Making a Contact

1. Making a Contact Chapter 4 Section 3

2. Calling Someone on a Radio • Start out by listening to the frequency to make sure it is not in use (T3A01) • If you are using a repeater • Listen to make sure frequency is clear • Identify with your legal call sign • Use the minimum power needed (T3C02) • You may want to talk to a specific person or anyone listening • To talk to any listening station • Say CQ CQ this is (Your Call Sign) (T3A03) • CQ mean Calling Any Station (T3A08) • A brief statement that can be used in place of CQ is to just say your call sign (T3A10)

3. Calling Someone on the Radio • If you want to try to reach a specific person • Say the other person’s call sign followed by your own (T3A02) • Example “AB9OT this is KC9JPN” • Responding to Someone’s call • Make sure you are on a frequency you are allowed to transmit on (T3C03) • Say the other station’s call sign followed by your own (T3A04) • Example “AB9OT this is KC9JPN”

4. Joining a Conversation • If you want to join an ongoing conversation • Say your call sign during a break between their transmissions (T3C01) • Related Repeater Practices • Some repeaters send out a beep when someone lets up on their transmission – this is called a Courtesy Tone (T5C02) • You should pause briefly between transmissions on a repeater to give anyone else a chance to break in with their call sign (T5C04) • This is a good idea when running emergency communications for our units – even if not on a repeater

5. Improving Understandability of Your Call Sign • Some letters sound very much alike • Lee and I had KC9JPM and KC9JPN • People will say full words for letters • Lee’s kids said his call sign was Jackson Potty Man • My daughter is KC9KFG Kentucky Fried Girl • You should avoid using cute identifiers because they may not be universally understood (T3A09) • Use the ITU Phonetic Alphabet instead because it is internationally recognized substitute for letters (T3A11) • Example KC9JPN Kilo Charlie Niner Juliet Papa November

6. Use of Resources • Hams often congregate on repeaters • Good place to go for contacts or help • Deer emergency story • In an emergency local EMA’s monitor repeaters and have agreements to use them • If going to have longer conversation • Consider using simplex instead of repeater to avoid tying up the repeater too long (T5C09) • Can be very important in an emergency where initial reports to EMAs may want to use repeater and then clear off

7. Is Simplex Possible • Repeaters take input on one frequency and then retransmit on another • In case of 2 meters 600 khtrz above or below • We set our radios up for repeater operation • Newer ones automatically know which frequencies are band planned for repeater operation • We set our radio to the repeater’s output frequency • But when we transmit our radio automatically changes frequency to the input • To determine if simplex is possible listen on the repeaters input frequency (T5C10) • Most radios have a reverse option. • When activated your radio listens to the repeater input instead of the output frequency • If you can here them on the input without the repeater you do not depend on the repeater for the contact

8. Using Finite Resources During an Emergency • In a disaster FCC may declare certain frequencies to be exclusively for use of amateurs responding to emergency • Without an FCC declaration no operator has the exclusive use of any frequency (T3D06) • Our local units monitor frequency to see if its clear most of the time • We then pick primary and secondary clear simplex frequencies • Stake has 2 • Local unit should consider picking two in coordination with Ward Emergency Com specialist • If primary is busy go to secondary • Also good idea to have secondary coordination on secondary

9. Repeater Ownership • Just like you can own your own radio – you can set up and own a repeater • Being able to set up a temporary repeater may be an important thing to consider in working out ward plans • If a repeater retransmits something that violates FCC rules the originating station is responsible (T3B06) • Most repeaters are put together by radio clubs • Access to a repeater may be limited by the repeater owner (T5C13) • A repeater with limited access to a particular club or group is called a closed repeater (T5C14) • Locally we don’t have closed repeaters but we may go to help in areas that do

10. If You Set Up a Repeater • Remember to consider band plans that show which frequency ranges are intended for repeaters • Even with band plan you want to avoid repeaters on same frequency interfering with each other • Alto Pass, St. Louis, Peoria, Springfield Mo all on same frequency • Local recognized frequency coordination body is in charge of what repeaters are on what frequencies (T3B04) • Before setting up a repeater check with local coordinating body to reduce interference between repeaters and promote efficient use of spectrum (T5C12) • In IL it is the Illinois Repeater Council • In Mo it is the Missouri Repeater Council • Purpose of Repeater Coordination is to reduce interference and promote efficient use of spectrum (T3B05)

11. Trouble Shooting • If someone reports that your signal through a repeater is distorted or weak check the following • Is your transmitter on the right frequency • Older used radios may have a flaw of not actually sending on frequency listed • Can get a fellow operator to check with a frequency device • Newer – operators can still set just a little off the exactly right frequency • Are your batteries running low • Radios do a bunch of funny things when the voltage output of the battery drops below rating • Bad location(T5D12) • Sometimes moving just 10 feet will fix the problem

12. The Role of Morse Code • Morse Code no longer a requirement of amateur radio • It series of dits and das developed for telegraph • Still can be useful because can get through interference that would ruin voice • Digital mode that does not rely on computers • If you send Morse Code then send at the speed you could reliably copy when you are on receiving end (T6C08) • Another Reason for knowing Morse Code is that many repeaters send their identification in Morse (T6C09)

13. Extending Contact Range • 95% of emergency communications are local • Reason why we emphasize having lots of technician class operators with 2 meter radios • Real long range uses HF frequencies that depend on bouncing signals off upper atmosphere • Need higher General or Extra licenses to use and equipment costs more • Repeaters are one way amateurs extend contact range with VHF and UHF frequencies

14. More Extensions • Repeaters can be set up so output of one is the input of another • Chain repeaters together • Called a linked repeater system(T5C11) • Efforts now being made to link radios via the internet • Can link a radio to a computer that sends information over the internet • This is the Echolink system (T6B07) • Information between radios on the Echolink system is sent using the internet (T6B01) • Any Licensed amateur radio operator may use the Echolink system (T6B03)

15. Another Internet Linking Project • IRLP stands for Internet Radio Linking Project (T6B02) • IRLP describes a method for linking two radios using the internet (T6B06) • The method used to transfer data by IRLP is voice over internet protocol (T6B05) • Both Echolink and IRLP have in common that they use voice over internet protocol (T6B04)

16. Finding an Access Point • Locations where radio signals are transferred onto the internet or taken off the internet are called nodes • Like computers on the internet each node has a set of numbers that uniquely identify it. • You can find lists of active nodes that use voice over internet protocol using a repeater directory or a list on the internet (T6B10) • On a portable transceiver you can use the keypad to enter the node numbers (T6B11)

17. What if • If you hear a brief tone and then here a radio station from Russia calling CQ on a 2 meter frequency what is happening? • 2 meter frequencies don’t bounce off the atmosphere • There is no radio tower built tall enough to hit the U.S. and Russia both • It could only be an internet linked DX station (T6B08)