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Beginners
Guide to Amateur Radio (page 2)
Amateur Television Yes
that's right you can send and receive your own television pictures over amateur radio
frequencies. There are two types Slow Scan TV and Fast Scan TV. Slow Scan TV (SSTV) is a
bit like sending a fax down the telephone, you send or receive a still image. This could
be almost anything, a holiday photo for instance. SSTV is normally used on the shortwave
bands (below 30Mhz) where images can be sent or received world-wide. Fast Scan TV (FSTV)
is exactly the same as what you would see on your domestic TV. In FSTV therefore you send
and receive real time moving pictures. FSTV is normally limited to higher frequencies
(above 430Mhz) where the range is much more limited, although under the right atmospheric
conditions this can be over 1000 miles.The possibilities for SSTV and FSTV are endless.
How do you fancy seeing what it's like inside the MIR space station or on board a space
shuttle? Yes, such pictures have been sent using both FSTV and SSTV over Amateur Radio
frequencies.
More info see BATC site
CW (morse code) Morse
code you say? Didn't that go out with the dinosaurs?
Well, CW is alive and well on the amateur bands and can
often get through when other types of communication (modes) will not. It takes a lot of
skill to learn and master the code and it's use can provide a great deal of pleasure.
True, it is not the most efficient of communication modes in that a two minute voice
conversation can last about half an hour on CW! Perhaps one of the great assets of CW is
that transmitting and receiving equipment is much easier to build than for other modes
which means it can be cheap and easy to get on the air with this mode. Remember also morse
is an international language that even those who speak no English can understand.
Data Modes If computers
are your thing you can have a great time with Amateur Radio! There are various forms of
data for which a computer is used as a terminal. In short your VDU and keyboard are used
for communicating, the actual transmission/reception is done by radio equipment interfaced
to your computer. Some of these modes such as Radio Teletype were available long before
computers and needed large dedicated terminals. Other modes such as packet radio (covered
below) are purely computer based. As with voice communication distances can be worlwide or
local depending on the frequency used.
More info see BARTG site
Homebrew - building your own equipment
Because Amateur Radio is a technical hobby based on electronics, the possibility arises to
build your own station and accessories. By doing this you can increase your understanding
not only of radio but of electronics itself. Indeed many people have gone on to develop
successful careers in electronics and radio based on this hobby.
More info see
SM0VPO site
Linking to the internet
Various amateurs around the world have now implemented voice links to the internet. This
is generally in the form of a voice repeater. With this system it is possible to link into
a internet conference room by radio. Ok big deal you might say! Well consider this,
someone carrying walkie talkie (which normally have limited range) can link into his local
voice repeater (for free!) and talk to someone on the other side of the world! The other
benefit is that you don't need a computer to talk to someone on the net! (see also packet
radio below).
More info see G7WFM site
Packet Radio As already
mentioned, this is a form of data transmission and reception carried out over Amateur
Radio frequencies, but exclusively using computers. Long before the internet became
popular a packet radio network was in existence for sending text messages and programs all
over the world. In this respect it is very similar to the internet, and in fact one of the
packet protocols uses TCP/IP, the same as the internet. At the moment most of the packet
network runs at 1200 baud and sometimes 9600 baud which is quite slow when compared with
the standard 56K connections speed of the telephone. However, some amateurs have built and
are operating stations running data rates in excess of 2Mbits per second! In the not too
distant future it should be possible to log onto and browse the internet using radio links
ie. no dreaded telephone bills!
More info see
Packet info basics site
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