I earned my Amateur (Ham) Radio license when I was stationed in Maine. Cell phones weren’t really a thing back then, and it was rural country out there. The local community was great there and belonging to the local club offered a means to meet others.
In the course of two years, I passed the Technician Plus, General, Advanced, and then Extra Class examinations – including the associated 13 and 20 words per minute Morris Code test which are no longer required. The written tests included RF Band allocation, HF propagation, Satellite Communications, RF theory, and more. The exams were not too difficult as I already had the background due to my profession in the US Navy.
The Extra Class license, which I still hold, is the highest level license one can earn and offers the most privileges.
Why was this accomplishment important back then, and still important today? Well, 1) it reinforced my technical skills, 2) it lead me to learning Morris Code with comes in handy time to time (repeater beacons or emergencies), 3) met some great radio operators who became friends and whom I learned a lot, and 4) to have reliable communications in the case of emergencies.
Many believe Ham Operators only communicate long distances. Definitively not true. There are countless Amateur Radio Clubs world wide who operate VHF/UHF repeaters where one can communicate locally. Some are even linked to extend one’s reach with a simple, small handheld radio.
Visit the ARRL website for more information https://www.arrl.org/
Interesting hobby and easy to get involved.
– Doug