What Type Of Amateur Radio Licenses Are There
Ever since it began, radio broadcasting intrigued members of the general public. Amateur radio differs from CB radio as a amateur radio can have up to 1000 watts of power. The wavebands available are broader and less cluttered, broadcasting can be made via AM, SSB, FM radio-teletype, even certain TV signals. Satellite technology has made it easy to broaden your reach across the globe. There is a price to pay for access to all this wonderful technology of course, you need to take and pass a series of licensing exams.
ham radio offers a selection of licenses for people of every skill level.
The Novice license allows operations on several High Frequency bands via Morse code as well as single sideband communication by voice between 28.3 and 28.5 MHz and also between 28.1 and 28.3 for radio teletype. To access these channels all you need is a 10 Meter Radio Although these radios are commonly referred to as a 10 Meter CB Radio they are actually quite different as a CB radio does not require a license and a 10 Meter Radio does. SSB and FM broadcasts are allowed between 222.01 and 223.91 Mhz and also 1270 – 1295 Mhz.It is not difficult to acquire a Novice licence, you simply need to be able to do Morse code at five wpm and pass a radio theory exam.
Becoming a Technician class operator gratns broadcasting on the VHF and UHF bands.Getting a Technicians license gives access to the VHF and UHF bands.~The Technicians license means that you can now broadcast on the UHF and VHF frequencies. To obtain this license you must pass a theory examination which includes questions about FCC rules.
Next after the Technicians Class is the General Class. The General Class aloows broadcasting on HF and UHF across the entire spectrum and even a couple television frequencies. For this license you must be able to work Morse code at the speed of 13 wpm and pass an exam on general radio theory plus FCC regulations.
If you can complete a more complicated radio theory test the Advanced Class license allows access to even more channels.
The highest license you can obtain for ham radio is the Extra Class license. Acquiring the Extra Class Licence means you are granted access to every channel assigned to ham radio broadcasters. For this license you need to already have passed the General and Advanced exams, be able to copy Morse code at twenty words per minute and complete an examination on the more advanced aspects of radio theory, operations and FCC requirements.
An organization called The American Radio Relay League helps provide all the materials you may need to complete your license test..
If you dont enjoy the hassle and time it takes to complete all those tests try CB radio. The beauty of CB radio is that it is available to all people. The jargon used is relaxed and there’s no need to learn Morse Code. You can get started quickly all you need is the right equipment. Sound interesting?
