AY Honors/Radio/Answer Key

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1. Pass a test and receive your license for the Technical Class Amateur Radio License
OR

Technician Class Amateur Radio License.

In order to earn the Technician Class Amateur Radio License, an operator must pass a 35 question exam administered by a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC). No morse code is required for the Technician Class, but knowledge of FCC regulations and electronics are essential. Study the material presented below, and when you feel you are ready, look over the question pool and take some practice tests:

When you can consistently pass the practice tests, chances are good that you will be able to pass the real deal. All you need to do when you are ready is find an amatuer license examination session near you. This website will help you locate one:

Now, let's learn about Amateur Radio!

FCC Rules, station license responsibilities

Amateur Radio

The FCC Rules and Regulations for the "Amateur Radio Service" is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations under Title 47, Part 97. Part 97 is the FCC's regulations for all amateur (ham) radio operations. The link for Part 97 is as follows: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_06/47cfr97_06.html

Control operator duties

By definition of Part 97.3, a control operator is defined as "An amateur operator designated by the licensee of a station to be responsible for the transmissions from that station to assure compliance with the FCC Rules."

The control operator must be a lisenced operator who's license apears in the ULS consolidated licensee database or be "authorized for alien reciprocal operation by §97.107 of part 97."

The control operator is required to monitor transmissions, repair (or have repaired) any equipment that is causing harmful interference, and make sure the transmitting station complies with the rules and regulations set out by the FCC.

A control operator does not have to be the person transmitting, nor does he even have to be in the room to control the radio (If he or she has the ability of remote operation of the station, that is). However, the control operator must be aware of every aspect of the station at all times. This includes: transmission frequency, power/ output of transmission, radio etiquette, etc.

Operating Practices

It is important that you be polite when talking "on the air." Anyone can listen to your conversations. Don't use inappropriate language (like swearing), don't be insulting, and don't cut other people off. Allow others to join conversations. If it is a personal conversation, maybe you should be communicating via a more secure/ private method.

Other things that you should consider when "on the air" is your power settings, repeater use, and frequency usage. If you are talking on a frequency and someone else starts using the same frequency, don't increase your power until only you and your contact can talk. Be courteous and forgiving, move to a different frequency. You may find that some frequencies have priorities assigned to them. For example, the repeater or frequency that you are using is also used by a group of hams that dedicate some of their time to emergency communications. They have been given priority in message traffic when dealing with an emergency or emergency practice sessions. They have been given the primary assignment for that frequency during those events. Should you find them using the repeater or frequency during an official event, move to a different frequency or repeater. At all other times you, as a secondary user, may use the repeater or frequency without hindrance. Also when using a repeater to talk to someone, see if you can communicate without using the repeater. If so, please move to a frequency other than the repeater. If you cannot communicate without using the repeater, that is alright. The repeater was created for that very purpose (to allow people to communicate over farther distances).

Radio and electronic fundamentals

Ohm's Law

A voltage source, V, drives an electric current, I , through resistor, R, the three quantities obeying Ohm's law: V = IR.

Ohm's law states that, in an electrical circuit, the current passing through a conductor between two points is proportional to the potential difference (i.e. voltage drop or voltage) across the two points, and inversely proportional to the resistance between them. In mathematical terms, this is written as:

[math]\displaystyle{ I = \frac {V}{R} }[/math]

where I is the current in amperes, V is the potential difference in volts, and R is a constant, measured in ohms, called the resistance. The potential difference is also known as the voltage drop, and is sometimes denoted by E or U instead of V.

Impedance

Electrical impedance, or simply impedence, describes a measure of opposition to a sinusoidal alternating current (AC). Electrical impedance extends the concept of resistance to AC circuits, describing not only the relative magnitudes of the voltage and current, but also the relative phases. In general impedance is a complex quantity [math]\displaystyle{ \scriptstyle{\tilde{Z}} }[/math] and the term complex impedance may be used interchangeably; the polar form conveniently captures both magnitude and phase characteristics,

[math]\displaystyle{ \tilde{Z} = Z e^{j\theta} \quad }[/math]

where the magnitude [math]\displaystyle{ \scriptstyle{Z} }[/math] gives the change in voltage amplitude for a given current amplitude, while the argument [math]\displaystyle{ \scriptstyle{\theta} }[/math] gives the phase difference between voltage and current. In Cartesian form,

[math]\displaystyle{ \tilde{Z} = R + j\Chi \quad }[/math]

where the real part of impedance is the resistance [math]\displaystyle{ \scriptstyle{R} }[/math] and the imaginary part is the reactance [math]\displaystyle{ \scriptstyle{\Chi} }[/math]. Dimensionally, impedance is the same as resistance; the SI unit is the ohm. The term impedance was coined by Oliver Heaviside in July 1886.

Resistive
Capacitive
Reactive

Power

Passive circuits

Active circuits

Station setup and operation

Amateur Radio station setup


Communication modes and methods

Special operations

Emergency and Public Service Communications

Radio waves, propagation, and antennas

Amateur Radio antenna


Electrical and RF safety

References