Raleigh Amateur Radio Society

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Raleigh Amateur Radio Society
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What is Amatur Radio?

• Non-Commercial, two-way radio hobby and service
• Hobby we do it for fun
• Service
• Licensed by the FCC
• Emergency and community service

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The Fun Part

• World-wide High Frequency Comm.
• Local VHF/UHF FM and Repeaters
• At Home
• Take it with you
• Mobile
• Handheld

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World-Wide Radio

• A well-equipped ham shack

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World-Wide Radio

• A well-equipped mobile

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World-Wide Radio

• How it works
• High Frequency (Shortwave) Radio
• Skip the Ionosphere(Mother Natures Internet
  Server)
• Look Ma no wires!

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World-Wide Radio

• Ionosphere build

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World-Wide Radio
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World-Wide Radio
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World-Wide Radio
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World-Wide Radio

• Language Barrier?
• English is very common, but not everyone speaks
  it, even in ham radio

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World-Wide Radio

• Language Barrier?
• English is very common, but not everyone speaks
  it, even in ham radio

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What do hams talk about?

• Radio
• Everything else

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What do hams talk about?

• Radio
• Everything else

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What do hams talk about?

• Radio
• Everything else
• OK, thats kind of a problem with us

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Local Hamming VHF-UHF

• Local Communication
• Just around town
• Lots of mobile and handheld
• FM Radio, like the police and fire dept.
• Repeaters extend range 30 to 60 miles

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How Much Does It Cost?

• Starter Station about 150
• Handheld radio, antenna and accessories
• Deluxe handheld/mobile 300 - 600
• Entry level HF (worldwide) radio 800
• Deluxe HF 1500 - 6000
• Antennas, towers, accessories the skys the
  limit.

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Hams in Space

• Our own satellites lots of em
• On the Shuttles since 1983

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Hams in Space

• Our own satellites lots of em
• On the Shuttles since 1983
• First ham in space astronautOwen
  Garriot,aboardColumbia.

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Hams in Space

• Our own satellites lots of em
• On the Shuttles since 1983
• First ham in space astronautOwen
  Garriot,aboardColumbia.

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Hams in Space

• Our own satellites lots of em
• On the Shuttles since 1983
• First ham in space astronautOwen
  Garriot,aboardColumbia.

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Hams in Space

• Today, a full-time ham station on the ISS

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Hams in Space

• Most astronauts are licensed hams, including the
  three currently on the ISS, and three of the
  astronauts who died on Columbia.
• SAREXHams in Spacetalk to Kids on Earth.

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Antennas

• Some Hard Reality
• Big antennas up highwork better thanlittle
  antennas down low
• Everyone prefers little antennas
• You can haveem on one end of the line!

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Antennas

• For Example this 2000 foot tower supports
• WRAL and WRDC TV
• 6 FM Broadcast Stations
• Many commercial and public-safety repeaters
• 6 Amateur Radio repeaters

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Antennas

• A Plug for Cell Towers
• They have to be somewhere
• nearby, or
• the phone doesnt work!

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Ham Antennas(gulp)in theneighborhood
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Ham Antennas(gulp)in theneighborhood

• Nightmare on Elm St.?

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Ham Antennas(gulp)in theneighborhood

• This is still biggerthan most

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Count the antennas in this picture
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Count the antennas in this picture
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Our Nemesis

• Deed Restrictions, aka CCRs
• Homeowners Associations
• Restrictions, outright prohibition of antennas,
  transmitting
• Antenna friendly neighborhoods are hard to
  find!
• Sometimes, state and local government

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Our other evil.

• RFI Radio Frequency Interference,Typically to
• Your TV
• Your Phone
• Your Audio System

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What to do

• (the short course this is a half-hour talk in
  itself!)
• Contact the ham
• Diagnose the problem
• Contact the manufacturer and/or vendor
• Install filters

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Emergency/Public Service
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Emergency/Public Service

• Our unique capabilities
• Trained volunteers
• Communications Off The Grid
• generator and battery power
• no phone lines, no Internet
• From anywhere, to anywhere (almost)

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Emergency/Public Service

• When the power goes out and the phones go dead .
  . .
• Hurricane
• Flood

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Emergency/Public Service

• When the power goes out and the phones go dead .
  . .
• Hurricane
• Flood
• Ice Storm

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Emergency/Public Service

• State EOC, Raleigh
• County EOCs
• Command Posts
• Shelters
• In the field

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Emergency/Public Service

• State EOC, Raleigh
• County EOCs
• Command Posts
• Shelters
• In the field

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Emergency/Public Service

• Skywarn 146.88 MHz

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Emergency/Public Service

• Event Support
• Bike Tours
• Walks
• Shadow Officials
• Rest Stops
• SAG Wagons
• Medical Teams

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Field Day

• 4th Weekend in June
• 24 Hour Emergency Exercise/Contest
• Totallyoff thegrid
• Public isWelcome

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SomethingAthletic?

• ARDF, or Radio Orienteering
• Combines Orienteering with Radio Direction
  Finding
• No license needed
• Sponsored by BOK

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Hamming and Skiing?

• FRS is probably the way to go
• The radio works betteraway from your body
• Better range from thetop of the mountain

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Where did Hamcome from?

• We dont know for sure
• In the late 1800s Railroad telegraphers called
  the new guys hams or ham-fisted
• Early radio was all telegraphy
• Commercial operators came from the Railroads
  telegraphers
• They probably called the amateurs hams
• We took it as a compliment!

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Becoming a Ham

• 3 Classes of License
• Technician -
• no Morse code
• entry level exam, electronics, operation,safety
• General
• 5 wpm Morse
• tougher exam
• Amateur Extra
• toughest exam

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Becoming a Ham

• RARS Class
• Technician License
• Six Weeks
• Monday Thursday
• StartsMarch 3rd

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Competition

• Internet and Cell phones
• Video Games
• Growing, slowly. About 650,000 US Hams, 2.5
  million worldwide
• Average age creeping up

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The Ham Advantage

• We are still more mobile for now
• We keep working when the phones and power quit
• Were more fun!
• Ham radio is not for everyone

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About RARS
Raleigh AmateurRadio Society

• North Carolinas Largest Ham Clubabout 300
  members
• Meet on 1st Tuesday at the Forest Hills Baptist
  Church, Dixie Tr. and Clark
• Everybodys welcome
• www.rars.org