Ham Radio for Dummies

• Decipher the jargon and speak the language
• Buy or upgrade your equipment, including the all-important antennas
• Build a ham radio shack, complete with the rig, a computer, mobile/base rig, microphones, keys, headphones, antennas, cables and feedlines
• Study for your license, master Morse code, take the test and get your call sign
• Understand the basics of ragchews (conversations), nets (organized on-air meetings) and DX-ing (competing in contacts to make contacts)
• Keeping logs with the vital statistics, including time (in UTC or World Time), frequency, and call sign

Written by Ward Silver, an electrical engineer, Certified Amateur Radio License Examiner, and columnist for QST, a monthly magazine for ham operators, Ham Radio for Dummies gives you the info you need to delve into the science or dive into the conversation. It explains how you can:

• Tune in to the most common types of signals, including Morse Code (CW), single-sideband (SSB), FM, Radioteletype (RTTY), and data signals
• Break in, introduce yourself, converse, and say or signal goodbye
• Communicate while traveling (ham radio goes where mobile phones go dead)
• Register with an emergency organization such as ARES and RACES
• Help in emergencies such as earthquakes, wildfires, or severe weather
• Pursue your special interests, including contacting distant stations, participating in contests, exploring the digital modes, using satellites, transmitting images, and more

Complete with a glossary and ten pages of additional suggested resources, Ham Radio for Dummies encourages you to touch that dial and take that mike.

CUL. (That’s Morse Code for “see you later.”)

Download Description

• Favorable media coverage and heightened awareness of emergency and disaster preparedness are increasing public interest in amateur or "ham" radio
• In a disaster situation, ham radio is often the only reliable method of communication; ham operators handle messages for police and other public service organizations during hurricanes, earthquakes, search-and-rescue operations, and events such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the space shuttle recovery effort, and the 2003 blackout
• Material thoroughly explains what ham radio is, what readers need to get started, and how to become a licensed operator
• Author Ward Silver has been a licensed amateur radio operator for thirty-one years; he is a contributing editor to QST (the American Radio Relay League's national ham radio magazine), where he writes a new monthly column for beginners called "Hands-On Radio"