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Getting
Into Ham Radio
A Tutorial by Christian Ternus, KC2MLF
Warning This document is not intended as a benchmark of absolute truth. It is based on my personal experiences and research, and is intended to be a compilation of advice and suggestions. I never claim to be an experienced ham radio operator, and material I have no experience with is mainly drawn from other web sites, books, or advice from other hams. You have been warned.
Getting into amateur (ham) radio is very easy, once you know how. And once you're in, it's extremely exciting: talking to someone in Australia one minute, across the nation the next minute, with powerful, long-range radios.
This is an important tip. Don't forget!
Note that the "steps" do not have to be completed in the order they are stated.
Step 0: Learning about Ham Radio
Of course, programmers always start counting at 0.
This guide is intended for people who know NOTHING about ham radio, beyond what they have been told by other people (or, indeed, nothing at all). If you have NO idea in heck what ham radio is, I suggest you visit this site, which will tell you the basics.
Quick Description:
Amateur ('ham') radio is an official radio service of the Federal Communications Commission/International Telecommunications Union. In ham radio, amateur operators talk to each other on the air (i.e. it is not a passive listening service, amateur operators transmit as much as they receive). Using High Frequency amateur radio, signals can be propagated around the world, or using VHF/UHF, signals (similar to the ones you hear on broadcast AM/FM radio) can be broadcast locally, to talk to your friends, or as much as 50 miles away using a repeater (a device that retransmits radio signals). Ham radio operators help out with disaster coordination during emergencies, such as fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and landslides. There were even ham radio operators on-scene at Ground Zero during September 11th. Ham radio operators can talk to each other using voice, Morse code, and high-tech modes such as slow-scan television and packet radio, (which is like a chat service over the radio). And hams can even use the OSCARs, or the Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio, to reach even further in their contacts. Ham radio equipment runs the gamut from huge base station transceivers and hundred-foot antennas, to radios built into cars with bumper- or roof-mounted antennas, to tiny handheld radios the size of a cellphone with built-in antennas, and everything in between. Ham radio operators have call signs, consisting of letters and numbers after a specific pattern. Mine is KC2MLF. A call sign is issued to an amateur operator after he or she passes the amateur test to gain a license. In the USA, ham radio licenses are available in four classes. (This information is current as of the end of January 2004. This MAY change soon, and if/when it does, I will update this site.) The entry-level class is Technician. More on licenses is detailed below.
More about this is available in a wonderful book, Now You're Talking, issued by the Amateur Radio Relay League, or on the ARRL site See more about this below.
Here is a list of myths about ham radio:
Myth 1: I'm too old/young to learn ham radio. Wrong! People as young as 7 and as old as 92 have passed the Technician exam and gained their license.
Myth 2: Ham radio is complicated. Wrong! It may look as much at first glance, but after a while it's like anything else: suddenly, you'll wake up and... you'll... get it! As far as studying for exams, once again I recommend 'Now You're Talking!'.
Myth 3: You need to learn Morse code. Wrong! The Technician no-code license is entirely Morse-free! In the future, it may be that only the highest level of operator class will require Morse code.
Myth 4: Ham radio is expensive Wrong! It doesn't have to be. See below (especially the El Cheapo sections) for information on how to acquire equipment on a limited budget.
Myth 5: Ham radios need huge antennas. Wrong! Operation on the VHF/UHF bands actually requires a shorter antenna. Antenna length is inversely proportional to the frequency, and directly proportional to the wavelength. With special antennas, however, you can still operate from inside a car or apartment. Handheld radios have built-in antennas, too!
Step 1: Getting your License
Licensing in the USA In
the United States, the first class of Amateur Radio license is the Technician
license. With this license, you can use small portable radios, such as the
one in the upper left. In order to get a Technician license, you must pass a
35-question multiple-choice test about operating practice, radio laws and
theory.
Finding a Test Site The ARRL web site at arrl.org has a site for exam searching. Go to the drop-down menu that says 'Licensing', and select Exam Search. If there is no exam in your area, contact ARRL at the given email address.
The Written Test All I can say at this point is, don't
give up! The questions may seem incredibly complicated (what the heck is superheterodyne?)
but rest assured, you'll get it after a while.
The latest Technician question pools can be found at arrl.org. ARRL
(The American Radio Relay League, the "national association for Amateur
Radio") also publishes a fabulous book called "Now You're
Talking". It answers almost all questions you may have about amateur radio.
Practice, practice, practice! I suggest you
get a computer practice program. Keep practicing up to the test date or until
you can get more than 30 right each and every time you try. Make sure,
if you get a computer program, that it comes with the revised Technician question
pool issued on July 1st, 2003. The latest online practice tests can be found at aa9pw.com.
When you go to take the test, don't be
nervous! It won't be an 'assembly line' procedure: each of the people giving
the test have taken the test before, and know the feeling. Go over your
questions once or twice before handing the test in. You require twenty-six or
more correct questions to pass the exam. The examiners will whisper at one
another for about a minute and then tell you (privately) whether you passed or
not.
If you're really, really sure ham radio is for you, it is
possible to take three, or all four, of the exams, in order all the way up to
General or Amateur Extra in one test session. This requires a LOT of study,
but the reward is instant entry into the highest class of Amateur Radio
license.
Morse Code
If you intend to go for the Technician with
HF (also called Technician Plus or Technician with code) or higher licenses then
you will need to pass a 5 words per minute Morse code receiving test. Five
words per minute is not that fast. The common example is saying "paris"
and taking twelve seconds to say it.
Things NOT to do when (or before) taking the Morse exam:
> Don't wait until the last minute or even
the last week. > Don't memorize Morse code from a sheet, or
memorize it by counting dots and dashes. > Don't only learn the letters. Learn the prosigns BT,
AR and SK,
as well as the comma, period, question mark, and numbers 0-9. It will ALL be on
the test. Things to do when (or before) taking a Morse exam: > Do use a good computerized Morse code
program. I recommend NuCode from nuware.com
or Code Quick from cq2k.com. > Do use mnemonics (like from Code Quick) to
memorize Morse. It makes it much easier. (A mnemonic is a memory trick. Like,
from Code Quick, saying "a light is lit" is the same as dot dash dot
dot, .-.. , or L. > Do practice Morse QSOs (conversations) on aa9pw.com
or on a computer program such as NuCode. This will accustom you to the format of
the test (like learning which name is the one of the sending operator and which
is the name of the receiving operator). > Do learn some of the common Morse sayings.
Note that Morse code is often called CW, for Continuous Wave. When you take the Morse exam, you will sit with
a CD or tape player and a sheet that you will have to fill out. The examiners
will start the tape. It will say something like "This is the FCC Amateur
Radio five words-per-minute code test." It will then give you one minute of
test code, which you will copy (a copy is a written-out form of a Morse
transmission), then it will say "The test begins now." It will send
groups of Vs, then the test code. It will be something like this: NP2JK/M DE KP4MCF TKS FR CALL CINDY.
BT UR RST 589 THE WX IS FREEZING/SNOW RIG ICOM IC751 160 WATTS, QTH LINCOLN NEBRASKA. AND NAME
RICK BT ANT IS 3 ELE YAGI UP 14 FEET. SO HW COPY? NP2JK/M DE KP4MCF
AR SK This means, roughly: NP2JK/M (the
callsign of the receiving operator) DE (this is) KP4MCF (the
callsign of the sending operator) TKS FR CALL (thanks for the call) CINDY
(name of receiving operator, not the one who is sending this code. If you
were receiving this, you would be Cindy) BT
(a "thought separator". It's the letters B and T without a pause,
-...-) UR RST 589 (your signal report, in Readability, Signal Strength,
Tone, is 5/5, 8/9, 9/9.) THE WX IS FREEZING/SNOW (the sending operator's
weather is freezing/snow) RIG ICOM IC751 160 WATTS (the sending operator
is using an Icom IC751, running 160 Watts of power) QTH LINCOLN NEBRASKA (the
sending operator's QTH (location) is Lincoln, Nebraska. Note that the location
will always be in the US somewhere) AND NAME RICK (the sending operator's
name is Rick) BT
ANT IS 3 ELE YAGI UP 14 FEET (Rick is using a 3-element Yagi beam antenna
(which is the standard TV-antenna type) to send this message, and it is 14 feet
off the ground). SO HW COPY? (Rick is asking, "Did you get all that,
Cindy?") NP2JK/M DE KP4MCF (like at the beginning) then the end of
transmission prosign and the prosign indicating the station is signing off. Copy it down as fast as you can, but don't go
too fast, or you'll make mistakes. If you get lost, skip a line and start
copying again immediately. A hint: If you come across a Morse character you
don't know, quickly scribble it on the sheet. You might remember later. At the
very least, leave a blank space. Once the transmission stops, go through and
see if you can fill in any of the blanks. ( I passed by filling in I
PASSED MY EXTRA CLASS EXAM TODAY.) Make sure your copy is legible, and
recopy the whole thing if necessary. The examiners will then give you a ten-question
test based on the content of the transmission. Get seven questions right and you
pass! If you didn't pass on the questions, the examiners will go through your
copy, and if you got at least twenty-five letters in a row correctly, you pass
on that basis. If you pass the Morse exam, you will be granted
a license that allows you to use portions of the high-frequency bands in
addition to the VHF and UHF Technician privileges. These HF bands are the ones
that allow worldwide communication. Waiting for your License to Arrive Once you pass the exam, you will be waiting
anxiously for your license to arrive. You don't actually have to have your
license in hand in order to operate, but the FCC database has to show that you
have been granted a license. Go to www.fcc.gov,
type in the search box ULS, then click the link that says 'ULS - Universal Licensing System'. Alternatively, check the ARRL site. Click the GO button next to License Search, (without typing anything in) and, when the page loads, type your last name in the lower box. Licensing in Other Countries The ARRL website has more information about
licensing in other countries. In Europe, it is possible to get an American amateur radio license and operate in the country you are in if you are in a country that has implemented the CEPT Agreement. Germany
For Licensing information in Germany, go to www.qsl.net/dl4vcw/index.htm. There is a group in Baumholder (near Frankfurt/Heidelburg) that holds licensing sessions every 6 months (April/September). Their information can be found on the above site. To operate in Germany, you need a reciprocal license. The form to apply for this can be found on
this site. Step 2: Getting your Equipment This can be the hardest or the easiest part. If
you're like most hams, you'll probably get a HT (handheld transceiver (TRANSmitter/reCEIVER)
for your first rig. (A rig is a radio transceiver). One of these can operate on
one or more of the VHF or UHF bands. They are about the same size as a cellphone,
and run on batteries. You can find one for about $80-$200, depending on the
options you choose. However, most are low-power, only putting out about 5 watts.
However, if you dial into a nearby repeater, you can contact people 50 miles
away or more.
The El Cheapo HT: I suggest Universal Radio as a good source of new HTs. In particular, the Icom T2H Sport model runs about $80-90 (cheaper than a cell phone!) and can put out 6 watts of power. It runs on the popular 2 meter band. If not, I'm sure you can find HTs on Ebay or on the RadiosOnline site at ARRL.
If you want to operate from a car, you need a
mobile transceiver. These are larger, about the same size as a car stereo, and
come in many, many different varieties. They usually run less than 50 watts of
power. You can get HF, VHF, or UHF mobile transceivers, and some mobile
transceivers can operate in most or all of these modes. These will run you more
than HTs, but they put out more power.
The El Cheapo Mobile XCeiver: On Ebay, do a search for 10 meter ssb transceiver. Sometimes, there will be an HTX-10 or HTX-100 transceiver listed. These run about $50-100 on Ebay, and run on the 10 meter band. You can talk to people in Japan, Africa, or Australia with these, without breaking your budget. (Note: I can't testify to the quality of these transceivers, so, caveat emptor!)
If you want to chase DX (contact DX, or distant
stations) you probably will want a single-sideband HF base transceiver. These
can run from about $600 up new, but you may be able to find a good one used (see
below). These can put out 100 or more watts of power, and can contact stations
around the world on the 160-10m bands. However, these are large, heavy, and
expensive. If you don't have an unlimited amount of money
to spend (who does?) then it is wise to check the Internet for "for
sale" listings. I have found that eBay often has good bargains, as well as
usually being able to show pictures of the gear you want to buy. However, caveat
emptor. Another good source for used radios is ARRLWeb's RadiosOnline (go to arrl.org,
and click Classifieds). These radios are being sold by hams, who know their
business. (I can't recommend arrl.org enough.
It's the place to go for amateur radio.) I looked online for months
before I finally got a transceiver for free (lucky me! :-) ) and these were the
best two places I have found. If you want to buy a new transceiver, good
brands are Kenwood, Icom, and Yaesu. Look for one that suits your needs. Accessories You may want accessories to go with your
transceiver. If you want to operate on multiple bands with a single antenna (see
Step 3 for more information about antennas) then you will need an antenna
tuner. This is a device that matches the impedance of the feed line with the
impedance of the antenna, (If you don't know what that means, you'll learn when
studying for your test) so you can use the same antenna across a wide range of
frequencies. If you plan on operating CW (and sometime along
the line, you probably will) you'll need a key for your transceiver. This
can take the form of old-style telegraph key or a newer iambic key (a key with
two vertical paddles, side-by-side, that allow you to send dots and dashes
perfectly). If you get a key, you may also want an electronic keyer,
which the key plugs into and which times your dots and dashes perfectly. One useful accessory to have is a directional
wattmeter, or SWR meter. This meter allows you to measure
forward and reflected power along your transmission line. This can be very
useful for determining the efficiency of your antenna system. There are many other accessories that one can
have, these are just the basics. Step 3: Getting your Antenna "A station is only as good as its
antenna system." This is a very important thing to remember, along
with "Any antenna is better than no antenna" and that time,
money, and effort invested in your antenna system will generally provide more
improvement than an equal amount invested in any other part of the station. (These
maxims came from Now You're Talking, published by ARRL.) I can't really say as much about antennas. I recommend the 10 and 15 meter vertical antenna described in the book Now You're Talking. Just one piece of advice: Use good wood! My vertical antenna blew down in the wind.
Antennas can be ordered commercially, or can be homebuilt. They connect to your transceiver with coaxial (or coax) cabling. Antennas often have to be built to fit your available space.
I could go into explicit detail here about the theory and practice of building antennas, but, once again, I will refer you to Now You're Talking!. There is a whole chapter dealing with antennas in this book.
Types of Antennas
HF Antennas
The most attractive type of HF antenna to a new ham will probably be the center-fed half-wave horizontal dipole. This type of antenna is exactly as long (in total) as the wavelength of the band you intend to operate on (i.e. if you intend to operate on the 10 meter band, your antenna will be 10 meters long, counting the ground radial). Usually, this type of antenna is fed with RG8 type coaxial cable (this is rather thick stuff, about the thickness of a finger). Remember, all antennas must be grounded!
Another type of HF antenna is the quarter-wave vertical. The actual antenna wire will be 1/4 of the wavelength. Plans for this can be found in Now You're Talking!.
Other types of antennas for the HF bands include cubical quads, Yagis, and diagonal or vertical dipoles.
VHF/UHF Antennas
Whereas HF antennas are quite long, the antenna on a 70cm or 2m transceiver will be short. These are almost always vertical antennas, due to their ease of construction, portability, and short length. The antennas that come attached to your HT are called 'rubber ducks', and are not the best antennas you could use.
Step 4: Getting On The Air
Congratulations! If everything so far has worked for you, you're ready to get on the air as a ham radio operator!
Tune to a band segment, and make sure that you're within a frequency range allowed by your license. For example, KA3HAM is a Technician operator with Morse code credit. He has a 10 meter HF radio, properly grounded and attached to a dipole antenna. He powers up and tests the microphone:
KA3HAM testing.
Remember to use your call sign, as transmitting without it is illegal! With no response, KA3HAM calls CQ. CQ means just what it sounds like, Seek You. In other words, calling any station.
CQ CQ Calling CQ. This is KA3HAM, KA3HAM, Kilo Alpha Three Hotel Alpha Mike, KA3HAM from San Diego calling CQ and standing by.
Someone finally answers:
KA3HAM, this is KC2MLF, Kilo Charlie Two Mike Lima Foxtrot. How're you doing?
Remember to give your call sign once every 10 minutes, and at the end of each QSO (conversation).
The conversation can proceed from here.
Step 5: Onward!
This is the end of the guide. I hope you've found it interesting and enjoyable. If you've yet to get your ham license, good luck! If you have received yours already, congratulations! Either way, thanks for reading this guide. Hope I've been helpful!
This is KC2MLF, clear.
This page was written in HTML by Christian Ternus, KC2MLF. It is only authorized for display on the original site. This page, all text and accompanying images are copyright (C) 2004 Christian Ternus. All rights reserved.
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