So before I throw all these out let me tell you all that I did take the technician class license, passed it, and I still don’t fully understand these basic concepts. Probably because the test is technical memorization and not applicability and it also seems like these types of questions everyone just assumes everyone knows so its hard to see clear answers… so please, go easy on me not knowing these scenarios and help me understand them. Thanks!
So you always need an antenna matching the frequency you’re transmitting and receiving?
So in reality, for me being an amateur technician license there’s really not too much antenna options that are practical to me?
How does one go about contacting a licensed friend using simplex?
Do you just randomly pick a frequency that is not in use (call QRL) (in the technician bands) and tell the licensed friend to select the same frequency and then carry on?
All these repeaters…
Sure they’re going to carry your signal further but are you always stuck to broadcast and receive on that same shared frequency? For instance where I’m at (and it seems fairly common of a frequency… 145.43 is the amateur clubs repeater… so if I were to ever use that repeater I?m pretty much always going to be talking the the amateur club members, or can I use a repeater to transmit and receive on another unused frequency? For example go back to my previous question with broadcasting and receiving with a licensed family member. How would you gain the benefit of using a repeater and not using up their frequency?
How do you “GET” a frequency? I realize its public domain but… Clearly the ham radio club seems to have 145.43 for their repeater. I kind of feel like I’m on their turf, (a shared line with 20 local members of the club) if I was to broadcast and receive on that, so let’s say I was camping and wanted to make contact with a licensed family member 10 mountains away who’s also camping… what would be the acceptable way to do this? I would think accessing the amateur clubs repeater might be a little frowned upon for this so what’s the reality of using this to actually reach licensed loved ones?
Thanks for anyone who has assistance with any of these questions!
Let me see if I can answer these questions for you.
First off, congratulations on getting your license. It’s been said there is something for everyone in ham radio, so you should find an aspect of the hobby that suits you.
Now to your questions and I’ll address them in order.
Your radio will operate most efficiently when the antenna is resonant with the frequency you are operating on. Having a resonant antenna will also avoid potential damage to your radio. Since you are a Technician licensee, I’m not going to talk about HF because your privileges are limited there. In the VHF/UHF realm, most of the antennas you can buy have a wide enough bandwidth they will operate across the entire band without much difficulty. For example, I use a single dual band antenna for operations on the 2 meter and 7 centimeter bands in both my vehicle and at home (a single antenna at each location.)
Each band has a specific “band plan” which is a gentleman’s agreement that sets apart different portions of a band for specific uses. The band plan is designed to avoid conflicts by specifying different frequencies for different purposes. The 2 meter band has separate portions for repeater inputs, repeater outputs, simple and national calling. It also has sections for FM and SSB. If you wish to contact your friend on simplex, you would select a frequency in the simplex portion of the band, ensure it was not already in use and then call him. He would respond on the same frequency.
The greater majority of ham radio repeaters are considered (by their owners) to be “open” repeaters. That is, available to any licensed amateur radio operator to use. This means that, as long as the repeater wasn’t already in use, you could call out on that repeater to a licensed family member (to use your example) without any repercussions. In fact, some repeater owners encourage the use of their repeaters by new hams as a way to welcoming them to the hobby. Sure, there are closed repeater systems, where you have to “buy in,” but most operators of these systems do it because of the cost of maintenance.
Two recommendations I would make to you are: First, pick yourself up a copy of the ARRL Operating Manual. This book is full of a lot of good information about how to operate on the bands, including a lot on HF (for when you upgrade your license to General.)
My second recommendation is get involved with a club; maybe the one that owns the repeater you mentioned. If you become a dues paying member, you’re more likely to be welcomed on their repeater. Additional benefits of being a club member are the camaraderie of being a member and you will have a source of knowledgeable hams that can help you out.
