Operating Practices T3

1
Operating Practices (T3)

• Become proficient on the air!

2
Finding someone to talk to!

• Amateur Radio is all about the contacts! Dont
  be shy and say hi!

3
General Guidelines

• When trying to find a clear frequency, LISTEN
  FIRST, then LISTEN for a bit longer!
• On a repeater, call the station with his/her
  callsign.
• KK7LU KL7OR is all you need!
• When calling another station, always give the
  other stations call sign first, then yours.
• ID every 10 minutes and at the end of the QSO,
  you need not ID after every exchange.

4
Q-signals

• Q-signals are a kind of short-hand hams use to
  communicate quickly, especially via Morse Code.
• Most Q-signals can be used as a question or a
  statement
• My QTH is Georgia.
• What is your QTH?

5
Q-Signals

• The use of Q-signals began in the days of the
  telegraph, where operators developed a way to
  exchange commonly transmitted information
  (location, output power, etc.) more efficiently.
• Some common Q-signals can be found on page 4-4 of
  The Ham Radio License Manual.

6
Q-Signals

• QRM - Is my transmission being interfered
  with?/Something is causing interference
• QRN - Are you troubled by static/noise?/I am
  troubled by static/noise.
• QRO - Shall I increase transmitter power?/I am
  running high power.
• QRP - Shall I decrease transmitter power?/I am
  running low power.
• QRQ - Shall I send faster?/Please send faster.
• QRS - Shall I send slower?/Please send slower
• QRT - Shall I stop sending?/I am going off the
  air.
• QRZ - Who is calling me?
• QSB - Are my signals fading?/Your signal is
  fading.
• QSL - Can you acknowledge receipt?/I received the
  message.
• QSO - Can you communicate with ____ direct?/I
  will communicate with ________ directly.
• QSY - Shall I change frequency?/I am changing
  frequency to _______.
• QTH - What is your location?/My location is
  _______.

7
QSL Cards
A QSL card is a written confirmation of contact
between two amateur radio stations.
8
Standard ITU Phonetic Alphabet
9
T3A11 Why should you use the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) phonetic alphabet
when identifying your station? A. The words are
internationally recognized substitutes for
letters B. There is no advantage C. The words
have been chosen to represent amateur radio
terms D. It preserves traditions begun in the
early days of amateur radio
10
ITU Phonetic Alphabet

• Used for accurate copy when band conditions are
  noisy or crowded.
• Always use the proper words, they were carefully
  selected so no two sound alike.
• Avoid being cute.
• Generally not needed on local repeaters.

11
Some No-Nos

• Dont use CB slang or 10-codes.
• Dont interrupt conversations (QSOs) in
  progress.
• Dont test on the air without identifying!!
• Avoid subject matter that could be offensive.
• Dont forget your manners be polite.
• Dont whine and complain.
• Dont forget that the whole world can hear you!

12
T3A09 Why should you avoid using cute phrases or
word combinations to identify your station? A.
They are not easily understood by some
operators B. They might offend some operators C.
They do not meet FCC identification
requirements D. They might be interpreted as
codes or ciphers intended to obscure your
identification.
13
T3A10 What brief statement is often used in place
of "CQ" to indicate that you are listening for
calls on a repeater? A. Say "Hello test"
followed by your call sign B. Say your call sign
C. Say the repeater call sign followed by your
call sign D. Say the letters "QSY" followed by
your call sign
14
T3A02 How do you call another station on a
repeater if you know the station's call sign? A.
Say "break, break" then say the station's call
sign B. Say the station's call sign then identify
your own station C. Say "CQ" three times then the
other station's call sign D. Wait for the station
to call "CQ" then answer it
15
Bandplans
Amateursagree tooperate only in certain places
for certain modes of operation.
16

• T3B01
• What is a band plan?
• A voluntary guideline, beyond the divisions
  established by the FCC for using different
  operating modes within an amateur band
• A guideline from the FCC for making amateur
  frequency band allocations
• A guideline for operating schedules within an
  amateur band published by the FCC
• A plan devised by a local group

17
VHF Sub-bands

• 6 meters
• 50.0 50.1 MHz
• CW only!
• 2 meters
• 144.0 144.1
• CW only!
• These sub-bands are used for weak-signal work.

18
Interference
Both radio and TV receivers can sometimes pick up
unwanted transmissions from two way radio, CB and
amateur radio services. Hearing voices other than
those on the radio program you want to listen to
identifies this form of interference.
19
Reducing Interference
Very often the problem arises because the
broadcast receiver cannot reject the operating
frequencies used by CB, amateur or two way radio
transmissions. Most modern consumer electronics
are not equipped with adequate protection from
interference.
An amateur radio filter
20
T3D03 What is the major cause of telephone
interference? A. The telephone wiring is
inadequate B. Tropospheric ducting at UHF
frequencies C. The telephone was not equipped
with adequate interference protection when
manufactured. D. Improper location of the
telephone in the home
21
T3D02 Who is responsible for taking care of the
interference if signals from your transmitter are
causing front end overload in your neighbor's
television receiver? A. You alone are
responsible, since your transmitter is causing
the problem B. Both you and the owner of the
television receiver share the responsibility C.
The FCC must decide if you or the owner of the
television receiver is responsible D. The owner
of the television receiver is responsible
22
FCC Part 15 Rules
Most modern consumer electronics devices are
Part 15 Devices. This is the sticker on a
NOKIA Internet Tablet.
23
Harmful Interference

• Amateur Radio stations may not cause harmful
  interference.
• Interference that seriously degrades, obstructs
  or repeatedly interrupts a radio communication
  service
• Licensed vs. Unlicensed
• There are guidelines, however, for unintended
  interference.

24
T3D04 What is the proper course of action if you
unintentionally interfere with another
station? A. Rotate your antenna slightly B.
Properly identify your station and move to a
different frequency C. Increase power D. Change
antenna polarization
25
T3D01 What should you do if you receive a report
that your transmissions are causing splatter or
interference on nearby frequencies? A. Increase
transmit power B. Change mode of transmission C.
Report the interference to the equipment
manufacturer D. Check transmitter for off
frequency operation or spurious emissions
26
Lets talk about RFI central! -- BPL

• Apply RF to power lines (open wires)
• They will radiate
• Just like antennas!
• And you will get interference
• Lets watch a short video about BPL.

27
Broadband over Powerline
28
Questions?