Amateur radio tech support

Welcome to a new, easy to use online tech support resource.

The Radio Amateur Society of Australia is pleased to announce a new initiative to support newcomers to our hobby. 

The Amateur Radio Tech Support Service (ARTS) is an online Knowledge Base with a ticketing support portal.  It is aimed at newcomers and provides a selection of Knowledge Base articles to help newcomers as they get started in the hobby. 

We often see newcomers asking questions in various on-line forums such as

I want to work some DX on 40m.  What type of antenna is best suited to my house block?

I have terrible noise on 80m…  I can’t hear any signals.  Where do I start?

How far can I work on 2m?

I am setting up my first amateur station at home and need some help

What is the best type of feedline I should buy

Clubs also play a critical role in supporting newcomers, but for all sorts of reasons, a club may not be accessible or have the resources available.

As a community, we need to better support newcomers and provide them with an environment and culture where they can ask questions, seek advice, and know that friendly reliable support is only an email away. 

The basic tenets of our hobby prevail: we encourage experimentation, learning and self-improvement. 

So, if you are a newcomer (any class of licence), have a look at the resource. 

Visit

https://amateurradiotechsupport.freshdesk.com/support/home

Amateur Radio Tech Support provides basic Knowledge Base articles to help get you started.  If you need further support or simply want to ask a question, then raise a ticket. 

The content of this resource is provided in good faith.  The articles are targeted at newcomers to our hobby, or those who do not have a deep, long term exposure to the principles and practices associated with establishing and operating an amateur radio station.  Sometimes, articles may gloss over technical detail for the purpose of brevity and practical application.

The scope of the pilot will be limited to entry level support for the following topics:

  • Basic Station set-up and housekeeping
  • Antennas – for at home and portable use
  • Feedlines
  • QRM and Radio Frequency Interference
  • On-air and DX operating practices and
  • Regulations

We ask that anyone using Amateur Radio Tech Support be willing to undertake their own research and to determine the suitability of the information provided.

Amateur Radio is a broad and varied hobby. We may not be able to answer every single question, but we’ll do our best.

We cannot offer detailed support for computer configuration problems or digital modes. 

Like QRM Guru, we’ll progressively add to the content of Amateur Radio Tech Support.  Common questions will result in a Knowledge Base article, and practical lessons will also be addressed with dedicated documents.

QRM Guru will also be linked, allowing us to consolidate support, better manage follow up and collect statistics.

How do I use the portal?

Please start by reading the “Getting Started” articles so that you understand how this resource works and what you can expect.

  • review the Knowledge Base articles first;
  • do your own research;
  • keep a log or journal of your research and experiments;
  • ask questions via our portal or email address; and
  • try to establish a network of fellow hams who can help you.

As with QRM Guru, you can type in your search phrase, or just a search word into the “How can we help you today” field and the Knowledge Base will present a list of documents that satisfy the search phrase. 

If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, open a ticket and send us your question.   If you want to get an update on your ticket, simply click the “Check Ticket Status” button on the home screen.  For this feature to work, you will need your email address to be validated – in most instances this occurs within 24 hours of you first opening a ticket.  Just check you’ve received an email from us and clicked on the validation link.

Or you can send an email to support@amateurradiotechsupport.freshdesk.com

If you are an experienced ham and would like to contribute to this initiative, please send an email to this address.  Like QRM Guru, this resource will only be successful if we all contribute to the Knowledge Base.  We would welcome assistance in helping us write more Knowledge Base articles.

We look forward to helping newcomers and receiving your feedback