Respond to the call of ham radio

Despite its old-school reputation, amateur radio is on the rise, and the airwaves are busier than ever. That's no surprise: being a ham is a lot of fun, providing an independent way to keep in touch with friends, family, and new acquaintances around the world--and even beyond with its ability to connect with the International Space Station! Hams are also good in a crisis, keeping communications alive and crackling during extreme weather events and loss of communications until regular systems like cell phones and the internet are restored. Additionally, it's enjoyable for good, old-fashioned tech geek reasons--fiddling with circuits and bouncing signals off the ionosphere just happens to give a lot of us a buzz!

If one or more of these benefits is of interest to you, then good news: the new edition of Ham Radio For Dummies covers them all! In his signature friendly style, longtime ham Ward Silver (Call Sign NØAX)--contributing editor with the American Radio Relay League--patches you in on everything from getting the right equipment and building your station (it doesn't have to be expensive) to the intricacies of Morse code and Ohm's law. In addition, he coaches you on how to prepare for the FCC-mandated licensing exam and tunes you up for ultimate glory in the ham radio hall of fame as a Radiosport competitor! With this book, you'll learn to:

• Set up and organize your station
• Communicate with people around the world
• Prep for and pass the FCC exam

• Tune into the latest tech, such as digital mode operating

  Whether you're looking to join a public service club or want the latest tips on the cutting edge of ham technology, this is the perfect reference for newbies and experts alike--and will keep you happily hamming it up for years!

  Autorentext

  Ward Silver, NØAX, has been a ham since 1972 when he ear­ned his Novice license. Ward is the lead editor for the ARRL Radio Handbook and the ARRL ­Antenna Book. He is the author of the ARRL License Manuals and several other books on ham radio topics.

  Klappentext

  Respond to the call of ham radio Despite its old-school reputation, amateur radio is on the rise, and the airwaves are busier than ever. That's no surprise: being a ham is a lot of fun, providing an independent way to keep in touch with friends, family, and new acquaintances around the world--and even beyond with its ability to connect with the International Space Station! Hams are also good in a crisis, keeping communications alive and crackling during extreme weather events and loss of communications until regular systems like cell phones and the internet are restored. Additionally, it's enjoyable for good, old-fashioned tech geek reasons--fiddling with circuits and bouncing signals off the ionosphere just happens to give a lot of us a buzz! If one or more of these benefits is of interest to you, then good news: the new edition of Ham Radio For Dummies covers them all! In his signature friendly style, longtime ham Ward Silver (Call Sign NØAX)--contributing editor with the American Radio Relay League--patches you in on everything from getting the right equipment and building your station (it doesn't have to be expensive) to the intricacies of Morse code and Ohm's law. In addition, he coaches you on how to prepare for the FCC-mandated licensing exam and tunes you up for ultimate glory in the ham radio hall of fame as a Radiosport competitor! With this book, you'll learn to: Set up and organize your station Communicate with people around the world Prep for and pass the FCC exam Tune into the latest tech, such as digital mode operating Whether you're looking to join a public service club or want the latest tips on the cutting edge of ham technology, this is the perfect reference for newbies and experts alike--and will keep you happily hamming it up for years!

  Inhalt

  Introduction 1

  About This Book 1

  My Assumptions about You 2

  Icons Used in This Book 3

  Beyond the Book 3

  Where to Go from Here 4

  Part 1: Getting Started with Ham Radio 5

  Chapter 1: Getting Acquainted with Ham Radio 7

  Exploring Ham Radio around the World 8

  Tuning into Ham Radio 9

  Using electronics and technology 10

  Joining the ham radio community 12

  Radiosport - Competing with Ham Radio 15

  Communicating through Ham Radio Contacts 16

  Ragchews 17

  Nets 17

  Citizen Science and HamSCI 18

  Chapter 2: Getting a Handle on Ham Radio Technology 21

  Getting to Know Basic Ham Radio Gear 21

  Building a Basic Ham Radio Station 23

  Basic stations 23

  Communication Technologies 26

  Understanding the Fundamentals of Radio Waves 28

  Frequency and wavelength 29

  The radio spectrum 30

  Dealing with Mother Nature 32

  Experiencing nature affecting radio waves 32

  Overcoming radio noise 33

  Chapter 3: Finding Other Hams: Your Support Group 35

  Finding and Being a Mentor 36

  Interacting in Online Communities 37

  Social media and blogs 37

  Videos, podcasts, and webinars 38

  Email reflectors 39

  Online training and instruction 40

  Web portals 41

  Joining Radio Clubs 41

  Finding and choosing a club 42

  Participating in meetings 44

  Getting more involved 45

  Exploring the ARRL 46

  ARRL benefits to you 47

  ARRL benefits to the hobby 48

  ARRL benefits to the public 49

  Taking Part in Specialty Groups 50

  On the Air - IOTA, SOTA, and POTA 50

  Young Hams - YOTA 51

  Competitive clubs 51

  Handiham 52

  AMSAT 53

  TAPR 54

  YLRL 55

  QRP clubs 56

  Attending Hamfests and Conventions 57

  Finding and preparing for hamfests 57

  Buying equipment at hamfests 58

  Finding conventions and conferences 59

  Part 2: Wading through the Licensing Process 63

  Chapter 4: Understanding the Licensing System 65

  Getting Acquainted with the Amateur Service 66

  FCC rules 66

  Ham radio frequency allocations 67

  Learning about Types of Licenses 69

  Technician class 70

  General class 70

  Amateur Extra class 70

  Grandfathered classes 71

  Getting Licensed 72

  Studying the exam questions 72

  Taking your license exam 72

  Volunteer examiner coordinators 73

  Volunteer examiners 73

  Receiving Your New Call Sign 74

  Call-sign prefixes and suffixes 74

  Class and call sign 75

  Chapter 5: Preparing for Your License Exam 77

  Getting a Grip on the Technician Exam 77

  Finding Study Resources 78

  Licensing classes 79

  Books, websites, and videos 80

  Online practice exams 82

  Locating Your Mentor 82

  Chapter 6: Taking the Exam 85

  Types of Exams 86

  Public in-person exams 86

  Remote exams 86

  Exams at events 87

  Exam sessions in homes and online 87

  Finding an Exam Session 88

  Registering with the Universal Licensing System (ULS) 88

  Getting to Exam Day 90

  What to have with you 91

  What to expect 91

  What to do after the exam 93

  Chapter 7: Obtaining Your License and Call Sign 95

  Completing Your Licensing Paperwork 95

  Finding Your Call Sign 98

  Searching the ULS database 98

  Searching other websites for call signs 99

  Printing your license 100

  Identifying with your new privileges 101

  Picking Your Own Call Sign 101

  Searching for available call signs 102

  Applying for a vanity call sign 103

  Maintaining Your License 104

  Part 3: Hamming It Up 105

  Chapter 8: Receiving Signals 107

  Learning by Listening 107

  Finding out where to listen 108

  Understanding how bands are organized 109

  Using Your Receiver 110

  Tuning and scanning with channels 112

  Continuous tuning with a knob 113

  Software-controlled tuning 114

  Listening on VHF and UHF 115

  Listening on HF 116

  Using beacon networks and contact maps 118

  Receiving Signals 121

  Receiving FM voice 121

  Receiving SSB voice 125

  Receiving digital voice 127

  Receiving digital or data modes 128

  Receiving Morse code 131

  Chapter 9: Basic Operating 133 …