Frequency Spectrum , Antennas, and Amateur Radio

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Frequency Spectrum , Antennas, and Amateur Radio

• Troy Rank

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Frequency spectrum

• Focus On
• HF High Frequency
• VHF Very High Frequency
• UHF Ultra High Frequency
• Lower Microwave Frequencies

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HF

• Frequency Range
• 3-30MHz
• Who Uses HF?
• Military
• Marine
• Aeronautical
• Radio Amateurs
• World Band Radio

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HF - Modes

• Analog Modes
• AM, USB, LSB, CW
• Digital Modes
• SSTV (slow scan tv)
• Amtor / Pactor
• RTTY
• PSK31
• WeFax
• BPL?

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VHF/ UHF

• VHF 30-300 MHz
• UHF 300MHz - 3 GHZ
• Short Range
• No Ionospheric propagation
• Who uses VHF/UHF
• Who Doesnt?

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VHF/UHF Applications

• FM broadcast Radio
• Broadcast TV
• Local Radio Communication
• Police
• Commercial
• Cell Phones
• Satellite Communications
• 802.11b/g

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UHF/VHF modes

• FM, USB, LSB, AM (on lower freqs)
• Digital modes
• Packet Radio
• Digital Voice
• IRLP
• APRS

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UHF/VHF Repeaters

• Retransmit signals
• Longer usable range
• Receive on one Frequency
• Transmit on a separate Frequency
• Intermodulation
• Duplexers

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Duplexers
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IRLP

• Internet Radio Linking Project
• Connects Repeaters
• Uses Internet For connection

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Amateur Satellite

• VHF for transmit
• UHF for receive
• Types
• Repeaters
• Digipeaters
• Other data

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Beyond UHF

• 3-300GHZ (Microwave region)
• Large Bandwidth
• Highly subject to line of sight
• Very low power
• Health hazard
• Highly directional signals used

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Applications 3-300GHZ

• Wireless Data Links
• Broadband Internet links
• Large bandwidth
• Radar
• Wireless USB

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Amateur Microwave

• Contesting

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What is Amateur Radio

• Hobby
• Provide Emergency Communication
• Much more resilient than convention telephone
  lines / cell phones
• Experiment with new forms of RF communication

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How to Become a Ham

• Three License Classes
• Technician
• General
• Extra
• Take a Written Multiple Choice Test

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Dipole Antenna

• 2.4 DB gain for ¼ wave
• ¼, ½, 5/8, wave versions

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Other Types Of Antennas

• Loop
• Yagi
• Cubical Quad
• Ground Plane
• Aperature
• Crossed Yagi
• Helix

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Yagi
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Aperature

• Commonly used for microwave freqs

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Ground Plane

• Omni directional

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Crossed Yagi and Helix