What You Need to Know before Getting into Ham Radio by Samantha Daniels

If you were born after the 1980s, chances are you’re unfamiliar with amateur radio – more commonly known as "ham radio." This truly unique form of communication is, in many respects, the precursor to online chat rooms and social media outlets. Connecting with people via ham radio wasn’t nearly as easy as it is with the Internet. In order for you to pick up signals from other operators, they had to be located within a certain radius. Furthermore, weather conditions and the quality of your console played a large role in determining how many operators you’d be able to connect with.

Although it was fairly popular throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, ham radio began to fall out of favor with the rise of home computers in the 1990s. As chat rooms and online gaming grew progressively more popular, more and more operators started hanging up their consoles. Still, ham radio never went away entirely. Although it’s a perfect example of a niche hobby, ham radio still has hundreds of thousands of devotees. If you’ve been thinking about trying your hand at ham radio, there are a number of things to consider before diving in.

You’ll Need to Get Licensed

For various reasons, the FCC requires that all ham radio operators obtain licenses. Studying radio theory and console operation ensures that you’ll know what to do if your console ever picks up a distress signal. There are three types of licenses available to U.S.-based operators: Technician, General and Amateur Extra. A Technician class license is the most commonly-issued form of operator license and requires recipients to pass a relatively simple 35-question test. A General class license is earned through passing a slightly more challenging 35-question exam, and allows recipients to operate on a broader range of bands and signals than their Technician class peers. Lastly, people who hold an Amateur Extra class license are allowed to operate on all bands and frequencies. To obtain this license, you’ll need to pass a fairly difficult 50-question test.

Your Console is an Investment

To get the best possible performance out of your ham radio console, you’ll need to keep it in prime condition. This entails regular cleaning, dusting and maintenance. You’ll also need to periodically replace certain components – most notably, couplers. Fortunately, couplers are reasonably inexpensive and can easily be purchased from such renowned manufacturers as Werlatone.

Patience is a Virtue

It’s important to realize that ham radio is very different from a chat room, forum or message board. Instantaneous connections are rare, and reconnecting with people you meet can often prove difficult. This is due to hardware limitations, competing signals and a relatively small number of active ham operators. In fact, going hours at a time without picking up another signal is very common. The time-honored adage "Patience is a virtue" rings true when it comes to ham radio. The lack of connections can be very discouraging for people who are just getting into this hobby. Just know that if you wait long enough, you’ll connect with another operator. Of course, this isn’t to say that you should sit around twiddling your thumbs. Ham radio nicely fits into virtually any multitasking regimen. So if you want to read a book, watch a movie or catch up with a show while sitting by your console, have at it!

While its glory days are long over, ham radio continues to maintain a devoted following. Undertaking a hobby of this type requires tremendous patience and follow-through, but if you’re up for it, you’re in for hours of enjoyment.

About the Author: Samantha Daniels is a Delaware-based math teacher and lifelong ham radio enthusiast. Whenever her console is in need of a replacement coupler, she gets in touch with Werlatone.

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