Radio Handbook Gets Back To The Basics

By K5KVN, on the scene

NEWINGSTEAD, VT – The National Radio Retransmission Legion (NRRL) will release next week an updated version of its popular “Ham Radio Operator’s Manual of Operating.” This edition will be a departure from its usually highly technical subject matter. Instead, the NRRL says the authors decided to “get back to the basics.”

“We need to stop being overly presumptuous about what the average amateur radio operator knows about using a radio,” said NRRL spokesman Johnson Longfellow.

The operating manual begins with a simple “How To Get Started” list:

1- Obtain a radio
2- Connect a microphone to the radio*
3- Connect an antenna to the radio
4- Ensure the radio is connected to electricity
5- Find and activate the power or “on” button
6- Turn the big knob to make the numbers start changing**
7- Stop turning the big knob when you hear a signal**
8- Push the button that activates a transmission and begin to speak; release button when you want to hear their reply; repeat

* Applicable only if you want to actually talk with someone
** Not applicable if you are using a software-defined radio without knobs

“Yeah, there’s a lot more to it than that. We especially hope this helps new hams, who usually feel like they know everything after having memorized the answers of an exam,” said Longfellow.

### HamHijinks.com