Technician License Course Chapter 1

Technician License Course Chapter 1
Lesson Plan Module 1 – Welcome to Amateur Radio

Larry Wolfgang, WR1B QEX Editor ARRL Senior Assistant Technical Editor
Technical Correspondence Editor Hints and Kinks Column Editor License Materials Editor Understanding Basic Electronics

2014 Technician License Course
Introductions State your name and a little about yourself. Why are you taking this course? What do you know about ham radio? What expectations do you have for yourself and your instructors? You will set the tone for the class at this very first meeting. First impressions go a long way, so spend some time on how you are going to begin the class. Have the room set up the way you expect to have it for the remainder of the class. Participants have a tendency to sit away from the instructor, so you may have to force participants to move forward. Also participants will tend to keep a seat as their own territory once they settle in, so it is a good idea to have just a few seats more than for the audience intended to give them as few choices as possible. Start on time!!!! Remember you will set the tone and expectations during this first meeting. You will undoubtedly have participants wander in late. Don’t make a big deal out of it, acknowledge them and include them as appropriate without interrupting the flow of the class, but being consistent with your start time and class format will ultimately send the message of your expectations and help the students learn. 2014 Technician License Course

Expectations Class will start and end on time. Instructor will be prepared for each topic. Students are expected to read assigned material before each class session and be prepared to learn. Ham radio is not a spectator sport. Active participation during class discussions is vital to success in obtaining a Technician class license – your “ticket.” Here is a good time to state your expectations of the students and also state what they can expect from you. 2014 Technician License Course

Course Overview Welcome to Amateur Radio Radio and Signal Fundamentals Electricity, Components, and Circuits Propagation, Antennas, and Feed Lines Amateur Radio Equipment Communicating with Other Hams Licensing Regulations Operating Regulations Safety Provide your students with a handout that includes the scope and sequence of the class and the dates, times and meeting location for each class. It is important for you to spend some time here and explain how the flow of the presentations will build toward the ultimate goal. There is some initial emphasis on technical material that might not interest some students or intimidate others. Stress that your intention is not to create engineers out of the group, but it is important that the students learn some basic technical concepts right away because they form the basis for the material on operating, rules, and regulations. Time you spend during this explanation will be time well spent and make it easier for the students to understand the later material. You will be using a building block approach, material in previous lessons will be used as the foundation in future lessons. Some material may seem at first to be irrelevant and tedious, but tell your students to hang in there and give it a chance…it will become clear as the course proceeds (that is if you do a good job of tying it all together). 2014 Technician License Course

Let’s Get Started Our goal during this class is for each of you to achieve the Technician class Amateur Radio license! The license will authorize you to operate an Amateur Radio (ham radio) transmitter. Don’t go into license class operating privileges at this time in great detail. To do so would require you to use vocabulary that is unfamiliar to many of the students. 2014 Technician License Course

What Is Amateur Radio? Amateur (or ham) Radio is a personal radio service authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To encourage the advancement of the art and science of radio. To promote the development of an emergency communication capability to assist communities when needed. To develop a pool of trained radio operators. To promote international good will by connecting private citizens in countries around the globe. Through ham radio, you will become an ambassador for your community and your country. If you have the technology, you might consider playing a few video clips of ham radio related activities such as some of the material produced by Icom or online material from the ARRL HRLM website or YouTube. Keep the videos short and focused on relatively non-technical material. Tell the audience what ham radio means to you, your personal stories will be very motivational. A key point to make is the personal and non-commercial nature of ham radio. Don’t overemphasize this point so that it becomes boring, but simply state that amateur radio is voluntary and can’t be used in support of commercial activities. (Also don’t quibble about the special exceptions on making money through ham radio. The only exception that most hams are likely to encounter is teachers using ham radio in the classroom…this exception should be brought up later or if someone asks specifically.) 2014 Technician License Course

What Do Hams Do? Communicate Experiment Build Compete Serve their communities Engage in life-long learning State briefly (without using a lot of technical jargon) the various ways that hams communicate. This would be a good time to bring up the social aspects of ham radio through participation in clubs and activities…a good opportunity to introduce and promote membership in your own club and mention the benefits of the ARRL. Discuss some of the technical aspects that are encouraged though ham radio…it is one of the few services authorized to build and operate transmitting equipment. For those who like to build and tinker, mention the aspect of ham radio of building up a station and making improvements as time goes on. For those who like competition, mention the numerous kinds of contests and awards that are available. Note that they are good practice for operating and learning about propagation and building a station. Emergency communications and public service is also a good hook for many of the participants. Emphasize that ham radio allows all who desire to actively support their communities regardless of age, gender, or physical abilities. Finally, talk about ham radio as a life-long learning activity that can challenge the mind for a lifetime. 2014 Technician License Course

What Makes Ham Radio Different?
There are many unlicensed radio services available. Ham radio is very flexible: Fewer restrictions More frequencies (channels or bands) More power (to improve range and quality) More ways to communicate It’s free to operate your radio Acknowledge that there are many, many radio services out there that the students can use to do many of the same things that they will be able to do with their ham radios, and in many cases better. Some examples are mobile or “cell” phones, Internet, Family Service Radios, and even Citizens Band. But emphasize that ham radio has fewer restrictions than the other services; more frequencies allow more flexibility to take advantage of changing conditions to effect the range or distance of communications (avoid heavy detail about propagation); more power (here compare the power levels of transmitters, most student will have a basic understanding of power and the word watt) improves quality of the received signals (you can relate this to dropped cell phone calls etc.); give some of the unique ways that hams can communicate. Finally, emphasize that except for the examination fee, ham radio operation is free -- no monthly fees or user fees. 2014 Technician License Course

With More Privileges Comes More Responsibility
Because ham radios are much more capable and have the potential of interfering with other radio services. Because ham radios have unlimited reach, they easily reach around the globe and into space. FCC authorization is required to ensure the operator is qualified to operate the ham radio safely, legally, and effectively – that is why you are here. Point out to your students that the FCC will authorize them to operate some pretty spectacular technology, and with that privilege comes some responsibility. That is a primary difference between amateur radio and other services – the ham trades additional training to gain flexibility and the ability to experiment. The licensing process is the way the FCC ensures that the ham is qualified to assume and exercise those privileges. 2014 Technician License Course

Steps to Obtaining Your Ticket
Study the material in the Ham Radio License Manual. (Be sure you have the right edition!) Review the questions in the back of the book. Take interactive practice exams. Pass a proctored 35-question multiple choice test. Questions pulled directly from the question pool. Need to answer 26 questions correctly. No Morse code is required. Briefly outline how you expect the students to prepare to pass the test. Emphasize that in your class you will assist them in learning the material, but it will be up to them to study to pass the test. Also emphasize that you will be presenting material that will teach the students to operate a ham radio safely, legally, and effectively. Mention that you may cover material that is outside the scope of the test but still important to operating a ham radio. Also note that while you may not touch on all topics that are covered by the test, assure them that they will be exposed to all the material if they read the text, and that you will be happy to answer particular questions that individual students may have as they proceed with their studies. They are equally responsible for their success, in other words. 2014 Technician License Course

So Let’s Begin Your Ham Radio Journey
We have touched briefly on what ham radio is. More detail will follow in the weeks to come. Reading assignment: Introduction and Chapter 1 – this covers materials already presented in the first hour. Chapter 2 – covers basic radio terms and concepts. Give a quick recap of the material that you covered in presentation. Ask for questions and answer the questions. Don’t be afraid to defer answering questions until later lessons when you have had a chance to present required background material. BUT make sure that you eventually answer the question. Put some responsibility on the student to make sure that their question is eventually answered either during future presentations or directly by the instructor. The students probably have not read material in advance, so ask them to catch up with the material. You can also point them to appropriate questions in the pool that are related to what you covered during the lesson. Give them the homework assignment to read. Briefly state what comes next as a motivator. 2014 Technician License Course

Practice Questions 2014 Technician License Course

Which agency regulates and enforces the rules for the Amateur Radio Service in the United States? A. FEMA B. The ITU C. The FCC D. Homeland Security FCC Rule: [97.1] T1A02 HRLM (7-2) 2014 Technician License Course

Technician License Course Chapter 1

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