Ham Radio License

On Tuesday evening I went with my youngest son Nathan to take my Ham radio test. We both passed the technician portion and I also passed the general. That means we are both licensed Ham radio operators.

The FCC currently has three levels of licenses for amateur or Ham radio: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. The first level is Technician and allows you to get your proverbial feet wet. The next is general and opens up several more frequency levels. Amateur Extra opens up all of the frequencies set aside for Ham radio.

The tests are fairly easy if you study the correct material. When you are done taking one test, the administrators hand you the next level test that you can take without paying any additional fees. If you pass all three, you can save yourself some money. The problem is that there is a lot to learn. I will probably study for the next two months and try to take the "Extra" test at the end of January.

My son and I came home and were very pleased that we both passed the tests. All we needed to do was wait for the FCC to enter our information in their database and assign us call signs. The government is not known for being efficient and with the Thanksgiving weekend, I didn't think we would see our call signs until next week. Even though we have passed our tests and have a radio, we can't transmit anything until our names and call signs show up in the FCC database.

Wednesday afternoon I felt optimistic and logged onto the FCC website and did a search for my name to see if my call sign was available. It wasn't. I did a bit more work and spent some time with the family. Before going to bed, I thought I would give it one more shot. Rather than searching for my name, I searched using my FCC Registration Number (FRN) that I signed up for several weeks ago. Surprisingly, I found my license and call sign properly recorded. I was amazed.

Next I had to find my son's information. I tried doing a look up on his name but didn't find his record. Next I did a look up on our zip code and last name. There it was located with mine.

Before the Internet became a household utility, it would take weeks to process Ham radio licenses. It took my son and I less than 30 hours to get our licenses and be able to start using our radio. I think that is awesome and an example of one huge that the Internet has provided for our day-to-day lives.