Ham Radio For Dummies - H. Ward Silver

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Notes Technician All amateur privileges above 50 MHz; limited CW, Phone, and Data privileges below 30 MHz See the nearby Tip about possible FCC rules changes. General Technician privileges plus most amateur HF privileges Amateur Extra All amateur privileges Small exclusive sub-bands are added on 80, 40, 20, and 15 meters.

      

At the time this edition was prepared, the FCC was considering several “Rulemaking Petitions” to change how amateur signals were regulated and the frequencies available to Technician licensees. The ARRL and other popular websites will announce any changes, if they occur.

      Technician class

      All hams start by obtaining a Technician class license, also known as a “Tech” license. A Technician licensee is allowed access to all ham bands with frequencies of 50 MHz or higher. These privileges include operation at the maximum legal power limit and using all types of communications. Tech licensees may also transmit using voice, code, and digital signals on part of the 10 meter band and Morse code on some of the HF bands below 30 MHz.

      The Technician exam is 35 multiple-choice questions on regulations and technical radio topics. You have to get 26 or more correct to pass.

      

Morse code, or “CW” for “continuous wave,” was once required for amateur operation below 30 MHz. At the time international treaties were adopted, code was used for a great deal of commercial and military radio traffic was — news, telegrams, ship-to-ship, and ship-to-shore messages. Emergency communications were often in Morse code, too. Back then, using Morse code was a standard radio skill. It’s still a very effective part of ham radio. Its efficient use of transmitted power and spectrum space, as well as its musicality and rhythm, make it very popular with hams. It’s easy and fun to use, too! Chapter 8 tells you all about Morse code.

      General class

      After earning the entry-level Technician license, many hams immediately start getting ready to upgrade to a General class license. When you obtain a General class license, you’ve reached a great milestone. General class licensees have full privileges on nearly all amateur frequencies, with only small portions of some HF bands remaining off limits.

      The General class exam, which includes 35 questions (you have to get 26 right to pass), covers some of the same topics as the Technician exam, but in more detail. The exam also introduces new topics that an experienced ham is expected to understand to operate on the traditional shortwave or HF bands.

      Amateur Extra class

      General class licensees can’t use every frequency; the lowest segments of several HF bands are for Amateur Extra class licensees only. These segments are considered to be prime operating territory. If you become interested in contesting, contacting rare foreign stations (DXing; see Chapter 11), or just having access to these choice frequencies, you want to get your Amateur Extra license — the top level.

      Grandfathered classes

      The amateur service licensing rules have changed over the years, reducing the number of license classes. Hams who hold licenses in deleted classes may renew those licenses indefinitely, but no new licenses for those classes are being issued.

      Two grandfathered license classes remain:

       Novice: The Novice license was introduced in 1951 with a simple 20-question exam and 5-words-per-minute (WPM) code test. A ham with a General class (or higher) license administered the exam. Originally, the license was good for a single year, at which point the Novice upgraded or had to get off the air. These days, the Novice license, like other licenses, has a ten-year term and is renewable. Novices are restricted to segments of the 3.5, 7, 21, 28, 222, and 1296 MHz amateur bands.

       Advanced: Advanced class licensees passed a written exam midway in difficulty between those for the General and Amateur Extra classes. They have access to frequencies beyond the General licensees.
License Class Active Licenses Share of Active Licensees
Tech 395,683 51.0%
General 183,283 23.7%
Amateur Extra 152,643 19.7%
Advanced 37,115 4.7%
Novice 7,254 0.9%
Total 775,978 100%

       Source: www.arrl.org/fcc-license-counts

      To pass the exam, you’ll need to do a little studying and there are plenty of opportunities to practice. Then you’ll take your exam, administered by volunteer hams who were also in your shoes once upon a time. After you pass, you’ll receive a call sign that is yours and yours alone: your radio name. Ready? Let’s go!

      Studying the exam questions

      ARRL (www.arrl.org) and other organizations publish study guides and manuals, some of which may be available through your local library. Also, online training and study guides are available. All of these use the actual questions that are on the test. Take advantage of these materials, and you’ll be ready to pass the exam on test day.

      

The exam questions, the question pool, changes every four years. Make sure that you have the current version of study materials, containing the correct

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