So You Want to Become an Amateur Radio Operator?
General Information
A couple of starting points for you to look at:
The "What is Amateur Radio?" page on the American Radio Relay League Site.
The Wikipedia Amateur Radio Page is a great jumping off point.
Some of the bands we enjoy using as US hams. We, in the Americas, are in ITU region 2.
Ham radio is a reliable communication service in almost any condition. Have a look at these insightful articles. (Caution, some links may contain harsh language).
- Emergency Radio
- Prepper Resources
- Disaster Communications
- Ham Radio for Communications
- Ham radio gaining popularity with the 'Prepper' community
As are many hams around the world, we are also building a wireless high-speed data network, called Hamnet-Broadband.
Testing
Is there a V.E. Testing Session scheduled?
Rules at the test, what to bring, what not to bring, and standards of behavior.
Check to see if we have a license training class scheduled in the area.
Of course many people who have been exposed to electronics before can be self trained using the below resources.
A no-nonsense, free study guide for Technician, and General class licenses.
A great place to learn the question pools, and to serve as a training aid is Hamexam . I suggest if you use this tool, that you create a free account there to track your progress, and use the flash-cards till your trailing average (yes, it keeps statistics for you) reaches 70%. Then do a few tests to see if you can pass, and then brush up every other night until the test session day. If there is anything you don't understand that you keep getting wrong on the flash cards, try searching for the subject on the 'pedia or ask a question on our Discussion Board
Please feel free to browse the site using the links at left if you want to find out more.