GLOSSARY

HAM RADIO TERMS

This is glossary contains general definitions of

typical amateur radio terms. Not all of the defini-
tion listed may apply to your specific model of
radio. Consult the manufacture for further clarifi-
cation of model-specific terms.
 A

ACC (ACCessory) Antenna matching

When the antenna’s impedance at resonance is at
Adaptive filter optimum performance for your transmitter output cir-
Digital filter associated with Digital Signal Process- cuit.
ing.
Antenna tuner
Adjacent-channel interference Device used to match an antenna to the output im-
When a receiver is tuned to a specific frequency and pedance of a transmitter.
interference is received on a nearby frequency.
APC (Automatic Power Control)
AF (Audio Frequency) Current limiting of power amplifier to prevent dam-
age to finals in high SWR conditions.
AFC (Automatic Frequency Control)
Automatically compensate frequency drift. APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System)
In conjunction with a GPS and TNC provide position
AFSK
reporting.
Audio Frequency Shift Keying, a form of digital sig-
nalling. ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service)
ARES is a public-service organization of the ARRL.
AGC (Automatic Gain Control)
Automatically optimize receiver amplifier gain. ARRL (The American Radio Relay League)
The National Association for Amateur Radio in the
ALC (Automatic Level Control)
US.
Limits RF drive level to power amplifier during trans-
mit to prevent distortion. ASCII (American National Standard Code for Informa-
tion Interchange)
AM (Amplitude Modulation)
A seven-unit digital code for the transmission of tel-
Amplifier eprinter data.
A device used to increase the output power of a de-
ATT (ATTenuator)
vice.
A network designed to reduce the amplitude of a sig-
AMSAT (AMateur SATellite) nal.

AMTOR (AMateur Teleprinting Over Radio) ATV (Amateur Television)

A form of RTTY, radio teletype. FSTV, SSTV

Anderson power poles Auto patch

Used by many emergency radio operators to con- Used in repeater operation for telephone intercon-
nect 12 volts DC to their radios. nect.

ANF (Automatic Notch Filter) Average power

Power measured on standard power meter.
ANL (Automatic Noise Limiter)
Eliminates impulse and static noise peaks.

ANT (ANTenna)

Antenna ground system

Term used for a RF reference potential for some
types of antennas.
Most unbalanced or asymmetrical antennas need a
good RF ground.

Antenna impedance
The impedance of an antenna at its resonance. Al-
though an antenna’s impedance fluctuates with the
frequency of operation, an antenna should be 50 Ω
for most transceivers.

1
 B

Backscatter A
Radio signals reflected back from ionized patches in
the ionosphere. B
Backstay C
Rigging to support the mast in maritime mobile in-
stallations, usually insulated for HF antenna pur- D
poses.

Balun E
A simple transformer used to change an unbalanced
input to a balanced output. F
Band G
A range of frequencies.

Bandwidth H
Frequency needed for particular type of emission.
I
Bank
Memory bank J
BCI (BroadCast Interference)
K
Beacons
Ham radio signals used for propagation study, found L
on specific frequencies.

BFO (Beat Frequency Oscillator)

M
BNC (Bayonet Neill-Concelman) N
A type of antenna connector.

BPF (BandPass Filter)

O
Bunny hunt P
Finding hidden transmitters, sometimes called “T
HUNTING” and “Fox Hunting.” Q
Busy lockout R
Inhibits transmit on a frequency in use.
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

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 C

Call sign CTCSS (Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System)

Sequence of letter and numbers used to identify Adds a continuous sub-audible low frequency tone
amateur radio operators and issued by the countries to the transmitted carrier. Receivers set for the same
licensing bureau. low frequency tone can decode signal to hear the
audio.
CAP (Civil Air Patrol)
Volunteer affiliate of the United States Air Force. CW
1) Carrier Wave
Capture effect 2) ClockWise
Only the strongest signal heard over an FM re-
ceiver. CW filter
Used to narrow the IF passband to improve recep-
Carrier tion selectivity in crowded band conditions.
An unmodulated transmitted signal.

Carrier frequency offset (=Carrier Shift)

Distance between mark and space of the carrier for
RTTY or similar communications.

CBR (Cross Band Repeater)

A repeater which receive incoming signal and re-
transmit it in different bands— e.g. receives 144
MHz bands and re-transmits 430(440) MHz bands.

CCW (Counter ClockWise)

CH (CHannel)
Sequence of memory positions where frequency and
related information is stored.

CI-V
Icom computer Control Interface allows multiple
radio control simultaneously.

Clipping
Overdriving an amplifier circuit, causing the signal to
drop out on voice peaks. (AKA: Flat topping a sig-
nal)

Contesting
Working as many stations as you can over a specific
amount of time.

Conversion
Number of IF circuits in the receiver.

Coronal hole
Sunspot activity that may lead to enhanced VHF and
10 meter propagation.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

CQ
Radio communications term used to call others.

Crossband repeat
A mode in many dual band radios where a radio
transmits on one band, a crossband repeater trans-
mits the received signal on another band, which is
heard back by the radio on the other band.
3
 D

D-RATS Doppler shift A

Multi-platform integrated tool for communicating Common in satellite communications, where signals
digital information, developed for First Responders, may very up or down in frequency, as the satellite B
using D-STAR radios. approaches and departs from view.
C
D-STAR Downconverter
Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio, an A device to take higher frequencies, and lower them D
open protocol. to appear at a lower frequency, for reception.

Data communications Downlink (↔Uplink) E

Transfer of data between two or more locations. Frequency that repeater or satellite transmits on to
a user. F
dBd
Unit of RF power as compared to an ideal half wave DSP (Digital Signal Processor) G
dipole antenna. Used to improve the signal to noise ratio for clearer

dBi
and more legible communications. Relatively new to
the ham radio.
H
Unit of RF power as compared to an isotropic an-
tenna. DTCS (Digital Tone Coded Squelch) I
A Selective call system.
dBm J
Decibels measure, 1 mW with a load impedance of DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (=touch-tone))
600 Ω (0 dBm=1 mW). Used for transmit/receive numeric information such
as phone number, PIN, remote radio control com-
K
DC (Direct Current) mands, etc.
L
DC ground Dualwatch
A connection point directly to chassis or battery Receiving two signals simultaneously. M
ground to prevent build-up of hazardous DC volt-
ages. Dummy load
A non radiating 50 Ω load connected to the transmit-
N
DCS
Digital Coded Squelch, a method of silencing radios
ter to replace the antenna for testing purposes.
O
until a specific string of tones are received to open Duplex
the audio stage. An alternate to CTCSS. An operation mode in which the transmit and receive P
frequencies are different.
Deviation Q
A measurement for an FM signal for the maximum Duplexer
frequency changes on either side of the carrier fre-
quency.
A device which divides transmit and receive sig-
nals.
R
Digital communications Duty cycle S
Information sent digitally, which may be decoded as The ratios of transmit to receive time.
voice, data, and/or video. T
Dx’pedition
Dipole
A half wave antenna, with a bi-directional radiation
Trip to foreign land or rare entity to operate ham
radio.
U
T
pattern.
V
Distress call
Signals a life-threatening situation. Most commonly W
referred to as an SOS or MAYDAY call.

Distress frequency
X
A frequency or channel specific for use in distress
calling. Radiotelephone distress frequencies are
Y
2.182 MHz and 156.8 MHz. Survival craft use 243
MHz. Maritime distress frequencies are the same,
Z
while general aviation frequencies are 121.5 MHz.

4
 E F

E LAYER F CONNECTOR
The ionospheric layer usually responsible for most Found on 440 MHz and 1.2 GHz antenna circuits.
10 meter and 6 meter skywaves over 1500 mile
paths. Appears especially in summer season. Fading
Signal reduction due to atmospherics.
EBS (Emergency Broadcast System)
A system where at first an attention tone is trans- Feed point
mitted over all station ad the second tone followed Where the coaxial cable or ladder line joins the ac-
with specific instruction regarding the receivable fre- tive antenna.
quency in the national emergency. Filter
EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable A circuit designed to pass only the desired
Read Only Memory) frequency(s).

EME FM
Earth Moon Earth, also known as moon bounce, is a 1) Frequency Modulation
radio technique where amateur radio operators op- 2) FM broadcast
erate via reflected signals from the Moon. Making a
Foldback
signal path from an earth bound station, reflected off
A circuit to limit power output when the transmitter
the moon, back to another earth bound station.
senses elevated SWR or temperatures.
EMI
FSK (Frequency Shift Keying)
Electromagnetic Interference, sometimes caused by
battery chargers and inverters. FSTV (Fast Scan TV)
Graphics (and audio) communication using TV
Emission broadcast signals, requires a wide bandwidth.
Transmission of a signal
Full duplex
An operation mode, which transmits and receives
on different frequencies at the same time, as a tel-
ephone communication.

Fuse
An intentional weak link to guard against overload.

5
 G H

GaAs FET Ham A

Sensitive transistor, found in VHF/UHF receiver am- A licensed radio operator who enjoys the hobby and
plifiers, with a low noise floor. service of radio communications. B
Ground Plane Harmonic C
A type of Omni-directional antenna. Multiple of a fundamental frequency.

Ground Wave Heat sink

D
Electrical wave directly travelling from transmitter. The heavy fins on the back of a transmitter to dis-
sipate heat buildup. E
Grounding
Electrical connection to the earth. HF (High Frequency) F
3–30 MHz range signals. (Normally, 1.9 MHz band
also included.) G
HPF (High Pass Filter)
H
Hz (Hertz)
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
T
V
W
X
Y
Z

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 I J

IC JT65
Integrated Circuit, found in large scale chips within A weak signal digital mode, primarily used on HF
a radio. and 6 m, for weak signal and EME type contacts
(moon bounce, meteor scatter).
IF (Intermediate Frequency)
Internally converted frequency for amplification and
other signal processing.

IF shift
A function that electronically shifts the IF frequency
from a center frequency to reduce interference.

IMD (Inter-Modulation Distortion)

Distortion within RF circuits made with upper and
lower adjacent channel signals.

Inverter
An electrical device that converts direct current, DC,
to alternating current, AC. Can be a source of noise
on HF bands.

IRLP
Internet Radio Linking Project, allowing ham opera-
tors to join in on a party line, with the internet con-
necting repeaters together.

7
 K L

Knife edge LCD A

The refraction of a signal over tall buildings and Liquid Crystal Display, primarily used for displaying
mountains. frequency and radios operations. B
LED
Light Emitting Diode, a low current low voltage com-
C
ponent to illuminate a radio dial.
D
LF (Low Frequency)
30–300 kHz range signals. E
Li-Ion (Lithium Ion)
Rechargeable battery which has better capacity than
F
Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, etc., no memory effect after repeated
non-full charge/discharge cycles.
G
Logging software H
A computer log of contacts, used for QSL card con-
firmations on contacts. I
LPF (Low Pass Filter)
J
LSB (Lower Side Band)
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
T
V
W
X
Y
Z

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 M N

Maritime mobile NB (Noise Blanker)

Amateur radio operation from aboard a marine ves- A function reducing pulse-type noises.
sel.
NBFM (Narrow Band FM)
MARS (Military Affiliate Radio Service)
Ni-Cd (Nickel-Cadmium)
Memory bank
A set of memory channels organized into a group. Ni-MH (Nickel-Metal Hydride)

Memory effect Notch filter

Rechargeable batteries such as Ni-Cd and Ni-MH Sharp and narrow rejection filter for elimination of
types may be temporality getting less capacity as a interfering signals
result of repeated non-full charge/discharge cycles. NR (Noise Reduction)
It is called so since rechargeable batteries lose ca- DSP feature reduces unwanted signal noise
pacity as if “memorize” wrong full capacity level at
less than full charge. Li-Ion batteries are free from NVIS
this effect. Near Vertical Incidence Skywave, a method of low-
ering a dipole, or an angled vertical, to enhance a
MF (Medium Frequency) high elevation of signal radiation and reception.
300 kHz–3 MHz range signals.

MIC (MICrophone)

Mobile
In a vehicle, or other type station no fixed at a spe-
cific location.

Modulation
Method of adding information to a radio frequency
carrier.

MT63
A weak signal, digital communications mode, being
used in MARS net traffic.

MUF
Maximum Usable Frequency, the highest frequency
that may return a skywave back to earth.

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 O P

Offset frequency PA (Power Amplifier) A

Frequency difference between transmits and re-
ceives. PACTOR B
Digital radio modulation used mostly on the HF
Ohm bands for digital messaging. C
Unit of resistance.
Parawatch (=Dualwatch)
Optoisolator
D
Found in tuning knob circuits, where an LED shines PBT (PassBand Tuning)
through an interrupter to signal a data pulse. A function to reduce interference by electronically E
narrowing the IF bandwidth.
OSC (OSCillator)
PEP (Peak Envelope Power)
F
Oscillator
The heart of all radios, needing a small amount of
RF power at maximum amplitude.
G
feedback to keep it oscillating. Photovoltaic
Solar cell, converting photons to electricity. H
PLL (Phase Locked Loop)
Circuit to synthesize the different frequencies a radio
I
will operate on.
J
Pocket beep
Beeping function when specific signal is received. K
Power supply
Usually converts 110 Volts AC to 12 Volts DC.
L
Sometimes built in, sometimes external to the equip-
ment.
M
Priority watch N
Reception mode, which by a selected frequency is
always periodically, checked when VFO is set to dif- O
ferent frequency

PSK31
P
A type of radio-teletype using Phase Shift Keying
with a very narrow bandwidth as an efficient way of
Q
communicating.
R
PTT (Push To Talk)

PWR (PoWeR)
S
T
U
T
V
W
X
Y
Z

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 Q R

Q Reflected power
Response of a circuit over a specific bandwidth. Non-radiated power dissipated as heat when the
Also, Ham Slang for a contact, or QSO. transmitter is mismatched to the antenna or load.

QRP Refraction
Low power operation, usually 1 watt or less. Radio waves are bent back to earth, via the iono-
sphere, by refraction.

Repeater
Radio systems, which receive incoming signal and
re-transmit it for extended communication area. Nor-
mally put on geographically high locations for VHF/
UHF hand portables.

RF (Radio Frequency)

RF ground
Connection of amateur equipment to earth ground
to eliminate hazards from RF exposure and reduce
RFI.

RFI (Radio Frequency Interference)

RIT (Receiver Incremental Tuning)

Fine-tuning receive frequency without changing dis-
played or memory frequency.

RTTY (Radio TeleTYpe)

RX (Receive)

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 S

S/N (Signal to Noise ratio) SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) A

Measurement of forward vs. reflected power output
SAR (Search And Rescue ) during transmit. B
Safety
RF exposure limits, set by ANSI (American National
C
Standards Institute), to minimize over exposure to
RF signals from a nearby antenna.
D
Scan E
Continually sweeping frequencies looking for sig-
nals. F
Scan Edge
End and start frequencies for a scanning range.
G
Scratch Pad Memory
Temporary frequency memories for quick access. H
Semi Duplex I
An operation mode in which transmits and receives
is accomplished on different frequencies alterna- J
tively.

Sensitivity K
Indicates how weak a signal the receiver can de-
tect. L
Set mode M
An operation mode used for radio. To set less fre-
quently used control features. N
Simplex
An operation mode where transmit and receive fre- O
quency is same.
P
Skywarn
Trained volunteer storm spotters for the National Q
Weather Service.

SMA (Sub-Miniature a connector) R

Type of antenna connector, used in VHF/UHF port-
able. S
SP (SPeaker) T
Split
An operating mode in which the transmit and receive U
T
frequency is different.
V
SQL (SQueLch)
A function muting audio output for set conditions. W
SSB (Single Side Band)
X
SSTV (Slow Scan TV)
Graphics communication using narrow bandwidth. Y
SWL (Short Wave Listener)
Z

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 T U

TCXO (Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator) UHF (Ultra High Frequency)

Heated crystal oscillator for better frequency stabil- 300 MHz–3 GHz range signals.
ity.
UHF connector
TNC Sometimes called a PL-259 plug, for coaxial cable,
1) Terminal Node Controller on VHF.
Modem for data communication.
2) A type of antenna connector. Uplink (↔Downlink)
Frequency that user transmits to the repeater or sat-
TOT (Time Out Timer) ellite.
Time limiting function for continued repeater or other
operations. USB
1) Upper Side Band
Towers 2) Universal Serial Bus
Antenna support structures.
UTC (Universal Time Coordinated)
Transverter An astronomical time based on the Greenwich me-
A device similar to a downconverter, but used for ridian (zero degrees longitude).
both receive and transmit.

TS (Tuning Step)
Incremental steps

TSQL (Tone SQueLch)

Squelch function using subaudible tones, selective
call.

TVI (TeleVision Interference)

TWT
Traveling Wave Tube, found in microwave amplifier
circuits.

TX (Transmit)

13
 V W

VCO Waveguide A
Voltage Controlled Oscillator, found in the PLL sec- The carrier of microwaves from radio to antenna,
tion of the modern radio. and back. B
VFO (Variable Frequency Oscillator)
An operation mode in which operator can change
Weather Alert
NOAA broadcast station transmitting alert signals.
C
frequency freely.
WFM (Wideband FM) D
VHF (Very High Frequency)
30–300 MHz range signals. E
VOX (Voice Operated transmission)
A function that automatically switches the transmitter
F
to transmit when you talk into the microphone.
G
VSC
1) Voice Scan Control H
2) Voice Squelch Control
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

14
 Y Z

Yagi Zener diode

Directional antenna. A diode used to regulate the operating voltage.

15
Number/Others

Number/Others
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
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V
W
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17
 A
B
C
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E
F
G
H
I
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K
L
M
N
O
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