What is Amateur Radio?

There are bands in the radio frequency spectrum left unused from the general public. Television signals, cellphones, and radio stations all require a frequency band, or a group of frequencies to operate. Amateur, or ham radio, is designed to take advantage of those otherwise wasted frequencies and allow licensed individuals to use them for their personal, non commercial use.

The Federal Communcations Commission is responsable for issuing licenses and regulating the ham network. The main purpose of the amateur radio service is to educate the public about the radio technology, and to have a backup system in case other traditional methods of communication fail in an emergency.

Getting Your License

A license can be obtained by studying a bank of 350 questions. The test consists of a random order of a 350 question bank pool. After completing and passing the test of atleast a 70%, a callsign will be posted for you on the internet. After you have found your callsign, you're free to transmit on the airways!