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My goal is to help the community in times of disasters with
contact through Ham Radio for better communication.

You will need to click on F5 each time you go to one of the menu web pages to see the new things I have added!

If you know of any other Ham Radio information links that would fit here on my Ham Radio web pages please send them to me and I will add them.

ALSO, IF YOU FIND ANY LINKS THAT ARE NOT WORKING PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!!

WHAT IS HAM RADIO ALL ABOUT

This video was Published on Dec 4, 2013

It is a video about the introduction to Amateur Radio and the many possibilities it offers for learning, safety and security, and helping others throughout our world.
Watch this video for this journey that takes us through a brief history of communications technology and then into the many exciting opportunities that the world of ham radio has to offer today.

See the video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivUMIADFSDw&feature=youtu.be

Here is some basic information on Ham Radios to help you get started:

NOTE: Some ham radios can also be tuned to the WALKI TALKI frequencies and used without a license. See frequency charts for CB and FRS radios at the end of the RADIO INFO web page if you want more information about that!

Ham Radio Etiquette by Alan Jones, KD7KUS

Talking on the radio guidelines

How A Ham Radio Works

Click here to read a handout on what a REPEATER is and the difference between using long distance repeater communication and talking short distances using SIMPLEX on your ham radio.
How Ham Radios Work

The main difference between VHF Ham Radios and UHF Ham Radios is the frequencies they broadcast on.
2 Meter radios (VHF) operate between 144.0 and 148.0 Mhz.
70 Centimeter (UHF) radios operate at 420 Mhz to 450 Mhz.
A dual band radio will operate on both VHF and UHF
Most new ham radio operators with a Technician Class License use the 2 meter radio

How Ham Radio Repeaters Work

When you talk to someone over a ham radio you are normally not talking radio to radio. That would limit you to a range of about 2 miles (that is called operating in SIMPLEX). To extend that range to many miles ham radio organizations have set up repeaters that receive your signal and then rebroadcast it over a repeater so that others can hear you far away. For example using our TIGER MOUNTAIN repeater here in Washington State I have talked to people in Vancouver, BC, Yakama, WA, Spokane, WA and Spirit Lake, OR. So you see I can talk to people pretty much across the whole state on my 2 meter band ham radio. If you want to talk to people acorss the whole United States then you would have to put up one of those huge antennas and talk on a different band. That is a subject too advanced for this web page. Here is a little diagram I drew to help you see the concept of how a repeater works:
How Ham Radio Repeaters Work

Ham Radio Protocol Reminder

Many times when we are talking on the radio it is hard to tell what someone's call sign is. For example it can be difficult to tell the difference between "B", "C", "D", "E", "G" and "P" because they all end with "eeee". It is also hard some times to tell the difference between an "A" and "J". Some times we hear people just making up words that come to their mind. For example you might hear someone say, "my call sign is KE7ZBQ, that is Kids, Eating, 7 Zipper, Back, Quick". When you are giving your call sign it is correct Ham Radio Protocol to use the NATO Phonetic Alphabet to clarify what you are saying. The proper way to phoneticize that call sign would be, "My call sign is Kilo, Echo, 7, Zulu, Bravo, Quebec".

We have provided here a little table for you to down load and keep by your radio so you will have it handy when you need to use the Phonetic Alphabet to clarify what you are saying.

NATO Phonetic Alphabet Chart

Ham Radio Etiquette (talking on the radio guidelines)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PAGE 1
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PAGE 2

Here is a list of the frequencies we program into our Ham Radios

If you bring your ham radio to a club meeting we will use the computer to automatically program them in for you (including offset and tone).

Programmed Repeater List For Your Radio

Here are some links to ideas on how Ham Radios can be used in disaster

www.lds.org/topics/emergency-preparedness/frequently-asked-questions-on-emergency-communications?lang=eng

http://ldsemergencyprep.org

www.ldsliving.com/story/72003-communicating-during-disasters

www.brayl.com/church/preparedness/hamradio.doc

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Visitors since 17 Dec 2011

Last Updated: 30 Sept 2016

Send updates, corrections, comments to: Web Master: Cordell Vail - KE7ZBQ