| Description |
1 online resource (xv, 430 pages) : black and white illustrations |
| Series |
--For dummies |
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Learning made easy |
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--For dummies.
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Learning made easy.
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| Contents |
Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- My Assumptions about You -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part 1 Getting Started with Ham Radio -- Chapter 1 Getting Acquainted with Ham Radio -- Exploring Ham Radio around the World -- Tuning into Ham Radio -- Using electronics and technology -- Joining the ham radio community -- Radiosport -- Competing with Ham Radio -- Communicating through Ham Radio Contacts -- Ragchews -- Nets -- Citizen Science and HamSCI -- Chapter 2 Getting a Handle on Ham Radio Technology -- Getting to Know Basic Ham Radio Gear -- Building a Basic Ham Radio Station -- Basic stations -- Communication Technologies -- Understanding the Fundamentals of Radio Waves -- Frequency and wavelength -- The radio spectrum -- Dealing with Mother Nature -- Experiencing nature affecting radio waves -- Overcoming radio noise -- Chapter 3 Finding Other Hams: Your Support Group -- Finding and Being a Mentor -- Interacting in Online Communities -- Social media and blogs -- Videos, podcasts, and webinars -- Email reflectors -- Online training and instruction -- Web portals -- Joining Radio Clubs -- Finding and choosing a club -- Participating in meetings -- Getting more involved -- Exploring the ARRL -- ARRL benefits to you -- ARRL benefits to the hobby -- ARRL benefits to the public -- Taking Part in Specialty Groups -- On the Air -- IOTA, SOTA, and POTA -- Young Hams -- YOTA -- Competitive clubs -- Handiham -- AMSAT -- TAPR -- YLRL -- QRP clubs -- Attending Hamfests and Conventions -- Finding and preparing for hamfests -- Finding conventions and conferences -- Part 2 Wading through the Licensing Process -- Chapter 4 Understanding the Licensing System -- Getting Acquainted with the Amateur Service -- FCC rules -- Ham radio frequency allocations |
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Learning about Types of Licenses -- Technician class -- General class -- Amateur Extra class -- Grandfathered classes -- Getting Licensed -- Studying the exam questions -- Taking your license exam -- Volunteer examiner coordinators -- Volunteer examiners -- Receiving Your New Call Sign -- Call-sign prefixes and suffixes -- Class and call sign -- Chapter 5 Preparing for Your License Exam -- Getting a Grip on the Technician Exam -- Finding Study Resources -- Licensing classes -- Books, websites, and videos -- Online practice exams -- Locating Your Mentor -- Chapter 6 Taking the Exam -- Types of Exams -- Public in-person exams -- Remote exams -- Exams at events -- Exam sessions in homes and online -- Finding an Exam Session -- Registering with the Universal Licensing System (ULS) -- Getting to Exam Day -- What to have with you -- What to expect -- What to do after the exam -- Chapter 7 Obtaining Your License and Call Sign -- Completing Your Licensing Paperwork -- Finding Your Call Sign -- Searching the ULS database -- Searching other websites for call signs -- Printing your license -- Identifying with your new privileges -- Picking Your Own Call Sign -- Searching for available call signs -- Applying for a vanity call sign -- Maintaining Your License -- Part 3 Hamming It Up -- Chapter 8 Receiving Signals -- Learning by Listening -- Finding out where to listen -- Understanding how bands are organized -- Using Your Receiver -- Tuning, and scanning with channels -- Continuous tuning with a knob -- Software-controlled tuning -- Listening on VHF and UHF -- Listening on HF -- Using beacon networks and contact maps -- Receiving Signals -- Receiving FM voice -- Receiving SSB voice -- Receiving digital voice -- Receiving digital or data modes -- Receiving Morse code -- Chapter 9 Basic Operating -- Understanding Contacts (QSOs) -- Common parts of contacts |
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Casual contacts -- Nets and talk groups -- On-the-air meetings -- Contests and DXing -- Radiosport -- How contacts get started -- Joining a contact -- Failing to make contact -- During a contact -- Calling CQ -- Casual Conversation -- Ragchewing -- Knowing where to chew -- Identifying a ragchewer -- Calling CQ for a ragchew -- Making Repeater and Simplex Contacts -- Understanding repeater basics -- Making a repeater contact -- Using access control -- Miscellaneous repeater features -- Maximizing your signal -- Setting up your radio -- Making a simplex contact -- Digital Voice Systems -- HF digital voice -- VHF/UHF digital voice -- Digital repeater networks -- The DMR system -- Casual Operating on HF -- HF bands -- Picking good times to operate -- Contacts on CW and digital modes -- Chapter 10 Public Service Operating -- Joining a Public Service Group -- Finding a public service group -- Volunteering for ARES -- Preparing for Emergencies and Disasters -- Knowing who -- Knowing where -- Knowing what -- Knowing how -- Operating in Emergencies and Disasters -- Reporting an accident or other incident -- Making and responding to distress calls -- Providing Public Service -- Weather monitoring and SKYWARN -- Parades and charity events -- Participating in Nets -- Checking in and out -- Exchanging information -- Tactical call signs -- Radio discipline -- Digital Message Networks -- Winlink -- email by radio -- AREDN -- NBEMS -- Chapter 11 Operating Specialties -- Getting Digital -- Digital definitions -- WSJT modes -- fast and slow -- FT8 and FT4 -- PSK31 and PSK63 -- Radioteletype (RTTY) -- Non-WSJT MFSK modes -- PACTOR, ARDOP, and VARA -- Packet radio -- APRS and tracking -- DXing -- Chasing Distant Stations -- VHF/UHF DXing with a Technician license -- HF DXing with a General license -- Taking Part in Radio Contests -- Choosing a contest |
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Operating in a contest -- Chasing Awards -- Finding awards and special events -- Logging contacts for awards -- Applying for awards -- Mastering Morse Code (CW) -- Learning Morse correctly -- Copying the code -- Pounding brass -- sending Morse -- Making code contacts -- QRP (Low Power) and Portable Operating -- Getting started with QRP -- Portable operating -- Direction-finding (ARDF) -- Operating via Satellites -- Getting grounded in satellite basics -- Accessing satellites -- Seeing Things: Image Communication -- Slow-scan television -- Fast-scan television -- Part 4 Building and Operating a Station That Works -- Chapter 12 Getting on the Air -- What Is a Station? -- Planning Your Station -- Deciding what you want to do -- Deciding how to operate -- Choosing a Radio -- Allocating your resources -- Software defined radios -- Radios for VHF and UHF operating -- Radios for HF operating -- Filtering and noise -- Choosing an Antenna -- Beam antennas -- VHF/UHF antennas -- HF antennas -- Feed line and connectors -- Supporting Your Antenna -- Antennas and trees -- Masts and tripods -- Towers -- Rotators -- Station Accessories -- Mikes, keys, and keyers -- Antenna system gadgets -- Digital mode interfaces -- Remote Control Stations -- Remote control rules -- Accessing a remote control station -- Upgrading Your Station -- Chapter 13 Organizing a Home Station -- Designing Your Station -- Keeping a station notebook -- Building in ergonomics -- Viewing some example ham stations -- Building in RF and Electrical Safety -- Electrical safety -- RF exposure -- First aid -- Grounding and Bonding -- AC and DC power -- Lightning -- RF management -- Chapter 14 Computers in Your Ham Station -- What Type of Computers Do Hams Use? -- Windows -- Linux -- Macintosh -- Android and iOS -- Microcontrollers -- What Do Ham Computers Do? -- Software-defined radio |
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WSJT-X and fldigi -- Radio and remote control -- Hardware considerations -- Keeping a Log of Your Contacts -- Paper logging -- Computer logging -- Submitting a contest log -- Confirming Your Contacts -- QSL cards -- QSLing electronically -- Direct QSLing -- Using QSL managers -- Bureaus and QSL services -- Applying for awards -- Chapter 15 Operating Away from Home -- Mobile Stations -- HF mobile radios -- Mobile installations -- Mobile antennas -- Portable Operating -- Portable antennas -- Portable power -- Field Day -- Field Day "gotchas" -- Chapter 16 Hands-On Radio -- Acquiring Tools and Components -- Maintenance tools -- Repair and building tools -- Components for repairs and building -- Maintaining Your Station -- Overall Troubleshooting -- Troubleshooting Your Station -- Power problems -- RF problems -- Operational problems -- Troubleshooting RF Interference -- Dealing with interference to other equipment -- Dealing with interference to your equipment -- Building Equipment from a Kit -- Building Equipment from Scratch -- Part 5 The Part of Tens -- Chapter 17 Ham Radio Jargon -- Say What? -- Spoken Q-signals -- Contesting or Radiosport -- Antenna Varieties -- Feed Lines -- Antenna Tuners -- Repeater Operating -- Grid Squares -- Interference and Noise -- Connector Parts -- Solar and Geomagnetic Activity -- Chapter 18 Technical Fundamentals -- Electrical Units and Symbols -- Ohm's Law -- Power -- Decibels -- Attenuation, Loss, and Gain -- Bandwidth -- Filters -- Antenna Patterns -- Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) -- Battery Characteristics -- Satellite Tracking -- Chapter 19 Tips for Masters -- Listening to Everything -- Learning How It Works -- Following the Protocol -- Keeping Your Axe Sharp -- Practice to Make Perfect -- Paying Attention to Detail -- Knowing What You Don't Know -- Maintaining Radio Discipline -- Make Small Improvements Continuously |
| Summary |
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! |
| Notes |
Includes index (pages 409-430) |
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Online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO, viewed April 8, 2021) |
| Subject |
Radio -- Amateurs' manuals.
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Amateur radio stations.
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Amateur radio stations
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Radio
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| Genre/Form |
Handbooks and manuals
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| ISBN |
9781119695769 |
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1119695767 |
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9781119695615 |
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1119695619 |
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