I am not an ezxpert on this subject. I've been using my radio regularly for less than a year. Some of my advice may be, and probably is, wrong.
But there are starting points. A ham radio, note lower case, is a federal license issued by the Federal Communications Commission. Tests are given by a ham radio club near you. Contact them to find out when and where. Outside the US, contact your local ham radio clubs, testing sites, etc. What I post only appllies to the U.S. Two forms of ID are required to ake the tests. If you only takeo ne, and come back another day for the others, a photo ID and a copy of your license will be all that is needed.
There are 3 tests, and 3 licenses. The Technician, element 2, must be taken first. Many clubs allow the tester to take all 3 of them for one fee if you desire to do so. When you flunk one, requires 74 percent or better to pass, you stop there. General is element 3 and Amateur Exra is element 4.
( Element 1 is the old Novice license, no longer given.)
This book, or equivalent, has the info on what you can do, Federal regulations, etc. for the Technician class.
arrl.org/shop/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual-3rd-Edition/
The other two are General and Amateur Extra.
The first two take abour 1-3 hours to complete. The AE test is longer and difficult. Note that many guide books contain the complete question an answer pool. Out of hundreds of questions, Tech 35 questions, General 35 questons, and Amateur Extra 55 quesitons will be on the tests.
I didn't find the tests to be easy, even with the guides. Some folks do find them to be easy.
Technician gives voice capability at 10 meter band and up in frequency. Below that, CW or morse code.
General gives voice, SSB ( single sideband) in all possible ham radio bands. Also a number of digital modes.
Amateur Extra gives access to all ham raido bands.
Note that ham radios are not made for a specific license. It is up to you to make sure you are operating correctly. Other hams wil lhelp you, but note that the FCC fines can be in the thousands of dollars.
color coded, or in gray pdf, guide of the band plan (authorized modes and frequencies, and licenses)
arrl.org/graphical-frequency-allocations
If you can find a ham radio operator near you, please ask them as I am still new at this and I likely have made mistakes.
But there are starting points. A ham radio, note lower case, is a federal license issued by the Federal Communications Commission. Tests are given by a ham radio club near you. Contact them to find out when and where. Outside the US, contact your local ham radio clubs, testing sites, etc. What I post only appllies to the U.S. Two forms of ID are required to ake the tests. If you only takeo ne, and come back another day for the others, a photo ID and a copy of your license will be all that is needed.
There are 3 tests, and 3 licenses. The Technician, element 2, must be taken first. Many clubs allow the tester to take all 3 of them for one fee if you desire to do so. When you flunk one, requires 74 percent or better to pass, you stop there. General is element 3 and Amateur Exra is element 4.
( Element 1 is the old Novice license, no longer given.)
This book, or equivalent, has the info on what you can do, Federal regulations, etc. for the Technician class.
arrl.org/shop/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual-3rd-Edition/
The other two are General and Amateur Extra.
The first two take abour 1-3 hours to complete. The AE test is longer and difficult. Note that many guide books contain the complete question an answer pool. Out of hundreds of questions, Tech 35 questions, General 35 questons, and Amateur Extra 55 quesitons will be on the tests.
I didn't find the tests to be easy, even with the guides. Some folks do find them to be easy.
Technician gives voice capability at 10 meter band and up in frequency. Below that, CW or morse code.
General gives voice, SSB ( single sideband) in all possible ham radio bands. Also a number of digital modes.
Amateur Extra gives access to all ham raido bands.
Note that ham radios are not made for a specific license. It is up to you to make sure you are operating correctly. Other hams wil lhelp you, but note that the FCC fines can be in the thousands of dollars.
color coded, or in gray pdf, guide of the band plan (authorized modes and frequencies, and licenses)
arrl.org/graphical-frequency-allocations
If you can find a ham radio operator near you, please ask them as I am still new at this and I likely have made mistakes.
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"What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
"What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.