Frequently Asked Questions What Is Amateur Radio? Amateur Radio is both a hobby and a public service. There are over 670,000 amateur radio operators currently in the U.S. and almost three million throughout the world. It is quite a common service in many countries. Amateur radio operators throughout the world are also called Ham radio operators or "hams" for short. The Amateur Radio service is governed by the Federal Communications Commission, which sets the rules for the service in the U.S. Because radio signals do not follow international boundaries, the service is also governed by International Treaties which allot specific band segments and frequencies for the service to use throughout the world without interference to other services. To become an operator and use these frequencies, international agreements between nations have required perspective hams to pass an exam. Here in the U.S. the exams are given by amateur radio volunteers. This exam is required to ensure that the new hams understand the rules, do not overstep the limits, and do not transmit illegally. Amateur Radio operators do many things. They speak into their radio microphones and their signals leap to the far corners of the world. They communicate by voice, morse code, teletype, RTTY, fast and slow scan television, and through special links between their computers called Packet radio (similar to sending an e-mail on the computer except using a radio). The Amateur radio service also is a public service. Amateur operators lend their communication's expertise and abilities in times of disasters and emergencies. They can relay messages through their radio's over long distances when telephones and power lines are down. Sometimes they are the only way government officials can get messages to disaster ravaged parts of a remote area. Most recent examples of ham operators in action are the Alpine Viejas Fire, the earthquakes in Mexico City, India, El Salvador, Seattle, hurricane disasters in Cuba, Honduras, Florida, and the Sept 11 Attack in New York and Wash. DC. In each case amateur radio operators handled critical emergency traffic out of the affected disaster area when normal communications were knocked out or overloaded. For More Info: ARRL Ham RAdio Tutorials Back to Top How Do I Start? Its easy. To become a ham radio operator all you need is an FCC Amateur Radio License. To get your license you need to pass a simple 35 question quiz. As a beginner you will start with your Technician Class License. This website will guide you through the process of learning the material for passing the Technician Class licensing exam. Once you have passed the FCC exam, you are on your way to receiving your government issued amateur radio license and callsign. Jump to the Tutorial Page. Back to Top Do I Need an FCC License? Yes. To transmit on the publicly owned amateur radio airwaves, you need an FCC Amateur Radio License. The license is relatively easy to acquire. All you need to do is pass the Technican Class licensing exam at a local Volunteer Examination Site. Jump to the Tutorial Page. Back to Top What Do Ham Radio Operators Do? Ham radio operators get in their cars everyday and talk to their buddies all over town. Other radio operators access the "ham radio internet" and send digital messages to their friends through a wireless network using a method called "packet". While still others talk to their friends they've met on the radio around the globe by simply picking up a radio microphone or tapping on their morse code keys. Hams can even talk to each other live through amateur television, or transmit photos of themselves through special wireless FAX modes. The possibilites are many. It's as simple as that. But ham radio operators also participate in serious activites. They're on a constant alert for emergencies. On a moments notice hundreds of hams can deliver life-saving messages to a disaster affected area. Back to Top Is Ham Radio Expensive? The answer is NO! Ham radio is not expensive at all. Ham radio is a relatively cheap thing to get involved in compared to other hobbies. The radios need not be expensive. Ham radio swap meets, and online websites around the nation sell good used equipment that will get you started for under \\$200. Brand new equipment can cost from $100.00 to a couple thousand dollars. Back to Top Why Should I Be A Ham Radio Operator? Ham radio is fun. You can use ham radio to meet friends. Pass the time on a lonely trip across the US, or talk to people around the world from the privacy of your own home. You can experiment. Even build your own radios and equipment. The point is that ham radio is so wide in scope that it is virtually impossible to have fully experienced every aspect of the hobby. Back to Top What Can I Do With Ham Radio Ham radio has so many aspects to get involved in that this page would never be able to list all of the things possible to experience. But in a short summary, with ham radio you can experience personal radio communications. With a little radio about the size of a credit card, you can talk to a fellow radio operator in Australia or England. With the same radio you could travel across the US and never be out of range from a ham who is willing to talk to you, or even help you find the way around town. You can be in charge of emergency communications and learn how to provide communications in the event of a disaster. You can experience digital communications, and send messages or photos to others around the globe. Its all up to you. The possibilites are limitless. Back to Top Who Can Help Me Out? There are many available resources. This site is just one of them. If you are blind or handi-capped, there are special resources available just for you. All these resources can help you along the way to get your license, to even helping you pick your own first radio. Jump to the Resources Page. Back to Top When was Amateur Radio Started? Ham Radio was started a long time ago. In fact it began when radio experimenters in the eighteen hundreds and early ninteen hundreds invented radio and the equipment to transmit radio waves. These people soon discovered that they could communicate vast distances across the globe with their radio equipment. The amateur radio service was born when the government allocated special frequency segments for amateur radio use only. Back to Top I don't have much time. Can I still enjoy the hobby? Time is not a problem. Many hams install mobile radios in their vehicles and enjoy conversations with people all over the world during their drive to and from work. This can pass the time very quickly and make lengthy commutes enjoyable. Back to Top