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Choosing a Ham Radio 1

Who Needs This PublicaTioN aNd Why?

Hello and welcome to this handy guide to selecting a radio. Choos-

ing just one from the variety of radio models is a challenge! The

good news is that most commercially manufactured Amateur Radio

equipment performs the basics very well, so you shouldn’t be overly

concerned about a “wrong” choice of brands or models. This guide

is intended to help you make sense of common features and decide

which are most important to you. We provide explanations and deﬁni-

tions, along with what a particular feature might mean to you on the air.

This publication is aimed at the new Technician licensee ready to acquire a ﬁrst radio, a

licensee recently upgraded to General Class and wanting to explore HF, or someone getting

back into ham radio after a period of inactivity. A technical background is not needed to

understand the material.

abouT This PublicaTioN

After this introduction and a “Quick Start” guide, there are two main sections; one cov-

ering gear for the VHF and UHF bands and one for HF band equipment. You’ll encounter

a number of terms and abbreviations--watch for italicized words—so two glossaries are

provided; one for the VHF/UHF section and one for the HF section. You’ll be comfortable

with these terms by the time you’ve ﬁnished reading!

We assume that you’ll be buying commercial equipment and accessories as new gear.

Used equipment is cheaper, of course, but may have faults or defects with which you might

be unfamiliar, leading to problems. Teaming up with an experienced ham or a reputable

dealer is the way to evaluate used equipment. Unless you are experienced with electron-

ics, kits and homebuilt rigs are not recommended as a ﬁrst radio, either. The Web sites for

manufacturers of Amateur Radio equipment are listed at the end.

What This Publication Is Not

This isn’t a traditional “buyer’s guide” with feature lists and prices for many radios.

Manufacturer’s Web sites and catalogs from radio stores have plenty of information on the

latest models and features. You won’t ﬁnd operating instructions or technical speciﬁcations

here – download brochures and manuals directly from the manufacturer!

Your Best Resource

Your best resource is a knowledgeable friend. Better yet, how about a group of friends?

This is where a ham radio club or team can really help. Find local clubs via the ARRL’s

home page: www.arrl.org—enter “Clubs” in the site’s search window. A club can help

you with every aspect of choosing a radio; from explaining a feature to ﬁlling you in on

• AboutThisPublication

• TypesofOperation

• VHF/UHFEquipment

• HFEquipment

• Manufacturer’sDirectory

Choosing a Ham Radio

Your guide to selecting the right equipment

LeadAuthor—WardSilver,N

AX;

Co-authors—GregWidin,K

GWandDavidHaycock,KI6AWR

Summary of content (24 pages)

PAGE 1
Choosing a Ham Radio Your guide to selecting the right equipment Lead Author—Ward Silver, NØAX; Co-authors—Greg Widin, KØGW and David Haycock, KI6AWR • About This Publication • Types of Operation • VHF/UHF Equipment Who Needs This Publication and Why? Hello and welcome to this handy guide to selecting a radio.
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what works best in your area. These helpful Elmers (ham radio mentors) may be willing to loan or demonstrate a radio so you can experience different styles of operating before making buying decisions. If the group is supporting a public-service activity, such as a walkathon, parade, or race, volunteer to help so you can see how the radios are actually used. The “Choosing a Ham Radio” Web Site It’s not possible to give you all the details in one publication, so a supporting Web page has been created at www.
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Quick Start: Common Profiles You may find it useful to start with one of our four common ham “profiles”. Your operating needs could be similar to one of them. Once you choose a profile, fill in the details by reading the VHF/UHF or HF sections that follow for details on the various features and functions. Download the comparison form at www.arrl.org/ choosingaradio/compare to organize your shopping list. Consult local hams to find out what bands are used most commonly.
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Types of Operation From Where Will You Be Operating? Radios are designed with sets of features that favor the types of use listed at the side of this page, although they can be used in more than one way. Considering the circumstances in which you expect to do most of your operating and the ranges at which you expect to make contacts will help you decide what type of radio is right for you. Radios designed for base or fixed-station are the most capable and powerful.
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VHF/UHF Glossary Airband: VHF channels for aviation air-to-air and air-to-ground communications All-mode: radio that can operate on AM, SSB, CW, digital modes and FM APRS: Automatic Position Reporting System ARES®: Amateur Radio Emergency Service, sponsored by the ARRL’s Field Organization Attenuate (attenuation): reduce in strength Auto-patch: connection (“patch”) between a radio and the telephone system Automotive adapter: device that plugs into a vehicle lighter socket and supplies power to a radio or el
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ARRL0011 AM VLF 3 kHz LF 30 kHz MF 300 kHz 3 MHz Shortwave VHF TV FM HF VHF 30 MHz UHF Mobile TV Phones UHF 300 MHz SHF 3 GHz EHF 30 GHz 300 GHz radio audio Low Frequencies Long Wavelengths High Frequencies Short Wavelengths Sub-audible: audio frequencies below the usual communication range of 300 – 3000 Hz Trunking (trunked) systems: VHF/UHF systems used by commercial and government agencies, sharing a few channels among many users by using computers to control the radio’s frequencies UH
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Caution - even though some VHF/UHF amateur radios with wideband receive can tune in AM broadcast, shortwave broadcast (SW BC) and aviation AM signals, most cannot receive SSB or CW signals and thus are unsuitable for use on the HF ham bands. Receiving VHF AM aviation signals (sometimes called airband) is also handy for tracking down and identifying sources of interfering noise, such as from power lines or appliances. Many municipal and government systems use trunking systems in the VHF and UHF bands.
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can also be charged in a vehicle with an automotive adapter. An automotive adapter that allows your handheld radio to charge (and possibly operate) from a vehicle’s cigarette lighter or other 12-volt source is useful if ac power is unavailable. Not all handheld radios can transmit while connected to chargers—be sure to check the manual! Radios for base, portable, or mobile use require an external power source. This may be a vehicle’s electrical system, a deep-cycle battery, or an ac-operated power supply.
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heard, as when accessing a repeater. This keeps you from hearing other users on the same frequency, just like “privacy codes” on the popular handheld radios that use the FRS and GMRS channels. (You still have to listen to the channel before transmitting.) • Digital Coded Squelch (DCS) – a continuous sequency of sub-audible tones must be received during a transmission to keep the output audio turned on. DCS is used by groups sharing a frequency so that they only hear audio from other group members.
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Memories and VFOs Ads for radios tout the number of memory channels or memories—each can store the complete radio configuration to access a favorite repeater or channel. Having lots of memories means you can dedicate a group to your most-used repeaters and simplex channels while other groups can be used for channels you use for special events, training, and vacation or travel.
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special interface called a terminal node controller (TNC), and a computer as shown in Figure 6. Some radios have TNCs built in. Packet provides “keyboard-to-keyboard” communication a bit like instant messaging. It is also used to send email from your computer via Winlink system mailboxes. The Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS - www. aprs.org) uses packet radio to report your position and other information over the Internet.
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Scanning Frequency 1 Radios on the market today can rapidly switch from frequency to frequency to look for signals. This is called scanning. It allows the operator to monitor Frequency 2 many different frequencies without having to manually tune to each one. CH 1 There are three types of scanning. Basic scanning consists of the receiver starting from the scan start CH 2 Channel frequency and tuning continuously to the scan stop CH 3 Scan frequency.
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(mag-mounts) or clamps (lip-, trunk-, mirror-mount, etc) and permanent through-the-body mounts provide a ground-plane for the antenna. You can purchase the complete antenna system, including the whip, mount, and cable or you can purchase a separate mount with cable. Antennas attach to the mount by one of several different methods: a threaded base, PL-259/SO-239, and NMO are the most common. Your antenna will need to match the mount.
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learn how to install your own connectors—both to have the skill and to save money! The ARRL’s online Technical Information Service www.arrl.org/tis/ and the ARRL Antenna Book and ARRL Handbook contain methods of installing connectors on coaxial cable. Accessories & Special Features Along with the items included with your radio, other common accessories can be a great help in the convenient and effective use of your radio.
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HF EQUIPMENT The HF or “short-wave bands” are important because of their long-range capability. When HF conditions are favorable, contacts around the world are possible without the need for repeaters or the use of Internetbased systems, such as IRLP or Echolink. The traditional amateur HF bands include 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters (1.8 MHz to 29.7 MHz).
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HF Glossary All-mode: radio that can operate on AM, SSB, CW, Digital, and FM Attenuate (attenuation): reduce in strength Balun: stands for “balanced-to-unbalanced”, provides a transition from parallel wire feed lines or antennas to coaxial feed lines.
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Frequencies and Modes Commercially available HF transceivers cover all of the amateur bands described in the introduction to this section. Some add the 6 meter band from 50 – 54 MHz and even VHF/ UHF bands from 2 meters to 23 cm (1.2 GHz). These radios are “all-mode”, using AM, SSB, CW, FM, and digital modes. You can use these radios for everything from contacts on your local repeater to long-distance contacts on the HF bands where SSB and CW are the most popular modes.
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Running “barefoot” (without an amplifier) with a modest antenna is often sufficient for lots of contacts, including world-wide DX during favorable conditions. More power, provided by an amplifier, will extend your transmit range and enable you to maintain contact longer as conditions change, but adds significant expense and raises the demands placed on station equipment.
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to multiple strong signals. A difference of 6 dB or more represents a noticeable change in performance. While commercial transceivers have adequate strong-signal performance, the more you expect to operate on HF, the more important these figures will become. The ARRL’s Product Reviews are a valuable source of information about receiver performance and are free to ARRL members on the ARRL Web site and in QST magazine. Four other features help a receiver reject interference and other unwanted signals.
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processing, with more aggressive levels also giving the signals a “digital” sound. Noise blanking (NB) is used to remove repetitive noise pulses, such as those from an automobile’s ignition system or power-line noise from nearby ac utility lines. Noise blanking is very useful in mobile HF radios and noise reduction can be used for all SSB and CW HF operating. DSP can also be used to create a notch filter.
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Trees >20’ Yagi Beam Steel Tower >30’ Dipole HF vertical 20-30’ Mast 15-30’ Figure 10 – You have many antenna options to choose from, depending on your budget and how much space you have available. Figure 10 scribed on the ARRL’s Technical Information Service (TIS) Web page or you can buy one or any of several common variations; off-center-fed, multi-wire, and G5RV antennas are popular. While a dipole’s gain is low, it’s efficient and hard to beat for the price.
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but have lower efficiency than mounts attached directly to the vehicle and can be knocked loose. If you purchase the mount separately from the antenna, make sure the mount and antenna have the same type of mechanical connection! The most popular antenna feed line is coaxial cable or coax. There are many types, but the most common are (from smallest to largest) are RG-58, RG-8X, and RG-8 or RG-213.
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Some transceivers include the ability to separate the front panel (the “control head”) from the rest of the unit for easier mobile installations. ings at other frequencies. Antenna switches allow you to select different antennas quickly. The “common” port of the switch connects to the output of the radio or antenna tuner with a short jumper of coax and the antenna system coaxial cables then connects to the selectable ports of the switch. Some radios have an antenna switch built-in.
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Figure 12 – With the right hardware and software, you can use your computer to control your transceiver and even make contacts using a variety of digital operating modes. network known as Winlink. The computer’s sound card is connected to the microphone and headphone jacks through a data interface, available from several manufacturers. These devices isolate the radio’s input from the sound card’s output, preventing hum, RF feedback, and other problems.