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Advanced Ham Radio Operating Practices for DX’ing and Contesting

Learn advanced operating practices for DX operations, including frequency selection, pileup management, split operation, propagation forecasting, and contesting strategies. Enhance your skills to work DX stations efficiently.

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Advanced Ham Radio Operating Practices for DX’ing and Contesting

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  1. Amateur ExtraLicense Class Chapter 2 Operating Practices

  2. General Operating • Extra Class HF Frequencies • 80m: 3.500 MHz to 3.525 MHz • 75m: 3.600 MHz to 3.700 MHz • 40m: 7.000 MHz to 7.025 MHz • 20m: 14.000 MHz to 14.025 MHz • 20m: 14.150 MHz to 14.175 MHz • 15m: 21.000 MHz to 21.025 MHz • 15m: 21.200 MHz to 21.225 MHz • Most DX operations in lower-end of the band. • Extra class portions of the bands are less crowded.

  3. Carrier Frequency Lower Side band Upper Side band Carrier Frequency-2.8 KHz Carrier - 300 Hz Carrier +300Hz Carrier Frequency+2.8 KHz General Operating • Frequency Selection • Be aware of the band edges!

  4. General Operating • Frequency Selection (cont’d) • ITU Regions 1, 2, & 3 allocations (especially 40m) • Band Plans • Alternate bands/frequencies. • Be flexible.

  5. General Operating • DX’ing • Why DX? • DX windows • 160m: 1.830 MHz to 1.835 MHz • 75m: 3.795 MHz to 3.800 MHz • QSL managers.

  6. General Operating • DX’ing • DX operating techniques • Listen before you transmit! • “You can’t work ‘em if you can’t hear ‘em!” • Use your full call once or twice. • Use standard (ICAO) phonetics. • Pileup management • Simplex • Split • By-the-numbers

  7. General Operating • DX’ing • Split operation. • DX station may be on a frequency not available to some answering stations. • 40m. • Separates calling stations from DX station. • Calling stations can hear DX station without interference. • Spreads out pile-up. • Fewer calling stations on each frequency reduces interference & DX station can more efficiently pick out a station to answer.

  8. General Operating • DX’ing • Propagation • Conditions declining as Solar Cycle 24 winds down. • Propagation forecasting software. • Propagation bulletins • Beacons. • Telnet/Packet spotting networks. • Move to lower frequency band as DX stations get weaker.

  9. E2C05 -- What is the function of a DX QSL Manager? • To allocate frequencies for Dxpeditions • To handle the receiving and sending of confirmation cards for a DX station • To run a net to allow many stations to contact a rare DX station • To relay calls to and from a DX station

  10. E2C08 -- Which of the following contacts may be confirmed through the U.S. QSL bureau system? • Special event contacts between stations in the U.S. • Contacts between a U.S. station and a non-U.S. station • Repeater contacts between U.S. club members • Contacts using tactical call signs

  11. E2C10 -- Why might a DX station state that they are listening on another frequency? • Because the DX station may be transmitting on a frequency that is prohibited to some responding stations • To separate the calling stations from the DX station • To improve operating efficiency by reducing interference • All of these choices are correct

  12. E2C11 -- How should you generally identify your station when attempting to contact a DX station during a contest or in a pileup? • Send your full call sign once or twice • Send only the last two letters of your call sign until you make contact • Send your full call sign and grid square • Send the call sign of the DX station three times, the words “this is”, then your call sign three times

  13. E2C12 -- What might help to restore contact when DX signals become too weak to copy across an entire HF band a few hours after sunset? • Switch to a higher frequency HF band • Switch to a lower frequency HF band • Wait 90 minutes or so for the signal degradation to pass • Wait 24 hours before attempting another communication on the band

  14. General Operating • Contesting (a.k.a. – Radiosport) • Why contest? §97.1(c) -- Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators…. • Categories (single-op, multi-op, multi-multi, etc.). • Spotting networks, CWSkimmer. • “Self-spotting” generally prohibited. • Exchange. • Multipliers.

  15. General Operating • Contesting • Operating Methods. • Search & Pounce. • “Running” a frequency. • Some contests restricted by band and/or mode.

  16. General Operating • Contesting • No repeater contacts. • Avoid recognized calling frequencies. • VHF/UHF contest activity normally found in weak signal portion of each band near calling frequency.

  17. General Operating • Contesting • Submitting logs. • Paper logs. • Original method. • Generally discouraged. • May be prohibited for large logs. • Electronic logs. • Cabrillo format. • E-mail or website applet. • Do NOT have to submit log to participate.

  18. General Operating • Contesting • Finding contests. • WA7BNM website. • http://hornucopia.com/contestcal • ARRL website. • http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar • CQ Magazine website. • http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com • National Contest Journal (NCJ) website. • http://www.ncjweb.com/contests.php

  19. E2C01 -- Which of the following is true about contest operating? • Operators are permitted to make contacts even if they do not submit a log • Interference to other amateurs is unavoidable and therefore acceptable • It is mandatory to transmit the call sign of the station being worked as part of every transmission to that station • Every contest requires a signal report in the exchange

  20. E2C02 -- Which of the following best describes the term self-spotting in regards to contest operating? • The generally prohibited practice of posting one’s own call sign and frequency on a spotting network • The acceptable practice of manually posting the call signs of stations on a call sign spotting network • A manual technique for rapidly zero beating or tuning to a station’s frequency before calling that station • An automatic method for rapidly zero beating or tuning to a station’s frequency before calling that station

  21. E2C03 -- From which of the following bands is amateur radio contesting generally excluded? • 30 meters • 6 meters • 2 meters • 33 cm

  22. E2C06 -- During a VHF/UHF contest, in which band segment would you expect to find the highest level of activity? • At the top of each band, usually in a segment reserved for contests • In the middle of each band, usually on the national calling frequency • In the weak signal segment of the band, with most of the activity near the calling frequency • In the middle of the band, usually 25 kHz above the national calling frequency

  23. E2C07 -- What is the Cabrillo format?  • A standard for submission of electronic contest logs • A method of exchanging information during a contest QSO • The most common set of contest rules • The rules of order for meetings between contest sponsors

  24. E2C13 -- What indicator is required to be used by U.S.-licensed operators when operating a station via remote control where the transmitter is located in the U.S.? • / followed by the USPS two letter abbreviation for the state in which the remote station is located • /R# where # is the district of the remote station • The ARRL section of the remote station • No additional indicator is required

  25. Digital Mode Operating • Packet Radio • AX.25 protocol • ASCII. • Block of data – typically 128 or 256 bytes. • Add header, & checksum. • Receiving station responds with ACK or request for repeat.

  26. Digital Mode Operating • Packet Radio • Terminal Node Controller (TNC). • Mostly VHF or UHF. • 1200 baud AFSK FM (2m). • Automatic Message Forwarding. • 219-220 MHz.

  27. Digital Mode Operating • Packet Radio • Digipeater. • Satellite. • PACSAT. • Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. • Store & forward. • DX packet cluster.

  28. E2D04 -- What is the purpose of digital store-and-forward functions on an Amateur Radio satellite? • To upload operational software for the transponder • To delay download of telemetry between satellites • To store digital messages in the satellite for later download by other stations • To relay messages between satellites

  29. E2D05 -- Which of the following techniques is normally used by low Earth orbiting digital satellites to relay messages around the world? • Digipeating • Store-and-forward • Multi-satellite relaying • Node hopping

  30. Digital Mode Operating • Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS)

  31. Digital Mode Operating • Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) • Developed by Bob Bruniga, WB4APR. • Standard packet transmission. • AX.25 protocol. • Unnumbered information (UI) frames. • Typical frequency. • 144.390 MHz (North America)

  32. Digital Mode Operating • Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) • Applications. • Position reporting. • Uses GPS data to transmit latitude & longitude of station. • Severe weather spotting. • Public service events. • Weather data gathering. • Messaging.

  33. Digital Mode Operating • Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) • Full-featured station. • 2m FM transceiver. • TNC. • Computer. • GPS.

  34. Digital Mode Operating • Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) • Stand-alone tracker. • 2m FM transmitter. • TNC. • GPS receiver.

  35. Digital Mode Operating • Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) • http://www.aprs.org • http://aprsworld.net • http://www.findu.com

  36. E2A14 -- What technology is used to track, in real time, balloons carrying amateur radio transmitters? • Radar • Bandwidth compressed LORAN • APRS • Doppler shift of beacon signals

  37. E2D07 – What digital protocol is used by APRS? • PACTOR • 802.11 • AX.25 • AMTOR

  38. E2D08 – What type of packet frame is used to transmit APRS beacon data? • Unnumbered Information • Disconnect • Acknowledgement • Connect

  39. E2D10 -- How can an APRS station be used to help support a public service communications activity? • An APRS station with an emergency medical technician can automatically transmit medical data to the nearest hospital • APRS stations with General Personnel Scanners can automatically relay the participant numbers and time as they pass the check points • An APRS station with a GPS unit can automatically transmit information to show a mobile station's position during the event • All of these choices are correct

  40. E2D11 -- Which of the following data are used by the APRS network to communicate your location? • Polar coordinates • Time and frequency • Radio direction finding spectrum analysis • Latitude and longitude

  41. Break

  42. Amateur Satellites

  43. Amateur Satellites • Understanding Satellite Orbits • An orbit is one complete trip by an object around its primary. • The primary is the object around which the object is orbiting. • The primary of the earth is the sun. • The primary of the moon is the earth. • The primary of artificial earth satellites is the earth.

  44. Amateur Satellites • Understanding Satellite Orbits • Inertia causes a satellite to try to keep moving in a straight line. • Commonly referred to as centrifugal force. • The higher the speed, the stronger the centrifugal force. • The sharper the turn (satellite closer to earth), the stronger the centrifugal force. • Gravity tries to pull the satellite towards the primary. • The closer the satellite is to the primary, the stronger the pull of gravity. • An orbit is stable if the centrifugal force equals the pull of gravity.

  45. Amateur Satellites • Understanding Satellite Orbits • Johannes Kepler (1571–1630). • Mathematically described orbits of planets. • Same laws apply to artificial satellites orbiting the Earth.

  46. Amateur Satellites • Understanding Satellite Orbits • Kepler’s 1st Law. • All planetary orbits are elliptical with the Sun at one of the foci of the ellipse.

  47. Amateur Satellites • Understanding Satellite Orbits • Kepler’s 2nd Law. • A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.

  48. Amateur Satellites • Understanding Satellite Orbits • Kepler’s 3rd Law. • The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit. • In plain English – The farther a planet is from the Sun, the longer it takes to complete one orbit around the Sun. • Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites typically have orbital periods of about 90 minutes. • Satellites at about 25,000 miles above the Earth have orbital periods of about 24 hours and are called geosynchronous or geostationary satellites.

  49. Amateur Satellites • Understanding Satellite Orbits • Keplerian elements. • Sets of numbers that describe a satellite’s orbit. • If you know the Keplerian elements for a satellite, you can determine its position at any given time. • Software programs use Keplerian elements to plot the current positions of satellites. • SatScape • Orbitron • SatPC32

  50. Amateur Satellites • Orbital Mechanics • Definitions. • Inclination. • The angle of an orbit with respect to the Equator. • An orbit with an inclination of 0° is always directly over the Equator. • An orbit with an inclination of 90° will pass directly over both the North Pole and the South Pole. • Apogee • The point in an orbit where the satellite is farthest from the Earth. • Perigee • The point in an orbit where the satellite is closest to the Earth.

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