Ham Radio Fields, Topics, and Organizations
The following is a list of different ham radio topics and fields. Feel free to add more topics and resources to the document!
Topic Name | Brief Description | Where to learn more |
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POTA (Parks on the Air) | Parks on the Air (POTA) is a ham radio sport where a ham either acts an activator by making radio contacts from a park, or a hunter who attempts to make contact with activators. There is also a version called SOTA (Summits on the Air) specifically for activating mountaintops | View active POTA activations: https://pota.app/#/ SOTA: https://www.sota.org.uk/ |
Fox Hunts | A ham radio sport where hams use directional antennas to attempt to locate a hidden transmitter (the “fox”) |
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Antenna Design | Ham radio has a lot of opportunities for DIY. Learning to make/design your own antennas is one way hams create | ARRL Antenna Design Book (in the shack) An antenna modeling software: https://eznec.com/ |
Mesh Networks | Mesh networks make use of a entire network of interconnected radio devices to provide a decentralized method of connecting devices. This can allow communication over long distances with low power devices and often can connect phones and other devices when cellular networks may fail. | |
Repeaters | Radio towers which receive signals and retransmit them. This can allow low power radios such as handhelds to reach far further (even across the world through digital repeaters which send signals through the internet and then retransmit them). | List of repeaters in Terre Haute: https://www.repeaterbook.com/global_repeaters/keyword.php?func=result&keyword=terre+haute |
CW (Continuous Wave) | More popularly known as morse code, CW is a communication mode where letters and numbers are represented by a series of either long or short pulses of a continuous electromagnetic wave. | |
Digital Modes | Radio communication modes that send digital data by using a computer. Any amateur radio digimodes are required to have published documentation by the FCC, making them a good way to learn about how radios are connected digitally. | Very popular client for Digimodes:https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx.html |
SSTV (Slow Scan Television) | Using radio to send images on amateur bands. | Intro to SSTV: https://www.hamuniverse.com/sstv.html MMSTV (Software used for SSTV): https://hamsoft.ca/pages/mmsstv.php |
DXing | DXing (from “distant/distance”) is making long distance contacts using ham radio bands. Often requires the signal to bounce multiple times to reach the final destination and requires a ham to watch weather conditions to ensure that propagation is possible. | |
Contesting | Events where hams attempt to make as many contacts in a short time period (usually a weekend). | ARRL contest Calendar: https://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar |
Field Day | an annual event/contest hosted by the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League) where hams make contacts from outdoors. | |
CARP (Collegiate Amateur Radio Program) | An organization of collegiate hams organized by the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League). Offers collegiate hams a chance to connect and often has scholarships, competitions, and giveaways exclusively for collegiate hams. | CARP homepage: https://www.arrl.org/collegiate-amateur-radio
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SDR (Software Defined Radio) | Software Defined Radio (SDR) utilizes digital signal processing techniques to receive and transmit signals. | Rose offers a SDR class: ECE412 |
ARES/RACES | ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) and RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) are two ways hams can help in emergency conditions. Both organizations are activated during an emergency and serve to facilitate communication when other modes of communication may fail. | RACES for Indiana: https://www.in.gov/dhs/emergency-management-and-preparedness/eoc-operations/communications-and-dispatch/radio-amateur-civil-emergency-service/ ARES vs RACES: https://www.arrl.org/ares-races-faq |
EME (Earth-Moon-Earth)/Moonbounce | Using the moon as a reflector, it is possible to make contacts from across the world. | |
Meteor Scatter | It is possible to bounce radio waves off the trails meteor’s leave through the atmosphere. These trails are short lived, so a fast digital signal is used. | Meteor scatter intro: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST Binaries/nt0z.pdf HAMSCI does meteor scatter contests: https://hamsci.org/msqp |
Satellites | Some hams operate small satellites which orbit the earth. These satellites can be communicated with from earth. | AMSAT website: https://www.amsat.org/ |