General References
Coursework Outline
| Topic/Session | Required Material for Session | Bonus/Additional Material |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome to Amateur Radio #1: June 7 1-HOUR CLASS (4:30-5:30) | – Study Chapter 1 (The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual) – Study US Amateur Bands (pg 1-22) – Study Metric Prefixes (pg 2-2) – Watch W4EEY Chapter 1 | – Watch A Brief History of the Discovery of Electricity |
| Radio Signals and Waves / Radio Equipment Basics #2: June 14 1-HOUR CLASS (4:30-5:30) | – Study Chapter 2 – Watch What are Electricity and Electrical Circuits – Watch FIRST Half of Voltage, Current, Resistance – Watch W4EEY Chapter 2 | – Watch What are Electromagnetic Waves? – Watch The Speed of Electricity |
| Ham Radio Flea Market Jun 17 8AM-noon Optional | Meet at 10:00 AM at: Vintage Radio Museum of CT 115 Pierson Lane Windsor, CT 06095 Note: If weather prohibits outdoor flea market, they will set up inside. | – Watch some HamCation 2023 Videos – Watch some HamVention 2023 Videos |
| Electricity #3: June 21 | – Study Section 3.1 (pg 3-1 through 3-7) – Watch Conductors, Resistors, and Ohms Law – Watch What is Ohm’s Law in Circuit Analysis? – Watch FIRST Hour of W4EEY Chapter 3 | – Watch SECOND Half of Voltage, Current, Resistance – Watch Voltage, Current and Safety |
| Field Day Sat Jun 24 2:00 PM through Sun Jun 25 5:00 PM Optional | Meet at 3:00 PM on Saturday at the Former Manchester Nike Site on Garden Grove Road (off Keeney St) in Manchester, CT. Go to end of the entrance road and look on the left, before the baseball fields, for “BEARS” Field Day sign 🙂 See ARRL Field Day Website and Bears of Manchester Website | The bears know you’re coming and extend a warm welcome! |
Components and Units / Radio Circuits #4: June 28 | – Study Sections 3.2 & 3.3 (pg 3-8 through 3-18) – Watch Resistor, Capacitor, Inductor, Transistor, Diode, Transformer – Watch SECOND Hour of W4EEY Chapter 3 | – Read/Watch Overview of Basic Electronics Components – Watch Capacitors and Inductors in Parallel (Resonance) |
| Propagation / Antenna and Radio Wave Basics #5: July 5 | – Study Sections 4.1 & 4.2 (pg 4-1 through 4-8) – Watch Radio Propagation 101 – Watch FIRST Hour of W4EEY Chapter 4 | – Watch Understanding HF Propagation – See Space Weather Woman – Watch W2AEW Decibels – See HF Propagation and Solar-Terrestrial |
| Feed Lines and SWR / Practical Antenna Systems #6: July 12 | – Study Sections 4.3 & 4.4 (pg 4-9 through 4-19) – Watch Understanding VSWR and Return Loss – Watch Introduction to Antennas – Watch Radio Antenna Fundamentals Part 1 & Part 2 – Watch The Dipole Antenna – Watch SECOND Hour of W4EEY Chapter 4 | – Watch DIY 10-meter dipole for under $10 – Watch Does manually tweaking your auto tuner mean more radiated power? – Watch some of W2AEW’s NanoVNA videos |
| Modulation / Transmitters and Receivers #7: July 19 *** BRING YOUR RADIOS AND THEIR MANUALS TO THIS AND ALL FUTURE CLASSES *** | – Study Sections 5.1 & 5.2 (pg 5-1 through 5-11) – Watch AM & FM Modulation Explained with Demonstrations – Watch Understanding Single Side Band – Watch How AM and FM Work – Read Choosing a Ham Radio – Review Baofeng UV-5R: Manual, Crash Course & Teardown – Watch FIRST Hour of W4EEY Chapter 5 | – Read The Many Types of Radio Frequency Modulation – Watch The History of Single Sideband – Watch Basic Principles of Frequency Modulation – Review Ham Radio Outlet’s Summer 2023 Catalog & write questions |
| Digital Communications / Power Supplies and Batteries / REVIEW #8: July 26 | – Study Sections 5.3 & 5.4 (pg 5-11 through 5-19) – Watch Intro to Ham Radio Digital Modes – Watch Get Started with FT8 – An Introduction for Beginners – Watch Batteries – Watch SECOND Part of W4EEY Chapter 5 * With your family, register an FCC CORES login. Be sure to record your login and password — you’ll need to login again after your test. When registering, if you don’t have a Social Security Number (SSN) and are a Resident Alien, choose the option “don’t have an SSN” with the reason “Individual is a Foreigner”. Write or print your unique FCC Registration Number (FRN), as you’ll need it later on the test application. * Also, with your family, carefully review What to Bring to an Exam Session. *** Ensure you and your family have the necessary Identification(s) prepared NOW. | – Watch DMR For Beginners – Watch at least first 3 Building a Linear Power Supply videos – Watch Why Don’t Batteries Discharge When You Connect Them End to End – Watch Mixing Old and New Batteries |
| Band Plans / Making Contacts / Using Repeaters #9: August 2 | – Study Sections 6.1, 6.2, & 6.3 (pg 6-1 through 6-16) – Review US Amateur Radio Bands – Study (& print) Q-Signals, ITU Phonetics, and Tech Bands – Check out QRZ.com GridMapper – Watch How to Call CQ – Watch How to Make Your First Contact on 2 Meters and Repeaters – Watch Accessing a Ham Radio Repeater – Review New England Repeater Directory – Review CT Band Plans: 2-meters & 440 MHz – Watch FIRST Hour of W4EEY Chapter 6 | – Watch My First Amateur Ham Radio Contact Attempt\ – Watch Ham Radio Fox Hunting 101 – Watch The Fun Of Ham Radio DX |
| Nets / Communications for Public Service / Satellite Operating Licensing Terms / Bands and Privileges / International Rules / Call Signs #10: August 9 | – Study Sections 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, & 7 (pg 6-16 through 7-17) – Watch How to Compose a Radiogram & Sending and Receiving Traffic – Watch Ham Radio Helping the Community: Manchester Road Race Communications – Watch The Storied History of the Ham Radio Callsign – See QRZ.com’s Callsign Database – Watch SECOND Part of W4EEY Chapter 6 & W4EEY Chapter 7 | – Watch ISS Crossband Repeater Ham Radio Contacts – Try AMSAT Online Satellite Pass Predictions – ISS – Read “Page 6-24” Explanation Re: T8B02 – Read Experiences on a 70 cm band shared with radiolocation service & FCC Grants Secondary Service Allocation to Wireless Broadband Medical Micropower Networks |
| Control Operators / Identification / Interference / Third-party Communications / Remote and Automatic Operation / Prohibited Transmissions / MAKE SOME HF CONTACTS #11: August 16 | – Study Section 8 (pg 8-1 through 8-12) – Watch W4EEY Chapter 8 * Take a Practice Exam Online | – Find a used ham radio transceiver on eBay and bring the link to class to discuss in the group |
| Electrical Safety / Managing RF in Your Station / RF Interference (RFI) / RF Exposure / Mechanical Safety #12: August 23 | – Study Section 9 (pg 9-1 through 9-20) – Read Wikipedia Electrical Injury – Watch Station Grounding for Amateur Radio – Read ARRL Electrical Safety – Practice using ARRL RF Exposure Calculator – Watch W4EEY Chapter 9 * Take 3 Practice Exams Online * Ensure you have ready your 2 Forms of Acceptable Identification (1 if Under 18 and parent brings their ID) * Print & Complete FCC NCVEC Quick-Form 605 * If Under 18: Print & Complet Page 1 of ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program | – Review and read at least 1 Article in each of Grounding, Lightning Protection, Electrical Safety, & RF Exposure – Watch ARRL Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) Interview – Read FCC Maximum Permissible RF Exposure Regulations |
| REVIEW #13: August 30 1-HOUR CLASS (4:30-5:30) | * Take at least 3 Practice Exams Online | – Read AD7FO’s Technician License Question Pool with Answers |
| REVIEW #14: September 6 1-HOUR CLASS (4:30-5:30) | * Take at least 3 Practice Exams Online | |
| * YOUR EXAM * (hurray!! 🙂 😉 😀 ) Saturday September 9 10:00 AM | Meet at 9:45 AM at: Vintage Radio Museum of CT (115 Pierson Lane, Windsor, CT 06095) Bring: * Printed & Completed FCC NCVEC Quick-Form 605 * If Under 18: Printed & Completed Page 1 of ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program * 2 Forms of Acceptable Identification (1 if Under 18 and parent provides their ID) * 2x Number-2 Pencils with Erasers * Calculator with Memory Erased * $14 cash ($5 cash if Under 18) After you have passed the test, the FCC will email you a link to make $35 payment. You will have 10 days to complete the payment online. Prior to the email, you can check your status anytime using your FRN at https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/searchAppl.jsp. As soon as you see “Pending Application” status, you can make payment. Once the FCC processes your payment, you’ll receive another email with your license! Be sure you print it out, as the email expires in 30 days. You can use the same link about to check regularly for your license even before the email arrives!! You may use your license as soon as your call sign appears in the FCC ULS Database!! ****** CONGRATULATIONS!!! ****** |
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