amateur radio

Respond to the call of ham radio Despite its old-school reputation, amateur radio is on the rise, and the airwaves are busier than ever. That’s no surprise: being a ham is a lot of fun, providing an independent way to keep in touch with friends, family, and new acquaintances around the world—and even beyond with its ability to connect with the International Space Station! Hams are also good in a crisis, keeping communications alive and crackling during extreme weather events and loss of communications until regular systems like cell phones and the internet are restored. Additionally, it’s enjoyable for good, old-fashioned tech geek reasons—fiddling with circuits and bouncing signals off the ionosphere just happens to give a lot of us a buzz! If one or more of these benefits is of interest to you, then good news: the new edition of Ham Radio For Dummies covers them all! In his signature friendly style, longtime ham Ward Silver (Call Sign NØAX)—contributing editor with the American Radio Relay League—patches you in on everything from getting the right equipment and building your station (it doesn’t have to be expensive) to the intricacies of Morse code and Ohm’s law. In addition, he coaches you on how to prepare for the FCC-mandated licensing exam and tunes you up for ultimate glory in the ham radio hall of fame as a Radiosport competitor! With this book, you’ll learn to: Set up and organize your station Communicate with people around the world Prep for and pass the FCC exam Tune into the latest tech, such as digital mode operating Whether you’re looking to join a public service club or want the latest tips on the cutting edge of ham technology, this is the perfect reference for newbies and experts alike—and will keep you happily hamming it up for years!

The contents of this book are mostly aimed at the amateur radio beginner and aspiring ones. Therefore, this book provides answers to basic questions like: What is the best HF antenna for my needs and location? What type of stand-alone antenna tuner should I use and which should I avoid? How can I hide my HF antenna from the neighbors and still get acceptable performance from it? What about lightning protection? This book will supply immediately useful answers to the above questions and many more. A properly designed and installed amateur radio HF antenna system can potentially make the humblest ham radio equipment perform like stations worth thousands of dollars. We are confident that the antenna experimenter will find the information given here priceless. Furthermore, any ham radio operator, armed with the information this book contains, will become a much better informed buyer of commercially made HF antenna systems and accessories. This special compendium edition is published in response to ham radio operators who wrote to ask that all the basic information, on and related to amateur radio HF antennas, be made available in one book instead of four, arguing that it would be more convenient. The author and publisher agree. Therefore this edition contains the complete four-book series on Amateur Radio HF Antennas published by Claude Jollet, VE2DPE.

"Guides you through the process of establishing your own internet-controlled station...You'll find station diagrams, software tips and much more...your guide to getting back on the air with the station of your dreams--even if you life in an apartment"--P. [4] of cover.

Step-by-step guide that will get you started in the fascinating world of HF digital technology. Written in an easy to understand, conversational style, this book will show you how to set up and operate your own HF digital. The text includes instructions for configuring software programs for popular modes such as RTTY, PSK31 and JT65. You will also learn about other digital communication modes including MFSK, Olivia and PACTOR.--Book cover.