How to Chat Via Amateur Radio

Licenses

• Amateur radio operators in the United States fall into three different license classes, each with more frequency privileges. The base class is called the Technician license and offers frequency privileges above 50 MHz and three bands under 30 MHz. The General class allows license holders on all 27 amateur radio bands from 1.8 MHz to 1.2GHz, and the Extra class adds additional frequencies across the HF bands, which run from 3 to 30 MHz.

Call Sign

• You need a call sign to get on the air. The FCC will issue you a call sign after you pass a written test of either 35 or 50 questions administered by a volunteer examiner. To pass, you must score 74 percent or higher. You must then use the call sign to identify your transmissions when chatting on amateur radio frequencies; it also identifies the country in which you are licensed. Don̵7;t use amateur radio frequencies without a license and call sign: that̵7;s illegal and could result in significant monetary fines.

Radio

• In amateur radio terms, a radio is known as a transceiver, which is the combination of the words "transmitter" and "receiver." What radio you buy depends on what you plan to use it for. If you̵7;re a Technician licensee, a mobile or base unit for the VHF and UHF bands may be the best fit, but if you̵7;re planning to upgrade or are already a General or Extra class licensee, a transceiver that does HF, VHF and UHF may be the best bet.

Antenna

• The final piece you need is an antenna. Amateur radio antennas come in all shapes in sizes, and each has its own characteristics. The easiest antennas to build and set up are the dipole and the vertical. Simply put, the dipole is a piece of wire tuned to a specific frequency, with a feed line from the center of the wire to your radio. The vertical can be thought of as a vertical dipole, although it is made of metal. Both radiate your signal equally in all directions. If you want to broadcast your signal to a specific location, try a yagi, which looks quite similar to a TV antenna and focuses your signal in a specific direction.