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The SGC Building, 13737 S.E. 26th St. Bellevue, Washington 98005 USA
P.O. Box 3526, 98009 Tel: (425) 746-6310 Fax: (425) 746-6384
© 1997 SGC Inc.
Amateur radio is the private, personal way to experience HF communications as a hobby, rather than as a
profession.With amateur radio, you have the opportunity to talk with, send data to, or transmit pictures to thousands
of people around the world. In addition to the wonderful possibilities to communicate with and befriend others, the
potential to learn about a vast array of topics is amazing. All of this can occur while learning about HF radio,
electronics, and computers. In fact, many people become involved with amateur radio just for the opportunity to
participate in creative home construction and engineering projects. Amateur radio is truly the doorway to a
whole new world.
The first step to becoming an amateur radio operator is to get a license. This isn't the
CB band, where you can get a transceiver and hit the airwaves. Doing so (if you are
located in the United States) will certainly result in a visit or letter from the Federal
Communications Commission, which regulates radio activity in the U.S. The FCC agent
might also feel inclined to give you a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL, basically a fine)
for as much as $100,000 for unlicensed radio operation.
In order to avoid a large fine and still experiment with the magic of HF radio, you must become licensed by the
FCC. The license process consists of two parts: the first consists of transmitting and receiving Morse code. The
second part is a written test that consists of a number of multiple-choice questions about radio theory.
Five different license classes exist for amateur radio on the HF bands: Novice, Technician, General, Advanced,
and Extra. Each of these licenses has more privileges and each is more difficult to achieve.
For example, with a Novice or Technician license, you are limited to operating in the CW
mode only, with reduced power, and only in certain segments of the amateur radio bands.
With a General license, you are able to operate with full amateur power (restricted to 1500
watts PEP output) and you are able to operate with any mode, but are restricted on some
frequencies. Advanced and Extra class tickets each allow the operator to use a few more
segments of frequency space. With an Extra class license, you can do everything that is
allowable with an amateur license. For more information on amateur radio licensing, check out the code practice
cassettes, license manuals, and beginners books on amateur radio from: the American Radio Relay League, 225
Main St. Newington, CT 06111.
AMATEUR RADIO
The first step in
becoming an amateur
radio operator is to
get a license.
A General License
allows you to use full
amateur power, in any
mode, but does not
allow use of every
amateur frequency.
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