Amateur Radio Technician Class Element 2 Course Presentation

1
Amateur Radio Technician ClassElement 2 Course
Presentation

• ELEMENT 2 SUBELEMENTS
• T1 - FCC Rules, station license responsibilities
• T2 - Control operator duties
• T3 - Operating practices
• T4 - Radio and electronic fundamentals
• T5 - Station se11tup and operation
• T6 - Communications modes and methods
• T7 - Special operations
• T8 - Emergency and Public Service Communications
• T9 - Radio waves, propagation, and antennas
• T0 - Electrical and RF Safety

2

Operating practices T3A

• Choosing an operating frequency
• You should listen to determine if the frequency
  is busy when selecting a frequency on which to
  transmit.
• Calling CQ
• You indicate you are looking for any station with
  which to make contact by calling CQ followed by
  your callsign.
• The meaning of the procedural signal "CQ" is
  Calling any station.
• The brief statement, simply saying your call
  sign, is often used in place of "CQ" to indicate
  that you are listening for calls on a repeater.
  Dont call CQ on the repeater.

3
Operating practices
T3A

• Calling another station
• If you know the station's call sign, say the
  station's call sign then identify your own
  station when calling another station on a
  repeater.
• You should transmit the other stations callsign
  followed by your callsign when responding to a
  call of CQ.
• You should avoid using cute phrases or word
  combinations to identify your station because
  they are not easily understood by some operators.
• You should use the International
  Telecommunication Union (ITU) phonetic alphabet
  when identifying your station because the words
  are internationally recognized substitutes for
  letters.

4
ITU Phonetic Alphabet
5
Operating practices
T3A

• Test transmissions
• An illegal unidentified transmission includes a
  brief test transmission that does not include any
  station identification.
• An amateur must properly identify the station
  when making a transmission to test equipment or
  antennas.
• Station identification is required at least every
  ten minutes and at the end of every transmission
  even test transmissions

6
Operating practices
T3B

• Use of minimum power
• An amateur must use the minimum transmitter power
  necessary to carry out the desired communication.
• This is the rule for
• Repeaters
• Simplex
• HF
• ANYTHING ELSE

7
Operating practices
T3B

• Band plans
• A band plan is a voluntary guideline, beyond the
  divisions established by the FCC for using
  different operating modes within an amateur band.
• Band Plans are voluntary guidelines for efficient
  use of the radio spectrum.
• The amateur community developed the band plans
  used by amateur radio operators.

8
A Band Plan is a voluntary guideline for using
different operating modes within an amateur band.

• 50.000-50.100 CW - No voice modes allowed per
  FCC section 97.305
• 50.060-50.080 CW/Beacon Subband
• 50.100-50.300 Phone (SSB), etc. (no FM voice)
• 50.100-50.125 DX Window
• 50.300-50.600 All modes (simplex)
  50.600-50.800 Digital modes (e.g. Packet)
  50.800-51.000 Radio Control (R/C)
  51.000-51.100 "Pacific DX window" (SSB/CW)
  51.120-51.480 6 Meter FM Repeater Inputs (areas
  w/500 KHz split) 51.500-51.600 Simplex FM, 6
  channels 51.500, 51.520, 51.540, 51.560, 51.580,
  and 51.600 51.620-51.980 6 Meter FM Repeater
  Outputs (areas w/500 KHz split) 52.000-52.480 6
  Meter FM Repeater Inputs (for 500 KHz and 1 MHz
  split)
• Note 52.525, 52.400, 52.040, and 52.020 are
  widely used for simplex operation with 52.525
  being the "national simplex" frequency.
• 52.500-52.980 6 Meter FM Repeater Outputs
  53.000-53.480 6 Meter FM Repeater Inputs and
  Repeater Outputs 53.500-53.980 6 Meter FM
  Repeater Outputs

9
Operating practices
T3B

• Repeater coordination
• The recognized frequency coordination body is in
  charge of the repeater frequency band plan in
  your local area.
• The main purpose of repeater coordination is to
  reduce interference and promote proper use of
  spectrum.

10
Operating practices
T3B

• Mode restricted sub-bands
• The 6-meter, 2-meter, and 1-1/4-meter bands
  available to Technician class licensees have mode
  restricted sub-bands.
• The only emission mode that is permitted in the
  restricted sub-band at 50.0-50.1 MHz is CW.
• The only emission mode that is permitted in the
  restricted sub-band at 144.0-144.1 MHz is CW.
• The emission modes that are permitted in the
  restricted portion of the 1-1/4-meter band are CW
  and Data.

11
FCC Rules and Station Licensee Responsibilities
T1C

• Authorized frequencies (Technician)
• The frequency, 52.525 MHz, is within the 6-meter
  band.
• The frequency, 146.52 MHz, is within the 2-meter
  band
• The frequency, 223.50 MHz is within the 1.25
  meter band.
• The frequency, 443.350 MHz, is within
  70-centimeter band
• The frequency, 1296 MHz, is within the 23
  Centimeter band
• A good way to figure this out is 300/fBand

12
Operating practices
T3B

• Accountability
• The transmitting station is accountable if a
  repeater station inadvertently retransmits
  communications that violate FCC rules.
• Obscene
• Ciphers not permitted
• Unidentified communications

13
Operating practices
T3C

• Courtesy and respect for others
• The proper way to break into a conversation
  between two stations that are using the frequency
  is to say your call sign between their
  transmissions.
• Proper repeater operating practice
• Monitor before transmitting and keep
  transmissions short
• Identify legally
• Use the minimum amount of transmitter power
  necessary

14
Operating practices
T3C

• Courtesy and respect for others (cont)
• Before responding to another stations call, make
  sure you are operating on a permissible frequency
  for your license class.
• No frequency will be assigned for the exclusive
  use of any station and neither has priority. This
  rule applies when two amateur stations want to
  use the same frequency.
• If you hear a newly licensed operator that is
  having trouble with their station you should
  contact them and offer to help with the problem.
• When circumstances are not specifically covered
  by FCC rules the general operating standard of
  good engineering and good amateur practices must
  be applied to amateur station operation.

15

Operating practices
T3A

• Sensitive subject areas
• Amateur radio operators should avoid the use of
  racial or ethnic slurs when talking to other
  stations because it is offensive to some people
  and reflects a poor public image on all amateur
  radio operators.
• These types of subjects are not prohibited
  communications while using amateur radio
• Political discussions
• Jokes and stories
• Religious preferences

16
Operating practices
T3A

• Obscene and indecent language
• Indecent and obscene language is prohibited in
  the Amateur Service.
• Because it is offensive to some individuals
• Because young children may intercept amateur
  communications with readily available receiving
  equipment
• Because such language is specifically prohibited
  by FCC Rules
• There is no official list of prohibited obscene
  and indecent words that should not be used in
  amateur radio.

17
Operating practices
T3D

• Interference to and from consumer devices
• Receiver front-end overload is the result of
  interference caused by strong signals from a
  nearby source.
• The owner of the television receiver is
  responsible for taking care of the interference
  if signals from your transmitter are causing
  front end overload in your neighbor's television
  receiver.
• A break in (or bad connection to) a cable
  television transmission line may result in TV
  interference when the amateur station is
  transmitting, or interference may occur to the
  amateur receiver.
• The major cause of telephone interference is the
  telephone was not equipped with adequate
  interference protection when manufactured.

18
Operating practices
T3D

• Interference to and from consumer devices (cont)
• Receiver front-end overload is the result of
  interference caused by strong signals from a
  nearby source.

19
Operating practices
T3D

• Intentional and unintentional interference
• You should check your transmitter for off
  frequency operation or spurious emissions if you
  receive a report that your transmissions are
  causing splatter or interference on nearby
  frequencies.
• The proper course of action if you
  unintentionally interfere with another station is
  to properly identify your station and move to a
  different frequency.

20
Operating practices
T3D

• Intentional and unintentional interference (cont)
• You may never deliberately interfere with another
  station's communications.
• No station has exclusive use of any specific
  frequency when the FCC has not declared a
  communication emergency.

• The best way to reduce on the air interference
  when testing your transmitter is to use a dummy
  load when testing.

21
Operating practices
T3D

• Public relations
• RACES and ARES have in common the fact that both
  organizations provide communications during
  emergencies.

• FCC rules apply to your station when using
  amateur radio at the request of public service
  officials or at the scene of an emergency.

22
Amateur Radio Technician ClassElement 2Course
Presentation

• ELEMENT 2 SUBELEMENTS
• T1 - FCC Rules, station license responsibilities
• T2 - Control operator duties
• T3 - Operating practices
• T4 - Radio and electronic fundamentals
• T5 - Station setup and operation
• T6 - Communications modes and methods
• T7 - Special operations
• T8 - Emergency and Public Service Communications
• T9 - Radio waves, propagation, and antennas
• T0 - Electrical and RF Safety

23
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A

• Names of electrical units DC and AC
• Electrical current is measured in the following
  units
• Amperes
• The name for the flow of electrons in an electric
  circuit is
• Current
• The name for a current that flows only in one
  direction is
• Direct Current (DC)

24
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A

• Names of electrical units DC and AC
• Electrical Power is measured in the following
  units
• Watt
• The standard unit of frequency is
• Hertz
• The basic unit of resistance is
• Ohm
• The name for current that reverses direction on a
  regular basis is
• Alternating Current (AC)

25
Multimeter(s)
Multimeters will measure Voltage, Current and
Resistance. Be sure it is set properly to read
what is being measured. If it is set to the ohms
setting and voltage is measured the meter could
be damaged!
26
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A

• Conductors and insulators (cont)
• Copper is a good electrical conductor.
• Glass is a good electrical insulator.
• The term used to describe opposition to current
  flow in ordinary conductors such as wires is
  Resistance.

27
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A

• Conductors and insulators
• Conductors
• Gold
• Silver
• Copper
• Aluminum
• (Most Metals)
• Insulators
• Air
• Rubber
• Plastic
• Ceramic

28
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A

• Two types of electricity
• Direct Current - flows in 1 direction
• Battery
• 1.5 to 2.5 volts per cell
• Car battery nominally 12 volts
• Measured strictly by amplitude
• Alternating Current - alternates direction
• Household
• Measured by
• Average Amplitude
• Frequency (cycles per second)(Hertz)

29
Alternating Direct Current
V
DC
0V
AC
V-
time
30
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A

• Electrical components
• An automobile battery usually supplies about 12
  volts DC.
• An Ammeter is an instrument used to measure the
  flow of current in an electrical circuit.
• A Voltmeter is an instrument used to measure
  Electromotive Force (EMF)
• between two points such as the poles of a battery.

31
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A
Ammeter
Power Supply
Transceiver
32
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A
Ohmmeter
33
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4A
Voltmeter
Power Supply
Transceiver
34
Meter Excercise
What circuit quantity would meter A indicate?
R
Battery voltage
What circuit quantity would meter B indicate?
The current flowing through the resistor
35
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4B

• Relationship between frequency and wavelength
• Wavelength is the term used for the distance a
  radio wave travels during one complete cycle.
• The term Frequency describes the number of times
  that an alternating current flows back and forth
  per second.
• Hertz is the unit of Frequency
• Sixty (60) hertz (Hz) means 60 cycles per second.

36
The Relationship of Frequency and Wavelength

• The distance a radio wave travels in
• one cycle is called wavelength.

V
One Cycle
0V
time
V-
One Wavelength
37
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4B

• Relationship between frequency and wavelength
• The wavelength gets shorter as the frequency
  increases.
• Wavelength in meters equals 300 divided by
  frequency in megahertz.
• A radio wave travels through space at the speed
  of light.

38
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4B

• Identification of bands
• The property of a radio wave often used to
  identify the different bands amateur radio
  operators use is the physical length of the wave.
• The frequency range of the 2-meter band in the
  United States is 144 to 148 MHz.
• The frequency range of the 6-meter band in the
  United States is 50 to 54 MHz.
• The frequency range of the 70-centimeter band in
  the United States is 420 to 450 MHz.

39
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4B

• Names of frequency ranges, types of waves
• Voice frequencies are sound waves in the range
  between 300 and 3000 Hertz.
• Electromagnetic waves that oscillate more than
  20,000 times per second as they travel through
  space are generally referred to as Radio waves.

40
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4C

• How radio works receivers, transmitters,
  transceivers, amplifiers, power supplies, types
  of batteries, service life

A Receiver is used to convert radio signals into
sounds we can hear. A Transmitter is used to
convert sounds from our voice into radio
signals. A Receiver and Transmitter are two
devices combined into one unit in a transceiver.
41
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4C

• How radio works receivers, transmitters,
  transceivers, amplifiers, power supplies, types
  of batteries, service life (cont)

A Power Supply is the device used to convert the
alternating current from a wall outlet into
low-voltage direct current. An Amplifier is a
device used to increase the output of a 10 watt
radio to 100 watts.
42
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4C

• How radio works receivers, transmitters,
  transceivers, amplifiers, power supplies, types
  of batteries, service life (cont)

A Lithium-ion battery offers the longest life
when used with a hand-held radio, when comparing
battery types of the same physical size. The
nominal voltage per cell of a fully charged
nickel-cadmium battery is 1.2 volts. A
Carbon-zinc battery is not designed to be
re-charged.
43
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4C

• How radio works receivers, transmitters,
  transceivers, amplifiers, power supplies, types
  of batteries, service life (cont)
• In order to keep rechargeable batteries in good
  condition and ready for emergencies
• They must be inspected for physical damage and
  replaced if necessary
• They should be stored in a cool and dry location
• They must be given a maintenance recharge at
  least every 6 months
• All of these answers are correct
• The best way to get the most amount of energy
  from a battery is to draw current from the
  battery at the slowest rate needed.

44
Ohms Law
Electromotive Force, VOLTS
The flow of Electrons, AMPERES
Resistance to current flow, OHMS
45
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4D

• Ohms law relationships
• The formula, Voltage (E) equals current (I)
  multiplied by resistance (R).
  E IR
• The formula, Current (I) equals voltage (E)
  divided by resistance (R).
  I E/R
• The formula, Resistance (R) equals voltage (E)
  divided by current (I).
  R E/I

46
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4D

• Ohms law relationships (cont)
• If I3 amperes and E90 volts.
• R E/I R 90/3 30
• If E12 volts and I1.5 amperes.
• R E/I R 12/1.5 8
• If E120 volts and R80 ohms.
• I E/R I 120/80 1.5

47
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4D

• Ohms law relationships (cont)
• If a current of 0.5 amperes flows through a 2 ohm
  resistor.
• EIR E 0.5 2 1 volt
• If a current of 1 ampere flows through a 10 ohm
  resistor.
• EIR E 1 10 10 volts
• If a current of 2 amperes flows through a 10 ohm
  resistor.
• EIR E 2 10 20 volts
• Current through a 100 ohm resistor across 200
  volts.
• IE/R I 200/100 2 amperes
• Current through a 24 ohm resistor across 240
  volts.
• IE/R I 240/24 10 amperes

48
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4D

• Ohms law relationships (cont)
• If a current of 0.5 amperes flows through a 2 ohm
  resistor.
• EIR E 0.5 2 1 volt
• If a current of 1 ampere flows through a 10 ohm
  resistor.
• EIR E 1 10 10 volts
• If a current of 2 amperes flows through a 10 ohm
  resistor.
• EIR E 2 10 20 volts
• Current through a 100 ohm resistor across 200
  volts.
• IE/R I 200/100 2 amperes
• Current through a 24 ohm resistor across 240
  volts.
• IE/R I 240/24 10 amperes

49
Power
Power is measured in Watts
P E x I
Ohms law states E I x R
So, for this circuit, the power consumed in the
resistor can be calculated by multiplying the
value of the resistor times the square of the
reading of Meter B.
50
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4E

• Power calculations
• The unit used to describe electrical power is the
  Watt.
• The formula Power (P) equals voltage (E)
  multiplied by current (I).
  
  P I E

51
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4E

• Power calculations (cont)
• How much power is represented by a voltage of
  13.8 volts DC and a current of 10 amperes.
• P I E P 10 13.8 138 watts
• How much power is being used in a circuit when
  the voltage is 120 volts DC and the current is
  2.5 amperes.
• P I E P 2.5 120 300 watts

52
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4E

• Power calculations (cont)
• You can you determine how many watts are being
  drawn consumed by your transceiver when you are
  transmitting by measuring the DC voltage at the
  transceiver and multiplying by the current drawn
  when you transmit.
• How many amperes is flowing in a circuit when the
  applied voltage is 120 volts DC and the load is
  1200 watts.
• I P/E I 1200/120 10 amperes.

53
Metric Prefixes

• Metric Exponent English
• Tera 1012 Trillion
• Giga 109 Billion
• Mega 106 Million
• Kilo 103 Thousand
• Centi 10-2 Hundredth
• Milli 10-3 Thousandth
• Micro 10-6 Millionth
• Nano 10-9 Billionth
• Pico 10-12 Trillionth

54
Radio and electronic fundamentals T4

• Units, kilo, mega, milli, micro
• One thousand volts is equal to one kilovolt.
• Another way to specify the frequency of a radio
  signal that is oscillating at 1,500,000 Hertz is
  1500 kHz
• or 1.5 megahertz
• 1500 milliamperes is the same as 1.5 amperes.
• A hand-held transceiver that has an output power
  of 500 milliwatts can otherwise be said to output
  0.5 watts.
• One one-millionth of a volt is equal to one
  microvolt.