Chapter 4 – Components and Circuits

Part of becoming a General Class ham is learning more about electronics and radio so that you can take advantage of all those new privileges! You’ll find ham radio a lot more fun and you’ll feel much more confident with some radio “know-how” and that’s the focus of Section 4.

Electronics Math

• Scientific Notation
• Tutorial on Power and Decibels
• Metric System

Electronics

• How to Read Circuit Diagrams, Part I - this may be old, but it's accurate!
• How to Read Circuit Diagrams, Part II
• Color Codes - learn how to read the value of electronic components by their colored markings
• Photovoltaics - how to convert light to power
• Vacuum Tubes - the complete Wikipedia entry on this oldest of all active electronic components

Training and Tutorials

• ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Courses - the ARRL offers mentored on-line courses on a number of topics
• QST Hands-On Radio - a monthly column explaining some aspect of radio electronics
• Tutorials by VK2TIP - tutorials on semiconductors and electronics

Technical References

• ARRL Technical Information Service (TIS) - numerous Web resources and magazine articles on technical topics of interest to all hams   
• The ARRL Handbook - the oldest and best radio handbook around
• Understanding Basic Electronics - introduction to the electronics of radio