HAM Radio

A couple people in our neighborhood are licensed HAM Radio Operators. The advantage of HAM is the ability to comunicate accross the country or accross the world by a series of nodes.

Several people have indicated that they are interested in obtaining a ham radio license. Here is some info on the process.

Types of licenses:

Three types of licenses for ham radio are being granted today:

1: Technician
2: General
3: Amateur Extra

By taking more challenging exams you gain access to more frequencies and more operating privileges.

Studying for the test. There are many study guides that are designed to prepare you for taking the test. One is www.hamradiolicenseecam.com. They take you through a series of practice tests, explaining the theory and answers as they go.

The Technician test has 35 questions. It requires a passing grade of 26 questions. (Our HAM expert has administered hundreds of technician tests. So far no one has ever failed. )

Similarly the General test is 26 out of 35 questions. The Extra is 37 out of 50 questions.

Taking the test. There are many testing sites around our area. Go to arrl.org for a list of sites. Type In your zip code For The nearest one. ARES in Pasadena is one of them.

Taking the test online:

One of the newest methods allows you to take the test online. It is run by GLAARG (greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group) They use the Zoom Media platform for their tests. Read their FAQ at GLAARG.org for more info.

NATO PHONETIC ALPHABET

The NATO alphabet became effective in 1956 and, a few years later, turned into the established universal phonetic alphabet for all military, civilian and amateur radio communications. It assigns a word to each letter so that a letter’s name begins with the letter itself. – Wikipedia

A= Alpha, B=Bravo, C=Charlie, D=Delta, E=Echo, F=Foxtrot, G=Golf, H=Hotel, I=India, J=Juliet, K=Kilo, L=Lima, M=Mike, N=November, O=Oscar, P=Papa, Q=Quebec, R=Romeo, S=Sierra, T=Tango, U=Uniform, V=Victor, W=Whiskey, X=X-Ray, Y=Yankee, Z=Zulu

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