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HOW DO I BECOME A HAM OPERATOR?
You will need to obtain your Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Amateur Radio License
Technician Class or higher. This is a very straight-forward and simple process.
The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) has a number of resources:
· How to get your Technical License
· How to become a radio Amateur
In the local area, check out other training classes:
How much does it cost to get your license?
The Amateur Technical License Manual from AARL costs around $25-50. The Manual provides the entire question and answer pool so you can review the information and then test your knowledge at your own pace. There are also several web apps that can help with studying for the exam. Although the question pool is usually around 400 questions, the Technician level test itself consists of 35 questions. There are several classes, in-person and on-line, offered throughout the year. Those that also offer the exam at the end of the course will charge the FCC test fee, which may range from $15-35. Most classes are free but will charge you the current price of the manual. Classes range from a weekend class, with the test at the end of the session, to courses spread out 6-8 weeks, meeting once a week, usually in the evening. NEMCo periodically offers technical-level classes and will be announced on this site when they are scheduled.
How much does it cost to get a radio?
Radios range from single band handheld transceivers for anywhere from $20 and up. Dual and tri-bandtransceivers are more expensive but can be found for $100 and up. Mobile units for your vehicle, whichcan also be used in your home, are more expensive but if you travel a lot, may be worth the investment. While we can't endorse specific companies, there are several popular radio outlets to check out the current radios.
Where can I get help with understanding what equipment would be appropriate for a new ham or assistance with understanding some of the subject areas?
There are a wide number of on-line resources available, such as AARL as referenced above, area
amateur radio clubs, etc. Remember that NEMCo RACES members are also terrific resources for any questions or concerns! Each RACES meeting has a question/answer section toward the end of the meeting where you can request assistance in better understand your radio.
Where can I get some practice speaking on-line?
You have your Technical license or moved up to a General license or higher but are looking for a ham radio group to join that shares your interest in emergency preparedness. Look no further! NEMCo offers plenty of opportunities to practice your skills, learn new ones, and meet other hams. Opportunities are announced at RACES meetings, on the Sunday night net and on this website.
PRACTICE SPEAKING ON-LINE; NET CONTROL OPERATORS
• Participate in monthly RACES meetings. You will become acquainted with our other hams, gain
new skills and insights, and periodically train on new topics to gain practice in speaking on the
radio. You will hear the call signs and voices of other NEMCo hams so you will soon feel you
already have some familiarity with your fellow hams. There are often announcements, training, and
other bulletins of interest during the net. Once you are comfortable participating on the NEMCo
net, check in as a visitor with other area nets.
• Sign up to be a Sunday night net control operator. You’ll then become more comfortable when
operators are needed for training exercises, drills, assisting at events, and potentially, during an
actual emergency.
• Sign up to be an Emergency Operations Center operator. Our EOCs are located at Lake Forest
Park City Hall, Kenmore City Hall, and Kenmore Fire Station 51. Each EOC has a lead operator
who will help you gain experience.
2. LEARN NEW SKILLS
• Mini-workshops. You will learn how to complete our most commonly used forms and gain
familiarity with exchanging message traffic.
• Subject-specific workshops. We have had workshops on how to program Baofeng radios, how
to use Winlink, and message traffic practice. Any ideas you would like to contribute on
developing a new workshop are welcome.
• Monthly RACES meetings. You will become acquainted with our other hams, gain new skills
and insights, and periodically train on new topics.
3. PRACTICE FOR DRILLS
NEMCo participates in a Statewide Fifth Saturday Drill twice a year. Gain practice by calling into the
Resource Net, obtaining your assignment, and then deploying as requested. The first couple of times may be intimidating but these are valuable learning opportunities so you can confidently contribute in the event of an actual emergency.
4. IF YOU ARE A MORE TECHNICALLY-ORIENTED HAM
If you have particular expertise in antennas, circuit boards, software, contesting, and would like to explore those areas with other hams, bring up your interest at a RACES meeting and chances are there will be others who share that interest.
5. SIGN-UP FOR SPECIAL COMMUNITY EVENTS
Assist at Community Events. Periodically, the Cities ask for radio operators to help manage
traffic and to keep an eye on the safety of the participants. Some examples include 5K fun run
events, where hams are spaced throughout the course and can alert the net control operator of
any issues or provide status reports on the progress of runners and walkers.
Manage a NEMCo booth. Other community events, such as the health and safety fairs
sponsored by Fire Station 51 or at Lake Forest Park, offer us a booth to display our flyers and
other emergency preparedness info, and provide an opportunity to interact with the community
attendees.
Teach or assist in hands-on training. NEMCo offers emergency preparedness workshops,
where you can assist with teaching the hands-on training stations, with radios and/or by assisting
other volunteers with such skills as the proper use of fire extinguishers, generators, etc.
6. PRESENTATIONS
If you have good presentation skills and an ability to relate and clearly communicate information to newmembers, consider becoming a presenter at workshops, CERT training, and periodic ham radio training.
7. CONTRIBUTE ARTICLES TO OUR OUTREACH MATERIALS ON OUR WEBSITE,
FLYERS, AND IN PERIODIC NEWS MATERIALS
Take a look at our past News pages on our website and share your own stories and topics that may be enjoyable to our members. General interest and technical experiences (but not TOO technical) arewelcome. Contact the Outreach Committee with any of your ideas. They can help with editing so don’t be shy!
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