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I

Introduction

First steps in Radio is a series for beginners written by Doug DeMaw, W1FB, who became Technical Department Manager/Senior Technical Editor of the ARRL in 1970.

Additional information on this subject and related topics can be found in back issues of QST and the following:

The ARRL Handbook for Radio Amateurs

The ARRL has an extensive catalog of books and materials related to Amateur Radio.

Articles

Note: Some of the following articles are in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. To view and print these files, you'll need a copy of Adobe's Acrobat Reader program. (Version 3.0 or later required). More information here.

Ever wonder what you need to know to pass your first amateur exam? This series will provide the answers -- not to the FCC questions themselves, but to the questions most newcomers have about electronics.

• Part 1 - Getting into Amateur Radio Electronics (1,120,009 bytes, PDF file)
  QST January 1984, pp. 22-25
  
• Part 2 - How to Read a Schematic Diagram (1,718,096 bytes, PDF file)
  QST February 1984, pp. 19-22
  
• Part 3 - Understanding Resistors (2,625,470 bytes, PDF file)
  QST March 1984, pp. 11-15
  Feedback: QST August 1984, p. 49. The output waveform in Fig. 5B should be shown 180deg out of phase with the input signal.
• Part 4 - Getting to Know Capacitors (1,911,149 bytes, PDF file)
  QST April 1984, pp. 37-40
  
• Part 5 - An Introduction to Coils and Transformers (2,627,078 bytes, PDF file)
  QST May 1984, pp. 15-19
  
• Part 6 - The World of Switches and Relays (2,080,408 bytes, PDF file)
  QST June 1984, pp. 25-29
  
• Part 7 - Meet the Versatile Diode (1,670,215 bytes, PDF file)
  QST July 1984, pp. 30-33
  
• Part 8 -- The Magic of Transistors (1,604,440 bytes, PDF file)
  QST August 1984, pp. 38-41
  
• Part 9 -- Radio Antennas and How They Operate (1,472,192 bytes, PDF file)
  QST September 1984, pp. 30-34
  
• Part 10 -- How Receivers Work (1,342,714 bytes, PDF file)
  QST October 1984, pp. 30-33
  
• Part 11 -- The Basics of Transmitters (2,329,419 bytes, PDF file)
  QST November 1984, pp. 40-44
  
• Part 12 -- The Amateur and Electrical Safety (838,857 bytes, PDF file)
  QST December 1984, pp. 19-22
  
• Part 13 -- Radio Waves and Communications Distance (2,870,599 bytes, PDF file)
  QST January 1985, pp. 31-33, 38
  
• Part 14 -- Understanding TV and Radio Interference (1,828,953 bytes, PDF file)
  QST February 1985, pp. 34-37
  
• Part 15 -- Diodes and How They Are Used (2,026,309 bytes, PDF file)
  QST March 1985, pp. 34-38
  
• Part 16 -- Resonance and Tuning Methods (2,924,206 bytes, PDF file)
  QST April 1985, pp. 28-31
  
• Part 17 -- Understanding FM Transmitters (817,021 bytes, PDF file)
  QST May 1985, pp. 23-25
  
• Part 18 -- Understanding FM Receivers (1,218,817 bytes, PDF file)
  QST June 1985, pp. 25-27
  
• Part 19 -- Equipping Your First Ham Station (1,591,894 bytes, PDF file)
  QST July 1985, pp. 34-36
  

Note:

Contact information for suppliers mentioned in the above articles should first be confirmed using TIS Address Database Search.

Bibliography (Members Only)

ARRL Periodicals Index Search - This database contains the QST index from 1915 to the present and the QEX index from 1981 to the present. For QST issues from 1970 to the present, and some selected articles back to 1922 (when construction articles featuring tubes began in earnest), identifying keywords have been added to the technical articles. By entering keywords (ANTENNA) or combinations of keywords (CONSTRUCTION ANTENNA VERTICAL HF) into the Title words: field, you may create dynamic bibliographies.
Technical article KEYWORD list. Hints for more successful searching

Suggested keywords for more articles like the ones on this page are PRIMER TUTORIAL

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