What Use Is An F-call?

What use is an F-call? Arthur C Clarke pointed out that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" and so it is with Amateur Radio. We're celebrating over a century of radio and most of that is about learning, about transforming knowledge, applying that and coming up with new solutions for problems. What use is an F-call started 44 episodes ago. During that time I've talked about what Amateur Radio is about, what you can do with a Foundation Call, how to involve yourself in the hobby, how to ask questions, where to go for help and many other topics. As I've said all along, I'm a new Amateur. I've been in this hobby less than two years and every day I learn something new. From the feedback I'm getting, what I'm doing is striking a chord for many Amateurs and I'm happy that it does. Ultimately, the aim of this is to encourage Amateurs to experiment, to talk, to interact and to not be afraid to make mistakes. Some of those topics are specific to new hams, but some might r

What use is an F-call? So, you've got yourself a transceiver and it's all working well. You've read the manual more than a couple of times and you know your way around your kit. It's great to know how to operate your own radio and I've spoken to many hams who know their way around their own radio backwards. I remember one day speaking with an amateur and we were talking about how I could show a spectrum scope showing activity across a band. He lamented that his radio didn't have that functionality. I had a quick look through his system and activated the spectrum scope on his radio. A pleasant surprise for both. The opposite happened not long afterwards when another amateur was using my rig to listen to a remote station. He fiddled with some settings and magically the station appeared from out of the muck and we could hear it clearly. I asked him how he did that and after some hand-waving it transpired that there were some settings I knew nothing about - the radio which I'd known for many hours, read the ma

What use is an F-call? As an amateur you have access to a whole range of frequencies. When I started in this hobby, I chose to buy an all-band set which allows me access to the main amateur bands, 160m through to 70cm. As I talk to other amateurs it occurred to me that apart from having a radio that can do those bands, it turns out that there are amateurs who favour particular bands. Of course, some of the preference for a particular band comes from having a suitable antenna since not everyone has access to space where you can put up an antenna farm or a large dipole to access some of the lower bands. Those considerations aside, while real, only show part of the picture. It turns out that within Amateur Radio there are some who stay on their particular band, or sometimes even "their frequency" and are happy to do so. Having participated in a few contests over the past year, I can say that talking to new and varied people on a variety of bands has given me much joy. I've now tuned across and spok

What use is an F-call? With coax going between radios, amplifiers, tuners, SWR meters and antennas there is no shortage on connectors. You can buy pre-made connecting cables, but after a while you'll likely realise that you're spending a fortune on such luxuries and you'll likely come to the conclusion that the pre-made solution is never quite the right length, either too long or too short. So you take like a duck to water and you start making your own cables, patch leads, etc. Leaving aside what kind of connector to select, where to buy it or which of the bewildering array of coax to acquire from a bevy of suppliers, you have a fundamental choice between crimping and soldering. If you spend a little time online you'll find that there is solid evidence either way and adherents to either school. Just like Holden versus Ford or Mac versus PC, each "side" vehemently defends their turf. Until recently I was exclusively a crimper. I crimped each connector that I could and I was happy. Well, mostly ha

What use is an F-call? To be a HAM means different things to different people. For some it's an excuse to have a radio or it's a reason to participate in competitions. For others it's a reason to invent new contraptions in the shack, but for most, being a HAM is about communication. The obvious communication is that heard on-air across the Amateur Bands, but that's not the only communication that is occurring. Many HAMs are members of clubs, or find like-minded individuals where they make their experience a shared one. What ever your bent in Amateur Radio, you're participating in this hobby to get something from it. Of course, if everyone only ever took something without giving something back, there would not be a hobby at all. For me, giving back is in the realm of the things I do, making this segment, hosting F-troop on the local repeater, participating in my club, writing articles, sending email feedback and making myself available for others to talk to. It's strange to me, but I've heard many new lice

What use is an F-call? A recent lunchtime conversation between HAMs revealed that the perception that you need to upgrade your license is still alive and well. Now, I should start by saying that I'm all for upgrading your skill level and learning. Getting a higher grade license is an excellent way to formalise the process of training and encouraging yourself to learn specific skills, but that notion is not related in any way to your ability to participate as an active amateur. I know that I keep saying that Power is not the Answer, it's what you do with what you have that makes all the difference. The more I come across other amateurs, the more I realise that if I look at my Foundation License as a QRP, or low-power license, the more I can find challenges to tackle and investigate. I'm actively investigating new antenna types and ways to get my signal out to the world. Last weekend I spent several hours looking for new take-off points around my QTH, my home-town, and have found several promising location

What use is an F-call? When you've been on air for many years it's easy to forget what it's like for new comers to the hobby. Take for example the simple QSL card. It's been around for a hundred years and its use is simple to the initiated, but to a newbie like me terms like QSL via the bureau or QSL direct are mysterious phrases with little meaning. I had the opportunity to listen to our local state QSL manager, Steve VK6IR, who spent an enjoyable half hour walking through the notions of what a QSL card means, how it works and how you participate. Now I should preface this with any mistakes in this are mine alone. I'm hard of hearing, have a gamy leg and my memory is fading, or some such disclaimer like that. So, in less than two minutes. A QSL card is like a post-card. It is sent between stations to acknowledge a contact. It generally contains your and their call-sign, the time, mode and frequency on which you spoke and a signal report. It's used as "proof" of a contact. You can send it to th

What use is an F-call? The joys of Amateur Radio involve the mystical ability of a piece of wire to resonate and transmit our voice or other data across the radio air-waves. It's a tricky business which involves the length of the wire, it's proximity to other objects and the difference in impedance between the wire and the radio. Having all the information in one place seems to be a challenge and each amateur you speak to has a whole set of personal experience which may or may not contradict the experience of the next amateur you speak with. I just spent a very enjoyable hour and a half speaking with several other amateurs in a group discussion about the challenge one amateur was having with their multi-band HF antenna. It goes a little like this: You have a multi-band antenna and you pull it out of its packaging, only to find that you need to tune the thing. So you read the instructions which say that you should start with the shortest length, tune that, then work your way up. It even tells you how to se

What use is an F-call? Recently I had to repair one of my antennas. It had fallen on hard-times, strictly speaking, it fell on hard concrete when it fell off my fence, but the outcome was the same, it broke. When I had a chance to see inside the broken component I realised that it was plastic. In my case the part that broke was the Phase Coil, it's the bead in the middle of my multi-band 2m/70cm antenna. The part was made of two metal grommets, with a plastic pipe between them. Inside is a copper coil - presumably tuned for purpose. When I saw inside this coil I realised how fragile this part really was. Until then I'd had no idea that the part was made of plastic, let alone that it might break so easily. I've said before that I've set-up my kit at least every week since I purchased it, so at least 50 times or so. It's not sitting on a desk, bolted in place, set-up just so, it lives inside a rolling toolbox that I take from site to site and then it gets taken out and put together each time. I started wond

What use is an F-call? Recently I witnessed something quite amazing. I was at an Amateur Radio club relaxing and chatting with other amateurs. We were scattered throughout the clubhouse, several little groups of interest scattered around. People moving between groups as their interest changed and a whole dynamic ecology of knowledge was being distributed. There were radios set-up all over the place, an Oscilloscope was plugged into a kit to check its operation while the local club shop was open for business with connectors and adapters. It was a real hive of activity, BBQ going in the background and all. While all this was happening, a few amateurs gathered around a set and stopped talking. The radio was tuned to a station that was directing a pile-up. If you're unfamiliar, a pile-up is what happens when one station calls CQ and several stations respond. Then others hear the commotion and they join in, then more hear it and before you know it, there are 20 or 30 stations all on the same frequency, scattered

What use is an F-call? Troubleshooting is a skill that has to be learnt. Part of getting my Foundation License included a module on the skill. I've been working with complicated equipment for decades and to me, an amateur radio kit really isn't that complex. As you might know, I've got a portable kit. I've set it up at least 50 or so times in the last year. I know this system backwards, still every now and then something unexpected happens. Twice now, my own gear has surprised me. A couple of weeks ago I went on air to join a regular net. I tuned to the appropriate frequency and made my call, but I couldn't hear anyone. I called again, still nothing. I looked at the frequency, all as expected. The voltage was fine, I could see my SWR meter working as expected, when I keyed the mike, all was normal. I looked at the clock to make sure that I wasn't on the wrong time-zone. I turned up the volume, still nothing. I tuned to another frequency, nothing. In fact, apart from the fact that I knew the volume was up,

What use is an F-call? A recurring theme appears to be "What radio do I buy?" I asked another HAM and their breakdown went like this: Basically it's like Macintosh vs. Windows, or vi vs. emacs, or Holden vs. Ford, or Petrol vs. Diesel, or Gin vs. Tonic. Every person you ask will give you a different response. Instead of asking "What radio do I buy?" ask yourself another question: "What do I want to do with my radio?" In answering that question, you'll come across some suitable candidates. With your short-list in hand, do some research, ask other Amateurs and see what your supplier has access to. You'll get a much better outcome and end up with a radio you can use. Soooo, "What do I want to do with my radio?" The obvious response is "Everything!" Well, yes, but if you have a Foundation License, you cannot talk everywhere, you cannot use all modes and you can only use 10 Watts. You might live on a hill with nothing but farmland around, or you might live i

What use is an F-call? Some days you chew off more than you bargain for. Today I wanted to know a little more about propagation, the radio kind, not the plant variety. Four hours later I'm still reading. Everyone has an opinion, everyone's an expert and some people can even put together a coherent story on their web-site. What did I learn so-far? I didn't know that the Bureau of Meteorology has a Space Weather Branch, it's called IPS or the Ionospheric Prediction Service and their website is full of goodies. Then there's an article by Ian Poole, which appeared in the September 2002 edition of QST magazine, explaining how the Solar Flux, the K index and the A index affect your ability to talk to the other side of the world with your HF set. So, it seems that the numbers are related to things that affect each other. A high Solar Flux is good, but it's adversely affected by a high K index which in turn is represented as an average as an A index. Confused yet? So, the K index, runs between 0 and 9, 9 being a

What use is an F-call? Tolerance has many definitions, one is: a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own. It's not a new concept, it's been around since the end of the Middle Ages. For some reason this week I had a wide spectrum of contacts within Amateur Radio, some great, some dissapointing. I had a debate on the merits or otherwise of the NBN, an email from a 14 year old F-call who is being ignored on air, a few posts from an Amateur friend in the transgender community and an email vociferating refugee payments. I find it curious that we as a community have a medium that ignores lines on a map, stronger still, encourages us to share experiences with amateurs around the world while having members act in an intollerant way toward others. I think that debate is good and required, but in such a debate it might be smart to use the same tennents we use on air. Listen more than you talk. Now you might ask yoursel

What use is an F-call? In the past I've talked about the history of Amateur Radio and how as a new participant it's easy to make the same mistakes as those who came before you because you don't yet know enough to ask the right questions, or the right place to look. Recently I had a conversation on air with an Amateur who had been fascinated with the hobby since the late 1940's, so over 60 years of experience in the field. At the time we were talking about inspiration, that is, what is it that inspired him to become part of the hobby. He told of a time when he built a kit and made a transmitter and it worked. He was hooked. And while that story continues on, I'm going to go sideways to show a little of the world and how it's changed in those 60 years. We're all familiar with the idea of going from horse and cart to the automobile. Unless you've actually sat in a cart and experienced it, it's still only sort of an understanding of the change and evolution. Right now, you're likely sitting next to a radio t

What use is an F-call? Recently I found myself discussing satellite communications with a group of Amateurs. It dawned on me that I had been using 1 Watt to transmit to geostationary orbit, more than 35,000km away. Compared to a circumnavigation of the earth at 40,000km, that's most of the way there. Yes, I know, there are no obstacles, it's basically focused line of sight, but you don't get ionosphere bounce or ducting either, so I figure, it all balances out in the long run. My point being that this is a QRP broadcast, less than 5 Watts and it gets into orbit, that's quite something if you think about it. I continue to hear amateurs complaining about how little power they have. It's not limited to Foundation Calls, I hear Standard licensees hanging out for their Advanced call so they can use more power and I hear Advanced calls complain that other countries can use a Kilowatt, so why can't we? What's next, a Megawatt, what about a Gigawatt Amateur Radio transmitter? While I completely understand the pul

What use is an F-call? Recently I celebrated my birthday, my Amateur Radio Birthday that is. I've now had my license for 12 months and each time I go on air I find myself surrounded by people who know more than I do. It's great to be in a position where you're not the "expert". In my day-job, I'm a 30 year veteran in the field. Fortunately in Amateur Radio, there are others around with that same level of black magic voo-doo that makes a conversation go along a little like this: "How do I do this?" - "well, plug that into there and then flick that switch and it'll work." - "Cool, how did you know?" - "Well, when I was camped on the side of the road near Karratha in the 50's I had the same problem and this is how I fixed it." I find it difficult to express what it means to be able to talk to people who are able and willing to share their knowledge and experience. There is a level of awe - I've been on the receiving end of it in my own field, I recognize it, b

What use is an F-call? Recently I had the opportunity to see a group of amateurs show and tell lots of little inventions, from antennas through measuring equipment, hand-made and historic. The atmosphere was electric, HAMs showing off their technical achievements. It was exciting to see the glint in the eye of each demonstrator, proudly sharing their accomplishments. I realized that in many places in life there is competition, even in Amateur Radio there are contests, but this was something else. This was an experience that highlighted to me what Amateur Radio is all about, figuring out how to achieve something and sharing it with others. I understand that you could think that this too could turn into a competition, but the web-sites I've seen in the past year contradict that notion. Everywhere I look there are people trying to share their knowledge, trying to make Amateur Radio a great place to be, telling stories, inventing things, making and building. All this is a run-up to something, a run-up to one

What use is an F-call? People are inventive, continually trying new things, solving problems, discovering new ones, making and breaking things, scratching an itch. Amateurs are no different. Well they are, but in essence they're no different from people. Amateurs just like to invent more stuff than the average person on the street. Meet any group of amateurs in the wild and before long you'll be embroiled in a discussion about how to solve a problem that is bugging one of you. There will be hand-waving, charts, calculators and good cheer to fill up the room. If you're new to Amateur Radio, you might find yourself overwhelmed by all this interaction. All you did was get your shiny new license and turn up. Now all these experts are jabbering on about stuff you know next to nothing about. Ironically, if you stop and think about it for a moment, you'll quickly come to the realization that this is true for everyone in the room. Some people did this yesterday, others last year, and some have been around since be

What use is an F-call? Recently I heard an f-call ask on-air about the performance of their HF antenna. It reminded me that in order for any learning to occur, there needs to be two elements that come together. While it's simple to ask questions among your friends, it takes a leap of faith to ask a stranger. So, one of the elements you need is a Leap of Faith, "I have a problem and I wonder if anyone might be able to help." For this leap of faith to pay off, you also need to gain access to the knowledge required to solve your problem. It can come in many guises, from "read the manual", through "I have done that and I solved it like this." to "Let me come over and give you a hand." The second element that is needed is Generosity. The interesting part for me is how the discussion opens up many possibilities when experienced people enter the conversation. It's one thing to acknowledge the original Leap but two inexperienced people talking to each other about a problem