Welcome to Amateur Radio!
Note to listen to the audio on this page you will need Real Player or Windows Media Player. Get your Real Player or Windows Media Player click here: http://www.real.com/, or http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.mspx

Your quick guide -- Fastrak -- to getting started! License study materials  ·  ARRL's license video course  ·  ARRL's online license course  ·  Find a licensing class  ·  Locate a testing site  ·  Find a local radio club  ·  For Kids  ·  Info for Visually Impaired  ·  Join ARRL! Support and benefits!

Let the Excitement Begin

Here's your invitation to a friendly, high-tech hobby that's got something fun for everyone! You can become an Amateur Radio operator--no matter what age, gender or physical ability. People from all walks of life pass their entry-level exam and earn their Amateur (ham) Radio license. They all share the diverse world of activities you can explore with ham radio.

You never know who you'll run into when communicating with Amateur Radio: Young people, retirees, teachers and students, engineers and scientists, doctors, mechanics and technicians, homemakers...

boaters		Listen to an astronaut talk to students using ham radio.
and astronauts...

and even entertainers!

Getting started in ham radio has never been easier! We invite you to explore the following information and learn about Amateur Radio, and a little about us, the ARRL... the National Association for Amateur Radio, a non-profit membership organization. We've been helping hams get started since 1914! We know you'll enjoy this fascinating world of Amateur Radio, and we hope to have the chance of meeting you on the air--when you become an Amateur Radio operator!

A FUN Hobby...

Listen to a Morse Code transmission in RealAudio.

What Can Amateur Radio
Operators Do?
Ham radio operators use two-way radio stations from their homes, cars, boats and outdoors to make hundreds of friends around town and around the world. They communicate with each other using voice, computers, and Morse code. Some hams bounce their signals off the upper regions of the atmosphere, so they can talk with hams on the other side of the world. Other hams use satellites. Many use hand-held radios that fit in their pockets.

Fun for All Ages

Hams exchange pictures of each other using television. Some also like to work on electronic circuits, building their own radios and antennas. A few pioneers in Amateur Radio have even contributed to advances in technology that we all enjoy today. There are even ham-astronauts who take radios with them on the International Space Station and thrill thousands of hams on earth with a call from space!

These videos from ICOM America demonstrate more ways that hams have fun with Amateur Radio.

With a SERIOUS Side...

Listen to amateurs talking through an FM voice repeater (RealAudio).

Using even the simplest of radio setups and antennas, amateurs communicate with each other for fun, during emergencies, and even in contests. They handle messages for police and other public service organizations during all kinds of emergencies including:

Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes and floods Motorist accidents Fires and chemical spills Search and rescues

Here are some other Frequently Asked Questions about Ham Radio

Sounds interesting....

Where Do I Start?

The rules for earning an Amateur Radio license vary depending on which country you live in. In the US, there are three license levels, or "license classes" (Technician class, General class and Extra Class). These licenses are granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

It's Easy to Get Started
The most popular license for beginners is the Technician Class license, which requires only a 35 multiple-choice question written examination. The test is written with the beginner in mind. Morse Code is not required for this license. With a Technician Class license, you will have all ham radio privileges above 30 megahertz (MHz). These privileges include the very popular 2-meter band. Many Technician licensees enjoy using small (2 meter) hand-held radios to stay in touch with other hams in their area. Technicians may operate FM voice, digital packet (computers), television, single-sideband voice and several other interesting modes. You can even make international radio contacts via satellites, using relatively simple equipment.

Getting started in Amateur Radio has never been easier. First, locate a radio club in your area. Some radio clubs offer ham radio licensing classes, or they can find a club volunteer to answer your questions. You may even be invited to attend a local radio club meeting.

Do you learn best from a manual, a teaching videotape, an in-person course or an on-line course? Which of these choices will fit better into your busy schedule? You can choose what will work best for you because ARRL has it all! ARRL produces popular ham radio license study guides, fast-paced learning videos, and even a brand new on-line course. You'll learn the things you need to pass the license exam and have fun with Amateur Radio.

The Amateur Radio license examinations are administered by ham radio volunteers. When you're ready to take your exam, you'll need to locate an exam session near you.

The American Radio Relay League

Who are we? The 170,000+ members of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) are among the most active and enthusiastic amateurs in the country. Headquartered in Newington, CT, ARRL speaks on behalf of its members in Washington and internationally as well as providing direct member benefits.

ARRL, The national association for Amateur Radio --       Helping Hams Get Started Since 1914.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Allen Pitts, W1AGP
Media and Public Relations Manager
(860) 594-0328
apitts@arrl.org

To find out how to get started and who to contact in your area, call or write The American Radio Relay League, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111.

Telephone 1-800-32 NEW-HAM.  or click here for the A.R.R.L. web site: http://www.arrl.org/

Or you may contact us the BeartoothARC@gmail.com or also contact the Yellowstone ARC at www.K7EFA.org

Amateur Radio activities and practices:

Amateur Radio operators use various modes of transmission to communicate. Voice transmissions are most common, with some, such as frequency modulation (FM) offering high quality audio, and others, such as single sideband (SSB) offering more reliable communications when signals are marginal and bandwidth is restricted.

Radiotelegraphy using Morse code is an activity dating to the earliest days of radio. Technology has moved past the use of telegraphy in nearly all other communications, and a code test is no longer part of most national licensing exams for amateur radio. Many amateur radio operators continue to make use of the mode, particularly on the shortwave bands and for experimental work such as earth-moon-earth communication, with its inherent signal-to-noise ratio advantages. Morse, using internationally agreed code groups, also allows communications between amateurs who speak different languages. It is also popular with homebrewers as CW-only transmitters are simpler to construct. A similar "legacy" mode popular with home constructors is amplitude modulation (AM), pursued by many vintage amateur radio enthusiasts and aficionados of vacuum tube technology.

For many years, demonstrating a proficiency in Morse code was a requirement to obtain amateur licenses for the high frequency bands (frequencies below 30 MHz), but following changes in international regulations in 2003, countries are no longer required to demand proficiency.^[8] As an example, the United States Federal Communications Commission phased out this requirement for all license classes on February 23, 2007.^[9][10]

Modern personal computers have encouraged the use of digital modes such as radioteletype (RTTY), which previously required cumbersome mechanical equipment.^[11] Hams led the development of packet radio, which has employed protocols such as TCP/IP since the 1970s. Specialized digital modes such as PSK31 allow real-time, low-power communications on the shortwave bands. Echolink using Voice over IP technology has enabled amateurs to communicate through local Internet-connected repeaters and radio nodes^[12], while IRLP has allowed the linking of repeaters to provide greater coverage area. Automatic link establishment (ALE) has enabled continuous amateur radio networks to operate on the high frequency bands with global coverage. Other modes, such as FSK441 using software such as WSJT, are used for weak signal modes including meteor scatter and moonbounce communications.

Fast scan amateur television has gained popularity as hobbyists adapt inexpensive consumer video electronics like camcorders and video cards in home computers. Because of the wide bandwidth and stable signals required, amateur television is typically found in the 70 cm (420 MHz–450 MHz) frequency range, though there is also limited use on 33 cm (902 MHz–928 MHz), 23 cm (1240 MHz–1300 MHz) and higher. These requirements also effectively limit the signal range to between 20 and 60 miles (30 km–100 km), however, the use of linked repeater systems can allow transmissions across hundreds of miles.^[13]

These repeaters, or automated relay stations, are used on VHF and higher frequencies to increase signal range. Repeaters are usually located on top of a mountain, hill or tall building, and allow operators to communicate over hundreds of square miles using a low power hand-held transceiver. Repeaters can also be linked together by use of other amateur radio bands, landline or the Internet.

Communication satellites called OSCARs (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) can be accessed, some using a hand-held transceiver (HT) with a stock "rubber duck" antenna. Hams also use the moon, the aurora borealis, and the ionized trails of meteors as reflectors of radio waves.^[14] Hams are also often able to make contact with the International Space Station (ISS),^[15] as many astronauts and cosmonauts are licensed as Amateur Radio Operators.^[16]

Amateur radio operators use their amateur radio station to make contacts with individual hams as well as participating in round table discussion groups or "rag chew sessions" on the air. Some join in regularly scheduled on-air meetings with other amateur radio operators, called "Nets" (as in "networks") which are moderated by a station referred to as "Net Control".^[17] Nets can allow operators to learn procedures for emergencies, be an informal round table or be topical, covering specific interests shared by a group.