Gary, with a little study a person can pass the tech test. My wife, daughter(passed hers at age 10) and myself have all got our license. I have had the priveledge of talking to countries i visited during my days in the navy. On july fourth there normally an event called ships on the air. I had the priveldge of contacting the USS Constitution one year.
Amateur Radio enthusiasts know that there’s a lot of knowledge and training that go into being a successful Amateur Radio operators (hams). Before you can get on the air, you need to be licensed. The rules for earning an Amateur Radio license vary depending on which country you live in. You need to know the rules to operate legally. You also need to know how to operate safely and you’ll need some knowledge and training to operate successfully. Getting licensed is a long standing tradition for hams. US licenses are good for 10 years before renewal, and anyone may hold one except a representative of a foreign government.
Amateur Radio is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Communications Act of 1934. It is also subject to numerous international agreements. All Amateur Radio operators must be licensed. In the US there are three license classes—Technician, General and Extra. Each successive level of license comes with an expansion of privileges. With only 3 License Classes, getting started in Amateur radio has never been easier!
Need additional help? Call the ARRL’s toll-free number at 1-888-277-5289 and request an informational Amateur Radio prospect package or complete this online form.
LEVEL 1: Technician Class License
Your introduction to Amateur Radio.
Exam Requirement: 35-question Technician Written Exam (Element 2).
Privileges: All VHF/UHF Amateur bands (frequencies above 30 MHz). Limited operations in certain HF bands.
The FCC Technician License exam covers basic regulations, operating practices and electronics theory, with a focus on VHF and UHF applications. Morse code is not required for this license. With a Technician Class license, you will have all ham radio privileges above 30 MHz. These privileges include the very popular 2-meter band. Many Technician licensees enjoy using small (2 meter) hand-held radios to stay in touch with other hams in their area. Technicians may operate FM voice, digital packet (computers), television, single-sideband voice and several other interesting modes. You can even make international radio contacts via satellites, using relatively simple station equipment. Technician licensees now also have additional privileges on certain HF frequencies. Technicians may also operate on the 80, 40 and 15 meter bands using CW, and on the 10 meter band using CW, voice and digital modes.
**The above information was taken from the Amateur Radio Relay League's website, www.arrl.org The ARRL is the national association for Amateur Radio.
Replies
I have not had the chance but I do have this on my radar...
Jeff Jones said:
So Gary...have you looked any further into this? Hopefully the excitement hasn't subsided!
Jay this is good to know about the tech test, I'm starting to get excited about this ham radio thing now...
Gary, with a little study a person can pass the tech test. My wife, daughter(passed hers at age 10) and myself have all got our license. I have had the priveledge of talking to countries i visited during my days in the navy. On july fourth there normally an event called ships on the air. I had the priveldge of contacting the USS Constitution one year.
My pleasure, Gary. Feel free to ask anytime!
Jeff I've read this when you posted it and I was wowed! Will look into this more thanks again for the details...
Amateur Radio enthusiasts know that there’s a lot of knowledge and training that go into being a successful Amateur Radio operators (hams). Before you can get on the air, you need to be licensed. The rules for earning an Amateur Radio license vary depending on which country you live in. You need to know the rules to operate legally. You also need to know how to operate safely and you’ll need some knowledge and training to operate successfully. Getting licensed is a long standing tradition for hams. US licenses are good for 10 years before renewal, and anyone may hold one except a representative of a foreign government.
Amateur Radio is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Communications Act of 1934. It is also subject to numerous international agreements. All Amateur Radio operators must be licensed. In the US there are three license classes—Technician, General and Extra. Each successive level of license comes with an expansion of privileges. With only 3 License Classes, getting started in Amateur radio has never been easier!
Need additional help? Call the ARRL’s toll-free number at 1-888-277-5289 and request an informational Amateur Radio prospect package or complete this online form.
LEVEL 1: Technician Class License
Your introduction to Amateur Radio.
Limited operations in certain HF bands.
The FCC Technician License exam covers basic regulations, operating practices and electronics theory, with a focus on VHF and UHF applications. Morse code is not required for this license. With a Technician Class license, you will have all ham radio privileges above 30 MHz. These privileges include the very popular 2-meter band. Many Technician licensees enjoy using small (2 meter) hand-held radios to stay in touch with other hams in their area. Technicians may operate FM voice, digital packet (computers), television, single-sideband voice and several other interesting modes. You can even make international radio contacts via satellites, using relatively simple station equipment. Technician licensees now also have additional privileges on certain HF frequencies. Technicians may also operate on the 80, 40 and 15 meter bands using CW, and on the 10 meter band using CW, voice and digital modes.
**The above information was taken from the Amateur Radio Relay League's website, www.arrl.org The ARRL is the national association for Amateur Radio.