welcome to ham radio 101 new tech session - bay-net -net net.org ww6bay welcome to ham radio 101...

Bay-Net WW6BAYwww.bay-net.org

Welcome to Ham Radio 101

New Tech Session

Sponsored by Bay-Net www.bay-net.org


Agenda

New Technician / New Ham

8:15 Kickoff

8:25 Gear Jason K6DGN

9:00 Operating George KJ6VU

9:30 Q&A Group

10:00 Done

New General / Extra

10:15 Gear George KJ6VU

10:45 Operating Beric K6BEZ

11:15 Going portable Nick N3WG

11:30 Guest speaker Wayne Burdick, N6KR, Co-founder Elecraft

12:00 Done


Bay-Net www.bay-net.org

Virtual Ham Radio Club

> 160 members

6 repeaters @ 2 sites

– Analog FM, D-Star & C4FM Dig

– IRLP / EchoLink VOIP

Events

– Field Day

– Antenna Shootout

– Annual meeting

– Urban Shield

Supports

– American Red Cross

– FEMA USAR TF 3

– Radio Mala - Nepal

501(C)3 Non-profit

Bay-Net

Field Day !!!


New Tech … Gear

Jason K6DGN



Agenda


8:15 Kickoff



9:30 Q&A Group

10:00 Done

New General / Extra





12:00 Done


Terms…

• “Station” - Your transceiver not specifically a place

• “Shack” – Your home station

• “Rig” – Your radio

• “Go Bag” or “Go Kit” – Organized set of accessories

you can “grab and go” and be fully operational


Assumptions – You Want To Operate…

• Portable – “HT”

• Mobile radio

• Base station


Choosing Your First HT

Baofeng UV5RA

$35

Upgrade later

Kenwood TH-F6A

$315

Great radio

Yaesu FT1D

$425

Great radio ++

Digital, APRS, etc.


Choosing Your First HT

Baofeng UV5RA

$35

Upgrade later

After you buy your $500 IcKenYa“Do-All” HT…

Your $35 cheapie radio makes a great knock around radio

- Camping / Hiking- On roof- Loaner

- Buy 3 more as spares…


HT Accessories

• Drop-in charger

• External speaker / mic

• Programming SW & cable

• Bigger antenna

• Ed Fong – roll up J-Pole antenna

Turn your HT into a mobile radio

• Mobile DC power cord

• Mobile antenna

• Power amplifier

• External microphone

• External speaker

Pro: Cost effective

Cons: Mess of wires.Lower performance than a real mobile radio.


Mobile Radio

Radio…

• Good: Single band (2m)

• Better: Dual band 2m / UHF

• More better: Dual band / dual VFO (V/V, V/U, U/U)

• Best: Dual band / dual VFO ++

– APRS / D-Star digital / C4FM digital

Antenna…

• For repeaters – small is fine

• For simplex – bigger is better

• Mounts are equally good: Magmount, bracket, hole


Base Station

• Yaesu FT-7900

• Dual band / single VFO

• $320 • Comet X-50

• $99

• 50’ RG-8X

• $40

• Powerwerx

• 30A Switching power supply

• $120


Standardize on Power Pole Connectors

• Anderson Power Pole

• THE standard for ARES / RACES interoperability

• Buy them at any ham radio store

• Easy to use

• Buy the crimper if you plan to make a lot of connections

CQCQC

Q!


Feed Line & Connectors

CableType

Attenuation @ 144 MHz

Attenuation@ 440 MHz

Advice…

LMR-400 1.5 2.6 Best

RG-213 2.3 4.5 Good

RG-8X 4.6 8.5 OK

RG-58 5.1 12 Bad

RG-174 10.1 20 Dummy load

Connectors N (Best) BNC (Good) UHF PL-259 (OK)


Learn to Program Your Radio

• Set frequency, offset, tone, power

• Save into a memory

• Advanced features

• Program your memories in banks

– Favorite repeaters

– More repeaters

– Simplex

– Public safety, weather, etc…

• Program multiple radios (HT, mobile) with the same

channel / frequency assignments


More Programming Options

• RT Systems radio specific software & cables

• Icom/Kenwood/Yaesu/Wouxun make software for their

radios

• “KG-UV Commander” free software for Wouxun

• Radio Reference web site – Public service frequency lists

• Repeater Book is a great web site for finding local and

remote repeaters

• iPhone & Android apps


Programming Your Radio

“Chirp” software is a way to program many radios with

the appropriate cable

Choosing your first radio.Choosing your first radio.


Go Kit – Be Prepared

• 2M/UHF HT Radio

– Battery (rechargable)

– Battery (AA)

– Charger & Power cord

– External mic & earphone

• First aid kit

• Notebook and pen

• Flashlight & headlamp

• Batteries

• Kleenex

• Personal items

• Frequency directory

• SUN BLOCK!!!!11!1oneone

Detailed Go-Kit Info atwww.bay-net.org


Personal Recommendations

• Jason

– Yaesu FT1D or Kenwood TH-F6A HT’s

– Wouxon KG-UV8D Dual Band/VFO HT

– Yaesu FT-8800R or Kenwood TM-V71A Mobile

• George

– Wouxun KG-UV3D HT

– Kenwood TM-D710A mobile

• Beric

– Daily HT: Wouxun KG-UV8D or KG-UV3D

– Disposable: Baofeng UV-5R

– Mobile: Yaesu FT-8800R


Radio Advice…

• Get a cheap HT. Good to start, useful later.

• Upgrade to a better HT when you know what you want

• Add a mobile radio for better performance

• Outside antennas make a big difference

• Program your local favorite frequencies

• Standardize on Anderson Power Pole connectors


10 Things to do in your first year

• Get a radio

• Learn how to use it

• Find a friendly repeater

• Listen to the repeater

• Join a club or find an “Elmer”

• Get on the air, simplex & repeater

• Go to a ham radio convention (CHECK!)

• Show your friends

• Go to a Field Day or other contesting event

• Try not to get “TOO” addicted.


New Tech - Operating

George KJ6VU



Agenda


8:15 Kickoff



9:30 Q&A Group

10:00 Done

New General / Extra





12:00 Done


Repeater Operation

• Frequency Set the Rx frequency (443.225)

• Offset (shift) 2m: 600 kHz, UHF: 5 MHz

• PL tone (CTCSS) Sub-audible tone access

Tx 448.225PL 100.0

Rx 443.225

Rx 448.225 -> Tx 443.225


Repeater


Bay-Net

South Bay Site


Northern California 2 Meter Band Plan

CWSSB

PKT

DIGRepeater Repeater Repeater Repeater Repeater RepeaterSMPX SMPX

SA

T

EX

P

DIG

SA

T

20 Ch kHz Spacing 15 Ch kHz Spacing

.

d

Coordinators

FM/Repeaterswww.narcc.org

Packetwww.n0ary.org/ncpa

Satellitewww.amsat.org

144.200 SSB Calling (USB)144.390 APRS Digital data145.390 Bay-Net repeater146.460 Remote bases146.520 Calling frequency147.420 Red Cross

Every region has some differencesGo by the regional coordinators band plan first

Then… ARRL band plan.

Popu

lar

Fre

qs


UHF Band Plan

Repeater Outputs

Repeater Inputs

Links

Satellite

Experimental

CW / SSB

Links

ATV

25 Ch kHz Spacing

Popular Freqs…432.000 SSB (USB)443.225 Bay-Net443.975 Bay-Net444.075 Bay-Net D-Star444.425 Bay-Net C4FM446.000 Simplex


Transmit Offset … or “Shift”

• The transmitter’s offset from the Rx frequency

• Where the repeater listens

• Standard offsets…

– 10m 100 kHz

– 6m 1.2 MHz

– 2m 600 kHz

– 220 1.6 MHz

– UHF 5.0 MHz

– 900 25 MHz

– 1.2 20 MHz


CTCSS - PL - Channel Guard

Names for the same thing…

• Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System

• Private Line (Motorola)

• Channel Guard (GE)

What is it…

• 32 standard sub-audible tones between 67-230 Hz

• Deviation < 600 Hz (Voice peaks at +/- 5 kHz)

• Allows multiple repeaters to co-exist on the same frequency

69.3

71.9

74.4

77.0

79.7

82.5

85.4

88.5

91.5

94.8

97.4

100.0

103.5

107.2

110.9

114.8

118.8

123.0

127.3

131.8

136.5

141.3

146.2

151.4

156.7

162.2

167.9

173.8

179.9

186.2

192.8

203.5

210.7

218.1

225.7

229.1

233.6

241.8

250.3

254.1

PL Tone Adding voice modulation

5 kHz


CTCSS Decode

• Only hear stations that transmit the same PL

• Useful for areas of high interference

• Listen only for members of my group

Tx 448.225PL 100.0

BobRx 443.225PL 100.0

Rx 448.225 -> Tx 443.225 PL 100.0

JoeRx 443.225PL 127.3


Digital Coded Squelch (DCS) - DPL

• Same application as CTCSS

• Sub-audible tone

• 134.4 bits per second

• 104 Digital Codes

• Less likely to false than PL

• 9 data bits + 11 check bits +

framing bits

• 3 digit octal value


Narrow vs Wide FM

In 1975

• Wide = 15 kHz

• Narrow = 5 kHz

Today…

• Normal (wide) = 5 kHz

• Narrow = 2.5 kHz

+2.5+5

+5.0+5

-2.5+5

-5.0+5

0

FM Deviation


Narrow vs Normal (Wide) FM

440.000 440.025 440.050

+/- 5 Khz

-0 db

-10 db

-20 db

-30 db

-40 db

-50 db


Narrow vs Normal (Wide) FM on UHF

440.000 440.025 440.050

+/- 5 Khz

-0 db

-10 db

-20 db

-30 db

-40 db

-50 db



Narrow vs Normal (Wide) FM on 2 Meters

146.610 146.625 146.640

+/- 5 Khz

-0 db

-10 db

-20 db

-30 db

-40 db

-50 db



• Normal (Wide) 5 kHz

– Ham radio

– GMRS

– MURS

– Old public safety & land mobile radio

• Narrow 2.5 kHz

– 900 MHz ham radio repeaters

– FRS

– New public safety & land mobile radio


Frequency Guides

ARRL

Repeater

Directory

NARCC

Web site &

repeater guide

IOS &

Android

Apps


Digital Voice & VOIP Modes

Digital Voice

– D-Star - Yaesu C4FM - DMR - P25

– Growing interest

– Highly fragmented, incompatible systems

– Don’t wait for a single standard

– Really fun new modes – Jump in!

VOIP Systems

– Connect radio systems through the internet

– IRLP: >1,600 connected repeaters world wide

– Echolink: >200k people and repeaters world wide


Try The Other Bands and Modes…

• 3.525-3.600 MHz CW

• 7.025-7.125 MHz CW

• 21.025-21.200 MHz CW

• 28.000-28.300 MHz CW, RTTY/Data

• 28.300-28.500 MHz CW, Phone

• 6 Meters

• 222 MHz

• 900 MHz

• 1.2 GHz

CW can be really fun and great for DX and QRP. Use your computer/phone to decode if needed.

Work the world when the band is open !

6 meters opens up for long distances

Lots of repeaters on the other bands as well.


Getting On The Air - Repeaters

• Pick a repeater and program your radio

• Listen for a few minutes

• No traffic? Announce your presence

– “KJ6VU Listening, Anyone on frequency?”

– Not: “CQ CQ CQ This is KJ6VU…”

• Round table QSO in process…

– Wait for a pause in the action

– “KJ6VU”


What Do I Talk About?

• Basic (boring) QSO…

– Call, Name, Location, Radio, Weather, Traffic

• More interesting QSO…

– What are your areas of interest in ham radio?

– What motivated you to get your ham ticket?

– What projects are you working on?

– What is the next thing you want accomplish as a ham

– What other hobbies or interests do you have?

– Why did you choose that radio?

– I need some advice on …


QSO Lingo

• CQ CQ CQ - General call to any station

• Q-Signals – Can be statements or questions.

– QTH Location

– QRZ Who is calling me?

– QRM Interference from another station

– QRP Low power

– QSO Two way radio contact

– QSL Verification of contact

– QRT Going off the air

• Signal reports – RST “You have a solid 59 signal here”

– Readability 1-5

– Signal Strength 1-9

– Tone (CW Only) 1-9

• 73 – Best regards


Getting On The Air – FM Simplex

• 146.520 National FM calling frequency

• Establish a connection and move (QSY) to another

working frequency

• Controversy – Using ‘52 as a chat channel

146.43146.46146.49146.52146.55146.58147.42147.45147.48147.51147.54147.57

Calling Channel


Getting On The Air – SSB

144.00-144.05 EME (CW)

144.05-144.10 General CW and weak signals

144.10-144.20 EME and weak-signal SSB

144.200 National SSB calling frequency

144.200-144.275 General SSB operation

144.275-144.300 Propagation beacons

• Operation just like HF SSB but local

• Use USB (Upper Side Band)

• Antennas typically horizontally polarized

• Popular during contests


Media Resoures

Podcasts

– Fo Time

– ICQ Podcast

– Solder Smoke

– Amateur Radio Newsline

– ARRL Audio News

Video

– Tx Factor

– Amateur Logic TV

– EEV Blog


Structured Fun

• Contests

– Field Day

– CQ VHF

• Nets

– ARES, RACES, Red Cross, American Legion…

• Summits on the Air (SOTA – www.sota.org.uk)

– Hiking + operating

• Vacation mini-DxPedition - Take your radio with you !– Fine print: Subject to spousal concent. May lead to significant financial

hardship do to divorce or physical injury. Use only with pre-negotiated

approval. Not recommended for newlyweds. May cause significant credit card

cramping. If you need a good lawyer… I know a guy.


10 Things You Should Do… In your 1st year

10 Program your radio

9 Join the ARRL

8 Join a local club

7 Attend a Field Day event

6 Operate on a net

5 Make a simplex contact

4 Try IRLP and/or EchoLink

3 Put together your “go kit”

2 Study for your license upgrade

1 Get on the air

welcome to ham radio 101 new tech session - bay-net -net net.org ww6bay welcome to ham radio 101...

Documents