Licensed - Now What Getting on the Air

So Many Choices Where to start? Talk Local –Like fishing in the local pond. Talk Global –Like fishing in the ocean Well, what do you want to do?

Talk Local - The VHF Bands From 6 meters and up Repeaters offer predictable access Lots of Public Service activities Start on 2 Meter FM Fast - instant gratification with a handheld Equipment is compact, transportable, available Antennas are physically small and simple Local coverage is excellent with repeaters

Talk Global – The HF Bands The HF Bands From 160 to 6 meters Access depends on time of day, season, and conditions of propagation Patience (like fishing) Size matters (Antenna) Equipment sizes from compact to racks Stationary, portable and mobile Antenna size and efficiency are linked (it’s a physics thing) Local to world wide coverage ( sometimes)

Not sure where to start? Then just ask another amateur operator if you could observe and perhaps operate their station. Real hams love to show off their setup and help a newcomer to get started. Most of us got started at the mic of a fellow ham and got over “first call jitters” under their helpful tutelage. Try out the various bands, ask about their first station and evolution to the current setup.

Guidelines to a Basic Plan Join a club and get connected with the active amateurs in your area. –You’re here – good start! Start small, get some operating experience and exposure to the many facets of amateur radio. Decide what to focus on first. Let’s pick a band!

Choose your Band- 80 M 3.5 MHz (80 meters): local only during the day, most active at night, late afternoons and early mornings. Reliable contacts up to 500 km, with occasional contacts up to 3000 km. Dipoles need at least 30 meters of yard space and be high above ground for long distance contacts.

Choose your Band – 40 M 7 MHz (40 meters): Consistently active during mornings, daytime and afternoon. Less evening activity than 80 meters. Reliable contacts up to 1000 km, long range international DX during low sunspot numbers. Dipoles need 15 meters of yard space and mount as high as you can reasonably manage.

Choose your Band – 20 M 14 MHz, the most popular DX band. Active morning through evening and around the clock with high sunspot activity. Ranges from a several hundred Kms to worldwide. Simple wire antennas need 10 meters of yard space. Beams become practical.

Choose your Band – 15 M 21 MHz (15 metres): Provides daytime inter provincial and international contacts during high sunspot years. –Low and sporadic contact now. Dipole wire antenna with 8 meters of yard space. If you have a 40 M dipole it will work on 15 M as well but may need a tuner. Beams size is reasonable for small yard.

Choose your Band – 10 M 28 MHz (10 meters): Provides daytime local, provincial and international contacts during high sunspot years. Again, little activity now. FM repeaters are available in some areas. Antennas become quite compact and beam turning radius is of the order of 4 meters.

Choose your Band – 2 M 144 MHz (2 meters): Active morning to night in the larger cities. Good clear local coverage. FM transmit range is typically 20 to 50 km with longer range during temperature inversions. SSB or repeaters extend range up to 150 km. Internet linking in some areas. Mast or pole required for vertical or beam antenna.

Band Choice - Considerations Where are we in the sunspot cycle? –Currently at a sunspot minimum. This favours the higher bands (20, 40, 80) if DX is your interest. –20 M is spotty right now but improving. How much space do I have for outside antennas, where can I hang wire or plant poles? –Size and location matter. –20 M might be a good place to start: Antenna size and height can fit in most residential yards. Supporting masts for simple antennas can be acquired and made from retail hardware stores. Your other half, the landlord, the neighbours, the city? –Spousal support is a good thing. The hobby takes time and money. You also have to live within the limitations of your location, your neighbour’s aesthetic perceptions and the bylaws.

Building a Station The essentials: a rig, an antenna system and a space to operate from. The Rig’s the thing. –That is what the manufacturer’s claim, but then they’re in the game for the $$$$. Turns out, the Antenna system is the thing. –Pretty much … and lucky for us because we can still make them. The operators position –From the garage to a basement corner or an unused closet or your own room. Start small and evolve.

The first Rig: HF, VHF or Both Considerations: –What is your interest or initial focus? DX, rag chewing, public service events or emergency preparedness. –What is your budget? Hundreds or thousands? –Is mobility or portability a requirement? Again back to your interests or primary focus. –Do you have antenna restrictions? Big, small, short, tall, visible or stealth.

Getting the First Rig -Choices Buy new, used or build – If you are just getting started then building is probably not an option. New – New provides opportunities for the latest and greatest and the comfort of a warranty. The operational learning curve varies from plug and play to being an IT guru. Used –Used provides a lower cost startup with perhaps fewer bells and whistles and less assured support. However lots of operational history and performance experience is readily available on the Internet.

Sourcing the New Ham stuff New Rigs and Accessories, Local NTF Communications: New Rigs and Accessories Canada: –Radioworld: –Durham Radio: –Muir Communications: –Burnaby Radio: –Com-West radio systems: –Elkel:

Sourcing the New Ham stuff Antenna systems and materials –Previous slide plus Maple Leaf Communications: MacFarlane Electronics: Trylon (towers):

Sourcing the Used Ham stuff Flea Markets. Buy local – there’s one next month. Ontario Swap shop: Lots of US based outlets –QTH.com: swap.qth.com/ –QRZ.com:

Get the Antenna up Horizontal or Vertical? –Both will do the job and each has its advantages and shortcomings. The horizontal half wave dipole. Its simple to design and make and can even live in the attic. –3 insulators, a half wavelength of wire on the band of interest and a transmission line and its ready to hang. –If you can get it a half wavelength above the ground its even great for DX. –It does not have to be in a straight line or kept level. –3 tall supports and it’s a flat top. 1 tall and 2 short and its an inverted V.

Get the Antenna UP The vertical, it’s just a half wave dipole on end. The radiating element is only ¼ wavelength and is mounted perpendicular to and physically and electrically above the ground. On the 20 Meter band the radiator is only 5 meters tall. The earth provides the other half (the return path) of the antenna and is 100% efficient if the ground is salt water. Land lubbers need to improve the return path of their ground and do so by adding horizontal wires in a radial pattern from the base of the antenna along or slightly below ground level. And, the more the merrier is the rule.

From the Rig to the Antenna The interconnecting piece is the Transmission Line. It transports the RF energy to and from the rig and the antenna. For transmitting, it can be thought of as a kind of hose for RF energy, connecting the pump (transceiver) to the sprinkler head (antenna). Ditto for receiving except the antenna is now the source (pump) for the RF energy.

The Match: that SWR thing The transmission line interconnects the RF source (transmitter or antenna) and the RF sink (receiver or antenna). To do its job efficiently the line’s electrical (RF) characteristics, need to match the needs of the source and the sink. It’s a 3 way relationship and works best when they all line up. SWR speak 1:1 When there is a mismatch SWR climbs, heat is generated and efficiency suffers. Solid state transmitters “can’t stand the heat” at SWR values much above 2:1 and tend to decrease their output to survive.

Mismatch – High SWR Can occur anywhere in the system but is most common at the point where the transmission line meets the antenna. Antennas are designed with a planned match condition in mind. However, there are so many variables in the installation that reality often trumps design. When a mismatch occurs, as indicated by a high SWR, you have 2 basic choices: One makes the rig happy, the other makes the most use of the power delivered from the rig.

Matching the Mismatch The use of an antenna tuner at the output of the rig enables a match between it and the transmission line. –Rig is happy but …. – transmission line becomes lossy and some RF energy is converted to heat. An antenna tuner at the rig is not tuning the antenna. Its matching the line to the rig. The use of a tuner or more likely a tuner network at the antenna enables a match at the antenna and everybody is happy provided the transmission line matches the rig. –For a fixed frequency or narrow frequency spread this is the way to go but not so easy for a broad banded antenna requirement.

Getting on the air – The Most Important Strategy Ask for Help While the original amateurs had to have the dedication of the “pioneer” and gain wisdom from the school of experience such is no longer the case. The spirit of Amateur Radio is cooperation and sharing - otherwise there would be no one to contact. In ham radio the mentor/helper is referred to as an Elmer. Get and Elmer. Look around the room. There may be one right beside you. Tnx es 73 de VE6TI Gordon Hungerford