communications: radio basics handheld radios
TRANSCRIPT
Communications:
RadioBasics&
HandheldRadios
GOALS/OBJECTIVES:• Basicunderstandingofradiowaves.• Basicunderstandingofthetypesofhandheld
radiotechnology.• Understandingofthelegalrequirementsforthis
technology.• BeawareofHAMradioeducationresources.• AccesstoHAMradiotestingsessions.• Beabletomakeadecisionregardingyourfamily
orlocalcommunitycommunicationneeds.• Getyourquestionsansweredabouthandheld
radiotechnology.• ThispresentationwillNOTinvolveprogramming
theradios.ThereareinstructionsinPDFformatatcorac.cointheCommunicationsTeamForum.Understandingsomeoftheconceptscanhelpwithprogramming.
• THISPRESENTATIONISNOTINCLUSIVEOFEVERYTHINGCONCERNINGRADIOWAVESANDRADIOS,THISINFORMATIONISSIMPLYTO“SHORTENYOURLEARNINGCURVE”
RADIOWAVES&EMS
• Partoftheelectromagneticspectrum(EMS)• EMScomprisedofmanydifferenttypesofwaves• EMSwavescanbecontrolledbyelectricityand
magnetsortheirfields
• ConsistsofthelongestwavesoftheEMS;accordingtoNASA,rangingfrommorethan62miles(100kilometers)[email protected](1millimeter)
• EMSorganizedby2measurements:wavelengthandfrequency
RADIOWAVECOMPONENTS
Measuredinhertz1hertz(Hz)isonecyclepersecondAcycleismeasuredfromcresttocrestofawave1000Hz=1kilohertz(kHz)1000000Hz=1000kHz=1megahertz(MHz)
Thelongerthewavelengththelowerthefrequencyandenergy.
Theshorterthewavelength
thehigherthefrequencyandenergy.
Amplitude:heightFrequency:rateofoccurrenceWavelength:length
• Aradiothatsendsradiowavesisatransmitter.• Aradiothatreceivesradiowavesisareceiver.• Radiowavescanbeproducedbyradiotransmittersandreceivedbyradio
receiversbecauseofantennas.• Asingleradiothatcantransmitandreceiveradiowavesiscalledatransceiver• Tosendinformationbyradiowaves,ithastobecodedinsomeway.• Requirestwodifferentwaves
• Thecarrierwave• Theinformationbearingwave(themodulatedormodifiedradiowave)
• Therearetwomainmethods:• Amplitudemodulation(AM)encodestheinformationbyvaryingormodifying
theamplitude,orheight,ofthewaves• Frequencymodulation(FM)encodestheinformationbyvaryingormodifying
thenumberofwavespersecond.• AMwavesareimpactedbyenvironmentalfactorsthataffectsoundquality.• FMwaveshavebettersoundqualitybecausetheyarenotimpactedby
environmentalfactorsasmuch
RADIOWAVEMODULATION
• Radiowavesofdifferentfrequenciescontainvariouscharacteristicsofpropagation(behaviorastheytravel)alongtheEarth'ssurfaceandintheEarth’satmosphere.
• Longerwaves(LW&MW)canbendarounddifferentobstaclesandfollowtheoutlineofthehorizon
• Shorterwaves(SW)reflectofftheionosphereandgetbackoverthehorizonofskywaves(HF).
RADIOWAVEPROPAGATION
REMEMBER:Thelongerthewavelength
thelowerthefrequencyandenergy,lowerenergywavesbendmore.Theshorterthewavelength
thehigherthefrequencyandenergy,higherenergywavesbendless.
Shortwaveradiocanbeusedforverylongdistancecommunication(HF),incontrasttoradiowavesofhigherfrequency(VHF/UHF)thattravelinstraightlines(line-of-sightpropagation).
RADIOWAVESAREGROUPEDINTOBANDSOFRELATEDWAVES&FREQUENCIES
Bandsdonotmixwitheachother.
Yourradioisdesignedforpickingupspecificbands.AHAMoperatormayhavehisorher“radiostationorHAMshack”setupwithequipmenttotransmitorpickupthedifferentbands(HF/VHF/UHF).
HFradioscannotpickupVHF/UHFsignals.VHF/UHFradioscannotpickupHFsignals.
LongWaveLW
MediumWaveMW
ShorterWave
EvenShorterWave
• Wavelength:
AMATEURRADIOBANDS
Noticethataswavelengthincreasesfrequencydecreases.
20M–14MHz40M–7MHz80M–3.5MHz
UHF
VHF
HF
• Frequency(FQ)
• 70cmforUHF
• 420MHzforUHF
• 2MforVHF
• 144MHzforVHF
• 20M,40MforHF
• 14MHz,7MHzforHF
AREREFERREDTOBYTHEIR:
INTERFERENCE/NOISEWITHAMATEURRADIOSIGNALS
“Oneman’snoiseisanotherman’ssignal.”DaveCaslerKE0OG
NATURAL MANMADE
• CME(coronalmassejection)• Sunspots:
• decreaseisgoodforVHF/UHF• increaseisgoodforHF
AtmosphereWeather(lightening,clouds,rain,snow)Trees
EMPs(electro-magneticpulse)Radar
ConsumerElectronicDevicesHAMradiosonnearbyFQs
Buildings(outdoorobstacles)
Purposeofthisinformationistoshowtherearemanyreasons
apersoncanhavethebestequipmentandyet
haveproblemssendingorreceivingaradiosignal.
PowerlinesThesun
Is he EVER gonna talk about the radios?
WHATISMOSTIMPORTANTWITHARADIO?Powerorwattageoftheradio
AntennaWhy?
Bothcanincreasetheeffectiverangeoftheradio!
Whichbandisbetter?DEPENDSONYOURNEEDS.
VHFvsUHF• Worksslightlybetteroutdoors• Nopossibilitytopenetratewalls• Travelfartherdistance• Betterinsuburbanandruralareas
UHFvsVHF• Worksslightlybetterindoors• Possibletopenetratewalls
• Travelshorterdistance• Betterinurbanareas
AradiodesignedforonlyoperationontheUHFfrequenciesisknownasasinglebandradio.AradiodesignedforoperationonVHF/UHFfrequenciesisknownasadualbandradio.Asageneralrule,radioswithaccesstoVHFand/orUHFfrequenciesworkbestoutdoors.
SINGLEBAND/DUALBAND
• FRSistheabbreviationforFamilyRadioServices• "Walkie-talkies",mobileradiosdesignedtobeusedforfamilyactivities• NotestorlicenserequiredbytheFCC• Poweroutputis0.5Wattsto2Watts• OperatesonFMUHFband(SINGLEBAND)• Workondedicatedfrequenciescalledchannels• 22FRSchannelsavailable• Shareschannels1-7and15-22withGMRSsince2017• ManyFRSradiosonlyworkonChannels8-14butmaybenumbered1–7• NOAAWeatheralert• Typicalcommunicationdistanceis0.5-2miles• Requiresafixedantenna(stubbyantennaduetolimitedrange)• Greatforshortdistances,densewoodsoraroundbuildings• About$50.00pertwopack
LXT600VP3
LXT630VP3
FRSRadios
• GMRSistheabbreviationforGeneralMobileRadioServices• "Walkies-talkies",mobileradiosdesignedtobeusedforfamily,group,orbusiness
activities• NotestBUTlicenserequiredbytheFCC(goodforthewholefamilyfor10years)• Currentlylicenseis$70butFCCisworkingtoreduceto$35(waitingfor@1year)• Poweroutputis0.5Wattsto5Watts• OperatesonFMUHFband(SINGLEBAND)• Workondedicatedfrequenciescalledchannels• 30GMRSchannelsavailable• Channels15-22areGMRS-FRSandGMRSRepeateroutputs• NOAAWeatheralert• Typicalcommunicationdistanceachievedis2-6miles• Betterforslightlylongerdistancesandfewobstructions• Usuallyafixedantenna(stubbyantennaduetolimitedrange)• About$70.00pertwopack
GXT1000VP4
GMRSRadios
FRS/GMRSCHANNELS&FREQUENCIES
HowtoapplyforaGMRSlicenseandreceiveyourFCCcallsign|RadioReference.comForumshttps://forums.radioreference.com/threads/how-to-apply-for-a-gmrs-license-and-receive-your-fcc-call-sign.375090/
APPLYINGFORAGMRSLICENSE
1)CreateanFCCUniversalLicensingSystemaccount2)LogintotheULS3)BeginapplicationforaGMRSlicense4)Submittheapplication&fee5)Receivecallsignanddownloadauthorizationdocuments
Asearchoftheabovelinkgivesverydetailedinstructionsforapplying.
• HTistheabbreviationforHandheldTransceiverHAMRadios.• “Handy-talkies”,mobileradiosdesignedtobeusedonVHF/UHFHAMbands• AradiowithaccesstoVHF/UHFisaDUALBANDradio• TestANDlicenserequiredbytheFCC(goodforanindividualfor10years)• RequiresatleastaTechnicianlicensetotransmit• Nolicenserequiredtolisten,butDONOTPRESSTHEPTT(push-to-talk)BUTTON• Cantransmitifemergencyexistswithoutalicense• IfusedandnoemergencyexistsotherHAMScan&willreportyou• FCCpenaltyforunauthorizedusecanincludeseizureofequipment,finesandothercivilandcriminalpenalties.
HTRadios
• Worksonsomededicatedfrequenciescalledchannelsandfreefrequencies
• CannotbeusedonFRS/GMRSchannels• NOAAWeatheralert• Typicalcommunicationdistance2-6mileswithoutarepeater,6-30mileswitharepeater.
• Comeswitha“rubber-duck”antenna• “Yourradioisonlyasgoodasyourantenna”• Toimprovereceptionupgradeantenna(s)
HTscontinued
• PoweroutputofYaesuFT-60Ris5Watts• Japanesemaderadio• Cost:FT-60R@$155.00+tax,shipping&accessories• Sturdy,wellbuiltradioPackageusuallycomeswiththeradio,onebattery,standard“rubberduck”antenna,astandardbatterycharger,USBcable,beltclip,warrantycardandinstructionmanual.BESURETOCHECKWHATISINCLUDEDINYOURRADIOPURCHASE.Vendors:dxengineering.comorgigaparts.comRecommendedminimum:•Theradio•Oneormoreextrabatteries•Upgradedantennatoincreaserangeofradio(DiamondSRH77CA)Consideraddingoneormoreofthefollowing:•Rapidcharger(normalchargertakes@9hourstofullychargebattery,@3hourswiththis)•Carcharger(allowsthevehiclebatterytochargethetransceiverbattery)•Solarbatterybank(allowsthebatterytobechargeddirectlywithsolarbattery)•Cloningcableiftwoormoreofthesameradiosarepurchased.(Allowsyoutoeasilycloneadditionalsimilarradiosonceyouprogramtheinitialradio.)
• PoweroutputofYaesuFT-70DRis5Watts• Japanesemaderadio• Cost:FT-70DR@$175.00+tax,shipping&accessories• Sturdy,wellbuiltradioPackageusuallycomeswiththeradio,onebattery,standard“rubberduck”antenna,astandardbatterycharger,USBcable,beltclip,warrantycardandinstructionmanual.BESURETOCHECKWHATISINCLUDEDINYOURRADIOPURCHASE.Vendors:dxengineering.comorgigaparts.comRecommendedminimum:•Theradio•Oneormoreextrabatteries•Upgradedantennatoincreaserangeofradio(DiamondSRH77CA)Consideraddingoneormoreofthefollowing:•Rapidcharger(normalchargertakes@9hourstofullychargebattery,@3hourswiththis)•Carcharger(allowsthevehiclebatterytochargethetransceiverbattery)•Solarbatterybank(allowsthebatterytobechargeddirectlywithsolarbattery)•Cloningcableiftwoormoreofthesameradiosarepurchased.(Allowsyoutoeasilycloneadditionalsimilarradiosonceyouprogramtheinitialradio.)
Packageusuallycomeswiththeradio,one2100mAhbattery(smallbattery),standard“rubberduck”antenna,astandardbatterychargerwithwalladapterplug,singlePTTOEMearpiecekit,beltclip,warrantycardandinstructionmanual.BESURETOCHECKWHATISINCLUDEDINYOURRADIOPURCHASE.Vendor:baofengtech.comRecommendedminimum:• Theradio• Oneormoreextrabatteries(BL-5L3800mAhbattery,largebattery)• Upgradedantennatoincreaserangeofradio(NygoyaNA-771)
Consideraddingoneormoreofthefollowing:• USBto10VSmartCharger(allowsthebatterychargerdocktobeusedwithaUSBsolarbattery)• BT1013USBDirectBatteryChargerCable(allowsthebatterytobechargeddirectlywithaUSB
solarbattery)• BL-5AABatteryPack(allowstheuseofAAbatteries,standardorrechargeable)• BL-5BatteryEliminatorCarCharger(doesnotchargethebattery,allowstheradiotousethe
vehicle’sbatterytopowerthetransceiver)• PC03programmingcable(willneedtodownloadCHIRPsoftware,whichisFREE)
https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home
• PoweroutputofBAOFENGBF-F8HPis8Watts• Chinesemaderadio• Cost:FT-60R@$65.00+tax,shipping&accessories• Relativelyinexpensiveradio
Becarefulofcounterfeits
ONLINE:• hamtestonline.com($24.95for6monthsaccess)• hamradioprep.com($35.00forlifetimeaccess)• hamradioschool.com(bestcoupledwiththebook)• others
PHONEAPPS(recommendforQ&A)
HAMRADIOEDUCATIONRESOURCES
HAMRADIOEDUCATIONRESOURCES
Variousbooksfrom• arrl.org• GordonWestTechnicianClass• HAMRadioSchool(hamradioschool.com)
ManualwithQ&As Q&Asonly ManualwithQ&As ManualwithQ&As
TESTINGSESSIONS
FindanAmateurRadioLicenseExaminYourArea(arrl.org)http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session
Onlineorinperson
Learnthephoneticalphabettogiveyourcallsign
WTF=WHERE’STHEFUN?!
Whattodoafteryougetyourlicense?
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot?
Questions?Comments?Feedback?