Become familiar with some of the more technical terms of ham radio.  Don't worry about rote memorization of these terms.  As you gain comprehension of the material, you will find it easy to recall the meanings of these words.

Autopatch - A feature of some repeaters that allows the user to access phone functions.

Beacon - A station that is set up for the purpose of observing propagation and reception.  Beacons are restricted to 100 watts PEP and can be manned by all license classes with the exception of novices.

Broadcast - To transmit over radiofrequncies to a general and unspecified audience.

Carrier Wave - Unmodulated radiofrequency energy.

Certificate of Successful Completion Examination (CSCE) - A form given to you by the volunteer examiners after a test that indicates which license exam elements you have successfully completed.

Chirp - A high-pitched tone that is received along with a CW signal caused by an unstable voltage regulation in a transceiver's power supply.

Control Point - The location of a station at which the control operator functions are performed.

CTCSS Tone - A feature on some radios that sends a subaudible tone to accompany your transmission for repeater access.

Dipole - A type of directional antenna.

Digipeater - A repeater that is set up for sending digital information only.

Dummy Load - A receptacle for energy that would otherwise be sent out through an antenna; used for testing radio equipment.

Duplex - Mode of repeater operation using two frequencies (a channel) where the output frequency is offset from the input frequency.

Encoder - A numeric keypad present on some radios used for programming and data entry.

Feedline - Conductive wire used to connect your antenna with your radio.

Frontend Overload - Interference due to close placement of radio equipment with other radiofrequency emitting devices, regardless of frequency.

Gain - A ratio of response to input drive.

Ground Plane - A type of antenna that radiates radiofrequency energy uniformly in all directions in the horizontal plane; the typical antenna used in mobile and hand-held applications.

Ground-Wave Propagation - Propagation of radiofrequency energy at or just below the ground.

Ionosphere - A layer of ionized gases in the outer atmosphere.

Impedance - A measurement of the status of voltage and current in AC circuits.

Harmonics - The replication of related frequencies above the intended frequency which may cause interference to other amateurs or broadcasting services.

Hertz - A unit of measure of frequency; "cycles per second".

Line-of-Sight Propagation - Direct, straight-line radio energy propagation from one point to another.

Multimeter - A tool used by radio amatuers to measure voltage, current, and resistance in a circuit.

Packet - Digital radio communication via computers.

PEP - Peak Envelope Power; The average power supplied to the antenna transmission line by a transmitter during one RF cycle at the crest of the modulation envelope taken under normal operating conditions.

PL Tone - A feature, similiar to CTCSS tones, on some radios that sends a subaudible tone to accompany your transmission for repeater access.

Propagation - A description of how radio energy travels from one point to another.

PTT - "Push-To-Talk", the microphone activator on an amateur radio.

Quad - A type of directional (beam) antenna.

Radioteletype - A mode of amateur radio commuication which incorporates a terminal node switch to transmit digital data.

Repeater - A device that has been specifically set up to receive VHF and UHF signals and broadcast them with ampliefied energy to increase the range of propagation.

Resonant Frequency - The frequency that an antenna has been cut or tuned for.

RST Signal Report - RST stands for Readibility, Signal Strength, and Tone.  This is a description of reception of a signal back to the originator to let him/her know how well his signal is being received.

Scatter - A ricochet effect of obstacles on a radio signal so that it eventually reaches its intended destination. 

Simplex - Communicating over radio using just one frequency (no offset).

Skip Zone - An isolated area where no communication can take place; it is too far to ne penetrated with ground-wave propagation and too close to receive sky-wave propagation.

Sky-Wave Propagation - Propagation of radiowaves which rely on reflection from the ionosphere.

Splatter Interference - Interference to other stations caused by the operator having his microphone gain set too high or using too much speech processing on a SSB transmitter.

Spurious Emission - Any signal emmitted outside of the band you are operating on.

Squelch - A feature on radios that allows the user to tune out his/her radio's own background noise.

Station - Any amateur radio equipment capable of transmission and reception.

SWR Measurements - Standing Wave Ratio.  A comparison of how much energy is effectively transmitted through an antenna.

Terminal Node Switch - A device required for packet radio transception.

Tropospheric Ducting - An atmospheric effect which allows VHF and UHF energy to travel over long distances.

Variable Frequency Oscillator - A circuit present in radios that allows the user to scan for frequncies in use.

Yagi - A type of directional antenna (beam).