Tag: ham

Choosing my first amateur (“ham”) radio

~ Josh, K6KNX ~ Leave a comment

I’m trying to decide what radio to buy first, and frankly, the choices are overwhelming. I’ve spent weeks reading articles, product reviews, considering what my needs are, and I’ve learned a few things. I’ll outline the information that was helpful to me, and then give the factors that went into my decision and the radio I chose.

Manufacturers:

There are three major players in the amateur radio game: Icom, Kenwood, and Yaesu. All three make great products. If you stick with one of the major manufacturers, the decision of which is going to be largely stylistic and personal. I’ve never used a Yaesu product. I’ve used Kenwood radios at work as a “professional land mobile radio user” and found them to be boringly predictable and useful, but with uninspired feature sets and utilitarian interfaces. I’ve only played with Icom products, I really like the look and interface of their products, particularly the newer base and mobile radios.

There are a few budget players in the game too, notably Alinco, Baofeng, and Wouxoun. I don’t know much about Alinco, and the Baofeng and Wouxoun devices have reputations for being cheap, with corresponding feature sets and durability. My budget isn’t huge, but I’m also not on a shoestring. I’d prefer to spend money on a quality product that will last for a while, so I’m only going to look at the three major players.

Right now my amateur radio interests are all over the map — basically, I want a chance to try out everything: digital modes, APRS, satellites, you-name-it. And as a volunteer firefighter in a rural community, emergency communications is a top priority. So I’m looking for a pretty full featured device. Specifically, I know that I want the following:

  • Dual band for both the 2m (144MHz) and 70cm (440MHz) bands
  • An integrated TNC (terminal node controller) for packet modes
  • GPS and APRS (automatic packet reporting system)
  • Full duplex for satellite contacts
  • Front panel programmable
  • Plenty of memory for tons of stored frequencies/tones/etc

I’m pretty enamored with the Icom mobile and base station radios, so I looked first at the Icom handhelds, but none of them had the feature set I was looking for. I have literally zero experience with Yaesu, so that took me to Kenwood.

Kenwood offers three amateur portables: the K20, D72, and D74. I knocked the K20 out of consideration right off the bat, because it’s a monobander for the 2 meter (144MHz) band. That left the D74 and D72. The D74 is a tribander that handles the 144MHz, 220MHz, and 440MHz bands with a really nice, color display with most of the features I wanted, except full duplex capability. This is really only important for working amateur satellites, where the uplink and downlink occur on different bands, and it’s useful to be able to hear, in real time, whether or not your voice is being re-transmitted on the downlink. You can accomplish this with two radios, but why use two radios when you can do it with one?

That left me with the Kenwood TH-D72. The display is simple but functional, and it fulfills all my requirements. I found it for $399 (not including shipping) from GigaParts. So while it’s one of the more expensive handhelds on the market, it gets high marks for overall build quality, features, and reliability. I read a few reviews that indicated the durability leaves something to be desired, but we’ll see.

Understanding amateur radio callsigns

~ Josh, K6KNX ~ Leave a comment

Sequential call sign overview

As I started my trip down the rabbit hole that is amateur radio, I was confounded by the callsigns. They seemed so random and nonsensical! In case they seem that way to you, too, here’s a quick breakdown:

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) designates a prefix (or several) for each country. In the United States, we have several: “W”, “K”, “N”, and “AA” through “AL.” The prefix can be one or two letters (ex: “K” or “KN,” “W” or “WA” etc.)

After the prefix is the numerical call district. In the U.S., we have ten call districts, numbered 0 through 9, which correspond to a geographic part of the country. For example, California is call district 6. Here’s the official map, produced by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL):

While call district numbers indicate where the license holder lived when the callsign was issued, we are not required to change call signs when moving. And after getting your first call sign, you can request a change to a “vanity” call, which can be from any call district.

The part after the call district number is the suffix. This is often random, though some hams choose a suffix with personal meaning, like their initials.

There’s a lot of history to radio call signs, which I’ll delve into another time. It’s interesting … if you’re into stuff like that. For now, let’s just get a handle on the basics for practical ham radio use.

Each class of ham radio license is entitled to a different format, and the higher the license class, the shorter the callsign format. I am going to mention two other license classes that we didn’t talk about earlier – Novice and Advanced. Neither of these licenses are issued anymore, but anyone who held one was allowed to keep it. You’ll see them below just for context.

Here’s a quick guide to the shortest callsign formats available to each license class:

Novice: 2×3 (ex: WN6ABC)
Technician: 1×3 (ex: W6ABC)
General: 1×3 (ex: K6KNX)
Advanced: 2×2 (ex: KA6JM)
Extra: 1×2 or 2×1 (ex: K6JM or NG6A)

Though, since the FCC issues callsigns sequentially and does not go backward, all new Technician and General-class licensees are being issued 2×3 call signs, despite there being plenty of 1×3’s available.

Of course, you’re always welcome to request a vanity callsign from any “lower” (or longer format) group, and many hams simply maintain their original callsign.

Vanity call signs

After the FCC issues your initial call sign, you’re welcome to apply for a “vanity” call sign of your choosing. This can be any available call sign from any group that you’re entitled to. So, as a General, I can choose any available 1×3 or 2×3.

How do you find available call signs, you ask? Well, the most accurate way is to search the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) for possible calls you’re interested it. That’ll tell you pretty definitively if it’s available. There are also a lot of other resources like the AE7Q website or RadioQTH.net. I really like the “available call” feature on RadioQTH (click here), which lets you select a format, prefix, call district, and even partial suffix, and it’ll show you a list of calls that are available now, or in the (semi) near future that match your criteria.

There is a ton more to selecting an amateur radio callsign, but I think that’s enough for now. Delving into ham radio is a lot like trying to drink from a fire hose. Check back later for more on picking a radio and to see how my first forays into the airwaves go.

License issued! Callsign KN6JDY

~ Josh, K6KNX ~ Leave a comment

The FCC maintains a database of licenses in the ULS, or Universal License System. Apparently they no longer mail out paper copies of amateur radio licenses, so the fastest way to check a license (including seeing if yours has posted yet!) is to simply check the ULS database. So, of course I’ve been checking the ULS daily (sometimes twice a day) to see if my license posted and what my first callsign will be.

Amateur radio callsigns are issued sequentially, according to license class. They do not go back and “fill in the gaps” by finding previously issued, but now available callsigns. In typical U.S. government fashion, they just charge on ahead. I saw a few days ago that new Technician and General class callsigns in California were in the “KN6XXX” range. As a 2×3 (two digit prefix, then the district number, followed by a three digit suffix), it’ll be a little “wordy”, but depending on the suffix, it might not be too bad.

Well, it posted yesterday!

Bitmoji - "Woot!"

The Federal Communications Commission decreed that henceforth on the airwaves, I shall be known as … KN6JDY. Kilo-November-Six-Juliet-Delta-Yankee.

I’m officially licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate a radio station per the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 97. Sounds super important, huh?

It’s not the worst, but not the best, either. As a General-class licensee, I can apply for a “vanity callsign” of the 1×3 variety, which would be a little shorter. At least three syllables shorter phonetically. I’m in the process of finding one that resonates with me, but more on that later.

For now, I’m going to add some frequencies to a my Kenwood portable (more on that, too!) and at least get on some of the local repeater nets to exercise my newly-granted access to the RF (radio frequency) spectrum.

License exam(s) passed!

~ Josh, K6KNX ~ Leave a comment

I took my amateur radio license exams for the Technician and General class licenses today through the W5YI Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) organization. It was about as painless as taking a test could be. The coordinator emailed me ahead of time wth the exact procedures to be followed, Zoom meeting info, and so forth.

At the appointed hour, I logged into the Zoom meeting and waited. They schedule several examinees for the same time period, but each is handled in turn, so I waited for about 15-20 minutes until it was my turn. Once the VEs let me into the Zoom virtual conference room, I was asked to pan and tilt my laptop around the room I was in (I used my living room) to prove that there were no study materials, other people, etc that could compromise the test. The guys were thorough, even asking me to show them a few areas a second time, so they could be sure there were no relevant materials in view.

I then screen shared my desktop, so the VEs could verify that I had no exam materials or other windows open on my desktop. They then got me logged in to the ExamTools website and authorized the exam.

I studied with HamStudy.org, which is associated with ExamTools, so the interface looked pretty much identical. Taking the actual exam felt just like the dozen or so practice exams I took on HamStudy. I passed the Technician exam with ease. As with all ham radio exams, passing one element allows you take the next element at no additional cost. studied for the General class test, so I happily had the VEs load up that exam. Fortunately, I also passed that one with relative ease. After a brief round of congratulations from the VEs, I logged off.

A couple hours later, I received my Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) from the coordinating VE:

Now the waiting games begins. W5YI VEC will electronically send the successful examination to the FCC for my license to be issued, but I can’t operate until it posts on the FCC’s Universal Licensing System, or ULS.

Waiting, waiting… More to come.

HamStudy.org to study for the amateur radio license exams

~ Josh, K6KNX ~ Leave a comment

The license exams for amateur radio licenses aren’t open book, but the question pools are public. The question pools are decided upon by the Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs), revised every few years, and published on the internet. Nothing on any of the exams should be a surprise.

Some people buy the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) books for each license class and actually learn all the material. Some people learn a fair amount of material in the question pools, memorize enough of the answers, and still pass the tests. The latter approach works well for the Technician and General class tests, with question pools around 400 questions each. I’m not sure it’d work for the Extra class test.

HamStudy.org is an excellent resource. The website allows users to read the question pools and answers, quiz themselves flashcard style (with an “Explain” button if you want to learn more about a particular answer) and even take full-length practice tests. HamStudy.org also has a mobile app, so you can study and take practice tests anywhere.

The website and app even track how many questions you’ve seen in a given pool and your “aptitude,” or the percentage that you tend to answer correctly. Since these values are cumulative, you can even temporarily “reset” your history to do a study session as if you were brand new, which gives you a much more accurate aptitude measurement, since you aren’t fighting against all the wrong answers you gave when you started.

My plan is to study and do practice exams for the Technician question pool until I’m passing those practice exams in the high 90% range, and then start on the General-class pool, with an occasional foray back into the Tech practice exams just to stay sharp. Once I can pass both practice exams on a consistent basis with 90%+ score, I’ll try and get into a remote format test, since I don’t anticipate this COVID lockdown ending any time soon.

(Follow up postscript: the benefit to using HamStudy.org (or the HamStudy app) and then testing with W5YI (or anyone else using the ExamTools.org site for testing) is that the interface will look very similar. The exam will feel like just another practice exam.)

How licensing works

~ Josh, K6KNX ~ Leave a comment

License classes

In the United States, amateur radio licenses are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. There are currently three classes of license available, which grant progressively greater privileges on more of the amateur radio spectrum. The current license classes are Technician, General, and Extra. Each license class requires a separate test, anywhere from 30 to 50 random questions from a pool of several hundred possible.

Technician-class licenses grant privileges on the VHF (very high frequency) and UHF (ultra high frequency) bands, but only very limited privileges on the HF (high frequency) bands, which are usually used for long distance communication. VHF/UHF frequencies are pretty local, but a Technician-class license gets you access to a whole network of amateur radio repeaters, which allow for longer-distance communication (more on repeaters later.) Interestly, the amateur radio satellites use the VHF/UHF frequencies, so any Technician can use satellites to communicate with others, often thousands of miles away!

General-class licenses grant the operator access to all modes, on some portion of all bands. This is the first step to long distance communication via HF radio waves. (Yeah, fellow radio nerds, I know Techs get some privileges on 10 meters, but it’s limited in spectrum and power.)

Extra-class licenses just add a bit of extra spectrum on some bands. And bragging rights, since the Extra-class exam is significantly more technical and detailed, and longer, than the General exam. (I have a General, and I’m studying for my Extra, but it is definitely a lot to learn for someone without a background in either telecom or electrical engineering!)

Testing

“Ok, ok! I’m convinced. How do I get one of these fancy government permission slips?”

It’s really not all that hard. Just study, make an appointment with a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC), and go take the test! Back in the dark old days, you had to walk uphill both ways, through the snow, to an imposing FCC field office to take the test in front of a cranky, tenured FCC examiner. Old hams still tell tales of those days, usually as they’re lamenting the fact that you no longer have to pass a Morse code test and how FT8 is going to be the death of ham radio.

Those days are over.

Amateur radio is one part of the world where the participants actually do a pretty good job of policing themselves, so the FCC farmed out testing to organizations called Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, or VECs. These VECs accredit Volunteer Examiners (VEs) who are just licensed hams who have agreed to proctor license exams. The VEs run the tests and submit passing tests to the FCC to get licenses issued.

Obviously, this being May of 2020, we’re in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and pretty much everything in person is closed, so most VEs haven’t been doing in person testing. Fortunately, the resourceful and dedicated people at both the Anchorage VEC and W5YI VEC have taken to administering tests remotely or in the case of W5YI, completely online. As of right now, Anchorage still requires an in person proctor, who doesn’t need to be a licensed ham, but they can’t be related to you, and must have one of several occupations (firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, and a few others) that are licensed, background checked, or otherwise generally considered “trusted.” Obviously, given the shelter-in-place orders, this could still be tough.

It looks like I’ll be taking my exam through the W5YI VEC. The test is administered through a combination of a Zoom call for monitoring and an online testing platform called Exam Tools, so no in person proctor is necessary. I’m going to try to pass both the Tech and General exams in one sitting. I’ll let you know how it goes!

What is amateur radio?

~ Josh, K6KNX ~ Leave a comment

In the United States, the use of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, better known as the FCC. The FCC determines who can use what parts of the spectrum (which frequencies, or range of frequencies), what testing is required for a particular license, and other rules regulating actual on-air operation.

The FCC has set aside some portions of the spectrum for aviation, industry, government, commercial broadcast, maritime use and … amateurs.

In this case “amateur” just means “non-commercial.” There’s really nothing “amateur” about amateur radio operators. I was a “professional government land mobile radio user” for almost 15 years. All I knew how to do was turn the radio on, select a channel, and how to talk on it in a way that made sense to my industry. I’ve learned far more about how radio actually works in the months I’ve been studying for my FCC exam than I did in over a decade as a “professional” radio user.

So, what is amateur radio?

Officially, it is for “…qualified persons of any age who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest. These services present an opportunity for self-training, intercommunication, and technical investigations.” That’s right outta the FCC website.

Basically, it’s for average Joe’s like you and me to learn how radio works and be able to experiment with it in a real world way. In fact, radio “amateurs” probably have more wide-ranging authority to act within their spectrum allocations than anyone else. As a “professional radio user,” I couldn’t modify my radio. I couldn’t change the frequencies it transmitted or received on. I couldn’t modify power output or use any mode other than the voice mode it was set up for.

As a licensed “amateur” operator, I can modify my equipment, completely control the frequency I operate on, choose from one of many dozens of operating modes, including Morse code, several voice modes, dozens of digital modes for everything from keyboard-to-keyboard messaging to e-mail, and communication via satellites. I can even bounce radio signals off the Moon to communicate with other radio amateurs on the other side of the Earth! Wait … yeah. I can even talk to the International Space Station. No need to go through Mission Control in Houston — there are hams onboard the ISS with amateur radio gear, and anyone with a Technician-class license or better can talk to them. If you learn how.

Some radio amateurs aren’t even really interested in talking to other people. Some enjoy setting up repeaters for emergency communications, or building the most efficient antenna possible, or tinkering with electronics gear and actually being able to test it, legally, in a real-world environment. Some hams like having long conversations with people a world away, and some like chasing awards for how many separate countries they can contact, purely via radio.

As old as it is, amateur radio still has something for almost anyone who has even the slightest interpersonal or technical inclination.

Who are you?

~ Josh, K6KNX ~ Leave a comment

I’m Josh.

I live in a little mountain hamlet called La Honda, at the north end of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Our “town” consists of one neighborhood of a couple hundred homes, a small market, a post office, one bar, and the all-volunteer fire brigade. As rural as “La Honda proper” is, I live outside of town in a mountain canyon where cell phone service is non-existent, the power goes out in both winter and summer, and our telephone line has been spliced and patched so many times it acts more like an old-school party line. (If you get that reference, you just dated yourself!)

I moved here about two years ago from a tiny townhouse in the suburbs. We wanted a slower life for our family, a life with more hard work and more freedom. We sure got it. My wife and I volunteered as firefighters with the local all-volunteer fire brigade. I quickly saw that amateur radio played a large and integral part of our rural emergency response infrastructure, which got me interested.

So I decided to get a license and start learning something new. An amateur radio license. From the Federal Communications Commission. While it sounds complicated and a little intimidating (what government bureaucracy isn’t complicated?!) it was actually way easier than a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a driver license renewal.

I have two daughters, ages 15 and 6. Part of my motivation was a desire to create opportunities for my girls to be involved in STEM (science, technology, electronics, and mathematics) projects. After a few months of studying for my radio license exam, I learned just how many opportunities it would create — way more than I anticipated!

I plan to use this blog to document my adventure into amateur radio, the role ham radio still plays in rural emergency response, and how I (hopefully) engage my daughters in science, technology, and math. Join me on this journey and lets learn together.