Radio Merit Badge

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Radio Merit Badge
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Radio Merit Badge

• Each scout must have their own answer sheet
• Each scout fills in their name and unit/troop
  number on each page of answer sheet.
• Each scout fill in the instructors names and
  telephone numbers on the first page.

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Radio Merit Badge

• The last page of the answer sheet is a QSO log
• You must get five QSOs
• There are HAMS around camp, ask them for help
• They will set up a QSO and fill in your QSO log

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Radio Merit Badge

• Explain what radio is

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• Explain what radio is
• Radio is a way to communicate electronically from
  one place to another without wires.

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• The differences between broadcast radio

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• The differences between broadcast radio
• One-way to the public.

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• and hobby radio.
• For fun or general interest, but not for profit.

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• The differences between broadcasting

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• The differences between broadcasting
• Could be commercial (music, news, sports) or not
  commercial (school radio stations, Voice of
  America)

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• and two-way communications.

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• and two-way communications.
• Both send (transmit) and receive messages. This
  includes FRS, Amateur, CB, fire, police, etc.

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Radio Merit Badge

• Radio call signs and how they are used in
  broadcast radio and amateur radio.

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Radio Merit Badge

• Radio call signs and how they are used in
  broadcast radio and amateur radio.
• Call signs identify the station and are required
  by law.

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Radio Merit Badge

• Radio call signs and how they are used in
  broadcast radio and amateur radio.
• Broadcast KSWB, WGN, WRAL
• K west of Mississippi
• W east of Mississippi

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Radio Merit Badge

• Radio call signs and how they are used in
  broadcast radio and amateur radio.
• Amateur KF4AVG, KQ4UK, WT4S, WA4WPD, W4MY, WN4Z,
  W4FRA
• Calls assigned by districts

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Radio Merit Badge

• Radio call signs and how they are used in
  broadcast radio and amateur radio.
• Call signs can tell you where a station is in the
  world.

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• The phonetic alphabet and how it is used to
  communicate clearly.

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Radio Merit Badge

• The phonetic alphabet and how it is used to
  communicate clearly.
• Phonetics Words used for letters to make
  spelling more clear.

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Radio Merit Badge

• The phonetic alphabet and how it is used to
  communicate clearly.
• Phonetics Words used for letters to make
  spelling more clear.
• Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf,
  Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike,
  November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra,
  Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee,
  Zulu, One, Two, Three(tree), Four, Five(fife),
  Six, Seven, Eight, Nine(niner), Zero.

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Radio Merit Badge

• Sketch a diagram showing how radio waves travel
  locally and around the world.

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• Line-of-sight where the antennas can "see" each
  other. (You to 1 in this picture).
• If a hill is in the way, a repeater on top a
  mountain or building can relay the signal over
  it. (You to 2).

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• High frequency (HF) radio bounces off the
  ionosphere long distances (You to 3) (Skip).
• Signals can also be relayed by satellite or even
  moon bounce or meteor trails.

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• Explain how the broadcast radio stations, WWV and
  WWVH can be used to help determine what you will
  hear when you listen to a shortwave radio?

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• WWV in Colorado (male voice) and WWVH in Hawaii
  (female voice) broadcast the time on several
  frequencies (2.5, 5, 10, 15 20MHz). By
  listening for these stations on their regular
  frequencies you can tell how good signals from
  those states are on the different radio bands.

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• Time is given in Coordinated Universal Time
  (UTC), also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or
  Zulu (Z), which is fives hours later than Eastern
  Standard Time. This avoids confusion in having to
  know the local time zone and if Daylight Savings
  time is in effect.

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• Explain the difference between a DX and a local
  station.

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• DX - Distant (not local, some folks assume it
  means out of the country). Any station received
  via atmospheric skip can be considered DX.

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• Local - Closer, therefore more common. Received
  via line of sight.

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• Discuss what the Federal Communication Commission
  (FCC) does

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• Discuss what the Federal Communication Commission
  (FCC) does
• Sets rules in US

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Radio Merit Badge

• Discuss what the Federal Communication Commission
  (FCC) does
• Sets rules in US
• Enforces same rules

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• Rules define
• Kind of equipment
• Frequencies
• Content.

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• How is FCC different from the International
  Telecommunication Union (ITU)

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• How is FCC different from the International
  Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• Part of the United Nations
• Sets band plans internationally
• Set international standards
• Assigns call sign lists.

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Radio Merit Badge

• Do the following
• Draw a chart of the electromagnetic spectrum
  covering 100 kilohertz (kHz) to 1000 megahertz
  (MHz).
• Label the MF, HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave
  portions of the spectrum on your diagram.
• Locate on your chart at least eight radio
  services such as AM and FM commercial broadcast,
  citizens band (CB), television, amateur radio (at
  least four amateur radio bands), and public
  service (police and fire) radio.

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• MF 300KHz to 3MHz
• HF 3MHz to 30MHz
• HF 3MHz to 30MHz
• VHF 30MHz to 300MHz
• UHF 300MHz to 1000MHz
• Microwave greater than 1000MHz

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• Explain how radio waves carry information.

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• Explain how radio waves carry information.
• A detailed explanation of what happens inside a
  radio is too complicated for most Scouts. The
  definition of these words should suffice.

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• Transciever

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• Transceiver
• Transmitter and receiver in one box

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• Transmitter

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• Transmitter
• Sends radio signals after converting the audio
  and or pictures to radio frequencies
• AM Amplitude Modulation
• FM Frequency Modulation

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• Amplifier

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• Amplifier
• Makes signals or sounds more powerful.
• Amplifiers are inside of most transceivers,
  although you might add a larger one for more
  power if needed.

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• Antenna.

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• Antenna.
• Sends radio signals out from the transmitter and
  receives them for the receiver. Can vary from
  small whips found on a car to long single wires
  to large multipart beams. Size can vary from a
  few inches to 100's of feet long.

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• 5. Do the following
• a. Explain the differences between a block
  diagram
• and a schematic diagram.

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• Block diagram
• Shows parts of radio station.

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• Schematic diagram
• Shows in detail how an electrical circuit works.
  It uses schematic symbols (see "d" below) to show
  the path of a circuit the way a map uses map
  symbols to show the path of travel on a hiking
  trail, or road.

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Radio Merit Badge

• Draw a block diagram for a radio station that
  includes a transceiver, amplifier, microphone,
  antenna, and feed line.

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Radio Merit Badge

• Draw a block diagram for a radio station that
  includes a transceiver, amplifier, microphone,
  antenna, and feed line.

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• Explain the differences between an open circuit,
  a closed circuit and a short circuit.

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• Open Circuit
• No current flows
• There is no electrical contact
• For example, when a light switch is off

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• Closed Circuit
• Current flows correctly
• For example, when a light switch is on

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• Short Circuit
• Current flows directly to the other side of the
  circuit
• For example, a broken lamp cord where the
  insulation on the wires is broken so the two
  wires can touch each other
• This is dangerous and can cause a fire. This will
  hopefully blow the fuse before it causes too much
  trouble, if the fuse is the right size.