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The KK7IH Mail Server
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Becoming a Amateur Radio Operator (Ham) as become very easy. Effective April 15, 2000 the FCC changed the license classes and made it easier to become a ham and also to move up through the ranks. To first become a Ham you must pass one 35 question, multiple choice test. This gives you a Technician class license which gives you privileges on everything above 50 mhz. Then to become a General class you must pass a 5 word per minute morse code test and another 35 question, multiple choice test. This gets you going on the bands below 30 mhz were we communicate with the entire world. Then there is one more license class, Amateur Extra. To obtain this license you must pass one 50 question multiple choice test, and that is it, you will have all privileges offered to Amateur Radio Operators. You do not have to obtain all three licenses, you can simply become a Technician and stop or maybe stop at General, it is up to you as to how many privileges you want. So, how do you pass all these test? The first thing you should do is obtain some study guides to prepare yourself for these test. How do you obtain these study guides? Easy, there are several places to go to obtain them. You can check around your area for a Ham radio store and if not stop by your local Radio Shack and ask for Amateur Radio Study guides. Remember, you must first start with the Technician license. If you do not want to go to Radio Shack or do not have one near by then you can also purchase the study guides from the ARRL or W5YI. Both have materials you can purchase on-line or they also have phone numbers you can call. We suggest the "Now You're Talking" book from the ARRL as the best study guide. (The phone number for the ARRL is 1-888-277-5289) So, you think you are ready to take a test but you do not know were to do this. Again this is pretty easy. The ARRL and W5YI organizations both offer testing all around the USA. Both of their websites have information to help you contact the Volunteer Examiners (VE's) in your area. You can also simply send mail to W5YUP@w5yi.org or hq@arrl.org and ask were to find the VE's in your area. They will usually give you an e-mail address and or a phone number to contact the VE's in your area. Usually, the VE's only meet once a month or maybe only once every two months depending on how populated your area is. So, to keep you in practice there are several different websites that allow you to take practice test right on line. Here are a few of those sites: HamTest.com sponsored by ADI Amateur Radios For more information and help getting read for amateur radio we suggest the following books.
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