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answerstoyourquestionsandhelpingettingontheair.Youcan startbyaskingthehamswhoadministeryourexamsession their organizationcanbeyourfirstmentor.Oneofhamradio’sstrongest traditionsishelpingotherhamslearnandgrow,justlikeyou.
MostactiveradioamateursintheUnitedStatesareARRL members.Theyrealizethatsince1914,theARRL’straining, sponsorshipofactivities,andrepresentationbothnationallyand internationallyaresecondtonone.Thebookyou’rereadingnow, The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual isjustoneofmany publicationsforalllevelsandinterestsinAmateurRadio.You don’tneedalicensetojointheARRL justbeinterestedin AmateurRadioandweareinterestedinyou.It’sassimpleasthat!
WardSilver,NØAX
St.Charles,Missouri
March2018
AboutARRL
TheseedforAmateurRadiowasplantedinthe1890s,when GuglielmoMarconibeganhisexperimentsinwirelesstelegraphy. Soonhewasjoinedbydozens,thenhundreds,ofotherswhowere enthusiasticaboutsendingandreceivingmessagesthroughtheair somewithacommercialinterest,butotherssolelyoutofalove forthisnewcommunicationsmedium.TheUnitedStates governmentbeganlicensingAmateurRadiooperatorsin1912.
By1914,therewerethousandsofAmateurRadiooperators hams intheUnitedStates.HiramPercyMaxim,aleading Hartford,Connecticutinventorandindustrialist,sawtheneedfor anorganizationtounifythisfledglinggroupofradio experimenters.InMay1914hefoundedtheAmericanRadioRelay League(ARRL)tomeetthatneed.
ARRListhenationalassociationforAmateurRadiointheUS. Today,withapproximately167,000members,ARRLnumbers withinitsranksthevastmajorityofactiveradioamateursinthe nationandhasaproudhistoryofachievementasthestandardbearerinamateuraffairs.ARRL’sunderpinningsasAmateur Radio’switness,partner,andforumaredefinedbyfivepillars: PublicService,Advocacy,Education,Technology,and Membership.ARRLisalsoInternationalSecretariatforthe InternationalAmateurRadioUnion,whichismadeupofsimilar societiesin150countriesaroundtheworld.
ARRL’sMissionStatement:Toadvancetheart,science,and enjoymentofAmateurRadio.
ARRL’sVisionStatement:Asthenationalassociationfor
AmateurRadiointheUnitedStates,ARRL:
•SupportstheawarenessandgrowthofAmateurRadio worldwide;
•Advocatesformeaningfulaccesstoradiospectrum;
•Strivesforeverymembertogetinvolved,getactive,andgeton theair;
•Encouragesradioexperimentationand,throughitsmembers, advancesradiotechnologyandeducation; and
•Organizesandtrainsvolunteerstoservetheircommunitiesby providingpublicserviceandemergencycommunications.
AtARRLheadquartersintheHartford,Connecticutsuburbof Newington,thestaffhelpsservetheneedsofmembers.ARRL publishesthemonthlyjournal QST andaninteractivedigital versionof QST,aswellasnewslettersandmanypublications coveringallaspectsofAmateurRadio.Itsheadquartersstation, W1AW,transmitsbulletinsofinteresttoradioamateursandMorse codepracticesessions.ARRLalsocoordinatesanextensivefield organization,whichincludesvolunteerswhoprovidetechnical informationandothersupportservicesforradioamateursaswell ascommunicationsforpublicserviceactivities.Inaddition,ARRL representsUSradioamateurstotheFederalCommunications CommissionandothergovernmentagenciesintheUSandabroad.
MembershipinARRLmeansmuchmorethanreceiving QST eachmonth.Inadditiontotheservicesalreadydescribed,ARRL offersmembershipservicesonapersonallevel,suchasthe TechnicalInformationService,wherememberscangetanswers byphone,e-mail,ortheARRLwebsite toalltheirtechnicaland operatingquestions.
AbonafideinterestinAmateurRadioistheonlyessential qualificationofmembership;anAmateurRadiolicenseisnota prerequisite,althoughfullvotingmembershipisgrantedonlyto licensedradioamateursintheUS.FullARRLmembershipgives youavoiceinhowtheaffairsoftheorganizationaregoverned. ARRLpolicyissetbyaBoardofDirectors(onefromeachof15 Divisions).Eachyear,one-thirdoftheARRLBoardofDirectors standsforelectionbythefullmemberstheyrepresent.Theday-todayoperationofARRLHQismanagedbyaChiefExecutive Officerandhis/herstaff.
JoinARRLToday!NomatterwhataspectofAmateurRadio attractsyou,ARRLmembershipisrelevantandimportant.There wouldbenoAmateurRadioasweknowittodaywereitnotfor ARRL.Wewouldbehappytowelcomeyouasamember!Join onlineatwww.arrl.org/join.FormoreinformationaboutARRL andanswerstoanyquestionsyoumayhaveaboutAmateurRadio, writeorcall:
Conventions
Throughoutyourstudieskeepasharpeyeoutforwordsin italics.Thesewordsareimportantsobesureyouunderstandthem. Manyofthemareincludedintheglossary.Anotherthingtolook foristhewebmousesymbol,indicatingthatthereissupplemental informationonthe Ham Radio License Manual website (www.arrl.org/ham-radio-licensemanual)tosupportandextend whatyoulearn.Ifawebore-mailaddressisincluded,itwillbe printedinboldfacetype.
QuestionIDsareshowninsquarebrackets,suchas[T1A01].
Thesearetheidentifyingnum-berforeachquestionintheexam’s questionpool.Thiswillhelpyoufindthematerialansweringeach question.
ChoosingYourFirstHamRadio
Afteryoupassyourexam,you’llneedaradiosotheARRLhas provided Choosing Your First Ham Radio,aguidetomakingthat firstselection.Itisavailableonthisbook’swebsitefor downloadingandwillansweralotofquestionsyouhaveabout importantfeaturesandsomeofthetermsyou’llneedtoknowas youlookoverthedifferentmodels.Yourmentorwillhelpyou alongtheway,too!
TheExamQuestionPool
ThecompleteTechnicianexamquestionpoolisincludedatthe
backofthisbook.The35questionsyou’llanswerontheexamwill bedrawnfromthisquestionpool.Yes,thesearetheactual questionsontheexambutresistthetemptationtojustmemorize theanswers!Memorizingwithoutlearningthesubjectislikelyto leaveyou“highanddry”whenyoubeginusingyournewoperating privileges.Doyourselfafavorandtakethetimetounderstandthe material.
Whenusingthequestionpoolforexampractice,eachquestion alsoincludesacross-referencebacktothepageofthebook coveringthattopic.Ifyoudon’tcompletelyunderstandthe questionoranswer,pleasegobackandreviewthatmaterial.The questionIDsinbold,forexample[T1A01],willhelpyoufindthe answersquickly
Self-StudyandClassroomTips
Forself-studystudents,thematerialinthebookisdesignedtobe studiedinorderfrombeginningtoend.Readthematerialandthen testyourunderstandingbyansweringthequestionsattheendof eachsection.Usethesupplementalmaterialonthe Ham Radio License Manualwebsiteifyouneedextrahelp.
TheARRL’s New Ham Desk cananswerquestionsemailedto newham@arrl.org.Yourquestionmaybeanswereddirectlyor youmightbedirectedtomoreinstructionmaterial.The New Ham Desk canalsohelpyoufindalocalhamtoanswerquestions. Studyingwithafriendmakeslearningthematerialmorefunasyou helpeachotherovertheroughspotsandyou’llhavesomeoneto celebratewithafterpassingtheexam!
Ifyouaretakingalicensingclass,theinstructorswillguideyou throughthematerial.Helpyourinstructorsbylettingthemknow whereyouneedmoreassistance.Theywantyoutolearnas
thoroughlyandquicklyaspossible,sodon’tholdbackyour questions.Similarly,ifyoufindtheirexplanationsparticularly clearorhelpful,tellthemthat,soitcanbeusedinthenextclass!
Attheendofeachsectionisagoodtimetopauseforashort reviewsession.Besureyouunderstandthematerialbyanswering thequestionsbeforemovingtothenextsection.Itisaloteasierto learnthematerialsection-by-sectionthanbyrushingaheadand you’llrememberitmoreclearly.Forafocuseddiscussiononeach examquestion,pickupacopyofthe ARRL’s Tech Q&A.Every questionisincludedwiththecorrectanswerandashort explanation.
Tomakethebestuseoftheon-linereferencematerial, bookmarkthe Ham Radio License Manual websitetouseasan onlinereferencewhileyoustudy.Thewebpageincludesother resourcesorganizedbysectionandchaptertofollowthebook. Browsetheselinksforextrainformation.
OnlinePracticeExams
Asyoucompleteeachchapterofthisbook,useARRL’sonline ExamReviewforHamRadiotohelpprepareforexamday.This web-basedserviceusesthequestionpooltoconstructchapter-bychapterreviews.Onceyou’vefinishedthisbook,usetheonline servicetotakepracticeexamswiththesamenumberandvarietyof questionsthatyou’llencounteronexamday.Youcanpractice takingthetestoverandoveragainincompleteprivacy(evenprint practiceexams!).
Theseexamsarequiterealisticandyougetquickfeedbackabout thequestionsyoumissed.Whenyoufindyourselfpassingthe onlineexamsbyacomfortablemargin,you’llbereadyforthereal thing.
www.arrl.org/examreview
Inthischapter,you’lllearnabout:
•WhatmakesAmateurRadiounique
•WhytheFCCmakestherules
•Whatactivitiesyou’llfindinAmateurRadio
•Whereyoucanfindotherhams
•TheTechnicianlicense—whatitisandhowtogetit
•Ready?Set?Go!
Whenyouseethemouse,you’llfindmoreinformationatwww.arrl.org/ham-radio-licensemanual
Welcometothe Ham Radio License Manual,themostpopularintroduction toAmateurRadioofall!Inthisstudyguide,notonlywillyoulearnenough topassyourTechnicianlicenseexam,you’llalsolearnwhathamradioisall aboutandhowtojumprightinonceyou’rereadytogetontheair. Ifyouwanttoknowmoreaboutamateuror“ham”radiobeforeyoustart preparingtogetalicense,you’llfindyouranswersinsectionsbeginningwith “WhatisAmateurRadio?”Ifyoualreadyknowabouthamradioandare anxioustogetstarted,you’reingoodcompany therearethousandsof otherfolksgettingreadytobecomeahamradiooperator.Jumpaheadto section1.4 “GettingYourHamRadioLicense”andgetstarted!
1.1WhatisAmateurRadio?
What’sanElmer?
AssomeonelearningaboutAmateurRadio,you’llheartheterm“Elmer”and“Elmering”alot!A hamradio“Elmer”issomeonewhopersonallyguidesandtutorsanewham,bothbeforeandafter gettingalicense.Itdoesn’trefertoanyoneinparticular,justthemoreexperiencedhamswhohelp newcomers.
Usingtheword“Elmer”tomean“mentor”isuniquetohamradio.RickLindquist,WW1MEtraces theoriginofthetermtotheMarch1971issueof QST magazine;thetermappearedina“How’sDX” columnbyRodNewkirk,W9BRD.Rod’smentorwasahamnamedElmerandRodthoughtevery newhamshouldhaveanElmeroftheirown.Thenamestuckandsincethen,“Elmering”hasmeant “helping.”
EveryhamhasatleastoneElmeratsomepoint.Youwill,too,andifsomeonereferstoyouas“their Elmer,”youcanbeproud
WhoMadethe“Ham”?
Howdid“amateur”become“ham”?Therealanswerisunknown!Evenbeforeradio,telegraphers referredtoapooroperatorasaham.Perhapsthiswasderivedfromapooroperatorbeing“hamfisted”onthetelegraphkey anoperator’s“fist”referredtohisorherdistinctivestyleoverthe wires.Withallradiostationssharingthesameradiospectrumintheearlydays,commercialand militaryoperatorswouldsometimesrefertoamateursashamswhentherewasinterference. Regardless,amateursadoptedthetermasabadgeofhonorandproudlyrefertoeachotheras“hams” today.
AmateurRadiowillsurpriseyouwithallitsdifferentactivities.Ifyou’ve encounteredAmateurRadioinapublicserviceroleorifsomeoneyouknow hasahamradiointheirhomeorcar,thenyoualreadyhavesomeideas. Maybeyouhaveseenhamradioinamovieorreadaboutitinabook.Are youapartofamakercommunity?Ifso,you’llreallyenjoygettinginvolved withoneofthemost“hands-on”hobbiesofall.AmateurRadioisthemost powerfulcommunicationsserviceavailabletotheprivatecitizenanywhere onEarth orevenaboveit!
AmateurRadioisarecognizednationalasset,providingtrainedoperators, technicalspecialistsanddisasterresponsecommunicationsintimeofneed.It wascreatedforpeoplejustlikeyouwhohaveaninterestinradio
communications.Somehamsprefertofocusonthetechnologyandscience ofradio.Competitiveeventsandawardprogramsholdtheinterestofothers. Sometraintouseradioinsupportofemergencyresponseefforts,toprovide publicservice,ortokeepintouchwithfamily.Therearemanyhamswho simplyliketotalkwithotherhams,too.Thisintroductorysectionofthe Ham Radio License Manual willgiveyouabroadoverviewofAmateurRadioso youcanunderstandhowradioworksandwhyhamsdowhattheydo.Let’s startatthebeginning,shallwe?
BEGINNINGSOFHAMRADIO
AmateurRadiohasbeenaroundsincethebeginningofradio communications.Itwasn’tlongafterMarconispannedtheAtlanticin1901 beforecuriousfolksbeganexperimentingwith“wireless.”AmateurRadio moreorlessinventeditself,rightalongwithbroadcastingandwireless telegraphy.Theveryfirstamateurlicensesweregrantedbackin1912andthe numberofhamsgrewrapidly.Earlystationsused“spark,”literallya vigorousandnoisyelectricalarc,togenerateradiowaves.Inefficientand hazardous,sparkwassoonreplacedbyfarmoreeffectivevacuumtube transmitters.Bytheendofthe1920sbothvoiceandMorsecodecouldbe heardontheairwaves.Radiobecameverypopular,instantlyconnecting communitiesandindividualsastheyhadneverbeenbefore.
Asradiocommunicationbecamewidespread,theFederalCommunications Commission(FCC)wascreatedtoregulatethecompetingradiouses, includingbroadcasting,commercialmessageandnewsservices,military communications,andpublicsafety.TheAmateurservice(thelegalnamefor AmateurRadio)wascreatedin1934andhasexpandedinsizeandcapability eversince.
AnOnlineMentor
TheARRL’s Ham Radio License Manual webpagewww.arrl.org/ham-radio-license-manual containsusefuladditionalortutorialinformationorganizedinthesamewayasthisbook Thereare alsolinkstootherwebresourcesthatprovidemoredetailaboutthebook’stopics Lookforthemouse symbolinthemarginofthetext itindicatesthatthereismoreinformationontheHRLMwebsiteto helpyou
The Ham Radio License Manual websitealsoprovidesin-depthguidanceontechnicaltopics.For example,ifyouneedhelpwithyourmathskills,therearelinkstoonlinemathtutorialsandarticles. Forthehandfulofexamquestionsthatinvolvecalculations,thewebpageshowsexactlyhowtowork outeachproblem.
Thewebpagealsoincludeshelpfullinksforfindinglicensingclasses,studymaterials,background information,askingquestionsandmore.You’llfinditagoodintroductiontotheARRLwebsite,the mostcompleteresourceintheworldforamateurs.
Amateurs,skilledinthewaysofradio,playedcrucialrolesduringWorld WarIIasoperatorsandradioengineers.Afterthewar,thousandsofhams turnedtoradioandelectronicsasaprofession,fuelingtherapidadvancesin communicationsduringthe1950sand60s.AmateurRadioevolvedright alongwithindustry spanningtheglobewascommonplace!WithMorse codeaspopularasever,theamateurairwaveswerealsofillingwithvoiceand radioteletypesignals.Hamseveninventedanewformofpicturetransmission calledslow-scantelevisionthatusedregularvoicetransmittersandreceivers. Thefirstsatellitebuiltbyamateurs,calledOSCAR-1,waslaunchedin1961, transmittingasimpleMorsemessagebacktoEarthforseveralweeks. Throughthe1970samateursbuiltanextensivenetworkofrelay“repeater” stationstoprovideregionalcommunicationswithlow-powermobileand handheldradios.Inthe1980sand1990s,microprocessorswerequickly appliedtoradio,greatlyincreasingthecapabilitiesofamateurequipmentand usheringinaneweraofdigitalcommunications.Packetradio,anadaptation ofcomputernetworktechnology,wasdevelopedbyhamsandisnowwidely usedforcommercialandpublicsafetycommunications.
Thepersonalcomputer,asinmanyotherfields,gaveamateursapowerful newtoolfordesign,modeling,stationautomation,andrecordkeeping,aswell asmakingAmateurRadiocomputernetworksareality.Finally,theinternet arrivedandhamsquicklyadaptedthenewtechnologytotheirownusesjust astheyhadmanytimesbefore.Ateachstepinthedevelopmentoftoday’s communication-intensiveworld,hamshavecontributedeitheraspartoftheir professionorasindividualspursuingapersonalpassion.
That’sWhyIt’sCalled“Amateur”Radio
Inordertokeepbusinessesormunicipalitiesfromunfairlyexploitingtheamateurbands,amateurs arestrictlyforbiddenfromreceivingcompensationfortheiractivities.Thatmeansyoucan’ttalkwith aco-workeraboutanassignment,forexample.Ifyouprovidecommunicationsforaparadeorcharity activity,youcan’tacceptafee.Thiskeepsradioamateursfreetoexploreandimproveandtrain it’s workedwellformanyyears.
HAMRADIOTODAY
Heremorethanacenturylaterandwirelessisstillverymuchatthe forefrontofcommunicationstechnology.Farfrombeingeclipsedbythe internet,hamradiocontinuesitstraditionofinnovationbycombiningthe internetwithradiotechnologiesinnewways.Hamshavecreatedtheirown wirelessdatanetworks,positionreportingsystems,andevenaradio-basedemailnetworkthatenablesthemostsolitaryhamto“login”fromanywherein theworld.Voicecommunicationshopbetweeninternetandradiolinksto connecthamsontheoppositesidesoftheglobeusingonlyhandheld transmitterslesspowerfulthanaflashlight!
Don’tletanyonetellyouthatMorsecodeisfinished.It’sstillverymuch aliveinAmateurRadiowhereitssimplicityandefficiencycontinuetomake itpopular.Amateursalsospeaktoeachotherdirectlyusingsophisticated radiosthataregrown-upversionsoftheCitizen’sBand(CB)andFamily
RadioService(FRS)radiosavailableatlocalelectronicsstores.Computers areabigpartofhamradiotodayashamschat“keyboard-to-keyboard”or sendpicturesviaradio.You’llevenfindsomehamsassemblingtheirown TVstationsandtransmittingprofessional-qualityvideo!
Instepwiththetelecommunicationsindustry,hamsalsolooktotheskiesfor theircommunications.AmateurRadiosatelliteswhirlingthroughorbit connecthamsonthegroundbyvoice,Morsecode,anddatasignals.Thereis ahamstationontheInternationalSpaceStationusedbyastronauts(most astronautshavehamlicenses)andground-basedhams.Ham-writtensoftware allowssignalstobebouncedofftheMoonandevenmeteortrailsinthe Earth’satmosphere.
Whendisasterstrikes,youwillfindhamsrespondingquicklyandcapablyin supportofpublicsafetyagenciesandrelieforganizationssuchastheRed CrossandtheNationalHurricaneCenter.AmateurRadioisanimportantpart ofmanyresponseandreliefefforts.Hamsalsoturnoutingreatnumbersto providecommunicationsforparades,sportingevents,festivals,andother publicoccasions.
WhileAmateurRadiogotitsstartlongagoasacollectionoftinkerersin basementsandbackyard“shacks” theoriginoftheterm“radioshack” ithasgrowntobecomeaworldwidecommunicationsservicewithmillionsof licensees.Thetinkerersareverymuchstillwithus,ofcourse,creatingnew andusefulwaysofputtingradiotowork.Youwillfindthathamradiohas morefacetsthanyoucouldimagineandthey’regrowinginnumberevery day.
WHOCANBEAHAM?
Areyoureadytojoinus?Anyonecanbecomeaham!Itdoesn’tmatterhow
oldyouareorhowmuchyouknowaboutradiowhenyoubegin.Oneofham radio’smostenjoyableaspectsisthatyou’reonafirst-namebasiswithevery otherham,whetheryou’reanelementaryschoolstudent,aCEO,an astronaut,oralong-distancetruckdriver.Therearealsothousandsofpeople withdisabilitiesforwhomhamradioisanewwindowtotheworld.
Hamsrangeinagefromsixtomorethanonehundredyearsold.Whilesome aretechnicallyskilled,holdingpositionsasscientists,engineers,or technicians,allwalksoflifearerepresentedontheairwaves.
Musicians?TryJoeWalsh,WB6ACU,guitaristfortheEagles.NobelPrize winner?MeetJoeTaylor,K1JT.Athlete?Nowactiveinradiosport competitions,JoeRudi,NK7U,isaretiredmajorleagueoutfielderandMVP! Whynotimagineyournameandcallsignupthereinlights?
Handihams NoBarrierstoHamRadio
AmateurRadiopresentsanopportunitytocommunicateandparticipateforthosewithdisabilities Disabledhamsoftenusetheiruniquetalentstomakevaluablecontributionsovertheairwaves,even thoughtheymightnotbephysicallypresentoractive TheCourageKennyRehabilitationInstitute sponsorstheCourageKennyHandihamProgram(www.handiham.org)tohelppeoplewithphysical disabilitiesobtainamateurlicenses Thesystemprovidesmaterialsandinstructiontopersonswith disabilitiesinterestedinobtaininghamlicenses TheProgramalsoprovidesinformationtootherhams, dubbed“verticals,”whowishtohelppeoplewithdisabilitiesearnalicense
ThephotonearbyshowsGlennJohnson,WØGJ,operatingfromDesecheo IslandasK5D.Glennisapediatricsurgeonandsometimescombinesham radiowithhistravelstodonatemedicalservices.HehasbeentheARRL’s HumanitarianoftheYearandhasoperatedfrommanyfar-awayplacessuch asBhutanandtheAndamanIslands.
RachelFinerman,KI6PJY,andChristinaSoltero,KI6QLR,workedtogether asatwo-studentteamtohelpbuildanElecraftK2HFtransceiverkitat GraniteBayMontessoriSchoolinCalifornia.The4ththrough8th-grade studentsalsoassembledandinstalledaGAPTitanverticalantennaand operatetheK6GBMrepeaterontheUHFbandof70centimeters.Aspartof learningaboutscience,morethan20studentshaveearnedtheirTechnician licenseandseveralhaveupgradedtoGeneral.
Oneofradiocontesting’smostenjoyablechallengesisoperatingmobileor portable,puttingrarecountiesorotherlocationsontheair.AtVHFand UHF,“hilltopping”isapopularwayofgreatlyextendingastation’srange. MicrowaveenthusiastsliketheJacobsens,Tammy,KI7GVT,andKevin,
AD7OI,lookforDX(long-distance)contactsfromspeciallocationsthat offerregulartroposphericpathsoverdozensorhundredsofmiles,suchasa southernCaliforniaridgeoverlookingthedesertsbelow.
Developingaworld-widehamcommunityofstudentsandyoungadults, YOTA(www.ham-yota.com)organizeson-the-airandin-personevents.The annualget-togetherin2018isbeingheldinSouthAfrica.Theaccompanying photoshowstheEstonianteamoperatinginoneofthecompetitionsheldata recentYOTAconference.WatchforspecialcallsignsendinginYOTA during“YOTAmonths!”
