Who Can Become a Ham Radio Operator?

The FCC No-Code Technician License will allow you to enter the ranks of amateur radio and get on the air with a minimum of effort. Yes, that’s right—you can skip the Morse code tests and pass a written test for the new No-Code Tech class license. This license allows you to operate on all amateur bands above 50 megahertz (MHz), including the popular 6-meter and 2-meter bands with exciting local repeater and packet radio operation, 440 MHz for amateur television, satellite and longrange “radio link” operation, and advanced microwave systems.

In case the megahertz and meter terms confuse you, just remember that they refer to the bands of frequency for amateur operation. You probably already know that the AM broadcast band covers 540 to 1650 kilohertz (kHz) and the FM broadcast band covers 88 to 108 MHz. However, we’ll explain the meaning of these and other terms later. The important thing is that you can talk to other hams, using single sideband (SSB), frequency modulation (FM), or packet radio modes of operation. Then later, if you want to get on some of the amateur radio high-frequency bands (i.e., below 50 MHz) for direct long-distance voice or Morse code contacts, you can pass an easy five words per minute (WPM) Morse code test to qualify for the Technician Class license. Finally, you can earn even more amateur operating privileges by passing General and Extra Class license tests. Remember, you can take any of these tests from qualified hams in your area at a time convenient to you and the ham volunteer examiner.

We live in a world of fantastic technological developments that affect almost every phase of our daily lives. Space exploration, high-speed jet aircraft, and advanced developments in medicine, digital computers, and worldwide electronic communications are but a few of these achievements. Amateur radio offers a challenging entry into exploring much of the technology involved in many of these fields. Amateur radio operators have made many significant contributions to radio communications and electronics technology. In fact, many scientists, engineers, and even astronauts pursue amateur radio as a rewarding hobby. Many of NASA’s space shuttle craft flights include Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) contacts with amateur radio operators.

There are many fascinating aspects to amateur radio—talking to fellow hams, participating in emergency communications during disasters, studying electronics technology, or building ham gear and antennas using state-of-the-art electronic components. Many hams use amateur radio as a steppingstone to a rewarding career in electronics. But wait—this marvelous technology is only about 100 years old. Before we get into the details of amateur radio and how to pass the FCC exam for an amateur radio license, let’s look into the fascinating history of amateur radio

A history of amateur radio would not be complete without acknowledging some of the early discoveries in the field of electricity and magnetism. From the dawn of history, man has been fascinated by the effects of electricity and magnetism produced by nature such as lightning, static electricity, and magnets.

One of the first major scientific breakthroughs was made by Michael Faraday, an English physicist and the son of a blacksmith, in the early nineteenth century. Although he made many discoveries in several scientific fields, Faraday’s major achievement was the discovery of electromagnetic induction and the formulation of the laws of induction. Today we know this as the process where electrons move in a conductor when the conductor is moved through a magnetic field. This discovery led to the development of the electric generator and motor.

In 1873 James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist-astronomer, mathematically proved the existence of electromagnetic (or radio) waves traveling at the speed of light. Now the stage was set to prove the existence of radio waves in the laboratory. About 15 years after Maxwell’s investigation (and 5 years after his death), Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist, demonstrated that radio waves could be generated and transmitted over short distances of up to about 60 feet (or about 20 meters). With his crude laboratory apparatus, Hertz was able to measure the wavelength of the waves he generated and show that these waves could be reflected, refracted, and polarized just as light waves are. Working in the 150-MHz-and-above radio spectrum, he designed and built spark-gap transmitters, resonator circuits for receiving radio waves, and directional antennas. As you will see later, 1 MHz is the expression of radio frequency for 1 million Hertz, or 1 million cycles per second. This frequency of 150 MHz is just above the amateur 2-meter band at 144–148 MHz.

In the early 1890s Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, began to experiment with radio waves using equipment similar to that developed by Hertz and other scientists of the era (Fig. 1.1). Marconi made many improvements and inventions that resulted in extending the range of radio transmissions. He conceived the concept of a vertical radiating antenna, and the Marconi (or vertical) antenna is one of his major accomplishments. Marconi’s first crude equipment was capable of a range of about one-half mile (about 800 meters). In 1896 he moved from Bologna, Italy, to England, where he made substantial improvements that increased the operating range of his equipment to about 4 miles (about 6.5 kilometers). By 1898, he succeeded in transmitting “wireless” signals across the English Channel. A major milestone was reached in 1901 when Marconi and his English associates transmitted radio waves across the Atlantic Ocean from Poldu, England, to Halifax, Newfoundland. Thus born, long-range radio communications would have an impact upon the lives of all people regardless of nationality or position in life.

The first major use of the new wireless telegraph sets was to provide for maritime communications. By 1905, spark-gap transmitters and coherer detector receivers were installed on many of the merchant ships and naval vessels on the high seas. For the first time, instant communications between remote ships and land-based communications centers were feasible. All of this was accomplished without the use of vacuum tubes or transistors—they would be invented later to provide for amplification of the weak radio signals intercepted by the antennas.

The introduction of commercial wireless telegraph equipment after the turn of the century aroused the imagination and interest of people around the world. Some experimenters were content to build simple crystal detector receivers and monitor the raspy code signals transmitted from fixed or rotary spark transmitters at marine or government communications stations. Other experimenters, particularly the restless and aggressive youngsters, assembled spark-gap transmitters, as well as crystal detector receivers, and began sending “dots and dashes” between home separated by a few miles (Fig. 1.2). The range of these early “amateur” stations was increased by continual improvements in equipment and higher power output. Amateur wireless organizations were formed across the country, beginning with the Junior Wireless Club of New York in January 1909. Amateur radio had come of age!

During radio’s infancy, no government rules or regulations were in effect to govern the use of wireless operations. Wavelengths, or operating frequencies, in the vicinity of 300 to 1000 meters were selected by the users on the basis of available equipment. The inevitable conflict between commercial and amateur users abruptly surfaced when interference from amateur transmissions threatened the reliability of commercial radio communications. The U.S. Navy, which was quickly developing radio communications facilities, addressed some of the administrative problems and began issuing “certificates of skill in radio communications” in lieu of licenses. By late 1910, the Navy had issued some 500 of these certificates, many to amateur operators.

By this time, the number of individuals interested in or participating in amateur radio had grown to an estimated 10,000 or more. Amateur transmitters with power outputs of several kilowatts could be heard up to 400 miles (about 650 kilometers) away. However, most amateurs could not afford such luxury and had to be content with ranges of about 5 miles (8 kilometers), with occasional contacts up to 100 miles (160 kilometers). Many wireless equipment stores had appeared by this time, selling crystal detectors, spark-gaps, induction coils, and tuners—the basic ingredients of wireless stations.

Beginning in 1902, the U.S. Congress recognized the need for regulating the use of wireless operation. However, it was not until 1910 that the first bill (the Act of June 24, 1910) was passed. This bill required the mandatory use of wireless equipment on certain ocean steamers and did not apply to amateur radio. Some bills were introduced in the Congress that would have given all authority for radio communications to the government. If passed, any of these bills would have abolished amateur radio. Fortunately, these bills were defeated and amateur experimentation increased at a rapid rate.

Finally in 1912, Congress passed an all-encompassing bill covering all phases of radio communications in the United States. Amateur operation was restricted to wavelengths below 200 meters and maximum power levels of 1 kilowatt. The lawmakers believed that wavelengths below 200 meters were useless and that this restriction would eventually eliminate the troublesome amateur radio society.

This action by the government proved to be a gold mine for the amateur operators. Refinements in electronics technology and the introduction of the new deForest vacuum tube allowed the amateurs to build short-wave equipment capable of spanning distances of hundreds of miles with low power. Radio clubs were established in all parts of the country. Amateurs began to send personal messages for other individuals to distant cities and remote locations. Emergency communications during periods of disasters were now emerging as a major contribution by the amateurs.

By 1914, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) was formed to promote the concept of national relaying of amateur traffic across the country. Through the dynamic leadership of Hiram Percy Maxim, the ARRL grew to become the largest amateur radio organization in the United States. By late 1914, efficient relay networks were organized over most of the eastern United States and many stations were dedicated to handling traffic as a public service. By 1915, the ARRL introduced QST, a radio amateur journal devoted solely to the pursuits of amateur radio. Today, the ARRL membership includes over 120,000 in North America and some 12,000 foreign and unlicensed associate members. You’ll want to consider joining the ARRL to support amateur radio and to receive the monthly QST. This magazine features construction articles, technical information, news concerning amateurs and amateur meetings, etc. For more information, you can contact the American Radio Relay League at ARRL, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494; telephone: (860) 594-0200; or on the World Wide Web at: http://www.arrl.org/.