FEMA Ham Radio Basics — 1997
Where There Is No Telephone is a detailed handbook on short-wave radio and satellite communications originally written for missions and aid organizations working in areas where conventional telephone service was unavailable or unreliable. Although written for a very different communications environment, the book provides an unusually thorough look at the practical side of radio communications—including equipment selection, antennas, power systems, network planning, installation, operation, maintenance, and emergency communications.
The book begins by explaining how radio waves travel, introducing the basics of frequency, wavelength, distance, the ionosphere, maximum usable frequency (MUF), and the effects of time of day, seasons, and the sunspot cycle. It explains why an HF radio may work extremely well at one time and poorly at another, and discusses several ways of predicting propagation conditions, including computer predictions, calculations, practical experimentation, and rules of thumb.
A large section covers antennas, including standing wave ratio (SWR), horizontal dipoles, inverted-V antennas, vertical antennas, mobile antennas, multi-frequency systems, broadband antennas, long-wire antennas, and antenna tuning units. The book explains not only what different antennas are, but how their height, orientation, frequency, and installation affect communication range and direction.
The next major section deals with transceivers and power supplies. It explains HF SSB transceivers, transmitter power, common controls, and the practical electrical requirements of radio equipment. Considerable attention is given to batteries, generators, solar charging systems, battery capacity, charging and discharging, voltage regulation, diodes, and ways to maintain reliable power when conventional electricity is unavailable.
The handbook then moves into planning a radio network. Readers are encouraged to determine who actually needs to communicate, identify priority locations, consider licensing and frequency requirements, compare different types of radio service, and design a network around actual communication needs rather than simply buying equipment. It also discusses costs—including equipment, shipping, customs, installation, operation, and maintenance—and provides guidance for choosing transceivers, antennas, power sources, test equipment, and useful modifications.
A detailed installation section explains where and how to install a radio system. Topics include the radio room, equipment placement, cooling, power connections, batteries, solar panels, lightning protection, antenna supports, coaxial cable, SWR measurements, antenna tuning, final system checks, and mobile installations.
The book also spends considerable time on operating a radio network effectively. It discusses selecting and training operators, operating the controls, dealing with interference, caring for microphones and cables, protecting equipment during lightning, troubleshooting radio and battery problems, using callsigns, starting and ending contacts, using the phonetic alphabet, handling radio terminology, and recording and distributing messages. The emphasis is that a radio network is only useful when the people operating it are organized and trained.
Maintenance receives an entire chapter. The author discusses maintenance personnel, budgets, spare parts, fuses, tools, routine maintenance, fault finding, diagnostic methods, workshop repairs, and contract maintenance. The book repeatedly stresses planning for repairs before equipment fails—an especially important consideration in remote locations where replacement equipment or qualified technicians may be difficult to obtain.
The handbook then explores additional radio capabilities, including selective calling, modems, fax transmission, medical ECG transmission, Morse code, linear amplifiers, antenna tuning units, remote coaxial switches, telephone handsets, and boom microphones.
A separate chapter introduces packet radio, explaining how text is divided into packets, how addressing and error checking work, and how digipeaters, mailboxes, bulletin boards, and computer-based communications can extend the usefulness of a radio network. The book discusses packet radio over HF, VHF, UHF, and satellite links.
The final major section addresses disaster and relief communications. Rather than simply repeating the subject, the author incorporates a substantial additional work, Disaster Communications by Mark Wood, G4HLZ. That material examines communications requirements during disasters, satellite systems, HF and amateur radio, power systems, legal and licensing issues, local communications, walkie-talkies, repeaters, packet radio, satellite communications, mobile phones, position-finding systems, training, and the integration and maintenance of emergency communications systems.
Overall, this is a remarkably comprehensive period handbook for understanding how radio communications can be designed and kept operational when normal telephone infrastructure is unavailable. It combines radio theory with very practical advice about equipment, antennas, electricity, batteries, operators, maintenance, message handling, networking, and emergency communications, making it an interesting resource for anyone wanting to understand the fundamentals and real-world challenges of field radio communications.
