Novice

[OsloViking1975]

I understand novice is the very beginning. So if I am correct there is Novice,Tech,General,Advanced,amateur extra. My question is by Fcc standards everbody must have a license to use the amateur waves or are there certain frequencies that novice can use without the a license.?

By the way I plan on getting my Tech.

 

[nd5y]

The FCC no longer issues novice or advanced class licenses, however the people who have them can still keep them and renew them when they expire.
At the present time you can only get technician, general or extra class licenses.
All amateur radio frequencies require a license. The only services that don't require a license are such as MURS, FRS, CB, and various services that operate under Part 15 rules.

This page has a good description of the present amateur licesning situation http://www.w5yi.org/page.php?id=16
Here are some other helpful links
http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=service_home&id=amateur
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2009-title47-vol5/pdf/CFR-2009-title47-vol5-part97.pdf
http://www.arrl.org

 

[texasemt13]

Tech, General and Extra are the 3 classes.

The question pool for the Tech exam changed on July 1, 2010. The General question pool will change on July 1, 2011 and for Extra on July 1, 2012. I'd get a current copy of the ARRL Tech Manual...

 

[OsloViking1975]

Thank you. Do most people that get their Tech start out on the 2meter? And what is a good starter radio? One more questin for now and I'm sure many more to come. Can you by a radio for example: the shack if you do not have your tech lic yet?

 

[JeremyB]

For the most part, most start out on the 2m and 70cm repeaters, then there is 6m and some voice/digital privileges on 10m and some CW on the lower HF bands. Most places will sell you a radio without a license, I have never mentioned my callsign when ordering a radio(transceiver) over the internet. I would think a dual band mobile FM rig would be a good starter, and possibly a power supply for using it as a base. If you want a challenge and some fun, a dual band HT(Yaesu FT-60, VX-6R, Wouxun UVD1P) and an arrow 2 antenna for working the FM satellites

 

[nd5y]

There is no license requirement to buy a radio.
As far as I know all the major ham radio retailers will sell radios to anybody.

What makes a good starter radio depends on how much money you want to spend, how much room you have for antennas, what bands are used in your area, etc. My first radio was a 2m hand held, but that was 30 years ago. I lived in El Paso, TX. It is a big city with lots of hams. All the repeaters in W TX and S NM are on mountain tops and have good hand held coverage. Back then there was very little or no activity on 6m, 220 or 440 MHz, nobody made multiband hand helds, and I wasn't interested in HF so a 2m hand held wasn't a bad choice. Things may be totally different where you live. You have to decide that yourself.

If you have questions about particular radio, antennas, etc. you can read product reviews on eHam.net and the forum section of QRZ.COM

 

[OsloViking1975]

Thanks everbody