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The SGC Building, 13737 S.E. 26th St. Bellevue, Washington 98005 USA
P.O. Box 3526, 98009 Tel: (425) 746-6310 Fax: (425) 746-6384
© 1997 SGC Inc.
Many different specifications and features are available for the various HF transceivers on the market. A
specification is an aspect of a transceiver that is inherent in the radio, yet can vary from model to model. An
example of one of these specifications is the frequency; every radio has a frequency range, but some cover the AM
broadcast band, others cover the HF band, some cover microwave frequencies, etc. Even the coverage range of HF
radios typically varies. One common range is 1600 to 30000 kHz (1.6 to 30 MHz), but some radios only cover 2000
to 12000 kHz (2 to 12 MHz).
A feature is an addition to the radio that wouldn't necessarily have to be there for the radio to function.
However, features generally either allow greater flexibility, provide you with convenience, or improve the operation
of the radio. One example of a feature is an attenuator, which limits the strength of the signals that enter the receiver.
Many radios don't have attenuators, but they can be handy to have in certain receiving situations.
The modes of operation for a transceiver were covered earlier in this user guide. Some of the most common
modes include CW, AM, SSB (LSB and USB), and FM. The available modes vary from transceiver to transceiver.
This point was covered as an example for this section. However, the frequency range is the part of the radio
spectrum that your equipment is capable of covering. Most radios break this coverage up into different bands--
portions of the radio spectrum. Bands were important decades ago, when changing meant that you switched between
different components in the radio for better operations or when numerous bands meant that you wouldn't have to
turn the knob so many times to get to a given frequency. With today's synthesized tuning, the number of bands is
relatively inconsequential.
The power output is the number of watts that the transmitting portion of the transceiver will send into an
antenna. This figure differs considerably from the input power or the PEP power ratings of a transmitter. Typically,
TRANSMITTER / RECEIVER BANDS AND FREQUENCY RANGE
POWER OUTPUT
HF TRANSCEIVER SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
MODES
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