Ok, you have the interest. Now, how do you go about becoming a ham radio operator. Well, first, you must be licensed by the FCC..
The licenseing process is in place to help those interested from hurting
themselves, or infringing on the use of radio waves by all others in the
community (fire station, police, ambulance dispatching/communications, etc.).
So, how do you get licensed? One of the easiest ways to get your first
license is to buy a book on the subject, read that book, and then take the FCC
license examination. The ARRL has the book listed at the right to help you in
learning all you need to know to pass the FCC test. Additionally, the SOARESSS
group has a 6-8 week course that we teach, based on this book, to help you "fill
in the gaps". After the completion of the course, we also facilitate the
necessary FCC examination.
Then, once you have your first license, called a "Technician License," you can
get on the air with Ham equipment you can buy from many different vendors. As
your experience and skills grow, you can then upgrade your license to get what
is called a "General License" on up to an "Extra-Class License." With each
new level, new frequencies and operating modes are enabled. You can talk
farther, on more frequencies with each successive license.
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Online Practice Exams |
There are several "on-line" practice exams you can take to see if you are ready to
tackle the "real" test. Here are just a few of them.
QRZ.com
AA9PW (out of Wisconsin)
eHams.net
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