New to the HF Bands? Welcome!
(Contributed by Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT)

Congratulations on receiving your new HF privileges, whether as a result of a new upgrade or due to the recent FCC rule changes! As of February 23, 2007 all Technician No Code licensees have been granted the privileges of Technician Plus licensees with the removal of Morse Code (CW) as a licensing requirement.

This short piece is intended to help you get active on the HF bands which, to me, embody the true magic of Ham Radio. Imagine sitting in the comfort of your own home and talking to somebody – literally – on the other side of the world with a simple dipole antenna strung between two trees. It’s very possible.

My most memorable contact was with Mayotte Island, just off the eastern coast of Africa – literally on the other side of the world. FH5CB was his call, and Elio was his name. I heard him on 20 meters, late one summer night at a little after 11:00pm. My HF station? A simple 100 watt transceiver and a dipole strung between two trees, only 30 feet above the ground. Nothing special, and nothing expensive. He was making contacts with other Hams left and right, and I was screaming in my microphone with excitement hoping he’d hear me. “N5ZGT this is FH5CB, you’re 5 by 6; 5 by 6, QSL?” My jaw dropped. I worked this guy with a super simple station. Who needs a multi-element beam and 1,000 watts when I could do it with 100 watts and a dipole?

FH5CB’s QSL card is the most prized card in my collection. That kind of excitement is what ham radio is all about.

So now here you are, with new HF privileges, probably not knowing what the next step might be. I hope these tips – certainly not standards, but a culmination of my experiences in Ham Radio – will point you in a direction so you’ll soon find yourself unlocking the true magic of Ham Radio…on HF!

Tip #1: Get Active

If you aren’t active and on the air (keywords: active, and on the air), then don’t expect ham radio to be any sort of fun. Get active and find your passion in our hobby. Not sure where to begin? Try something, or call up another ham and try something together. Ham radio is full of activities. Particularly on HF. These include general contacts (ragchewing), contesting, chasing rare countries (DX), experimenting with homebrew antennas, operating with super low power (less than 5 watts, called QRP), participating in Field Day, working special event stations, earning awards, etc.

Tip #2: Meet fellow hams who share your interests

Ham radio is enjoyed best with friends. Meet someone at a club meeting, Hamfest or on the air who shares similar interests with you and enjoy ham radio with them. You'll find it easier to learn about ham radio when someone is available to elmer (mentor) and challenge you!

Tip #3: Learn about your new privileges

Go to http://www.arrl.org/HFWelcome/Welcome.pdf and print out a nice copy of the ham radio bandplans (along with other great info). The bandplan chart will tell you what frequencies you can operate on according to what class license you possess. This is a handy chart to keep nearby in your ham shack.

Tip #4: Find yourself a good HF radio

A “good HF radio” doesn’t mean “expensive radio.” Find yourself a good quality HF radio that fits your budget. You can buy a radio from two sources: the used market, and brand-new from dealers.

There’s a large used market out there, including:

• hamfests and swapfests
• local swap nets heard that your local repeaters may host regularly,
• eHam (www.eham.net), and
• eBay.

The used market offers an abundant supply of ham radio equipment for reasonable prices – sometimes downright cheap prices too! Care must be taken to ensure that a) you are buying from a reputable person, and b) you are buying a fully functional piece of equipment. When in doubt, always ask another experienced Ham (who you know) to help you judge the price and condition of the equipment before making the sale final. I’ve never had a problem dealing with Hams in the used market. Remember the old adage, “buyer beware.”

One other tip: I never deal with cash or personal checks. I prefer money orders, specifically United States Postal Service money orders. I know they’re legitimate and won’t bounce.

You can also buy new radios from companies such as:

• AES (www.aesham.com)
• HRO (www.hamradio.com)
• Texas Towers (www.texastowers.com)

Be sure to request catalogs from AES and HRO – they are wonderful to have. You can also find other good ham dealers on the web and advertising in ham magazines such as QST, CQ and Worldradio.

Common, modern HF radio brands include Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, and Ten-Tec. The basic radios from these folks have all the features you’ll need to get started. The more expensive radios just have more bells and whistles – none of them, in my opinion, are “necessary.” But they are nice! The “correct” radio to buy all depends on your budget and taste!

In all cases – whether you’re interested in buying something from the new or the used market – always learn about the equipment you want to purchase first. Go to http://www.eham.net/reviews/ or http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/prodrev.html and read up on the product reviews written about the equipment you’re interested in. ARRL provides valuable lab test data on many pieces of equipment while eHam provides comments from a large number of Hams who actually own and use the gear you’re interested in.

Don’t freak out about the guy who has nothing but complaints about his radio. On the other extreme, don’t necessarily believe the guy who has nothing but praise about his radio either. Read a bunch of the comments and you’ll begin to form an average opinion about the quality, ease of use, and performance of the piece of ham gear you’re interested in. Read about similar pieces of equipment too (such as competing models and brands), in case one of those catches your eye even more. Once you have a good feeling about the equipment you want to invest in then go get it and get on the air!

Tip #5: Find or build yourself a good antenna

Give me the world’s best HF radio and I’ll make it useless by simply hooking it up to a bad antenna. The antenna is the most important part of any communications system because it is what radiates (and receives) those signals we communicate with.

Antennas come in all shapes and sizes. Look for one that fits within your budget, works on the ham bands you want to operate on, and abides by any covenants or restrictions you may be under while living in your present neighborhood.

One of the best HF antennas is a beam (formally known as a yagi) because you can direct your signals into the direction of your choice. But let’s pretend you don’t want to jump to a yagi and a tower quite yet. What are some other choices? Here are some websites describing antennas you can build to help you make a decision:

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/antproj.html
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/limited.html
http://www.cebik.com/radio.html
http://members.fortunecity.com/xe1bef/10meters-antenna.htm
http://www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/antenna.html

Don’t forget to try searching for other ideas using Google, too.

Many of the antennas in the sources above can be built within a weekend and with minimal expense, yet they’ll let you talk all over the world using your new HF privileges. When built, make sure they work before trying to transmit on them! Check their SWR with a SWR meter – buy or borrow one from another ham.

Later on you’ll probably have an urge to improve your antenna system by finding a good beam and tower. Till then, even a simple dipole with do just fine!

Tip #6: Don’t forget accessories

Typical accessories found in the ham shack include:

• An antenna tuner – an inexpensive device that matches your radio to your antenna. If you’re antenna isn’t designed to work specifically on the frequency you want to operate on, then you’ll have a bad signal and may damage your radio. An antenna tuner cures this problem, providing a good match between your antenna and radio. A good antenna tuner brand (just one opinion) is MFJ. Some modern HF radios even have antenna tuners built right into them.
• A power supply – you have to power your HF radio somehow. Buy a good quality power supply, and it will last you a lifetime. Look for a 12 volt power supply that can supply at least 20 amps. Most HF radios draw upwards of 20 amps on transmit, so you want to have a power supply that can handle that and perhaps other items in your shack. An excellent power supply brand is Astron.
• An SWR / power meter – this handy and simple piece will tell you how well your antenna is matched to your transceiver, and how much power you’re transmitting. It’s also a valuable tool for troubleshooting. Most HF radios and antenna tuners have these devices built right into them, but you can always by a standalone meter for this purpose.

Tip #7: Buy your own QSL cards and send them to stations!

One of ham radio’s longtime traditions is sending a QSL card to a station you operated on HF, and receiving theirs. This tradition is done for fun, for bragging rights (such as my Mayotte Island contact mentioned above), or to confirm a country/state/county/grid for an award. I look through all the QSL cards that I’ve acquired over the years and it brings back great memories of the stations I’ve talk to all over the world.

Several QSL card printers are in business, and I encourage you to check them out:

http://www.qslshop.com/
http://www.ux5uoqsl.com/samples-en.html
http://www.qslfactory.com/
http://www.thesignman.com/qsl/

Don’t forget to try searching for other printers using Google as well. You can also print them using your own computer if you wish, too.

There is a new trend called “eQSL” which is basically an electronic QSL card emailed from one ham to another to confirm a contact. Some people like it for the convenience, while others do not because nothing beats the real, genuine thing to them.

Even if you choose not to get your own QSL cards, you’ll probably receive a card from a station you once worked. Courtesy dictates that you reciprocate somehow since that station may need proof that he worked you for an award, or for bragging rights!

QSLing is a wonderful tradition. Enjoy it and keep it alive!

Tip #8: Try different operating modes

HF communications isn’t just about voice communications. Try some of the other modes and you might just fall in love with them, too. These include: CW (Morse Code), digital modes (PSK-31, MT-63, RTTY, Pactor, packet, etc.), and slow-scan television.

Let me digress a bit…CW is one of the neatest modes I’ve come across, and I started as a Tech No Code in 1992. It’s a challenge, and it’s rewarding. You don’t need a complicated radio to communicate via CW, and the signal gets through when voice signals won’t because of band conditions. You can learn it by studying just 15 minutes an evening, and then practicing on the radio. You’ll find lots of tapes, CDs, computer programs and web applications that can help you learn the code. Give it a shot!

Tip #9: Upgrade!

Don’t stop where you are now…when time permits, upgrade to the next class of license! Earn your General or Extra and you’ll find yourself with more operating privileges on HF, meaning new adventures to explore and new people to talk with all over the world.

Need study material? Try these:

http://www.arrl.org/catalog/lm/
http://www.w5yi.org/catalog.php?sort=4

Find a VE exam near you by visiting http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml

Tip #10: The most important tip of them all

Read tip #1 again (and again). See you on the bands.