Advanced Certification

(Draft)

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This training and certification will involve approximately sixteen (16) hours of classroom and/or online training followed by eight (8) hours of practical evaluation where the operator must demonstrate the specific learning competencies outlined for the course. This course will cover advanced emergency communications skills including HF and digital modes, as well as personal survival and preparedness.


Students attending this course are expected to bring proof of completion of the Basic certification course as well as the IS-800 FEMA courses.


The following outline is representative of the material to be presented in the classroom.

Unit 1:  High Frequency 1

a.   Band overview

1.   Long / Short bands

2.   Day / Night propagation

b.   HF Antennas

1.   Theory

2.   Practical Antennas

c. HF Radios

1.   Grounding

2.   Safety

3.   Antenna tuners

4.   Filtering, DSP and other radio features

5.   Sideband operation and other modes

Unit 2:  High Frequency 2

a.  HF Voice

b.  HF Digital modes

 


Unit 3:  Cable and Connectors

a.  Data

b.  Power

c.  RF


d.  Audio

e.  Gender

f.  Soldering basics

Unit 4:  Power Systems

a.  Battery boosters

b.  Importance of voltage stability

c.  Alternative power sources

d.  Generator power

e.  Standalone AC Power Inverters

f.  Using a multimeter

g.  Power and equipment requirements of common Items

h.  Consumer UPS units

Unit 5:  Workshop (HF, Soldering, Connectors)

TBD

Unit 6:  Talk like a dispatcher

TBD

Unit 7:  Advanced RF Concepts

a. Simplex repeater operation

b. Duplex repeater operation

c. Cross-band repeaters

1. Extending range of handhelds

2. Access point for isolated stations

3. Creating a link between two duplex repeaters

d. Cavity duplexers

1. How they work

2. Why they are needed

3. Temperature and shock sensitivity

e. Cavity filters

1. When you might use them

2. How to apply them to a system

f. Band pass filters


Unit 8:  Amateur Radio and Internet-Based Services

a. Echolink

b. IRLP

c. Propagation testing networks

Unit 9:  Computers

a. Common hardware

1. Laptops

2. Desktops

3. Netbooks

4. Handhelds

b. Operating Systems

c. Serial communication

1. Cables

2. Null modems

d. Terminal Programs

1. Basic settings

2. Common uses

e. Sound interfacing

f. USB adapters for newer systems

1. Serial

2. Audio

g. Emergency power

h. Networking

1. Wired Ethernet

2. Wireless Ethernet

3. IP addresses

Unit 10:  Legacy Packet

a. 300, 1200, 9600 baud

b. AX.25 and IP

c. Digipeaters

d. Systems

1. A simple TNC mailbox in a pinch

2. Advanced BBSes and routing networks

e. Clients

1. Terminal

2. Outpost

3. Airmail

Unit 11:  Winlink 2000

a. System overview

1. CMS

2. RMS

3. Relay

b. Clients

1. Airmail

2. Paclink

3. RMS Express

c. HF Pactor/Winmor

1. Available Pactor I hardware

2. Available Pactor II/III hardware

3. Winmor software and hardware requirements

d. RMS/Packet access

e. Internet access

Unit 12:  D-STAR

a. Voice

b. Slow and High-Speed data

c. Repeaters

d. Gateways

1. Callsign Routing

2. Reflectors

3. DVDongle

4. DVAP and Hotspot

Unit 13:  APRS

a. GPS receivers

b. Simple trackers

c. Available hardware

d. Offline mapping stations and software

e. Internet gateways

f. Other types of data

1. Messaging

2. Weather

3. Telemetry

Unit 14:  Station Setup and Operation

a. Arrival and setup

1. Determine power situation

2. Determine antenna needs

3. Determine equipment needs

4. Advise if you need additional resources to set up

b. Determine initial contacts

1. Locate people you will be working with

2. Determine how to best get information to and from them

3. Obtain any necessary paperwork for shift

Unit 15:  Workshop (Computers and Winlink 2000)

TBD

Unit 16:  Working in a Team Environment

a. Shift planning

b. Task assignments

c. Dealing with personalities

d. Handling emergent volunteers

e. Tabletop deployment