communications: radio basics handheld radios

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?

communications: radio basics handheld radios

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