SVECS Related Links

Last Update: 11/5/25

Government Agencies

Amateur Radio Emergency Services/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services

NASA Amateur Radio Clubs

HF Radio Information

Amateur Radio in South Bay area

Amateur Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area

Amateur Television (ATV) info (includes SSTV)

Digital communications by radio (Packet)

Getting an Amateur Radio License

Local Ham Classes and Exam Sessions

Amateur Radio Operator ("HAM") Training:
https://www.k6mpn.org/training/

Ham Radio License Courses and Exams:
https://www-w6yx.stanford.edu/class.html

Exam Sessions in Sunnyvale:
https://www.amateur-radio.org/sv.htm

Silicon Valley Volunteer Examiner (VE) Group (ARRL VEC Exam Sessions):
https://www.svve.org

Ham Radio Exams:
https://www.radioexam.org

Amateur Radio Description by W5YI Group

This site affiliated with the National Radio Examiners at https://www.w5yi.org describes amateur radio. It includes what can someone do with a ham license, obtaining an license, frequencies available, equipment, license classes, and what the written examinations are like.

Suggested Books for your First License (some of these are available in the ARRC library)

Now You're Talking! All You Need For Your First Amateur Radio License by ARRL
https://www.arrl.org/catalog/lm/ (also available in the ARRC library)

Technician Class Book by Gordon West by QRZ.com
https://secure.qrz.com/store/w5yi/index.html

The above books can be purchased locally at HRO (Ham Radio Outlet) in on Lawrence Expressway (between Hwy 101 and Central Expressway) in Sunnyvale, CA. https://www.hamradio.com

Ham Radio: So, You Want to be a Ham? (from the NASA ISS reference website)

https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio/beaham.html

Practice Amateur Radio Exams

https://www.qrz.com/p/testing.pl

https://www.hamtestonline.com
This website presents concepts in logical order and provides explanations to make the process more about learning material and less about memorizing answers.

Guides to amateur radio for beginners on dxzone.com
https://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Operating_Aids/Beginner_s_Guides/



Frank Culbertson, KD5OPQ, on the International Space Station. The callsign for the station is NA1SS ("November Alpha One Sierra Sierra"). photo #DCS00710, July 2001.




Photo of initial amateur radio station in the Zarya FGB of the International Space Station.


How Ham Radio Works by https://www.howstuffworks.com/ham-radio.htm

Understanding Wireless Communications

As more IT professionals become involved in radio communications, many lack basic understanding of RF concepts. The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) has two online tutorials that provide some basic concepts. These sites first discuss bids and contracts but later describe the physics of RF communications. These websites were recommended by Ralph Haller, former chief of the FCC Private Radio Bureau who also teaches RF classes for IT professionals.

Understanding Wireless Communications in Public Safety

This NLECTC guidebook is to help unravel the confusing issues, terms, and options surrounding wireless communications, particularly as it involves commercially available communications services.
https://www.nlectc.org/virlib/InfoDetail.asp?intInfoID=311

Publication Link: https://www.nlectc.org/pdffiles/wireless2003.pdf (2.6Mb)

State and Local Law Enforcement Wireless Communications and Interoperability

Effective police work requires communication with other law enforcement agencies and emergency service providers. Interoperability, the coordination of communication between agencies, is expected to improve with such technological advances as trunked systems, digital systems, and data-only channels.
https://www.nlectc.org/virlib/InfoDetail.asp?intInfoID=109

Publication Links: https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/Abstract.aspx?ID=168961
https://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/168961.pdf (641Kb)

NASA Related Webpages of Amateur Radio Interests

International Space Station Reference, Ham Radio
https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio

ARRLWeb: Amateur Radio on the ISS
https://www.arrl.org/ARISS

Amateur Radio Stations heard via ISS
https://www.ariss.net

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
https://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov

Amateur Radio Antennas on ISS
https://www.marexmg.org/hardware/antennas.html

Shuttle Audio Frequencies throughout USA and Canada
https://www.amsat.org/amsat/sarex/shutfreq.html

NASA TELEVISION SCHEDULE
https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html

NASA Television Programming

Internet Radio Linking Project by the JPL Amateur Radio Club, W6VIO
https://wr6jpl.ampr.org

Rules and Regulation

Part 97 of FCC for Amateur Radio Service

FCC Parts and Titles

FCC Audio/Video Events Home Page at https://www.fcc.gov/realaudio is a access to live and pre-recorded broadcasts of selected FCC events

NTIA/Office of Spectrum Management at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/osmhome.html. The NTIA is responsible for managing the radio frequency spectrum.

NTIA Manual of Regulations & Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency Management (the Redbook) at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/redbook/redbook.html

US Frequency Allocation Chart

Allocation Chart info (including downloadable pdf file) at
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/allochrt.html

Miscellaneous Sites

Incident Command System (ICS) Online Courses, list from Ames Amateur Radio Club

NIMS Download Center at https://www.nimsonline.com

Natl Interagency Incident Communications documents (radio programming, ICS)

Amateur Radio Newsline at https://www.arnewsline.org

Emergency J-Pole VHF/UHF Flexible Antennas at https://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/j-pole.html

Coax cable loss table and charts, from Ames Amateur Radio Club

Simple schematic drawing page that might be kind of fun at https://butler.qrp.com/~wd9eyb/drawsch/nsver.html

Commercial Radio Licensing information at https://www.w5yi.org

While amateur radio station and operator licenses are covered by a single license, commercial radio operator and station licenses are separate. You must be certain that the commercial station is licensed before you operate it. Holders of commercial radio operator licenses are not authorized to operate amateur radio stations. Likewise, holders of amateur radio licenses are not authorized to operate commercial stations.

Amateur Radio Software for Macs at https://www.machamradio.com

Personal Radio Steering Group information at https://www.provide.net/~prsg/home.htm Users of

General Mobile Radio Services (GMRS),
Family Radio Services (FRS),
and Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS)

Samples of sounds digital modes make at https://www.kb9ukd.com/digital

Sound files by Worldwide Utility News to help you identify the signals you hear on shortwave at https://www.wunclub.com/sounds/index.html

NIST: Time and Frequency Division at https://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/

IEC Fundamentals of Telecommunications at https://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/fund_telecom/

FCC Universal Licensing System of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) at https://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/

FCC General Menu Reports (callsign and frequency search) at https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/General_Menu_Reports/

FCC ULS License Search at https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp

Repeater Builders Technical Information Page at https://www.repeater-builder.com/rbtip/

California Emergency Services Net (CESN) at https://acs.oes.ca.gov/Pages/acs_nets.html

VHF-FM Equipment Compliance Report by Civil Air Patrol at https://ntc.cap.af.mil/comm/equipment/equipment.cfm

Corrections and Comments are welcome (and needed)

Webpage Editor: Michael Wright, K6MFW, at mfwright @ batnet.com

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