If you are new to radio, please do check out this page! This site was designed with non-licensed folks in mind, to help them understand more about what amateur radio is, and to start the ball rolling, so to speak, on helping them to get their amateur radio license.
What is Radio?
Radio, by my own definition, is the wireless transmission and reception of signals, whether those signals be digital or analogue, automated or manual, computer or human! I think of radio as the art of manipulating an antenna to work properly with a transceiver (or just a receiver) for the purpose of transmitting and receiving signals within the frequency range for which the antenna was designed. It’s quite fun to see how small changes in an antenna set up can affect the signal.
What is Amateur Radio? (Ham Radio)
Amateur Radio, again, by my own definition, is the practice and “professional” (in a non-monetary sense) use of radio for the purpose of learning more about it, and to utilize said knowledge in times of emergency or need, anywhere in the world. The only thing “amateur” means is unpaid! We do it voluntarily, as a public service. There are many common uses of amateur radio, for things like severe weather storm spotters, boy scout communications, sending a message to someone (almost like a telegram), monitoring tidal and weather data at sea via high frequency radio nets, controlling amateur space satellites, experimenting with new antenna designs, and so on. Of course, it’s fun and that motivates us to continually experiment and develop new technologies and methods.
What’s There For Me?
Almost anything that you are interested in, whether it be NASA and space travel, mathematics, physics, electronics, farming, driving, public safety, meteorology/weather, sound, etc., can be integrated with amateur radio. Amateur radio is extraordinarily flexible and, in my eyes, is like a sponge that can soak up any other topic or hobby and help to enhance it in some way.
For example, I have a passion for severe weather, computers, driving, public safety, and emergency preparedness. I might use amateur radio to set up a wireless Internet network that covers my entire city, so that I can use a laptop to see radar data while in my car chasing a severe thunderstorm. I could then use a transceiver to communicate with the local SKYWARN weather net and report about the storm, which would be relayed to the National Weather Service. This is a very simplistic example, and your systems can be as simple or complex as you wish to make them. It’s all up to you!
You might be a college professor who wants to be able to communicate more with students, and so you could install a transceiver in your car and communicate with the college or university amateur radio club on the way in or from work. You might even have other professors who have done the same thing that you could “rag chew” with just whenever! The possibilities are great.
Further, if you are planning a career or work in a scientific field, communications, public safety, or something else that applies with radio, having validation from the Federal Communications Commission in the form of your amateur radio license can be a great résumé builder!
Maybe you just want to have a backup means of communicating in case of emergency. Say you get a massive snowfall that traps you in your house and lasts for a week. Ice may have collected on and taken down power lines and telephone lines over massive areas. If something simple goes wrong, it could turn very serious if help can’t get to you timely. Having amateur radio available, with a backup solar panel, for example, would allow for plenty of power to operate a transceiver. If necessary, in a life or property threatening situation, one could resort to using any frequency that is in use nearby. That could save your life!
How Do I Become Licensed?
To become licensed, you must pass a written exam, usually administered by a local amateur radio club. There are some specific hoops you have to jump through, such as bringing the proper identification with you, and accommodating the club’s test schedule (sometimes very early in the morning or on an inconvenient day of the week). There is also a fee associated, to help the club who is volunteering their time to administer and grade the exam. There are a few levels of amateur radio license, and the first you will test for is Technician. This is the easier of the exams to pass, called Element 2.
There are lots of study guides available online, as well as ways to practice taking the test. I recommend, for Technician level, a study guide developed by W8BBS, Bruce, as a good place to start. This does not, however, cover ALL material, as some things have changed on the exam since 2003. His study guide is a good thing to read through a few times or more, and then, if you really want to be prepared, you can go through the actual question pool and ensure you know all of the answers. This study guide was used by me for my college amateur radio club, and had a 100% success rate for those who used it to get their Technician license. It can be downloaded here. The author claims the host may have corrupted the document, so be careful for any errors or typos you may come across.
Further, there are a lot of great resources at the Amateur Radio Relay League’s Website regarding licensing, education, and training, so take advantage of those! Most amateur radio operators in the United States choose to participate as active members in the ARRL. They are our national representation, and paying out membership dues goes towards things like the Website, for helping folks like you–please use it!
When you want to practice taking the exam, use this link, a page @ eHam.net. This is a great tool for checking your knowledge and seeing if you are truly ready to take the exam! If you think you might be interested, I strongly urge you to check it out. If you decide to take the test, good luck! If you have questions, comments, or need help, don’t hesitate to contact me and I will help in whatever way I can.
New to Radio?
If you are new to radio, please do check out this page! This site was designed with non-licensed folks in mind, to help them understand more about what amateur radio is, and to start the ball rolling, so to speak, on helping them to get their amateur radio license.
What is Radio?
Radio, by my own definition, is the wireless transmission and reception of signals, whether those signals be digital or analogue, automated or manual, computer or human! I think of radio as the art of manipulating an antenna to work properly with a transceiver (or just a receiver) for the purpose of transmitting and receiving signals within the frequency range for which the antenna was designed. It’s quite fun to see how small changes in an antenna set up can affect the signal.
What is Amateur Radio? (Ham Radio)
Amateur Radio, again, by my own definition, is the practice and “professional” (in a non-monetary sense) use of radio for the purpose of learning more about it, and to utilize said knowledge in times of emergency or need, anywhere in the world. The only thing “amateur” means is unpaid! We do it voluntarily, as a public service. There are many common uses of amateur radio, for things like severe weather storm spotters, boy scout communications, sending a message to someone (almost like a telegram), monitoring tidal and weather data at sea via high frequency radio nets, controlling amateur space satellites, experimenting with new antenna designs, and so on. Of course, it’s fun and that motivates us to continually experiment and develop new technologies and methods.
What’s There For Me?
Almost anything that you are interested in, whether it be NASA and space travel, mathematics, physics, electronics, farming, driving, public safety, meteorology/weather, sound, etc., can be integrated with amateur radio. Amateur radio is extraordinarily flexible and, in my eyes, is like a sponge that can soak up any other topic or hobby and help to enhance it in some way.
For example, I have a passion for severe weather, computers, driving, public safety, and emergency preparedness. I might use amateur radio to set up a wireless Internet network that covers my entire city, so that I can use a laptop to see radar data while in my car chasing a severe thunderstorm. I could then use a transceiver to communicate with the local SKYWARN weather net and report about the storm, which would be relayed to the National Weather Service. This is a very simplistic example, and your systems can be as simple or complex as you wish to make them. It’s all up to you!
You might be a college professor who wants to be able to communicate more with students, and so you could install a transceiver in your car and communicate with the college or university amateur radio club on the way in or from work. You might even have other professors who have done the same thing that you could “rag chew” with just whenever! The possibilities are great.
Further, if you are planning a career or work in a scientific field, communications, public safety, or something else that applies with radio, having validation from the Federal Communications Commission in the form of your amateur radio license can be a great résumé builder!
Maybe you just want to have a backup means of communicating in case of emergency. Say you get a massive snowfall that traps you in your house and lasts for a week. Ice may have collected on and taken down power lines and telephone lines over massive areas. If something simple goes wrong, it could turn very serious if help can’t get to you timely. Having amateur radio available, with a backup solar panel, for example, would allow for plenty of power to operate a transceiver. If necessary, in a life or property threatening situation, one could resort to using any frequency that is in use nearby. That could save your life!
How Do I Become Licensed?
To become licensed, you must pass a written exam, usually administered by a local amateur radio club. There are some specific hoops you have to jump through, such as bringing the proper identification with you, and accommodating the club’s test schedule (sometimes very early in the morning or on an inconvenient day of the week). There is also a fee associated, to help the club who is volunteering their time to administer and grade the exam. There are a few levels of amateur radio license, and the first you will test for is Technician. This is the easier of the exams to pass, called Element 2.
There are lots of study guides available online, as well as ways to practice taking the test. I recommend, for Technician level, a study guide developed by W8BBS, Bruce, as a good place to start. This does not, however, cover ALL material, as some things have changed on the exam since 2003. His study guide is a good thing to read through a few times or more, and then, if you really want to be prepared, you can go through the actual question pool and ensure you know all of the answers. This study guide was used by me for my college amateur radio club, and had a 100% success rate for those who used it to get their Technician license. It can be downloaded here. The author claims the host may have corrupted the document, so be careful for any errors or typos you may come across.
Further, there are a lot of great resources at the Amateur Radio Relay League’s Website regarding licensing, education, and training, so take advantage of those! Most amateur radio operators in the United States choose to participate as active members in the ARRL. They are our national representation, and paying out membership dues goes towards things like the Website, for helping folks like you–please use it!
When you want to practice taking the exam, use this link, a page @ eHam.net. This is a great tool for checking your knowledge and seeing if you are truly ready to take the exam! If you think you might be interested, I strongly urge you to check it out. If you decide to take the test, good luck! If you have questions, comments, or need help, don’t hesitate to contact me and I will help in whatever way I can.