Good site to learn radio terminology..?? Suggestions??

[Contact]

Going through my BCD396T, and reading the user manual that was written by a team of experts, for an expert reader, I've only begun to feel more dumb. Recently I've made a new buddy who is a huge radio hobbist and technician, and he has only shown me how much I don't know. LOL

Also, I have a very mechical mind, I am not satisfied with the that and am more concerned with the how and why. I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean. Besides that, if I learn more about how everything works, I am sure I can enjoy this hobby much more.

Modulation, Attenuation, Data Skip, Gain, db. In addition to those terms, I'd like to know what some of the letters above the system keys mean. I see LNK, P25 (which I assume is APCO 25), NFM etc. and I'd like a screen breakdown if there is one out there.

Also, a scanner question if I may...When I see the scanner scanning, and it stops on a channel, It always shows the same frequency above the SYS Keys...even if there's 4 frequencies listed in the trunked system. Does this mean I may be missing something, or is the first freq. always the one listed?

Thanks to anyone who helps!

 

[W4KRR]

Also, a scanner question if I may...When I see the scanner scanning, and it stops on a channel, It always shows the same frequency above the SYS Keys...even if there's 4 frequencies listed in the trunked system. Does this mean I may be missing something, or is the first freq. always the one listed?

Thanks to anyone who helps!

When scanning a trunked system, the frequency displayed will be the active control channel. When a conversation is heard, the frequency displayed will be the frequency that the conversation is taking place on. When the conversation ends, the frequency displayed will revert back to the control channel frequency.

 

[DickH]

Going through my BCD396T, and reading the user manual that was written by a team of experts, for an expert reader, I've only begun to feel more dumb. Recently I've made a new buddy who is a huge radio hobbist and technician, and he has only shown me how much I don't know. LOL

Also, I have a very mechical mind, I am not satisfied with the that and am more concerned with the how and why. I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean. Besides that, if I learn more about how everything works, I am sure I can enjoy this hobby much more.

Modulation, Attenuation, Data Skip, Gain, db. In addition to those terms, I'd like to know what some of the letters above the system keys mean. I see LNK, P25 (which I assume is APCO 25), NFM etc. and I'd like a screen breakdown if there is one out there.

Also, a scanner question if I may...When I see the scanner scanning, and it stops on a channel, It always shows the same frequency above the SYS Keys...even if there's 4 frequencies listed in the trunked system. Does this mean I may be missing something, or is the first freq. always the one listed?

Thanks to anyone who helps!

Although W4KRR answered your question, I'd like to add a comment.
It is so refreshing to hear from someone who wants to learn this stuff. Usually, we get the "new to scanning" questions from people who just want to quickly get into the hobby without learning anything. If they could, they would just sit back and let someone program their scanner for them and never learn a thing.
So my hat is off to you for having the right attitude. I'm sure that in a short time you will be very knowledgable, while others just sit and complain because they can't understand the manual or trunking, etc.

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi Contact and all,

Live up to your name and contact the hams in your area, a local club is a great place to start. All the publications of the ARRL and others will only serve to confuse you without human intervention and the old buzzards have many years of experience just for the tapping. Oh, they love tapping the Morse code keys too. (;->) That's what we call Elmering, I don't know who Elmer was but he must have been a great teacher.

Beware the Amateur Radio vortex, it's a whirlpool waiting to suck you in and turn you into a ham. When you learn what it's all about though, you'll jump right in and find the joy of transmitting is greater than only listening. Just a bit of a footnote, it warms the cockles of my heart to know you want to learn the technical aspects of the hobby. Too many out there don't even know what's in the box let alone how it works. That includes some hams who simply memorized the test and never bothered to learn anything so hop to it and become a REAL ham if that's to your liking.

Hmmm, now if there were more like you there would be far fewer dumb questions and duplicate dumb threads on this forum and I'd stop telling them to do their homework and apply myself to more productive pursuits. Things like "If metal shields radio waves why are antennas made of metal?" belong in George Carlin's notebook.

 

[N4JNW]

I'll echo Warren's post.

Becoming a ham, isn't just all about "talking on the radio". Granted, that is WHY you become a ham, but there are many more aspects of ham radio than one might think. Ham operatos are notorious for building and repairing their own equipment. You know, anyone can pass a broken radio off to the tech and say here, I'll pay you to fix it.

Part of the licsense is electronics and RF theory. Much of the things you learn in becoming a ham, you can put to use in the scanning world as well. Plus, it really comes in handy when the time comes you drop your scanner and it needs a bit of repair. Whip out your soldering pencil, thumb up the file in your head you learned as a studying ham, and fix it yourself.

The RF theory part of ham radio applies to antenna design, antenna building, and RF characteristics. Use these skills as a means to build your own antenna, that works best for YOUR needs. Save money, and have a better antenna in the long run for your scanning adventures.

Then again, let's look at the "talking" aspect of ham radio. It's not ALL about talking no air as I mentioned, but that's where the fun is! Go take your Technician exam, then go take your General exam. The Morse code requirement is GONE, and you can enjoy most of the HF bands with your General ticket. Buy you a good used HF radio for about $400, make you a wire dipole, throw it up in your back yard, and work the world! Honestly, it can be done.. On just 40 or 50 watts, with a good dipole, and good HF radio, if you can hear someone, you can most likely talk to them. Italy, Spain, Brazil, Germany, you name it, you can talk to them.

 

[loumaag]

Good site to learn radio terminology..?? Suggestions??

How about our site. You are hear already.

Seriously, take a look a the RR Wiki (link at the top of the page) and a lot of the terms you are asking about are defined in our articles. Beyond that, Google can be a good friend for more in-depth explanations.

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi again,

"Whip out your soldering pencil, thumb up the file in your head you learned as a studying ham, and fix it yourself."

KG4, it's not as simple as that considering today's micro circuits and SMT multi layer boards which is why the majority of today's hams are "appliance operators". Repair isn't the issue, knowing what's in the box and what makes it tick is. You had a good point about learning a few rudimentary engineering skills but that's where you lost it. Those skills come in handy for cobbling a few accessories together or making a few modifications for some very specialized purposes (you can't find everything you need on the dealer's shelf) but unless you have highly specialized tools and equipment like a hot air reflow soldering tool and magnifier you're headed for disaster.

Real radios glow in the dark and they were easy to fix too, but it's not 1960 anymore. Well, that is unless you're a boat anchor fan like me but that's a discussion you'll find on the AM Fone web site.

Ah Lou, another plug for the RR Wiki. Well guys he's absolutely right, this is a place to be and one of the best. But then there's only one Lou... further comment squelched. (;->)

 

[Contact]

How about our site. You are hear already.

Seriously, take a look a the RR Wiki (link at the top of the page) and a lot of the terms you are asking about are defined in our articles. Beyond that, Google can be a good friend for more in-depth explanations.

I tried that, didn't really see a dictionary anywhere though.

Thanks for everyones help!!

 

[loumaag]

I tried that, didn't really see a dictionary anywhere though.

Actually the whole Wiki is more like a giant reference library. If you don't see what you want, just type it in the "Search" box.