What is Amateur (Ham) Radio?
Amateur Radio licensing exams cost $14, and once you pass, it is free for life.
A free study guide from KB6NU:
http://kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/2006techstudyguide.pdfThe exam is fairly easy, some people just use the free practice exams online and that's enough to prepare them.
http://www.qrz.com/testing.html
(You want the Technician exam)
Or, you can buy the exam study guide which includes the entire exam question pool:
http://www.amazon.com/Arrl-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/0872599639
Many people find the Technician license covers all they need--you can communicate worldwide (and into outer space) with a small walkie-talkie and the Echolink Internet radio linking system.
The licensing exam is given in Lansing, about every other month. It takes a short time to study for the exam.
*Sponsor:* CENTRAL MICHIGAN ARC *Contact:* JOSEPH H DENOMME (517)589-5263 *Email:* N8VYS@VOYAGER.NET ***Location:* AMERICAN RED CROSS 1800 E GRAND RIVER AVE KROPSCHOT ROOM LANSING, MI 48912
You can find more test sessions given within 50 miles of East Lansing at:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml?zip=48823&dist=50
A couple typical radios that MSU students use are the Yaesu VX2 for $145, or the Yaesu FT60 for $175. The FT60 has 5 Watts of power vs. 1.5 Watts of the VX2 (not so important actually), but the main difference is that the FT60 has a DTMF keypad, while the VX2 does not. A DTMF keypad is how you send commands to the Echolink Internet radio linking system, if that is a use you are interested in.
I would suggest the FT60. I myself have a Yaesu VX7, which is $300 but maybe overkill for many users. I got it because I am involved in ham radio a lot.
You will want a "dual-band" radio, since most area repeaters are on the 2 meter/144MHz band, but others such as MSU's are on 70cm/440MHz band.
Yaesu VX2:
http://www.vxstd.com/en/products/ama04img/VX-2RE_pdf.pdf
AES is a popular retailer of ham radio:
http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?bool=AND&cartid=a-6994&category=newprices&maxhits=600&keywords=%22dual+band+hand+held+radio%22&go.x=20&go.y=14&go=GO%21
there you'll see some other brands of radios too.
Amateur Radio has always been about experimentation in RF and microwave, along with communicating and connecting with other people, whether across the street or across the world (or in orbit!).
NO Morse Code testing is involved for ANY class of amateur license--and the exams are not that difficult--people from all walks of life are amateur radio operators.
Amateur radio operators enjoy personal two-way communications with friends, family members, and complete strangers, all of whom must also be licensed. They support the larger public community with emergency and disaster communications. Increasing a person's knowledge of electronics and radio theory as well as radio contesting are also popular aspects of amateur radio.
However, the explosion in computing power has led to a boom in digital text & image modes. Amateur radio operators led in the development of wireless digital data transmission, including experimentation with long-range Wi-Fi equipment. Special digital modualation techniques have been developed allowing communication with desired signal levels over 100 times weaker than the ambient noise level!
The modes noted above are typically used in direct, radio-to-radio communication. On VHF and higher frequencies, "repeaters" are frequently used to increase radio range. A repeater allows the radio amateur to communicate over hundreds of square miles using a cell-phone sized radio. Repeaters can also be linked together via the Internet to achieve world-wide coverage, within its connected network.
While many hams just enjoy talking to friends, others pursue interests such as:
- antenna theory
- microwave circuit design and experimentation
- communications for a community emergency response team
- communication via satellite
- disaster response
- severe weather spotting
- DX communication over thousands of miles using the ionosphere to refract radio waves
- Echolink--a composite network of radio and the Internet
- Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS)--a location reporting, text messaging, and Internet gateway network
- Contesting (seeing how many contacts can be made over a given area in limited time
- Radio Direction Finding
- High Speed Telegraphy
- micro-power operation
MSUARC's radio room is in the Engineering Building, Room 2121.
