Since communicating in an emergency can be a vital thing I thought I'd throw together a few resources for those that might want to investigate getting a HAM radio license. I'm not going to include a bunch of technical stuff, this is going to be geared toward getting your technicians class license.
The Technicians Class license is crazy easy to get & it can be done without investing any money in study materials. If you invest just a little time at your computer & find a local radio club near you where you can test, you can get the license. The cost to take the exam is $14.
QRZ Practice Exams They have the practice exams for all classes of licensure. The
Technician is the first license a newbie needs to get. These exams are the exact same questions you'll take when you sit for a license exam. If you take these practice exams you'll know exactly what to expect when you contact a local club to test, so there shouldn't be any surprises. I took the practice tests for Tech until I was consistently scoring in the 90's & then went & sat for the real test. I missed one question on the real thing & walked out a licensed amateur. If you use no other resource, use these tests. They work.
Mr. Pugsly's test notes Mr. Pugsly has printable notes for the Tech & General class licenses. I printed these for my wife when she decided she wanted to start studying for her Tech license. These notes cover the knowledge base for taking the exams so you don't
need to go buy the books if you don't want to.
http://hamelmer.com/ (Thanks Firetoad) Another good site for study material with downloadable .PDF documents for the Tech exam.
The ARRL The mother organization for all things HAM radio related. This should probably be your first stop for finding a local club near you.
QRZ.com Another great site for all things HAM related. Everything from solar charts to forums.
The FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) The ULS can be used to find your call sign a couple of weeks after you've passed your exam. It takes about 10 days or so for your call sign to show up. Waiting is the hard part!

When you search for your name do it in the following format: Last Name, First Name Middle Initial
I hope if you're interested in becoming a licensed amateur you'll check out these resources & join us on the air waves. It's great fun & in an emergency it's comforting to know that with a minimum investment of time & money you can always be connected to the "outside world".
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One word of warning...
Do not get caught up & discouraged by the "technical" nature of being a HAM radio operator. You can literally make this hobby as difficult or as easy as you wish to. There are many who never advance past the Technician level, & that's great. You can go as far or do as little as you want to. This is quite possibly one of the most friendly hobbies to be involved in, you'll meet lots of great people who are willing to help strangers for absolutely no gain personally.
I hope you decide to join us.
