How Do I Get a Ham Radio License?
by David Harvey VK2DMH on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 | 1 Comment
How do I get an Amateur (ham radio) license, and what do I have to do then to get on the air?
I’ve been extremely interested in Ham radios for years, and now I feel I am ready to get involved in the hobby. I have already been researching a little bit and, from what I can tell, it seems I will have to pass some kind of exam for an Amateur Radio license.
If you know what I need to do next, please tell me. I am also interested in any tips you can give me on getting a two-way radio and whatever other radio gear I might need… like maybe an outdoor antenna?
Thanks very much.
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To get a Ham Radio license in the USA, the first thing you need to do is to go to the ARRL website, which is shown in the right hand column at the bottom of this page, in the part headed ‘US RADIO LINKS’. Other countries have their own organizations and/or government departments which handle radio licenses.
If you can find a local radio club, then there will be other Radio Amateurs who can help you. It is a time-honored tradition that is known as ‘Elmering’… where an older, experienced Ham (called an ‘Elmer’ in the USA) takes you as a newcomer under his wing, and gently teaches you things you need to know.
I live in Australia and my own local radio club, is known as HADARC – that’s the Hornsby And Districts Amateur Radio Club, http://www.hadarc.org.au/ We have a senior Ham who volunteers his time as our Training Officer and runs classes for newcomers, who must study a little radio and electronics theory and read and understand the Radio Regulations we all have to obey when we go on the air.
It is no longer a requirement to learn the Morse Code, although many amateur radio operators take pride in being able to use it; and it is well known that a C.W. (morse code) signal will often get through where a voice signal (SSB) cannot.
As a beginning Ham Radio operator, your license will normally restrict you to VHF and higher frequencies, so your first Amateur Radio rig (two way radio) may be a handheld, which doesn’t need an outside antenna. Hams have repeaters to make their VHF and UHF signals get out much further.
With a bit more study, radio Hams (amateur radio operators) are allowed to use the HF bands on Shortwave. These need bigger antennas, which are usually made from wire for the lower frequencies. These HF signals bounce off the atmosphere using radio ‘skip’ to get their signals right around the world (but only when the radio propagation conditions are just right).
More info on How to get an Amateur radio license.