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HAM RADIO

What is Ham Radio and How It Works

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15 views2 pages

HAM RADIO

What is Ham Radio and How It Works

Uploaded by

abhilashadey.mmmc.2023.ipcw
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Ham Radio and How Does It Work

What is Ham Radio/ Amateur Radio?


Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of radio frequency spectrum for non-
commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation,
radiosport, contesting and emergency communication. The term amateur is used to describe
someone who has authorisation and interest in the radioelectric practice but with only a
personal aim and no monetary rewards (either direct or indirect) in mind; such a person is
different from those involved in commercial broadcasting, public safety (think police and fire),
or professional two-way radio services (read maritime, aviation, taxis, etc.). In simpler words,
ham or amateur radio is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and
communication together. People use it to talk across town, around the world, or even into space,
all without the Internet or cell phones. It’s fun, social, educational, and can be of great help in
times of need.

History of Ham Radio


What does ham radio for? The history of amateur radio goes back to the 19th century, when
the word ham was a pejorative term used in professional wired telegraphy, mainly to mock
operators who had poor Morse code sending skills, aka the ham-fisted ones. This term
continued to be used after the invention of radio and the popularity of amateur experimentation
with wireless telegraphy; even among land- and sea-based professional radio operators, ham
amateurs were considered a nuisance. But the 20th century saw the amateur radio community
rebrand the word and by the mid-20th century, it had lost its pejorative meaning.
Back in 1909, the First Annual Official Wireless Blue Book of the Wireless Association of
America published a list of wireless telegraph stations in Canada and the United States,
including 89 amateur radio stations. Much like with radio in general, amateur radio was
associated with amateur experimenters and hobbyists. Amateur radio enthusiasts have
significantly contributed to science, engineering, industry and social services.
How Does Ham Radio Work?
Typically, amateur radio operators - and they can be doctors, students, kids, politicians, truck
drivers, movie stars, missionaries and what you - share a basic knowledge of radio technology
and operating principles, and pass an examination for a license issued by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC). The license allows ham radio operators to operate on
radio frequencies allocated by the FCC for use; these frequencies are also known as the
“Amateur Bands.” Be it through Morse Code on an old brass telegraph key, voice
communication on a hand-held radio or computerized messages transmitted via satellite, all
hams use radio to reach out to the world.
Hams can operate from just above the AM broadcast band to the microwave region, in the
gigahertz range. Many ham bands are found in the frequency range that goes from above the
AM radio band (1.6 MHz) to just above the citizens band (27 MHz). During daylight, 15 to 27
MHz is said to be a good band for long-distance communications. At night, the ideal band for
is 1.6 to 15 MHz. These bands are often referred to historically as short-wave bands
(representing short-wave radio). Unlike frequencies used by FM radio stations and TV stations,
which are line-of-sight and therefore limited to 40 or 50 miles, short-waves bounce off the
ionosphere from the transmitter to the receiver’s antenna. The higher the frequency is, the
shorter the wavelength. Some ham radio operators use the very dependable Morse code, while
others rely on voice. Morse code signals (beeps) often get through when voice transmissions
cannot.
While ham radios do broadcast in all directions, amateur radio enthusiasts usually do not use
their radios like a disk jockey would at a radio station. In normal AM or FM radio, one disk
jockey transmits and thousands of people listen. Hams, meanwhile, carry out two-way
conversations, often with another ham or with a group of hams in an informal roundtable. These
other hams could be in the same town, county, state, country or continent or may consist of a
mix of countries, depending on the frequency and the time of the day. Hams also take part in
networks, often called nets, at predetermined times and frequencies to exchange third-party
messages. Some hams use radioteletype (RTTY) with computer screens replacing the noisy
teletype machines of the past.
Many hams begin on VHF FM, using battery-operated hand-held transceivers to transmit on
one frequency and receive on another frequency. They use FM repeaters, set up and supported
by local radio clubs. These repeaters borrow antenna space from TV-station-tower owners on
top of mountains and high buildings to receive and re-broadcast signals to extend the range.
The FM repeater receives one signal at a time and simultaneously rebroadcasts it on another
frequency using many more watts of power than available from a small hand-held radio. This
extends the range of the hand-held radio from a few miles to tens or hundreds of miles. When
a ham is traveling, he or she can find a repeater to use, and have a good, static-free, FM-radio-
quality conversation via a radio that is small enough to fit comfortably in one’s pocket or purse.
Linked repeaters make possible fun wireless communications across an entire state with a hand-
held radio. Repeaters use common transmit and receive frequency pairs. The frequency pairs
in use are informally assigned by groups of hams in such a way that one frequency pair in use
is far enough from another repeater thus avoiding unwanted interference.

Uses of Ham Radio


Using ham radio, one can communicate from one’s home, behind the wheel of a car or even
from the top of a mountain and that too without using the Internet or a cell phone network.
Especially during a disaster or calamity, when usual communications channels fail to function,
amateur radio operators can chip in by aiding emergency communications efforts and working
with public service agencies. For instance, the Amateur Radio Service helped New York City
agencies communicate with each other after their command center was destroyed during the
9/11 tragedy. Ham radio also came to the rescue during Hurricane Katrina and the devastating
floods in Colorado in 2013.
And of course, one can interact with other hams using one’s voice and a microphone, interface
a radio with one’s computer or tablet to send data, text or images, or Morse code, which
continues to be in demand. In fact, ham radio can even connect one to astronauts aboard the
International Space Station, to other hams through one of several satellites in space, or bounce
signals off the moon and back to Earth.
Ham radio enthusiasts also prefer making and experimenting with electronics.

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