Posts

By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net

The great tradition of self-learning and mutual education is alive and well at the outset of Amateur Radio’s second century. The success of that tradition leans heavily on the books — and now websites — of amateurs willing to share their radio know-how with others. This month’s quiz touches on publications from yesterday and today, in honor of the many aut…

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources

By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net

If there is a single unit of measurement beyond volts and amps that can be considered nearly ubiquitous in ham radio, it would have to be our friend, the dee-bee or dB. Key to computing values in dB is the logarithm, so this quiz also combines the two — are you ready? If dBs aren’t your cup of tea, the ARRL website contains a tutorial on decibels that may he…

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources

By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
noax@arrl.net

Part 97.1 points out five bases and purposes of the Amateur Radio Service. The third principle — encouragement and improvement of the Amateur Service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art — has been a hallmark of the Amateur Radio Service from the beginning. This quiz lists a few of those …

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources

By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net

The fall and winter months are packed with contests for every taste: DX, domestic, single-band and specialty events of every stripe. Shake off a little rust with this quiz and get ready to put some QSOs in the log. Remember, too, if you’re not a contest aficionado, most major contests use only one mode and 12, 17 and 30 meters bands are entirely contest-free …

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources

By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net

Once the homebuilding bug bites, you’ll be using a whole new set of jargon: acronyms, color codes, numbering conventions, parameters, measurements and more. Here are some questions about the many interesting methods — and short-cuts — we use to describe our electronic components.

1) Which sequence represents the resistor color code?
a) OBAFGKM
b) BBROYGBVGW
c…

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources

By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net

You’ll have to work extra hard on this quiz because it’s not a “multiple guess.” Some answers may require a little calculation, some may require exercising the memory banks — and all will require a little head scratching.

1. Where would you tune for a signal that has the same numeric value of frequency in MHz and wavelength in meters?

2. In Hawaii, KH6, to whi…

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources

By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net

Spring marks the transition of the contest seasons, as the big DX contests give way to summer’s domestic and VHF+ activity. See if you’re ready to put some QSOs in your log with radiosport recreation in these April, May, and June on-the-air events! To help you complete the quiz, you can find contest calendars on the ARRL website and the WA7BNM Contest Calenda…

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources