Starting your hobby as an amateur Ham Radio operator is often easy and just needs a little effort. Becoming a Ham radio operator is a fun hobby and enriches your life by exposing you to different things. There are only a few basic things that you would need in order to get started.

The first thing you will need is a computer. Researching and educating yourself about Ham radios can solidify your desire to follow the process to becoming a hammer. There are many forums and chat rooms, not to mention informative articles that would help you know exactly what you are doing when it comes to your equipment and etiquette.

The next thing you will need is a license. There are three major classes of licenses and all are easily obtained and they are all free of charge. All three licenses require at least one written multiple choice test that evaluates your understanding and two of them require a test for Morse code transmission. Don’t worry; you only need to meet the 5 word per minute requirement, which is easy with practice. The three levels of licensing are Technician which is an easy level, General which is the next level, and Extra Class which is a rather difficult one. Each license allows you different broadcasting levels and allows you different types of broadcasting hardware.

The third item on the list that you will need to get started is actually one of the important items. You will need the proper hardware on which to broadcast. Many people start off with cheap CB radios to gain practice and to learn the basics of local radio communication. This type of communication is unregulated beyond antenna height and megahertz output. Once you have decided to follow through, choosing the adequate radio to transmit from is crucial. There are restrictions on which bandwidths you are allowed to transmit from and so buying a radio that fits those restrictions will keep you from paying hefty unnecessary fines. Most beginners choose the two meter hand held units to start with. These are small and easily carried from place to place. Another choice is a 10 meter radio. 10 meter radios are very similar to cb radios, they can be mobile or setup as a base station. The big advantage is that they can be mounted in a vehicle and have significantly more power then a standard cb radio.

Before you jump in with both feet don’t forget the last the last thing you will need, knowledge. Spend some time researching how to setup equipment properly and broadcast safely. Ham Radio equipment can be expensive and you don’t want to damage equipment because you were in a rush.

Another tip that may save you time and money is to practice on CB radio while you prepare to get your ham license. Cb radios come in a variety of sizes from portable handheld units , to car mounter mobile units, to true base stations. All can be operated without a license.

Author Bio: For an inexpensive and quick way to get started you might want to try a Hand held cb radio The beauty of a portable cb radio is that they require no tuning or setup, so you can jump right in without even a license.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: cb radio, ham radio