Ham and Shortwave Radio for the Electronics Hobbyist

Ham and Shortwave Radio for the Electronics Hobbyist

by Stan Gibilisco
Released October 2014
Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill Education TAB
ISBN: 9780071832922

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Book description

Get up and running as a ham radio operator—or just listen in on the shortwave bands!

Ham and Shortwave Radio for the Electronics Hobbyist shows you, step by step, how to set up and operate your own ham radio station. It’s also perfect for those interested in shortwave listening, without getting a ham radio license. This practical guide covers communications modes, assigned frequency ranges in the United States, details on fixed, mobile, and portable ham stations, antennas, and much more. Ham radio will work even when the Internet and other utilities fail. So get on the air and keep the lines of communication open in any situation!

Inside, you’ll find out all about:

  • Radio waves and how they travel
  • Shortwave and allwave listening
  • Communications modes for ham radio operators, including using the Internet as a supplement
  • Ham radio licenses and assigned frequency ranges (bands) used in the United States
  • Wave-propagation characteristics and tips on the bands best suited for use at different times of the day, year, and sunspot cycle
  • Selecting and installing equipment for fixed ham radio stations
  • Setting up mobile and portable ham radio stations
  • Antennas and transmission lines for various frequencies and station types
  • How to operate your station using popular voice and digital modes
  • Schematic symbols and Q signals for ham radio operators

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. About the Author
  6. Contents
  7. Introduction
  8. 1 Hobby Radio: A Technical Overview
    1. Shortwave Radio
    2. Amateur (Ham) Radio
    3. Citizens Band (CB) Radio
    4. Electromagnetic Fields
    5. Radio Wave Propagation
    6. Morse Code and Radioteletype
    7. Voices on Waves
    8. Receiver Fundamentals
    9. Predetector Stages
    10. Detectors
    11. Exotic Communications Methods
  9. 2 Shortwave and Allwave Listening
    1. How I Got into SWL
    2. Shortwave Broadcast Bands
    3. Sunspots and Shortwave Radio
    4. Longwave Radio
    5. Dirty Electricity
    6. Which Radio’s for You?
  10. 3 Ham Radio Communications Modes
    1. Morse Code
    2. Radioteletype
    3. Phase-Shift Keying
    4. Multiple-Frequency-Shift Keying
    5. Amateur Teleprinting over Radio
    6. Packet Radio
    7. Single Sideband
    8. Frequency Modulation
    9. Images and Video
  11. 4 Ham Radio Licenses and Frequencies
    1. Today’s License Classes
    2. Discontinued License Classes
    3. 160 Meters
    4. 80 Meters
    5. 60 Meters
    6. 40 Meters
    7. 30 Meters
    8. 20 Meters
    9. 17 Meters
    10. 15 Meters
    11. 12 Meters
    12. 10 Meters
    13. 6 Meters
    14. 2 Meters
    15. Beyond 2 Meters
  12. 5 Fixed Ham Stations
    1. Where Will You Put Your Rig?
    2. The “Main Radio”
    3. Peripheral Equipment
    4. Utility-Operated Power Supplies
    5. Small Backup Generators
    6. Noise, Noise, Noise!
  13. 6 Mobile and Portable Ham Stations
    1. Mobile Band Options
    2. Mobile Power Options
    3. Portable Band Options
    4. Portable Power Options
    5. Stay Safe!
  14. 7 Ham Antenna Primer
    1. Radiation Resistance
    2. Half-Wave Antennas
    3. Quarter-Wave Verticals
    4. Loops
    5. Ground Systems
    6. Gain and Directivity
    7. Phased Arrays
    8. Parasitic Arrays
    9. Antennas for UHF and Microwave Frequencies
    10. Transmission Lines
    11. Stay Safe!
  15. 8 Ham Operating Basics
    1. Listen, Listen, Listen!
    2. Don’t Be a Lid!
    3. Signal Reporting
    4. Operating in SSB
    5. Operating in FM
    6. Operating in CW
    7. Operating in Non-CW Text Modes
    8. Contesting
    9. Working DX
    10. Rag Chewing
    11. Operating with QRP
    12. Emergency Preparedness
  16. Appendix A Schematic Symbols
  17. Appendix B Q Signals for Ham Radio
  18. Appendix C Ten-Code Signals for CB Radio
  19. Appendix D Ten-Code Signals for Police and Emergency Personnel
  20. Suggested Additional Reading
  21. Index

Product information

  • Title: Ham and Shortwave Radio for the Electronics Hobbyist
  • Author(s): Stan Gibilisco
  • Release date: October 2014
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill Education TAB
  • ISBN: 9780071832922