• Amateur Radio - aka Ham Radio
    37 replies, posted
I didn't see another appropriate section so I figured this would fit best in GD. [b]Amateur Radio[/b] is the use of selected radio frequencies ranging in the HF to UHF range, for private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication. It's called amateur radio to specify persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest, and to differentiate it from commercial broadcasting, public safety (such as police and fire) or professional two-way radio services. Not because we're "new" to this; there's actually a club - QCWA, [url=http://www.qcwa.org/]the Quarter Century Wireless Association[/url], which you can become a member after holding and having a license for 25 years. Amateur radio operation is coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and licensed by the individual national governments that regulate technical and operational characteristics of transmissions and issue individual stations with an identifying call sign. If you plan on starting this pretty cool activity, you need to learn a bit about ITU regions (US and Canada, possibly S. Americas make up Region2, Region3 is the UK/EU/Northern Asia, Region1 is Australia, Southern Asia, and most of the pacific.) and a lot of rules and regulations. Amateurs (Also called hams) use a variety of voice, text, image and data communications modes and have access to frequency allocations throughout the RF spectrum to enable communication across a city, region, a country, a continent or the whole world AND EVEN INTO SPACE. (yes, if you get a technician level (first) you can talk to [b]astronauts![/b]. Hams can generally use a few different basic communication methods - FM (Frequency Modulation), SSB (Single-side band). SSB is better for long distance communications, and it uses a lot less bandwidth. FM has better quality however. [i]But Saza! What about Morse Code? Do they still use that?[/i] Yes. Morse Code is used, and it is called [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_wave]Continuous Wave, or CW[/url]. There are also digital modes - SSTV (If you even knew about the Portal 2 ARG you saw a fair amount of these images), Packet radio, and a few other ones, such as EchoLink. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio]A lot more on these can be found here.[/url] Getting your license is not as easy as you think. While yes, a Technician level license is not very hard, General and Extra can be a bit overwhelming, and you need to memorize a few basic formulas and circuit schematics and names. Many of you will probably know most of these; one key is E (Voltage) = I (Current) x R (Resistance) or you may know it as Ohm's Law, another is PIE (Power = I x E, same as the formula before). You may also need to know about diodes, transistors, capacitors, inductors, but not a lot, you may only need to know the simple thing of what they do, such as a diode, or what a farad is, etc. A great study tool for this is [url]http://www.qrz.com/[/url] QRZ is one of the many Q codes (like 10-codes) in radio. It specifically means "Who is broadcasting me? / I am", depending on the context. More [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_code]here[/url.] [b]Callsigns[/b] [quote]An amateur radio operator uses a call sign on the air to legally identify the operator or station. In some countries, the call sign assigned to the station must always be used, whereas in other countries, the call sign of either the operator or the station may be used. In certain jurisdictions, an operator may also select a "vanity" call sign although these must also conform to the issuing government's allocation and structure used for Amateur Radio call signs.[27] Some jurisdictions, such as the U.S., require that a fee be paid to obtain such a vanity call sign; in others, such as the UK, a fee is not required and the vanity call sign may be selected when the license is applied for. Call sign structure as prescribed by the ITU, consists of three parts which break down as follows, using the call sign ZS1NAT as an example: ZS – Shows the country from which the call sign originates and may also indicate the license class. (This call sign is licensed in South Africa, and is CEPT Class 1. Where specific classes of amateur radio license exist, the call signs may be assigned by class, but the specifics vary by issuing country.) 1 – Gives the subdivision of the country or territory indicated in the first part (this one refers to the Western Cape). NAT – The final part is unique to the holder of the license, identifying that station specifically. Many countries do not follow the ITU convention for the numeral. In the United Kingdom the original calls G0xxx, G2xxx, G3xxx, G4xxx, were Full (A) License Holders along with the last M0xxx full call signs issued by the City & Guilds examination authority in December 2003. Additional full licenses were originally granted in respect of (B) Licensees with G1xxx, G6xxx, G7xxx, G8xxx and 1991 onward with M1xxx calls. The newer three level Intermediate licensees are 2E1xxx and 2E0xx and basic Foundation license holders are granted M3xxx, M6xxx call signs. In the United States, for non-Vanity licenses, the numeral indicates the geographical district the holder resided in when the license was issued. Prior to 1978, US hams were required to obtain a new call sign if they moved out of their geographic district. Also, for smaller entities, a numeral may be part of the country identification. For example, VP2xxx is in the British West Indies (subdivided into VP2Exx Anguilla, VP2Mxx Montserrat, and VP2Vxx British Virgin Islands), VP5xxx is in the Turks and Caicos Islands, VP6xxx is on Pitcairn Island, VP8xxx is in the Falklands, and VP9xxx is in Bermuda.[/quote] The first few characters are the country of the licensee. You can really get to know the world. ICOM makes some pretty handy posters and things that has a list of these, grid codes, Q codes, and allowed frequencies. [i]That is a lot of information. How about some pictures?[/i] Sure. [img]http://www.everywhereknow.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/h1.jpg[/img] Here's an example of handsets. These are ubiquitous and usually the thing you start out on. If you use a repeater station (you can probably figure out what this does) you can greatly extend the range of these, or, alternatively, use an amplifier. Generally, these operate on UHF. [img]http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/gen-ii-prius-technical-discussion/3410d1180392767-installing-ham-radio-side-car-run-wiring-amateur_radio_control_head_small.jpg[/img] A simple mobile unit. These usually have an antenna you put on the outside of your car. [img]http://www.antenna-theory.com/antennas/travelling/yagi1.jpg[/img] This is a YAGI - you all know these. They are pretty much everywhere in movies, television, real life, and for a reason. They're quite effective, and they've been around for some time. That is an HF or maybe low VHF receiver. [img]http://engweb.info/courses/wdt/images/915-10YAGI.jpg[/img] This is a YAGI as well, but this is a VHF / UHF. For more you can always google "ham radio", etc. [b]List of frequencies - most of these are not usable by amateurs for the most part[/b] [img]http://puu.sh/fgnu[/img] One last thing: Safety. [b]NEVER. EVER. TOUCH AN ANTENNA IN USE.[/b] You WILL get an RF burn. [url=http://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/mri/chap-9/images/rf-burn.jpg]Graphic.[/url] [b]WEAR PROPER PROTECTION WHEN PERFORMING MAINTENANCE - IF YOU ARE DOING ANYTHING WITH A TOWER OR ANTENNA, WEAR SAFETY EQUIPMENT AND MAKE SURE IT IS NOT NEAR POWER LINES.[/b] It shouldn't be closer than 10 meters to an overhead anyways. If you're performing electrical maintenance on your equipment - be careful about it. Capacitors CAN shock you. [b]THIS CAN INTERFERE WITH OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES.[/b] So if your neighbor gets in a tantrum about it, work to find out what could be causing them interference or likewise what's causing you interference. Pass filters usually remedy the issue. For more information, visit any of these sites: [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_spectrum[/url] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio[/url] [url]http://www.arrl.org/[/url] - American Radio Relay League [url]http://www.arrl.org/ares[/url] - ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service - if you are called upon, you can help your area / country in time of need! [url]http://www.qrz.com/[/url] - QRZ - QRZ is a great resource for database listings of callsigns, general discussion, news, or help. [url]http://www.fcc.gov/[/url] - the FCC. These guys are pretty important in this - if you live in the US they will handle most of your things, however a local club or group can help you. They do not manage licensing anymore, VEs (Volunteer Examiners) do. Find a local club! Get on the air! It's really cool! Make sure you're broadcasting in the frequency you are allowed when you are certified! It's only $15 a test in the US! I'm taking mine February 2 - to get my General class license. [url]http://www.icomamerica.com/[/url] - ICOM. You may have seen a local high school using walkie talkies, they were probably ICOM. [url]http://www.universal-radio.com/[/url] - Another retailer. ICOM provides some pretty good charts and things if you can find them on their website, if not I can try to get pictures.
Can I use a ham radio antenna to cook my ham? That's how RF burn works right?
[QUOTE=meppers;34439691]Can I use a ham radio antenna to cook my ham? That's how RF burn works right?[/QUOTE] You probably could if you had high enough frequency / wattage output. However, you have to submit to checks for safety if your output is over 1500 PEP. Besides, that's serious power and nowhere close to enough due to the following: Your antenna doesn't focus emission on one spot. Mythbusters did this - in theory yes, with a powerful enough antenna / transmission yes, but in practice not so much
Not really related but I'd love to build myself a small FM transmitter so I can broadcast my own music or just troll people who listen to shitty radio stations.
[QUOTE=Number-41;34449495]Not really related but I'd love to build myself a small FM transmitter so I can broadcast my own music or just troll people who listen to shitty radio stations.[/QUOTE] There'd be complications with the FCC you know. Broadcasting music is not allowed with the exception of the space station wake up music. Not even if it's in the background. However, you can broadcast with FM.
Would they find me that easily? Maybe if I had a 2km range so it covers half my city, but isn't it allowed if the range is less than 30m?
No. You must be licensed (at least in the US) to even broadcast in the first place. while I am not 100% sure for Belgium, you'd have to check the policy there. And yeah, people do find out about it; not a lot of people enjoy trying to talk and getting music instead.
There's a guy across the road from me who lives in a flat topped bungalow, and his house has about 10+ antennas similar to the ones you posted in the OP, glad I finally know what those are for :tinfoil:
[QUOTE=samframpton;34451402]There's a guy across the road from me who lives in a flat topped bungalow, and his house has about 10+ antennas similar to the ones you posted in the OP, glad I finally know what those are for :tinfoil:[/QUOTE] He's trying to contact aliens, obviously.
I've always wanted to get into this, but the radios and other accessories are quite expensive. And I have no place to put an antenna (my parents said no way) :v:
Can Jews and Muslims use HAM radio?
[QUOTE=kaine123;34452273]Can Jews and Muslims use HAM radio?[/QUOTE] No, they use KOSHER radio. Which weird enough, broadcasts mainly christian propaganda.
[QUOTE=SPESSMEHREN;34452126]I've always wanted to get into this, but the radios and other accessories are quite expensive. And I have no place to put an antenna (my parents said no way) :v:[/QUOTE] Handsets and mobiles are usually around $100. The one on my car costed about $200 but it's a nice one and not my first. I can't use it right now but when the seventh rolls around I will be as soon as it updates in the FCC database. However, handsets usually don't have mega-huge range but if you use a relay / repeater station, you can really contact people around the world, or you could use VoIP. Personally I'm looking forward to SSTVing. :v: [editline]29th January 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=samframpton;34451402]There's a guy across the road from me who lives in a flat topped bungalow, and his house has about 10+ antennas similar to the ones you posted in the OP, glad I finally know what those are for :tinfoil:[/QUOTE] That's a bit odd that he has 10+, but that's probably so it makes it easier to switch frequencies or not have to adjust the angle of it. Also yeah, YAGIs are pretty weird if you didn't know what they were. They're not that heavy, either. The long-pronged one in the OP is quite light actually
Sounds really cool and interesting, would love to pick it up as a hobby, but the equipment's so fucking expensive I'd rather not.
My dad and I have been doing thisfor a while, its been pretty cool
Restoring one of these with my grandpa: [img]http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab191/rocketeer_2010/Radios/halli_s20r.jpg[/img] So far it has a bad Capacitor and Tube. Ill learn radio once I get it working again.
Fantastic thread. Unfortunately I don't think the readers here would be interested enough in it for it to live very long. Why not try the A/V Arena over at SA?
[QUOTE=Siminov;34455616]Restoring one of these with my grandpa: [img]http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab191/rocketeer_2010/Radios/halli_s20r.jpg[/img] So far it has a bad Capacitor and Tube. Ill learn radio once I get it working again.[/QUOTE] Vacuum tubes are a pain in the ass to get. I was fortunate enough over this weekend to see a working one installed in a radio, they're neat as fuck. [QUOTE=Weltmeister;34455851]Fantastic thread. Unfortunately I don't think the readers here would be interested enough in it for it to live very long. Why not try the A/V Arena over at SA?[/QUOTE] I'm not a member of SA even though I should
Hey it's like fallout 3 all over again.
I have been an amateur radio operator for years. I use it for S&R as well as Skywarn. Sometimes I'll get on and chit-chat, but not very often. As for those idiots who want to get on and 'play music' and 'troll' - this is not some source engine game where you can get on and spam your real life version of HLDJ. In the US - at least - you can be severely punished by the FCC for interrupting amateur radio. Also, amateur radio is used during emergencies and things such as severe weather events. Your little game could endanger someone. Yes, they can find you. There are plenty of HAM clubs with 'foxhunters' who have the equipment to get close to you, if not find you straight out. They will turn you in to the FCC and in cases of malicious transmissions, they typically have an FCC observer with them when they find you anyways. Save the childish crap for CB radio if you want to do that.
So if a radio station uses 100.90 Mhz and I want to broadcast a 30m signal on that exact frequency, I endanger people? Even though that frequency is already nationwide used for shit music?
[QUOTE=Number-41;34464002]So if a radio station uses 100.90 Mhz and I want to broadcast a 30m signal, I endanger people?[/QUOTE] It's not likely, but it's probable and irresponsible.
[QUOTE=Number-41;34464002]So if a radio station uses 100.90 Mhz and I want to broadcast a 30m signal on that exact frequency, I endanger people? Even though that frequency is already nationwide used for shit music?[/QUOTE] 100.90mHz is reserved for broadcasting, so in other words no, you cannot use it. they have a license for this and they have to pay for it. you cannot just broadcast on whatever you want either, you have to go on certain frequencies. [QUOTE=HkSniper;34463523] As for those idiots who want to get on and 'play music' and 'troll' - this is not some source engine game where you can get on and spam your real life version of HLDJ. In the US - at least - you can be severely punished by the FCC for interrupting amateur radio. Also, amateur radio is used during emergencies and things such as severe weather events. Your little game could endanger someone. Yes, they can find you. There are plenty of HAM clubs with 'foxhunters' who have the equipment to get close to you, if not find you straight out. They will turn you in to the FCC and in cases of malicious transmissions, they typically have an FCC observer with them when they find you anyways. [/QUOTE] I can fully back this up. My local club, TARS, does field days every so often, and one thing they do is finding a transmitter. People do not take kindly to this and there are legal consequences, and you could get your license revoked which does happen and probably will, and if you broadcast unlicensed and not in an emergency, you will get in more trouble.
Great thread, I've always had quite some interest in radio, although more along the design and repair side of things than actual usage. You might want to have a look in the facepunch electronics thread [url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1092907/32[/url]
Great thread, I want to learn this, but I'm more of a shortwave guy. Unfortunately, my TECSUN PL-600 doesn't exactly have a good antenna right now.
[QUOTE=madnath619;34466025]Great thread, I want to learn this, but I'm more of a shortwave guy. Unfortunately, my TECSUN PL-600 doesn't exactly have a good antenna right now.[/QUOTE] That still belongs here. Shortwave can still be considered amateur unless you're like, a business or radio station. It's a great hobby to pick up, you don't need to have a set but I can say that having a license does look good on a resume for some reason.
can I contact [i]truckers[/i] with these?
I've always thought about getting UHF receiver to listen to the military air traffic on my base since I find it fun to listen to for some odd reason but I haven't gotten around to it. I don't really know how expensive it'd be.
I always wanted to have my own little pirate FM. People have told me I have a great voice for radio. Nobody would listen to a 24/7 renard and rants stream though. Ah that RF burn thing is awful. [editline]31st January 2012[/editline] So, technically, could I get a handset, a repeater, install myself near a road, and smalltalk with truckers?
I want a mobile unit so I can drive around and scream 'BREAKER, BREAKER'
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