Beginning With VHF FM
Ham radios are transceivers that broadcast in all directions. You can use a ham radio to do more than just listen to broadcasts from other radios: Ham radio allows you to be an active participant in conversations with other ham radio operators. Your radio will be able to pick up signals from those other operators, as well as send voice, telegraphy and images to their radios. Ham-radio operators start out using VHF FM. Beginners transmit on one frequency and receive on another. These VHF transceivers require the aid of radio-support groups or clubs to carry the signals from ham radios operating in the VHF FM frequency. The signals are then broadcast from antennas on top of television stations or other commercial structures to increase the range of the signal. Beginners can use their ham radios to speak to anyone in the line of sight, which means the signal is limited. Contacting astronauts with a ham radio is possible, but only when their spacecraft or space station is in alignment with your position on the Earth. This is one of the limitations of line-of-sight transceivers.
Finding Hams
Use other frequencies besides VHF FM to make your ham transceiver more useful. Ham operators can access an array of frequencies, including the microwave band just above AM. The range above the AM band is measured in gigahertz. Find ham-radio operators by searching within the 1.6 to 27 megahertz range. Scan different ranges of frequencies to find ham operators during and after daylight hours. During the day, scan the 15 to 27 megahertz range. At night, the range drops to anywhere between 1.6 and 15 megahertz. The shorter waves are on the higher frequencies, and these will bounce off the ionosphere to anyone receiving ham-radio signals. Non-ham radios, or passive radios, can listen in to ham radio conversations, but their operators cannot participate or respond. The ham radio works well in times of disaster, especially when all other power sources fail.
Other Types of Communication with Ham Radios
Ham radio is capable of operating in Morse code. The benefit of using Morse code is that the beeping signals can still be sent and received when voice messages are unable to be conveyed. This allows ham-radio operators to communicate in even the most difficult situations. Ham-radio operators are part of the digital world: They can access networks of other ham radios via a radio modem. Even more interesting, the ham-radio sound can be converted into digital text on a computer screen. That text is easier to read than some sound transmissions are to hear.
Tags: megahertz range, Morse code, other radios, other radios radio, radios radio, signals from
