Practical Uses
An amateur radio license serves different purposes to different people, from hobby enthusiasts and professional engineers to military personnel and survivalists. The license gives you access to operate a ham radio, which can be fun for beginners or offer a challenge to experts. These radios are versatile in cold weather, mobile and when all else fails, acts as an excellent source of amateur radio emergency communication. An amateur radio license isn’t just a piece of paper, it’s a backup plan for your backup plan.
Emergency Response
Having an amateur radio license provides many radio operators an opportunity to work alongside emergency responders, providing them emergency communications support during a disaster. A radio operator may provide equipment or radio frequencies to emergency officials, therefore giving them the ability to transmit vital information from ground units to an emergency operations center. An amateur radio license provides individuals within a community an additional tool to respond to and recovery from disasters and emergencies.
How to get your license?
Getting an amateur radio license requires you to successfully pass a test conducted by a ham radio operator. A ham radio study guide is readily available online, at the library or can be found on the national association of amateur radio website. Once you pass and become a ham radio operator you’ll be assigned a unique alphanumeric call sign by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That call sign gives you legal access to operating ham radio frequencies which in turn allow you to communicate with other ham radio operators within and outside the United States.
Clubs & Emergency Response Exercises
Once you have your ham radio license, you can decide to join your local radio club to further increase your education and participate in annual emergency exercises. These are excellent opportunities to mix your interest in ham radio with emergency preparedness. Many use this as an opportunity to test their emergency kits. From living off the grid and setting up your own radio station to generating your own power and using the moon to reflect radio waves, these opportunities give you more tools for your emergency kit. At the same time, it will broaden your social circle giving you additional sources of help, if the need ever arises.
In the end, having an having this license as part of your emergency kit will significantly increase your chances at survival by giving you access to a whole new world of individuals able to help, when all else fails.
