1. Technician Licensing Class
These Power Point presentations are available to individuals who register with The W5YI Group’s HamInstructor.com program. The presentations are provided by Master Publishing and The W5YI Group and include material that is covered by U.S. and International copyrights. They are intended solely for the use of Registered Instructors using the Gordon West, WB6NOA, Technician Class, General Class, and Extra Class study manuals to teach FCC Amateur Radio Licensing Classes. Registration through HamInstructor.com constitutes a Licensing Agreement between The W5YI Group and the registered instructor under which the instructor agrees not to copy or distribute the Power Point presentations to unauthorized users. 1

2. Technician Licensing Class
Tech Frequencies
Valid July 1, 2014
Through
June 30, 2018 2

3. Amateur Radio Technician Class Element 2 Course Presentation
ELEMENT 2 SUB-ELEMENTS (Groupings)
About Ham Radio
Call Signs
Control
Mind the Rules
Tech Frequencies
Your First Radio
Going Solo
Repeaters
Emergency!
Weak Signal Propagation 3

4. Amateur Radio Technician Class Element 2 Course Presentation
ELEMENT 2 SUB-ELEMENTS (Groupings)
Talk to Outer Space!
Your Computer Goes Ham Digital!
Multi-Mode Radio Excitement
Run Some Interference Protection
Electrons – Go With the Flow!
It’s the Law, per Mr. Ohm!
Go Picture These!
Antennas
Feed Me With Some Good Coax!
Safety First! 4

5. Tech Frequencies
T5C06 The term “RF” refers to radio frequency. If a unit transmits, it puts out a radio frequency. A wireless hot spot has a radio frequency. Your cell phone has a radio frequency output. Your new Technician Class transceiver has a radio frequency output, as soon as you push the transmit button. 5

6. Tech Frequencies
T3A07 Radio waves contain both electrical and magnetic energy in fields that are at right angles to each other. The combination of both electrical and magnetic energy is called “electromagnetic energy.” That is a radio wave!
T3B03 The electric and magnetic fields of a radio wave are at right angles to each other, and together they are called “electromagnetic” radio waves.

7. Tech Frequencies
T3B04 The velocity of a radio wave is the same as the speed of light: 300,000,000 meters per second. 300 million meters per second is the same velocity as the speed of light in a vacuum. Oh yeah, radio waves slow down a bit as they go through the ionosphere, clouds, and our smog layers, or travel along the surface of the Earth . This slowing down is very slight, but contributes to a large number of very important radio behaviors you will observe, like knife edge diffraction.
T3B11 The velocity of radio waves through space is 300,000,000 meters per second – 300 hundred million meters per second.

8. Tech Frequencies
T5A12 When we measure frequency, we count the number of times per second that current flows back and forth. And do you remember the definition of the word frequency? Cycles per second, which we officially call hertz, abbreviated Hz. Don’t forget the capital H! 8

9. Tech Frequencies
T5C05 The basic unit of frequency is the hertz, abbreviated Hz.
T5B07 Move the decimal point 3 places to the right to convert MHz to kHz MHz is 3,525 kHz. Most HF radios display frequency in kilohertz. 9

10. Tech Frequencies
T3B01 The key word here is distance that a radio wave travels over one complete cycle. We measure the distance radio signals travel as wavelength. Keywords are distance and wavelength. 10

11. Tech Frequencies
T3B07 When we want to meet a pal on a specific ham band, we usually say which band it is in meters. The most popular ham band for Technician Class operators is the 2-meter band. Your pal says that she has a 2-meter radio, so the next question is, what exact frequency? So it’s really a tossup on whether or not you want to tell someone to meet you at a specific frequency, or ask them whether or not they have a 2-meter radio, which describes the wavelength of the band on which you plan to operate. So if you asked me, I would first determine what wavelength band we were going to operate on, and then indicate the specific frequency we should try to make contact on.
T3B05 The higher we go in frequency, the shorter the distance between each wave. The lower we go in frequency, the longer the distance between each wave. Now say this out loud – LOWER LONGER, HIGHER SHORTER. Got it? Now look around and see who is staring at you wondering what in the world you are talking about! 11

12. Tech Frequencies
T3B06 Frequency in MHz and wavelength in meters are inversely proportional. The root number to remember is 300! Wavelength is the distance a wave travels in the time of one cycle. Wavelength usually is stated in meters or centimeters.
Frequency in Hertz is the number of cycles of the wave occurring in one second.
F (in MHz) = 300 ÷ wavelength (in meters)
Wavelength (in meters) = 300 ÷ F (MHz)
On your upcoming Technician Class examination, the above 4 answers on the test will be identical to these, and they read somewhat similar. Just remember: 300 ÷ frequency in MHz. This correct answer is the only answer that ends with the word “megahertz.” 12

13. Tech Frequencies 13

14. Tech Frequencies
T3B10 High frequency, called HF, extends from 3 to 30 MHz. As a new Technician Class operator, you have privileges on 4 bands of high frequency operation. HF offers exciting daytime and nighttime sky wave “skip” conditions. There is no longer a Morse code test required to operate on your 4 Technician Class high frequency sub-bands. You will need to know Morse code to take advantage of your Morse-code-only privileges on HF 80-, 40-, 15- and 10 meter bands. But good news – on 10 meters, you have single sideband voice privileges from 28.3 to 28.5 MHz, and during the summertime we get plenty of daytime and late afternoon skip, letting you yak with fellow operators all over the country! Although we are beyond the peak of solar cycle 24, sporadic E contacts are independent of solar cycles, and summertime E skip will still give us plenty of DX to all of the U.S. and sometimes multiple hops to Europe, South America, Alaska, and Asia! (cont next slide) 14

15. Tech Frequencies
T3B10 (cont) HF propagation is highly dependent on the 11-year solar cycle. We are just past the peak of Solar Cycle 24, but there is still a lot of great HF excitement in store. Even during “dead” times, sporadic E can give surprising long-distance communications on 6 and 10 meters. As a brand new Technician Class operator, you may own and operate a large, high-frequency ham radio station, including a major-sized directional antenna system, too!
T3B08 The VHF spectrum extends from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. 15

16. Tech Frequencies
T3B09 The UHF spectrum extends from 300 MHz to 3000 MHz. Watch out for answer C – this incorrectly lists kHz, not MHz!

17. Tech Frequencies
T1B MHz is right in the middle of our 6-meter band, which extends from 50 to 54 MHz.
T1B MHz is right in the middle of our 2-meter band, which extends from 144 to 148 MHz. Let’s do the math: 300 ÷ = meters, with 2 meters being the closest answer. Remember, the band refers to an approximate wavelength, and incorrect answers will always be a really wrong other band! 17

18. Tech Frequencies
T1B10 The three bands that have sub-band restrictions to designated modes of operation are the 6-meter, 2-meter, and the 1.25-meter bands. The term “mode restricted sub-band” means no handheld or mobile FM radio transmitting here!
6 meters MHz – No FM!
2 meters MHz – No FM!
1.25 meters – No FM!
Go with answer C for the examination, but understand that each and every ham band has certain areas where handheld, base, and mobile FM (frequency modulation) is discouraged. This is why I always recommend getting your new multi-band mobile or handheld transceiver pre-programmed by the dealer or your local club technical officer who knows how to “clone” a full set of FM frequencies, leaving mode-restricted frequencies out of your FM lineup. This is a great incentive to learn Morse Code as well, as there is plenty of weak signal activity in the CW sections of these bands. 18

19. Tech Frequencies
T1B11 The term “sub-band” refers to an area within each of these two ham bands that is restricted to very narrow bandwidth emission types, specifically Morse code. Morse code is abbreviated CW, for continuous wave MHz on the bottom of the 6-meter band, and MHz on the bottom of the 2-meter band are areas reserved for CW only. RTTY is radio teleprinter – too wide – and same thing for SSB, single sideband, too wide. CW only on these two sub-bands. 19

20. Tech Frequencies
T1B07 The 223 MHz band is more commonly called 1.25 meters and sometimes 1-1/4 meters. Check this out by dividing 300 by the frequency in MHz. The calculator keystrokes are: Clear Clear 300 ÷ = . The closest choice will be 1.25 meters. Remember that BAND refers to an approximate wavelength or frequency. On all FCC questions on this topic, the wrong answers will be very wrong! 20

21. Tech Frequencies
T1B13 Use it or lose it! In years past, our 1-1/4-meter band was 5-MHz wide, extending from 220 to 225 MHz. Due to perceived inactivity by the FCC on our use of the lower portion of the band, WE LOST MHz. But we did recover 1 MHz of prime “radio real estate” at 219 to 220 MHz, used for point-to-point digital message forwarding. This is the “backbone” of many digital wireless links in most areas of the country, except in the Mississippi River region, where river navigation traffic has priority use of this band.
T1B MHz is right in the middle of the 70 cm band, where our privileges extend from 420 up to 450 MHz. 21

22. Tech Frequencies
T2A02 The national FM simplex calling frequency on the 70 cm band, referred to as the 440 MHz band, is MHz. Watch out for answer A, that’s the national simplex calling frequency for the 2 meter band. Go with MHz. 22

23. Tech Frequencies
T1B06 The 23-cm band extends from 1240 to 1300 MHz, and is a good one for amateur television, repeater operation, and point-to-point simplex where there is plenty of ready-made equipment for this band. If you buy a “tri-band” transceiver, chances are it will have 2 meters, 440 MHz, and full capabilities for the 23-cm band from 1240 to 1300 MHz. Let’s practice you math skills: 300 ÷ 0.23 = 1304, with 1296 MHz the closest answer. To convert centimeters to meters, move the decimal point two places to the left. 23 cm = 0.23 meters. 23

24. Tech Frequencies
T1A14 While this may be a rare occurrence, FM phone communications on the 23-cm band could cause interference to a radiolocation station outside of the United States. If you are informed you are causing interference, you should stop operating immediately.
T2A10 Every amateur radio band is sliced up into specific operating band plans. Many of the band plans are voluntary guidelines that hams have established designating frequencies for specific data signals, voice operation, automatic position reporting system operation, weak signal work, DXing, slow-scan amateur television, propagation beacons, and specific areas for working satellites and the International Space Station. 24

25. Tech Frequencies

26. Tech Frequencies
T1B08 We share the 900-MHz band with the vehicle locator service, which is the primary user of the frequencies. We share 70 cm with the Air Force radio navigation service, and they are primary! Same thing with 900 MHz and 1.2 GHz; we must avoid interference with primary military users. Likewise with 70 cm – we share it with military radio location services. They have first rights to these frequencies. 26

27. Tech Frequencies
T1B09 You wouldn’t sit on a roof ledge 100 stories up, would you? Same thing with ham radio operation – we don’t operate on the edge of a ham radio band. Since none of our radio emissions are allowed beyond the ham band upper or lower limit, we stay well within band edges in case our signals should drift, or some of our signal extends beyond the band edge, or maybe our radio was not properly calibrated. Never operate right on the edge of a ham band! 27

28. Element 2 Technician Class Question Pool
Tech Frequencies
Valid July 1, 2014
Through
June 30, 2018

29. T5C06 What does the abbreviation “RF” refer to?
Radio frequency signals of all types
The resonant frequency of a tuned circuit
The real frequency transmitted as opposed to the apparent frequency
Reflective force in antenna transmission lines

30. T3A07. What type of wave carries radio signals between
T3A07 What type of wave carries radio signals between transmitting and receiving stations?
Electromagnetic
Electrostatic
Surface acoustic
Magnetostrictive

31. T3B03 What are the two components of a radio wave?
AC and DC
Voltage and current
Electric and magnetic fields
Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation

32. T3B04 How fast does a radio wave travel through free space?
At the speed of light
At the speed of sound
Its speed is inversely proportional to its wavelength
Its speed increases as the frequency increases

33. T3B11. What is the approximate velocity of a. radio wave
T3B11 What is the approximate velocity of a radio wave as it travels through free space?
3000 kilometers per second
300,000,000 meters per second
300,000 miles per hour
186,000 miles per hour

34. T5A12. What term describes the number of times per
T5A12 What term describes the number of times per second that an alternating current reverses direction?
Pulse rate
Speed
Wavelength
Frequency

35. T5C05 What is the unit of frequency?
Hertz
Henry
Farad
Tesla

36. T5B07. If a frequency readout calibrated in megahertz shows
T5B07 If a frequency readout calibrated in megahertz shows a reading of MHz, what would it show if it were calibrated in kilohertz?
kHz
35.25 kHz
3525 kHz
3,525,000 kHz

37. T3B01. What is the name for the distance a radio wave
T3B01 What is the name for the distance a radio wave travels during one complete cycle?
Wave speed
Waveform
Wavelength
Wave spread

38. T3B07. What property of radio waves is often used to
T3B07 What property of radio waves is often used to identify the different frequency bands?
The approximate wavelength
The magnetic intensity of waves
The time it takes for waves to travel one mile
The voltage standing wave ratio of waves

39. T3B05 How does the wavelength of a radio wave relate to its frequency?
The wavelength gets longer as the frequency increases
The wavelength gets shorter as the frequency increases
There is no relationship between wavelength and frequency
The wavelength depends on the bandwidth of the signal

40. T3B06. What is the formula for converting frequency to
T3B06 What is the formula for converting frequency to approximate wavelength in meters?
Wavelength in meters equals frequency in hertz multiplied by 300
Wavelength in meters equals frequency in hertz divided by 300
Wavelength in meters equals frequency in megahertz divided by 300
Wavelength in meters equals 300 divided by frequency in megahertz

41. T3B10 What frequency range is referred to as HF?
300 to 3000 MHz
30 to 300 MHz
3 to 30 MHz
300 to 3000 kHz

42. T3B08 What are the frequency limits of the VHF spectrum?
30 to 300 kHz
30 to 300 MHz
300 to 3000 kHz
300 to 3000 MHz

43. T3B09 What are the frequency limits of the UHF spectrum?
30 to 300 kHz
30 to 300 MHz
300 to 3000 kHz
300 to 3000 MHz

44. T1B03 Which frequency is within the 6 meter band?
49.00 MHz
MHz
28.50 MHz
MHz

45. T1B04. Which amateur band are you using when your
T1B04 Which amateur band are you using when your station is transmitting on MHz?
2 meter band
20 meter band
14 meter band
6 meter band

46. T1B10. Which of the bands above 30 MHz that are
T1B10 Which of the bands above 30 MHz that are available to Technician Class operators have mode-restricted sub-bands?
The 6 meter, 2 meter, and 70 cm bands
The 2 meter and 13 cm bands
The 6 meter, 2 meter, and 1.25 meter bands
The 2 meter and 70 cm bands

47. T1B11. What emission modes are permitted in the mode-
T1B11 What emission modes are permitted in the mode- restricted sub-bands at 50.0 to 50.1 MHz and to MHz?
CW only
CW and RTTY
SSB only
CW and SSB

48. T1B07. What amateur band are you using if you are. transmitting on 223
T1B07 What amateur band are you using if you are transmitting on MHz?
15 meter band
10 meter band
2 meter band
1.25 meter band

49. T1B13 Which emission may be used between 219 and 220 MHz?
Spread spectrum
Data
SSB voice
Fast-scan television

50. T1B05. Which 70 cm frequency is authorized to a
T1B05 Which 70 cm frequency is authorized to a Technician Class license holder operating in ITU Region 2?
MHz
MHz
MHz
MHz

51. T2A02. What is the national calling frequency for FM
T2A02 What is the national calling frequency for FM simplex operations in the 70 cm band?
MHz
MHz
MHz
MHz

52. T1B06. Which 23 cm frequency is authorized to a
T1B06 Which 23 cm frequency is authorized to a Technician Class operator license?
2315 MHz
1296 MHz
3390 MHz
MHz

53. T1A14. What must you do if you are operating on the 23
T1A14 What must you do if you are operating on the 23 cm band and learn that you are interfering with a radiolocation station outside the United States ?
Stop operating or take steps to eliminate the harmful interference
Nothing, because this band is allocated exclusively to the amateur service
Establish contact with the radiolocation station and ask them to change frequency
Change to CW mode, because this would not likely cause interference

54. T2A10. What is a band plan, beyond the privileges
T2A10 What is a band plan, beyond the privileges established by the FCC?
A voluntary guideline for using different modes or activities within an amateur band
A mandated list of operating schedules
A list of scheduled net frequencies
A plan devised by a club to indicate frequency band usage

55. T1B08. Which of the following is a result of the fact. that
T1B08 Which of the following is a result of the fact that the amateur service is secondary in some portions of the 70 cm band?
U.S. amateurs may find non-amateur stations in the bands and must avoid interfering with them
U.S. amateurs must give foreign amateur stations priority in those portions
International communications is not permitted on 70 cm
Digital transmission are not permitted on 70 cm

56. T1B09. Why should you not set your transmit frequency
T1B09 Why should you not set your transmit frequency to be exactly at the edge of an amateur band or sub-band?
To allow for calibration error in the transmitter frequency display
So that modulation sidebands do not extend beyond the band edge
To allow for transmitter frequency drift
All of these choices are correct