Technology continues advancing, requiring hundreds of systems around the world to work together 24/7 to continue our way of life. When one of those systems goes down, problems quickly cascade. As cool as it would be to bring back the pony express, it’s probably not the quickest communication solution. This is where ham radio operators come in. They can communicate directly with just their radios. You can help. Learn how to become a ham radio operator with the information below!
Why would I want to become a ham radio operator?
There are many reasons to become a ham radio operator. Some of them include
- Exploring the science of radio waves and electronics
- Talking to astronauts on the space station from your own backyard
- Download images directly from weather satellites overhead
- Assiting with communications for community events
- Having a reliable means of communication after a disaster
There are endless possibilities of what you can do with ham/amateur radio. While the telecommunication grid is becoming more reliable, it still fails, especially in large-scale disasters. They knock cell phone towers offline, systems are overloaded, and communication slows to a crawl.
In these situations, ham radio operators can relay messages across the county, state, or even the planet to share information.
What can you do with a ham radio license?
Some ham radio operators have been able to have conversations with the international space station. You can be part of a storm chaser group and collect information for the national weather service. Others use the moon to bounce their signal off and reach distant parts of the earth! Many others use it as an emergency backup for communication or just for the fun of it.
Ham radio is the most basic, advanced form of communication. What do I mean by that? A radio can be stripped down to just a few parts. As such, it’s likely to be one of the few forms of communications up after an apocalyptic event or a huge hurricane.
You don’t need to wait for the apocalypse to use one, though. Ham radio operators have a huge part to play in establishing communication during disasters. With phone lines down, cell phone towers destroyed, and backup generators out of fuel, ham radio operators can still get important messages to local emergency responders.
What can you NOT do with ham radio?
Just having a radio license won’t allow you to break the laws of science. As an oversimplification, handheld radios only transmit as far as line of sight. If you want to go further than that, you’ll be interested in learning about repeaters or linking your radio through the internet.
Having an amateur radio license does not give you permission to use every radio frequency either. You will have permission to use certain frequency ranges. ARRL has an excellent chart about this. Amateur radio is also not CB radio.
How do you become a ham radio operator?
There are three levels of ham radio operators. They are Tech, General, and Extra. Each one requires you to pass a test with an increasing level of difficulty.
The Tech and General tests have 35 questions and the Extra has 50. You can use the ham radio frequencies after passing the Tech test and hearing from the FCC. The General and the Extra tests allow you to operate on more frequencies.
While the test is not an open-book test, they pull the questions and answers straight from an open test bank. You can read the question and answer for every question on the test before you take it.
Oh, and they also dropped the morse code requirement years ago. If you can read and pick up the basics, you can pass the test! You don’t have to be an electrical engineer to operate a radio. The first test (Technician) is about a lot of the general procedures and the very basics of radio operations.
Pass the test with these two FREE resources
I passed both the tech and general exams on my first attempt. I spent a lot of time looking for resources to help. These two were all I needed.
Introduction to ham radio by KB90KB
This video, made by KB9OKB, has every answer you need to know for the first test. He uses informative answers so you learn the material and not just the answers. This video helped me immensely!
Hamstudy.org
Hamstudy.org is also an essential resource. The website is free and for just a few dollars you can buy the app if interested. I’d highly recommend using it! You can take the practice tests with real test questions or study using the website. It keeps track of your progress as you go. If you do not understand the rationale, each question has helpful tips and an explanation.
Testing
Once you can consistently pass the tests 74% or more (26/35) you will be ready to take the exam to get your license.
Traditionally testing was in person. You can try the AARL site to find a testing location, but finding a local club may be easier. Try looking up ham or amateur radio and a large city or county near you on social media and then message their page to see when their next test is.
With the pandemic in 2020 remote exams became extremely popular. Hamstudy.org has a list of available online testing times here. Emergency management and the weather service may know additional testing times and locations as well.
How much does it cost?
The local testing location or the online testing site may charge a small fee between five and fifteen dollars. The Volunteer Exam Coordinators set this fee. You can test for multiple levels (Tech, General, and Extra) at the same time, often for the same price. The FCC plans to add a $35 fee for the license soon.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can spend money on books, videos, and classes. However, as mentioned, there are enough resources available online to pass it on the first try without spending extra money.
Radios
Like any good hobby, you can easily spend thousands on equipment. Unlike many hobbies, you can get into amateur radio for under $100, testing and radio included.
There are cheap Chinese radios that sell for about $40 online. A lot of ham radio operators use these. They are not high quality and the frequency can wander off where it’s set (a potential violation if you are at the edge of the frequency you are allowed to use). At this price, many will use this as their “waterproof” radio and have another, higher-quality radio. By waterproof we mean if they take it out in a storm and it gets wet and dies, they’ll just replace it. For 50-200 more, you can get a solid quality radio.
How can I volunteer with ham radio?
The National Weather Service with SKYWARN
SKYWARN is a group of volunteers trained by the National Weather Service to report storm conditions such as severe weather, hail, and tornados. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a tornado chaser, here’s your excuse! Just be sure to take the courses and know how to safely chase severe weather.
Disaster Relief
Many disaster relief groups have small ham teams working with them when communications are down across a wide area. Ham radio was used frequently following the Joplin tornado and is beneficial in wide-scale outages caused by hurricanes.
CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)
CERT is a great way to give back to your community. They will often assist in light search and rescue, recoveries, and high-traffic community events like parades, fairs, etc. Having someone that knows how to operate a radio is essential!
Firefighting
Okay, well, firefighters have their own frequencies and don’t require ham privileges, but firefighting is cool! Besides, as the local ham radio guy in the department, you’ll become the go-to person for most radio trouble!
Conclusion
With most hobbies, the sky’s the limit. With ham radio, the sky is your starting point! From educational to thrill-seeking, to doomsday communication plans, the reasons to get started with amateur radio are endless. The equipment and resources needed to become a ham radio operator have never been easier or cheaper. What are you waiting for? Get studying!
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