Amateur Extra License Class

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 (& 3.700 to 3.800 Adv.) • 40m: 7.000 MHz to 7.025 MHz • 40m: 7.125 MHz to 7.175 MHz (shared with Advanced) • 20m: 14.000 MHz to 14.025 MHz • 20m: 14.150 MHz to 14.175 MHz (& 14.175 to 14.225 Adv.) • 15m: 21.000 MHz to 21.025 MHz • 15m: 21.200 MHz to 21.225 MHz (& 21.225 to 21.275 Adv.) • 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 Operation • 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 • By-the-numbers • Split

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 have improved as Solar Cycle 24 ramps up. • Propagation forecasting software. • Propagation bulletins • Beacons. • Telnet/Packet spotting networks. • Move to lower frequency band as DX stations get weaker.

9. General Operating • QSL Cards • “The final courtesy of a QSO” • Can use Bureaus or Direct Mail • QSL Managers • “Green Stamps” • LOTW and QSLcc not really QSL Cards

10. 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

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 reduce interference, thereby improving operating efficiency All of these choices are correct

12. E2C11 -- How should you generally identify your station when attempting to contact a DX station working a pileup or in a contest? 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 • 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 – VHF & UHF • 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 call sign 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. E2C04 -- On which of the following frequencies is an amateur radio contest contact generally discouraged? 3.525 MHz 14.020 MHz 28.330 MHz 146.52 MHz

23. 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

24. 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

25. Digital Mode Operating • Packet Radio • AX.25 protocol • ASCII. • Block of data – typically 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)

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. • Latitude/Longitude and other information • 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.

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

36. E2D06 -- Which of the following is a commonly used 2-meter APRS frequency? 144.39 MHz 144.20 MHz 145.02 MHz 146.52 MHz

37. E2D07 -- Which of the following digital protocols is used by APRS? PACTOR 802.11 AX.25 AMTOR

38. E2D08 -- Which of the following types of packet frames 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 LOPs Latitude and longitude

41. Amateur Satellites

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

43. 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.

44. 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.

45. 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.

46. Amateur Satellites • Understanding Satellite Orbits • Keplerian elements. • Sets of numbers that describe a satellites 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

47. Amateur Satellites • Keplerian elements example: Satellite: FO-29 Catalog number: 24278 Epoch time: 13254.74297939 Element set: 197 Inclination: 098.5457 deg RA of node: 301.6933 deg Eccentricity: 0.0349499 Arg of perigee: 299.9056 deg Mean anomaly: 170.2427 deg Mean motion: 13.53005152 rev/day Decay rate: 1.0e-07 rev/day^2 Epoch rev: 84301 Checksum: 333

48. 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 closest to the Earth. • Perigee • The point in an orbit where the satellite is farthest from the Earth.

49. Amateur Satellites • Orbital Mechanics • Definitions. • Node. • A point in an orbit where the satellite crosses the Equator. • Ascending node. • The point in an orbit where the satellite crosses the Equator from south to north. • Descending node. • The point in an orbit where the satellite crosses the Equator from north to south.

50. Amateur Satellites • Orbital Mechanics • Definitions. • Ascending pass. • The pass of a satellite over a location while traveling from south to north. • Descending pass. • The pass of a satellite over a location while traveling from north to south .