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When I first started in Amateur Radio in 1975 at age 15, the
area that interested me more than the others was Amateur Television
(ATV). I am not talking about Slow Scan TV but Fast Scan TV - the
TV format that you see when you watch your regular television.
Back in 1975 ATV was impractical due to the need for a video camera.
This barrier has now been eliminated due to the fact that most people
own a camcorder that they can use. If you do not own one then
there are many video conferencing cameras around priced from $100
- $200. The one I bought cost $99.95 new. For over twenty years
I only thought about getting into ATV - until 1994 when I attended
the ARRL Southwestern division convention here in San Diego, CA.
One of the seminars that I decided to attend was on ATV. Well,
the bug bit. I obtained information on the repeaters here in Southern
Ca. and went home and with my Icom R7000 receiver and Log Periodic
antenna set out to see what I could see. That's when I located
the Santiago Peak ATV repeater on 1253.25 MHz. It's been two years
now and in my 21 years as an Amateur Radio operator this has been
the most fun.
Of the two years that I have been in ATV, I spent the first 6 months just watching. All of my time has been spent watching ATV on repeaters as opposed to simplex. Although simplex operations do exist most activity in my neck of the woods is on ATV repeaters. This is for the same reasons that people operate on 2 meter repeaters. Also one of the nice things about ATV is the sort of close knit group that exists. All of the ATV repeaters that I know of are open. I don't personally know of any closed ATV repeaters. Also, you may not be aware that all that is required to operate an ATV station is a no-code Technician license.
The most often asked question is how does one get started in ATV. To answer this question let's start at the beginning. The first thing you need to do is to determine if there is any activity in your area. This can be accomplished by several means. The first method to try is to check with the ARRL repeater directory. It has a section on ATV repeaters. Check to see if there are any in your area. If there are, write the person whose name is on the callsign of the repeater. They will be more than happy to answer your questions. Another way to get started is to attend your local Ham convention in your ARRL district. Most ham conventions have at least one forum on ATV. Remember that's how I got started. If all this fails then check with all the local ham clubs, ham radio stores and ask. Also check the various web pages on the internet. There are close to 20 web pages related to ATV. The home page of our ATV club is at http://www.ladas.com/ATN. This has many links to other ATV sites.
Once you have located a repeater or ATVers in your area, the next step is to be able to receive. I can't emphasize the following enough; ask the ATVers in your area what equipment they recommend. How the repeater was designed may determine the type of equipment that you need. There are three main bands used for ATV: 430 MHz, 900 MHz, and 1.2 GHz. Here in Southern CA. most of the repeaters output on the 1.2 GHz band and have as input 434 MHz. Other popular repeaters are in-band repeaters (both TX and RX on the 430 MHz band). What kind of repeater you use and how much power you will be running will determine what rig to buy. There are even kits that you can build yourself. In fact it is not uncommon for someone on the repeater group to have their own design and be willing to help you out. For starters I've shown below the basic receive setup.
The antenna and TV are obvious. The downconverter is used to convert a range of frequencies from one range to another. The goal is to convert one of the ATV bands (430, 900, 1.2) to a range the TV can handle. Therefore you will need to buy or build a downconverter that will handle the proper band. The downconverter is not a receiver only a converter. Your ordinary TV is the receiver. For an antenna, start simple. Start with what you have. If you are close enough to the repeater then this might be enough. If it is not enough then you can upgrade to a better antenna and coax later . When I started out I used a Create log beam antenna and an Icom R7000 receiver. This is not an ideal setup for ATV but it was good enough to get started. The R7000, although a good radio, does not have good gain at 1.2 GHz as opposed to a downconverter. Another thing you will need to find out is the antenna polarization required. This will make a big difference as well. For information on places to get a downconverter see the resources section at the end of the article. Also, many ATV repeaters have an intercom channel that allows you to transmit audio over the repeater via 2 meters. So even if you can't transmit video at first you will at least be able to talk back to the people on video.
The next step is to be able to transmit. The first thing to do is to determine if you have a clear view to the repeater. The less that is between you and the repeater the better. This means even trees. At these frequencies these can produce considerable attenuation. Since ATV uses a large bandwidth and transmitters are generally low power devices you will need to get a good antenna. A basic transmit setup is shown below.
The ATV transmitter will take both the audio and video from your microphone and camera and transmit them on the proper frequency.
Now that you know how to receive and transmit you are probably wondering what there is to do and see on ATV. There are a variety of things to do. They include using ATV for emergency communications. Although voice is great nothing beats taking the emergency officials there with ATV. Many people have bought inexpensive VGA-NTSC video converters to convert their PC video to ATV. Then they can display creative graphics with their computer. Another segment of the hobby likes to build and experiment. Here in Southern CA there is a new ATV repeater that outputs on 3.48 GHz and has an input on 10 GHz. Since there is no equipment available you have to make your own or convert other gear. Also, many of them use their efforts to improve the repeater and equipment. Others are into model RC planes and helicopters. They put a small ATV transmitter into their planes and then record the video on the ground. There is also some repeaters that broadcast NASA select when the space shuttle is up. Others will play their home movies or their most recent vacation. But, the majority of ATVers just get on and talk.
I must say that ATV is ham radio's best kept secret. In my 21 years as a ham radio operator I have never had so much fun. In fact due to the fun I am having and the low sun spot cycle, I have taken down my HF station until the sun spots take off again. So get yourself a downconverter and antenna and join in on the fun. If you need more information there are several books available. One is called ATV secrets for aspiring ATVers and the other is called TV secrets Volume 2. They can be obtained from ATVQ, whose address is below. If you have any questions just email me and let me know. I will try to answer them. See Ya on ATV.
73
Bruce Forsberg, WB6IZG
RESOURCES...
(The author makes no endorsement for any of the following. They
are listed for reference only).
P.C. Electronics
2522 Paxson Lane
Arcadia, CA. 91007
(818) 447-4565
Transmitters, downconverters, antennas, amplifiers, preamps, and
accessories.
HF Technology Inc.
457 Santa Fe Trail
Cary, Illinois 60013
(708) 639-4336
Transmitters, and downconverters.
Pauldon Associates
210 Utica St.
Tonawanda, NY 14150
(716) 692-5451
Transmitters, downconverters, amplifiers, preamps, and accessories.
Wyman Research Inc.
8339 South, 850 West
Waldron, IN. 46182
(317) 525-6452
Transmitters, downconverters, antennas, amplifiers, preamps, and
accessories.
ATV Electronics
16807 N. 46TH Lane
Glendale, AZ. 85306
(602) 843-3585
Transmitters, downconverters, and amplifiers.
North Country Radio
POB 53
Wykagyl Station
New Rochelle, NY 10804
Transmitter, and downconvert kits. Accessories.
ATVQ
3 N. Court St.
Crown Point, IN. 46307
ATV magazine, and books
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