Dictionary of Ham Radio Terms
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A
Amplitude : the height of a wave from the average or median position.
B
Band : the portions of the Electromagnetic Spectrum that are allocated to ham radio operators
C
Coaxial Cable : Cable that has a central conductor and an outer shield as the second conductor. Known as coaxial because the cable is cylindrical and the conductors share the same central axis.
D
Dipole : An antenna with two sides, usually of equal length.
Dish : A highly directional antenna, parabolic in shape. Often used at microwave frequencies.
E
Electromagnetic Waves : The waves emmitted by an antenna, having two dimensions, electric and magnetic.
F
Feedline : The wire of cable that jouns a transmitter or receiver to an antenna
Frequency: the number of complete waves that pass a reference point per second. Expressed in Hertz (Hz)
G
gain : How much more effective an antenna is as a radiator than a half wave dipole
H
HF : High Frequency. Frequencies in the range 3MHz to 30MHz
I
J
K
L
LPDA : Log Periodic Dipole Array. A multiband Antenna
M
N
O
OCF : Off Centre Fed Dipole. A dipole that has sides of unequal length. These are multiband wire antennas
P
Period : the time it taks in seconds for a complete wave to pass a reference point.
Q
R
S
SWR : Standing Wave Ratio. The ration of the height of a standing wave on a transmission line to the height of an adjacent node.
T
Transmission Line : Also known as feedline.
U
UHF : Ultra High Frequency. Frequencies in the range 300MHz to 3 000MHz
V
VHF : Very High Frequency. Frequencies in the range 30MHz to 300MHz
W
Wavelength : the distance in metres between corresponding points on a wave.
X
Y
Z
Numbers
73 : Goodbye