Author Michael Daly is a former Captain in the United States Marine Corp.  He currently works at the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Senior Enterprise Architect in Infrastructure Operations and previously was a Project Manager at the Defense Information Systems Agency at Fort Meade MD.  He has been involved in military and civilian communications technologies for over 40 years and holds a GMRS radio license (WRDQ914), a HAM Radio Amateur Extra class license (KC2SBR), is an accredited Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) Volunteer Examiner, an accredited ARRL Volunteer Emergency Communications Field Examiner, and currently is a volunteer radio operator with the Ocean County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (OCARES),  the Ocean County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), the ARRL Southern New Jersey Mutual Assistance Team (SNJMAT), and is a NOAA trained National Weather Service Severe Storm Spotter. 

I thought it would be helpful to everyone as an initial pair of articles (intended to be first in a series of HAM radio related articles) to give an introduction to how in 2022 one actually gets a HAM license. If you’ve never been licensed (or even if you previously held an older Novice license) and are considering licensing now, I’d like to walk you through the current process. It is fairly simple, it’s not a mystery, and it should never be intimidating. Despite some of the cryptic jargon HAM Radio is actually a fun and interesting hobby with valuable real-world skills that we all would want and need if an actual emergency occurred. So, let’s get going.

Why bother getting a license for such old technology? Communication is a vital component of safety, security, and preparedness in the 21st century. Our modern connected world with smart phones and the Internet has amazing capabilities when they work. These might practically overload us with information, but they give us a global reach to communicate almost instantly. However, if an event occurs that interrupts, disrupts, or destroys the infrastructure that supports all that modern communications, you’re instantly cut off – figuratively and possibly literally. What then? HAM radio provides a modern solution rather than an old solution; the tech has kept up with the times. In fact, many radios today are amazingly capable and physically no larger than a pack of cigarettes.

In such a scenario where real world events are disrupting our world, maintaining situational awareness is vital to allow you to make sound and timely decisions. These decisions may well affect you and your loved ones, and those decisions can only be as good as the information you have to work with. The goal is to make good decisions that result in a good outcome for you. It is better if such decisions can be made proactively because you have good information, available in a timely manner. Your goal should not be to sit idly and wait for circumstances to force you to be constantly reacting to the world and events around you under duress. A HAM radio can give you that connection to vital, timely information, and other people, when all else around you has failed.

Such timely information could be things such as getting the latest status of Red Cross shelters around you when you need to evacuate. It would be desirable to know before you travel to, and arrive at, a given shelter location whether its full and people are being diverted elsewhere or that other new shelter locations are opening up. You can get current weather reports from NOAA. You might need to contact authorities because you need rescue assistance. Maybe you want to email family outside your affected area and let them know you’re safe? Or perhaps you need to send or receive digital data such as electronic documents or images?

HAM radio can facilitate all of these things, even when the Internet and cell phones are completely dead. This “old” technology has actually kept up with the times and several things you do with a cell phone or the Internet you can do with a HAM radio. That is where HAM radio fills a critical niche in your personal safety and preparedness plans.

So what are these HAM licenses and which one do I need? As a simple overview there are three levels of licensing: ‘Technician’, ‘General’, and ‘Amateur Extra’. While you do not need a license to passively listen, you do need one to legally transmit in most situations. Basically each license grants you increasing privileges on various different operating frequencies and different modes of operating. ‘Technician’ is the first, introductory license; for most people this is really all they’ll need. It gives you the ability to talk on shorter range UHF and VHF frequencies, reach out to other HAMs directly, receive NOAA weather reports, and most importantly, reach out to local repeaters which greatly extends the range of your radio.

Next up is ‘General’, and this gives you more privileges on UHF and VHF frequencies. It also adds some additional HF frequencies, which allow you to speak to people farther away. The highest and most advanced license is ‘Amateur Extra’. This last one basically is “everything” an amateur HAM can do. However, for the majority of people, that first Technician license will meet the majority of your communications needs. The licenses must be taken and passed consecutively, so you must pass Technician before you take General, and you must pass General before you take Amateur Extra. You can’t just skip over Technician to get to one of the advanced licenses.

Okay I’m convinced I want to be a HAM. What do I need to do? So, if you are a first time test taker or have not yet gotten one, you’ll need to obtain a Federal Registration Number (FRN) from the FCC prior to testing. You will not be able to take a license test without an FRN.  Registration for an FRN is done online at the FCC’s Commission Registration System (CORES) website. It only takes a few minutes to get one.

The FCC also requires a valid mailing and email address in order to obtain an FRN. By obtaining an FRN, your name and address become part of the public record at the FCC. If you would prefer not to have your home address be part of this public record, you could use a post office box number or work address as an alternative. You are expected to update the FCC whenever your mailing address is changed.

OK – so go get your FRN, and tune in again for part 2!

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