SMHS Math & Science Club
What is it? What is it used for? Who can you talk to? How does it work? What licenses are required and how do I obtain a license? What equipment do I need and how much does it cost? Are there any local clubs or local sources of information and help? Is there a glossary of common ham radio terms?
- Davis County Amateur Radio Club - excellent beginner's guide.
- Shortwave Listening 101 - by Sangean - another beginner's guide.
- Things You Can Do With Ham Radio - a nice, comprehensive list.
- FRS - GMRS - do you know about FRS and GMRS?.
- The DXZone.com - a huge and well organized directory of ham radio links.
- eHam.com - another large directory of ham radio links.
- Birmingham Amateur Radio Club - an active, local club.
- "Now You're Talking" - a recommended 1st book, $14 at Amazon.com.
- W8MHB Amateur Radio Practice Exams - free online practice exams.
- W5YI - resouces for license exams.
- ARRL - American Radio Relay League.
- FCC - Amateur Radio Section - get an FRN, apply for a license, etc.
- What Is A QSL Card? - A good, short explanation.
- NWS Stations Accepting QSL Cards - National Weather Service stations.
- Blount County Amateur Radio Club - Meets monthly in Oneonta, 145.7 MHz.
- Online Morse Code Translator - uses Java.
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Call Sign - a unique call sign is assigned to each amateur station by the FCC.
DXing - making contact with distant or rare amateur (or shortwave) radio station.
FCC - Federal Communications Commission. Regulates radio transmissions.
Ham - any amateur radio operator.
Hertz (Hz) - one cycle per second.
kilo - 10^3 or 1000 ex. 40 KHz = 40,000 cycles/sec.Ionosphere -- a band of the atmosphere that consists of a region of electrically charged (ionized) gases. The ionosphere bends radio waves as they travel through it, "skipping" them to Earth allowing radio waves to travel much farther than line-of-sight.
mega - 10^6 or 1000000 ex. 40 MHz = 40,000,000 cycles/second
giga - 10^9 ex. 40 GHz = 40000000000 cycles/second
Operator Class -- the FCC has 3 levels of licenses for amateur radio operators, from lowest to highest these are: (1) Technician Class (2) General Class and (3) Amateur Extra Class." Most new amateur radio operators start at the Technician Class. The privileges of a Technician Class operator license include operating stations while transmitting on channels in any of 17 frequency bands above 50 MHz with up to 1,500 watts of power. To pass the Technician Class examination, at least 26 questions from a 35 question written examination must be answered correctly. A Technician Class licensee who also has passed a 5 words-per-minute (wpm) telegraphy examination receives privileges in four long distance shortwave bands in the HF range (3-30 MHz)
QSL - to acknowledge receipt or understanding of a radio transmission. Can also be used to indicate the process of sending/receiving cards (QSL CARD) by mail to confirm contact with a radio station.
QSO - any two-way conversation
Radio Frequency Bands -- (click here - use browser's "back" feature to return)
Repeater -- a receiver/transmitter setup used as a "relay" station to increase the range of a radio transmission.
Shack -- the room where a ham operator keeps their equipment a.k.a."radio shack."
SWL -- short wave listener - using a receiver only, i.e. no transmitter. No license required. Can still participate in DXing and some QSL Card requests.
73 - means "best regards"
Sangean
ATS909
Portable SW Radio