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Ham Radios are actually pretty simplistic in their operation. They depend on radio waves to get their message out.
Radio Frequencies
Hams use a variety of radio frequencies to communicate. Non-hams can hear what is being transmitted via their own receivers or scanners, but cannot participate in the action without a transmitter or a license. The ham operator can only use certain radio frequencies to transmit from these frequencies are allocated by the FCC for amateur use. Hams may operate from just above the AM broadcast band to the microwave region, in the gigahertz range. Most of the Ham Bands are found in the frequency range that goes from above the AM radio band (1.6 MHz) to just above the citizens band (27 MHz). Certain bands are dedicated during certain times of the day. The day time hours find 15 to 27 MHz is used for long distance transmission. During the night time hours 1.6 to 15 MHz is used for long distance transmission.
The bands are called “short wave” bands which are unlike frequencies used by FM radio stations and TV stations. FM radio and TV stations use what is known as line of sight bands, these bands only travel 40 or 50 miles. Short waves use the airwaves to bounce the signal off the ionosphere from the transmitter to the receiver’s antenna. The higher the frequency is, the “shorter” the wavelength is.
Generally hams get their beginning on VHF FM, using small hand-held transceivers which transmit on one frequency than receives on a different one.
They use FM repeaters that have been put in place by local radio clubs. The repeaters typically use space that is owned by local Television stations. These repeaters are set up on large antennas that the TV station uses to transmit its signal. The repeaters uses transmit and receive pairs to relay information back and forth. Frequency pairs are set up by Ham Radio groups and are kept at a long enough distance from each other not to cause interference.
There is new cutting edge technology that is coming more and more into use. Instead of using these repeaters to catch a signal and send out communications, some hams are able to use satellites.
Equipment
Historically Ham Radios depended on a series of tubes and electrodes to send out and receive a signal, some amateur radio aficionados still use this system but the majority have moved into the digital age and largely no longer use radio tubes to transmit and receive.
There can be a couple of different ways that Ham Radio is able to transmit. The oldest form of Ham Radio that is still widely in use today is to have two separate parts, a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver pulls in the signal from other hams and the transmitter sends the signal out. There are also transceiver’s these send and accept signals in one unit. This type of equipment is usually found as hand held’s and mobile units.
Most serious Ham’s prefer the two separate units with a separate antenna, to reach longer distances. Antennas of course play a huge roll is Ham operations. The most used 146-MHz (2-meter) antenna is a 19-inch quarter-wave whip. It has a wavelength of 146 MHz approximately 2 (300 divided by 146) meters, and a quarter wave of 2 meters is about 19 inches (50 cm). Hams have devised some unusual antennas and revel in finding one that works.
How to Communicate
In some cases the ham will speak into either a stationary microphone that sits on a surface and looks much like the type of device that singers use, some choose the handheld microphone that has the buttons on the side to send their voice out over the airwaves.
In some cases the ham operator will use Morse code to communicate, while it is not necessary to know Morse code when using a ham radio it is beneficial to know it. Morse code can often be detected when the radio waves are not strong enough to carry the complex inflexion of voice but can efficiently carry the beep tones of Morse code.
Ham Radio operation is a very basic form of communication, although simplistic in its design it takes years to master.
“Hello!” Was the very first word every broadcast over the radio. Few folks that are not entrenched in Ham Operation know the history of the radio.
Who Is Reginald Fessenden?
Reginald Fessenden invented the radio! Canadian Reginald Fessenden adopted his love of transmission when he was a mere lad. After Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone young Reginald has been quoted as saying to a family member “Why do they have to have wires?” This was the first step in a life long journey to answer that very question.
Like all great inventions, the earliest attempts were miserable failed attempts. His theories earned him a government contract, Fessenden, and his assistant Thiessen, worked diligently to meet the challenge until they were able to meet with success.
Fruit and The Radio
Fessenden founded the National Electric Signaling Company (NESCO) with money invested by two wealthy fruit company owners once he had fulfilled his contractual obligations to the government, because of his failed attempts the government opted not to renew funding. As part of the United Fruit Company he worked to figure out a way for their ships at sea could communicate with the folks back in Pittsburgh.
The money that his backers invested bought high powered transmitters and antenna systems. In June of 1906 the first ever voice transmission was sent and received successfully a total of 12 miles away. Fessenden continued to plug away at improvements until he reached the point where he knew his invention was a success.
Merry Christmas
Six months after the first ever voice transmission over the air waves a surprise transmission to ships on the day before Christmas in nineteen six.
As his wife and employees as co-conspirator’s he prepared a special Christmas program On ship operators were told to tune in to receive a special Christmas message on December 24th at 9:00 pm . Radio operators sat stunned when 9:00 pm rolled around and a voice came over the air calling out “CQ, CQ”.
This was the first “radio” program. Ships across the North Atlantic were treated to Handel’s “Largo” played on a Victrola and “O, Holy Night” played for “the audience” by Fessenden on his violin.
The Rest Is History
This new technology called Radio set the world on fire. Hobbyist and early day techies could not get enough of this device and loved the idea of talking to people may miles away without being tied to a cord. They were, and are still, called “amateur” radio operators. Long before commercial broadcasting was on the radar “amateur” radio operators filled the airwaves.
Official laws were first instituted in 1912 by congress. A newly formed agency was put in place by the federal government in nineteen twenty seven that was responsible for regulating radio usage including ham radio operations.
Amateur radio operators have been on the cutting edge of communication since the inception of the radio. They were the first to use cell phones and the first to use FM broadcast.
The inventor did not know the impact he would have on the world.
Ham radio is enjoyed by so many folks as a hobby and is often times used as a saving grace in times of natural disaster that reliability really becomes important. Obviously reliability is important when the Ham Radio is being activated for public service, but it is also relevant to the hobbyist as well. It can be really frustrating for the Ham that suffers continuously from signal loss.
Knowing what can affect the signal can really help in avoiding some of the pitfalls of Ham operation.
Things You Can’t Control
Certain atmospheric disturbances will cause signal loss and fade. Everyone immediately thinks of stormy weather, but it is not quite that simple. Of course stormy weather will play a roll. Lighting can definitely affect the signal, but so will sun spots. Sun spots or sun flares also will either have the effect to increase or decrease the signal. For example if there are sun flares directly over your geographical area than you are more likely to pick up a longer range signal, when they move on to the other hemisphere away from you than you signal for long range capacity will drop.
Barometric pressure will also affect the signal. In high pressure areas the signal that normally travels through the troposphere -where earths weather occurs, when there is high pressure the signals are pushed down so that the normal waves that are lost into the upper atmosphere become compressed with the radio waves and cause interference.
There are websites that are dedicated to troposphere bending forecasts that predict the patterns of the radio waves used to send ham signals.
Things You Can Control
Antenna placement is the number one thing that is within the Ham’s realm of control. Antenna placement will either make or break the signal reception and transmission. The answer to controlling this situation is simply trial and error. There are predictors that you can pull up online and input your geographical location by longitude and latitude that will give some pretty specific location advice, but keep in mind most of this software doesn’t know how many trees, structures and other obstructions that might be in the way. Even with this professional guidance trial and error will still be important.
Over time the Ham will learn where the best signal is popping through and get the antenna placement right on, but what was best yesterday may not be best today. The answer is being flexible in placement.
Some other things that are in the Ham’s control include equipment, other potential sources of interference like other radios, televisions and cell phones. Although the Ham is forbidden from interfering with any of those signals often times the Ham’s signal is encroached upon by those items.
The best advice for taming frustration from signal loss and fade is to have patience; this is after all supposed to be fun!
This is a hand held portable ham radio that is perfect for the novice to get started with, although the experience operator will appreciate it just as well. The compact size makes it easy to take it with you wherever you go. This is a dual band transceiver that has extended frequency coverage. This provides the user with great monitoring capabilities. The compact FNB-83 rechargeable battery can deliver up to 5Watts of power on 144mhz and 430mhz bands. In addition the FT-60R can receive VHF/UHF TV bands, VHF AM aircraft band and a huge variety of emergency and public broadcast bands.
There are enhanced features that allow you to transmit your call sign even if you are disabled, and unable to press the PTT switch. There is enhanced paging features that allow you to page a specific station and to receive calls only from that station. There is a password feature that will keep your unit secure and prevent unauthorized users from using the unit.
Some extra benefits include an access key for Vertex Standards WIRES(Wide-coverage Internet Repeater Enhancement System), a transmit Time-Out Timer (TOT), Automatic Power-Off (APO), Automatic Repeater Shift (ARS), Yaesus exclusive ARTS(Auto-Range Transponder System) all in one easy to hold hand held.
This is a complete easy to use system! You wont be disappointed with the performance.
Price Range $170 -$199
Hand Held Ham radios are not only popular with amateur radio operators but are by and large with many outdoor enthusiasts. They are great tools to have when exploring the great outdoors, especially when other traditional forms of communication are at best spotty.
These devices become necessary especially in rough terrain.They can literally save your life if you are trapped in bad weather. Most Models today also have GPS capabilities. Some seasoned amateur radio operators scoff at the thought of a hand held as being a true ham radio, but those folks may have never left the garage and have no idea what kind of value this technology has.
Take a look at a few of these offerings to get a better ideaof price and function before you head out and pick one up.
Icom ID-880H
Described as the hand held companion to the mobile that goesby the same name except with an M at the end. Do you have to have the mobile?No, but it sure is nice. What does it offer?
Dual bands- one at a time
Easy switching between bands
26 memory banks with 8 character channel comments and up to a 6 character bank name.
Multiple scan options.
DC power cable adapter, charge while you talk.
The IC-80AD has a wideband receiver as a standard feature and covers 0.495-999.99MHz.
Free software download for cloning.
List Price $598.00
Too rich for your blood than check out this:
The Kenwood TH-22At is an older model from the nineteen nineties but still in stores. It offers wideband frequencies and can outperform many much more expensive models. It has 40 memory banks with 8 channel seach. It offers GPS support and many of the bells and whistles that models that are roughly twice as much offer.
A good rule of thumb for a beginner of a newly licensed individual is to start out slow. The ham experience can be a bit overwhelming because it is such great fun, but watch your investments initially. A lot of folks that go out and spend a fortune on a hand held regret it almost immediately when it sits in the glove box for months and never sees the light of day. This is an affordable option and there is no skimping on quality.
The List Price is $229.00
Yaesu VX-8R Handheld
While the IC-V85 provides a full 7 watts of output power, its 110mm body height is compact enough to allow for easy carrying. Features 7W of high output ….
Yaesu VX-8R Handheld
The next generation Amateur Handheld transceiver from Yaesu, … Optional GPS Operation, Bluetooth Capabilities, Real Dual Ham Band Operation (V+V/U+U/V+U),
Product Description
DIGITAL SCANNER Uniden BCD396T New in Uniden sealed retail packaging.
Uniden Bearcat BCD396T Police Nascar Digital Handheld Scanner TrunkTracker IV
Compact Handheld Digital APCO 25 Police Scanner Brand NEW, Factory Sealed
The BCD 396T is a State-of-the-art scanner radio with TrunkTracker IV and automatic scanning capabilities. Both Analog and APCO 25 Digital. You can also store up to 2500 frequencies such as police, fire, emergency, marine, air, amateur, trains, NASCAR and other communications into the BCD396T scanner. You can carry it with you wherever you go. You can use the scanner’s scroll control to quickly select channels and frequencies, and you can automatically program channels using the Auto-Store feature.
How marvelous is the cellphone! Who now is without one in his or her car? Not a very lot. Of course, emergency vehicles have had radio telephone communication for decades, but not the general public. The increasingly common sight of folks driving down a highway talking over a cellphone nevertheless seems astounding, if not hazardous.
Nevertheless, we ought to restrain the urge to “back-pat.” After all, it’s taken about 80 years for our very much touted modern day technology to catch up with the thinking of A.H. Grebe, “Expert Radio Constructor,” a characterization of Grebe by the editors of an article inside August 1919 matter of Radio Amateur News.
Entitled “The Auto Radiophone,” this article was written by Grebe himself, then only 24 years old and operating his own organization to manufacture amateur radio equipment. Within the article, Grebe talks about how communication by radio telephone was previously indispensable on aircraft. He believed it could also be used in “many destinations on land more than spaces which cannot be economically spanned by wires.” Thus, began his experiments using a radio transmitter self-contained in a motor car.
Re-creation of the Article Photos
Inspired through the cover of the 1919 Radio Amateur News, shown in Figure 1, Ron Frisbie began to think about simulating some of the photos inside the issue. Obviously a man of vivid imagination, Ron wasin the unique position of having all the right ingredients to carry this idea through.
First, he has a large Grebe collection, including a Model CR-14 that would serve for what is apparently a Model CR-6 receiver while in the magazine photos. Second, he has an antique automobile — a beautifully restored 1928 Ford Model A Roadster. This automobile resembles what is more than likely a 1919 Buick owned by Grebe and shown in the article.
Third and best of all, his friendship with Grebe’s son allowed him to think about the possibility of having Alfred Grebe, Jr., pose in the car with the products as his father had done for the magazine article. Ron got into contact with Editor John Terrey to ask if he had any interest in the subject for an article.
Naturally, the answer was, “Go to it!”
A little background of the Grebe/Frisbie friendship should be in order. Ron first met Alfred, Jr., about eight years ago at a Radio Club of America gathering in New York City. Though his father had died when he was only five years old, Grebe, Jr., maintains an interest in his father’s field. He expressed surprise at learning of the existence of Ron’s rare Grebe CR-10, and often mentioned his hope of traveling from Richmond, Virginia, to see it.
More than the next several years, the two talked of a time when Grebe, Jr., might come and also have his photo taken with the CR-10. Finally, it happened, as shown in Figure 2.
But, Ron had even bigger ideas. He had set the wheels of a real “photo op” in motion by first finding a photographer. Next he installed poles on his Model A and strung wires between the poles as an antenna, just as Grebe, Sr., had done for the 1919 article. Figure 3 shows Grebe, Sr., fully equipped in his Buick, a scene Ron re-created for our cover.
What would we have done without radio?” Indeed.
Grebe’s Auto Radiophone Experiment
According to his Radio Amateur News article, Grebe used a 6-wire flat top antenna as the radiating member in conjunction with the frame and body of the car as a counterpoise. When not in use, the antenna system was slung under the running board on hooks — portability was “in” even then.
The transmitter consisted of a panel and cabinet assembly, including the vacuum tube mounting, choke coils, oscillating circuits and modulating system. The operating wavelength was 150 meters. A storage battery back of the seat provided power for the filaments of the vacuum tubes in the receiver and transmitter, and also powered a small dynamotor.
The receiver consisted of a variometer type of regenerative receiver with two stages of audio frequency amplification. Signals from ship stations and land stations within a 150-mile radius were copied without difficulty.
Grebe makes an interesting observation that we can still relate to sometimes on the highway. When other cars operated nearby, there was interference from discharges at the spark plugs, which was plainly heard until the passing vehicle was quite far away.
In concluding his article, Grebe says it is safe to say that his tests showed that “the auto-radio-phone is entirely practical, and the near future should bring extensive developments along these lines, and we may soon hear an SOS: ‘Send an emergency service car to car No. 999-999 three miles east of Suburbanville.’ ”
He was off on only two counts — SOS has become simply 911 and “soon” came much later than he had predicted. Citizens band transceivers became popular in the 1970s, but not until the 1990s did “auto radiophones” for everyone become commonplace. A.H. Grebe was, indeed, a man ahead of his time.
While the IC-V85 provides a full 7 watts of output power, its 110mm body height is compact enough to allow for easy carrying. Features 7W of high output ….
Yaesu VX-8R Handheld
The next generation Amateur Handheld transceiver from Yaesu, … Optional GPS Operation, Bluetooth Capabilities, Real Dual Ham Band Operation V+V/U+U/V+U),
Product Description
DIGITAL SCANNER Uniden BCD396T New in Uniden sealed retail packaging.
Uniden Bearcat BCD396T Police Nascar Digital Handheld Scanner TrunkTracker IV
Compact Handheld Digital APCO 25 Police Scanner Brand NEW, Factory Sealed
The BCD 396T is a State-of-the-art scanner radio with TrunkTracker IV and automatic scanning capabilities. Both Analog and APCO 25 Digital. You can also store up to 2500 frequencies such as police, fire, emergency, marine, air, amateur, trains, NASCAR and other communications into the BCD396T scanner. You can carry it with you wherever you go. You can use the scanner’s scroll control to quickly select channels and frequencies, and you can automatically program channels using the Auto-Store feat
While the IC-V85 provides a full 7 watts of output power, its 110mm body height is compact enough to allow for easy carrying. Features 7W of high output ….Yaesu VX-8R HandheldThe next generation Amateur Handheld transceiver from Yaesu, … Optional GPS Operation, Bluetooth Capabilities, Real Dual Ham Band Operation (V+V/U+U/V+U),Product DescriptionDIGITAL SCANNER Uniden BCD396T New in Uniden sealed retail packaging.Uniden Bearcat BCD396T Police Nascar Digital Handheld Scanner TrunkTracker IVCompact Handheld Digital APCO 25 Police Scanner Brand NEW, Factory Sealed
The BCD 396T is a State-of-the-art scanner radio with TrunkTracker IV and automatic scanning capabilities. Both Analog and APCO 25 Digital. You can also store up to 2500 frequencies such as police, fire, emergency, marine, air, amateur, trains, NASCAR and other communications into the BCD396T scanner. You can carry it with you wherever you go. You can use the scanner’s scroll control to quickly select channels and frequencies, and you can automatically program channels using the Auto-Store feature.