Just to mention, you don't have to have a drivers license to operate a car. You can drive one without a license. Just like transmitting on a ham radio, you can until you get caught. As for the lawyer question, of course you must have a license as you're practicing directly in front of a legal body. These are 2 very different scenarios.
I used to laugh at people who said they were getting their ham license for when the world collapses. I mean, you should learn it all for sure. But to have your license for when everything collapses, if that happens, no one is going to be chasing you and arresting you for transmitting. The world has collapsed and there are bigger issues to deal with. (Also, IIRC, you can legally operate a ham radio in case of disaster/emergency without fault.)
Point is, learn it so you can use it when you need it. But since you learned it, you might as well go ahead and get your license so you can tinker/practice with it. That way when it all collapses, you're not tuning into an empty/dead frequency and talking into the ether.
73s
KI5ODU
Sadly, we live in a culture today that believes in getting something for nothing. In other words, people are just plain selfish and really don't care how they obtain it. THEY WANT IT AND THEY WANT IT YESTERDAY and if they have to run roughshod over anything they perceive as a roadblock, (even a very minor one) then that's exactly what they're going to do. They're hellbent on getting THEIR way at any cost. It's an absolute BS mentality that shouldn't be tolerated under any circumstances! It took me 13 years to get out of grade school. That's how bad of a student I was academically! But somehow, that didn't stop me from obtaining a Novice ticket, which back in the early part of 1977 was still a two (2) year license and non-renewable and of course, required you to pass a 5 wpm code test receive only. One word of perfect copy was all that was needed before you were handed the written portion of the exam. The FCC was basically giving you a gentle kick on the backside to either upgrade to one of the higher license classes, which most applicants did as they wanted to remain active in the hobby, as well as gain new operating privileges on additional modes and bands. But in 1978, the Novice ticket became a five (5) year license that was renewable, which I could've done but there was no point in doing so as I wanted to move up the ladder and expand my horizons into this great hobby of ours. I then moved onto the General Class license, which required a 13 wpm code test again receive only (if I'd failed to copy at that higher speed, but managed to copy at least 5 wpm, they would've handed me the written portion of the General Class exam, which at that time was identical to the written portion of the Technician Class exam and if successful, would've been (drumroll) issued a Technician Class license. That way, all I'd have to do at a later date was to pass the 13 wpm code requirement and if successful, would then be issued a General Class license. I primarily operate high speed CW and have for a little over 40 years (referred to as "QRQ") and the code requirement was just plain fun because I was always able to copy at a much higher rate then the required minimum set forth in the licensing structure. Several years later, (along with some constructive harping from a few fellow hams, I took the written portion of the Advanced Class exam, passed it and at the same sitting, took both the 20 wpm code test, along with the written portion of the Extra Class exam and passed. I was done! I wasn't able to go any higher because that was the end of the line. So what was the main prize besides having obtained my Amateur Extra license? Well, I now had access to the bottom 25KHz of 80, 40, 20, and 15 meters and along with that, a feeling of accomplishment that I'd actually persevered and didn't give up. My point is there's no legitimate excuse to attempt to snake your way out of obtaining a ham license just because you don't want to learn some basic fundamentals of radio (i.e. basic electrical theory, propagation, and common sense rules and regulations. And of course, the morse code requirement went the way of the dragon several decades ago. So what's holding you back? It really isn't all that difficult to pass any of these exams. It just requires a little stick to itiveness on your part, along with a more positive attitude towards LEARNING something you didn't know very much about beforehand. You say you don't have the time to learn about amateur radio because you're to busy doing other things in life? TS! MAKE THE TIME AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOU'LL HAVE THAT HAM LICENSE AND YOU'LL BE SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD AS TO WHY YOU'VE BEEN DRAGGING YOUR BACKSIDE FOR SO LONG.....NEEDLESSLY!
