The wonderful world of Radio

 

Amateur Radio that is. =D 

Back in 2012 I was able to get my "Ham Ticket" at the technician class level. Later that year I "upgraded" to the General class. There are plenty of online guides on how to get into Ham Radio, and lots of Hams that do online videos and posts. With that being said, I'll keep this one brief. Here are some useful links and tools for folks either fresh to Amateur Radio.

The state I live in, NM has a phenomenal system of linked radio repeaters. These have been used in times of emergencies or to simply allow folks to talk from as far south as El Paso Texas to as far north as Durango Colorado. Once one of the repeaters is activated (mic'd up) it transmits the broadcast to ALL of the towers in the network. ( http://nm5ml.com/ ) Map is courteous of NM5ML.com with all copyrights belonging thereto.  

Tools/Resources 

Ham Radio Crash Course: ( https://www.youtube.com/user/hoshnasi ) This is a great YouTube channel. He is entertaining and primarily focuses his channel towards new Hams as well as doing reviews on equipment.

QRZ ( https://www.qrz.com/ ) This is a great website for looking up call signs to get an idea where the station is located. They also have a page ( https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/ ) that is great if you want to take practice tests for the three classes of license. You will need to make an account with the site to do so, but they notate that you can make one with your name (in place of a call sign) until you get your "ticket". 

ARRL ( http://www.arrl.org/ ) This is the American Radio Relay League. Essentially this is the largest group of Hams that do advocacy and administer the tests for the exams. Super great resource, they also have publications that are second to none in so many ways. 

FCC ( https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service ) This is the government agency that overseas the radio service. We have to follow the rules as set forth in the service. To have an Amateur Radio License is to be, licensed by the Federal government. Many countries have a similar agency that conducts similar things. This also allows up to be able to connect with (legally) other Hams from around the world. So massive shout out to the FCC (and the ARRL) for helping this hobby continue!

Your local radio club! I can't stress this one enough, many clubs have a repeater (or many) to allow for local Hams to be able to communicate and practice our hobby. A key thing about Amateur Radio is, ultimately it is a public service (more these days as a backup to the main stream infrastructure). If you are looking into getting a Ham Ticket, this is the best place to start!