everything there is to know about ham radio. Plus, this updated edition provides new and additional information on digital mode operating, as well as use of amateur radio in student science and new operating events.
* Set up your radio station
* Design your ham shack
* Provide support in emergencies and communicate with other hams
* Study for the licensing exam and choose your call sign
If you're looking to join a college radio club or just want to learn the latest tips and tricks, this book is a helpful reference guide to beginners, or those who have been "hams" for years.
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Previous edition
H. Ward Silver
Ham Radio For Dummies
Book
09/2013
2nd Edition
Wiley
€23.90
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Person
H. Ward Silver earned his Novice radio license in 1972, and his ham radio experiences led to a 20-year engineering career designing microprocessor-based products and medical devices. He is the lead editor of two amateur radio technical guides from the American Radio Relay League and author of Two-Way Radios and Scanners For Dummies, published by Wiley.
Content
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
My Assumptions about You 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Ham Radio 5
Chapter 1: Getting Acquainted with Ham Radio 7
Tuning into Ham Radio Today 8
Using electronics and technology 8
Joining the ham radio community 10
Making contacts 12
Roaming the World of Ham Radio 14
Communicating with Ham Radio 15
Participating in Citizen Science 16
Building a Ham Radio Station 17
Chapter 2: Getting a Handle on Ham Radio Technology 21
Getting to Know Basic Ham Radio Gear 21
Basic station 22
Miscellaneous gadgets 24
Communication technologies 26
Exploring the Fundamentals of Radio Waves 27
Frequency and wavelength 27
The radio spectrum 29
Dealing with Mother Nature 31
Seeing how nature affects radio waves 31
Dealing with noise 32
Chapter 3: Finding Other Hams: Your Support Group 35
Finding and Being a Mentor 35
Interacting in Online Communities 37
Social media and blogs 37
Videos, podcasts, and webinars 38
Email reflectors 39
Web portals 39
Joining Radio Clubs 40
Finding and choosing a club 41
Participating in meetings 42
Getting more involved 43
Exploring ARRL 45
ARRL's benefits to you 46
ARRL's benefits to the hobby 47
ARRL's benefits to the public 48
Taking Part in Specialty Groups 48
Competitive clubs 49
Handiham 50
AMSAT 51
TAPR 52
YLRL 52
QRP clubs 53
IOTA, SOTA, and NPOTA 54
Attending Hamfests and Conventions 55
Finding and preparing for hamfests 55
Buying equipment at hamfests 56
Finding conventions and conferences 57
Part 2: Wading Through the Licensing Process 59
Chapter 4: Figuring Out the Licensing System 61
Getting Acquainted with the Amateur Service 62
FCC rules 62
Frequency allocations 63
Learning about Types of Licenses 65
Technician class 65
General class 66
Amateur Extra class 66
Grandfathered classes 66
Getting Licensed 67
Studying the exam questions 67
Taking your license exam 68
Receiving Your New Call Sign 69
Call-sign prefixes and suffixes 70
Class and call sign 70
Chapter 5: Studying for Your License 71
Demystifying the Exam 71
Finding Study Resources 72
Licensing classes 73
Books and websites 74
Online practice exams 75
Locating Your Mentor 75
Chapter 6: Taking the Exam 77
Finding an Exam Session 77
Signing Up for a Session 78
Public exams 78
Exams at events 79
Exam sessions in homes and online 79
Getting to Exam Day 79
What to bring with you 80
What to expect 81
What to do after the exam 81
Chapter 7: Obtaining Your License and Call Sign 83
Completing Your Licensing Paperwork 83
Finding Your Call Sign 85
Searching the ULS database 86
Searching other call sign databases 88
Identifying with your new privileges 89
Registering with the FCC Online 90
Registering in CORES 90
Associating your call sign with your ID 91
Picking Your Own Call Sign 92
Searching for available call signs 92
Finding call signs available to you 92
Applying for a vanity call sign 93
Maintaining Your License 94
Part 3: Hamming It Up 95
Chapter 8: Making Contact 97
Listen, Listen, Listen! 97
Finding out where to listen 98
Understanding how bands are organized 99
Listening on VHF and UHF 100
Listening on HF 101
Receiving Signals 105
Receiving FM 106
Receiving SSB 108
Receiving digital voice 111
Receiving digital or data modes 112
Receiving Morse code 114
Understanding Contacts (QSOs) 115
Chewing the rag 116
Meeting other hams on nets 117
Contesting and DXing 117
Making Your Own Contacts 120
Starting a repeater contact 120
Starting an HF contact 121
Starting or CW digital mode contacts 122
Failing to make contact 123
Breaking into an ongoing contact 125
Conducting your QSO 126
Learning the FM style 128
Calling CQ on HF 130
The long goodbye 131
Chapter 9: Casual Operating 133
Operating FM - Repeaters and Simplex 134
Understanding repeater basics 134
Using access control tones 138
Miscellaneous repeater features 140
Setting up your radio 141
Using simplex 144
Digital Voice Systems 145
HF digital voice 146
VHF/UHF digital voice 147
Digital repeater networks 148
Chewing the Rag 154
Knowing where to chew 154
Knowing when to chew 157
Identifying a ragchewer 159
Ragchewing by keyboard and Morse 160
Chapter 10: Public Service Operating 165
Joining a Public Service Organization 166
Finding a public service group 166
Volunteering your services 168
Preparing for Emergencies and Disasters 170
Knowing who 170
Knowing where 171
Knowing what 171
Knowing how 173
Operating in Emergencies and Disasters 174
Reporting an accident or other incident 174
Making and responding to distress calls 175
Public service communications outside your area 177
Providing Public Service 178
Weather monitoring and SKYWARN 178
Parades and charity events 179
Participating in Nets 180
Checking in and out 180
Exchanging information 181
Tactical call signs 183
Radio discipline 183
Digital Message Networks 184
Winlink - email by radio 184
AREDN 186
Chapter 11: Operating Specialties 189
Getting Digital 190
Digital definitions 192
PSK31 192
Radioteletype (RTTY) and FSK 194
MFSK modes 196
Automatic link establishment (ALE) 197
PACTOR and WINMOR 197
WSJT modes - fast and slow 198
Packet radio, APRS, and tracking 199
APRS and tracking 200
Broadband-Hamnet and spread spectrum 202
DXing - Chasing Distant Stations 203
DXing on the shortwave (HF) bands 204
DXing on the VHF and UHF bands 211
Taking Part in Radio Contests 216
Choosing a contest 217
Operating in a contest 218
Taking tips from winners 221
Chasing Awards 224
Finding awards and special events 225
Recording (logging) contacts 226
Applying for awards 227
Mastering Morse Code (CW) 227
Starting with Farnsworth 228
Sharpening your skills 228
Copying the code 230
Pounding Brass - Sending Morse 230
Making code contacts 232
Operating with Low Power (QRP) and Portable 234
Getting started with QRP 235
Getting deeper into QRP 235
Portable QRP operating 236
Direction-finding (ARDF) 237
Operating via Satellites 238
Getting grounded in satellite basics 239
Accessing satellites 240
Seeing Things: Image Communication 240
Slow-scan television and facsimile 241
Fast-scan television 242
Part 4: Building and Operating A Station That Works 243
Chapter 12: Getting on the Air 245
What Is a Station? 245
Setting Goals for Your Station 246
Deciding what you want to do 246
Deciding how to operate 247
Allocating your resources 249
Choosing a Radio 250
Radios for the HF bands 251
VHF and UHF radios 253
Software-defined radio 258
Filtering and noise 259
Choosing an Antenna 260
VHF/UHF antennas 260
HF antennas 262
Feed line and connectors 267
Supporting Your Antenna 271
Antennas and trees 271
Masts and tripods 272
Towers 273
Rotators 275
Radio accessories 276
Choosing a Computer for the Station 279
PC or Mac or .? 279
Digital modes 280
Radio control 280
Hardware considerations 280
Remote Control Stations 281
Remote control rules 281
Accessing a remote control station 282
Buying New or Used Equipment 283
Upgrading Your Station 284
Chapter 13: Organizing Your Station 285
Designing Your Ham Station 285
Keeping a station notebook 285
Building in ergonomics 286
Viewing some examples 290
Building in RF and Electrical Safety 293
Electrical safety 293
Lightning 294
RF exposure 294
First aid 294
Grounding and Bonding 295
AC and DC power 295
RF management 296
Keeping a Log of Your Contacts 298
Logging by computer 299
Submitting a contest log 301
Understanding QSL Cards 303
Sending and Receiving QSLs 304
QSLing electronically 304
Direct QSLing 305
Using QSL managers 305
Bureaus and QSL services 306
Applying for awards 307
Chapter 14: Operating Away from Home 309
Mobile Stations 309
HF mobile radios 309
Mobile antennas 314
Portable Operating 317
Portable Antennas 319
Portable Power 321
Field Day 322
Chapter 15: Hands-On Radio 325
Acquiring Tools and Components 326
Maintenance tools 326
Repair and building tools 331
Components for repairs and building 333
Maintaining Your Station 334
Overall Troubleshooting 336
Troubleshooting Your Station 337
Power problems 337
RF problems 338
Operational problems 339
Troubleshooting Your Home and Neighborhood 341
Dealing with interference to other equipment 342
Dealing with interference to your equipment 344
Building Equipment from a Kit 347
Building Equipment from Scratch 348
Part 5: The Part of Tens 349
Chapter 16: Ham Radio Jargon - Say What? 351
Spoken Q-signals 351
Contesting or Radiosport 352
Antenna Varieties 352
Feed Lines 353
Antenna Tuners 353
Repeater Operating 354
Grid Squares 355
Interference and Noise 355
Connector Parts 356
Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 357
Chapter 17: Station Equipment Tips 359
Be Flexible 359
Study Other Stations 360
Learn about Those Extra Functions 360
Shop for Used-Equipment Bargains 361
Build Something Yourself 361
Optimize Your Signal 361
Save Cash by Building Your Own Cables 362
Build Step by Step 362
Find the Weakest Link 362
Make Yourself Comfortable 362
Chapter 18: Technical Fundamentals 363
Electrical Units and Symbols 363
Ohm's Law 364
Power 364
Attenuation, Loss, and Gain 365
Bandwidth 365
Filters 366
Antenna Patterns 367
Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) 368
Battery Characteristics 369
Satellite Tracking 369
Chapter 19: Tips for Masters 371
Listening to Everything 371
Learning How It Works 372
Following the Protocol 372
Keeping Your Axe Sharp 372
Practice to Make Perfect 372
Paying Attention to Detail 373
Knowing What You Don't Know 373
Maintaining Radio Discipline 373
Make Small Improvements Continuously 374
Help Others and Accept Help from Others 374
Part 6: Appendixes 375
Appendix A: Glossary 377
Appendix B: Radio Math 387
The Metric System 387
Scientific Notation 389
Decibels (dB) 389
Decibels and percentage 391
Miscellaneous Tutorials 392
Basic numbers and formulas 392
Metric system and conversion of units 392
Fractions 392
Graphs 393
Algebra and trigonometry 393
Complex numbers 393
Handy Items 394
Values of e and pi 394
Frequency-wavelength conversion 394
Length conversion 394
Trigonometry and angles 394
Index 397
About This Book 1
My Assumptions about You 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Ham Radio 5
Chapter 1: Getting Acquainted with Ham Radio 7
Tuning into Ham Radio Today 8
Using electronics and technology 8
Joining the ham radio community 10
Making contacts 12
Roaming the World of Ham Radio 14
Communicating with Ham Radio 15
Participating in Citizen Science 16
Building a Ham Radio Station 17
Chapter 2: Getting a Handle on Ham Radio Technology 21
Getting to Know Basic Ham Radio Gear 21
Basic station 22
Miscellaneous gadgets 24
Communication technologies 26
Exploring the Fundamentals of Radio Waves 27
Frequency and wavelength 27
The radio spectrum 29
Dealing with Mother Nature 31
Seeing how nature affects radio waves 31
Dealing with noise 32
Chapter 3: Finding Other Hams: Your Support Group 35
Finding and Being a Mentor 35
Interacting in Online Communities 37
Social media and blogs 37
Videos, podcasts, and webinars 38
Email reflectors 39
Web portals 39
Joining Radio Clubs 40
Finding and choosing a club 41
Participating in meetings 42
Getting more involved 43
Exploring ARRL 45
ARRL's benefits to you 46
ARRL's benefits to the hobby 47
ARRL's benefits to the public 48
Taking Part in Specialty Groups 48
Competitive clubs 49
Handiham 50
AMSAT 51
TAPR 52
YLRL 52
QRP clubs 53
IOTA, SOTA, and NPOTA 54
Attending Hamfests and Conventions 55
Finding and preparing for hamfests 55
Buying equipment at hamfests 56
Finding conventions and conferences 57
Part 2: Wading Through the Licensing Process 59
Chapter 4: Figuring Out the Licensing System 61
Getting Acquainted with the Amateur Service 62
FCC rules 62
Frequency allocations 63
Learning about Types of Licenses 65
Technician class 65
General class 66
Amateur Extra class 66
Grandfathered classes 66
Getting Licensed 67
Studying the exam questions 67
Taking your license exam 68
Receiving Your New Call Sign 69
Call-sign prefixes and suffixes 70
Class and call sign 70
Chapter 5: Studying for Your License 71
Demystifying the Exam 71
Finding Study Resources 72
Licensing classes 73
Books and websites 74
Online practice exams 75
Locating Your Mentor 75
Chapter 6: Taking the Exam 77
Finding an Exam Session 77
Signing Up for a Session 78
Public exams 78
Exams at events 79
Exam sessions in homes and online 79
Getting to Exam Day 79
What to bring with you 80
What to expect 81
What to do after the exam 81
Chapter 7: Obtaining Your License and Call Sign 83
Completing Your Licensing Paperwork 83
Finding Your Call Sign 85
Searching the ULS database 86
Searching other call sign databases 88
Identifying with your new privileges 89
Registering with the FCC Online 90
Registering in CORES 90
Associating your call sign with your ID 91
Picking Your Own Call Sign 92
Searching for available call signs 92
Finding call signs available to you 92
Applying for a vanity call sign 93
Maintaining Your License 94
Part 3: Hamming It Up 95
Chapter 8: Making Contact 97
Listen, Listen, Listen! 97
Finding out where to listen 98
Understanding how bands are organized 99
Listening on VHF and UHF 100
Listening on HF 101
Receiving Signals 105
Receiving FM 106
Receiving SSB 108
Receiving digital voice 111
Receiving digital or data modes 112
Receiving Morse code 114
Understanding Contacts (QSOs) 115
Chewing the rag 116
Meeting other hams on nets 117
Contesting and DXing 117
Making Your Own Contacts 120
Starting a repeater contact 120
Starting an HF contact 121
Starting or CW digital mode contacts 122
Failing to make contact 123
Breaking into an ongoing contact 125
Conducting your QSO 126
Learning the FM style 128
Calling CQ on HF 130
The long goodbye 131
Chapter 9: Casual Operating 133
Operating FM - Repeaters and Simplex 134
Understanding repeater basics 134
Using access control tones 138
Miscellaneous repeater features 140
Setting up your radio 141
Using simplex 144
Digital Voice Systems 145
HF digital voice 146
VHF/UHF digital voice 147
Digital repeater networks 148
Chewing the Rag 154
Knowing where to chew 154
Knowing when to chew 157
Identifying a ragchewer 159
Ragchewing by keyboard and Morse 160
Chapter 10: Public Service Operating 165
Joining a Public Service Organization 166
Finding a public service group 166
Volunteering your services 168
Preparing for Emergencies and Disasters 170
Knowing who 170
Knowing where 171
Knowing what 171
Knowing how 173
Operating in Emergencies and Disasters 174
Reporting an accident or other incident 174
Making and responding to distress calls 175
Public service communications outside your area 177
Providing Public Service 178
Weather monitoring and SKYWARN 178
Parades and charity events 179
Participating in Nets 180
Checking in and out 180
Exchanging information 181
Tactical call signs 183
Radio discipline 183
Digital Message Networks 184
Winlink - email by radio 184
AREDN 186
Chapter 11: Operating Specialties 189
Getting Digital 190
Digital definitions 192
PSK31 192
Radioteletype (RTTY) and FSK 194
MFSK modes 196
Automatic link establishment (ALE) 197
PACTOR and WINMOR 197
WSJT modes - fast and slow 198
Packet radio, APRS, and tracking 199
APRS and tracking 200
Broadband-Hamnet and spread spectrum 202
DXing - Chasing Distant Stations 203
DXing on the shortwave (HF) bands 204
DXing on the VHF and UHF bands 211
Taking Part in Radio Contests 216
Choosing a contest 217
Operating in a contest 218
Taking tips from winners 221
Chasing Awards 224
Finding awards and special events 225
Recording (logging) contacts 226
Applying for awards 227
Mastering Morse Code (CW) 227
Starting with Farnsworth 228
Sharpening your skills 228
Copying the code 230
Pounding Brass - Sending Morse 230
Making code contacts 232
Operating with Low Power (QRP) and Portable 234
Getting started with QRP 235
Getting deeper into QRP 235
Portable QRP operating 236
Direction-finding (ARDF) 237
Operating via Satellites 238
Getting grounded in satellite basics 239
Accessing satellites 240
Seeing Things: Image Communication 240
Slow-scan television and facsimile 241
Fast-scan television 242
Part 4: Building and Operating A Station That Works 243
Chapter 12: Getting on the Air 245
What Is a Station? 245
Setting Goals for Your Station 246
Deciding what you want to do 246
Deciding how to operate 247
Allocating your resources 249
Choosing a Radio 250
Radios for the HF bands 251
VHF and UHF radios 253
Software-defined radio 258
Filtering and noise 259
Choosing an Antenna 260
VHF/UHF antennas 260
HF antennas 262
Feed line and connectors 267
Supporting Your Antenna 271
Antennas and trees 271
Masts and tripods 272
Towers 273
Rotators 275
Radio accessories 276
Choosing a Computer for the Station 279
PC or Mac or .? 279
Digital modes 280
Radio control 280
Hardware considerations 280
Remote Control Stations 281
Remote control rules 281
Accessing a remote control station 282
Buying New or Used Equipment 283
Upgrading Your Station 284
Chapter 13: Organizing Your Station 285
Designing Your Ham Station 285
Keeping a station notebook 285
Building in ergonomics 286
Viewing some examples 290
Building in RF and Electrical Safety 293
Electrical safety 293
Lightning 294
RF exposure 294
First aid 294
Grounding and Bonding 295
AC and DC power 295
RF management 296
Keeping a Log of Your Contacts 298
Logging by computer 299
Submitting a contest log 301
Understanding QSL Cards 303
Sending and Receiving QSLs 304
QSLing electronically 304
Direct QSLing 305
Using QSL managers 305
Bureaus and QSL services 306
Applying for awards 307
Chapter 14: Operating Away from Home 309
Mobile Stations 309
HF mobile radios 309
Mobile antennas 314
Portable Operating 317
Portable Antennas 319
Portable Power 321
Field Day 322
Chapter 15: Hands-On Radio 325
Acquiring Tools and Components 326
Maintenance tools 326
Repair and building tools 331
Components for repairs and building 333
Maintaining Your Station 334
Overall Troubleshooting 336
Troubleshooting Your Station 337
Power problems 337
RF problems 338
Operational problems 339
Troubleshooting Your Home and Neighborhood 341
Dealing with interference to other equipment 342
Dealing with interference to your equipment 344
Building Equipment from a Kit 347
Building Equipment from Scratch 348
Part 5: The Part of Tens 349
Chapter 16: Ham Radio Jargon - Say What? 351
Spoken Q-signals 351
Contesting or Radiosport 352
Antenna Varieties 352
Feed Lines 353
Antenna Tuners 353
Repeater Operating 354
Grid Squares 355
Interference and Noise 355
Connector Parts 356
Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 357
Chapter 17: Station Equipment Tips 359
Be Flexible 359
Study Other Stations 360
Learn about Those Extra Functions 360
Shop for Used-Equipment Bargains 361
Build Something Yourself 361
Optimize Your Signal 361
Save Cash by Building Your Own Cables 362
Build Step by Step 362
Find the Weakest Link 362
Make Yourself Comfortable 362
Chapter 18: Technical Fundamentals 363
Electrical Units and Symbols 363
Ohm's Law 364
Power 364
Attenuation, Loss, and Gain 365
Bandwidth 365
Filters 366
Antenna Patterns 367
Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) 368
Battery Characteristics 369
Satellite Tracking 369
Chapter 19: Tips for Masters 371
Listening to Everything 371
Learning How It Works 372
Following the Protocol 372
Keeping Your Axe Sharp 372
Practice to Make Perfect 372
Paying Attention to Detail 373
Knowing What You Don't Know 373
Maintaining Radio Discipline 373
Make Small Improvements Continuously 374
Help Others and Accept Help from Others 374
Part 6: Appendixes 375
Appendix A: Glossary 377
Appendix B: Radio Math 387
The Metric System 387
Scientific Notation 389
Decibels (dB) 389
Decibels and percentage 391
Miscellaneous Tutorials 392
Basic numbers and formulas 392
Metric system and conversion of units 392
Fractions 392
Graphs 393
Algebra and trigonometry 393
Complex numbers 393
Handy Items 394
Values of e and pi 394
Frequency-wavelength conversion 394
Length conversion 394
Trigonometry and angles 394
Index 397