Step By Step Guide:How To Get Your U.S. Ham Radio License By Ed Mitchell, KF7VYIMPORTANT NOTE 8 January 1999: Effective April 15th, 2000, new ruleswill take effect. Under the new rules there will be just three licenses:Technician (no telegraphy requirement), General and Extra class (5 wordper minute telegraphic proficiency required by international regulations).The remainder of this Guide has not yet been updated to reflect the newrules.The following is intended for persons interested in obtaining anU.S. Amateur Radio license. Procedures and requirements are different forother nations. Please see Howto Get Licensed Throughout the World for information on licensing inother nations.Other Excellent Online Licensing Resources

• Visit HamTest.Com - The Complete Resourcefor Getting Licensed
• Take a PracticeExam, online!
• AA9PW'spractice exams, code tests and more

1. Read Our Welcome to Amateur Radio sectionRead Start here-Welcome to Amateur Radioto understand what Amateur Radio is about and to choose the type of licenseyou wish to have. The most popular introductory Amateur Radio license isthe "no code required" Technician class license. Another alternative isthe Novice class license. The "no code" Tech license enables you to usepopular "FM" two-way radios and repeaters on the VHF and UHF bands. Youcan also send computer data, television signals or use Amateur Radio orbitingspacecraft with the Tech license. Decide which license you wish to pursue- most new hams are entering the hobby with the "no code" Technician classlicense which requires passing a 55 question multiple choice examination.2. Studying For the ExamThee are several ways to prepare for the Amateur radio exams:

• Take a class: If you know an amateur radio operator in your area,you might ask if he or she knows of local license classes. Many radio clubsprovide classes. In some areas, community colleges and other schools mayprovide license study classes. Knowing a local ham radio operator may alsoprove helpful when you are setting up your first Amateur station and youneed advice and assistance regarding antennas, radio equipment, RF andelectrical safety considerations, including local rules on the installationof antennas.
• Self-Study: You can study on your own using available study guidesand/or video taped instruction. Audio cassette tapes and computer programsare available to help you learn the Morse code if you choose to do so foryour first license. There are pretty much two approaches to preparing forthe tests: (1) learn the material; or (2) try to memorize all the testquestions and answers. I strongly recommend option (1): learn the basictheory. What you need to know is not complicated and will be helpful ingetting maximum enjoyment out of Amateur Radio. There are many study guidesavailable - both Kim and I recommend the "Now You're Talking! All You Needto Get Your First Ham Radio License", published by the American Radio RelayLeague (ARRL). You can order this book online (about $19.00) by visitingtheir web site at http://www.arrl.org;and it will be shipped direct to you. Video tape study programs are alsoavailable (for about $99.00), however we have no experience with thesetapes and cannot offer a recommendation.
• Be a Know-It-All: We know of people with backgrounds in electronicsthat already know most of the theory. With two to four hours of reviewand an understanding of the FCC rules and regulations that apply to AmateurRadio, they successfully passed their written exam on their first try.Maybe you qualify as a "know it all"?

3. Optional - Learning the Morse Code You do not need to learn the Morse code to earn the "no code" Technicianclass license. About 25% of all licensed Amateurs in the U.S. have the"no code" license - this is the most popular license class for new licensees.If you wish to learn the Morse code, you should start with the 5 word perminute (WPM) tests. Many people can learn 5 WPM Morse code by studyingfor 15 minutes, once each night over a 2 to 3 week period. You need onlypass the 5 WPM speed for the Novice or "code" Technician license. By passingthis exam you will have access to voice communications on the Amateur 10meter band, which provides you with access to worldwide communications.Higher class licenses have exams at 13 WPM and 20 WPM. Don't worry aboutthose now! Most people find they tend to plateau at about 10 WPM and goingfaster is tough, without serious practice.4. Where To Take Your ExamOnce you are prepared to take the examination(s), you'll want to findout where to take the test. Tests are administered by Volunteer Examiners.A nominal fee is charged to cover the costs of the testing. There are severalways to locate a test session. If you know a local ham, ask him or herabout local testing opportunities. You can also try the online exam locationdatabase, provided by the ARRL, to look up local exam sessions affiliatedwith the ARRL.Where to take Ham Radio License ExaminationsReady to take your first exam? Or maybe upgrade to a higher class license?Amateur Radio exams are given throughout the U.S. and its territories allyear long. The American Radio Relay League (the national organization ofAmateur radio operators in the U.S.) operates an OnlineExam Location reference available by clicking the link. You can alsolocatelocalham radio clubs.Don't be nervous or anxious about your test session. If for some reasonyou don't succeed on the first try, you are welcome to retake the testsin the future any number of times until you finally succeed. Keep at it!Assuming you've passed, your license application is forwarded to thevolunteer examination coordinator, and from there to the Federal CommunicationsCommission. Your license will generally arrive in the mail in about 2 to4 weeks and will contain your FCC issued callsign. (If you don't like thecallsign, you can select your own, within limitations, by applying fora "vanity callsign" through the FCC's vanity license program.)5. Setting Up A Station - Buying Your First RadioI'll assume that you have just passed the Technician class "no code"license and are looking for a first radio. Most Amateurs purchase a handheldVHF or UHF (or a combined "dual-band" VHF+UHF) radio. You can use yourhandheld radio while walking, while driving or from your home. You canoptionally connect it to an external mobile antenna or an external antennaat your home for extended range. A mere handheld, running low power, issufficient to gain access to most local repeaters so this is plenty toget you started. Single band handheld radios cost between about $100 and$300. Dual-band radios cost about $400 and up.If you plan to advance beyond the Technician stage, and money is noobject, you might consider purchasing a radio like the ICOM IC-706 whichprovides VHF coverage on the 2 meter and 6 meter bands, plus is a completeHF (below 30 MHz) transceiver. Another option to consider is a "mobile" radio. Mobile VHF/UHF radiosand handhelds have pretty much the same feaures - except that the mobileradio probably supports 25 to 50 watts output while handheld radios typicallyoperate in the 100 milliwatt to 5 watt output range. Mobile radios havelarger speakers and a more powerful audio amplifier for better qualityaudio - this is especially nice to have in a noisy car environment. Mostmobile radios are also designed for easier use while driving – that meansbigger controls and buttons to easily set commonly used features.6. Building Your Own RadioBuilding your own radio is also an option. You can build inexpensivekits, especially for use on HF frequencies, but there are also kits availablefor the VHF and UHF bands. For most people, kits are a better choice thantrying to "roll your own" from scratch. The nature of how electronic partsare sold makes it more cost effective to buy a pre-packaged kit containingall the parts than to try and buy all the parts you might need, individually.Kits are especially popular for "QRP" or low power radio operation. While100 watt (or more) radios are popular for HF operation, you can have alot of fun with a radio operating at the 1 to 10 watt level, and make contactsout to thousands of miles. Many inexpensive, low power HF radio kits areavailable.7. AntennasIf using a handheld radio, you may be able to conduct all of your communicationsusing just the short flexible antenna that comes with the radio. A magmount or other mobile antenna is essential if using a high power mobileradio. For best operation while using a handheld radio in a car, a simple"magnetic mount" or "mag mount" antenna is highly recommended. A reasonableexternal antenna for your vehicle can boost your signal by a factor of5 to 10 over the capabilities of the short flexible antenna on your radio.For home installation, you may optionally choose to use an externalvertical antenna or a "Yagi" beam antenna. Both types of external antennassubstantially increase the direct range of a low power handheld radio.In general, improving your antenna usually makes more sense than addingpower. For one thing, a better antenna enables your radio not only to transmitfurther but to better hear weak signals.8. Getting on the AirWith your ham radio "ticket" in hand, your radio purchased or built,and your first antenna installed, its time to make your first contact.For many this is a time of intense excitement and/or anxiety! If you arenervous or unsure of yourself, don't hesitate to ask for help. By all means,let your first contact know that he or she is your first contact on hamradio. Two or three times I've answered a "CQ" (a station requesting acontact) and been rewarded by being a new ham's first contact. Most hamsare happy to help and to give you advice.9. Moving ForwardsHam Radio provides a near limitless opportunity to explore, to study,to tinker, to serve the public, and to learn. As your knowledge increases,you can pursue higher class licenses that provide you with access to additionalradio frequencies. You can pursue new technologies like digital communications,fast scan television, satellite communications, wireless Internet access,low power communications, and even search the sky for extra-terrestrialintelligence (why not?). You can participate in public service or disastercommunications. Visit your local ham radio club (most are friendly socialevents), join your local ARES/RACES public service communications team,sign up to participate in training opportunities and volunteer to helpout at events using amateur radio communications. There is a world of explorationand opportunities in amateur radio. Have fun!Copyright © 1998-2000 Virtual Publishing Company. All RightsReserved.

The Q code is a standardised collection of three-letter message encodings, all starting with the letter "Q", initially developed for commercial radiotelegraph communication, and later adopted by other radio services, especially amateur radio. Although Q codes were created when radio used Morse code exclusively, they continued to be employed after the introduction of voice transmissions. To avoid confusion, transmitter call signs have often been limited to restrict ones starting with "Q" or having an embedded three-letter Q sequence. The codes in the range QAA-QNZ are reserved for aeronautical use; QOA-QOZ for maritime use, and QRA-QUZ for all services.

Early developments

The original Q codes were created, circa 1909, by the British government as a "list of abbreviations... prepared for the use of British ships and coast stations licensed by the Postmaster-General". The Q codes facilitated communication between maritime radio operators speaking different languages, so they were soon adopted internationally. A total of forty-five Q codes appeared in the "List of Abbreviations to be used in Radio Communications", which was included in the Service Regulations affixed to the Third International Radiotelegraph Convention. (This Convention, which met in London, was signed on July 5, 1912, and became effective July 1, 1913.)

The following table reviews a sample of the all-services Q codes adopted by the 1912 Convention:

First Twelve Q Codes Listed in th
e 1912 International Radiotelegraph Convention Regulations

Later usage

Over the years, modifications were made to the original Q codes to reflect changes in radio practice. In the original international list, QSW/QSX stood for "Shall I increase/decrease my spark frequency?", however, spark-gap transmitters were banned in the United States in the 1920s, rendering the original meaning of those Q codes obsolete. Other Q codes have been introduced, especially those for amateur radio usage.

Some Q codes are also used in aviation, in particular QNH and QFE, referring to certain altimeter settings. These codes are used in radio conversations with air traffic control as unambiguous shorthand, where safety and efficiency are of vital importance. A subset of Q codes is used by the Miami-Dade County, Florida local government for law enforcement and fire rescue communications, one of the few instances where Q codes are used in ground voice communication.

Many military and other organizations that use Morse code have adopted additional codes, including the Z code used by most European and NATO countries. The Z code adds commands and questions adapted for military radio transmissions. For example, "ZBW 2" — change to backup frequency number 2 — or "ZNB abc" — my checksum is abc, what is yours? In most military Morse code transmissions, freeform text is strictly forbidden, and all communication must be accomplished using three-letter abbreviations, the Q and Z code.

Used in their formal "question/answer" sense, the meaning of a Q code varies depending on whether or not the individual Q code is sent as a question or an answer. For example, the message "QRP?" means "Shall I decrease transmitter power?", and a reply of "QRP" means "Yes, decrease your transmitter power". This structured use of Q codes is fairly rare and now mainly limited to amateur radio and military morse code (CW) traffic networks.

Amateur radio

Selected Q codes were soon adopted by amateur radio operators. In December, 1915 the American Radio Relay League began publication of a magazine titled QST, named after the Q code for "General call to all stations". In amateur radio, the Q codes were originally used in Morse Code transmissions to shorten lengthy phrases and were followed by a Morse code question mark (– – ––– ––– – – ) if the phrase was a question. In voice communications, the Q code is commonly used as shorthand nouns, verbs and adjectives making up phrases. For example, an amateur radio operator will complain about QRM (man-made interference), or tell another operator that there is "QSB on the signal"; "to QSY" is to change your operating frequency.

The following table gives the most common Q codes used in amateur radio:

Q Codes Commonly Used by Radio Amateurs

Some of these common usages vary somewhat from their formal, official sense. There are also a few unofficial and humorous codes in use, such as QLF ("try sending with your LEFT foot") and QSC ("send cigarettes", not the official meaning of "this is a cargo vessel"). In the question form, QNB?, is supposed to mean "How many buttons does your radio have?" A reply of the form QNB 45/15 means "45, and I know what 15 of them do." QRK is sometimes used to refer to the cost of something - "I would like an FT9000 but it is too much QRK".

QSK - "I can hear you during my transmission" - refers to a particular mode of morse code operating in which the receiver is enabled during the spaces between dots while transmitting. Some transceivers incorporate this function, sometimes referred to as full break-in as against semi-break-in in which there is a short delay before the transceiver goes to receive.

Some ham operators within the USA, particularly those travelling long distances, will monitor the National 2-meter FM calling frequency of 146.520 MHz while in their vehicles. If you see a vehicle on the road with a bumper-sticker, license plate or other sign that says QRZ 52? and a few extra antennas, that is what's happening. The reason QRZ is used instead of the more correct QSX is that QSX is not normally used in voice communications while QRZ is used extensively.

FAYETTEVILLE — While children her age communicate with others via text- or instantmessaging, fourth-grader Alison Stuart prefers her grandfather’s ham radio.

“You can hear the person’s voice,” 10-year-old Alison said as she prepared to take her Federal Communications Commission licensing exam for amateur radio operators Saturday afternoon.

She was the only child among 20 people who turned out for a morning training class at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville that preceded the afternoon exam.

Fayetteville was among a dozen hospital sites around the state offering the class through distance-learning technology, with the lesson beamed from a live classroom in Little Rock where the instructor, John Nordlund, was based.

BAGHDAD - Whenever he gets a spare moment away from his electronics repair shop, Abdul Karim Hadi sneaks off to what he calls the "radio shack" in the corner of his bedroom, flips a switch and escapes to the outside world.

"With ham radio, you can meet people around the world," said Hadi, 48, who has been "hamming" since 1978. "It's also a hobby you can do on your own. And once you have your own equipment, it's free."

More important, at a time when most movie theaters and nightclubs are closed because of security concerns, hamming is a form of entertainment that can be pursued at home.

That wasn't always so. Under Saddam Hussein's rule, ham radio operators had to report to government-sanctioned clubs, where minders listened in on their conversations. Since the dictator's ouster, they have faced suspicion from U.S. troops and the Iraqi government that their transmissions are a tool of the insurgency.

Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, fewer than 50 of 150 or so ham radio enthusiasts who operated primarily in Baghdad have returned to their stations, Hadi said. He is part of a small group who are trying to revive interest in the hobby and keep it alive.

"Many hams have not returned, even though they have a license," Hadi said. "Some have traveled outside Iraq; others are afraid to use their wireless. They think they will face problems from the American soldiers or the Iraqi police. I am trying to tell everyone that the situation is better now."

Ham radio, also known as amateur radio, has been used as both recreation and a public service provider across the globe since at least the early 1900s. Operators typically use a transmitter and receiver to communicate with other enthusiasts in their home countries and abroad. They use various modes of transmission, including voice, Morse code and now personal computers.

Voice transmissions continue to be the most common in Iraq, say local operators, who must be licensed by their government and receive a unique "call sign" to identify themselves on the air. Hadi's call sign is YI1AK.

Under Hussein's rule, ham radio operators could not use their wireless equipment at home.

"Saddam would hang you if you were found with a transmitter at home," said Hadi. "They thought you were a spy if you had an antenna."

But just hearing a voice coming over the airwaves from Europe, Asia, America and other countries in the Middle East made many Iraqi ham radio operators feel connected; and they considered themselves members of an exclusive club.

"We would talk about electronics, signal strengths, the weather forecast and personal details, such as your family," said Imad Yusef Dahi, 45, call sign YI1EYT, a ham radio operator since 1992. He has connected with hams in Germany, France, Russia and Egypt.

"It's a beautiful hobby," Dahi said. "You can communicate with people from all over the world. And you can talk as long as you want, for free."

Regardless of modern technology, Dahi and other hams said there was something special about being able to send their own signal into the air.

"It's a great feeling when you're using equipment that you've put together yourself," said Azhar, 40, a ham radio operator for 15 years, whose call-sign is YI1FLY. He was reluctant to give his last name and was uneasy about giving details on his hobby for fear that he might say something that would get him into trouble.

Hadi understands why such concerns still exist, despite the new supposed freedom.

After the 2003 invasion, U.S. soldiers came knocking at Hadi's door. They arrested him and confiscated his radio equipment, even though he had a valid license allowing him to own and use it.

He spent a week in jail while an investigation was conducted. He was freed "with an apology," he said, but it took more than a month to get his equipment back.

For eight months last year, Iraqi officials suspended all amateur radio activity in the country, citing security concerns. They feared insurgents might be using ham radio, local operators said.

The irony was not lost on ham radio operators, who recalled that even though they were subject to eavesdropping by security agents under Hussein, it was rare for them to be taken off the air.

Ann M. Simmons writes for the Los Angeles Times.

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