Operating instructions

Choosing a Ham Radio 17
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. The ARRL Operating Manual discusses the characteristics of the
different HF and VHF/UHF bands.
The longer wavelength HF bands (160 – 30 meters) are generally used for local and re-
gional contacts through the day, but support long-distance (DX) contacts at night. Shorter
wavelength bands (20 – 10 meters) “open” and provide long-distance contacts through
the day, but “close” at night when the signals are no longer reflected back to Earth by the
ionosphere.
The VHF and UHF bands support line-of-sight regional contacts and long-distance
contacts via several interesting means of propagation. This is called weak-signal operat-
ing and is conducted on 50, 144, and 432 MHz mostly using SSB and CW because those
modes work better at low signal-to-noise ratios, while FM requires stronger signals to be
effective.
While able to transmit only in the ham bands, HF radios typically include general cov-
erage receivers that can tune from a few hundred kHz to 30 MHz. (Medium wave (MW)
stations use frequencies from 300 kHz – 3 MHz and long wave (LW) below 300 kHz.)
Ham band only receivers don’t offer this coverage. Wideband receive coverage extends
above 30 MHz into the VHF and UHF range. The Wikipedia entry on “shortwave” (en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortwave) will give you an idea of what you can listen to. The
VHF/UHF section on frequency coverage will help you decide if wideband receive is use-
ful for you.
Power – Input and Output
Transmitter output power of HF transceivers ranges from 100 to 200 watts with most
between 100 and 150 watts. The extra power will not make a dramatic difference on
the air, however. Power amplifiers (a.k.a. – linears or linear amplifiers) are available to
increase the output power to 600 to 1500 watts (maximum legal power for hams) for more
demanding conditions and activities.
Beginning HF operators will have the most success using power levels around 100 watts.
TheKenwoodTS-2000transceiver.