Radio Badge

1
Radio Badge

• Merit Badge University 2005
• Alpha Phi Omega

2
Introduction to Radio

• What is radio?
• Difference between broadcast radio hobby radio?
• What is two-way communication?

• Radio is a way of sending information from one
  place to another
• Broadcast radio is 1-way communication where you
  can only hear but cannot reply
• Hobby radio is CB radio
• Two-way communication is where you can send and
  receive messages

3
Call Signs

• Allow radio operators to identify themselves
• Assigned by the FCC and unique to each station
  area
• First letter indicates the country the second
  will be another letter then a number which tells
  where the station was licensed and the last
  letters are assigned at random
• In Cape Girardeau, a sample call sign would be
  NJ0578 (N for United States and 0 for Missouri)
• Page 42-43 in your book shows a map of call sign
  assignments

4
Phonetics

• Used when stations are hard to hear because the
  signal is low or there is static
• Operators use phonetics to make themselves heard
• Each letter has a word assigned to it
• My name would be Echo Romeo India November in
  phonetics
• Spell your name in phonetics, refer to page 44

5
How Radio Waves Travel

• Radio waves travel similar to how light from
  light bulbs travel. Does anyone have any idea
  how they travel locally and around the world?

6
Locally vs. Around the World

• Locally, if the antennas can see each other,
  there is a direct signal
• The AM radio band is an example of a direct
  signal
• Think of light bulbs in a room

• When the antennas cannot see each other, the
  waves are transmitted by bouncing through the
  ionosphere in the sky.
• Stations traveling around the world are referred
  to as DX because they are further away
• Page 15 in your book shows an example, use that
  to draw your own

7
WWV and WWVH

• WWV is in Colorado
• WWVH is in Hawaii
• What do they do?
• They keep radio stations in check by assuring
  listeners they have proper propagation
• Propagation is the ability of radio waves to
  travel from one place to another

8
Electromagnetic Spectrum

• Radio communications occur between 100 kilohertz
  and 1,000 megahertz
• Page 17 of your book has a sample diagram of the
  radio frequencies spectrum
• Lets learn more about the electromagnetic
  spectrum

9
Metric System Ranges

• Radio uses a metric prefix to show how many 0
  you need to add
• Kilo (1,000) add 3
• 100 kilohertz is the same as 100,000 hertz
• Mega (million) add 6
• 100 megahertz is the same as 100,000,000 hertz
• Page 16 in your book has other prefixes we are
  not dealing with

• Low frequency
• 30-300 kilohertz
• Medium frequency
• 300-3000 kilohertz
• High frequency or shortwave
• 3-30 megahertz
• Very high frequency
• 30-300 megahertz
• Ultra high frequency
• 300-3000 megahertz

10
Diagram

• Use page 17 as a guide and draw the
  electromagnetic spectrum
• Locate
• Medium frequency
• High frequency
• Very high frequency
• Ultra high frequency
• Microwave portions
• 8 radio services (AM, FM, CB, TV, Amateur, and
  Police)

11
FCC ITU

• Federal Communications Commission-1934
• Formed after the Federal Radio Commission
• Purpose is to assign radio frequencies and
  license people and groups who transmit radio
  signals

• International Telecommunication Union
• Assigns radio bands to one or more radio service
  or type of user
• Also police the radio bands

12
Carry Information via Radio

• DJ talks into a microphone
• Transmitter picks up the energy and combines it
  with the radio frequency
• Amplifier makes signal more powerful
• Signal sent to the antenna for transmission
• Transmitting antenna sends signal to the
  receiving antenna
• Transceiver combines the transmitter and receiver

13
Safety Precautions

• 2 MOST IMPORTANT
• Never touch grounded metal or wet floors when you
  are working on radio equipment this could cause
  a dangerous shock
• Always keep 1 hand in your pocket then there is
  no possibility of getting a direct shock from
  touching a hot point. It stops electricity from
  traveling across your chest and causing a heart
  attack

14
Block vs. Schematic Diagram

• Both drawings show how an electrical circuit
  works
• Block diagram uses blocks to show the different
  parts
• This is shown on page 13 of your merit badge book
• Schematic diagram uses symbols to take the place
  of actual drawings of the electrical parts
• Take time now to draw a block diagram, using the
  one on page 13 as a guide

15
Circuits

• Open
• There is no current flowing through the circuit
• Closed
• The current flows correctly through its path
• Short
• Current does not flow through its proper course
  it tries to take another route and is often too
  high and burns up the wire

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More on Schematic Diagrams

• What the parts do
• FuseProtects the unit from getting too hot
• Acts like a circuit breaker
• Antennatransmits and receives radio signal
• Batteriesgives the station and radio power
• Resistorslows down the current flowing through
  the circuit
• Capacitorblocks the direct current but allows
  the alternating current through a circuit
• NPN/PNPCommon types of transistors
• Transistors are like a water faucet controls the
  flow of electrons through the circuit
• Triode Tube
• Variable Resistors and Capacitorsthere value can
  change

17
Draw the Parts

• Pages 20-29 have the parts shown on the side of
  the page

18
Amateur Radio Option

• Technician Class License
• 35 questions on radio rules, operating practices,
  and basic electricity
• Receive full amateur privileges including ability
  to transmit on repeaters on the popular 2-meter
  band
• Given by volunteer examiners over age 18 and not
  related

• Amateur Radio is a gateway to the world for
  1,000s of people
• Practice motto Be Prepared
• Simulated Emergency Tests
• Public Service Announcements for non-profit
  organizations

19
Q Signals

• 3 letter combinations starting with the letter
  Q
• Meanings set by international agreement
• Page 46-47 list the various Q signals
• Good evening
• Best regards young lady
• Thanks, see you later
• Try sending morse code with your left foot now
• Decode page 48, if time

20
Morse Code

• Dit Di-dah-dit Di-dit Dah-dit Di-dit Di-di-dit
  Di-di-di-dit Dit Di-dah-dit Dit
• Anybody know what that means?
• Refer to page 19 in your book
• Morse code is a secret language produced by
  interrupting the continuous wave signal from a
  transmitter to form the dots and dashes
• The short and loud sounds are formed when the
  switch opens or closes the electrical circuit

21
QSL Cards Log Books

• Radio operators like to send a QSL card to the
  other operator to confirm the conversation
• The cards then go into a log book where operators
  keep notes about interesting things they talked
  about
• On all cards
• Your call sign the other contacts call sign
• Time, date frequency
• Mode
• Radio signal report

22
More on Amateur Radio

• Why the FCC has an amateur license
• Helped in times of emergency
• Increase number of electronics expert
• Improve goodwill with other countries
• Assist with emergency communications
• To experiment with radio communications

• Emergency calls
• Voice
• Mayday
• SOS
• Morse Code
• SOS
• Di-di-dit Dah-dah-dah Di-di-dit

23
Transceivers Repeaters

• Handheld transceivers
• Allow you to receive messages when you are by
  yourself
• Home base stations
• Radios set up on a desk or a table an antenna
  feed line comes in through a window
• Mobile/hand-held radios
• HT or Handie Talkie
• allow you to communicate with others when youre
  driving, walking, hiking, etc.
• Repeaters
• Picks up the signal when youre using your
  handheld radio and allows you to talk to someone
  from further away

24
Wrap-Up

• Weve gone through all requirements except radio
  station visit
• Hope you all had fun and learned about radio