Amateur Radio Communication

Posted by on 10 May 2019

Led by the Hamilton Wireless Association

Free and open to all licensed amateur radio operators.*

In the Communication Class we discuss what to look for in obtaining a radio, general radio range, radio interference, communications protocol and many other basic concepts. This is a great class to attend if you are just getting started and are unsure what benefits our Team Radio program has to offer.

The classes offer a first introduction to radio, and we hope a fun introduction to radio communications.

*Interested in getting your license? Join the Ham Radio Club this July! Call the library for more information (415) 485-3323

5/23 Class session 1 – General Radio Information. This class is intended as an orientation class to newly licensed amateurs who are unfamiliar with radio and need the “next step”. The class is focused on neighborhood communications. We describe what a radio is, how to get one, what to expect, and go through basic communication exercises. The class information distributed includes ideas of what to look for in radio equipment and specific recommendations on what equipment to purchase.

5/30 Class session 2 – Radio Configuration. VHF/UHF (Very High Frequency, and Ultra High Frequency) hand-held radios in the amateur spectrum are a bit complicated to set up. The concepts of simplex and radio repeaters are explained and training is provided for programming class member radio equipment. While computer programs are available to configure radio transceivers, our training is focused on programming radios in the field. This is probably the most popular session of the series.

6/6 Class session 3 – Communications in a Group. Communications in Amateur Radio is usually based on a one-to-one exchange. We introduce a protocol and a “net” operation in order to accommodate numerous incidents and manage a high communications capacity with limited communications resources.

6/20 Class session 4 – Communications as a Service. A simple but effective protocol is introduced and exercised that emphasizes accurate messaging. Accuracy is crucial if important information is transferred over radio.