Chapter 3
IN THIS CHAPTER
Finding mentors and clubs
Checking out online communities
Becoming a member of the ARRL
Finding a specialty organization
Going to hamfests and conventions
One of the oldest traditions of ham radio is helping newcomers. After all, a ham radio license is mostly a license to learn! Hams are great at providing a little guidance or assistance. You can make your first forays into ham radio operating much easier and more successful by taking advantage of those helping hands. This chapter shows you how to find them.
A mentor is very useful in helping you over the rough spots that every newcomer encounters. A good place to start your search for a mentor is to search for ham radio clubs in your area (refer to “Finding and choosing a club,” later in this chapter). You might start on the clubs page of the QRZ.com website (www.qrz.com/clubs
), for example. When you’ve narrowed down the clubs closest to you, enter mentor in the Tag window to find clubs that offer special help to new hams.
As your interests widen, you’ll need additional help. Luckily, hundreds of potential mentors, known in ham radio as Elmers, are available around the world.
There are websites just for the new hams, such as Ham Universe (www.hamuniverse.com/elmer.html
). Just entering ham radio elmer into a search engine turns up lots of candidates. Some specialize in helping you study for the exam. Some are organized in a frequently asked questions (FAQ) format. And a few are online forums where you can ask a specific question.
You may want to join one of the Elmer email lists that are set up specifically to answer questions and offer help. To find general and topical Elmer lists, enter ham radio elmer reflector in a search engine, and you’ll turn up several candidates.
Can you be a mentor? Although you may not think you are ready to mentor someone, you might be the perfect person! Since you are learning about ham radio, you understand very well how other new hams might feel and what questions they might have. Don’t hesitate to take someone else along for the ham radio ride. If you are both studying for the license exam at the same time, you can even mentor each other! Studying together is a great way to learn.
After you succeed in getting your license (and you will!) you are in a great position to help someone else learn and understand the material. The things that were confusing to you might also be confusing to him or her, and you can relate how you figured things out. Practice exams are always less stressful when given by a newcomer than from a seasoned “old timer.”
As you progress with ham radio, you’ll acquire some equipment, learn about using it, and have more than a few “a-ha!” moments. You might not think you can act as a teacher, but why not give it a try? Answer a question online or at a meeting. Offer to help a new ham at an operating event or pair up when performing public service. As is often said (and demonstrated), the best way to learn something is to teach it! You were once brand new, too, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Just like every other human activity, ham radio has online communities in which members discuss the various aspects of the hobby, provide resources, and offer support 24 hours a day. Will these communities replace ham radio? Not likely; the magic of radio is too strong. By their presence, though, they make ham radio stronger by distributing information, cementing relationships, and adding structure.
The number and type of online outlets is increasing every day. Your best strategy for finding ham radio sites is to use an online directory. The best directory focused on ham radio is DX Zone (www.dxzone.com/catalog/Internet_and_Radio
). The website www.ac6v.com
is also very good. Bookmark these sites to help find the information you need as you discover you need it!
Everything has a presence online, and ham radio is no different. Just search for ham radio on Facebook, for example, and you’ll find dozens of possibilities, ranging from general-interest clubs to emergency communications to license-exam practice to contesting — and more.
Here are two popular streams of information about amateur radio:
twitter.com/amateurradio
(@Amateurradio
) or search for ham radio topics at https://twitter.com/search?q=ham+radio
www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio
and www.reddit.com/r/hamradio
Focused online communities like Google Groups (groups.google.com
) offer more than just email distribution. They also offer file storage, a photo-display function, chat rooms, polls, and excellent member management. To take advantage of these services, create a personal Google account; then search the service for amateur radio or ham radio groups. More than 1,000 ham radio groups are running on Google Groups, for example.
Hams are chatty and have taken to the blogosphere like ducks to water. As a beginner, these can be very valuable in finding answers to common questions. One blog that’s very helpful for newcomers to amateur radio is KB6NU’s Ham Radio Blog (www.kb6nu.com
). Run by Dan Romanchik (KB6NU), it offers study guides and news. Dan writes books and guides for newcomers, too.
There’s nothing quite like a demonstration to find out how to do something, such as put on a connector, make a contact, tune an antenna, or assemble a kit. Many video and photo websites are available to speed you on your way to ham radio success; YouTube (www.youtube.com
) and Instructables (www.instructables.com
) are just two of the options. Instagram (www.instagram.com
) and Vimeo (www.vimeo.com
) have quite a few ham radio sections, too.
Also available are several nicely produced talk show–style programs that have large followings. Here are a few of my favorites:
twit.tv/shows
) covers operating and technical topics in an informal and fast-paced format. A new show airs every week.www.hamradionow.tv
), hosted by Gary Pearce (KN4AQ), is a weekly podcast that tackles all sorts of interesting topics. Pearce’s web page (www.arvideonews.com/hrn
) lists many other audio and video programs. While you’re online, check out K7AGE’s YouTube channel and WB9VPG on Amateur Radio Newsline (www.arnewsline.org
).www.soldersmoke.com
), a monthly podcast that covers topics associated with building and repairing your own equipment. It’s great to download and listen to in the car.Finally, webinars (online video seminars hosted by an instructor) are becoming common. Many of these events are archived, such as those hosted by the World Wide Radio Operator’s Foundation (wwrof.org
). A webinar is the next-best thing to your mentor being there in the room with you.
The first online communities for hams were email lists, known as reflectors. Reflectors are mailing lists that take email from one mailbox and rebroadcast it to all members. With some list memberships numbering in the thousands, reflectors get information spread around pretty rapidly. Every ham radio interest has a reflector.
Table 3-1 lists several of the largest websites that serve as hosts for reflectors. You can browse the directories and decide which list suits your interests. (Be careful, though, that you don’t wind up spending all your time on the reflectors and none on the air.)
TABLE 3-1 Hosts and Directories for Ham Radio Reflectors
Website |
Topics |
Radios, bands, operating, and awards |
|
TowerTalk, CQ-Contest, Amps, Top Band (160 meters), RTTY (digital modes) — look under “Contest Lists” and “Other Lists” |
|
|
Directories of reflectors and forums hosted on other sites |
Because my main interests are operating on the HF bands, contesting, and making DX (long-distance) contacts, for example, I subscribe to the TowerTalk reflector, the CQ-Contest reflector, a couple of the DX reflectors, and the Top Band reflector about 160 meter operating techniques and antennas. To make things a little easier on my email inbox, I subscribe in digest format so that I get one or two bundles of email every day instead of many individual messages. Most reflectors are lightly moderated and usually closed to any posts that aren’t from subscribed members — in other words, spam.
Portals provide a comprehensive set of services and function as ham radio home pages. They feature news, informative articles, radio buy-and-sell pages, links to databases, reflectors, and many other useful services to hams. The best-known portals are eHam.net
and QRZ.com
.
QRZ (the ham radio abbreviation for “Who is calling me?”) evolved from a call-sign lookup service — what used to be a printed book known as a callbook — to the comprehensive site (www.qrz.com
) that you see today. The call sign search features are incredibly useful, and the site offers a variety of call sign management functions.
eHam.net (www.eham.net
) provides forums, articles, reviews, and classified ads for equipment sales. You will also find real-time links to a DX-station spotting system (frequencies of distant stations that are currently on the air) and the latest solar and ionospheric data that affects radio propagation.
DXcoffee.com (www.dxcoffee.com
) is typical of a site with a theme. This site is all about the fun of DXing or trying to contact distant stations. There are hams traveling to exotic locations all the time. By watching a site like this, you’ll know when they’re going and their plans for operating. (DXing is discussed in more detail in Chapter 11.)
To get in touch with other hams, find your local radio club! Although online help is convenient, there’s no substitute for in-person contact and making friends. The following hold true for most hams and clubs:
Here’s one way to find ham radio clubs in your area:
www.qrz.com/clubs
then select one of the following ways to search:Enter your city or zip code to locate nearby clubs.
For an example club listing, see the nearby sidebar “Checking out a club.”
If more than one club is available in your area, how do you make a choice? Consider these points when making a decision:
You’ll quickly find out that the problem isn’t finding clubs, but choosing among them. Unless a club has a strong personal-participation aspect, such as a public-service club, you can join as many as you want just to find out about that part of ham radio.
After you pick a general-interest club, show up for meetings, and make a few friends right away, your next step is to start participating. But how?
These magic tips aren’t just for ham radio clubs; they’re for just about any club. Like all clubs, ham clubs have their own personalities, varying from wildly welcoming to tightly knit, seemingly impenetrable groups. After you break the ice with them, though, hams seem to bond for life.
Now that you’re a regular, how can you get more involved? This section gives you some pointers.
In just about every ham club, someone always needs help with the following events and activities:
Field Day: Planners and organizers can always use a hand with getting ready for this June operating event (see Chapter 1). Offer to help with generators, tents, and food, and find out about everything else as you go.
Helping out with Field Day — the annual continent-wide combination of club picnic and operating exercise — is a great way to meet the most active members of the club. Field Day offers a little bit of everything ham radio has to offer.
Awards and club insignia: Managing sales of club insignia is a great job for a new member. You can keep records, take orders, and make sales at club meetings.
If you have a flair for arts or crafts, don’t be afraid to make suggestions about designing these items.
Find out who’s currently in charge of these areas and offer your help. You’ll discover a new aspect of ham radio, gain a friend, and make a contribution.
Along with holding ongoing committee meetings and other business, most clubs sponsor several activities throughout the year. Some clubs are organized around one major activity; others seem to have one or two going on every month. Here are a few common club activities:
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL; www.arrl.org
) is one of the oldest continuously functioning amateur radio organization in the world. Founded before World War I, it provides services to hams around the world and plays a key part in representing the ham radio cause to the public and governments. That ham radio could survive for more than 100 years without a strong leadership organization is hard to imagine, and ARRL has filled that role. I devote a whole section of this chapter to ARRL simply because it’s such a large presence within the hobby for U.S. hams (and for those in Canada who belong to its sister organization, Radio Amateurs of Canada).
ARRL is a volunteer-based, membership-oriented organization. Rest assured that even as a new ham, you can make a meaningful contribution as a volunteer. To find out how to join, go to www.arrl.org/membership
.
The most visible benefit of ARRL membership is that you receive QST magazine in print or digital format every month (see Figure 3-1). The largest, oldest, and most widely read ham radio magazine, QST includes feature articles on technical and operating topics, reports on regulatory information affecting the hobby, the results of ARRL-sponsored competitions, and columns on a wide variety of topics.
Along with the print magazine, ARRL maintains an active and substantial website, providing current news and general-interest stories; the Technical Information Service, which allows you to search technical documents and articles online; and several free email bulletins, online newsletters, and social media services.
ARRL also manages the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), which helps hams organize at the local level. ARES teams support local government and public-safety functions with emergency communication services. They also perform public service by providing support and communications services for parades, sporting events, and similar events. You can find out more about ARES in Chapter 10.
In addition, ARRL is the largest single sponsor of operating activities for hams, offering numerous contests, award programs, and technical and emergency exercises.
By far the most visible aspect of ARRL on the ham bands is its headquarters station, W1AW (see Figure 3-2). Carrying the call sign of ARRL founder Hiram Percy Maxim, the powerful station beams bulletins and Morse code practice sessions to hams around the planet every day. Visiting hams can even operate the W1AW station themselves (as long as they remember to bring a license). Most hams think that being at the controls of one of the most famous and storied ham stations in the world is the thrill of a lifetime.
The ARRL is a volunteer examiner coordinator (VEC) organization. You may take your licensing test at an ARRL-VEC exam session. (See Part 2 for information about the licensing process.) With the largest number of volunteer examiners (VEs), the ARRL-VEC helps thousands of new and active hams take their licensing exams, obtain vanity and special call signs, renew their licenses, and update their license information of record. When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could no longer maintain the staff to administer licensing programs, ARRL and other ham organizations stepped forward to create the largely self-regulated VEC programs that are instrumental to healthy ham radio.
One of the least visible of ARRL’s functions, but arguably one of its most important, is its advocacy of amateur radio service to governments and regulatory bodies. In this telecommunications-driven age, the radio spectrum is valuable territory, and many commercial services would like to get access to amateur frequencies, regardless of the long-term effects. ARRL helps regulators and legislators understand the special nature and needs of amateur radio.
Although it naturally focuses on its members, ARRL takes its mission to promote amateur radio seriously. To that end, its website is largely open to the public, as are all bulletins broadcast by W1AW (see the preceding section). The organization also provides these services:
www.arrl.org/arrl-handbook-reference
, including a link where you can get your own copy.Ham radio is big, wide, and deep. The hobby has many communities that fill the airwaves with diverse activities. A specialty club or organization focuses on one aspect of ham radio that emphasizes certain technologies or types of operation. Many specialty organizations have worldwide membership.
Some clubs focus on particular operating interests, such as qualifying for awards or operating on a single band. An example of the latter is the 10-10 International Club (www.ten-ten.org
), which is for operators who prefer the 10 meter band — a favorite of low-power and mobile stations and one of the HF bands open to entry-level Technician class licensees. The 10-10 club sponsors several contests every year and offers a set of awards for contacting its members. A similar group, the Six Meter International Radio Klub (SMIRK), promotes activity on the 6 meter band, including unusual methods of signal propagation. You can find information about the club’s contests and awards at www.smirk.org
.
To find specialty clubs, search your favorite search engine for your area of interest and the phrase radio club. Using the search term 10 meter amateur radio club, for example, turns up a bunch of ham clubs and forums about operating on the 10 meter band.
This section lists only a few of the specialized groups you’ll find in ham radio; there are many, many more.
One type of specialty club is the contest club. Members enjoy participating in competitive on-the-air events known as contests or radiosport (see Chapter 11). These clubs challenge one another, sponsor awards and plaques, and generally encourage their members to build up their stations and techniques to become top contest operators.
Contest clubs tend to be local or regional due to the rules of club competition. You can view an extensive list of clubs that compete in the ARRL club competition at www.arrl.org/contest-club-list
.
No less competitive than contest operators are the long-distance communications specialists, or DXers, who specialize in contacts with places well off the beaten track. The quest to work ’em all (contact every country on every ham band) lasts a lifetime, so DXers form clubs to share operating experiences and host traveling hams, fostering international communications and goodwill along the way.
Ham radio provides excellent communication opportunities to people who otherwise find themselves constrained by physical limitations. Handiham (www.handiham.org
), founded in 1967, is dedicated to providing tools that make ham radio accessible to people with disabilities of all sorts, helping them turn their disabilities into assets. The website provides links to an extensive set of resources.
Handiham not only helps hams with disabilities reach out to the rest of the world, but also helps its members link up with other members and helpful services.
AMSAT (short for Radio AMateur SATellite Corporation, www.amsat.org
) is an international organization that helps coordinate satellite launches and oversees the construction of its own satellites. Yes, Virginia, there really are amateur radio satellites whizzing through the heavens! The first one, launched in 1962, sent a Morse code beacon consisting of the letters HI (in Morse code speak, “di-di-di-dit, di-dit”), known as “the telegrapher’s laugh.” The first, OSCAR-1 (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio), was about the size of a briefcase.
The big news in amateur satellites these days are the nano-sized satellites known as CubeSats (www.cubesat.org
). Pioneered by amateurs, hundreds of these satellites are launched every year by NASA, the ESA, and JAXA. These are often constructed by university student teams (see Figure 3-4) and use amateur radio as their means of communication to send data. Some CubeSats include a repeater or translator so that hams can communicate through them.
Radio operation via satellite is a lot easier than you may think, however, as you can find out in Part 4 of this book. All you need to make contacts through — or with — satellites is some simple equipment. Figure 3-5 shows Sean Kutzko (KX9X) using a handheld radio and a hand-aimed antenna to make contacts through satellite AO-27.
Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR; www.tapr.org
) has been instrumental in bringing modern digital communications technology to ham radio. In return, TAPR members created several innovative communication technologies that are now commonplace beyond ham radio, such as the communications system known as packet radio, which is widely used in industry and public safety. Recently, TAPR members have been involved in modern digital communications technology by developing software-defined radio (SDR) components, as shown in Figure 3-6. TAPR also sponsors conferences and publications, working with other organizations such as AMSAT to help develop state-of-the-art digital communications technology for amateur radio.
If you have a strong computer or digital technology background, TAPR is likely to have activities that pique your interest.
The Young Ladies’ Radio League (YLRL; www.ylrl.org
) is dedicated to promoting ham radio to women, encouraging them to be active on the air, promoting women’s interests within the hobby, and providing a membership organization for female hams.
The organization has chapters in many countries, some of which host conventions, thereby creating opportunities for members to travel.
The YLRL’s website provides a list of activities and member services. The organization also has a vigorous awards program; it sponsors on-the-air nets and on-the-air competitions for members throughout the year.
QRP is ham radio shorthand for low-power operating, in which hams use just a few watts of power to span the oceans. Like bicyclists among motorists, QRP enthusiasts emphasize skill and technique, preferring to communicate by using minimal power. They’re among the most active designers and builders of any group in ham radio. If you like building your own gear and operating with a minimum of power, check out these clubs and other groups of QRPers.
The largest U.S. QRP club is QRP Amateur Radio Club International, known as QRP ARCI (www.qrparci.org
). Its magazine, QRP Quarterly (see Figure 3-7), is full of construction projects and operating tips. The club sponsors numerous low-power activities and achievement programs such as the 1000-Miles-Per-Watt award.
With the recent introduction of superb quality low-power radios and portable antennas, operation from the field has really become popular. The Islands On the Air program (IOTA; www.iota-world.org
) encourages hams to operate from salt-water islands and the less-common rocks and reefs are highly sought after. The enthusiasm extends to dry land as hams clamber to the tops of mountains to put small stations on the air for Summits On the Air (SOTA; www.sota.org.uk
). For the 2016 centennial of the U.S. National Parks, the ARRL sponsored the National Parks On the Air award (NPOTA; www.facebook.com/groups/NPOTA
) that extended to memorials, trails, and other sites administered by the National Park Service. That program proved so popular that activity continues today. What do all these programs have in common? That “OTA” or “On the Air,” which is what hams like doing best. Why not combine OTA with your favorite outdoor activity?
Depending on how much you like collecting and bargaining, I may have saved the best for (almost) last. Despite online retail being everywhere, hamfests — ham radio flea markets — continue to be some of the most interesting events in ham radio. Imagine a bazaar crammed with technological artifacts spanning nearly a century, old and new, small and massive, tubes, transistors, computers, antennas, batteries … I’m worn out just thinking about it. (I love a good hamfest; can you tell?)
Ham radio conventions have a much broader slate of activities than hamfests do; they may include seminars, speakers, licensing test sessions, and demonstrations of new gear. Some conventions host competitive activities such as foxhunts or direction finding, or they may include a swap meet along with the rest of the functions. Conventions usually have a theme, such as emergency operations, QRP, or digital radio transmissions.
In the United States, the best place to find hamfests is ARRL’s Hamfests and Conventions Calendar (www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar
). Search for events by location or ARRL section or division. The calendar usually lists about 100 hamfests. Most metropolitan areas have several good-size hamfests every year, even in the dead of winter.
After you have a hamfest in your sights, set your alarm for early morning, and get ready to be there at the opening bell. Although most are Saturday-only events, more and more are opening on Friday afternoon.
Be sure to bring the following things:
A handheld or mobile rig: Most hamfests have a talk-in frequency, which is almost always a VHF or UHF repeater. If you’re unfamiliar with the area and don’t have a GPS unit to guide you, get directions while you’re en route.
If you attend with a friend, and both of you take handheld radios, you can share tips about the stuff you find while walking the aisles.
After parking, waiting, and shuffling along in line, you finally make it inside the gates, and you’re ready to bargain. No two hamfests are alike, of course, but here are some general guidelines to live by, particularly for hamfest newcomers:
Unless you really know what you’re doing, avoid antique radios. They often have quirks that can make using them a pain or that require impossible-to-get repair parts.
Be familiar with the smell of burned or overheated electronics, especially transformers and sealed components. Direct replacements may be difficult to obtain.
www.eham.net
and www.qrz.com
before and even while attending the hamfest if you have a smartphone. You can get an idea of the going price and average condition, so you’re less likely to get gouged.Don’t forget to look under the tables, where you can occasionally find some real treasures.
Conventions tend to be more extravagant affairs, held in hotels or conventions centers, that are advertised in ham radio magazines as well as online. The main purposes are programs, speakers, and socializing.
The two largest ham radio conventions are the Dayton Hamvention (www.hamvention.com
), held in Ohio in mid-May, and the Internationale Exhibition for Radio Amateurs (www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de/ham-en
), held in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in early to mid-summer. Dayton regularly draws more than 20,000 hams; Friedrichshafen, nearly that many. Both events have mammoth flea markets, an astounding array of programs, internationally known speakers, and more displays than you can possibly see.
ARRL national and division conventions (listed on the ARRL website at www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar
) are held all over the United States. Radio Amateurs of Canada (www.rac.ca
) also hosts a national convention every year. These conventions typically attract a few hundred to a few thousand people and are designed to be family friendly. They also provide a venue for specialty groups to host conferences within the overall event. These smaller conferences offer extensive programs on regional disaster and emergency communications, direction finding, QRP, county hunting, wireless networking on ham bands, and so on.
Some conventions and conferences emphasize one of ham radio’s many facets, such as DXing, VHF and UHF operating, or digital technology. If you’re a fan of a certain mode or activity, treating yourself to a weekend convention is a great way to meet hams who share your tastes and to discover more about your interests. Table 3-2 lists a few of the specialty conventions held around the United States each year.
TABLE 3-2 Specialty Conventions
Name |
Theme |
Website |
Islands On the Air (IOTA) |
The IOTA award program and operating from islands |
|
Microwave Update |
Techniques, Tools, and Technical topics about operating above 1 GHz |
|
QRP Four Days in May |
Low-power operating and equipment |
|
International DX Convention (hosted alternately by the Northern and Southern California Contest Clubs) |
DX and contesting |
|
SVHFS Conference (hosted by the Southeastern VHF Society) |
VHF, UHF, and microwaves |
|
International EME Conference |
EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) operating |
|
Digital Communications Conference (hosted by ARRL and TAPR) |
Digital communications |