Glossary of Amateur Radio Terminology:

Amateur Radio (Ham Radio)

Amateur Radio is a Radio service licensed by the Federal Government. The purpose of the service is to promote experimentation in Radio technology and improvements in operating practices. It also serves as an emergency communication medium during natural and man-made emergencies, fosters good will amongst Radio Operators world wide, and quite simply is a fun hobby.

Amateurs have been involved providing communication during Earthquakes in California, Hurricanes in Florida, Floods in Manitoba and recently provided their services in Eastern Ontario, and Quebec during the Ice storm recovery. Amateurs are often the only means of communication when commercial radios, telephones and the Internet are down.

Amateurs also provide communications for public service such as parades, races and other similar events. This is fun, provides a useful service in less troubling times and gives Amateurs good practice at proper operating procedures for the time when they may be required to help during a real emergency.

All of this is done for free! Amateurs are forbidden by law to accept payment for the communication services they provide. We do it for the fun of the hobby and enjoyment of helping others. This is why we are called Amateurs, in every other respect Amateur Radio Operators are very professional.

Amateurs communicate through their computers over the airwaves much as others use the telephone lines and modems. They operate through Amateur satellites and bounce their signals off the surface of the moon, not to mention using the earth's Ionosphere to send signals world wide. Amateurs also use Morse code, FM, AM and side band to communicate.

Amateurs also develop new technology that often shows up in commercial radio equipment. Amateurs are actively experimenting with new types of antennas, radio equipment, radio signals and digital modes among other things.

To become a Licensed Amateur you must pass a basic exam covering regulations, operating practices, and basic Radio electronic theory. Further privileges can be granted by passing Morse code exams and more advanced electronic theory exams.

At some time in the distant past the term Ham Radio was applied to Amateur Radio. Various theories regarding this nickname have surfaced but the real origin of 'Ham' Radio as a term for Amateur Radio has probably vanished into history. Some Amateurs are proud to be called Hams, while others prefer the term Amateur Radio Operator.

The Radio Amateurs of Canada have an excellent FAQ on Amateur Radio.

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Amateur Repeater

An Amateur repeater or simply a repeater is a radio that listens on one frequency and retransmits what it hears on another frequency. By locating repeaters at high locations, Amateur Radio Operators can talk to other Amateurs over greater distances than they normally could. These repeaters are usually used on VHF or UHF Amateur bands and almost always operate by way of Frequency Modulation.

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Band

A band is a section of the Radio spectrum. Various bands are allocated to various users:

• A band of approximate wavelength of 11 metres is allocated for people using Citizens' Band (CB) radios.
• A band of approximate wavelength of 34 centimetres is allocated for cellular phones.
• Various bands have been allocated for police, fire and ambulance services.
• Bands are allocated for commercial broadcast, AM broadcast is an MF band and FM broadcast is a VHF band.
• Many bands are allocated for Amateur use.

Bands are often described by using an approximate wavelength for example the 144-148 MHz Amateur band is approximately 2 meters in wavelength so it is called the 2 meter band.

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Callsign

Callsigns are designations given to licensed radio stations. Callsign groups are allotted to countries by the ITU. individual callsigns are allocated by the national government. Amateur Radio callsigns generally take the form of:

[Prefix] [Number] [Suffix]

Where:

• the prefix is one or two characters. One letter, two letters or a number and letter
• the number 0 through 9
• the suffix of 1 to 4 letters (rarely 4)

For example: VE4XCF, VE1WS, 4X1FG or W1AW

Prefixes are allocated to countries by international agreement but the number and suffix is decided upon by the national government. No two callsigns in the world are the same.

Callsign prefixes AND NUMBERS used in Canada include:

Canadian Callsigns almost always have 2 or 3 letter suffixes.

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The Canadian Amateur (TCA)

The Canadian Amateur is the official magazine of the Radio Amateurs of Canada, It is published 6 times per year. The magazine is also known as TCA.

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Frequency

Frequency is the number of repetitions that a wave makes per second. In Radio usage this refers to the frequency of the wave that acts as a carrier for the audio (the sound you can hear) signal. The measurement units of frequency are cycles per second which are known as Hertz. The lowest Carrier frequency in the Canadian Amateur Bands is 1,800,000 Hz or 1.8 MHz (Megahertz). Frequency can be calculated from the following formula:

Frequency=Velocity/Wavelength

Where:

• Frequency is measured in Hertz
• Velocity is the speed of the wave and radio waves travel at the speed of light or 300,000,000 metres/second
• Wavelength is the measure of the length of a wave from crest to crest, measured in metres

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Hamfest

A Hamfest is a gathering usually sponsored by a Amateur Radio Club. A basic Hamfest is a flea market of used Radio equipment and parts that Amateur Radio Operators may wish to buy or sell. A more elaborate Hamfest may include new equipment dealers and manufacturers, seminars, Radio events. Most Hamfests also provide some sort of refreshments and are always a good place for Amateur Radio Operators to meet other Amateurs that they may have only previously met over the air. A small fee is often charged for entry to a Hamfest and this usually goes to help the sponsoring club pay for club equipment and other operating expenses.

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Industry Canada

Industry Canada is a Federal Government Ministry that governs Radio spectrum usage inside Canada. Industry Canada is the body that issues Radio licences to users of the Radio spectrum, including Radio Amateurs.

Follow this link to Industry Canada's website.

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The International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

The International Telecommunications Union is a United Nations Organization that governs the international rules related to all radio operations including Amateur Radio. Member countries of this body meet every two years to discuss frequency allocations and other rules related to radio communication. These meetings are known as WRCs or World Radio Conferences. The main purpose of these frequency allocations is to prevent two users (especially from different services) from using the same frequencies at the same time.

The ITU divides the world into 3 regions:

The three regions have similar but not identical frequency allocations. You may wish to visit the ITU website in Switzerland.

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Modes

The word "mode" has a double meaning in Amateur Radio. The older meaning of "mode" refers to the type of signal (modulation) that a transmitter sends. Examples of this meaning include AM (Amplitude Modulation), FM (Frequency Modulation), SSB (Single Side-Band), or CW (Continuous Wave). In our modern age with many ways to encode a signal, the word "mode" also may refer to the type of encoding used (digital or analog) to send the signal such as Packet, Pactor, Slow Scan TV, RTTY (Radio TeleTYpe) or Fast Scan TV.

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Morse Code (CW)

CW (or properly interrupted Continuous Wave) is a mode of transmission involving turning on and off of the carrier wave. It is heard at the receiving station as a series of beeps of varying lengths. Morse Code is used with the CW mode of transmission. It is properly referred to as International Morse Code to differentiate from American Morse Code used in North America for landline telegraph. Morse Code is often incorrectly referred to as CW. Knowledge of Morse Code was required at one time to receive an Amateur Radio Licence in Canada but now Morse Code skills are only required to use HF and MF Amateur Frequencies.

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Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC)

The Radio Amateurs of Canada is the national organization of Amateur Operators in Canada. A few of the services provided by RAC include: providing outgoing and incoming QSL bureaus, representing Amateur Radio Operators at the table with Industry Canada, by providing The Canadian Amateur Magazine, and by publishing various study guides for persons wishing to become Amateur Radio Operators. To learn more about RAC see the RAC HOME PAGE

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Spectrum

Spectrum or more importantly the Radio Spectrum is simply the range of frequencies that radio signals may exist in. Just as visible light has a spectrum that moves from red to orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet; Radio Spectrum moves from VLF to LF, MF, HF, VHF, UHF, SHF and EHF. These stand for Very Low Frequency, Low Frequency, Medium Frequency, High Frequency, Very High Frequency, Ultra High Frequency. Super High Frequency and Extremely High Frequency. Amateurs do not use VLF or LF in Canada. Bands for use by Canadian Amateurs within the spectrum are allocated by Industry Canada who is guided by International Agreements.

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Short Wave Listeners (SWLs)

In the early days of radio, Short Wave was the name given to the radio signals in the HF region of the radio spectrum, because these were the shortest radio waves considered useful. Today radio signals of much shorter wave length are commonly used and SWLs are radio enthusiasts who enjoy listening to these radio signals. The term Short Wave Listener has eventually began to include these enthusiasts no matter what wavelength of radio signal they have decided to listen to. Many Amateur Radio Operators got the "radio bug" by first being SWLs. Many Amateur Radio Operators continue to be SWLs while holding an Amateur Radio licence.

SWLs may listen to International Shortwave Broadcasts Like the BBC, Radio Netherlands, Voice of America and others. They may also listen to many other types of radio signals including these signals sent by Amateur Radio Operators.

SWLs do not require any licence in Canada and may use very inexpensive receivers or very elaborate stations to monitor their favourite frequencies.

Most modern Amateur Radio tranceivers can receive signals outside of the Amateur Radio Bands and therefore can be used for SWLing.

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The Tri-County Amateur Radio Club (TCARC or Tri-County ARC)

The Tri County Amateur Radio Club is a small but very active Radio Club located in the Eastern/East Central area of the province of Ontario in the country of Canada. The three counties involved are Hastings, Peterborough, and Northumberland. Local villages and towns in our area include: The town of Campbellford and the villages of Havelock, Madoc, Marmora, Stirling and Tweed. For those with a text based browser, the logo of the Tri-County ARC it is made of two red triangles, the names of the parts of the three counties involved (Central Hastings, Eastern Peterborough and Northern Northumberland), a three element yagi and at the base of the antenna mast is the year of formation (1995). The triangles are filled in white for printing and web publishing purposes but to be correct should be filled in silver. The Tri-County ARC brought you these web pages

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Wavelength

Wavelength is the length of a wave from one crest to the next usually measured in metres. In Radio usage this refers to the wavelength of the wave that acts as a carrier for the audio (the sound you can hear) signal. Wavelength can be calculated from the following formula:

Wavelength=Velocity/Frequency

Where:

• Frequency is the number of repetitions that a wave makes per second, measured in Hertz
• Velocity is the speed of the wave and radio waves travel at the speed of light or 300,000,000 metres/second
• Wavelength is the length of a wave from crest to crest, measured in metres

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Wireless

Wireless is another term for radio. It comes from the earliest days of radio communication when the only other form of long distance communication (telegraph or telephone) was carried on wires, commonly strung from pole to pole. Radio did not require these wires so it was refered to as "wireless communication" or just shortened to "wireless."

The term "wireless" had fallen into disuse somewhat but has now become a "new" catch phrase among the Information Technology crowd to describe various ways to use radio signals to network computers. Some may not even know the origins of the term but it predates electronic digital computers by about 50 years!

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VLF

VLF or Very Low Frequency is the portion of the radio spectrum from 10 kHz to 30 kHz or 10,000 to 30,000 cycles per second. No Amateur bands exist in this region of the Radio spectrum in Canada.

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LF

LF or Low Frequency is the portion of the radio spectrum from 30 kHz to 300 kHz or 30,000 to 300,000 cycles per second. No Amateur bands exist in this region of the Radio spectrum in Canada.

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MF

MF or Medium Frequency is the portion of the radio spectrum from 300 kHz to 3 MHz or 300,000 to 3,000,000 cycles per second. The 160 metre 1.8-2.0 MHz Amateur band is an MF band. The Commercial AM Broadcast band 540-1600 kHz is also an MF Band.

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HF

HF or High Frequency is the portion of the radio spectrum from 3 MHz to 30 MHz or 3,000,000 to 30,000,000 cycles per second. Various Amateur bands exist in the HF region of the Radio spectrum:

The signal reflected by the ionosphere is known as a sky wave. As you can see from the preceding diagram, some places at certain distances from the transmitter will not hear the signal. These "quiet" areas are known as skip zones.

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VHF

VHF or Very High Frequency is the portion of the radio spectrum from 30 MHz to 300 MHz or 30,000,000 to 300,000,000 cycles per second. Three Amateur bands can be found in this region of the spectrum:

The VHF signals depend largely on line of sight for communication since VHF and higher frequencies (unlike HF) are not normally refracted by the Ionosphere. However by using Amateur Satellites or repeaters or because of interesting weather conditions or other means; VHF signals may travel longer distances than the term line of sight suggests.

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UHF

UHF or Ultra High Frequency is the portion of the radio spectrum from 300 MHz to 3 GHz or 300,000,000 to 3,000,000,000 cycles per second. Amateur bands to be found in the UHF range include:

Frequencies Higher than 1 GHz are often called Microwaves.

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SHF

SHF or Super High Frequency is the portion of the radio spectrum from 3 GHz to 30 GHz or 3,000,000,000 to 30,000,000,000 cycles per second. Five Amateur bands exist in this region.

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EHF

EHF or Extremely High Frequency is the portion of the radio spectrum from 30 GHz to 300 GHz or 30,000,000,000 to 300,000,000,000 cycles per second. Seven Amateur bands exist in this region.

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