Hi itsybitsy, Hamradioop and all.Itsy, I think a dedicated area is needed as the same questions or variation of it appear frequently
I was going to post this on Hamradioop's post regarding radio comms. but realised it may have hijacked it.
So being an ham- op myself i totally agree with Hamradioop's statement. There are so many variables to radio communications without even getting started on the Ham Radio topic. There are thousands, if not more, of construction tips, operating steps, out there on the interweb. It's just a case of recognising the right one for your project.
I would though, ask you all that aren't yet, consider becoming an Ham op. It really isn't as difficult as you may think, as all the training is done before an exam is taken, ( usually over a 6-8 week period.
There are 3 licence levels to the Amateur Radio licensing structure.
The first level is called the "Foundation licence", this is exactly what it means, a foundation, upon which you continue to build upon, and consists of 26 basic knowledge questions, of which you have to get 19 questions or more right to gain this qualification. Once gained, it will allow you on most frequencies that a full licensee can operate on, but with a limited power output level of 10 watts max.
The second level is called the "Intermediate licence", consists of 45 questions, of which you need to get 27 or more right. This licence level gives you access to more frequencies and an increased max power level of 50 watts.
The third and final level is called the "advanced licence" and consists of 65 questions with a pass rate of 39 or more questions. This level gives you access to all the frequencies allowed and a max power level of 400 watts
Only thing is to the above licence types, is that you have to progress from the foundation through to the advanced, you can't skip a level. Although, as it stands right now, you don't have to progress to the next levels, after taking the foundation level, if you don't want to.
Of course you can just stay on pmr or cb, but at least with our hobby, you would be tapping into immeasurable resources, loads of help, camaraderie, not to mention all the modes permissible as a Radio Ham. Some of you, as has been done in the States, Could setup your own data network using something like psk31 which is a low power, very narrow bandwidth digital data mode, so requiring low power.
Here is a sample Foundation mock exam, https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B387tV ... sp=sharing
Some of you may realise it's not that hard at all, to others, they may find it a bit daunting, it's to those of you who do find it daunting that i want to say not to worry, as training/teaching is provided prior to sitting the foundation exam, plus you get 55mins. to answer the 26 questions.
It really isn't very hard to start your Amateur radio hobby, you just need a modicum of common sense, the more "techie" stuff comes with the intermediate and advanced levels.
Here is the bandplan, https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B387tV ... sp=sharing which lists all the frequencies available for use by Amateur radio operators, please note though, that there are a few restrictions of access to the different licencing levels as I've mentioned before, but roughly, as a foundation licensee you get all the hf, ( 0-30MHz ) vhf ( 50-52. 70-70.5 & 144-146MHz) & uhf ( 430-440MHz ), so as you can see, you get quite a lot of bandwith at 10watts for 19 out of 26 questions answered correctly.
Have a think about it guys, if any of you are in north Notts. or north east Derbys. then drop me a pm and we could sort something out for any of you who want some communication training, plus, pass on all of what is entailed in the process.
If you require any more info, or want to ask me questions, or maybe find out where your nearest training club is then either reply below or pm me for privacy.
All the best guys,
Daz
