Australian Amateur Operator

1
Australian Amateur Operators Certificate of
Proficiency Foundation Licence Training
2
WELCOME !

• The Canberra Region Amateur Radio Club welcomes
  you to our Foundation Licence Course !
• We are here to facilitate you obtaining your
  Foundation License.

3
How we are going to Run it.

• We will be using the WIAs Your Entry Into
  Amateur Radio manual, and will proceed in the
  same order as the manual.
• We will be having Prac sessions so you can get
  some hands on experience to back up the theory
• We will have lots of breaks, but time will be
  tight !

4
What about the Exam ?

• The Exam will be held on Sunday just before
  lunch, and after lunch the practical assessment
  will be done.
• The exam consists of 25 questions and will draw
  upon all parts of the syllabus except part 8
• You need to correctly answer 18 or more questions
  to pass the examination paper

5
What about the Assessment ?

• The Practical Assessments will be done after
  lunch on Sunday.
• This will involve a one on one session with the
  WIA assessor, with an Invigilator in attendance
  to assist.
• You need to be assessed as being Competent in 20
  different areas, but some things can be done
  together.

6
Who Are YOU ?

• First off, we want to get to know you before we
  start, so could you let us know
• Your Name,
• Your experience with radio / electronics
• How you heard about the course
• What you expect to achieve

7
Onto the Nitty Gritty

• We will be doing Chapters 1 and 2 of the manual
  before the 1st break
• Chapter 1 is About Electricity, Frequency and
  Wavelengths
• Chapter 2 will be about Transmitters and Receivers

8
Chapter 1

• Electricity, Frequency
• And
• Wavelength

9
Electricity

• Matter is made up of Atoms that contain particles
  called Electrons
• The first form of electricity that was observed
  was static electricity
• Static electricity occurs when friction causes
  electrons to be dislodged from their parent atoms
• The art of controlling the movement of electrons
  is called electronics.

10
Conductors

• All metals are good conductors, though the most
  common used in electricity are COPPER and
  ALUMINIUM.
• Have free electrons - allow electrons to move
  from one place to another.
• Conductors are usually insulated from each other
  or from other objects by plastic insulation.

Conductor
11
Insulators

• Materials that have tightly held electrons Do
  not allow current flow
• Many things can be used as insulators they may
  include
• DRY WOOD
• PORCELIAN
• GLASS
• PAPER just to name a few.

12
Voltage

• Voltage is the term given to the electrical
  pressure that can produce an electric current in
  a circuit.
• Voltage is sometimes referred to as Electromotive
  Force or EMF.

Voltage is like water pressure. No force actually
pushes electrons through a circuit. Rather, like
water level, the difference between the two
levels forces the flow.
13
Current

• An electric current is an ordered movement of
  electrons from a negative point to a positive
  point
• When current flows in a conductor energy is being
  transferred.
• Current flow is measured in Amps

14
Resistance

• Resistance is the opposition to current flow in
  an electrical circuit and is measured in OHMS.
• When current flows in a resistance, energy is
  lost (dissipated) as heat.
• Resistance is the only electrical property that
  produces heat..

15
Power

• The Energy (heat) dissipated by a resistor is
  called POWER and is measured in Watts
• Power Volts times Amps
• A radio transmitters power output is measured in
  Watts.
• Equipment/Components are often rated in terms of
  their power handling capacity.
• When the power rating is exceeded the device may
  fail or become dangerous (burst into flames).

16
Incorrect Voltage Polarity

• Electronic circuits can be damaged by applying an
  excessive voltage orvoltage of wrong polarity.

17
Types of Current

• Direct Current Current that remains constant and
  does not change its magnitude from a zero
  reference level. Voltage from a battery is direct
  current.Also called DC.
• Alternating Current Current that is continually
  changing in magnitude and periodically in
  direction from a zero reference level. Also
  called AC.

18
DC AC

• Batteries provide a source of DC
• DC- Direct Current, flows in a single direction

• AC - Alternating Current
• AC is easier to generate and transform
• Mains is 50 Hz AC. Radio uses High Frequency AC
• Simple items such as lamps work with AC and DC,
  but many electronic components are sensitive to
  the direction of current

19
Electrical Units Symbols

• Quantity Unit Symbol
• Voltage, V Volt V or E
• Current, I Amp A
• Resistance, R Ohm ?
• Power, P Watt W
• Frequency, f Hertz Hz
• Wavelength, ? Metre m
• Note-1 Resistance is the opposition to current
  flow

20
Technical Basics

• Component Symbols

• Battery

• Cell

21
Technical Basics

• Component Symbols

• Resistor

• Switch

22
Technical Basics

• Component Symbols

• Fuse

• Lamp

23
Technical Basics

• Component Symbols

• Antenna

• Earth

24
Technical Basics

• Component Symbols

• Microphone

• Loudspeaker

25
A Real Example

• A battery provides voltage and that a circuit is
  needed to allow current to flow. A battery
  provides the source of voltage and power and that
  a complete circuit (including a battery) is
  needed for current to flow.

26
Electric Circuit

• Component Symbols used to represent an electric
  circuit

• Switch

• Battery

• Lamp

27
Ohms Law

• Relates Voltage, V Current, I Resistance, R
• VIxR IV/R RV/I

28
Calculation of Power

• Power

• Relates Power, P Voltage, V Current, I
• PVxI VP/I IP/V

29
Unit Prefixes

• Unit Prefixes
• Factor Prefix Symbol
• millionths micro ??or u
• thousandths milli m
• thousands kilo k
• millions Mega M
• Examples 4.7 k???4700 ?
• 1500 mA 1.5 A
• 0.6 MHz 600 kHz

30
Technical Basics
Understand the Terminology for the Radio Spectrum
31
What is Frequency

• Rate of Repetition of an event
• Measured in number of repetitions per second
  (Hertz)
• Typically is a measurement of waves
• Waves move at a constant speed
• Distance between the crests of adjacent waves is
  the wavelength

32
Frequency Wavelength

• Frequency Wavelength are two related terms used
  to describe the same quantity (frequency).
• The higher the frequency, the shorter the
  wavelength.
• The lower the frequency, the longer the
  wavelength.
• Convert from one to the other using supplied
  reference material.

33
Frequency Wavelength

• In air the velocity, v of radio waves is a
  constant ( 3x108 m/s)
• So if the frequency increases, the wavelength
  decreases, and vice versa, determined byv f x
  ?

34
Frequency Calculation

• For practical purposes, the velocity of a radio
  wave is considered to be constant, regardless of
  the frequency or the amplitude of the transmitted
  wave.
• To find the frequency when the wavelength is
  known, divide the velocity by the wavelength.
• To find the wavelength when the frequency is
  known, divide the velocity by the frequency.

35
Frequency Calculation
36
Technical Basics

• Remember ranges forRadio Frequencies (RF)
• HF 3-30 MHz
• VHF 30-300 MHz
• UHF gt300 MHz

37
Technical Basics

• Understand
• The terms DC (direct current) and AC (alternating
  current).
• Unit of frequency. Hertz
• The frequency of the mains supply. 50 Hz
• The voltage of the mains supply. 240 Volts AC
• The range of frequencies for normal hearing 20
  Hz - 15 kHz
• The range of voice frequencies used in
  radiotelephony 300 Hz 3 kHz.
• The frequency bands for HF, VHF, UHF etc
• The relationship between frequency and
  wavelength.

38
Chapter 2

• Transmitters
• And
• Receivers

39
Oscillator Basics

• Basic Oscillator the generator of all radio
  signals.
• An Oscillator generates energy on a specific
  frequency and can do so on.
• Audio Frequencies, or
• Radio Frequencies

40
Oscillator - Sine Wave

• Graphic representation of a sine wave and that
  sine waves are produced by oscillators.

41
Transmitters - Oscillator

• The frequency generation stage(s) (e.g.
  oscillator(s)) in a transmitter defines the
  frequency. Incorrect setting of these stages can
  result in operation outside the amateur band and
  interference to other users.

42
Technical BasicsBasic Morse Code Transmitter
43
Transmitters

• The items in a simple voice transmitter block
  diagram are
• Microphone,
• audio amplifier stage,
• frequency generation stage,
• modulator stage,
• RF power amplifier stage,
• feeder and antenna.

44
Simple Voice Transmitter

• The block diagram
• 1. Audio Amplifier
• 2. Modulator
• 3. Frequency generator (oscillator)
• 4. RF power amplifier

Antenna
45
Transmitters - Modulation

• The Audio Amplifier prepares the audio from the
  microphone for modulation. Microphone level is
  adjusted by the Microphone Gain control.
• The audio signal is modulated onto the radio
  frequency carrier (produced by the oscillator)
  in the modulator of the transmitter.

46
Modulation Types

• Amplitude modulation Modulation in which the
  amplitude of the carrier wave is varied above and
  below its normal value in accordance with the
  intelligence of the signal being transmitted.
  Also called AM.
• Single Sideband (SSB) is a more efficient form of
  Amplitude Modulation (AM) that does not use a
  constant carrier wave.
• Frequency modulation The process of varying the
  frequency of a carrier wave, usually with an
  audio frequency, in order to convey intelligence.
  Also called FM.

47
Transmitters

• Modulation is by varying the amplitude or
  frequency of the carrier, resulting in AM or FM
  modulation modes.

48
Amplitude Modulation

• AMPLITUDE MODULATION (AM) - The audio signal
  varies the amplitude of a constant frequency RF
  Carrier

• Note if Audio is too strong, clipping and
  distortion occurs
• Simple AM gives carrier with lower and upper
  sidebands

49
Frequency Modulation

• FREQUENCY MODULATION (FM) - The audio signal
  varies the Frequency of a constant amplitude RF
  Carrier

• Actual amount of variation is small called
  Deviation
• Signal Amplitude is constant and doesn't carry
  info. Its therefore less prone to interference

50
Effect of Mic gain control onoutput modulation

• Excessive modulation of AM or FM transmitters
  will cause distorted output and interference to
  adjacent frequencies and/or nearby appliances.
  ie. TV Radio Broadcast services.
• Ensure microphone gain, where fitted, is
  correctly adjusted to avoid over modulation of AM
  or FM transmitters.

51
Receiver Block Diagram

• 1. Tuning and RF amplifier
• 2. Detection
• 3. Audio amplifier
• 4. Loudspeaker

52
RF Amplifier Tuning

• The tuning (frequency control) of a receiver is
  carried out in first stages of the receiver block
  diagram.

Antenna
53
Detector

• The purpose of a detector is to recover the
  original information modulating the carrier
  signal at the transmitter.
• Another name for the detector is a demodulator.

2Detector
54
Audio Amplifier

• The Audio Amplifier takes a low level Audio input
  and makes it louder.

3Audio Amplifier
55
Loudspeaker

• The Loudspeaker converts the Audio signal back to
  sound waves that can be heard.

56
Receiver Performance

• Receiver Sensitivity is the ability of a receiver
  to receive very weak signals
• Selectivity is the ability of the receiver to
  reject unwanted signals
• Stability is the ability to maintain the selected
  frequency.

57
Receiver Knowledge

• Identify the items in a simple receiver block
  diagram and recall their order of
  interconnection antenna, feeder, radio tuning
  and RF amplification, detection/demodulation,
  audio amplification and loudspeaker or
  headphones.

58
Chapter 3

• Antennas
• And
• Transmission Lines

59
Antenna Topics

• Feeder/Transmission Lines
• Antenna types
• SWR and Matching

60
Feeder Lines

• Two basic feeder types Coax, Twin Wire

Two conductors kept at constant separation by
insulation - no screening Balanced Feeder
Inner Conductor is shrouded by dielectric, with
outer (braided) screen. For Radio 50? Coax is
used (TV is 75?)
61
Feeder Lines
Examples of coaxial cables. The characteristic
impedance istypically 50 ohms.
62
Coax Connectors

• A wide variety of connectors exist.
• Common RF Connectors include BNC, PL259, N-type,
  SMA etc.
• Ensure both the inner conductor and outer braid
  are assembled correctly.
• Poor condition connectors are a major cause of
  bad SWRs etc.
• Screening must be continuous through plugs and
  sockets.

63
Common RF Connectors

• PL259 Connectors

64
Common RF Connectors

• BNC Connectors

65
Common RF Connectors

• N Type Connectors

66
Feeder Lines

• Coaxial cable is most widely used for RF signals
  because of its screening qualities.
• The plugs and sockets for RF should be of the
  correct type and that the braid of coaxial cable
  must be correctly connected to minimise RF
  signals getting into or out of the cable.

67
Feeder Lines
Balanced Line. A balanced line is composed of two
identical conductors, usually circular wires,
separated by air or an insulating material
(dielectric).
Depending on the construction of the balanced
line,the characteristic impedance can range from
300 to600 ohms.
68
Unbalanced/Balanced

• Coax is unbalanced - Inner has voltage, Outer is
  earthed.
• Coax is widely used as its outer acts as a
  screen.
• Twin feeder is balanced - conductors have equal
  and opposite voltages/currents/fields.
• In order to connect an unbalanced feeder to a
  balanced antenna (eg coax feeding a dipole) a
  transformer known as a balun is needed.
• BALUN BALanced - UNbalanced
• Without a Balun rf currents flow on the outside
  braid, and the screening properties of coax are
  lost.

69
Feeder Lines - Revisited

• Two basic feeder types Coax, Twin Wire

Two conductors kept at constant separation by
insulation - no screen Balanced Feeder
Inner Conductor is shrouded by dielectric, with
outer (braided) screen. For Radio 50? Coax is
used (TV is 75?)
70
Antennas

• Antennas transform AC signals into propagating
  radio waves.
• Gain is the directing of power in the wanted
  direction
• Need to know the following types-
• Dipole
• Quarterwave ground plane
• Five-eighths ground plane
• Yagi
• End-fed wire
• Antenna size is determined by the operating
  wavelength, ?.
• Example a 2m ??4 is a third of the size of a
  6m??/4.

71
Dipole ?/2

• Simple - but requires a balanced feed via a
  balun.
• Each leg is ?/4 long - ?/2 across in total.

72
Folded Dipole ?/2

• Basic End fed half wave dipole
• Centre point is electrical earth allows Robust
  Mounting
• Usually provided with an internal coaxial Balun

Drawing to be completed
73
Quarter Wave ?/4

• Radials simulate a groundplane and are also ?/4
  long

74
Five-Eighths 5?/8

• 5?/8 - Common antenna for mobile use
• Better impedance match and gain than basic
  quarterwave
• Radials emulate groundplane like the quarterwave

75
Yagi

• Driven Element/Dipole is the active component of
  the Yagi.
• Front?Directors focus to give Gain.
• Rear Reflector gives back/front isolation.
• Yagis may be horizontal or vertical.

76
End Fed Antennas

• Common at HF where wavelengths are long.
• Needs an ATU to match it for HF multiple bands.
• Is unbalanced.
• Has strong RF voltages and currents near the
  house. These are likely to couple into TV and
  other equipment and cause EMC problems.

77
Antenna Directionality

• Some words

Some pictures of other gain patterns Dipole,
ground plane
78
Gain/ERP

• ERP Effective Radiated Power
• ERP is the power radiated in the direction of the
  maximum radiation
• ERP is the product of the power supplied to the
  antenna, multiplied by the gain of the antenna.
• ERP Power x Gain (in linear units, not dB)

79
Antenna Gain

• Torch Reflector analogy

80
ERP Example

• Vertical vs Beam

81
Polarisation

• Polarisation is the plane of the antennas
  radiating electric field.
• Common polarisations are Horizontal and Vertical.
• Transmitter and receiving antenna polarisations
  need to match for optimum signal strength.
• Verticals (?/4, 5?/8) give vertical polarisation.
• Yagis and Dipoles may be either horizontal or
  vertical depending on their mounting.
• In complex situations polarisation can rotate.

82
Antenna Match - SWR

• Antennas must be suited for the frequency of the
  transmitted signal. This is a challenge for
  multiband operation.
• SWR - Standing Wave Ratio is a measure of the
  mismatch of the antenna system to the nominal
  impedance of the radio.
• A high SWR will result in Output Power being
  reflected back to the Transceiver - Inefficient
  and Potentially Damaging.
• At HF most antennas are not matched for the wide
  range of frequency bands, unless a matching unit
  is used.
• SWR Meters are valuable for checking correct
  antenna design, installation and operation - and
  indicating faults
• Dummy Loads permit radio tests without radiating
  a signal

83
Transmitter output matching

• The final power amplifier stage of a transmitter
  must be connected to a correctly matched
  transmission line and antenna to avoid possible
  damage to the transmitter and/or cause
  interference to other radio communications
  services.

• Antenna Tuner

84
Transmitter output matching

• A balun is usually placed at the antenna
  terminalsso that a coaxial transmission line can
  be used.

85
Chapter 4

• Propagation

86
Propagation Topics

• Propagation Mechanisms
• HF Propagation
• VHF/UHF Propagation

87
PropagationMechanisms Effects

• Waves Nominally Travel in Straight Lines
• Diffraction - Waves can spread out/around hills
  and obstacles. Such as after passing through
  narrow gaps and around corners
• Reflection - Waves (esp at UHF) can bounce of
  buildings
• Refraction - VHF can be bent by high/low
  pressure - often termed lifts or ducting. HF is
  bent by the Ionosphere
• Other mechanisms include Meteor Scatter,
  (TropoRain scatter for microwaves), Aurora, and
  multipath/fading.

88
Strength of Radio Waves

• Radio waves decrease in absolute strength with an
  inverse square relationship. (1/R²)
• 1 metre the signal
• 10 metres 1/100th signal
• 100 metres 1/10,000th Signal
• 1000 metres 1/1,000,000th Signal

89
PropagationHF and the Ionosphere
200km
70km

• Ionosphere is layers of Ionised air 70-400km
  above earth
• Layers vary day to night - and with sunspot
  cycles etc
• HF is bent (refracted) by the ionosphere
  VHF/UHF and above passes through

90
Propagation VHF/UHF

• VHF/UHF has almost line of sight propagation
• A clear path is much more effective to get a good
  signal than a 10 or 100 times increase in power.
• For example Satellites can be accessed with low
  power at great distances if there are no
  obstructions
• Refraction/Diffraction over the Horizon does
  occur but is limited. Buildings/Hills will cause
  shadows and path loss
• In towns UHF reflects/scatters off buildings
  better.
• Higher antennas are better than high power, and
  outdoor antennas perform much better than indoor
  ones

91
Tropospheric Ducting
92
Knife edge Diffraction
Reflected wave
93
Chapter 5

• Transceiver
• Controls

94
Basic Transceiver Controls

• Power (On/Off)
• Volume (AF)
• Squelch (Mute)
• RF Gain
• Mic Gain
• Band changing
• Frequency Control (VFO)
• Mode
• Clarifier (RIT)

95
Basic Transceiver Controls

• PRACTICAL Session
• Team 1 to the Shack
• Team 2 to the Garage
• Team 3 to the Scouters Room
• Team 4 head down near the Kitchen

96
Chapter 9

• Operating Procedures

97
Phonetic Alphabet

• The NATO Phonetic Alphabet was introduced in the
  1950s to provide a standard intelligible and
  pronounceable alphabet for all NATO Military
  Units.
• So instead of using what ever takes you fancy ,
  we now have a standard set of words..

98
NATO Phonetic Alphabet
A - Alpha K Kilo U Uniform 0 Zero
B Bravo L Lima V Victor 1 Wun
C - Charlie M Mike W Whiskey 2 Two
D Delta N November X X-ray 3 Tree
E Echo O Oscar Y Yankee 4 Fower
F Foxtrot P Papa Z Zulu 5 Fife
G Golf Q Quebec 6 Six
H Hotel R Romeo . decimal 7 Seven
I India S Sierra . (full) stop 8 Ait
J Juliet T Tango 9 Niner
99
Listen Before Calling

• LISTEN This is the first rule. The strongest
  reason for listening before transmitting is to
  ensure that you won't interfere with anyone
  already using the frequency.
• The second reason for listening is that it may
  tell you a great deal about the condition of the
  bands. Although a band may be dead at a
  particular time, frequent openings occur which
  you can take advantage of if you are listening at
  the right time.
• The third reason for listening is that if you
  can't hear 'em you are not likely to work 'em.
  Several short calls with plenty of listening
  spells will net you more contacts than a single
  long call. If you are running low power you may
  find it more fruitful to reply to someone else's
  CQ rather than call CQ yourself.

100
Radiotelephony

• The call in radiotelephony should consist of the
  callsign of the station called spoken not more
  than three times, the words ' THIS IS ', the
  callsign of the calling station spoken not more
  than three times and the word ' OVER '.
• Example VK1AB VK1AB VK1AB THIS IS VK1ATZ VK1ATZ
  VK1ATZ OVER

101
Radiotelephony

• A reply call in radiotelephony should consist of
  the callsign of the calling station spoken not
  more than three times, the words 'THIS IS', the
  callsign of the station replying spoken not more
  than three times and the word 'OVER'.
• Example VK0KC VK0KC VK0KC THIS IS VK1AB VK1AB
  VK1AB OVER

102
Radiotelephony

• A general call to any other amateur station may
  be made by substituting the signal 'CQ' in place
  of the called station's callsign.
• Example CQ CQ CQ THIS IS VK1ATZ VK1ATZ VK1ATZ
  OVER

103
Q Codes

• Commonly used Q codes
• QRA - What is the name of your station?
• QRZ - Who is calling me?
• QRK 1-5 - intelligibility of signal1 Bad, , 5
  Excellent
• QRM 1-5 - Man made interference1 Nil, , 5
  Extreme
• QRN 1-5 - Naturally occurring interference1
  Nil, , 5 Extreme
• QSY - Change Frequency
• QSB - Signal is fading
• QSL - Acknowledge receipt (of message sent)
• QTH -What is your location

104
Signal Report

• Often you will want to know how the other station
  is receiving your signal, this is called a Signal
  report. eg. 5/9
• The most common report is based on two numbers
  representing
• READABILITY
• SIGNAL STRENGTH

105
Signal Report

• In radiotelephony READABILITY is an
  interpretation you make by ear. i.e how well you
  understand the other station.
• The Scale is from one (1) to five (5).
• 1. Unreadable
• 2. Barely Readable occasional words read
• 3. Readable with considerable difficulty
• 4. Readable with practically no difficulty
• 5. Perfectly readable

106
Signal Report

• The STRENGTH part of the report must be read from
  the Signal Meter on your Transceiver. (0-9)
• This meter is often referred to as the S meter.

107
How to make a contact

• Listen before transmitting
• Call a Specific station
• Address the called station 3 times followed by
  your callsign
• VK1XYZ VK1XYZ VK1XYZ this is VK1ABC over
• Making a General call CQ
• CQ CQ CQ this is VK1ABC VK1ABC VK1ABC over

Lets Practice
108
Chapter 6

• SAFETY

109
Safety Philosophy

• At Foundation level, the emphasis is on avoidance
  of risk, not the skills for working on live
  equipment.
• Foundation Licensees need to have an appreciation
  of
• The Dangers of High Voltages
• The risk of Electrocution
• Risk of RF Induction Heating on Metal Rings,
  Watches
• Potential of RF Burns
• Hearing Damage from excessive Headphone Use

110
Safety Earthing

• Ensure shack equipment is run from a common mains
  earth to prevent earth loops - use filtered mains
  boards and ferrite rings correctly.
• Modern Gas Water Pipes can give high resistance
  earth.
• Beware of House earths above earth potential.
• Do not mix Mains Earth (for safety) with RF
  Earths (for Antennas).

111
Electrical Wiring

• Items ought to be earthed, and Radio Shacks ought
  to be protected by RCD Earth Trips.
• Only items which have Double Insulation need
  not be earthed.
• Have a single well marked OFF switch for all
  power.

112
Electrical Safety Devices

• Fuses Circuit breakers are to protect the
  electric circuits from high current.They protect
  wiring NOT appliances.
• Faults arent always shorts. A fault may not blow
  a large fuse, but may overheat a flex and cause
  overheating/fires
• Avoid trailing mains leads on the shack floor -
  Trip Hazards!

113
Safety Electric Shock

• How to help a victim of electric shock
• The first thing you must do is disconnect the
  power supply.
• DO NOT touch the victim until you are sure the
  power supply is turned off.
• Be especially careful in wet areas, such as
  bathrooms, since water conducts electricity.

114
Safety Electric Shock

• The typical symptoms of an electric shock
  include
• Unconsciousness.
• Difficulties in breathing or no breathing at all.
• A weak, erratic pulse or no pulse at all.
• Burns, particularly entrance and exit burns
  (where the electricity entered and left the body).

115
Safety Electric Shock

• First aid includes
• Check for a response, breathing and pulse. If
  necessary, start resuscitating the victim.
• Call 000 for an ambulance. If you are unsure on
  resuscitation techniques, the ambulance call
  taker will give you easy to follow instructions
  over the telephone, so you can increase the
  patient's chances of survival until the ambulance
  arrives.
• If the breathing and pulse are steady, attend to
  injuries. Cool the burns and cover with dressings
  that won't stick. Never put ointments or oils
  onto burns. If the victim has fallen from a
  height, try not to move them in case of spinal
  injuries.
• Talk calmly and reassuringly to the victim.

116
Qualified Persons

• Who are they??
• Qualified persons refer to people such as
  Electricians, Radio Technicians, Standard or
  Advanced Licence holders and the such
• Remember as a Foundation Licence holder you are
  NOT permitted to remove the covers of any of your
  equipment, or modify your equipment this is to be
  done by a qualified person.

117
Battery Hazard

• Never short circuit a battery
• Some batteries have toxic or corrosive chemicals
  or produce gases
• Never dispose of a battery in a fire
• Use protective fuses with batteries
• Children should not play with batteries
• Batteries should be disposed of correctly
• Can also produce electromagnetic radiation
• Go flat very quickly if unused
• Explode or emit fumes if punctured

118
EMR Safety

• Electromagnetic Radiation may be harmful if
  concentrated into a narrow beam of very high
  power
• Electromagnetic radiation may burn or heat parts
  of the human body or organs
• Keep distance between you and electromagnetic
  radiation

119
Outdoors

• Ladders - Take care when erecting antennas etc.
• Lightning - Disconnect your Antennas !
• Keep clear of Overhead Power lines, and snagging
  or coupling in to telephone lines.

120
Chapter 7

• Electromagnetic
• Compatibility (EMC)
• Electromagnetic
• Immunity (EMI)
• And
• Interference

121
EMC - Introduction

• EMC - Electro-Magnetic Compatibility
• Consumer Appliances and Radios together in
  Perfect Harmony!
• EMC has two aspects-
• Avoidance of generating interference.
• Immunity of own kit from being interfered with.
• The more power you run the greater the
  likelihood of causing interference
• The type of mode in use has a great affect on the
  interference

122
Station Design For EMC

• Station Layout for Good EMC

123
Earthing / EMC

• Good reception especially on HF, as well as EMC
  performance, depends on good earthing.
• Ensure shack equipment is run from a common mains
  earth to prevent earth loops - use filtered mains
  boards and ferrite rings correctly.
• RF Earths for antennas are often separate -
  consider earth stakes etc.
• Modern Gas Water Pipes can give high resistance
  earth.
• AM/SSB can be rectified/detected easily, so is
  most prone to cause interference - Operate in a
  responsible manner!

124
RF Earth Connection

• Use a good RF earth connection in an HF
  transmitting station
• Provides a path to ground to minimise RF currents
  entering the mains earth system
• Minimises the possibility of interference to
  other electronic equipment
• Should consist of the shortest possible length of
  thick copper braid to an earth stake in the ground

125
Choice of Antenna Type Dipole / Balanced System

• EMC Correct Antenna System
• Antenna sited as far away and as high as possible
  from TV antenna.
• Good Quality coax run under ground where
  possible.
• Coax earthed at point of entry to house.
• Balun used.
• Balanced Antenna System.

126
Choice of Antenna TypeLong Wire / End-Fed Wire
System

• Poor EMC Antenna System
• Unbalanced Antenna System.
• End-Fed Wire
• Strong RF fields near the house.
• Poor earth system.
• Near TV antenna.
• Most likely to cause interference

Station
RF Earth
127
Choice of Antenna TypeBest EMC - Balanced System

• Excellent EMC Antenna System
• Antenna balanced system.
• Well located.
• Well Earthed.
• Antenna Position - Space away from TV Antennas,
  Phone Lines
• Least likely to cause interference

128
AM or SSB

• Similar patterning on screen,
• Possibly in time with speech,
• Distorted voice like sounds, can be intelligible.
  

129
FM Transmission

• Wavy, herringbone patterning on TV
• Possible loss of colour
• No effect on sound
• But on severe cases may cause distorted or loss
  of sound.

130
Digital TV

• Digital TV is affected quite differently.
• There is no visual evidence of what is happening
  other than the picture becoming jerky, forming
  blocks as if it is a jig-saw,
• Freezing or disappearing.

• These effects are the same as if there is a weak
  signal.
• The neighbour is more likely to call the service
  engineer believing a fault on the TV.

131
EMC Precautions

• Suppress problems at their source !
• Use Lowpass/Band Pass Filters to suppress
  Harmonics for TVI at the transmitter end.
• Use Dedicated RF Earths - NOT Safety Mains Earths
• RF Traps / Baluns on antenna feeders - Improves
  the Source
• Inline Filters, Ferrite Rings may be needed -
  Helps the Victims - TV, HiFi, PC, Home Theatre
  etc
• Fit filters as close as possible to affected
  equipment.

132
Where to place Filters
Typical Filter Locations
133
Chapter 8

• Regulations
• and
• Amateur Radio Licences

134
Nature of Amateur Radio

• Amateur radio is intended to facilitate hobby
  radio communications.
• Benefits Amateur Radio is of value in areas of
• Technical Innovation
• Emergency Communications
• Development of Skills
• International Friendship
• Recreational Activity

135
Types of licences

• Amateur radio activities are authorised under an
  amateur licence. Other forms of licences
  authorise types of radio communications such as
  Citizens Band (CB), Land mobile, Point to Point
  Links and Broadcasting.

136
Allocation of frequency bands

• The Amateur Service operates on frequency bands
  allocated for Amateur use. The Amateur Service
  shares some frequency bands with other services.
  Services such as the broadcasting, aeronautical
  and maritime services are allocated frequency
  bands appropriate to their purpose.

137
Purpose of the Amateur Service

• An Amateur Licence primarily authorises the
  operation of an Amateur station for self training
  in radio communications, intercommunications
  between Amateurs and technical investigations
  into radio communications.

138
Licence Conditions

• Operation under a Foundation Amateur Licence is
  subject to conditions in the
• Radiocommunications Act 1992
• Radiocommunications Regulations 1993
• Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur
  Licence) Determination No.1 of 1997
• Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Apparatus
  Licence) Determination 2003.
• Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur
  Licence) Amendment Determination 2005 (N0.1)

139
Communications byAmateur stations

• Except in relation to a distress oremergency
  situation, or whereauthorised by an Inspector,
  an AmateurLicence only authorisesAmateur-to-Amat
  eur communications.
• Particular conditions apply to thetransmission
  of messages on behalfof a third party or
  messages toAmateurs in another country.

140
Distress and Urgency Signals

• Distress communications are signalled by the use
  of Mayday and these communications have
  priority over all other communications.
• Persons hearing a Mayday communication are
  responsible for passing the information on to an
  appropriate authority.

141
Distress Signals

• The distress call consists of
• 1. the distress signal sent three times
• 2. the words 'THIS IS' and
• 3. the callsign or other identification of the
  station in distress, sent three times.

142
Distress Signals

• The distress message consists of
• 1. the distress signal MAYDAY (radiotelephony)
• 2. the name, or other identification, of the
  station in distress
• 3. particulars of its position
• 4. the nature of the distress and the kind of
  assistance required
• 5. and any other information which might be of
  assistance.

143
Urgency Signals

• In cases where the use of the distress signal is
  not fully justified, the 'URGENCY' signal may be
  used. In radiotelephony, the urgency signal
  consists of the group of words 'PAN PAN' , each
  word of the group pronounced as the French word
  'panne'. The urgency signal shall be repeated
  three times before the call.

144
Urgency Signals

• The urgency signal has priority over all other
  transmissions except distress. All stations
  hearing an urgency signal should
• 1. ensure that they do not cause interference to
  the transmission of the message that follows
• 2. and be prepared to assist if required.

145
Distress and Urgency Signals

• Some urgent situations not warranting the use of
  Mayday are signalled by the use of Pan Pan.
  These communications should receive priority and
  should be reported to an appropriate authority.

146
Station Identification

• Correct station identification is required at the
  beginning of a transmission, or series of
  transmissions, and at least every 10 minutes
  during a series of transmissions.
• Any transmission, even a test transmission, must
  contain station identification.

147
Amateur Call Signs

• Identify from supplied reference material, the
  categories of call signs used in the Australian
  Amateur Service.
• Identify call sign suffixes applicable to each
  licence category, prefixes and state designators.

148
Amateur Call Signs

• Amateur station callsigns consist of two letters
  followed by one numeral and two, three or four
  letters.
• Australian Amateur Callsigns normally commence
  with the letters 'VK'.
• To commemorate special events, the use of 'VI' or
  'AX' may be authorised on a temporary basis.

149
Amateur Call Signs

• The following numerals identify the State or
  Territory in which the amateur station is
  licensed to operate
• 1 Australian Capital Territory
• 2 New South Wales
• 3 Victoria
• 4 Queensland
• 5 South Australia
• 6 Western Australia
• 7 Tasmania
• 8 Northern Territory
• 9 External Territories
• 0 Antarctica

150
Secret Messages

• The transmission of secret coded or encrypted
  messages is generally not permitted.

151
Authorised frequency bandsand emissions

• The Foundation Amateur Licence authorises
  operation on certain frequency bands and the use
  of certain emission modes.
• Recall in what document the bands and modes are
  specified.

152
Use of the Licence ConditionDeterminations (LCDs)

• Identify, using the LCDs applicable to the
  Amateur Licence, specific licence conditions as
  they apply to the Foundation Licence.
• The candidate will be supplied with the LCDs.

153
(No Transcript)
154
Commonly Used Emission Characteristics
Purpose of Transmission Emission mode symbols for aparticular transmitter Modulation Emission mode symbols for aparticular transmitter Modulation Emission mode symbols for aparticular transmitter Modulation Emission mode symbols for aparticular transmitter Modulation
Purpose of Transmission AM SSB FM PM
Morse A1AA1B J2AJ2B F1B G1B
Speech A3E J3E F3E G3E
Data (packet) A2DA1D J2D FIDF2D G1DG2D
RTTY A2D J2D F2D G2D
Facsimile A2C J2C F2C G2F
FSTV C3FA3F J3F F3F G3F
SSTV A2F J2FJ3F F2FF3F G2FG3F
where AM  amplitude modulatedSSB amplitude
modulated and uses a single-sideband, suppressed
carrierFM  angle modulated and uses frequency
modulation andPM  angle modulated and uses
phase modulation.
155
Permitted power output

• The Foundation Amateur Licence restricts the
  transmitter output power to a maximum of 10 watts.

156
Type of equipment allowed

• The Foundation Amateur Licence only authorises
  the use of unmodified commercially manufactured
  transmitting equipment.

157
Inspection of Amateur Licences

• Inspectors have the right to require an Amateur
  to produce his/her licence.

158
Notification ofchange of address

• It is required to notify the Australian
  Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) of any
  change of address.

159
Entertainment not permitted

• The transmission of any form of entertainment is
  not permitted.

160
Restriction of operationto avoid interference

• The ACMA, in order to avoid interference, has the
  right to restrict the operation of an Amateur
  station.

161
Harmful interference

• A licensee must not operate an Amateur station if
  operation causes harmful interference to other
  radio services.

162
Equipment mustnot be modified

• The Foundation Licensee must not make
  modifications to any Amateur radio transmitting
  equipment.

163
Authorised use ofAmateur stations

• A Foundation licensee may authorise a suitably
  qualified person to operate the licensees
  Amateur station.

164
More - Chapter 9

• Operating
• A
• Radio
• On Air

165
Band Plans

• Amateur Radio Operators have access to a wide
  variety of modes and frequencies.
• To avoid cross-interference with other Hams or
  other services a band plan is used it regulates
  by mutual agreement what modes/ frequencies can
  be used in what bands.
• The WIA in conjunction with the IARU have a
  bandplan available for you to use as a guide.
  Refer to to callbook for more information.

166
VHF Repeater
167
UHF Repeater
168
CTCSS

• CTCSS In order to reduce the chance of
  interference some repeaters have what is called
  Sub-tone access or Continuous Tone Coded Squelch
  System.
• These tones are so low in frequency you cannot
  hear them.
• Refer to you radios handbook and the local Radio
  Clubs repeater information.

169
DTMF

• DTMF Dual Tone Multiple Frequency, this is
  identical to the system used in Telephones and
  Mobile phones.
• DTMF comprises of two audible tones transmitted
  at the same time.
• DTMF can be used to command repeaters, access
  Echolink or IRLP nodes or retrieve information
  from a weather station etc
• ALWAYS identify your station before using DTMF

170
Assessment

• Terms used in
• Written Practical
• Assessments

171
RECALL

• If a question is to RECALL, then you need to
  Recall a fact and apply it directly to the
  question !

172
Understand

• If a question is to UNDERSTAND, then you will
  need a more detailed knowledge to answer.

173
Demonstrate

• If a question is to DEMONSTRATE, then you need to
  display the ability to carry out a physical task
  (normally this is part of the Practical
  Assessment)

174
Identify

• If you are asked to IDENTIFY, then you need to
  identify particular objects, diagrams, etc.

175
Thanks to Westlakes Amateur Radio Clubfor
allowing us to use the information from
theirtraining material. http//www.westlakesarc.o
rg.au
Thanks to Chelmsford Amateur Radio Societyfor
allowing us to use the information from
theirtraining material. http//www.g0mwt.org.uk/t
raining
Thanks to Peter Kutas VK2UPK)for preparing
original training material.
Thanks to Fred Swainston TrainSafe Australiafor
some content in this training material.