AN INTRODUCTION TO AMATEUR RADIO
Amateur Radio is a very interesting hobby which thousands of people enjoy. Operators can use there equipment to communicate to other stations all over the world. Many operators have made friends in different countries and keep in touch with each other by an organized schedule.
Although Amateur Radio is a hobby, it has also in the past benefited the whole community in times of a disaster where operators have assisted the emergency services with there equipment and expertise.
There are many different aspects to the hobby. Peoples interests differ as some only like operating using general chat or calling for long distance contacts, it can be very useful if they are learning a new language and they can practice there skills with the country or language of there choice. While others enjoy the technical side such as building there own equipment. This includes antennas, tuners and even receivers, transmitters and transceivers. Some people have got involved in amateur radio and made a career out of it. There are many different ways of operating such as using CW (Morse), repeaters, satellites, packet radio, moon bounce, meteor scatter, slow and fast scan television and internet gateways or direct to one another using the propagation to carry the signals long distances. There are so many different parts to the hobby that everyone will normally resort to one or two aspects.
Most people start the hobby first by ether becoming a shortwave listener, or progressing from CB radio. If you would like to get involved I would first recommend that you become a shortwave listener. First of all I would recommend you seek the advice of an experienced amateur, you could join a local radio club where there will be members only too willing to help you. There are many of these clubs around the country, for more information of a club in your area contact the R.S.G.B. (RADIO SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN).
All you need is a communications receiver 1.8 to 30 MHz coverage and it must be able to receive ssb, these receivers are far superior than normal broadcast type receivers. They are very sensitive and designed to pick out weaker stations from the noise, most have several modes such as AM, USB, LSB, and CW. Communication receivers have more stability (less frequency drift) more selectivity (better at rejecting unwanted stations ether side of the target frequency).
The antenna can be a simple long length of wire strung down the garden as in the diagram above, although not essential I would recommend an Antenna Tuning Unit (ATU) as it will maximize performance and help reduce some noise on the band. It is this section of the radio spectrum where many people like to listen as there is world wide communication. But there are also vhf and uhf frequencies where there are normally amateurs who have local nets and use the repeaters to help gain longer distances particularly when mobile. One of the reasons I would recommend you become a shortwave listener first is that you will learn the radio jargon as well as essential operating practices which will help you become a better operator from the start.
It does not have to be too expensive to start, there are plenty of receivers on the second hand market, people advertise equipment for sale in local papers or clubs, and in radio magazines such as Practical Wireless, Shortwave Magazine and Radcom. Many of the well known dealers such as Waters and Stanton, Martin Lynch and Nevada have a second hand stock list, so you can buy with confidence. You will also get a receipt and guarantee and good professional advice.
If you have a receiver and would like to know where to listen or learn more about each frequency band then follow my link to my Amateur Frequencies page.
OBTAINING A LICENCE
When you have done some listening and learned how other stations conduct themselves over the air, you may be interested in becoming an Amateur Radio Operator. But first you will need to obtain a transmitting licence. The international law requires all countries to give licences only to the successful applicants who pass an exam to prove they are able to install, operate and maintain there equipment without causing interference to other users of the radio spectrum.
FULL LICENCE
Fortunately there are several types of licence here in the United Kingdom. The full licence requires two parts, a pass in the RAE ( Radio Amateurs Examination) which is a recognized City and Gills exam, you can then apply for a class B which allows access to bands above 30MHz. You will then have to pass the Morse examination before you can apply for the full class A which gives full access to all bands and power levels up to 400 watts. The RAE certificate is accepted in many countries as achieving recognized technical skills in radio. All the exams are essential as a licensee needs to be fully aware of all the potential interference problems that may arise, and learn the best way to cure them.
FOUNDATION LICENCE
If you would like to start from entry level then this will be the Foundation licence which was introduced in January 2002. You will need to enlist in a Foundation course, these courses are run in a friendly atmosphere by experienced amateurs which last 10 to 12 hours. It is designed to get you involved in radio as quickly as possible. There is a small amount of radio and electronics theory but only enough to get you by. At the end of the course you will sit the test which is a multiple choice exam, at the end the papers will be marked on the spot. It will be very unlikely to fail the exam, but in the event of a failure you will be allowed to site the exam again after a break and encouragement from the tutors. Some courses are run by local radio clubs over a weekend or over a number of weeks.
When you have your pass certificate you can apply for an M3 licence, you will be issued with a personal callsign. You will be allowed to operate on all bands with the exception of 28 to 29.7 MHz. Maximum power level will be 10 watts which is still capable of world wide communication in the right conditions.
INTERMEDIATE LICENCE
Once you have taken the foundation licence you can then progress to the intermediate licence class B and the intermediate class A. Class B allows transmissions above 30 MHz at increased power(50 watts), but you will still need to complete a course in which you will learn practical skills such as soldering and building a small project. After the course there is a multiple choice exam. You can then upgrade to an intermediate class A, you will have to sit a Morse test at a speed of 5 words per minute which will allow access to the HF bands.
Please contact the R.S.G.B. for further details, they can also provide you with a full list of clubs, courses and exam dates throughout the country.
The following magazines are worth reading, they come out every month and will assist you in your new hobby. Both have news and reviews on equipment, as well as regular articles such as propagation reports and practical projects.