Media Theorist, Stuart Hall, suggests there are three ways my audience will be able to analyse and interpret my media text. These are:
Preferred Reading
Negotiated Reading
Oppositional Reading
Preferred Reading is when the audience agrees with my piece and shares its views. It is the most dominant reading and would be expected of my target audience who enjoy my mix of serious and light-hearted stories, while taking something away from the text after listening.
Negotiated Reading is when the audience partly agrees with me but sometimes resists and modifies. These readers may still enjoy listening to my radio piece but could think of ways to improve it.
Oppositional Reading is when the media consumer understands my text but does not agree. They may not think my stories fit the mise en scene or just not enjoy the flow of my work at all. It is this audience I will take the most feedback from as I try to improve my work.
I think it is important to understand how my audience will analyse my work as I then have a good idea on how to present it to them.
I think most of my audience will read my work though 'Negotiated Reading' as it is news based and topical. They are likely to have their own strong views on what should be presented on the news and how. There are many different ways to present the news and this is why there are newspapers aimed at many different target audiences such as 'The Sun' for the working class who want a light-hearted and over dramatised approach and 'The Observer' for factual middle-class reads.
David Morley on the other hand wrote: 'audiences, like producers of messages, must also undertake a specific kind of "work" in order to read meaningfully what is transmitted' in his 1980 text 'The Nationwide Audience'. Morley suggests that the audience will not just initially analyse a media text in one of three ways as Stuart Hall suggests, but "work" through it to make their own decision. They may listen to a media text such as my radio work, go away and talk to friends via the 'Two Step Flow' theory and reach a new point of view.
I believe how a media consumer analyses a text depends on the individual- but I will take all varieties of feedback, as I did with my questionnaires, and try and improve my work accordingly.
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
How I Contributed To The Task
I contributed to the task in numerous ways during our group project. I think it was very important that we all put in individual effort as well as productive team-work to come away with the best results.
This begins by doing a wide range of individual planning and research, then bringing this solo work to the team to discuss and improve. We all participated well with this, for example I would go away and make notes on a local radio station such as ‘96.5 Bolton FM’ and compare my findings to what Liam had discovered about a national station such as ‘Heart FM’ so we can analyse key differences and which aspects we want to use for our own station. I would say how 'local radio presenters connect with their audience better, as they deal with local topics and in this normally have presenters from the local area' and Liam would come back with 'but national stations have more advanced software for a sharper editing process' and we'd take the positives from both situations to enhance our own work.
With our preliminary task we all took on major roles to master individual skills to bring to the team. I focused on presenting skills with microphone work. As we were still learning, there was lots of room for improving after our preliminary, but as a learning curve this greatly helped us. I learnt I needed to speak softer into the mike and stop static sounds and ‘dead air’ moments.
As me moved onto the final piece I wanted a more all-round approach to the work so began focusing on editing as well as the recording. We used Audacity, which I spent time practising on and learning how to cut and move sound segments. Again we all put in individual work, but by bringing these ideas to the team meetings we had a lot of group input and evolution of our ideas.
During our research for news stories I frequently watched the news and checked stories online for inspiration. I decided we wanted a mix of light-hearted and serious, powerful stories that would interest our target audience of teenagers to young adults, who are at the stage of enjoying ‘fun’ stories while having moral obligations to care about the world. I suggested to my group we cover the John Terry affair and Hati stories, as the juxtaposition of stories was exactly what we were looking for.
From here we moved onto the recording stages of our final piece, as I stated, I wanted to much more involved with the editing and technical stages of this and so I was. I became a more confident user of Audacity and introduced snippets of jingle in-between headlines. I also kept presenting, and felt my voice was more professional to a news show. I studied the presenting skills of professionals such as Trevor McDonald and spoke softer, yet with authority, into the mike. I think tone was very important as we needed the balance between ‘jokey’ attitudes enjoyed by our young target audience and serious and respectful voices to justify our serious stories.
I believe I contributed well to the task and was part of an effective team that pulled all our ideas together to create our radio segment.
This begins by doing a wide range of individual planning and research, then bringing this solo work to the team to discuss and improve. We all participated well with this, for example I would go away and make notes on a local radio station such as ‘96.5 Bolton FM’ and compare my findings to what Liam had discovered about a national station such as ‘Heart FM’ so we can analyse key differences and which aspects we want to use for our own station. I would say how 'local radio presenters connect with their audience better, as they deal with local topics and in this normally have presenters from the local area' and Liam would come back with 'but national stations have more advanced software for a sharper editing process' and we'd take the positives from both situations to enhance our own work.
With our preliminary task we all took on major roles to master individual skills to bring to the team. I focused on presenting skills with microphone work. As we were still learning, there was lots of room for improving after our preliminary, but as a learning curve this greatly helped us. I learnt I needed to speak softer into the mike and stop static sounds and ‘dead air’ moments.
As me moved onto the final piece I wanted a more all-round approach to the work so began focusing on editing as well as the recording. We used Audacity, which I spent time practising on and learning how to cut and move sound segments. Again we all put in individual work, but by bringing these ideas to the team meetings we had a lot of group input and evolution of our ideas.
During our research for news stories I frequently watched the news and checked stories online for inspiration. I decided we wanted a mix of light-hearted and serious, powerful stories that would interest our target audience of teenagers to young adults, who are at the stage of enjoying ‘fun’ stories while having moral obligations to care about the world. I suggested to my group we cover the John Terry affair and Hati stories, as the juxtaposition of stories was exactly what we were looking for.
From here we moved onto the recording stages of our final piece, as I stated, I wanted to much more involved with the editing and technical stages of this and so I was. I became a more confident user of Audacity and introduced snippets of jingle in-between headlines. I also kept presenting, and felt my voice was more professional to a news show. I studied the presenting skills of professionals such as Trevor McDonald and spoke softer, yet with authority, into the mike. I think tone was very important as we needed the balance between ‘jokey’ attitudes enjoyed by our young target audience and serious and respectful voices to justify our serious stories.
I believe I contributed well to the task and was part of an effective team that pulled all our ideas together to create our radio segment.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Evaluation
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
After much research of many media institutions and the radio shows they play, I have concluded that a local light-hearted radio station such as BBC Oxford or Jack FM would distribute our radio show. It is common for local stations to broadcast local dialects (and we are all native to Oxfordshire) This became apparent during my research into 95.6 Bolton FM. And we mix local and national stories, such as our coverage of the local mans crocodile farm contrasted with our coverage of Haiti.
http://www.jackfm.co.uk/
This link to Jack FM will allow you to listen to the similarities of our broadcast and theirs. These local stations build better relationships with their listeners as they present to a smaller number of people who get more input via phone-ins and competitions.
Who would be the audience for your media product? And how does it represent particular social groups?
Our target audience will be teenagers to young adults, 15 to 24. Most who I assume will be local to Oxfordshire. We represent young Oxfordians by being them ourselves. A lot of our stories, such as the John Terry affair are light hearted and relevant to popular culture. This is entwined with serious stories that interest and challenge our audience’s views. Despite this, as a news segment we would hope to have a large variety of audience to address due to most people wanting the news to keep up to date with the world. This is proven by ‘The news at Ten’ being one of the most viewed programs in history and that news has spread to more niche markets such as children with ‘News Round’ and music lovers with ‘Kerrang News’. The Cultivation Theory tells us how the media is such an important source of information that consumers find it ultimately impossible to escape it's gradual encroachment on their everyday lives- this again will increase our viewing figures.
How did you attract/address your audience?
If our radio segment was a daily show, we would attract our audience through local mediated advertisement. There is no point spending millions of pounds on national advertisement for a local radio show, so I would focus on Poster and possible local TV/Radio Adverts in the Oxfordshire area.
Our Jingle will also attract our audiences. It has been theorised that a person can become attracted to a jingle if they hear it enough time though the mediated Syringe Theory. An example of this would be an individual recognising the theme music to Eastender and feeling an urge to go watch. Our jingle would work in a similar way for our audience, if they are browsing through radio stations and get a blast of our jingle, they will stop and listen in. This will fundamentally raise our profile.
Furthermore I would attract audience through advertising, especially through the Syringe Theory of playing our adverts locally over and over and the Two Step Flow Theory of allowing our media consumers to discuss our show amongst themselves and hopefully attract new consumers to tune in.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Through the construction of our radio piece we came into contact with many new technologies and media instruments.
The key program we used was the computer program ‘Audacity’. Created by Dominic Mazzoni, this simple yet effective program recorded our voices through microphones and then allowed us to edit. The editing process consisted to cutting and lengthening voice segments and overlapping them with backing sounds such as quieter music or ‘buzzing and disjointed' effect used in our Haiti story to represent technical problems that would occur while broadcasting a piece of news from another country.
Over the course of our project I have learnt to master Audacity as well as other instruments such as the microphones, handheld voice recorders and even video cameras when filming an evaluation video.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I and my group have come a long way since our preliminary. In our preliminary we were still learning how to use programs such as Audacity and had technical difficulties in the editing phases. While speaking into the mike we were too loud and didn’t do enough to stop disturbances. I think as a learning curve the preliminary can still be seen as a success as it did teach us the basics and pushed us to achieve and do better for our final piece.
Our final piece is much better flowing with many more technical skills such as an improved jingle, sound effects between headlines and our ‘buzzing’ effect in our Haiti voxpop. Our presenting skills are also much improved, with our voice tones suited to a News environment.
As a group our time management excelled from our preliminary, as we met up frequently in own free time to record and edit.
I think the progress we made can be put down to our excelled effort and understanding of preparation as we shared ideas, researched stories and scripted; our recording as we were more experienced and progressed through trial and error and finally our postproduction, spending a lot of time editing on Audacity to achieve our final piece.
After much research of many media institutions and the radio shows they play, I have concluded that a local light-hearted radio station such as BBC Oxford or Jack FM would distribute our radio show. It is common for local stations to broadcast local dialects (and we are all native to Oxfordshire) This became apparent during my research into 95.6 Bolton FM. And we mix local and national stories, such as our coverage of the local mans crocodile farm contrasted with our coverage of Haiti.
http://www.jackfm.co.uk/
This link to Jack FM will allow you to listen to the similarities of our broadcast and theirs. These local stations build better relationships with their listeners as they present to a smaller number of people who get more input via phone-ins and competitions.
Who would be the audience for your media product? And how does it represent particular social groups?
Our target audience will be teenagers to young adults, 15 to 24. Most who I assume will be local to Oxfordshire. We represent young Oxfordians by being them ourselves. A lot of our stories, such as the John Terry affair are light hearted and relevant to popular culture. This is entwined with serious stories that interest and challenge our audience’s views. Despite this, as a news segment we would hope to have a large variety of audience to address due to most people wanting the news to keep up to date with the world. This is proven by ‘The news at Ten’ being one of the most viewed programs in history and that news has spread to more niche markets such as children with ‘News Round’ and music lovers with ‘Kerrang News’. The Cultivation Theory tells us how the media is such an important source of information that consumers find it ultimately impossible to escape it's gradual encroachment on their everyday lives- this again will increase our viewing figures.
How did you attract/address your audience?
If our radio segment was a daily show, we would attract our audience through local mediated advertisement. There is no point spending millions of pounds on national advertisement for a local radio show, so I would focus on Poster and possible local TV/Radio Adverts in the Oxfordshire area.
Our Jingle will also attract our audiences. It has been theorised that a person can become attracted to a jingle if they hear it enough time though the mediated Syringe Theory. An example of this would be an individual recognising the theme music to Eastender and feeling an urge to go watch. Our jingle would work in a similar way for our audience, if they are browsing through radio stations and get a blast of our jingle, they will stop and listen in. This will fundamentally raise our profile.
Furthermore I would attract audience through advertising, especially through the Syringe Theory of playing our adverts locally over and over and the Two Step Flow Theory of allowing our media consumers to discuss our show amongst themselves and hopefully attract new consumers to tune in.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Through the construction of our radio piece we came into contact with many new technologies and media instruments.
The key program we used was the computer program ‘Audacity’. Created by Dominic Mazzoni, this simple yet effective program recorded our voices through microphones and then allowed us to edit. The editing process consisted to cutting and lengthening voice segments and overlapping them with backing sounds such as quieter music or ‘buzzing and disjointed' effect used in our Haiti story to represent technical problems that would occur while broadcasting a piece of news from another country.
Over the course of our project I have learnt to master Audacity as well as other instruments such as the microphones, handheld voice recorders and even video cameras when filming an evaluation video.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I and my group have come a long way since our preliminary. In our preliminary we were still learning how to use programs such as Audacity and had technical difficulties in the editing phases. While speaking into the mike we were too loud and didn’t do enough to stop disturbances. I think as a learning curve the preliminary can still be seen as a success as it did teach us the basics and pushed us to achieve and do better for our final piece.
Our final piece is much better flowing with many more technical skills such as an improved jingle, sound effects between headlines and our ‘buzzing’ effect in our Haiti voxpop. Our presenting skills are also much improved, with our voice tones suited to a News environment.
As a group our time management excelled from our preliminary, as we met up frequently in own free time to record and edit.
I think the progress we made can be put down to our excelled effort and understanding of preparation as we shared ideas, researched stories and scripted; our recording as we were more experienced and progressed through trial and error and finally our postproduction, spending a lot of time editing on Audacity to achieve our final piece.
Audience Review
I created this questionnaire so we could get feedback from our audience. It is very helpful to see how people react to our show and to hear their opinions. Here is an example of an original questionnaire that I have put online, emailed to people and handed out hard copies at school, and one that is filled out, I had emailed to me by Ryan Banks who listened to our show.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Recording + Editing
After our initial recording sessions we continued to record on a regular basis, this took several sessions to do a good job, but we found the time useful and rewarding. In our group we all picked certain jobs for recording, me and Liam became main News Readers while Ruhul took charge of vox-pops and editing. As well as this I took a key interest in the recording as I wanted to learn the new skill and be as involved in the final piece as I possibly could. The Editing system on Audacity was simple yet effective and involved cutting and moving sound-bites as we worked to make the piece flow as well as possible.
As a key news reader I felt I needed to take inspiration from professional news readers in the same way we initially took inspiration from professional radio shows. The most experienced and well practised one I could think of was Sir Trevor McDonald, so I researched him:
‘He was promoted in 1992 as the sole presenter of News at Ten, where he became one of the best known faces on British television screens. A year later in 1993, he was awarded an OBE in the Queen's honours list. McDonald stayed with ITN when News at Ten was axed in 1999, moving to present the new ITV Evening News. News at Ten was briefly re-launched in 2001, to which McDonald returned to presenting. He presented the ITV News at 10.30 following News at Ten's second axing. Since 1999, he has also hosted ITV's flagship current affairs program ‘Tonight with Trevor McDonald.’
I noticed he always sat up straight when delivering the news and spoke slowly and clearly. These are techniques that inspired me during my recording; I spoke softly yet clearly into the microphone to get the best possible sound and made sure there was no 'dead-air' time.
We overcame illness and time-table problems to meet up regularly to record our show and practised a lot in our own free time. Once we were perfectly happy we were practised enough and ready to perform we recorded a section. Many of the sections were recorded more than once and drastically changed to get the best results in the end.
Editing consisted of cutting and moving sound bites on Audacity to make our radio piece flow and improve the listening experience. This was relatively easy on Audacity as it is a basic program, but this also made it hard to do more complex editing- such as creating our disjointed effect for the Haiti story. During the editing process we had to import in our jingle and backing music, and create variations in volume- for example- making it slightly louder between headlines to indicate the next one was coming up.
I enjoyed editing as I got to be part of making what we’d recorded a final radio segment. It was extremely interesting to learn how it all fit together and created a piece of work I’m very proud of.
As a key news reader I felt I needed to take inspiration from professional news readers in the same way we initially took inspiration from professional radio shows. The most experienced and well practised one I could think of was Sir Trevor McDonald, so I researched him:
‘He was promoted in 1992 as the sole presenter of News at Ten, where he became one of the best known faces on British television screens. A year later in 1993, he was awarded an OBE in the Queen's honours list. McDonald stayed with ITN when News at Ten was axed in 1999, moving to present the new ITV Evening News. News at Ten was briefly re-launched in 2001, to which McDonald returned to presenting. He presented the ITV News at 10.30 following News at Ten's second axing. Since 1999, he has also hosted ITV's flagship current affairs program ‘Tonight with Trevor McDonald.’
I noticed he always sat up straight when delivering the news and spoke slowly and clearly. These are techniques that inspired me during my recording; I spoke softly yet clearly into the microphone to get the best possible sound and made sure there was no 'dead-air' time.
We overcame illness and time-table problems to meet up regularly to record our show and practised a lot in our own free time. Once we were perfectly happy we were practised enough and ready to perform we recorded a section. Many of the sections were recorded more than once and drastically changed to get the best results in the end.
Editing consisted of cutting and moving sound bites on Audacity to make our radio piece flow and improve the listening experience. This was relatively easy on Audacity as it is a basic program, but this also made it hard to do more complex editing- such as creating our disjointed effect for the Haiti story. During the editing process we had to import in our jingle and backing music, and create variations in volume- for example- making it slightly louder between headlines to indicate the next one was coming up.
I enjoyed editing as I got to be part of making what we’d recorded a final radio segment. It was extremely interesting to learn how it all fit together and created a piece of work I’m very proud of.
Research and Planning
Due to lots of research and planning being put onto my blog during the working process, I have decided to have a final review of it all to tidy it up:
As a group our task was to produce a short News piece for the radio, we had previously used the radio equipment during our preliminary task and so were used to the equipment such as the mike and knew the computer program: Audacity.
For our initial research we listened too and analysed some established radio stations se we could see how they performed. I wanted diversity in the stations I listened too so that I could get ideas from all areas of radio, because of this I looked at two national stations: Heart and BBC Radio 1, and a local station: 96.5 Bolton FM. Another good thing about this was that one was from the opposite end of the UK and I could see if different regions performed differently.
I already have sections on both these stations on my blog, so rather than repeating all that I shall give a quick overview:
Heart is the local station for London but also goes national; this made it very interesting to research. It played popular music and has a memorable jingle ‘This is Heart’ which I recognised even though I hadn’t really tuned in beforehand; this argues that the 2-Step Flow theory is effective as I must have heard it from others and once tuning into Heart, made my own decision. The news segment was sharp and included all the top headlines, but also featured a section of local news to the capital. As a listener I enjoyed Heart and found it easy to listen too although locally I thought it could have been more in-depth.
BBC Radio 1 is a national station and one I had listened too before. They play chart music and have celebrity presenters such as Chris Moyles, Veron Kay and Fearne Cotton. Although many of the presenters on Radio 1 are very good it became apparent that being a television celebrity does not make you a natural at radio, and many would trail off with uninteresting tales of their own lives. The news section covered the main stories but the shows were generally centred on music and light hearted ‘banter’.
96.5 Bolton FM is the local station for Bolton in Lancashire. The initial sound-bite sounded less professional then the previous two shows but understandably they’d have a cheaper recording system. This station was very local and the news consisted of information about the local market and what the people of Bolton were up too. We needed to learn from this for when we presented our local news section.
For a more in depth look please look at my earlier blog posts.
From this point on me and the group had a brain storm about our radio news segment. We targeted it to be around 4 – 6 minutes long and include both local and nation stories, also including weather and sports, possibly ending with a light hearted story. In our preliminary piece we had branded ourselves as a light hearted team; this was backed up by our name ‘The Coconut Lounge’, and through our presenting we joked around and gave each other silly nicknames. All though there was nothing wrong with this in the right context, we felt as news presenters our final piece needed to be more serious and constructive to meet the mise en scene of the news. We ditched the nicknames and decided upon our first basic timeline which was as followed:
Jingle -30 seconds
Headlines – 1 minute
Main Story – 2 minutes
Vox-Pop (weather) – 30 seconds
Sports – 1 minute
Light Story to end on (interview) – 1 minute
This basic plan gave us bones to work on so that we could build our piece. The idea behind this was that we wanted to include as much as possible such as vox-pops and a jingle without overdoing it and rushing the reports. We were definitely in the planning stage of our final piece.
We began to choose the news stories we wished to present, we chose the stories to represent our mise en scene of a serious news show but with the light-hearted stories common to national news shows such as 'The News at Ten'. I have an earlier more in depth section about this already on my blog, so again a quick over view:
Headlines were to be up to date and researched on the day as we didn’t need to practise talking about them, this was also to be true of weather, we would report on how it was at the time of recording to keep our show relevant and interesting.
Our Main Story was to be the earthquake in Haiti and the aftermath of that.
Sports would include the John Terry affair and up to date football scores.
The light hearted story would be a man with a large crocodile collection in the local area.
We chose real life stories because we wanted to relate to our audience and allow them to feel emotion for the news. We also chose the stories we did because they interested us and so any excitement or sorrow in our voices would be real and therefore a better performance. We began to script sections:
Alex: A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti.
The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears thousands of people may have died.
Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings.
Liam: A "large number" of UN personnel were reported missing by the organisation. Many people have spent the night outside amid fears of more aftershocks
Please see an earlier post for full script.
Once we had planned and scripted it all our Time Line changed and looked more like this:
Jingle 20-30 seconds
News headlines 20-30 seconds
Main story in depth 1 minute
Vox pop 30 seconds to be carried out on location
Funny news stories 20-30 seconds
Football news 20-30 seconds
Weather 20-30 seconds
Local weather
Vox pop 30 seconds on location
Jingle 20-30 seconds
This change showed our piece was progressing all the time and we knew we were moving forwards.
To improve this script-work we used brain-storms to decide exactly what we wanted to present and how. Using the influence we had gained from our researched radio stations we decided to present a vast mix of both light-hearted and serious news stories that can juxtapose and give something to everyone, improving our fan-base.
From here we began recording...
As a group our task was to produce a short News piece for the radio, we had previously used the radio equipment during our preliminary task and so were used to the equipment such as the mike and knew the computer program: Audacity.
For our initial research we listened too and analysed some established radio stations se we could see how they performed. I wanted diversity in the stations I listened too so that I could get ideas from all areas of radio, because of this I looked at two national stations: Heart and BBC Radio 1, and a local station: 96.5 Bolton FM. Another good thing about this was that one was from the opposite end of the UK and I could see if different regions performed differently.
I already have sections on both these stations on my blog, so rather than repeating all that I shall give a quick overview:
Heart is the local station for London but also goes national; this made it very interesting to research. It played popular music and has a memorable jingle ‘This is Heart’ which I recognised even though I hadn’t really tuned in beforehand; this argues that the 2-Step Flow theory is effective as I must have heard it from others and once tuning into Heart, made my own decision. The news segment was sharp and included all the top headlines, but also featured a section of local news to the capital. As a listener I enjoyed Heart and found it easy to listen too although locally I thought it could have been more in-depth.
BBC Radio 1 is a national station and one I had listened too before. They play chart music and have celebrity presenters such as Chris Moyles, Veron Kay and Fearne Cotton. Although many of the presenters on Radio 1 are very good it became apparent that being a television celebrity does not make you a natural at radio, and many would trail off with uninteresting tales of their own lives. The news section covered the main stories but the shows were generally centred on music and light hearted ‘banter’.
96.5 Bolton FM is the local station for Bolton in Lancashire. The initial sound-bite sounded less professional then the previous two shows but understandably they’d have a cheaper recording system. This station was very local and the news consisted of information about the local market and what the people of Bolton were up too. We needed to learn from this for when we presented our local news section.
For a more in depth look please look at my earlier blog posts.
From this point on me and the group had a brain storm about our radio news segment. We targeted it to be around 4 – 6 minutes long and include both local and nation stories, also including weather and sports, possibly ending with a light hearted story. In our preliminary piece we had branded ourselves as a light hearted team; this was backed up by our name ‘The Coconut Lounge’, and through our presenting we joked around and gave each other silly nicknames. All though there was nothing wrong with this in the right context, we felt as news presenters our final piece needed to be more serious and constructive to meet the mise en scene of the news. We ditched the nicknames and decided upon our first basic timeline which was as followed:
Jingle -30 seconds
Headlines – 1 minute
Main Story – 2 minutes
Vox-Pop (weather) – 30 seconds
Sports – 1 minute
Light Story to end on (interview) – 1 minute
This basic plan gave us bones to work on so that we could build our piece. The idea behind this was that we wanted to include as much as possible such as vox-pops and a jingle without overdoing it and rushing the reports. We were definitely in the planning stage of our final piece.
We began to choose the news stories we wished to present, we chose the stories to represent our mise en scene of a serious news show but with the light-hearted stories common to national news shows such as 'The News at Ten'. I have an earlier more in depth section about this already on my blog, so again a quick over view:
Headlines were to be up to date and researched on the day as we didn’t need to practise talking about them, this was also to be true of weather, we would report on how it was at the time of recording to keep our show relevant and interesting.
Our Main Story was to be the earthquake in Haiti and the aftermath of that.
Sports would include the John Terry affair and up to date football scores.
The light hearted story would be a man with a large crocodile collection in the local area.
We chose real life stories because we wanted to relate to our audience and allow them to feel emotion for the news. We also chose the stories we did because they interested us and so any excitement or sorrow in our voices would be real and therefore a better performance. We began to script sections:
Alex: A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti.
The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears thousands of people may have died.
Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings.
Liam: A "large number" of UN personnel were reported missing by the organisation. Many people have spent the night outside amid fears of more aftershocks
Please see an earlier post for full script.
Once we had planned and scripted it all our Time Line changed and looked more like this:
Jingle 20-30 seconds
News headlines 20-30 seconds
Main story in depth 1 minute
Vox pop 30 seconds to be carried out on location
Funny news stories 20-30 seconds
Football news 20-30 seconds
Weather 20-30 seconds
Local weather
Vox pop 30 seconds on location
Jingle 20-30 seconds
This change showed our piece was progressing all the time and we knew we were moving forwards.
To improve this script-work we used brain-storms to decide exactly what we wanted to present and how. Using the influence we had gained from our researched radio stations we decided to present a vast mix of both light-hearted and serious news stories that can juxtapose and give something to everyone, improving our fan-base.
From here we began recording...
Friday, 19 February 2010
News Stories
For our show we wanted on main news story to be our focal point that we could discuss in detail and include a Vox Pop in, other news headlines, a sports story and a lighter story. It was important to our mise en scene to include this wide variety of news as we catered to our target audience of 15-24 year olds who will have a variety of interest.
We chose the Haiti earthquake as our main story as it was recent and topical at the time of recording and something that meant a lot to us as a team. It had caused so much destruction to an LEDC (less economically developed country) and we wanted to pay our respects by doing an accurate report on it.
‘A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears thousands of people may have died. Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/01/100113_haiti_quake.shtml
For our sports story we decided to report on the John Terry affair as it was topical to the world of sport; his England captaincy was under threat. We also intended to announce up to date football scores.
'England boss Fabio Capello will name defenders Wayne Bridge and John Terry in the squad for the friendly against Egypt on 3 March. Terry is alleged to have had an affair with Bridge's former partner but Capello has warned both defenders not to bring any personal tensions with them.'
We then decided to do a weather report that would again be up to date and relevant, making our news bulletin realistic and relatable.
Our light hearted story was to be a local report of a man with a large crocodile farm. We thought this would be interesting and fun, while giving us the chance to do an interview- this could be another Vox Pop, a pre-recorded interview or a live phone in.
We chose the Haiti earthquake as our main story as it was recent and topical at the time of recording and something that meant a lot to us as a team. It had caused so much destruction to an LEDC (less economically developed country) and we wanted to pay our respects by doing an accurate report on it.
‘A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears thousands of people may have died. Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/01/100113_haiti_quake.shtml
For our sports story we decided to report on the John Terry affair as it was topical to the world of sport; his England captaincy was under threat. We also intended to announce up to date football scores.
'England boss Fabio Capello will name defenders Wayne Bridge and John Terry in the squad for the friendly against Egypt on 3 March. Terry is alleged to have had an affair with Bridge's former partner but Capello has warned both defenders not to bring any personal tensions with them.'
We then decided to do a weather report that would again be up to date and relevant, making our news bulletin realistic and relatable.
Our light hearted story was to be a local report of a man with a large crocodile farm. We thought this would be interesting and fun, while giving us the chance to do an interview- this could be another Vox Pop, a pre-recorded interview or a live phone in.
Recording
We began recording this week in our Recording Room using Audacity. Due to the practise we’d had from our preliminary we knew to speak softly into the microphones while sitting straight and were prepared with a script we had wrote. During our research phase we listened to both national and local radio for inspiration- surprisingly, a lot of the smaller local stations were of a better presenting standard as they connected better with their audiences and had relatable dialects. A lot of national stations used television celebrities to present their shows but it became apparent that being a talented television presenter does not necessarily make you a good radio presenter. Often these celebrities such as Veron Kay and Fearne Cotton would trail off and speak about their own lives rather than the topic in hand.
We listened to a large variety of radio because we wanted our own work to be of a high standard. We made this basic plan to follow which we then wrote our script around:
Jingle -30 seconds
Headlines – 1 minute
Main Story – 2 minutes
Vox-Pot (weather) – 30 seconds
Sports – 1 minute
Light Story to end on (interview) – 1 minute
We found numerous problems during the recording process such as conflicting time tables so it was harder for the whole group to meet, illness such as Ruhul losing his voice and lack of time in the recording room due to having to share it with two other groups. Despite these setbacks, we overcame them to meet up for work effectively.
Our first few lessons were spent script writing and searching for news stories we could report on, these included:
A main headline
Other headlines
Sports
Weather
Light hearted story.
To do this we looked online at reliable sites such as the BBC.
Before recording, we read our scripts aloud to practise and sometimes had to record a story three or four times to get it right. This was worth it though, as we wanted the best results.
We listened to a large variety of radio because we wanted our own work to be of a high standard. We made this basic plan to follow which we then wrote our script around:
Jingle -30 seconds
Headlines – 1 minute
Main Story – 2 minutes
Vox-Pot (weather) – 30 seconds
Sports – 1 minute
Light Story to end on (interview) – 1 minute
We found numerous problems during the recording process such as conflicting time tables so it was harder for the whole group to meet, illness such as Ruhul losing his voice and lack of time in the recording room due to having to share it with two other groups. Despite these setbacks, we overcame them to meet up for work effectively.
Our first few lessons were spent script writing and searching for news stories we could report on, these included:
A main headline
Other headlines
Sports
Weather
Light hearted story.
To do this we looked online at reliable sites such as the BBC.
Before recording, we read our scripts aloud to practise and sometimes had to record a story three or four times to get it right. This was worth it though, as we wanted the best results.
Representations + The Glasgow Media Group + Plan so Far
Being impartial and ‘fair’ while presenting the news is a very important value for me. I think to be bias in anyway would offend our target audience of young-people who want fair and legit news and by doing so would contradict the Mise en Scene we are trying to create.
While studying the Ideology Theory I came across the ‘Glasgow Media Group’ who are a group of media theorists linked with Glasgow University. While analysing the Ideology Theory they undertook a series of tests they called ‘The Ideology of Truth and Neutrality’. These tests were put in place to see how ‘truth’ was represented in the media- something that will greatly affect my news segment.
While researching BBC News they concluded that during reports of trade union strikes, the BBC tended to represent bosses as rational and civilized individuals, who they often invited into the studio to listen to their side- while they represented the work force to be a ‘mob’ of an emotive crowd.
In the worst cases this misrepresentation can lead to bias opinions and misconduct. In the case of the BBC reports there may have been harm meant, but it was apparent that the workers did not have their views as widely distributed as the bosses’ views.
For my coursework I want my news stories to be as impartial as possible as I try and give my media consumers the truths and facts of a situation. I think it is right to give an audience what they’d expect from a media text, and will try and deliver these values.
With these values in mind I have constructed a short plan of our radio show so far, in which all the stories recorded are impartial yet interesting:
Jingle 20-30 seconds RECORDED
News Headlines 20-30 RECORDED seconds to be read by Liam and me
Main Story in depth RECORDED 1 minute to be read by me
Vox Pop 30 seconds to be carried out on location by Ruhul
Funny News Stories 20-30 seconds to be read by Liam and me
Football News RECORDED 20-30 seconds to be read by Liam and me
Weather 20-30 RECORDED read by me
Local Weather read by Ruhul
Vox Pop 30 seconds RECORDED on location read by Ruhul
Jingle 20-30 seconds RECORDED
Some of the recorded material was still liable to be changed and improved.
While studying the Ideology Theory I came across the ‘Glasgow Media Group’ who are a group of media theorists linked with Glasgow University. While analysing the Ideology Theory they undertook a series of tests they called ‘The Ideology of Truth and Neutrality’. These tests were put in place to see how ‘truth’ was represented in the media- something that will greatly affect my news segment.
While researching BBC News they concluded that during reports of trade union strikes, the BBC tended to represent bosses as rational and civilized individuals, who they often invited into the studio to listen to their side- while they represented the work force to be a ‘mob’ of an emotive crowd.
In the worst cases this misrepresentation can lead to bias opinions and misconduct. In the case of the BBC reports there may have been harm meant, but it was apparent that the workers did not have their views as widely distributed as the bosses’ views.
For my coursework I want my news stories to be as impartial as possible as I try and give my media consumers the truths and facts of a situation. I think it is right to give an audience what they’d expect from a media text, and will try and deliver these values.
With these values in mind I have constructed a short plan of our radio show so far, in which all the stories recorded are impartial yet interesting:
Jingle 20-30 seconds RECORDED
News Headlines 20-30 RECORDED seconds to be read by Liam and me
Main Story in depth RECORDED 1 minute to be read by me
Vox Pop 30 seconds to be carried out on location by Ruhul
Funny News Stories 20-30 seconds to be read by Liam and me
Football News RECORDED 20-30 seconds to be read by Liam and me
Weather 20-30 RECORDED read by me
Local Weather read by Ruhul
Vox Pop 30 seconds RECORDED on location read by Ruhul
Jingle 20-30 seconds RECORDED
Some of the recorded material was still liable to be changed and improved.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Conventions of Radio
Conventions of Radio:
This is what I learned from my research into other radio stations, specifically Heart FM, 95.6 Bolton FM and BBC Radio 1.
Pauses/slang/catch phrase:
Slang and pauses are more common on Local radio such as Bolton FM due to smaller audiences who feel more like a community. Nation radios such as Kerrang or Heart FM use better English as they speak to a more unknown audience (people from all over the UK instead of a smaller area), despite this one of the main catch phrases of 1Xtra, a London based radio station, is ‘get funky’. This is because both national and local stations use catch phrases to attract audiences’ and appear ‘down to earth’. The more informal the station the more informal the catch phrase.
DJ talks about him/herself:
Usually DJ’s will talk about stories or music, but on occasions they will discuss their own lives. This will usually happen on a Monday morning while the presenters discuss their weekends. I researched and analysed this as I listened to Kerrang Radio where the presenter reported on a music festival he’d visited at the weekend.
DJ talks about the record:
The discussion of records and music comprises mostly of phattic utterances (small talk) which is pleasant to listen too. They will normally talk about the artist and how well the track is doing in the charts. As our course work will be a news show we won’t be focusing too strongly on this, but can use some of these skills while discussing news stories.
DJ talks about or to the listener:
On most radio stations, local and national, listeners can phone in to give opinions, such as sport opinions on Radio 5 Live, or answers quizzes on BBC Radio 1. This gives the listener an opportunity to be part of the radio experience and hopefully keep audiences’ listening and phoning in (often there are chances to win prizes). Obviously listeners are more likely to get through to the station on local radio as there are less people ringing in, yet less people will hear what they have to say in this instance.
DJ digresses to another subject:
Topic shift is frequent during radio shows as it keeps stories fresh and listeners interested and listening. Within our news piece we will discuss different news stories to meet the large variety of interests.
DJ promotes another show:
Usually DJs will promote other shows on the same station, for example Chris Moyles from Radio 1 may promote Reggie Yates who does a later show. Promoting shows form the station in an obvious business technique to boost audience ratings. They will not normally promote other stations, and they are the competition.
Jingles:
Jingles are used to attract audiences’, they are catchy and if a listener hears a snippet of your jingle while scrolling through radio stations they will stay and listen. Both national and local stations use this tactic, and example is Kerrangs jingle and slogan ‘Kerrang: Live Life Loud’ to a snappy tune. We will devise one for our coursework.
Vox-Pop:
A Vox-pop is an on location report made outside of the station, such as an ‘on-location’ news report. They are recorded using handheld recorders. We might use this during our news segment if we decided to do an on location report.
This is what I learned from my research into other radio stations, specifically Heart FM, 95.6 Bolton FM and BBC Radio 1.
Pauses/slang/catch phrase:
Slang and pauses are more common on Local radio such as Bolton FM due to smaller audiences who feel more like a community. Nation radios such as Kerrang or Heart FM use better English as they speak to a more unknown audience (people from all over the UK instead of a smaller area), despite this one of the main catch phrases of 1Xtra, a London based radio station, is ‘get funky’. This is because both national and local stations use catch phrases to attract audiences’ and appear ‘down to earth’. The more informal the station the more informal the catch phrase.
DJ talks about him/herself:
Usually DJ’s will talk about stories or music, but on occasions they will discuss their own lives. This will usually happen on a Monday morning while the presenters discuss their weekends. I researched and analysed this as I listened to Kerrang Radio where the presenter reported on a music festival he’d visited at the weekend.
DJ talks about the record:
The discussion of records and music comprises mostly of phattic utterances (small talk) which is pleasant to listen too. They will normally talk about the artist and how well the track is doing in the charts. As our course work will be a news show we won’t be focusing too strongly on this, but can use some of these skills while discussing news stories.
DJ talks about or to the listener:
On most radio stations, local and national, listeners can phone in to give opinions, such as sport opinions on Radio 5 Live, or answers quizzes on BBC Radio 1. This gives the listener an opportunity to be part of the radio experience and hopefully keep audiences’ listening and phoning in (often there are chances to win prizes). Obviously listeners are more likely to get through to the station on local radio as there are less people ringing in, yet less people will hear what they have to say in this instance.
DJ digresses to another subject:
Topic shift is frequent during radio shows as it keeps stories fresh and listeners interested and listening. Within our news piece we will discuss different news stories to meet the large variety of interests.
DJ promotes another show:
Usually DJs will promote other shows on the same station, for example Chris Moyles from Radio 1 may promote Reggie Yates who does a later show. Promoting shows form the station in an obvious business technique to boost audience ratings. They will not normally promote other stations, and they are the competition.
Jingles:
Jingles are used to attract audiences’, they are catchy and if a listener hears a snippet of your jingle while scrolling through radio stations they will stay and listen. Both national and local stations use this tactic, and example is Kerrangs jingle and slogan ‘Kerrang: Live Life Loud’ to a snappy tune. We will devise one for our coursework.
Vox-Pop:
A Vox-pop is an on location report made outside of the station, such as an ‘on-location’ news report. They are recorded using handheld recorders. We might use this during our news segment if we decided to do an on location report.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Plan so far and progress from Action Plan
Main task: A five minute news bulletin (local radio) to include title music, presenter, specialist reporters, OBs, recorded interview, a vox pop and appropriate sound fx and structure.
We now have a short time line for our show, this plan will give us something to follow as we begin to record.
Jingle- 20 seconds
Introduce of the coconut lounge- (Liable to change for a more serious approach. This is because we want our news segment to be taken seriously)- 1 minutes
Round up of big news headlines - 2 minutes
Cut to Hooli with the outside broadcast - 1 minute
Sports round up and interviews - 1 minute
Weather - 30 secondsEnding
jingle 20 seconds
We are considering creating a new jingle to meet the Mise en Scene of the news.
We now have a short time line for our show, this plan will give us something to follow as we begin to record.
Jingle- 20 seconds
Introduce of the coconut lounge- (Liable to change for a more serious approach. This is because we want our news segment to be taken seriously)- 1 minutes
Round up of big news headlines - 2 minutes
Cut to Hooli with the outside broadcast - 1 minute
Sports round up and interviews - 1 minute
Weather - 30 secondsEnding
jingle 20 seconds
We are considering creating a new jingle to meet the Mise en Scene of the news.
Script
This is a scripted version of our radio show I wrote up. This gives us something to read as we record so we get the stories right.
Jingle
Alex: Our headlines today:
Liam: A nineteen year old part time shop assistant has been found murdered in Reading
A: Relatives of Vincent Van Gough has launched a major exhibition of the artists work in London
L: Children’s Sectary, Ed Balls has caused for the urgent upheaval of a loop hole that allows corporal punishment in part-time schools
A: Finally, ‘all you can drink’ offers in pubs may be banned, and ID checks made compulsory under a planned code in England and Wales – Our main story today:
L: Thousands are feared dead after a massive earthquake that struck Haiti
A: The seven magnitude quake which hit the Haiti capital of Port-au-Prince on the 12th of January is the worst earthquake to have hit the country in two-hundred years.
We now go to our correspondent Hooli who is in Haiti getting local reaction:
Hooli: (Voxpop) Hooli will talk to local villagers who are shook up after the disaster, and then he will discuss way to help with a disaster coordinator.
L: Thank you Hooli. Listeners you may have experienced some audio disruption
Sports Jingle
A: Now the sports news
L: In transfer news, Wigan has secured the signature of Victor Moses from Crystal Palace who have gone into administration
A: Egypt beat Ghana 1 – 0 in the African Cup of Nations Final
L: SPL league champions, Celtic, have acquired Robbie Keane on a yearlong loan from Tottenham Hotspur. Now to our main story:
A: John Terry’s captaincy is now is question after his alleged affair with the wife of Wayne Bridge. And now some local news:
L: There has been a rise in ethnic minority students
A: Just over one in ten students at Oxford University were from an ethnic minority background
L: Oxford United back health scheme:
A: The scheme that allows fans to get a health check at the Kassam Stadium has been backed by the squad
L: The world’s largest private crocodile collection has been found in Whitney
A: Shaun Bogart from Whitney keeps crocodiles in his back garden and now wants to create the countries first ever crocodile conservation
L: We had a chance to catch up with Shaun today, and here’s what happened:
Insert interview with ‘Shaun Bogart’. I will play Shaun while Liam will conduct the interview.
A: To Hooli with the weather
H: Thanks guys, and now today’s weather. On the local side we have temperatures as high as 11 degrees in Oxford with slight winds at up to 14mph. With the national weather, we have rain in parts of Scotland, temperatures as low as 3 degrees. As we move south of Scotland to the north of England, we have rain in the Newcastle area, low winds and temperatures as low as 2 degrees. In the midlands area with Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield we have patches of cloud but were not expecting any rain. Still temperatures are low at 2 to 3 degrees. Down with Birmingham, Leicester, Northampton and Coventry they’re luckier with some sunshine but it’s still quite cold. Lows of 5 degrees, highs of 10, throughout the day cloud will move in. Towards London we’re going to have a few showers today and tomorrow but will clear up for the weekend. And that’s the weather.
Thank you for listening to the news, we will be back with more headlines today.
Jingle
Alex: Our headlines today:
Liam: A nineteen year old part time shop assistant has been found murdered in Reading
A: Relatives of Vincent Van Gough has launched a major exhibition of the artists work in London
L: Children’s Sectary, Ed Balls has caused for the urgent upheaval of a loop hole that allows corporal punishment in part-time schools
A: Finally, ‘all you can drink’ offers in pubs may be banned, and ID checks made compulsory under a planned code in England and Wales – Our main story today:
L: Thousands are feared dead after a massive earthquake that struck Haiti
A: The seven magnitude quake which hit the Haiti capital of Port-au-Prince on the 12th of January is the worst earthquake to have hit the country in two-hundred years.
We now go to our correspondent Hooli who is in Haiti getting local reaction:
Hooli: (Voxpop) Hooli will talk to local villagers who are shook up after the disaster, and then he will discuss way to help with a disaster coordinator.
L: Thank you Hooli. Listeners you may have experienced some audio disruption
Sports Jingle
A: Now the sports news
L: In transfer news, Wigan has secured the signature of Victor Moses from Crystal Palace who have gone into administration
A: Egypt beat Ghana 1 – 0 in the African Cup of Nations Final
L: SPL league champions, Celtic, have acquired Robbie Keane on a yearlong loan from Tottenham Hotspur. Now to our main story:
A: John Terry’s captaincy is now is question after his alleged affair with the wife of Wayne Bridge. And now some local news:
L: There has been a rise in ethnic minority students
A: Just over one in ten students at Oxford University were from an ethnic minority background
L: Oxford United back health scheme:
A: The scheme that allows fans to get a health check at the Kassam Stadium has been backed by the squad
L: The world’s largest private crocodile collection has been found in Whitney
A: Shaun Bogart from Whitney keeps crocodiles in his back garden and now wants to create the countries first ever crocodile conservation
L: We had a chance to catch up with Shaun today, and here’s what happened:
Insert interview with ‘Shaun Bogart’. I will play Shaun while Liam will conduct the interview.
A: To Hooli with the weather
H: Thanks guys, and now today’s weather. On the local side we have temperatures as high as 11 degrees in Oxford with slight winds at up to 14mph. With the national weather, we have rain in parts of Scotland, temperatures as low as 3 degrees. As we move south of Scotland to the north of England, we have rain in the Newcastle area, low winds and temperatures as low as 2 degrees. In the midlands area with Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield we have patches of cloud but were not expecting any rain. Still temperatures are low at 2 to 3 degrees. Down with Birmingham, Leicester, Northampton and Coventry they’re luckier with some sunshine but it’s still quite cold. Lows of 5 degrees, highs of 10, throughout the day cloud will move in. Towards London we’re going to have a few showers today and tomorrow but will clear up for the weekend. And that’s the weather.
Thank you for listening to the news, we will be back with more headlines today.
Research into Local/National Radio
Local:
96.5 Bolton FM
http://www.boltonfm.com/
About Bolton FM:
"Bolton FM is a new growing radio station for the town we love to serve. Our unique selling point (USP) is that we are based in Bolton and are run by volunteers and staff who have lived in the town all their lives. Because we are new we need to grow our news brand. It is the stations aim to be a respected and reliable source for everything that's happening in Bolton.
What’s their history?
Back in 1997 Bolton was to have its first commercial radio station. A group of radio enthusiasts led by Dorothy Maryland, Roy Worthington and Derek Knowles got together a team, and planned to bid for the licence.
They got the advice of Councillor Frank White who brought together BIG community backing by getting the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Bury FC & The Manchester Evening News on board.
Over two years building up to the licence being announced, and under the radio station name of Variety FM, they provided Bolton with a number of professionally run restricted service licence (RSL).
In 1999 came the news that Variety Gold had not got the licence and it had been given to Tower FM - a bury group.
The disappointment was immense but one thing that had emerged during all this was that radio training is a tremendous tool in raising self confidence and self-esteem. So DBBC a radio training charity was born.
A few years later it was announced that Bolton was to get a truly local radio station, with a community licence being advertised. The team knew this was their chance to truly make a difference in Bolton, and succeed in the dream of providing Bolton with a radio station that serves its community. And here we are!"
Research Points:
The DJ's comes from local volunteers who have 'lived in Bolton their whole lives and know the area' they therefore speak in deep accents that are true to their upbringing and will connect to the local listeners.
They use northern dialect and phrases that are known to the area such as 'Teas on't table' and 'chuck' in humorous ways.
The records seem quite modern and from the charts rather than older ones. They will play some related songs such as famous northern bands like 'Oasis'.
The two DJ's are discussing local issues between songs to help the local people. As I’m listening, they are advertising a charity 'pet wash' happening in the area, which is leading to a general conversation about pets and a humorous time in their lives when his cat had kittens and he was stuck with 10 kittens, this 'banter' makes its more interesting and is likely to attract listeners. The chat fades into song and yet again it is a popular hit from the charts.
There is a lot of advertising for 'What’s coming up' on the show, and in the local area, such as the pet wash. It mentions local sport events and music performances.
Sound effects are used cleverly before the news is read out, this technique allows people who hear the tune to become familiar with it and listen closely if it’s heard.
The station has several high profile connections including former Labour Whip Frank White as the station's chairman and Xfm radio presenter Darryl Morris as a director and programming advisor. Former Cops actor Jack Marsden is a regular presenter.
Carl Hartley is Programme Controller of the station, a position he held at former CN Group station Rugby FM. He's also had experience at Lakeland Radio, Tower FM, and The Bay
Presenting the show: Jay Hull
Talking to the listener: He discussed local events of interest, there was opportunities for call ins
Talking about the record: He would introduce the next track
Adverts: Local businesses eg ‘Plumbers of Bolton’
Catch phrase/Theme tune: to a tune ’96.5 Live from the North’
Digresses to another subject: Presenters did discuss their personal lives
DJ talks about own life: He announced he’s getting a new dog at the weekend
I think local radio presenters connect with their audience better, as they deal with local topics and in this normally have presenters from the local area. Usually their editing skills are not as good as those of a national station, due to a lack of funding and less expensive equipment. This can also affect things such as their jingles. Despite this down-fall they work hard to present local issues.
National:
BBC Radio 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/radio1/
"BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the BBC which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed primarily at the 15–29 age group.[1] Radio 1 was launched at 7:00am on 30 September 1967 as a direct response to the popularity of offshore pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, which had been outlawed by Act of Parliament."
I listened to a show presented by Greg James and made notes:
DJ's: Greg James (but many throughout the day such as well known Chris Moyle’s and Ferne Cotton)
Catchphrases such as 'This is BBC Radio 1' are used frequently during the show.
The DJ's discuss themselves and their weekends with humorous effect to give a pleasurable listening experience and attract listeners. My criticism to this 'Greg James' show is that he is on his own and so has no one to talk too and therefore just talks about himself to his audience.
The records played are all chart hits and they have a charts show leading down to the number 1 song. They tend to be the genre of ‘pop’ or ‘RnB’.
Research Notes:
Slang: slang used like 'oh yeah'. This makes the listener feel more 'at home' and enjoy the experience.
Talks about themselves: talks about himself e.g who he is and what time he got there. This makes the listener feel they know the presenter and builds 'friendship' bonds, which will bring the listener back. This though, is usually done better on local radio.
About the record: Jason Durulo track is discussed. This keeps the show relevant with modern music.
Talks to the listener: talks about the news to the caller, again keeping the listener a main priority and creating a masked 'friendship'.
Another subject: talking about Christmas, again keeping the show relevant.
Says whets coming up: 'Jay Sean up next' This keeps the listener listening as they will want to hear the song.
catch phrase: 'You're listening to radio 1’
These national stations have less connection with their audience, with different people calling in everyday (due to the large audience). But the listening experience is normally preferred due to their better technical and editing equipment.
I then listened to Heart FM and made similar notes to compare. Heart is particularly interesting as it is London's local station that also broadcasts nationally.
Heart fM
http://www.heart.co.uk/
Presenting the show: Toby Anstis
Talking to the listener: caller calls in to answer question on chance to win tickets to a gig paid for by the show
Talking about the record: talking about the song e.g name chart position and if they like the track
Promotes another show: uses upcoming messages to tell you when Emma Bunton’s radio show will begin.
Adverts: Lg phones, trust a trader.com, Wilkerson and Persil
Catch phrase/Theme tune: 'This is Heart' and 'Give it Some Heart'
Digresses to another subject: starts talking about I’m a celebrity get me out of here.
Says whets coming up: songs from Michael Bubble and Lighthouse Family coming up.
DJ talks about own life: say that he is not feeling too well and has caught the cold that is going round
National and Local stations advertise different products and events (local promote local goods while national advertised bigger brands) but they both use similar advertising theories. They use the Syringe Theory to promote themselves, every time you hear 'This is Heart' as a listener, you feel you want to keep listening to hear what’s coming up on the show. The Two-Step Flow theory is also used, as people go away and discuss what they've heard on the radio e.g "BBC Radio 1 was playing that new track!" and more people will go and listen to pass their own judgment.
I will use these notes to create a document of 'radio convections' to develop my research and then use during the recording of my radio show.
By listening to these two stations I managed to analyse them and pick up some key skills. I listened to how the DJ's spoke and wrote down the convections of radio. I see our radio course-work being a local news show but with qualities from a national show. We will report on both national and local stories with the professionalism of editing from a national show, but the heart-warming presenting and audience connection you receive from local radio.
96.5 Bolton FM
http://www.boltonfm.com/
About Bolton FM:
"Bolton FM is a new growing radio station for the town we love to serve. Our unique selling point (USP) is that we are based in Bolton and are run by volunteers and staff who have lived in the town all their lives. Because we are new we need to grow our news brand. It is the stations aim to be a respected and reliable source for everything that's happening in Bolton.
What’s their history?
Back in 1997 Bolton was to have its first commercial radio station. A group of radio enthusiasts led by Dorothy Maryland, Roy Worthington and Derek Knowles got together a team, and planned to bid for the licence.
They got the advice of Councillor Frank White who brought together BIG community backing by getting the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Bury FC & The Manchester Evening News on board.
Over two years building up to the licence being announced, and under the radio station name of Variety FM, they provided Bolton with a number of professionally run restricted service licence (RSL).
In 1999 came the news that Variety Gold had not got the licence and it had been given to Tower FM - a bury group.
The disappointment was immense but one thing that had emerged during all this was that radio training is a tremendous tool in raising self confidence and self-esteem. So DBBC a radio training charity was born.
A few years later it was announced that Bolton was to get a truly local radio station, with a community licence being advertised. The team knew this was their chance to truly make a difference in Bolton, and succeed in the dream of providing Bolton with a radio station that serves its community. And here we are!"
Research Points:
The DJ's comes from local volunteers who have 'lived in Bolton their whole lives and know the area' they therefore speak in deep accents that are true to their upbringing and will connect to the local listeners.
They use northern dialect and phrases that are known to the area such as 'Teas on't table' and 'chuck' in humorous ways.
The records seem quite modern and from the charts rather than older ones. They will play some related songs such as famous northern bands like 'Oasis'.
The two DJ's are discussing local issues between songs to help the local people. As I’m listening, they are advertising a charity 'pet wash' happening in the area, which is leading to a general conversation about pets and a humorous time in their lives when his cat had kittens and he was stuck with 10 kittens, this 'banter' makes its more interesting and is likely to attract listeners. The chat fades into song and yet again it is a popular hit from the charts.
There is a lot of advertising for 'What’s coming up' on the show, and in the local area, such as the pet wash. It mentions local sport events and music performances.
Sound effects are used cleverly before the news is read out, this technique allows people who hear the tune to become familiar with it and listen closely if it’s heard.
The station has several high profile connections including former Labour Whip Frank White as the station's chairman and Xfm radio presenter Darryl Morris as a director and programming advisor. Former Cops actor Jack Marsden is a regular presenter.
Carl Hartley is Programme Controller of the station, a position he held at former CN Group station Rugby FM. He's also had experience at Lakeland Radio, Tower FM, and The Bay
Presenting the show: Jay Hull
Talking to the listener: He discussed local events of interest, there was opportunities for call ins
Talking about the record: He would introduce the next track
Adverts: Local businesses eg ‘Plumbers of Bolton’
Catch phrase/Theme tune: to a tune ’96.5 Live from the North’
Digresses to another subject: Presenters did discuss their personal lives
DJ talks about own life: He announced he’s getting a new dog at the weekend
I think local radio presenters connect with their audience better, as they deal with local topics and in this normally have presenters from the local area. Usually their editing skills are not as good as those of a national station, due to a lack of funding and less expensive equipment. This can also affect things such as their jingles. Despite this down-fall they work hard to present local issues.
National:
BBC Radio 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/radio1/
"BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the BBC which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed primarily at the 15–29 age group.[1] Radio 1 was launched at 7:00am on 30 September 1967 as a direct response to the popularity of offshore pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, which had been outlawed by Act of Parliament."
I listened to a show presented by Greg James and made notes:
DJ's: Greg James (but many throughout the day such as well known Chris Moyle’s and Ferne Cotton)
Catchphrases such as 'This is BBC Radio 1' are used frequently during the show.
The DJ's discuss themselves and their weekends with humorous effect to give a pleasurable listening experience and attract listeners. My criticism to this 'Greg James' show is that he is on his own and so has no one to talk too and therefore just talks about himself to his audience.
The records played are all chart hits and they have a charts show leading down to the number 1 song. They tend to be the genre of ‘pop’ or ‘RnB’.
Research Notes:
Slang: slang used like 'oh yeah'. This makes the listener feel more 'at home' and enjoy the experience.
Talks about themselves: talks about himself e.g who he is and what time he got there. This makes the listener feel they know the presenter and builds 'friendship' bonds, which will bring the listener back. This though, is usually done better on local radio.
About the record: Jason Durulo track is discussed. This keeps the show relevant with modern music.
Talks to the listener: talks about the news to the caller, again keeping the listener a main priority and creating a masked 'friendship'.
Another subject: talking about Christmas, again keeping the show relevant.
Says whets coming up: 'Jay Sean up next' This keeps the listener listening as they will want to hear the song.
catch phrase: 'You're listening to radio 1’
These national stations have less connection with their audience, with different people calling in everyday (due to the large audience). But the listening experience is normally preferred due to their better technical and editing equipment.
I then listened to Heart FM and made similar notes to compare. Heart is particularly interesting as it is London's local station that also broadcasts nationally.
Heart fM
http://www.heart.co.uk/
Presenting the show: Toby Anstis
Talking to the listener: caller calls in to answer question on chance to win tickets to a gig paid for by the show
Talking about the record: talking about the song e.g name chart position and if they like the track
Promotes another show: uses upcoming messages to tell you when Emma Bunton’s radio show will begin.
Adverts: Lg phones, trust a trader.com, Wilkerson and Persil
Catch phrase/Theme tune: 'This is Heart' and 'Give it Some Heart'
Digresses to another subject: starts talking about I’m a celebrity get me out of here.
Says whets coming up: songs from Michael Bubble and Lighthouse Family coming up.
DJ talks about own life: say that he is not feeling too well and has caught the cold that is going round
National and Local stations advertise different products and events (local promote local goods while national advertised bigger brands) but they both use similar advertising theories. They use the Syringe Theory to promote themselves, every time you hear 'This is Heart' as a listener, you feel you want to keep listening to hear what’s coming up on the show. The Two-Step Flow theory is also used, as people go away and discuss what they've heard on the radio e.g "BBC Radio 1 was playing that new track!" and more people will go and listen to pass their own judgment.
I will use these notes to create a document of 'radio convections' to develop my research and then use during the recording of my radio show.
By listening to these two stations I managed to analyse them and pick up some key skills. I listened to how the DJ's spoke and wrote down the convections of radio. I see our radio course-work being a local news show but with qualities from a national show. We will report on both national and local stories with the professionalism of editing from a national show, but the heart-warming presenting and audience connection you receive from local radio.
Monday, 7 December 2009
Vox Pop
For our radio piece we intend to use a Vox Pop as we try to use many different radio techniques effectively. A Vox Pop is an ‘on location’ report used frequently on news shows. An example would be news presenters discussing a riot in the studio and cutting to a vox pop of a reporter at the riots- it is no surprise that Vox Pop comes from the Latin Vox Populi meaning ‘voice of the people’ as often the reporter will get local opinions while on location.
We are yet to decide what story we will use our Vox Pop on, but have decide we may use a media-effect to give it a disjointed sound as there are frequently audio interferences when broadcasting from far away from the studio.
We are yet to decide what story we will use our Vox Pop on, but have decide we may use a media-effect to give it a disjointed sound as there are frequently audio interferences when broadcasting from far away from the studio.
Creating a Jingle
During a period in the Recording-Room we worked on creating our jingle. For our preliminary our jingle was colloquial and appealed to the youth sociolect we were trying to reach. This had to change for our final piece as our news show was aimed to a more mature target audience. To achieve this we created a powerful 'theme-tune' that mimicked the music of a news show and introduced the name of our program at the end rather than during the music; this technique was inspired by 'The News at 10' when a deep voice announces the name of the show after the famous chime of Big Ben and their music.
Semiotics
Semiotics (semiotic studies or semiology) is the study of sign processes (semiosis), or signification and communication, signs and symbols, into three branches:
Semantics: Relation between signs and the things to which they refer; their denotata
Syntactics: Relation of signs to each other in formal structures
Pragmatics: Relation of signs to their impacts on those who use them
This study of 'signs' is not just visual, but also audio and what noises mean. We can use semiotics while working on our coursework. For example our 'Jingle' is a sigh process through the Syringe Theory. If a media consumer hears it while searching through radio stations they will recognise it a hopefully tune in. Early theorists such as Charles W Morris conducted research into seminology, but it can be traced back as far as geniuses such as Plato who recognised the importance of 'signs' and our world.
After this research I will be constructing my jingle which will be documented in my next post.
Semantics: Relation between signs and the things to which they refer; their denotata
Syntactics: Relation of signs to each other in formal structures
Pragmatics: Relation of signs to their impacts on those who use them
This study of 'signs' is not just visual, but also audio and what noises mean. We can use semiotics while working on our coursework. For example our 'Jingle' is a sigh process through the Syringe Theory. If a media consumer hears it while searching through radio stations they will recognise it a hopefully tune in. Early theorists such as Charles W Morris conducted research into seminology, but it can be traced back as far as geniuses such as Plato who recognised the importance of 'signs' and our world.
After this research I will be constructing my jingle which will be documented in my next post.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Radio Terminology
A (Alpha)
A - Ampere - Unit of current measurement. Current is a measure of the electron flow through a circuit per unit of time. 6.24 x 10^18 electrons moving past a point in one second, equals one ampere. Abbreviated as amps.
A Battery -- in early radio, batteries were the prime source of power - The A battery provided the filament voltage, the B-battery furnished the B+ or the Voltage to the plates of the tubes, and the C battery provided the grid-bias voltage for the tubes.
absorption - The reduction in a radio signal strength in the ionosphere.
AC - Alternating Current
access code - (Repeater Term) A code to activate a repeater function e.g. auto patch, link etc.. One or more numbers and/or symbols are keyed in with a telephone key pad and transmitted to the repeater.
A/D - Analog-to-Digital
Aerial - Used in the early days of radio - sometimes referring to an outdoor antenna. Still used in the UK.
AF - Audio Frequency 20 to 20,000 hertz, the human hearing range. Also abbreviation for Africa
AFC - Automatic frequency control. Used in FM receivers to prevent drift.
AFSK - Audio frequency shift keying (as opposed to frequency shift keying, FSK)
A-index - An index of the conditions of the Earth’s magnetic field as measured at Boulder, Colorado. Propagation generally improves with lower measurement numbers. URL:Propagation
AGC - Automatic Gain Control. A feedback voltage in the receiver circuit to prevent fading
ALC - Automatic level control. A feedback voltage in the transmitter's output amplifier used to prevent amplifier overload. Also used as feedback from a linear amplifier back to the exciter to prevent overdriving.
alligator - A repeater that transmits further than it can receive, big mouth, small ears! Also used in reference to a repeater timer timeout. If you talk on the repeater too long, an internal timer will cut you off, and jargon for this is "The alligator got you!" Also in contesting circles to refer to a station (usually running high power and under noisy receive conditions) whose transmit signal is greater than their receive capability.
amateur- a person licensed to operate in the amateur bands.
amateur radio - A non-commercial radio service as set by a recognized cognizant government agency. In the USA, amateur radio is defined under part 97 of the FCC Rules and Regulations - See URL: Part 97
amateur service: a radio communication service for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs, that is, duly authorized persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
ampere (A) : the basic unit of electrical current. Current is a measure of the electron flow through a circuit per unit of time. 6.24 x 10^18 electrons moving past a point in one second, equals one ampere. Abbreviated as amps.
AM - Amplitude Modulation See URL: Modulation Modes
A.M.- ante meridian (before noon).
AMSAT - Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation - See URL: AMSAT
AMTOR - Amateur Teleprinter Over Radio. A version of RTTY. - See URL: AMTOR Also used commercially as SITOR (Simplex Teleprinter Over Radio).
ANARC - Association of North American Radio Clubs. See ANARC
antenna: a device that intercepts or radiates radio frequency energy.
antenna farm - Ham's dream -- lotsa room for big, long, antennas
antenna tuner: Impedance-matching device that matches the antenna system input impedance to the transmitter, receiver, or transceiver output impedance.
appliance operator : Hams who neither build nor experiment with radio equipment, but merely operate commercial equipment, perhaps without understanding how it all works.
APRS - Automatic Packet Position Reporting System - See URL: APRS
ARA - Amateur Radio Association
ARC - Amateur Radio Club. Military Designation for Avionics (Aviation Radio Composite)
ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service - See URL: ARES
ARRL - American Radio Relay League , the national amateur radio organization in the USA - See URL: ARRL
ARQ - Automatic repeat request used in AMTOR.
ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The ASCII 7-bit code represents 128 characters including 32 control characters.
ASR - Automatic send-receive. An RTTY terminal mode that allows message composition while receiving text from the another station.
ATT - Attenuator, often expressed in dB of reduction.
ATV - Amateur Television, also known as fast scan television - See URL: ATV
auroral propagation - Propagation above 30 MHz by means of refraction by highly ionized regions around the Earth’s poles. See URL: Propagation
autopatch - (Repeater Term) a device that interfaces a repeater to the telephone system to permit repeater users to make telephone calls. Often just called a "patch."
AVC - Automatic Volume Control - A feedback scheme to level out the receiver audio volume.
AWG - American Wire Gauge - standard for describing the diameter of wire by which the wire size increases as the gauge number decreases.
B (Bravo)
B - Battery -- in early radio, batteries were the prime source of power - The A battery provided the filament voltage, the B battery furnished the B+ or the Voltage to the plates of the tubes, and the C battery provided the grid-bias voltage to the tubes.
balanced line: A feed line with two conductors having equal but opposite voltages, with neither conductor at ground potential.
balanced modulator: a mixer circuit used in a single-sideband suppressed-carrier transmitter to combine a voice signal and the RF carrier. The balanced modulator isolates the input signals from each other and the output, so that only the sum and the difference of the two input signals reach the output. The original carrier signal and the audio signal are suppressed.
balun - balance to unbalance , a device used to couple a balanced antenna to an unbalanced feed line (e.g., dipole to coax)
band - a range of frequencies allotted for a particular use (e.g., 20 Meter Band) See Ham bands
bandpass - range of frequencies permitted to pass through a filter or receiver circuit.
band-pass filter: a circuit that passes a range of frequencies and attenuates signals above and below this range
base -- a radio station located at a fixed location as opposed to a mobile. Used to identify the control location in a network of radio stations.
barefoot - transmitting with a transceiver alone and no linear amplifier
base loading - A loading coil at the bottom of an antenna to achieve a lower resonant frequency.
BAUD - The unit of digital-signal speed.
Baudot: a five-bit digital code used in teleprinter application.
BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation. See BBC
BBS - Bulletin Board System
BCI - Broadcast radio interference.
beam - an antenna that gives a directional beam pattern. See Yagi
beacon: A station that transmits one-way signals for the purpose of navigation, homing, and propagation condition determination. See URL: Beacons
Benton Harbor Lunch Box - A portable transceiver made by Heathkit Co. Band choices were 2, 6, or 10 meters - AM operation.
BFO - Beat frequency oscillator. Used to mix with the incoming signal to produce an audio tone for CW reception. A BFO is needed to copy CW and SSB signals.
Bird - nickname for satellite. Also a brand name of a high-end, high quality directional wattmeter.
birdie - Spurious signals produced in a receiver - usually a product of mixed intermediate frequencies within the radio.
bleed over- Interference caused by a station operating on an adjacent channel
bleeder resistor: a large-value resistor connected across the filter capacitor in a power supply to discharge the filter capacitors when the supply is turned off.
block diagram: a drawing using rectangles to represent major sections of electronic circuits. The diagram shows signal flow and the function of the sections.
BNC - Coax connector commonly used with VHF/UHF equipment -- Bayonet Niell-Concelman (standard connector type used on COAX cable, named for its inventors).\
BPL - BroadBand Over Power Lines
bps - Bits per second
BPSK - Binary Phase Shift Keying; digital DSB suppressed carrier modulation.
birdie: A false or spurious signal in a receiver inadvertently produced by the receiver’s circuitry.
boat anchor - antique ham equipment -- So named because of weight and size. See BoatAnchors
bootlegger - Someone, usually not a Ham but a wannabe, making up a callsign, one usually not in the callbook, and getting on the air. Sometimes it is someone who already bought a radio, took the test and flunked, and then gets on the air anyway.
bounce - reflections of a radio wave off of an object, (e.g., the ionosphere or the moon)
breadboard - Early experimenters used a wood board or bread board to lay out circuits. Now used to describe an experimental layout on whatever media -- like PC boards.
break - (Repeater Term) used to interrupt a conversation on a repeater to indicate that there is an emergency or urgent message. If non-urgent, simply interject your callsign.
break break (Repeater Term) used to intercede in an existing conversation with emergency communications.
broadcasting: transmissions intended for the general public. Broadcasting is prohibited on the Amateur Radio Bands, other than QST's which of are of interest to all Amateur Stations, example W1AW code practice transmissions.
bug - a semi-automatic mechanical code key
bunny hunt - (see "fox hunt") See Fox Hunting
bureau - International Amateur organizations set up to process QSL cards between countries. Provides an inexpensive way to send and receive QSL cards - See URL: Bureaus
burro - International QSL forwarding bureau.
Busted Call -- An incorrectly logged callsign
C (Charlie)
C- Battery -- in early radio, batteries were the prime source of power - The A battery provided the filament voltage, the B battery furnished the B+ or Voltage to the plates of the tubes, and the C battery provided the grid-bias voltage to the tubes.
california kilowatt - a power setting above the legal limit
call book - a publication or CD ROM that lists licensed amateur radio operators See URL: CALLBOOK
calling frequency: A defacto standard frequency where stations attempt to contact each other. Example -- 146.52 is the USA National FM simplex calling frequency See Calling Frequencies
candy store -- ham term for the local Ham Radio Dealer. -- See Ham Stores
cans -- headphones
cap - capacitor (formerly condenser)
CAP - Civil Air Patrol
capacitor: an electronic component composed of two or more conductive plates separated by an insulating material. A capacitor stores energy in an electric field.
carrier - a pure continuous radio emission at a fixed frequency, without modulation and without interruption. Several types of modulation can be applied to the carrier, See AM and FM. See URL: Modulation Modes
carrier-operated relay (COR) - (Repeater Term) circuitry that causes the repeater to transmit in response to a received signal.
CATV - Cable Television (originally Community Television)
CATVI - Cable Television Interface.
CBA - Callbook Address
CC&R's - Covenents, Conditions, and Restrictions - an extensive set of rules drawn up by homeowner's associations and their lawyers which, among other things, typically restrict or completely prohibit a homeowner from having most forms of antennas on their property.
CCW - Coherent CW
center frequency - The unmodulated carrier frequency of an FM transmitter.
center loading - A loading coil at the center of an antenna to achieve a lower resonant frequency
centi: the metric prefix for 10^-2, or divide by 100.
channel - (Repeater Term) the pair of frequencies (input and output) used by a repeater.
chassis ground: the common connection for all parts of a circuit that connect to the negative side of the power supply.
chirp - Changes in the carrier frequency of a CW transmitter, resulting in a chirping sound
clear -- used to indicate a station is done transmitting
closed repeater - (Repeater Term) a repeater whose access is limited to a select group (see open repeater).
cloud warmer - an antenna which radiates most of the transmitted energy nearly straight up.
CMOS - Complementary-symmetry metal-oxide semiconductor.
coax, coaxial cable A type of wire that consists of a center wire surrounded by insulation and then a grounded shield of braided wire. The shield minimizes electrical and radio frequency interference. 50-ohm and 72 ohm characteristic impedances are typical. See Coax Types
code - usually refers to Morse code, but used for others such as baudot.
coil: a conductor wound into a series of loops. See also inductor
color code: a system in which numerical values are assigned to various colors. Colored stripes are painted on the body of resistors and other components to show their value. See Color Code
condenser - Old term for capacitor - basic unit is farads, which is generally too large so usually expressed in microfarads or picofarads. An electronic component composed of two or more conductive plates separated by an insulating material. A capacitor stores energy in an electric field.
controller: (Repeater Term) the control system within a repeater -- usually includes turning the repeater on-off, timing transmissions, sending the identification signal, controlling the auto patch and CTCSS encoder/decoder.
control operator - (Repeater Term) the Amateur Radio operator designated to "control" the operation of the repeater, as required by FCC regulations.
copy -- indication of how well communications are received. "I have a good copy on you"also used as a question, as in "did you copy" - understand all"
copying -- used to indicate one is monitoring as in "I was copying the mail" which means I was listening in on the conversation
core: the material used in the center of an inductor coil, where magnetic fields is concentrated.
courtesy beep - (Repeater Term) an audible indication that a repeater user may go ahead and transmit, usually resets the timer
coverage - (Repeater Term) the geographic area that the repeater provides communications.
CPS - Cycles Per Second, this terminology was replaced by "Hertz" (see "Hertz")
CQ - calling any amateur radio station, may be sent in CW, phone or some digital modes
CR - Carriage return
critical angle - The angle at which a radio signal is refracted in the ionosphere. Lower angles generally result in greater distance transmissions. critical frequency: the highest frequency at which a vertically incident radio wave will return from the ionosphere. Above the critical frequency radio signals pass through the ionosphere instead of returning to Earth.
cross-band: the process of transmitting on one band and receiving on another.
CRT - Cathode-ray tube
crystal - a piezoelectric device that tends to resonate at a frequency dependent on its material, dimensions, and temperature
crystal filter - A network of piezoelectric crystals used to obtain high rejection of unwanted signals.
crystal oscillator: a device that uses a quartz crystal to keep the frequency of a transmitter constant.
CSCE - Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (U.S.), a certificate certifying a person has successfully passed one or more of the amateur radio license examinations
CTCSS - (Repeater Term) abbreviation for continuous tone-controlled squelch system, a series of subaudible tones that some repeaters use to restrict access. See CTCSS Codes
current: a flow of electrons in an electrical circuit.
cutoff frequency - The frequency at which a filter will begin to reject signals.
CW - Continuous Wave, see carrier. In truth a continuous wave is an unmodulated, uninterrupted RF wave. However in common usage refers to Morse code emissions or messages which is an interrupted wave. See URL: Modulation Modes
cycles (cps) term used for measuring frequency prior to the term Hertz replaced it - hence kc, Mc, etc.
D (Delta)
dB - Decibel (1/10 of a Bel); unit for the ratio of two power measurements. - See URL: decibel
dBc - In terms of RF signals, dBc is Decibels relative to the carrier level.
dBd - Decibels above or below a dipole antenna.
dBi - Decibels above or below an isotropic antenna.
DC - Direct current
de -- Morse code for "from" e.g., AC6V de WA0PPP
deci: the metric prefix for 10^-1, or divide by 10.
delta-loop antenna: a variation of the cubical quad with triangular elements.
desense (desensitization): the reduction of receiver sensitivity due to overload from a nearby transmitter.
detector - the stage in a receiver in which the modulation (voice or other information) is recovered from the RF signal. Called a discriminator in FM
deviation - The change in the carrier frequency of a FM transmitter produced by the modulating signal.
deviation ratio - the ratio between the maximum change in RF-carrier frequency and the highest modulating frequency used in an FM transmitter. Also see modulation Index.
digipeater - A store-and-forward digital repeater which will receive and transmit a data packet on the same frequency.
dip meter - or grid dip meter -- a device used to determine the resonant frequency of an electronic circuit
diplexer - A frequency splitting and isolation device. Typically used to couple two transceivers to a single or dual band antenna , thus allowing one to receive on one transceiver and transmit on the other transceiver. Typical application 2M and 440MHz transceivers into a dual band antenna for satellite work. Thus typically an isolation device for use on 2 or more different bands.dipole - the basic antenna consisting of a length of wire or tubing, open and fed at the center. The entire antenna is ½ wavelength long at the desired operating frequency. This antenna often used as a standard for calculating gain, dBd.
director - an element in front of the driven element in a Yagi or Quad and some other directional antennas.
doubling -- (Repeater Term) On a repeater if two stations transmit simultaneously, the signals mix in the repeater's receiver and results in a raspy signal. FM has a characteristic whereby the stronger signals "captures" and over-rides the weaker one.
downlink - Channel used for satellite-to-earth communications.
double-pole, double-throw (DPDT) switch - switches two different circuit lines to two different points.double-pole, single-throw (DPST) switch - switches two different circuit lines on or off.
DPSK - Differential Phase Shift Keying; a form of BPSK where only data transitions are transmitted.
D-region - D-layer: The lowest region of the ionosphere found approximately 25 to 55 miles above Earth; it fades away quickly after sunset and sometimes does not form at all on short winter days. The main impact of the D-layer on radio propagation is to absorb energy from signals passing through it. -- See URL: Propagation
driven element - antenna element that connects directly to the feed line.
dropping out - (Repeater Term) a repeater requires a minimum signal in order to transmit, when a signal does not have enough strength to keep the repeater transmitting, it "drops out"
DSP - Digital Signal Processing - allows for filtering, noise reduction, audio equalization, etc
DTMF - (Repeater Term) abbreviation for dual-tone multi-frequency, the series of tones generated from a keypad on a ham radio transceiver (or a regular telephone). Uses 2-of-7 or 2-of-8 tones; often referred to by Bell's trademark Touchtone. See DTMF Tones
dual-band antenna - antenna designed for use on two different Amateur Radio bands.
dummy load - a device which substitutes for an antenna during tests on a transmitter. It converts radio energy to heat instead of radiating energy. Offers a match to the transmitter output impedance.
Dupe - A duplicate contact -- As in Contesting
duplex - (Repeater Term) a communication mode in which a radio transmits on one frequency and receives on another (also see full duplex, half duplex, and simplex)
duplexer - (Repeater Term) a device used in repeater systems which allows a single antenna to transmit and receive simultaneously. Thus typically for isolation on a system on the same band.
DVM - Digital voltmeter
DX - (noun) distant station; (verb) to contact a distant station
DXer - An Amateur radio operator who actively pursues contacting distant and rare Amateur Radio stations. Also applied to Short Wave Listeners.
DXCC - Award offered by ARRL for contacting and confirming 100 or more different countries first introduced in 1937. DXCC is copyright ARRL and its use here is printed with permission of the ARRL. See DXCC
DXpedition - Radio expedition to remote and rare locations -- See Current DX Operations
dynamic range: How well a receiver can handle strong signals with overloading; any measure of over 100 decibels is considered excellent.
E (Echo)
earth ground - a circuit connection to a ground rod driven into the earthEcholink Uses a network protocol called VoIP (Voice over IP). This program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, from computer to station, or from computer to computer. There are more than 96,000 registered users in 128 countries worldwide! URL: EchoLink
ECSSB - Exalted-carrier single sideband.
Edison Effect - Thomas A. Edison discovered the electron flow from a glowing cathode to an anode in an evacuated glass bulb and was called the 'Edison-effect' This led to the development of the vacuum tube.
EEPROM - Electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory
E-layer: The region of the ionosphere found approximately 55 to 90 miles above Earth; it fades away a few hours after sunset. The main impact of the E-layer on radio propagation is to absorb energy from signals passing through it, although sporadic-E propagation makes possible distant communications on frequencies above 30 MHz. See URL: Propagation
EHF - Extremely High Frequency (30 - 300 GHz)
EIRP - Effective isotropic radiated power.
elephant - a repeater that receives further than it can transmit, big ears, small mouth!
ELF - Extremely Low Frequency (30 - 300 Hz)
elmer - a mentor; an experienced operator who tutors newer operators See URL: ELMERS
eleven meters - currently the CB band, once a Ham band
EME - Earth-Moon-Earth; using the moon as a passive reflector to establish a signal path; moonbounce. - See URL: EME
EMF Electromotive force; voltage.
EMI - Electromagnetic interference.
emission mode - the form of a radio emission, such as AM, FM, or single sideband - See URL: Modulation Modes
EMP - Electromagnetic pulse; a extremely high-energy magnetic field. Such as the current flow caused by a lightning strike or nuclear explosion.
ERP - Effective Radiated Power
E-skip - Sporadic E-layer ionospheric propagation see URL: Propagation
ether - Old theory for the medium once believed to conduct radio waves. The existence of the ionosphere is first discovered by the English physicist, Appelton in 1924.
Eu - Europe
eyeball - A face-to-face meeting between two ham radio operators.
F (Foxtrot)
FAA - Federal Aviation Administration (USA). See FAA
F-layer: The region of the ionosphere found approximately 90 to 400 miles above Earth and which is responsible for most long distance propagation on frequencies below 30 MHz. During the daytime (especially in summer), solar heating can cause the F-layer to split into two separate layers, the F1-layer and the F2-layer. See URL: Propagation
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
far field of an antenna - that region of the electromagnetic field surrounding an antenna where the field strength as a function of angle (the antenna pattern) is essentially independent of the distance from the antenna. In this region (also called the free-space region), the field has a predominantly plane-wave character. That is, locally uniform distributions of electric field strength and magnetic field strength are in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
Farnsworth - a method of sending Morse code characters. Example characters are sent at 13 words per minute but the spacing is adjusted so that the overall code speed is 5 words per minute.
fax - facsimile, a digital mode for transmitting images - See URL: Modulation Modes
FB - Fine Business, good, fine, OK
FCC - Federal Communications Commission, the governmental body in the U.S. which regulates the radio spectrum See URL: FCC
feedline - wire or cable connecting a radio to an antenna
FET - Field-effect transistor
field day - Amateur Radio activity in June to practice emergency communications.
field strength meter - a test instrument used to show the presence of RF energy and the relative strength of the RF field.
filter - A circuit or device that will allow certain frequencies to pass while rejecting others.
final - The last transmission by a station during a contact. Also the last amplifying stage of a radio transmitter.
fire bottle - any electronic vacuum tube
first personal - first name - CB jargon that has crept into Ham jargon - old timers shudder
fist - early spark transmitters showered the operator with sparks - so Marconi's key lever was lengthened and the padded end was beaten with the 'fist' of the operator to send dots and dashes. Also a CW ops' reference to another ops' keying characteristic
F.I.S.T.S. - An organization of CW enthusiasts. See FISTS
flat topping -- overmodulating so as to distort a waveform
flutter - Rapid variation in the signal strength of a station, usually due to propagation variations.
FM - Frequency Modulation - See URL: Modulation Modes
FOC - First Class CW Operators Club -- See FOC
fox hunt - a contest to locate a hidden transmitter - See URL: FOXHUNT
frequency - the rate of oscillation (vibration). Audio and radio wave frequencies are measured in Hertz. (cycles per second)
frequency coordinator - (Repeater Term) an individual or group responsible for assigning frequencies to new repeaters without causing interference to existing repeaters
FSK Frequency-shift keying. Modulating the transmitter by using the RTTY data signal to shift the carrier frequency. Mark and Space. See URL: Modulation Modes
FSTV - Fast-Scan TV. Same as commercial broadcast TV.
full-break in (QSK) - allows a station to break into the communication without waiting for the transmitting station to finish.
full duplex - a communications mode in which a radios can transmit and receive at the same time by using two different frequencies (see "duplex" and half duplex)
full gallon - (see gallon)
full quieting -- (Repeater Term) a phenomenon on FM transmissions where the incoming signal is sufficient to engage the receiver limiters - thus eliminating the noise due to amplitude fluctuations.
full-wave bridge rectifier - a full-wave rectifier circuit that uses four diodes and does not require a center-tapped transformer. Converts AC to DCfull-wave rectifier - a circuit basically composed of two half-wave rectifiers. The full wave rectifier allows the full ac waveform to pass through; one half of the cycle is reversed in polarity. This circuit requires a center-tapped transformer. Converts AC to DCfuse - a thin metal strip mounted in a holder. When excessive current passes through the fuse, the metal strip melts and opens and protects the circuit. Fuses are rated in amperes and voltage and time to activate - fast blow or slow blow.
G (Golf)
gallon - slang for transmitter output power -- legally either 1000 watts CW or 1500 watts PEP
GaAs -- Gallium arsenide; used in high-speed semiconductors.
gain, antenna - an increase in the effective power radiated by an antenna in a certain desired direction, or an increase in received signal strength from a certain direction. This is at the expense of power radiated in, or signal strength received from, other directions.
GCR - General Certification Rule. Most award sponsors allow GCR in lieu of actually wanting to see your cards. You need to have the cards! GCR usually means getting the signatures of two witnesses who certify that you possess the cards and that the information you state on the application is correct.
GHz - gigahertz - billion (1,000,000,000) hertz (see Hertz)
giga - the metric prefix for 10^9 or times 1,000,000,000.
GMRS - General Mobile Radio Service.
GOTA - Get on the Air -- A category in the annual ARRL Field Day event. The GOTA station may be operated by Novice, Technicians or generally inactive hams under their existing operating privileges, or under the direction of a Control Operator with appropriate privileges, as necessary. Non-licensed persons may participate under the direct supervision of an appropriate control operator.See URL: ARRL FIELD DAY
GPS - Global Positioning System -- See GPS
gray line - a band around the Earth that separates daylight from darkness. It is a transition region between day and night. One of the many types of propagation paths.
great circle route - The shortest path by radio between any two points on Earth.
green stamp - U.S. dollar bill sent along with a QSL card (instead of an IRC) to offset postage costs of a return card.
grid dip meter -- Test Equipment that causes a meter decrease (dip) when near resonant circuits
ground - Common zero-voltage reference point.
ground-plane antenna - a vertical antenna built with the central radiating element one-quarter-wavelength long and several radials extending horizontally from the base. The radials are slightly longer than one-quarter wave, and may droop toward the ground.
ground wave propagation - radio waves that travel along the surface of the earth, even beyond the horizon. See URL: Propagation
H (Hotel)
half duplex - (Repeater Term) a communications mode in which a radio transmits and receives on two different frequencies but performs only one of these operations at any given time (see "duplex" and "full duplex")
half-wave dipole - the basic antenna consisting of a length of wire or tubing, open and fed at the center. The entire antenna is ½ wavelength long at the desired operating frequency.half-wave rectifier - a circuit that allows only half of the applied ac waveform to pass through it.
hand-held - (Repeater Term) a small, lightweight portable transceiver small enough to be carried easily; also called HT (for Handie-Talkie, a Motorola trademark).
hang time - (Repeater Term) the short period following a transmission that allows others who want to access the repeater a chance to do so; a courtesy beep sounds when the repeater is ready to accept another transmission.
ham - an amateur radio operator. See Origins
hamfest - ham festival, a social and commercial event at which hams meet to buy, sell, and swap equipment - See URL: HamFests
handle - A radio operator’s name. Kinda unnecessary -- just say the name is. But lotsa old timers use handle.
harmonic - a signal at a multiple of the fundamental frequency. Also a slang term for the children of an Amateur.
HDTV - High Definition Television
HDX - Half-duplex. A communication system in which stations take turns transmitting and receiving.
Hertz - the standard unit used to measure frequency (one Hertz equals one complete cycle per second)
HF - High Frequency - 3 MHz to 30 MHz
hi hi - ha ha (laughter)
"hi hi" is the Morse equivalent of a laugh as in Morse it sounds like someone chuckling ("hehhehhehheh hehheh"). That is ditditditdit dit dit --- or dot dot dot dot dot dot. You really have to listen to it sent in Morse to appreciate its laugh like sound. It is most commonly used in CW (Morse Code), but has carried over to voice as well. Many CW expressions have carried over to voice -- such as 73 (Best Regards) and 88 (love and Kisses), etc. The origin probably dates back before radio to the telegraph days. And since Hams used Morse long before voice became practical-- the sound of the Morse characters HI HI was used to resemble a laugh sound. In some sense it is equivalent of a smiley. It's onomatopoeic -- that is the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss) The definitive answer might be found in the "Dodge's The Telegraph Instructor Manual" circa 1850 to 1900. However, I have never been able to find a copy of this document. Wish I could as it would help to see the transitions from telegraph to radio usage.So that is my best guess -- based on what old time telegraphers have told me
high-pass filter - a filter designed to pass high frequency signals, while blocking lower frequency signals.
homebrew - term for home-built, noncommercial radio equipment.
hop - communication between stations by reflecting the radio waves off of the ionosphere.
horizontally polarized wave - an electromagnetic wave with its electric lines of force parallel to the ground.
HT - (Repeater Term) Handi-Talkie - a small hand held radio
Hz - (see Hertz)
I (India)
I (intensity) symbol for current in an electric circuit, measured in Amperes
IARU - International Amateur Radio Union - worldwide ham radio organization whose members consist of the official radio society from each participating country. See IARU
IC - Integrated circuit.
ID -- Identification, as announcing station callsign at intervals specified by Part 97 of the FCC Rules and Regulations.
IF - Intermediate Frequency -- Intermediate frequency, resultant frequency from heterodyning the carrier frequency with an oscillator, mixing incoming signals to an intermediate frequency enhances amplification, filtering and the processing signals. Desirable to have more than one IF.
image - A false signal produced in a superheterdyne receiver’s circuitry.
impedance: The opposition to the flow of electric current and radio energy; it is measured in ohms (symbol is Z). For best performance, the impedance of an antenna, the feedline, and the antenna connector on a radio should be approximately equal.
inductance - a measure of the ability of a coil to store energy in a magnetic field.
inductor - an electrical component usually composed of a coil of wire wound on a central core. An inductor stores energy in a magnetic field.
input frequency - (Repeater Term) the frequency of the repeater's receiver (and your transceiver's transmitter).
intermod - Short for "intermodulation," this means false or spurious signals produced by two or more signals mixing in a receiver or repeater station.
intermodulation distortion (IMD -- (Repeater Term) the unwanted mixing of two strong RIF signals that causes a signal to be transmitted on an unintended frequency.
I/O - Input/Output
ionosphere - The electrically charged region of the Earth’s atmosphere located approximately 40 to 400 miles above the Earth’s surface that refracts radio signals.
IOTA - Islands On The Air - See URL: IOTA
IRC - International Reply Coupon: A coupon that can be purchased at post offices which can be exchanged in foreign countries for return postage for a surface mail letter to the country that issued the coupon. See IRC's
IRLP Radio Linking Project. Uses a network protocol called VoIP (Voice over IP). There are now nearly 800+ repeaters around the world connected by the internet through the Amateur radio internet radio linking project, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. URL: IRLP
isotropic - Theoretical "Single Point" antenna used calculate gain.
ITU - International Telecommunications Union, the body which specifies worldwide guidelines concerning the use of the electromagnetic spectrum for communications purposes. See ITU
J (Juliet)
J antenna (J pole) - a mechanically modified version of the zepp (zeppelin) antenna. It consists of a half-wavelength radiator fed by a quarter-wave matching stub. This antenna does not require the ground plane that ¼-wave antennas do to work properly.
jam - cause intentional interference
JFET - Junction field-effect transistor.
JOTA - Jamboree on the Air -- an annual event in which about 500,000 Scouts and Guides all over the world make contact with each other by means of amateur radio. See URL: ARRL JOTA
jug -- Large transmitting tubes, klystrons, magnetrons
jury rig -- Fix in an unorthodox manner
K (Kilo)
kc - (see "kilocycles")
kilo - the metric prefix for 10^3, or times 1,000
K- index - A measure of the Earth’s magnetic field as measured at Boulder, Colorado. Propagation conditions improve with lower measurement numbers. See URL: Propagation
kerchunking - activating a repeater without identifying or modulating the carrier.
key - (noun) any switch or button, usually refers to a telegraph or Morse code key
key - (verb) to press a key or button
keyer - Electronic device for sending Morse Code semi-automatically; connects to a key (see above). Dits are sent by pressing one paddle of the key, dahs sent by pressing the other one paddle.
key up - (Repeater Term) to turn on a repeater by transmitting on its input frequency.
key up - (verb) to activate a transmitter or repeater
kilocycles - thousand cycles per second. Replaced by kiloHertz (kHz)
kilohertz - one thousand hertz (see "hertz")
L (Lima)
ladder line -- an open wire transmission line -- 600, 450 ohm characteristic impedances are typical.
landline -- ham slang for telephone (lines)LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
LED - Light-emitting diode
LF - Low Frequency - 30 kHz to 300 kHz
lid - a poor operator, one who does not follow proper procedures or sends sloppy morse code.
limiter - (Repeater Term) a stage of an FM receiver that clips the tops of the FM signal thus makes the receiver less sensitive to amplitude variations and pulse noise.
linear - an amplifier used after the transceiver output. So named for its purity of amplification. Linear, in the mathematical sense, means that what comes out is directly proportional to what goes in. As far as linear amps go, if you double the input, the output is doubled and so on. This does not generate any additional frequency byproducts. If the amp is nonlinear, sums, differences and all combinations of those are generated also.
line-of-sight propagation - the term used to describe propagation in a straight line directly from one station to another.
load - an electrical device which consumes, converts, or emanates energy
local oscillator (LO) - a receiver circuit that generates a stable, pure signal used to mix with the received RF to produce a signal at the receiver intermediate frequency (IF).
long path - short path -- in degrees - the direct great signal bearing path between two locations. Long path is the reciprocal bearing.
lollipop - ham term for an Astatic D-104 microphone
LORAN - Long Range Aid to Navigation.
lowfer - One who experiments at very low frequencies (typically 1750 Meters, which is 160-190 kHz and can be used under FCC Part 15).
low-pass filter - a filter that allows signals below the cutoff frequency to pass through and attenuates signals above the cutoff frequency.
LSB - Lower Side Band - See URL: Modulation Modes - the common single-sideband operating mode on the 40, 80, and 160 meter amateur bands.
LW - Long Wave 150 - 300 KHz
M (Mike)
mA milliampere (1/1,000 ampere)
machine - a repeater
magnetic mount or mag-mount - (Repeater Term) an antenna with a magnetic base that permits quick installation and removal from a motor vehicle or other metal surface.
mA/h - milliampere per hour
making the trip -- jargon for "successfully transmitting a readable message"
MARS - Military Affiliate Radio System, military affiliated amateurs who provide free communications for overseas GIs and other Federal services. MARS operators are licensed under DOD. Established 1948.
matchbox - Normally called an Antenna Tuner. Impedance-matching device that matches the antenna system input impedance to the transmitter, receiver, or transceiver output impedance.
MC - (see megacycles)
MCW - Modulated Continuous Wave, a fixed audio tone modulates a carrier, older method of sending Morse code - See URL: Modulation Modes
mega - the metric prefix for 10^6, or times 1,000,000.
megacycles - million cycles per second. This terminology has been replaced by MegaHertz (MHz)
megahertz - million hertz (see Hertz)
meteor scatter - ionized trails of meteors used as a reflecting media See URL: Propagation
MF - Medium Frequency - (300-3,000 kHz)
mic (mike) - microphone - a device that converts sound waves into electrical energy.
micro - the metric prefix for 10^-6, or divide by 1,000,000.
microwave - the region of the radio spectrum above 1 giga hertz (GHz).
mil 1/1000 of an inch. Also mill a special typewriter used by radio operators in copying messages
milli - the metric prefix for 10^-3, or divide by 1,000.
mixer - a circuit that takes two or more input signals, and produces an output that includes the sum and difference of those signal frequencies.
mW - milliwatt (1/1,000 watt)
mobile - an amateur radio station installed in a vehicle - a mobile station can be used while in MOTION. A portable station is one that is designed to be easily moved from place to place but can only be used while stopped.
mode - (see emission mode)
modem - short for modulator/demodulator. A modem modulates a radio signal to transmit data and demodulates a receive signal to recover transmitted data.
modulate - create a radio emission so that it contains information (voice, Morse code, music, binary, ascii)- See URL: Modulation Modes
modulation Index - (Repeater Term) the ratio between the maximum carrier frequency deviation and the audio modulating frequency at a given instant in an FM transmitter.
MOSFET - Metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect transistor
motorboating -- an undesirable low frequency feedback resulting in a motorboat sound on the audio
MUF - Maximum Usable Frequency, a measure of the highest frequency that will support transmissions off of the ionosphere.
multimode transceiver - transceiver capable of SSB, CW, AM, and FM operation.
mV - millivolt (1/1,000 volt)
MW - Medium Wave - 300 - 3000 kHz. Also used for the AM broadcast band - 530-1710 kHz
N (November)
NB - Narrow band. Also noise Blanker
NBFM - narrow band FM
NCS - Net Control Station near field of an antenna - the region of the electromagnetic field immediately surrounding an antenna where the reactive field dominates and where the field strength as a function of angle (antenna pattern) depends upon the distance from the antenna. It is a region in which the electric and magnetic fields do not have a substantial plane-wave character, but vary considerably from point-to-point.
negative - no, incorrect
negative copy - unsuccessful transmission
negative feedback - the process in which a portion of the amplifier output is returned to the input, 180 degrees out of phase with the input signal. Improves linearity and reduces distortion.
negative offset - the repeater input frequency is lower than the output frequency.
net - A group of stations that meet on a specified frequency at a certain time. The net is organized and directed by a net control station, who calls the net to order, recognizes stations entering and leaving the net, and authorizes stations to transmit.
NiCad - Nickel Cadmium, generally refers to a type of rechargeable battery
nickels -- used on DX nets as a signal report 5x5
NiMH - Nickel Metal Hydride, generally refers to a newer type of rechargeable battery
NODE - A remotely controlled TNC/digipeater - used as a connect point in packet radio.
NPN - A type of transistor that has a layer of P-type semiconductor material sandwiched between layers of N-typesemiconductor material.
NTS - National Traffic System - an amateur radio relay system for passing messages.
NTSC - National Television System Committee (NOT National Television Standards Committee) - USA and others TV Standards.
NVIS - near-vertical-incidence-skywave, a propagation mode where signals are reflected back down from directly overhead. Useful for relatively short-distances, overcoming the limitations of the usual "skip-zone" distance" (See Skip Zone)
O (Oscar)
OC - Oceania
odd split - unconventional frequency separation between input and output frequencies.
offset - (Repeater Term) In order to listen and transmit at the same time, repeaters use two different frequencies. On the 2 metre ham band these frequencies are 600 kilocycles/second (or 600 kilohertz) apart. As a general rule, if the output frequency (transmit) of the repeater is below 147 Mhz then the input frequency (listening) is 600 kilohertz lower. This is referred to as a negative offset. If the output is above 147 Mhz then the input is 600 kilohertz above. This is referred to as a positive offset.
Ohm - The fundamental unit of resistance. one Ohm is the resistance offered when a potential of one Volt results in a current of one Ampere.
old man (OM) - friendship term, friend, pal or buddy
OM - (see old man)
OO - Official Observer volunteer who monitors the Amateur Bands for infractions
open repeater - (Repeater Term) a repeater whose access is not limited.
OSCAR - Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio.
oscillate - vibrate, generate an AC or other periodic signal
oscilloscope - an electronic test instrument used to observe wave forms and voltages on a cathode-ray tube. Displays time on the X-axis and amplitude on the Y-axis, Z-axis is intensity of the CRT spot.
OT - old timer - been around ham radio for a long time
OTC - Old Timer's Club
OTS - Official Traffic Station
output frequency - (Repeater Term) the frequency of the repeater's transmitter (and your transceiver's receiver).
over - used during a two way communication under difficult copy - to alert the other station that you are returning the communication back to them. Other terms are Cambio (change), microphone to you, and in CW the letter K is used as an invitation to transmit. Not necessary on 2 Meter FM repeaters, as the courtesy beep serves this function.
P (Papa)
P-P Peak-to-peak; as in peak-to-peak voltage
PA - Power amplifier
packet cluster - A Network of automated packet radio stations for disseminating DX and contest reports
packet radio - a system of digital communication whereby information is transmitted in short bursts. The bursts ("packets") also contain callsign, addressing and error detection information.
paddle - Morse code key
PAL - Phase Alteration Line. Television standard used in parts of Europe.
parallel circuit - an electrical circuit in which the electrons follow thru more than one path in going from the negative supply terminal to the positive terminal. parallel-conductor feed line - feed line constructed of two wires held at a constant distance apart; either incased in plastic or constructed with insulating spacers placed at intervals along the line.parasitic beam antenna - another name for the beam antenna.parasitic element - part of a directive antenna that derives energy from mutual coupling with the driven element. Parasitic elements are not connected directly to the feed line.
parasitic - Oscillations in a transmitter on frequencies other than the desired one; these can produce spurious signals from the transmitter.
path noise - (Repeater Term) A term used in repeaters to indicate that the signal is so weak that the limiters have not engaged thus noise on the signal will be heard -- this is referred to as path noise and sometimes as (incorrectly) White Noise (See Same)
PBBS - Packet Bulletin Board System
PC - Printed Circuit
PCM - pulse code modulation based on the Shannon's communication theory or "information theory" that describes his "sampling theorem"
PEP - Peak envelope power - the average power of a signal at its largest amplitude peak.peak-inverse-voltage (PIV) - the maximum voltage a diode can withstand when it is reverse biased (not conducting).
personal - first name - as in "the personal here is Bob" -- CB jargon that has crept into Ham jargon - old timers shudder
phase - the time interval between one event and another in a regularly recurring cycle.phase modulation - varying the phase of an RF carrier in response to the instantaneous changes in an audio signal.
phone - voice modulation - See URL: Modulation Modes
phone patch - A connection between a two-way radio unit and the public telephone system.
picket fencing - (Repeater Term) A condition experienced on VHF and above where a signal rapidly fluctuates in amplitude causing a sound akin to rubbing a stick on a picket fence. If a repeater user's signal isn't strong enough to maintain solid access to the machine's input (such as when operating from a vehicle passing beneath underpasses or through hilly terrain), the signal would be hard to copy because of a pronounced, rapid fluttery or choppy characteristic.pico - the metric prefix for 10^-12, or divide by 1,000,000,000,000.
pileup - multiple stations calling a DX or contest station
PIN Positive-intrinsic-negative (transistor or diode)
ping jockey - Slang for meteor-scatter operator
pirate - Station using an existing callsign and illegally operating on the air
PL - (Repeater Term) Private Line (same as CTCSS)-- low frequency audio tones used to alert or control receiving stations. PL, an acronym for Private Line, is Motorola's proprietary name for a communications industry signaling scheme call the Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System, or CTCSS. It is used to prevent a repeater from responding to unwanted signals or interference. Tone is an electronic means of allowing a repeater to respond only to stations that encode or send the proper tone. Any station may be set up to transmit this unique low frequency tone that allows the repeater to operate. Also used during the AutoPatch mode. See PL
PLL- Phase-lock loop
PM - Phase Modulation, similar to Frequency Modulation - See URL: Modulation Modes
P.M. - Post Meridian (after noon).
PNP - a type of transistor that has a layer of N-type semiconductor sandwiched between layers of P-type semiconductor material.
pole-pig - another name for a step down transformer used by power transmission companies. Some surplus units can be reverse wired and used as the transformers in a Ham radio high voltage supplies.
portable - A mobile is a amateur radio station installed in a vehicle - a mobile station can be used while in MOTION. A portable station is one that is designed to be easily moved from place to place but can only be used while stopped. Portable operation is away from the home base station.
positive offset - (Repeater Term) the repeater input frequency is higher than the output frequency.
pot - Potentiometer - Continuously variable resistor often used for adjusting levels, as in volume control.
PRB - Private Radio Bureau, administers Amateur services
product detector - A receiver circuit consisting of a beat frequency oscillator and additional circuitry for enhanced reception of SSB signals.
PROM Programmable read-only memory
propagation - the means or path by which a radio signal travels from a transmitting station to a receiving station - See URL Propagation
PSK31 - A digital transmission mode -- Phase Shift keying with 31.25 baud rate - See PSK31
PTO Permeability tuned oscillator
PTT - Push To Talk, the switch in a transmitter circuit that activates the microphone and transmission circuitry
pull the plug -- shut down the station
Q (Quebec)Note that many Hams use Q-Signals verbally, but they originated in CW communications, QTH is "my Location", "QSY is change frequency", etc -- See Q-Signals
Q - A figure of merit for tuned circuits. For antennas, the Q is inversely proportional to useable bandwidth, with reasonable SWR.
quad - A directional antenna consisting of two one-wavelength "squares" of wire placed a quarter-wavelength apart.
Q-signals - a set of three-letter codes which are used by amateurs as abbreviations. Commonly used on both CW and phone. See URL: Q-Signals
QCWA - Quarter Century Wireless Association -- requires 25 years of amateur service for membership.
QRP - Low power operation, usually 5 watts output or 10 watts input power. See QRP operation
QSL - to acknowledge receipt. Commonly used to indicate "I understand", "I coped your transmission (or report) all OK". Also used as a term for sending cards by mail to confirm a two way contact with a station, such as QSL via the bureau. (See BURRO or bureau). See URL: QSLing
QSL Manager - A person, usually an Amateur Radio operator, who manages the receiving and sending of QSL cards for a managed station). A QSL Manager is needed because the managed station either has difficulty handling the volume of incoming QSL cards, or the station is geographically located such that it is difficult or impossible for that station to accept and/or send QSL cards. It is very common for "rare" DX stations and DXpeditions to have a QSL Manager.
QSO - two way conversation
Quagi -- an antenna constructed with both quad and yagi elements
R (Romeo)
RADAR - Radio detection and ranging.
RAC - Radio Amateurs of Canada, a national amateur radio organization in Canada - See leagues
RACES - Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service - See Emergency Pages
radio check - query from a station desiring a report on his stations signal strength and audio quality
ragchewing - chatting informally via radio
RAM - Random Access Memory
R/C - Radio-control
RCC Rag Chewers Club
rcvr - receiver
RDF - Radio Direction Finding
reactance - the opposition to current that a capacitor or inductor creates in an ac circuit.
reading the mail - to listen to a QSO without participating
reflector - (1.an element behind the driven element in an Yagi and some other directional antennas. (2. IRLP Reflector -- a server that allows multiple nodes (repeaters) to be linked together at the same time. (3. a mail list that forwards news to the subscribers, e.g., DX Reflector, Contest Reflector.
refract - to bend. Electromagnetic energy is refracted when it passes through a boundary between different types of material much as light is refracted as it travels from air into water or from water into air.
repeater - A repeater is a receiver/transmitter that listens for your transmission and re-transmits it. Repeaters usually enjoy the advantage of height and power to extend the range of your transmission. Repeaters listen on one frequency and transmit on another. The separation between these two frequencies is referred to as the Offset. See Repeater Operation
repeater directory - an annual ARRL publication that lists repeaters in the US, Canada and other areas. See ARRL Repeater Directory
resonance - A condition where Xc = XL, establishing a resonant circuit - used for selectivity (parallel circuit) or a maximum impedance circuit (series)
reset applies to when a repeater timer is reset back to zero and normally occurs when the carrier of the transmitter drops.
Rettysnitch - A fictional torture device for bad hams.
RF - Radio Frequency, emissions in the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum
RFI - Radio Frequency Interference
RG - As in RG-8 Coax -- RG = (1) Radio Guide or (2) Radio Group as opposed to Electrical Group or Telephone Group
rice box - equipment made in Japan or the Orient
rig - a radio (transmitter, receiver, or transceiver)
RIT - Receiver incremental tuning. Also known as a Clarifier
RMS - Root mean square
roger -- I understand - Received 100% In CW "R" -- See Origins
roger beep - a dit-dah-dit sent at the end of a transmission
ROM - Read-only memory
rotor - (see "rotator")
rotator - a device attached to an antenna mast which rotates it so that the antenna can point in different directions. Years ago this device was simply called a "rotor"
Rover - A station that operates from several grid squares or counties during a contest
RS-232 Computer interface standard set by the Electronics Industries Association (EIA).
RST - "Readability, Signal, and Tone", a three-digit report indicating how well an operator's emissions are being received. See RST System
RTMA - Radio Television Manufacturers Association.
RTTY - radio teletype - A form of digital communications.
rubber duck - A shortened flexible antenna used with hand-held scanners and transceivers.
rx - receiver, receive
S (Sierra)
SAREX - Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment, communicating with astronauts in space. See SAREX
SASE - Self-addressed, stamped envelope
SEC - Section Emergency Coordinator
SECAM Séquentiel Couleur Avec Mémoire (French Color TV Standard)
selectivity - Ability of a receiver to reject signals adjacent to tuned signal.
sensitivity - A receivers ability to receive weak signals.
separation or split the difference (in kHz) between a repeater's transmitter and receiver frequencies. Repeaters that use unusual separations, such as 1 MHz on 2 m, are sometimes said to have "oddball splits."
series circuit - an electrical circuit in which all the electrons must flow through every part of the circuit. There is only one path for the electrons to flow.
SFI - Solar Flux Index - See Propagation
shack - Ham station operating area
SHF - Super High Frequency 3 - 30 GHz
short path -- in degrees - the direct great signal bearing path between two locations. Long path is the reciprocal bearing.
signal - a radio emission
silent key - a deceased amateur operator
simplex - a communications mode in which a radio transmits and receives on the same frequency
SINAD - Signal to noise and distortion ratio
single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) switch : a switch that connects one center contact to one of two other contacts.single-pole, single-throw (SPST) switch : a switch that only connects one center contact to another contact.
SINPO - A reporting system used by radio hobbyists to indicate how well a station was received: S=Strength, I=Interference, N=Noise, P=Propagation, O=Overall
SITOR-A - Simplex teleprinting over radio system, mode A
SITOR-B - Simplex teleprinting over radio system, mode B (FEC mode)
SK - Silent Key, an amateur term for indicating that a ham has passed away. Also one of the prosigns -- meaning "end of contact", See prosigns at URL: Prosigns
skip zone - dead zone, too far for ground wave propagation and too near for sky wave propagation
skyhook - antenna
sky wave propagation - the transmitting of radio waves which reflect off of the ionosphere - See Propagation
slim - Someone pretending to be a DX station, usually rare, that is supposed to be on the air. For example, someone in southern Argentina pretending to be on Heard Island
slop jar - an electrolytic rectifier - electrolytic rectifiers were common in the late '20s and early 30s. One "cell" consisted of two strips of dissimilar metals in a caustic potash (lye) solution. Many cells were needed for a high voltage supply.
SM - Section Manager
S-Meter - Signal Strength Meter -- See S-Units at URL: S-Units
S/N - Signal-to-noise ratio
spark gap - an early transmitter design which used electrical sparks to generate radio frequency oscillations
spectrum - the electromagnetic spectrum or some portion of it
speech processor - A circuit that increases the average level of the modulating signal applied to a transmitter.
splatter - a type of interference to stations on nearby frequencies. Splatter occurs when a transmitter is overmodulated.
split or separation - (Repeater Term) the difference (in kHz) between a repeater's transmitter and receiver frequencies. Repeaters that use unusual separations, such as 1 MHz on 2 m, are sometimes said to have "oddball splits."
split - DX stations often operate split -- that is transmitting on one frequency and listening at a different frequency or range of frequencies. This avoids congestion on the DX transmit frequency.
sporadic-E - Random patches of intense ionization that form in the E-layer of the ionosphere and refract higher frequency signals that normally cannot be refracted by the ionosphere.
SPST - Single Pole Single Throw (switch)
spurs - Spurious Signals - Undesired signals and frequencies in the output of a transmitter.
SQL - Squelch - A circuit that mutes the receiver when no signal is present, thereby eliminating band noise
squelch tail - (Repeater Term) A brief bit of noise heard between the end of a radio transmission and the reactivation of the receiver’s squelch circuit.
SSB - Single Side Band - See URL: Modulation Modes
SSBSC - Single side band - suppressed carrier.
SSN - Sunspot Number -- See Propagation
SSTV - Slow Scan Television
straight key - a non-electronic Morse code key with one paddle
stub - A transmission line 'stub' is a length of transmission line that is open or shorted at one end. It is effectively a capacitor or inductor, depending on length, and can be used to achieve a match [VSWR = 1:1] if connected at a selected point in the basic transmission line.
superheterodyne - a radio receiver scheme which beats or heterodynes a second radio frequency to the incoming radio signals. The combined frequencies form an intermediate (IF) third frequency. Aids in selectivity characteristics.
SW - Short Wave
SWL - Short Wave Listening -- See SWL
SWR - Standing Wave Ratio, a measure of how much radio energy sent into an antenna system is being reflected back to the transmitter. See SWR
SWR meter - a device used to determine the Standing Wave Ratio of an antenna system
synch. detection - Synchronous detection is an ingenious method of processing an AM signal to improve audio quality and reduce interference from adjacent stations.
T (Tango)
TCXO - Temperature-compensated crystal oscillator.
telegraphy - the transmission of information in Morse code format - See URL: Modulation Modes
telephony - the transmission of information in voice format - See URL: Modulation Modes
third-party communications - messages passed from one amateur to another on behalf of a third person.third-party communications agreement - an official understanding between the United States and another country that allows amateurs in both countries to participate in third-party communications. See 3rd Party Agreements
TI - Talk-In Frequency
ticket - slang for an amateur radio license
timer - repeaters often incorporate a timer or transmit time limiter to control the length of a single transmission from a user. The time limit is set by the repeater owner.
time-out - Excessively long transmission on a repeater causing the repeater’s timer circuit to stop further transmissions (Slang - the alligator gottcha)
tone pad an array of 12 or 16 numbered keys that generate the standard telephone dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) dialing signals. Resembles a standard telephone keypad. (see autopatch)
TOR - Telex over radio.
TNC - Terminal Node Controller, a device which interfaces a computer to a transceiver and performs a function similar to a modem
TNC - Threaded Niell-Concelman (standard connector type used on Coax cable, named for its inventors).
top band -- 160 Meter Ham Band (highest number meter band)
TP - test point
traffic - a message or messages sent by radio
transceiver - a radio that both transmits and receives
triplexer -- see diplexer.
tropospheric ducting - Propagation of signals above 30 MHz via bending and ducting along weather fronts in the lowest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, the troposphere.
TRX - Transceiver
TTL Transistor-Transistor Logic
TV - Television
TVI - Television interference
twisted pair - ham slang for telephone or telephone lines
two-tone test - A method of testing a side-band transmitter by feeding two audio tones into the microphone input of the transmitter and observing the output on an oscilloscope.
tx - transmit, transmitter
U (Uniform)
UHF - Ultra High Frequency 300 - 3000 MHz
Uncle Charlie - The FCC
unun - "unbalance - unbalance", a device which couples an unbalanced antenna of one impedance to an unbalanced feed line of another impedance
uplink - Channel used for earth-to-satellite communications.
URL - Universal Resource Locator
USB - Upper Side Band the common single-sideband operating mode on the 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meter HF amateur bands, and all the VHF and UHF bands.
UTC - Coordinated Universal Time , the time (expressed in 24-hour format) at the 0-degree Meridian, which passes through Greenwich, England.
utility stations - Stations other than broadcast, or amateur stations; these stations are not intended to be heard by the public. They include aircraft communications, radiotelephone, marine, embassy, and military communications.
V (Victor)
V - Volt (unit of electromotive force {EMF}).
VA - Volt Amperes - measure of apparent power. (Note true power is I squared x R)
VAC - Volts Alternating Current.
varactor diode - a component whose capacitance varies as the reverse bias voltage is changed.
VCO - Voltage-controller oscillator
VDT - Video-display terminal
VE - Volunteer Examiner, a person authorized to administer examinations for amateur radio licenses
VEC - Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, an amateur radio organization empowered by the FCC to recruit, organize, regulate and coordinate Volunteer Examiners.
VFO - Variable Frequency Oscillator
velocity factor - the speed at which radio waves travel in a particular feedline, expressed as a percent of the speed of light
VHF - Very High Frequency 30 - 300 MHz
VIS - Vertical Interval Signaling. Digital encoding of the transmission mode in the vertical sync portion of an SSTV image.
VLF - Very Low Frequency 3 - 30 KHz
VMOS - Vertical metal-oxide semiconductor
VOA - Voice Of America.
VOM - Volt-ohm-meter
VOX - Voice Operated Transmit
VSWR - Voltage standing wave ratio
VTVM - Vacuum tube voltmeter
VXO - Variable crystal oscillator
W (Whiskey)
WAC - Worked All Continents award from the IARU, administered by ARRL. See WAC
wallpaper - QSL cards, awards, special event certificates
WARC - World Administrative Radio Conference -- See Note 1
WARC Bands - An expression to indicate the bands allocated in 1979 -- 17M, 12M and 30M
WAS - Worked All States award from ARRL for confirmed contact with each of 50 states. See WAS
WAZ - Worked All Zones award from CQ magazine for confirmed contact with each of 40 zones. See CQ Awards
WEFAX - Weather facsimile, reconstructed satellite images and photographs. See WEFAX
WFWL -- DXing term used when the validity of a DX station is in doubt. Work First Worry Later" white noise (Repeater Term) is a scientific term used to describe a spectrum of broad band noise generated in a receiver's detector and sampled to control the receiver's squelch. This term is often incorrectly used in repeater work to describe the sounds heard when the received transmission is noisy and hard to understand, usually attributed to a weak signal and the repeater receiver limiters are not engaged.
wilco - Will comply
wireless - radio (As opposed to wired - telegraph)
Wouff Hong -the Wouff Hong was a weapon against poor operating dreamed up by old time QST author, "The Old Man" (later discovered to be Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, himself). See Wouff Hong
work - To communicate with another radio station, a valid two way contact
WPM - Words per minute; as in Morse code or typing speed
WSJT - ''Weak Signal communication, by K1JT". A software package for meteor scatter and EME communications - See WSJT
WWV - National Bureau of Standards radio station (time signals). See NIST NIST = National Institute of Standards and Technology for the USA
WWVB - NIST radio station (broadcasts time signals).
WWVH - NIST radio station (broadcasts time signals- Hawaii).
WX - weather
X (X-ray)
XCVR- Transceiver
XFMR - Transformer
XIT - Transmit Incremental Tuning control; allows for slightly changing the transmit frequency while leaving the receive frequency the same. Useful for split operations.
XTAL - Crystal
XVTR - Transverter -- configures a transceiver to operate on other bands
XYL - Ex-Young Lady, wife
Y (Yankee)
Yagi - 1926 Hidetsugu Yagi and Shintaro Uda invent the "beam" antenna array. A directional antenna consisting of a dipole and two additional elements, a slightly longer reflector and a slightly shorter director. Electromagnetic coupling between the elements focuses maximum power (or reception) in the direction of the director.
YL - Young Lady, any female amateur radio operator or the significant other of a amateur.
Z (Zulu)
zed - a phonetic for letter "Z"
zero beat - Adjust the frequencies of two signals so that they are exactly equal and in phase
Zepp antenna - The end-fed 'zepp' antenna was simply a weighted wire reeled down and up from early lighter-than-Zeppelin air-ships.
Zulu - Coordinated Universal Time. Also the phonetic for the letter Z
I will use this radio terminology during my project. By reading through it and becoming familiar with these terms I will develop my knowlage and be able to improve my work.
A - Ampere - Unit of current measurement. Current is a measure of the electron flow through a circuit per unit of time. 6.24 x 10^18 electrons moving past a point in one second, equals one ampere. Abbreviated as amps.
A Battery -- in early radio, batteries were the prime source of power - The A battery provided the filament voltage, the B-battery furnished the B+ or the Voltage to the plates of the tubes, and the C battery provided the grid-bias voltage for the tubes.
absorption - The reduction in a radio signal strength in the ionosphere.
AC - Alternating Current
access code - (Repeater Term) A code to activate a repeater function e.g. auto patch, link etc.. One or more numbers and/or symbols are keyed in with a telephone key pad and transmitted to the repeater.
A/D - Analog-to-Digital
Aerial - Used in the early days of radio - sometimes referring to an outdoor antenna. Still used in the UK.
AF - Audio Frequency 20 to 20,000 hertz, the human hearing range. Also abbreviation for Africa
AFC - Automatic frequency control. Used in FM receivers to prevent drift.
AFSK - Audio frequency shift keying (as opposed to frequency shift keying, FSK)
A-index - An index of the conditions of the Earth’s magnetic field as measured at Boulder, Colorado. Propagation generally improves with lower measurement numbers. URL:Propagation
AGC - Automatic Gain Control. A feedback voltage in the receiver circuit to prevent fading
ALC - Automatic level control. A feedback voltage in the transmitter's output amplifier used to prevent amplifier overload. Also used as feedback from a linear amplifier back to the exciter to prevent overdriving.
alligator - A repeater that transmits further than it can receive, big mouth, small ears! Also used in reference to a repeater timer timeout. If you talk on the repeater too long, an internal timer will cut you off, and jargon for this is "The alligator got you!" Also in contesting circles to refer to a station (usually running high power and under noisy receive conditions) whose transmit signal is greater than their receive capability.
amateur- a person licensed to operate in the amateur bands.
amateur radio - A non-commercial radio service as set by a recognized cognizant government agency. In the USA, amateur radio is defined under part 97 of the FCC Rules and Regulations - See URL: Part 97
amateur service: a radio communication service for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs, that is, duly authorized persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
ampere (A) : the basic unit of electrical current. Current is a measure of the electron flow through a circuit per unit of time. 6.24 x 10^18 electrons moving past a point in one second, equals one ampere. Abbreviated as amps.
AM - Amplitude Modulation See URL: Modulation Modes
A.M.- ante meridian (before noon).
AMSAT - Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation - See URL: AMSAT
AMTOR - Amateur Teleprinter Over Radio. A version of RTTY. - See URL: AMTOR Also used commercially as SITOR (Simplex Teleprinter Over Radio).
ANARC - Association of North American Radio Clubs. See ANARC
antenna: a device that intercepts or radiates radio frequency energy.
antenna farm - Ham's dream -- lotsa room for big, long, antennas
antenna tuner: Impedance-matching device that matches the antenna system input impedance to the transmitter, receiver, or transceiver output impedance.
appliance operator : Hams who neither build nor experiment with radio equipment, but merely operate commercial equipment, perhaps without understanding how it all works.
APRS - Automatic Packet Position Reporting System - See URL: APRS
ARA - Amateur Radio Association
ARC - Amateur Radio Club. Military Designation for Avionics (Aviation Radio Composite)
ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service - See URL: ARES
ARRL - American Radio Relay League , the national amateur radio organization in the USA - See URL: ARRL
ARQ - Automatic repeat request used in AMTOR.
ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The ASCII 7-bit code represents 128 characters including 32 control characters.
ASR - Automatic send-receive. An RTTY terminal mode that allows message composition while receiving text from the another station.
ATT - Attenuator, often expressed in dB of reduction.
ATV - Amateur Television, also known as fast scan television - See URL: ATV
auroral propagation - Propagation above 30 MHz by means of refraction by highly ionized regions around the Earth’s poles. See URL: Propagation
autopatch - (Repeater Term) a device that interfaces a repeater to the telephone system to permit repeater users to make telephone calls. Often just called a "patch."
AVC - Automatic Volume Control - A feedback scheme to level out the receiver audio volume.
AWG - American Wire Gauge - standard for describing the diameter of wire by which the wire size increases as the gauge number decreases.
B (Bravo)
B - Battery -- in early radio, batteries were the prime source of power - The A battery provided the filament voltage, the B battery furnished the B+ or the Voltage to the plates of the tubes, and the C battery provided the grid-bias voltage to the tubes.
balanced line: A feed line with two conductors having equal but opposite voltages, with neither conductor at ground potential.
balanced modulator: a mixer circuit used in a single-sideband suppressed-carrier transmitter to combine a voice signal and the RF carrier. The balanced modulator isolates the input signals from each other and the output, so that only the sum and the difference of the two input signals reach the output. The original carrier signal and the audio signal are suppressed.
balun - balance to unbalance , a device used to couple a balanced antenna to an unbalanced feed line (e.g., dipole to coax)
band - a range of frequencies allotted for a particular use (e.g., 20 Meter Band) See Ham bands
bandpass - range of frequencies permitted to pass through a filter or receiver circuit.
band-pass filter: a circuit that passes a range of frequencies and attenuates signals above and below this range
base -- a radio station located at a fixed location as opposed to a mobile. Used to identify the control location in a network of radio stations.
barefoot - transmitting with a transceiver alone and no linear amplifier
base loading - A loading coil at the bottom of an antenna to achieve a lower resonant frequency.
BAUD - The unit of digital-signal speed.
Baudot: a five-bit digital code used in teleprinter application.
BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation. See BBC
BBS - Bulletin Board System
BCI - Broadcast radio interference.
beam - an antenna that gives a directional beam pattern. See Yagi
beacon: A station that transmits one-way signals for the purpose of navigation, homing, and propagation condition determination. See URL: Beacons
Benton Harbor Lunch Box - A portable transceiver made by Heathkit Co. Band choices were 2, 6, or 10 meters - AM operation.
BFO - Beat frequency oscillator. Used to mix with the incoming signal to produce an audio tone for CW reception. A BFO is needed to copy CW and SSB signals.
Bird - nickname for satellite. Also a brand name of a high-end, high quality directional wattmeter.
birdie - Spurious signals produced in a receiver - usually a product of mixed intermediate frequencies within the radio.
bleed over- Interference caused by a station operating on an adjacent channel
bleeder resistor: a large-value resistor connected across the filter capacitor in a power supply to discharge the filter capacitors when the supply is turned off.
block diagram: a drawing using rectangles to represent major sections of electronic circuits. The diagram shows signal flow and the function of the sections.
BNC - Coax connector commonly used with VHF/UHF equipment -- Bayonet Niell-Concelman (standard connector type used on COAX cable, named for its inventors).\
BPL - BroadBand Over Power Lines
bps - Bits per second
BPSK - Binary Phase Shift Keying; digital DSB suppressed carrier modulation.
birdie: A false or spurious signal in a receiver inadvertently produced by the receiver’s circuitry.
boat anchor - antique ham equipment -- So named because of weight and size. See BoatAnchors
bootlegger - Someone, usually not a Ham but a wannabe, making up a callsign, one usually not in the callbook, and getting on the air. Sometimes it is someone who already bought a radio, took the test and flunked, and then gets on the air anyway.
bounce - reflections of a radio wave off of an object, (e.g., the ionosphere or the moon)
breadboard - Early experimenters used a wood board or bread board to lay out circuits. Now used to describe an experimental layout on whatever media -- like PC boards.
break - (Repeater Term) used to interrupt a conversation on a repeater to indicate that there is an emergency or urgent message. If non-urgent, simply interject your callsign.
break break (Repeater Term) used to intercede in an existing conversation with emergency communications.
broadcasting: transmissions intended for the general public. Broadcasting is prohibited on the Amateur Radio Bands, other than QST's which of are of interest to all Amateur Stations, example W1AW code practice transmissions.
bug - a semi-automatic mechanical code key
bunny hunt - (see "fox hunt") See Fox Hunting
bureau - International Amateur organizations set up to process QSL cards between countries. Provides an inexpensive way to send and receive QSL cards - See URL: Bureaus
burro - International QSL forwarding bureau.
Busted Call -- An incorrectly logged callsign
C (Charlie)
C- Battery -- in early radio, batteries were the prime source of power - The A battery provided the filament voltage, the B battery furnished the B+ or Voltage to the plates of the tubes, and the C battery provided the grid-bias voltage to the tubes.
california kilowatt - a power setting above the legal limit
call book - a publication or CD ROM that lists licensed amateur radio operators See URL: CALLBOOK
calling frequency: A defacto standard frequency where stations attempt to contact each other. Example -- 146.52 is the USA National FM simplex calling frequency See Calling Frequencies
candy store -- ham term for the local Ham Radio Dealer. -- See Ham Stores
cans -- headphones
cap - capacitor (formerly condenser)
CAP - Civil Air Patrol
capacitor: an electronic component composed of two or more conductive plates separated by an insulating material. A capacitor stores energy in an electric field.
carrier - a pure continuous radio emission at a fixed frequency, without modulation and without interruption. Several types of modulation can be applied to the carrier, See AM and FM. See URL: Modulation Modes
carrier-operated relay (COR) - (Repeater Term) circuitry that causes the repeater to transmit in response to a received signal.
CATV - Cable Television (originally Community Television)
CATVI - Cable Television Interface.
CBA - Callbook Address
CC&R's - Covenents, Conditions, and Restrictions - an extensive set of rules drawn up by homeowner's associations and their lawyers which, among other things, typically restrict or completely prohibit a homeowner from having most forms of antennas on their property.
CCW - Coherent CW
center frequency - The unmodulated carrier frequency of an FM transmitter.
center loading - A loading coil at the center of an antenna to achieve a lower resonant frequency
centi: the metric prefix for 10^-2, or divide by 100.
channel - (Repeater Term) the pair of frequencies (input and output) used by a repeater.
chassis ground: the common connection for all parts of a circuit that connect to the negative side of the power supply.
chirp - Changes in the carrier frequency of a CW transmitter, resulting in a chirping sound
clear -- used to indicate a station is done transmitting
closed repeater - (Repeater Term) a repeater whose access is limited to a select group (see open repeater).
cloud warmer - an antenna which radiates most of the transmitted energy nearly straight up.
CMOS - Complementary-symmetry metal-oxide semiconductor.
coax, coaxial cable A type of wire that consists of a center wire surrounded by insulation and then a grounded shield of braided wire. The shield minimizes electrical and radio frequency interference. 50-ohm and 72 ohm characteristic impedances are typical. See Coax Types
code - usually refers to Morse code, but used for others such as baudot.
coil: a conductor wound into a series of loops. See also inductor
color code: a system in which numerical values are assigned to various colors. Colored stripes are painted on the body of resistors and other components to show their value. See Color Code
condenser - Old term for capacitor - basic unit is farads, which is generally too large so usually expressed in microfarads or picofarads. An electronic component composed of two or more conductive plates separated by an insulating material. A capacitor stores energy in an electric field.
controller: (Repeater Term) the control system within a repeater -- usually includes turning the repeater on-off, timing transmissions, sending the identification signal, controlling the auto patch and CTCSS encoder/decoder.
control operator - (Repeater Term) the Amateur Radio operator designated to "control" the operation of the repeater, as required by FCC regulations.
copy -- indication of how well communications are received. "I have a good copy on you"also used as a question, as in "did you copy" - understand all"
copying -- used to indicate one is monitoring as in "I was copying the mail" which means I was listening in on the conversation
core: the material used in the center of an inductor coil, where magnetic fields is concentrated.
courtesy beep - (Repeater Term) an audible indication that a repeater user may go ahead and transmit, usually resets the timer
coverage - (Repeater Term) the geographic area that the repeater provides communications.
CPS - Cycles Per Second, this terminology was replaced by "Hertz" (see "Hertz")
CQ - calling any amateur radio station, may be sent in CW, phone or some digital modes
CR - Carriage return
critical angle - The angle at which a radio signal is refracted in the ionosphere. Lower angles generally result in greater distance transmissions. critical frequency: the highest frequency at which a vertically incident radio wave will return from the ionosphere. Above the critical frequency radio signals pass through the ionosphere instead of returning to Earth.
cross-band: the process of transmitting on one band and receiving on another.
CRT - Cathode-ray tube
crystal - a piezoelectric device that tends to resonate at a frequency dependent on its material, dimensions, and temperature
crystal filter - A network of piezoelectric crystals used to obtain high rejection of unwanted signals.
crystal oscillator: a device that uses a quartz crystal to keep the frequency of a transmitter constant.
CSCE - Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (U.S.), a certificate certifying a person has successfully passed one or more of the amateur radio license examinations
CTCSS - (Repeater Term) abbreviation for continuous tone-controlled squelch system, a series of subaudible tones that some repeaters use to restrict access. See CTCSS Codes
current: a flow of electrons in an electrical circuit.
cutoff frequency - The frequency at which a filter will begin to reject signals.
CW - Continuous Wave, see carrier. In truth a continuous wave is an unmodulated, uninterrupted RF wave. However in common usage refers to Morse code emissions or messages which is an interrupted wave. See URL: Modulation Modes
cycles (cps) term used for measuring frequency prior to the term Hertz replaced it - hence kc, Mc, etc.
D (Delta)
dB - Decibel (1/10 of a Bel); unit for the ratio of two power measurements. - See URL: decibel
dBc - In terms of RF signals, dBc is Decibels relative to the carrier level.
dBd - Decibels above or below a dipole antenna.
dBi - Decibels above or below an isotropic antenna.
DC - Direct current
de -- Morse code for "from" e.g., AC6V de WA0PPP
deci: the metric prefix for 10^-1, or divide by 10.
delta-loop antenna: a variation of the cubical quad with triangular elements.
desense (desensitization): the reduction of receiver sensitivity due to overload from a nearby transmitter.
detector - the stage in a receiver in which the modulation (voice or other information) is recovered from the RF signal. Called a discriminator in FM
deviation - The change in the carrier frequency of a FM transmitter produced by the modulating signal.
deviation ratio - the ratio between the maximum change in RF-carrier frequency and the highest modulating frequency used in an FM transmitter. Also see modulation Index.
digipeater - A store-and-forward digital repeater which will receive and transmit a data packet on the same frequency.
dip meter - or grid dip meter -- a device used to determine the resonant frequency of an electronic circuit
diplexer - A frequency splitting and isolation device. Typically used to couple two transceivers to a single or dual band antenna , thus allowing one to receive on one transceiver and transmit on the other transceiver. Typical application 2M and 440MHz transceivers into a dual band antenna for satellite work. Thus typically an isolation device for use on 2 or more different bands.dipole - the basic antenna consisting of a length of wire or tubing, open and fed at the center. The entire antenna is ½ wavelength long at the desired operating frequency. This antenna often used as a standard for calculating gain, dBd.
director - an element in front of the driven element in a Yagi or Quad and some other directional antennas.
doubling -- (Repeater Term) On a repeater if two stations transmit simultaneously, the signals mix in the repeater's receiver and results in a raspy signal. FM has a characteristic whereby the stronger signals "captures" and over-rides the weaker one.
downlink - Channel used for satellite-to-earth communications.
double-pole, double-throw (DPDT) switch - switches two different circuit lines to two different points.double-pole, single-throw (DPST) switch - switches two different circuit lines on or off.
DPSK - Differential Phase Shift Keying; a form of BPSK where only data transitions are transmitted.
D-region - D-layer: The lowest region of the ionosphere found approximately 25 to 55 miles above Earth; it fades away quickly after sunset and sometimes does not form at all on short winter days. The main impact of the D-layer on radio propagation is to absorb energy from signals passing through it. -- See URL: Propagation
driven element - antenna element that connects directly to the feed line.
dropping out - (Repeater Term) a repeater requires a minimum signal in order to transmit, when a signal does not have enough strength to keep the repeater transmitting, it "drops out"
DSP - Digital Signal Processing - allows for filtering, noise reduction, audio equalization, etc
DTMF - (Repeater Term) abbreviation for dual-tone multi-frequency, the series of tones generated from a keypad on a ham radio transceiver (or a regular telephone). Uses 2-of-7 or 2-of-8 tones; often referred to by Bell's trademark Touchtone. See DTMF Tones
dual-band antenna - antenna designed for use on two different Amateur Radio bands.
dummy load - a device which substitutes for an antenna during tests on a transmitter. It converts radio energy to heat instead of radiating energy. Offers a match to the transmitter output impedance.
Dupe - A duplicate contact -- As in Contesting
duplex - (Repeater Term) a communication mode in which a radio transmits on one frequency and receives on another (also see full duplex, half duplex, and simplex)
duplexer - (Repeater Term) a device used in repeater systems which allows a single antenna to transmit and receive simultaneously. Thus typically for isolation on a system on the same band.
DVM - Digital voltmeter
DX - (noun) distant station; (verb) to contact a distant station
DXer - An Amateur radio operator who actively pursues contacting distant and rare Amateur Radio stations. Also applied to Short Wave Listeners.
DXCC - Award offered by ARRL for contacting and confirming 100 or more different countries first introduced in 1937. DXCC is copyright ARRL and its use here is printed with permission of the ARRL. See DXCC
DXpedition - Radio expedition to remote and rare locations -- See Current DX Operations
dynamic range: How well a receiver can handle strong signals with overloading; any measure of over 100 decibels is considered excellent.
E (Echo)
earth ground - a circuit connection to a ground rod driven into the earthEcholink Uses a network protocol called VoIP (Voice over IP). This program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, from computer to station, or from computer to computer. There are more than 96,000 registered users in 128 countries worldwide! URL: EchoLink
ECSSB - Exalted-carrier single sideband.
Edison Effect - Thomas A. Edison discovered the electron flow from a glowing cathode to an anode in an evacuated glass bulb and was called the 'Edison-effect' This led to the development of the vacuum tube.
EEPROM - Electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory
E-layer: The region of the ionosphere found approximately 55 to 90 miles above Earth; it fades away a few hours after sunset. The main impact of the E-layer on radio propagation is to absorb energy from signals passing through it, although sporadic-E propagation makes possible distant communications on frequencies above 30 MHz. See URL: Propagation
EHF - Extremely High Frequency (30 - 300 GHz)
EIRP - Effective isotropic radiated power.
elephant - a repeater that receives further than it can transmit, big ears, small mouth!
ELF - Extremely Low Frequency (30 - 300 Hz)
elmer - a mentor; an experienced operator who tutors newer operators See URL: ELMERS
eleven meters - currently the CB band, once a Ham band
EME - Earth-Moon-Earth; using the moon as a passive reflector to establish a signal path; moonbounce. - See URL: EME
EMF Electromotive force; voltage.
EMI - Electromagnetic interference.
emission mode - the form of a radio emission, such as AM, FM, or single sideband - See URL: Modulation Modes
EMP - Electromagnetic pulse; a extremely high-energy magnetic field. Such as the current flow caused by a lightning strike or nuclear explosion.
ERP - Effective Radiated Power
E-skip - Sporadic E-layer ionospheric propagation see URL: Propagation
ether - Old theory for the medium once believed to conduct radio waves. The existence of the ionosphere is first discovered by the English physicist, Appelton in 1924.
Eu - Europe
eyeball - A face-to-face meeting between two ham radio operators.
F (Foxtrot)
FAA - Federal Aviation Administration (USA). See FAA
F-layer: The region of the ionosphere found approximately 90 to 400 miles above Earth and which is responsible for most long distance propagation on frequencies below 30 MHz. During the daytime (especially in summer), solar heating can cause the F-layer to split into two separate layers, the F1-layer and the F2-layer. See URL: Propagation
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
far field of an antenna - that region of the electromagnetic field surrounding an antenna where the field strength as a function of angle (the antenna pattern) is essentially independent of the distance from the antenna. In this region (also called the free-space region), the field has a predominantly plane-wave character. That is, locally uniform distributions of electric field strength and magnetic field strength are in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
Farnsworth - a method of sending Morse code characters. Example characters are sent at 13 words per minute but the spacing is adjusted so that the overall code speed is 5 words per minute.
fax - facsimile, a digital mode for transmitting images - See URL: Modulation Modes
FB - Fine Business, good, fine, OK
FCC - Federal Communications Commission, the governmental body in the U.S. which regulates the radio spectrum See URL: FCC
feedline - wire or cable connecting a radio to an antenna
FET - Field-effect transistor
field day - Amateur Radio activity in June to practice emergency communications.
field strength meter - a test instrument used to show the presence of RF energy and the relative strength of the RF field.
filter - A circuit or device that will allow certain frequencies to pass while rejecting others.
final - The last transmission by a station during a contact. Also the last amplifying stage of a radio transmitter.
fire bottle - any electronic vacuum tube
first personal - first name - CB jargon that has crept into Ham jargon - old timers shudder
fist - early spark transmitters showered the operator with sparks - so Marconi's key lever was lengthened and the padded end was beaten with the 'fist' of the operator to send dots and dashes. Also a CW ops' reference to another ops' keying characteristic
F.I.S.T.S. - An organization of CW enthusiasts. See FISTS
flat topping -- overmodulating so as to distort a waveform
flutter - Rapid variation in the signal strength of a station, usually due to propagation variations.
FM - Frequency Modulation - See URL: Modulation Modes
FOC - First Class CW Operators Club -- See FOC
fox hunt - a contest to locate a hidden transmitter - See URL: FOXHUNT
frequency - the rate of oscillation (vibration). Audio and radio wave frequencies are measured in Hertz. (cycles per second)
frequency coordinator - (Repeater Term) an individual or group responsible for assigning frequencies to new repeaters without causing interference to existing repeaters
FSK Frequency-shift keying. Modulating the transmitter by using the RTTY data signal to shift the carrier frequency. Mark and Space. See URL: Modulation Modes
FSTV - Fast-Scan TV. Same as commercial broadcast TV.
full-break in (QSK) - allows a station to break into the communication without waiting for the transmitting station to finish.
full duplex - a communications mode in which a radios can transmit and receive at the same time by using two different frequencies (see "duplex" and half duplex)
full gallon - (see gallon)
full quieting -- (Repeater Term) a phenomenon on FM transmissions where the incoming signal is sufficient to engage the receiver limiters - thus eliminating the noise due to amplitude fluctuations.
full-wave bridge rectifier - a full-wave rectifier circuit that uses four diodes and does not require a center-tapped transformer. Converts AC to DCfull-wave rectifier - a circuit basically composed of two half-wave rectifiers. The full wave rectifier allows the full ac waveform to pass through; one half of the cycle is reversed in polarity. This circuit requires a center-tapped transformer. Converts AC to DCfuse - a thin metal strip mounted in a holder. When excessive current passes through the fuse, the metal strip melts and opens and protects the circuit. Fuses are rated in amperes and voltage and time to activate - fast blow or slow blow.
G (Golf)
gallon - slang for transmitter output power -- legally either 1000 watts CW or 1500 watts PEP
GaAs -- Gallium arsenide; used in high-speed semiconductors.
gain, antenna - an increase in the effective power radiated by an antenna in a certain desired direction, or an increase in received signal strength from a certain direction. This is at the expense of power radiated in, or signal strength received from, other directions.
GCR - General Certification Rule. Most award sponsors allow GCR in lieu of actually wanting to see your cards. You need to have the cards! GCR usually means getting the signatures of two witnesses who certify that you possess the cards and that the information you state on the application is correct.
GHz - gigahertz - billion (1,000,000,000) hertz (see Hertz)
giga - the metric prefix for 10^9 or times 1,000,000,000.
GMRS - General Mobile Radio Service.
GOTA - Get on the Air -- A category in the annual ARRL Field Day event. The GOTA station may be operated by Novice, Technicians or generally inactive hams under their existing operating privileges, or under the direction of a Control Operator with appropriate privileges, as necessary. Non-licensed persons may participate under the direct supervision of an appropriate control operator.See URL: ARRL FIELD DAY
GPS - Global Positioning System -- See GPS
gray line - a band around the Earth that separates daylight from darkness. It is a transition region between day and night. One of the many types of propagation paths.
great circle route - The shortest path by radio between any two points on Earth.
green stamp - U.S. dollar bill sent along with a QSL card (instead of an IRC) to offset postage costs of a return card.
grid dip meter -- Test Equipment that causes a meter decrease (dip) when near resonant circuits
ground - Common zero-voltage reference point.
ground-plane antenna - a vertical antenna built with the central radiating element one-quarter-wavelength long and several radials extending horizontally from the base. The radials are slightly longer than one-quarter wave, and may droop toward the ground.
ground wave propagation - radio waves that travel along the surface of the earth, even beyond the horizon. See URL: Propagation
H (Hotel)
half duplex - (Repeater Term) a communications mode in which a radio transmits and receives on two different frequencies but performs only one of these operations at any given time (see "duplex" and "full duplex")
half-wave dipole - the basic antenna consisting of a length of wire or tubing, open and fed at the center. The entire antenna is ½ wavelength long at the desired operating frequency.half-wave rectifier - a circuit that allows only half of the applied ac waveform to pass through it.
hand-held - (Repeater Term) a small, lightweight portable transceiver small enough to be carried easily; also called HT (for Handie-Talkie, a Motorola trademark).
hang time - (Repeater Term) the short period following a transmission that allows others who want to access the repeater a chance to do so; a courtesy beep sounds when the repeater is ready to accept another transmission.
ham - an amateur radio operator. See Origins
hamfest - ham festival, a social and commercial event at which hams meet to buy, sell, and swap equipment - See URL: HamFests
handle - A radio operator’s name. Kinda unnecessary -- just say the name is. But lotsa old timers use handle.
harmonic - a signal at a multiple of the fundamental frequency. Also a slang term for the children of an Amateur.
HDTV - High Definition Television
HDX - Half-duplex. A communication system in which stations take turns transmitting and receiving.
Hertz - the standard unit used to measure frequency (one Hertz equals one complete cycle per second)
HF - High Frequency - 3 MHz to 30 MHz
hi hi - ha ha (laughter)
"hi hi" is the Morse equivalent of a laugh as in Morse it sounds like someone chuckling ("hehhehhehheh hehheh"). That is ditditditdit dit dit --- or dot dot dot dot dot dot. You really have to listen to it sent in Morse to appreciate its laugh like sound. It is most commonly used in CW (Morse Code), but has carried over to voice as well. Many CW expressions have carried over to voice -- such as 73 (Best Regards) and 88 (love and Kisses), etc. The origin probably dates back before radio to the telegraph days. And since Hams used Morse long before voice became practical-- the sound of the Morse characters HI HI was used to resemble a laugh sound. In some sense it is equivalent of a smiley. It's onomatopoeic -- that is the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss) The definitive answer might be found in the "Dodge's The Telegraph Instructor Manual" circa 1850 to 1900. However, I have never been able to find a copy of this document. Wish I could as it would help to see the transitions from telegraph to radio usage.So that is my best guess -- based on what old time telegraphers have told me
high-pass filter - a filter designed to pass high frequency signals, while blocking lower frequency signals.
homebrew - term for home-built, noncommercial radio equipment.
hop - communication between stations by reflecting the radio waves off of the ionosphere.
horizontally polarized wave - an electromagnetic wave with its electric lines of force parallel to the ground.
HT - (Repeater Term) Handi-Talkie - a small hand held radio
Hz - (see Hertz)
I (India)
I (intensity) symbol for current in an electric circuit, measured in Amperes
IARU - International Amateur Radio Union - worldwide ham radio organization whose members consist of the official radio society from each participating country. See IARU
IC - Integrated circuit.
ID -- Identification, as announcing station callsign at intervals specified by Part 97 of the FCC Rules and Regulations.
IF - Intermediate Frequency -- Intermediate frequency, resultant frequency from heterodyning the carrier frequency with an oscillator, mixing incoming signals to an intermediate frequency enhances amplification, filtering and the processing signals. Desirable to have more than one IF.
image - A false signal produced in a superheterdyne receiver’s circuitry.
impedance: The opposition to the flow of electric current and radio energy; it is measured in ohms (symbol is Z). For best performance, the impedance of an antenna, the feedline, and the antenna connector on a radio should be approximately equal.
inductance - a measure of the ability of a coil to store energy in a magnetic field.
inductor - an electrical component usually composed of a coil of wire wound on a central core. An inductor stores energy in a magnetic field.
input frequency - (Repeater Term) the frequency of the repeater's receiver (and your transceiver's transmitter).
intermod - Short for "intermodulation," this means false or spurious signals produced by two or more signals mixing in a receiver or repeater station.
intermodulation distortion (IMD -- (Repeater Term) the unwanted mixing of two strong RIF signals that causes a signal to be transmitted on an unintended frequency.
I/O - Input/Output
ionosphere - The electrically charged region of the Earth’s atmosphere located approximately 40 to 400 miles above the Earth’s surface that refracts radio signals.
IOTA - Islands On The Air - See URL: IOTA
IRC - International Reply Coupon: A coupon that can be purchased at post offices which can be exchanged in foreign countries for return postage for a surface mail letter to the country that issued the coupon. See IRC's
IRLP Radio Linking Project. Uses a network protocol called VoIP (Voice over IP). There are now nearly 800+ repeaters around the world connected by the internet through the Amateur radio internet radio linking project, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. URL: IRLP
isotropic - Theoretical "Single Point" antenna used calculate gain.
ITU - International Telecommunications Union, the body which specifies worldwide guidelines concerning the use of the electromagnetic spectrum for communications purposes. See ITU
J (Juliet)
J antenna (J pole) - a mechanically modified version of the zepp (zeppelin) antenna. It consists of a half-wavelength radiator fed by a quarter-wave matching stub. This antenna does not require the ground plane that ¼-wave antennas do to work properly.
jam - cause intentional interference
JFET - Junction field-effect transistor.
JOTA - Jamboree on the Air -- an annual event in which about 500,000 Scouts and Guides all over the world make contact with each other by means of amateur radio. See URL: ARRL JOTA
jug -- Large transmitting tubes, klystrons, magnetrons
jury rig -- Fix in an unorthodox manner
K (Kilo)
kc - (see "kilocycles")
kilo - the metric prefix for 10^3, or times 1,000
K- index - A measure of the Earth’s magnetic field as measured at Boulder, Colorado. Propagation conditions improve with lower measurement numbers. See URL: Propagation
kerchunking - activating a repeater without identifying or modulating the carrier.
key - (noun) any switch or button, usually refers to a telegraph or Morse code key
key - (verb) to press a key or button
keyer - Electronic device for sending Morse Code semi-automatically; connects to a key (see above). Dits are sent by pressing one paddle of the key, dahs sent by pressing the other one paddle.
key up - (Repeater Term) to turn on a repeater by transmitting on its input frequency.
key up - (verb) to activate a transmitter or repeater
kilocycles - thousand cycles per second. Replaced by kiloHertz (kHz)
kilohertz - one thousand hertz (see "hertz")
L (Lima)
ladder line -- an open wire transmission line -- 600, 450 ohm characteristic impedances are typical.
landline -- ham slang for telephone (lines)LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
LED - Light-emitting diode
LF - Low Frequency - 30 kHz to 300 kHz
lid - a poor operator, one who does not follow proper procedures or sends sloppy morse code.
limiter - (Repeater Term) a stage of an FM receiver that clips the tops of the FM signal thus makes the receiver less sensitive to amplitude variations and pulse noise.
linear - an amplifier used after the transceiver output. So named for its purity of amplification. Linear, in the mathematical sense, means that what comes out is directly proportional to what goes in. As far as linear amps go, if you double the input, the output is doubled and so on. This does not generate any additional frequency byproducts. If the amp is nonlinear, sums, differences and all combinations of those are generated also.
line-of-sight propagation - the term used to describe propagation in a straight line directly from one station to another.
load - an electrical device which consumes, converts, or emanates energy
local oscillator (LO) - a receiver circuit that generates a stable, pure signal used to mix with the received RF to produce a signal at the receiver intermediate frequency (IF).
long path - short path -- in degrees - the direct great signal bearing path between two locations. Long path is the reciprocal bearing.
lollipop - ham term for an Astatic D-104 microphone
LORAN - Long Range Aid to Navigation.
lowfer - One who experiments at very low frequencies (typically 1750 Meters, which is 160-190 kHz and can be used under FCC Part 15).
low-pass filter - a filter that allows signals below the cutoff frequency to pass through and attenuates signals above the cutoff frequency.
LSB - Lower Side Band - See URL: Modulation Modes - the common single-sideband operating mode on the 40, 80, and 160 meter amateur bands.
LW - Long Wave 150 - 300 KHz
M (Mike)
mA milliampere (1/1,000 ampere)
machine - a repeater
magnetic mount or mag-mount - (Repeater Term) an antenna with a magnetic base that permits quick installation and removal from a motor vehicle or other metal surface.
mA/h - milliampere per hour
making the trip -- jargon for "successfully transmitting a readable message"
MARS - Military Affiliate Radio System, military affiliated amateurs who provide free communications for overseas GIs and other Federal services. MARS operators are licensed under DOD. Established 1948.
matchbox - Normally called an Antenna Tuner. Impedance-matching device that matches the antenna system input impedance to the transmitter, receiver, or transceiver output impedance.
MC - (see megacycles)
MCW - Modulated Continuous Wave, a fixed audio tone modulates a carrier, older method of sending Morse code - See URL: Modulation Modes
mega - the metric prefix for 10^6, or times 1,000,000.
megacycles - million cycles per second. This terminology has been replaced by MegaHertz (MHz)
megahertz - million hertz (see Hertz)
meteor scatter - ionized trails of meteors used as a reflecting media See URL: Propagation
MF - Medium Frequency - (300-3,000 kHz)
mic (mike) - microphone - a device that converts sound waves into electrical energy.
micro - the metric prefix for 10^-6, or divide by 1,000,000.
microwave - the region of the radio spectrum above 1 giga hertz (GHz).
mil 1/1000 of an inch. Also mill a special typewriter used by radio operators in copying messages
milli - the metric prefix for 10^-3, or divide by 1,000.
mixer - a circuit that takes two or more input signals, and produces an output that includes the sum and difference of those signal frequencies.
mW - milliwatt (1/1,000 watt)
mobile - an amateur radio station installed in a vehicle - a mobile station can be used while in MOTION. A portable station is one that is designed to be easily moved from place to place but can only be used while stopped.
mode - (see emission mode)
modem - short for modulator/demodulator. A modem modulates a radio signal to transmit data and demodulates a receive signal to recover transmitted data.
modulate - create a radio emission so that it contains information (voice, Morse code, music, binary, ascii)- See URL: Modulation Modes
modulation Index - (Repeater Term) the ratio between the maximum carrier frequency deviation and the audio modulating frequency at a given instant in an FM transmitter.
MOSFET - Metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect transistor
motorboating -- an undesirable low frequency feedback resulting in a motorboat sound on the audio
MUF - Maximum Usable Frequency, a measure of the highest frequency that will support transmissions off of the ionosphere.
multimode transceiver - transceiver capable of SSB, CW, AM, and FM operation.
mV - millivolt (1/1,000 volt)
MW - Medium Wave - 300 - 3000 kHz. Also used for the AM broadcast band - 530-1710 kHz
N (November)
NB - Narrow band. Also noise Blanker
NBFM - narrow band FM
NCS - Net Control Station near field of an antenna - the region of the electromagnetic field immediately surrounding an antenna where the reactive field dominates and where the field strength as a function of angle (antenna pattern) depends upon the distance from the antenna. It is a region in which the electric and magnetic fields do not have a substantial plane-wave character, but vary considerably from point-to-point.
negative - no, incorrect
negative copy - unsuccessful transmission
negative feedback - the process in which a portion of the amplifier output is returned to the input, 180 degrees out of phase with the input signal. Improves linearity and reduces distortion.
negative offset - the repeater input frequency is lower than the output frequency.
net - A group of stations that meet on a specified frequency at a certain time. The net is organized and directed by a net control station, who calls the net to order, recognizes stations entering and leaving the net, and authorizes stations to transmit.
NiCad - Nickel Cadmium, generally refers to a type of rechargeable battery
nickels -- used on DX nets as a signal report 5x5
NiMH - Nickel Metal Hydride, generally refers to a newer type of rechargeable battery
NODE - A remotely controlled TNC/digipeater - used as a connect point in packet radio.
NPN - A type of transistor that has a layer of P-type semiconductor material sandwiched between layers of N-typesemiconductor material.
NTS - National Traffic System - an amateur radio relay system for passing messages.
NTSC - National Television System Committee (NOT National Television Standards Committee) - USA and others TV Standards.
NVIS - near-vertical-incidence-skywave, a propagation mode where signals are reflected back down from directly overhead. Useful for relatively short-distances, overcoming the limitations of the usual "skip-zone" distance" (See Skip Zone)
O (Oscar)
OC - Oceania
odd split - unconventional frequency separation between input and output frequencies.
offset - (Repeater Term) In order to listen and transmit at the same time, repeaters use two different frequencies. On the 2 metre ham band these frequencies are 600 kilocycles/second (or 600 kilohertz) apart. As a general rule, if the output frequency (transmit) of the repeater is below 147 Mhz then the input frequency (listening) is 600 kilohertz lower. This is referred to as a negative offset. If the output is above 147 Mhz then the input is 600 kilohertz above. This is referred to as a positive offset.
Ohm - The fundamental unit of resistance. one Ohm is the resistance offered when a potential of one Volt results in a current of one Ampere.
old man (OM) - friendship term, friend, pal or buddy
OM - (see old man)
OO - Official Observer volunteer who monitors the Amateur Bands for infractions
open repeater - (Repeater Term) a repeater whose access is not limited.
OSCAR - Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio.
oscillate - vibrate, generate an AC or other periodic signal
oscilloscope - an electronic test instrument used to observe wave forms and voltages on a cathode-ray tube. Displays time on the X-axis and amplitude on the Y-axis, Z-axis is intensity of the CRT spot.
OT - old timer - been around ham radio for a long time
OTC - Old Timer's Club
OTS - Official Traffic Station
output frequency - (Repeater Term) the frequency of the repeater's transmitter (and your transceiver's receiver).
over - used during a two way communication under difficult copy - to alert the other station that you are returning the communication back to them. Other terms are Cambio (change), microphone to you, and in CW the letter K is used as an invitation to transmit. Not necessary on 2 Meter FM repeaters, as the courtesy beep serves this function.
P (Papa)
P-P Peak-to-peak; as in peak-to-peak voltage
PA - Power amplifier
packet cluster - A Network of automated packet radio stations for disseminating DX and contest reports
packet radio - a system of digital communication whereby information is transmitted in short bursts. The bursts ("packets") also contain callsign, addressing and error detection information.
paddle - Morse code key
PAL - Phase Alteration Line. Television standard used in parts of Europe.
parallel circuit - an electrical circuit in which the electrons follow thru more than one path in going from the negative supply terminal to the positive terminal. parallel-conductor feed line - feed line constructed of two wires held at a constant distance apart; either incased in plastic or constructed with insulating spacers placed at intervals along the line.parasitic beam antenna - another name for the beam antenna.parasitic element - part of a directive antenna that derives energy from mutual coupling with the driven element. Parasitic elements are not connected directly to the feed line.
parasitic - Oscillations in a transmitter on frequencies other than the desired one; these can produce spurious signals from the transmitter.
path noise - (Repeater Term) A term used in repeaters to indicate that the signal is so weak that the limiters have not engaged thus noise on the signal will be heard -- this is referred to as path noise and sometimes as (incorrectly) White Noise (See Same)
PBBS - Packet Bulletin Board System
PC - Printed Circuit
PCM - pulse code modulation based on the Shannon's communication theory or "information theory" that describes his "sampling theorem"
PEP - Peak envelope power - the average power of a signal at its largest amplitude peak.peak-inverse-voltage (PIV) - the maximum voltage a diode can withstand when it is reverse biased (not conducting).
personal - first name - as in "the personal here is Bob" -- CB jargon that has crept into Ham jargon - old timers shudder
phase - the time interval between one event and another in a regularly recurring cycle.phase modulation - varying the phase of an RF carrier in response to the instantaneous changes in an audio signal.
phone - voice modulation - See URL: Modulation Modes
phone patch - A connection between a two-way radio unit and the public telephone system.
picket fencing - (Repeater Term) A condition experienced on VHF and above where a signal rapidly fluctuates in amplitude causing a sound akin to rubbing a stick on a picket fence. If a repeater user's signal isn't strong enough to maintain solid access to the machine's input (such as when operating from a vehicle passing beneath underpasses or through hilly terrain), the signal would be hard to copy because of a pronounced, rapid fluttery or choppy characteristic.pico - the metric prefix for 10^-12, or divide by 1,000,000,000,000.
pileup - multiple stations calling a DX or contest station
PIN Positive-intrinsic-negative (transistor or diode)
ping jockey - Slang for meteor-scatter operator
pirate - Station using an existing callsign and illegally operating on the air
PL - (Repeater Term) Private Line (same as CTCSS)-- low frequency audio tones used to alert or control receiving stations. PL, an acronym for Private Line, is Motorola's proprietary name for a communications industry signaling scheme call the Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System, or CTCSS. It is used to prevent a repeater from responding to unwanted signals or interference. Tone is an electronic means of allowing a repeater to respond only to stations that encode or send the proper tone. Any station may be set up to transmit this unique low frequency tone that allows the repeater to operate. Also used during the AutoPatch mode. See PL
PLL- Phase-lock loop
PM - Phase Modulation, similar to Frequency Modulation - See URL: Modulation Modes
P.M. - Post Meridian (after noon).
PNP - a type of transistor that has a layer of N-type semiconductor sandwiched between layers of P-type semiconductor material.
pole-pig - another name for a step down transformer used by power transmission companies. Some surplus units can be reverse wired and used as the transformers in a Ham radio high voltage supplies.
portable - A mobile is a amateur radio station installed in a vehicle - a mobile station can be used while in MOTION. A portable station is one that is designed to be easily moved from place to place but can only be used while stopped. Portable operation is away from the home base station.
positive offset - (Repeater Term) the repeater input frequency is higher than the output frequency.
pot - Potentiometer - Continuously variable resistor often used for adjusting levels, as in volume control.
PRB - Private Radio Bureau, administers Amateur services
product detector - A receiver circuit consisting of a beat frequency oscillator and additional circuitry for enhanced reception of SSB signals.
PROM Programmable read-only memory
propagation - the means or path by which a radio signal travels from a transmitting station to a receiving station - See URL Propagation
PSK31 - A digital transmission mode -- Phase Shift keying with 31.25 baud rate - See PSK31
PTO Permeability tuned oscillator
PTT - Push To Talk, the switch in a transmitter circuit that activates the microphone and transmission circuitry
pull the plug -- shut down the station
Q (Quebec)Note that many Hams use Q-Signals verbally, but they originated in CW communications, QTH is "my Location", "QSY is change frequency", etc -- See Q-Signals
Q - A figure of merit for tuned circuits. For antennas, the Q is inversely proportional to useable bandwidth, with reasonable SWR.
quad - A directional antenna consisting of two one-wavelength "squares" of wire placed a quarter-wavelength apart.
Q-signals - a set of three-letter codes which are used by amateurs as abbreviations. Commonly used on both CW and phone. See URL: Q-Signals
QCWA - Quarter Century Wireless Association -- requires 25 years of amateur service for membership.
QRP - Low power operation, usually 5 watts output or 10 watts input power. See QRP operation
QSL - to acknowledge receipt. Commonly used to indicate "I understand", "I coped your transmission (or report) all OK". Also used as a term for sending cards by mail to confirm a two way contact with a station, such as QSL via the bureau. (See BURRO or bureau). See URL: QSLing
QSL Manager - A person, usually an Amateur Radio operator, who manages the receiving and sending of QSL cards for a managed station). A QSL Manager is needed because the managed station either has difficulty handling the volume of incoming QSL cards, or the station is geographically located such that it is difficult or impossible for that station to accept and/or send QSL cards. It is very common for "rare" DX stations and DXpeditions to have a QSL Manager.
QSO - two way conversation
Quagi -- an antenna constructed with both quad and yagi elements
R (Romeo)
RADAR - Radio detection and ranging.
RAC - Radio Amateurs of Canada, a national amateur radio organization in Canada - See leagues
RACES - Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service - See Emergency Pages
radio check - query from a station desiring a report on his stations signal strength and audio quality
ragchewing - chatting informally via radio
RAM - Random Access Memory
R/C - Radio-control
RCC Rag Chewers Club
rcvr - receiver
RDF - Radio Direction Finding
reactance - the opposition to current that a capacitor or inductor creates in an ac circuit.
reading the mail - to listen to a QSO without participating
reflector - (1.an element behind the driven element in an Yagi and some other directional antennas. (2. IRLP Reflector -- a server that allows multiple nodes (repeaters) to be linked together at the same time. (3. a mail list that forwards news to the subscribers, e.g., DX Reflector, Contest Reflector.
refract - to bend. Electromagnetic energy is refracted when it passes through a boundary between different types of material much as light is refracted as it travels from air into water or from water into air.
repeater - A repeater is a receiver/transmitter that listens for your transmission and re-transmits it. Repeaters usually enjoy the advantage of height and power to extend the range of your transmission. Repeaters listen on one frequency and transmit on another. The separation between these two frequencies is referred to as the Offset. See Repeater Operation
repeater directory - an annual ARRL publication that lists repeaters in the US, Canada and other areas. See ARRL Repeater Directory
resonance - A condition where Xc = XL, establishing a resonant circuit - used for selectivity (parallel circuit) or a maximum impedance circuit (series)
reset applies to when a repeater timer is reset back to zero and normally occurs when the carrier of the transmitter drops.
Rettysnitch - A fictional torture device for bad hams.
RF - Radio Frequency, emissions in the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum
RFI - Radio Frequency Interference
RG - As in RG-8 Coax -- RG = (1) Radio Guide or (2) Radio Group as opposed to Electrical Group or Telephone Group
rice box - equipment made in Japan or the Orient
rig - a radio (transmitter, receiver, or transceiver)
RIT - Receiver incremental tuning. Also known as a Clarifier
RMS - Root mean square
roger -- I understand - Received 100% In CW "R" -- See Origins
roger beep - a dit-dah-dit sent at the end of a transmission
ROM - Read-only memory
rotor - (see "rotator")
rotator - a device attached to an antenna mast which rotates it so that the antenna can point in different directions. Years ago this device was simply called a "rotor"
Rover - A station that operates from several grid squares or counties during a contest
RS-232 Computer interface standard set by the Electronics Industries Association (EIA).
RST - "Readability, Signal, and Tone", a three-digit report indicating how well an operator's emissions are being received. See RST System
RTMA - Radio Television Manufacturers Association.
RTTY - radio teletype - A form of digital communications.
rubber duck - A shortened flexible antenna used with hand-held scanners and transceivers.
rx - receiver, receive
S (Sierra)
SAREX - Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment, communicating with astronauts in space. See SAREX
SASE - Self-addressed, stamped envelope
SEC - Section Emergency Coordinator
SECAM Séquentiel Couleur Avec Mémoire (French Color TV Standard)
selectivity - Ability of a receiver to reject signals adjacent to tuned signal.
sensitivity - A receivers ability to receive weak signals.
separation or split the difference (in kHz) between a repeater's transmitter and receiver frequencies. Repeaters that use unusual separations, such as 1 MHz on 2 m, are sometimes said to have "oddball splits."
series circuit - an electrical circuit in which all the electrons must flow through every part of the circuit. There is only one path for the electrons to flow.
SFI - Solar Flux Index - See Propagation
shack - Ham station operating area
SHF - Super High Frequency 3 - 30 GHz
short path -- in degrees - the direct great signal bearing path between two locations. Long path is the reciprocal bearing.
signal - a radio emission
silent key - a deceased amateur operator
simplex - a communications mode in which a radio transmits and receives on the same frequency
SINAD - Signal to noise and distortion ratio
single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) switch : a switch that connects one center contact to one of two other contacts.single-pole, single-throw (SPST) switch : a switch that only connects one center contact to another contact.
SINPO - A reporting system used by radio hobbyists to indicate how well a station was received: S=Strength, I=Interference, N=Noise, P=Propagation, O=Overall
SITOR-A - Simplex teleprinting over radio system, mode A
SITOR-B - Simplex teleprinting over radio system, mode B (FEC mode)
SK - Silent Key, an amateur term for indicating that a ham has passed away. Also one of the prosigns -- meaning "end of contact", See prosigns at URL: Prosigns
skip zone - dead zone, too far for ground wave propagation and too near for sky wave propagation
skyhook - antenna
sky wave propagation - the transmitting of radio waves which reflect off of the ionosphere - See Propagation
slim - Someone pretending to be a DX station, usually rare, that is supposed to be on the air. For example, someone in southern Argentina pretending to be on Heard Island
slop jar - an electrolytic rectifier - electrolytic rectifiers were common in the late '20s and early 30s. One "cell" consisted of two strips of dissimilar metals in a caustic potash (lye) solution. Many cells were needed for a high voltage supply.
SM - Section Manager
S-Meter - Signal Strength Meter -- See S-Units at URL: S-Units
S/N - Signal-to-noise ratio
spark gap - an early transmitter design which used electrical sparks to generate radio frequency oscillations
spectrum - the electromagnetic spectrum or some portion of it
speech processor - A circuit that increases the average level of the modulating signal applied to a transmitter.
splatter - a type of interference to stations on nearby frequencies. Splatter occurs when a transmitter is overmodulated.
split or separation - (Repeater Term) the difference (in kHz) between a repeater's transmitter and receiver frequencies. Repeaters that use unusual separations, such as 1 MHz on 2 m, are sometimes said to have "oddball splits."
split - DX stations often operate split -- that is transmitting on one frequency and listening at a different frequency or range of frequencies. This avoids congestion on the DX transmit frequency.
sporadic-E - Random patches of intense ionization that form in the E-layer of the ionosphere and refract higher frequency signals that normally cannot be refracted by the ionosphere.
SPST - Single Pole Single Throw (switch)
spurs - Spurious Signals - Undesired signals and frequencies in the output of a transmitter.
SQL - Squelch - A circuit that mutes the receiver when no signal is present, thereby eliminating band noise
squelch tail - (Repeater Term) A brief bit of noise heard between the end of a radio transmission and the reactivation of the receiver’s squelch circuit.
SSB - Single Side Band - See URL: Modulation Modes
SSBSC - Single side band - suppressed carrier.
SSN - Sunspot Number -- See Propagation
SSTV - Slow Scan Television
straight key - a non-electronic Morse code key with one paddle
stub - A transmission line 'stub' is a length of transmission line that is open or shorted at one end. It is effectively a capacitor or inductor, depending on length, and can be used to achieve a match [VSWR = 1:1] if connected at a selected point in the basic transmission line.
superheterodyne - a radio receiver scheme which beats or heterodynes a second radio frequency to the incoming radio signals. The combined frequencies form an intermediate (IF) third frequency. Aids in selectivity characteristics.
SW - Short Wave
SWL - Short Wave Listening -- See SWL
SWR - Standing Wave Ratio, a measure of how much radio energy sent into an antenna system is being reflected back to the transmitter. See SWR
SWR meter - a device used to determine the Standing Wave Ratio of an antenna system
synch. detection - Synchronous detection is an ingenious method of processing an AM signal to improve audio quality and reduce interference from adjacent stations.
T (Tango)
TCXO - Temperature-compensated crystal oscillator.
telegraphy - the transmission of information in Morse code format - See URL: Modulation Modes
telephony - the transmission of information in voice format - See URL: Modulation Modes
third-party communications - messages passed from one amateur to another on behalf of a third person.third-party communications agreement - an official understanding between the United States and another country that allows amateurs in both countries to participate in third-party communications. See 3rd Party Agreements
TI - Talk-In Frequency
ticket - slang for an amateur radio license
timer - repeaters often incorporate a timer or transmit time limiter to control the length of a single transmission from a user. The time limit is set by the repeater owner.
time-out - Excessively long transmission on a repeater causing the repeater’s timer circuit to stop further transmissions (Slang - the alligator gottcha)
tone pad an array of 12 or 16 numbered keys that generate the standard telephone dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) dialing signals. Resembles a standard telephone keypad. (see autopatch)
TOR - Telex over radio.
TNC - Terminal Node Controller, a device which interfaces a computer to a transceiver and performs a function similar to a modem
TNC - Threaded Niell-Concelman (standard connector type used on Coax cable, named for its inventors).
top band -- 160 Meter Ham Band (highest number meter band)
TP - test point
traffic - a message or messages sent by radio
transceiver - a radio that both transmits and receives
triplexer -- see diplexer.
tropospheric ducting - Propagation of signals above 30 MHz via bending and ducting along weather fronts in the lowest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, the troposphere.
TRX - Transceiver
TTL Transistor-Transistor Logic
TV - Television
TVI - Television interference
twisted pair - ham slang for telephone or telephone lines
two-tone test - A method of testing a side-band transmitter by feeding two audio tones into the microphone input of the transmitter and observing the output on an oscilloscope.
tx - transmit, transmitter
U (Uniform)
UHF - Ultra High Frequency 300 - 3000 MHz
Uncle Charlie - The FCC
unun - "unbalance - unbalance", a device which couples an unbalanced antenna of one impedance to an unbalanced feed line of another impedance
uplink - Channel used for earth-to-satellite communications.
URL - Universal Resource Locator
USB - Upper Side Band the common single-sideband operating mode on the 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meter HF amateur bands, and all the VHF and UHF bands.
UTC - Coordinated Universal Time , the time (expressed in 24-hour format) at the 0-degree Meridian, which passes through Greenwich, England.
utility stations - Stations other than broadcast, or amateur stations; these stations are not intended to be heard by the public. They include aircraft communications, radiotelephone, marine, embassy, and military communications.
V (Victor)
V - Volt (unit of electromotive force {EMF}).
VA - Volt Amperes - measure of apparent power. (Note true power is I squared x R)
VAC - Volts Alternating Current.
varactor diode - a component whose capacitance varies as the reverse bias voltage is changed.
VCO - Voltage-controller oscillator
VDT - Video-display terminal
VE - Volunteer Examiner, a person authorized to administer examinations for amateur radio licenses
VEC - Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, an amateur radio organization empowered by the FCC to recruit, organize, regulate and coordinate Volunteer Examiners.
VFO - Variable Frequency Oscillator
velocity factor - the speed at which radio waves travel in a particular feedline, expressed as a percent of the speed of light
VHF - Very High Frequency 30 - 300 MHz
VIS - Vertical Interval Signaling. Digital encoding of the transmission mode in the vertical sync portion of an SSTV image.
VLF - Very Low Frequency 3 - 30 KHz
VMOS - Vertical metal-oxide semiconductor
VOA - Voice Of America.
VOM - Volt-ohm-meter
VOX - Voice Operated Transmit
VSWR - Voltage standing wave ratio
VTVM - Vacuum tube voltmeter
VXO - Variable crystal oscillator
W (Whiskey)
WAC - Worked All Continents award from the IARU, administered by ARRL. See WAC
wallpaper - QSL cards, awards, special event certificates
WARC - World Administrative Radio Conference -- See Note 1
WARC Bands - An expression to indicate the bands allocated in 1979 -- 17M, 12M and 30M
WAS - Worked All States award from ARRL for confirmed contact with each of 50 states. See WAS
WAZ - Worked All Zones award from CQ magazine for confirmed contact with each of 40 zones. See CQ Awards
WEFAX - Weather facsimile, reconstructed satellite images and photographs. See WEFAX
WFWL -- DXing term used when the validity of a DX station is in doubt. Work First Worry Later" white noise (Repeater Term) is a scientific term used to describe a spectrum of broad band noise generated in a receiver's detector and sampled to control the receiver's squelch. This term is often incorrectly used in repeater work to describe the sounds heard when the received transmission is noisy and hard to understand, usually attributed to a weak signal and the repeater receiver limiters are not engaged.
wilco - Will comply
wireless - radio (As opposed to wired - telegraph)
Wouff Hong -the Wouff Hong was a weapon against poor operating dreamed up by old time QST author, "The Old Man" (later discovered to be Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, himself). See Wouff Hong
work - To communicate with another radio station, a valid two way contact
WPM - Words per minute; as in Morse code or typing speed
WSJT - ''Weak Signal communication, by K1JT". A software package for meteor scatter and EME communications - See WSJT
WWV - National Bureau of Standards radio station (time signals). See NIST NIST = National Institute of Standards and Technology for the USA
WWVB - NIST radio station (broadcasts time signals).
WWVH - NIST radio station (broadcasts time signals- Hawaii).
WX - weather
X (X-ray)
XCVR- Transceiver
XFMR - Transformer
XIT - Transmit Incremental Tuning control; allows for slightly changing the transmit frequency while leaving the receive frequency the same. Useful for split operations.
XTAL - Crystal
XVTR - Transverter -- configures a transceiver to operate on other bands
XYL - Ex-Young Lady, wife
Y (Yankee)
Yagi - 1926 Hidetsugu Yagi and Shintaro Uda invent the "beam" antenna array. A directional antenna consisting of a dipole and two additional elements, a slightly longer reflector and a slightly shorter director. Electromagnetic coupling between the elements focuses maximum power (or reception) in the direction of the director.
YL - Young Lady, any female amateur radio operator or the significant other of a amateur.
Z (Zulu)
zed - a phonetic for letter "Z"
zero beat - Adjust the frequencies of two signals so that they are exactly equal and in phase
Zepp antenna - The end-fed 'zepp' antenna was simply a weighted wire reeled down and up from early lighter-than-Zeppelin air-ships.
Zulu - Coordinated Universal Time. Also the phonetic for the letter Z
I will use this radio terminology during my project. By reading through it and becoming familiar with these terms I will develop my knowlage and be able to improve my work.
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