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BLM. COLORADO. Radio Communications. Basic Course. Course Objectives. Radio Theory Terrain Effects Antenna Design Narrowband. Course Objectives. Infrastructure Common Phrases Procedures for Repair Emergencies Familiarization. BE SAFE!. Prepare For Your Trip.
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BLM COLORADO Radio Communications Basic Course
Course Objectives • Radio Theory • Terrain Effects • Antenna Design • Narrowband
Course Objectives • Infrastructure • Common Phrases • Procedures for Repair • Emergencies • Familiarization
Prepare For Your Trip • Follow Office Specific Check In/Out Procedures. • Visually inspect and check your equipment for proper operation before leaving for the field. • Do a radio check.
Know Your Options • Know what sites cover your intended work/travel. • What is their operational status? • Alternative forms of communications.
Radio Theory • Radio waves are generated by a rapidly oscillating electric current. • Frequency is the amount of cycles a radio wave makes referenced to one second of time. • Wave length is the distance the wave travels to complete one cycle.
Radio and Light Waves • Radio Waves are Electromagnetic Energy. • Light Waves are Electromagnetic Energy.
Similar Properties • Radio waves travel in much the same way as light. • Imagine a light bulb on top of your handheld or vehicle. • The energy is similarly sent in all directions.
More Similarities • Reflected • Absorbed • Diffracted • Dispersed
Handhelds and Mobiles Perform Differently • Handhelds Transmit with less power utilizing a small battery source. • Mobiles utilize a gain antenna which effectively doubles the transmit power and receive sensitivity. • Handheld antennas tend to be more obstructed.
Batteries are Critical • Proper care of batteries is essential. • Batteries are a users responsibility. • Typically last for 8 hours before charging. • Radio will not transmit effectively.
Things to Remember • Height is more advantageous than power. • Know the location of the site you are trying to transmit to and what objects or terrain are in the path. • A small shift in position can make a big difference in signal quality.
How Far Can You Communicate • Typically BLM handhelds can communicate within a few miles of each other. • Typically a BLM vehicle radio to a BLM mountaintop radio can communicate about 40 miles apart. • Typically BLM mountaintop radios can communicate about 100 miles apart.
Narrowband • Narrowband radios are mandated for BLM use. • Radios programmed incorrectly will sound distorted.
Base Station • A means for dispatch to communicate to users over a large area in the field. • Radio is installed for optimum performance. • Users may not hear both sides of conversation.
Base Station • Radio is connected to dispatch center and remotely controlled. • Radio can be used to access repeaters. • Radio does not have a squelch tail.
Repeater • They extend the coverage area. • Received signals are repeated. • Radio is installed for optimum performance. • Users hear both sides of conversation.
Repeater • Operates on two frequencies. • Squelch tail is present. • Radio has no physical connection to dispatch.
Repair • Open a ticket in Remedy • Document your radio problem symptoms and what you have done to determine problem. • System outage contact Dispatch Office
User Responsibility • Never change your antenna • Insure you have an antenna • Battery • Keeping radio clean
Is Anyone Out There • Your radio must be transmitting on the same frequency the radio you are trying to reach is receiving. • Your radio must be transmitting the same sub audible tone the radio you are trying to reach is listening for. • We don’t typically use receive sub audible tones on our portables and mobiles.
R A D I O • R-elax • A-djust Volume, Channel • D-etermine - What your going to say. Is it your time to talk? • I-nitiate Contact • O-ver
Proper Use • Hold the radio about an inch away • Push the PTT button and wait one second before talking. • Talk directly into the microphone • Identify who your calling and then yourself • Wait for their response then proceed.
Use Concise Common Terms • Affirmative • Negative • Disregard • Clear or Out • Standby
Emergency • Try to contact any Interagency Dispatch Center. • Try to contact any person listening to radio. • Use National Law Enforcement Emergency Channel, (NLEEC) to contact a law enforcement dispatcher.
Banks, Zones, Channels • Banks contain zones or groups • Zones and Groups contain individual channels
We will now go over the radios by specific manufacturer for the types your group is using (BK, EF Johnson, Thales, etc).
This concludes the Radio Communications Basic Course BLM COLORADO For Questions, Comments, Ideas or Errors please contact your local Telecommunications Specialist. Spring 2008