Amateur Radio/Getting started
So, you just passed your Foundation exam. What to do? This is intended as brief guide, to provide just enough relevant info to get started with and some links where to find out more.
Get a callsign
Around six days from your examination pass, you'll get a note in the mail with details that will allow you to register on the Ofcom website. Choose a callsign that is meaningful to you, such as your initials, something that sounds cool in NATO alphabet terminology, or perhaps something that is easy to enter in Morse Code.
It might be worthwhile to run a 'callsign scrape' of the Ofcom website using Mark Steward's code hosted on github.
First steps
- Register with qrz.com
- Start a log book. Use a spreadsheet with the collumns shown on page 20 of the Foundation Licence Now! book.
http://www.g3npf.co.uk/operating.htm
Make that first QSO
See Sample QSOs
Q Codes
A few of the more common ones, which also have to be learnt for the Intermediate Exam. Q-Codes can either be a question or an answer. For example QRL? would mean Is this frequency in use? Whereas a response of QRL would mean The frequency is in use.
| Q-Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| QRL | The frequency is in use |
| QRM | Interference from other stations (M = man made interference) |
| QRN | Interference from static/thunderstorms (N = natural interference) |
| QRP | Low Power |
| QRT | Closing down my station |
| QRZ | Who is calling me? (Who’Z calling?) |
| QSB | Fading, usually signals going up and down in strength |
| QSL | Transmission successfully received (as in QSL card) |
| QSO | Contact with a station |
| QSY | Change frequency |
| QTH | Location, usually the nearest town (H = home) |
Abbreviations
There are a handful of abbreviations that you need to be aware of.
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CQ | General cal, any station may reply (seek you) |
| DX | Long Distance (on HF this normally means outside your own continent) |
| SIG | Signals |
| UR | Your |
| WX | Weather |
| DE | From |
| K | Go Ahead (your turn to transmit) |
| R | Roger (transmission received and understood) |
RST Reports
Often in a QSO the strength and quality of the signal is exchanged. For the reporting of strength and readability, and tone with Morse code the RST system is the de facto standard. a very strong totally readable signal would be described as RS59 or more commonly "5 and 9". Most rigs have a signal or S meter.
| Value | Readability | Strength | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unreadable | Faint, barely perceptible | Extremely Rough Note |
| 2 | Barely Readable | Very Weak | Very Rough Note |
| 3 | Readable with Difficulty | Weak | Rough Note |
| 4 | Readable with little difficulty | Fair | Fairly Rough note |
| 5 | Totally Readable | Fairly Good | Note Modulated with a Strong Ripple |
| 6 | Good | Modulated Note | |
| 7 | Moderately Strong | Near DC Note but with a Smooth Ripple | |
| 8 | Strong | Good DC Note with a Trace of Ripple | |
| 9 | Very Strong | Pure DC Note |
Repeaters
The recognised calling protocol is "This is (your callsign) listening through (repeater callsign)" http://www.ukrepeater.net/operating.htm
Bands and equipment
2 m and 70 cm
- VHF 144 to 148 MHz 2 m
- UHF 440 MHz 70 cm
Get a Baofeng UV-5R, change the antenna to a Nagoya NA-771 and use CHIRP with a Kenwood USB cable to program it.
SDR
Use a RTL2832U as a software-defined receiver covering 24&nrsp;MHz to 1.8uGHz
Shortwave
Purchase the best quality shortwave radio with SSB you can afford.
Other useful applications
- Echolink can be used to contact other amateurs around the world via the Internet. Smartphone or PC/laptop.
- WebSDR
See also
External links
There are several online resources available to you. Our favourite is naturally our own conversations (IRC chat and Google Groups mailing list) but places like the reddit /r/amateurradio web groups can also be good.
