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Low Cost Amateur Handheld Transmitter And Dipole Wire Antennas - Welcomes You

My advise is if you are just getting your Technician License, I would not invest in a terribly expensive Ham Radio. I would look more into a Uhf Vhf Handheld Transceiver. You will find that some ham radios in this field are less expensive. Besides with the technician license, you are limited to a certain band of frequencies that you can transmit on according to the FCC.

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Ham Radio - How To Get A Ham Radio License

 

By Jon Kreski  |   Submitted On December 28, 2010

 

I know of people that are between the ages of 8 years old and 80 years old that have easily gotten their ham radio licenses. I did - and I am no electronics expert or broadcast radio disc jockey, etc.. Why am I qualified to write this article? Because I have taken the FCC ham radio license exams and have passed all three with flying colors. I did it quickly without a lot of expense. And now I enjoy what I consider to be

 

THE best hobby ever! Also, I am qualified to give FCC ham radio license exams. I know what it works from the perspective of the non electronics type of person. I am an Auditor by training... I believe that if I can do it - so can you!

 

First - is a license really required to operate a ham radio? The answer is yes - the Federal Communications Commission requires it. And there are stiff penalties for those that would operate a ham radio on ham radio frequencies without one.

 

Second - WHY is a ham radio license required? I can assure you that it's NOT just so the darn government can get rich collecting license fees. The license fees are actually quite reasonable. The last time I checked it was $15 to take the exam and getting the actual license after the exam was free. This may have changed. The exam is required so that you stay safe and stay within the operating rules and customs. Ham radio equipment deals with high levels of electrical charges and can be dangerous. Just like having to take a boating or hunting course, it's just a good idea to get some sound training and be able to prove that you know what you are doing. Also, if you operate on the wrong frequencies before you have the specific license required you can find yourself in legal trouble.

 

One of the best sources for ham radio license exam information is The American Radio Relay League. This is the national organization for ham radio. Do a Google search for ARRL to find their website. The reason you want to know about this website is because it contains lists of ham radio license exams (locations, times, check-in procedures, etc.). It also contains nice graphic charts of what frequencies and modes specific FCC ham radio license classes are allowed to operate on. These are free and are quite valuable in day to day use as well as to use as study guides.

 

There are three levels of ham radio licenses. Technician (basic - low power), General (more power - more frequencies) and Extra (highest power allowed - most frequencies allowed). Take the Technician license exam first. Some people take two or three levels at a time. If you feel like it - go for it - I took one at a time and got them all done in a matter of a few months. I would suggest one at a time unless you REALLY know what you are doing. One test makes a long day...

 

The ARRL also has books and CD's, etc. that you can buy to prepare for the exam. They are well worth the cost and will come in handy after you get your license as well. You can also take practice exams on-line as for free or for pay as well. Do a Google search for "QRZ practice exams" and you will find a good site to take them for free. I do not have a financial interest in this site - they are just used by many many hams - they provide it as a service to the ham radio community. Their site is also a good site for daily ham radio news, etc..

 

Study the material. Take the practice exams. You will find that most sites use the ACTUAL exam questions that will be used on the exam. There is one catch. There are something like 300 - 500 possible exam questions for a given test taker. Only something like 35 questions are chosen at random for any given exam. In general, if you take quite a few of the practice exams and get passing grades - you should pass the actual exam.

 

When you are ready to take the exam, search for a license exam on the ARRL site. I suggest calling the people giving the exams ahead to let them know you will be there and get any questions answered. They will explain everything you need and what you can and can not bring into the exam.

Best of luck to you! I hope to hear you on the air! My FCC call sign is AB9NN by the way!

[http://www.HamRadioResources.com]

http://www.ARRL.org

http://www.QRZ.com

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Kreski/869852

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How an Amateur Radio License Might Just Save Your Life
 

By Jake Buckland  |  Submitted On June 01, 2018
 

Practical Uses
An amateur radio license serves different purposes to different people, from hobby enthusiasts and professional engineers to military personnel and survivalists. The license gives you access to operate a ham radio, which can be fun for beginners or offer a challenge to experts. These radios are versatile in cold weather, mobile and when all else fails, acts as an excellent source of amateur radio emergency communication. An amateur radio license isn't just a piece of paper, it's a backup plan for your backup plan.

 

Emergency Response
Having an amateur radio license provides many radio operators an opportunity to work alongside emergency responders, providing them emergency communications support during a disaster. A radio operator may provide equipment or radio frequencies to emergency officials, therefore giving them the ability to transmit vital information from ground units to an emergency operations center. An amateur radio license provides individuals within a community an additional tool to respond to and recovery from disasters and emergencies.

 

How to get your license?
Getting an amateur radio license requires you to successfully pass a test conducted by a ham radio operator. A ham radio study guide is readily available online, at the library or can be found on the national association of amateur radio website. Once you pass and become a ham radio operator you'll be assigned a unique alphanumeric call sign by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That call sign gives you legal access to operating ham radio frequencies which in turn allow you to communicate with other ham radio operators within and outside the United States.

 

Clubs & Emergency Response Exercises
Once you have your ham radio license, you can decide to join your local radio club to further increase your education and participate in annual emergency exercises. These are excellent opportunities to mix your interest in ham radio with emergency preparedness. Many use this as an opportunity to test their emergency kits. From living off the grid and setting up your own radio station to generating your own power and using the moon to reflect radio waves, these opportunities give you more tools for your emergency kit. At the same time, it will broaden your social circle giving you additional sources of help, if the need ever arises.

 

In the end, having an having this license as part of your emergency kit will significantly increase your chances at survival by giving you access to a whole new world of individuals able to help, when all else fails.
 

Having an emergency kit is only one aspect of surviving an emergency or disaster. The others include having a will to live, having some luck and finally acquiring knowledge. Becoming knowledgable with amateur radios will give you that added protection, in case all communications are out, which by the way happens with every prolonged blackout. - Practical Emergency Kits
 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jake_Buckland/2555329

 

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SURVIVAL RADIO: Avoid Disaster And Decide On A Survival Radio in 15 Minutes
 

By Kurt H Petrich  |  Submitted On July 23, 2014
 

The phone lines and the internet are down. Now what? Smoke signals?
 

There is no feeling like the feeling of isolation from the rest of the world. And it can get really bad if you have a pressing disaster in your own hands! Like a medical emergency with no way to get a message out.
 

So how do you get around this problem? I'm going to give you 3 options. And once you finish this article, you'll have a good handle on...
 

1. which of those three options best fit your situation

2. some dollar ranges you can expect to spend.

3. examples of portable radios FRS, CB and Ham radios.
 

When deciding on the type of emergency survival radio to buy, consider different scenarios. For instance here are two:
 

1. how far will you be communicating by survival radio? 10 miles, 100 miles, 400 miles, or more? 2. Will you be communicating via survival radio with one other person, five people, ten people, or more?
So as soon as you have some answers to those questions, its time to start looking at your available options.

 

Survival Radio Options
Although you might think that HAM radio would have the best range, you'd be surprised at the alternatives. For instance some GMRS radios have repeater capabilities. That means, as long as you have clear access to a repeater, you might be able to cover hundreds of miles. And that's just using a GMRS radio.

 

FRS, or family radio systems are not serious devices for longer range communications. The 35 miles you read about? That's bogus. CB would be a better option. Something like the Midland 75-822 CB is a great hand held with car power accessories.

Speaking of power, make sure to have some way of providing electricity, whether it is a solar system or a gas-fueled generator. Otherwise, your precious life giving radios will be dead in the water and unusable.

 

Dollar Ranges And Budgets For Survival Radios
 

You can buy good FRS emergency survival radios for around $60. A good example is the Motorola Talkabout MR350R FRS/GMRS 22-channel Two-way radio. It even has a built in LED flashlight.
 

On the other hand, CB survival radios can be had for around $100. As mentioned before, I picked up my Midland at a pawn shop for about $50. A comparable unit is the very solid the Cobra 75 WX ST 40-channel CB radio. The Cobra has ten built in weather channels. But if you want to go beyond CB, then check out HAM.
 

High quality handheld transceiver HAM radio set-ups can be bought for around $400. But check this out. There's an handheld unit called the BaoFeng UV5R that goes for $35. Whats amazing is that its pretty good quality. It's almost worth buying as a throw away scanner. It's one cheap way to get into amateur radio.
 

The more I research survival radio, the more motivated I become to get my Ham license. You might want to check it out as well.
By the way, do you want to learn other essential survival and bug out skills? If so, check out Kurt's website SurvivalKitClub [http://www.survivalkitclub.com] for more survival kit tips.

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kurt_H_Petrich/229758

 

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