Ham Radio Extra case studies
Ham Radio Extra · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Amateur Extra Class operator license is the top operator class in the FCC's Amateur Radio Service, which the FCC describes as a service for "qualified persons of any age who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest." The FCC has issued six types of license operator class, each authorizing varying levels of privileges, and the class for which a licensee is qualified is determined by the degree of skill and knowledge in operating a station demonstrated during an examination to volunteer examiners (VEs) in the community. Most new amateur operators start at the Technician Class and then may advance to the General Class or Amateur Extra Class. The Ham Radio Extra case studies are 5 cases and about 2,428 words.
1The Field Day 40 m Amplifier Meltdown
You are operating a 40 m SSB station during a multi-op event. Your exciter outputs 100 W into a solid-state linear amplifier rated for 1.5 kW PEP output at 50 ohms; you run it at 1 kW PEP.
487 words, about 2 min2The 60 m Channel and the Unlicensed Neighbor
You hold an Extra class license and operate on 60 m. A neighbor, who holds a Technician license, asks to use your station while you are away for the weekend.
458 words, about 2 min3The 2 m Repeater Coverage Complaint
You are the trustee of a 2 m repeater on 146.940 MHz (input 146.340 MHz, negative offset, 100 Hz CTCSS). Users report that coverage has shrunk: mobiles that used to reach the repeater from 25 miles now drop out at 10 miles, and the repeater occasionally 'hears' noise that opens the squelch.
455 words, about 2 min4The 20 m Beam and the Guy Wire
You are installing a 3-element 20 m Yagi on a 50 ft push-up mast. The boom is 12 ft long; the mast is guyed with three sets of 1/4-inch galvanized guy wires anchored 30 ft from the base.
511 words, about 3 min5The 160 m Inverted-L and the Tuner That Won't Tune
You erect a 160 m inverted-L: 60 ft vertical section, 70 ft horizontal top section, fed at the base against a ground rod and a few radials. You feed it with 100 ft of RG-8X and an antenna tuner rated 300 W.
517 words, about 3 min