What is Ham Radio?

Amateur Radio (ham radio) is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. It’s fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need.

You can set up a ham radio station anywhere!

In a field…!

… at a club station …

… or at home …

Although Amateur Radio operators get involved for many reasons, they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and pass an examination for the FCC license to operate on radio frequencies known as the “Amateur Bands.” These bands are radio frequencies allocated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for use by ham radio operators.

https://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

Why should I get licensed?

Before you can get on the air, you need to be licensed and know the rules to operate legally. US licenses are good for 10 years before renewal and anyone may hold one except a representative of a foreign government. In the US there are three license classes—Technician, General and Extra.

Technician License

The Technician class license is the entry-level license of choice for most new ham radio operators. To earn the Technician license requires passing one examination totaling 35 questions on radio theory, regulations and operating practices. The license gives access to all Amateur Radio frequencies above 30 megahertz, allowing these licensees the ability to communicate locally and most often within North America. It also allows for some limited privileges on the HF (also called “short wave”) bands used for international communications.

https://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed

The great news is that the excellent Study Manuals and on-line training courses will help you understand the multiple choice questions and answers. From a total question pool of 411 possible questions, only 35 will be in the actual test and a passing score is only 26 questions right, or 74%. And the questions and answers on the test will be exactly the same as in the Study Manual.

Read through it a few times and take the on-line practice tests until you get a good score. Then find a local Volunteer Examiner (VE) test session where three hams will give your test. You can find the VE Sessions online, as well as other very useful information and practice exam links at the ARRL, The National Association of Amateur Radio website at: https://www.arrl.org/licensing-education-training

After you get your Technician Class license, you might decide to upgrade to the General or Amateur Extra class licenses where you will have more operating bands and modes, including many digital modes that combine the radio with a computer for even more long-distance (DX) contacts around the world.

Where can I get help with my studying and setting up a ham radio station?

One of the greatest aspects of ham radio are the lifelong friendships and comradery that local radio clubs can provide. You can enjoy many group activities, go to meetings, enjoy programs about ham radio, and find a mentor or Elmer who will encourage and help you at every step of your journey.

Three great Ham Clubs here in Sarasota can help you all along your exciting journey:

Sarasota Emergency Radio Club
https://n4ser.org/

Tamiami Amateur Radio Club in Venice
https://tamiamiarc.org/

Englewood Amateur Radio Society
http://www.earsradioclub.org/

There are many opportunities to use Ham Radio to help the Community:

Ham Radio operators have been the main back-up communications resource for local communities and organizations such as the Red Cross during disasters for nearly 100 years. The Sarasota Emergence Radio Club has an extensive ham station at the Red Cross Chapter Headquarters in Sarasota. We also provide communications support for public service events such as marathons and parades, as we recently did at the Sarasota Marathon in Lakewood Ranch.

We provide those services locally through the Sarasota Amateur Radio Emergency Service (SRQARES). We were very active during and after Hurricane Ian.

Visit http://srqares.org/

Local Hams are also active with the National Weather Service’s Skywarn program

Visit https://www.weather.gov/skywarn/

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).

Visit https://www.scgov.net/government/emergency-services/community-emergency-response-teams-cert

For more information contact us: