Amateur radio repeater directory, licensing guide, equipment reviews, and the worldwide community of ham radio operators.
The gateway license. 35-question multiple-choice exam. No Morse code required. Grants access to VHF/UHF frequencies (2m, 70cm bands) plus some HF privileges. Study: ARRL Ham Radio License Manual or free at hamstudy.org. Pass rate: 80%+ with a week of study.
Second level. 35-question exam. Opens most HF bands (worldwide communication). Study the ARRL General Class License Manual. Most hams stop here — General covers 90% of what you'd want to do.
Top level. 50-question exam. Full access to all amateur bands and frequencies. Advanced electronics theory. Worth it for contesting, DXing, and bragging rights. About 20% of licensed hams hold Extra.
ARRL.org lists VE (Volunteer Examiner) sessions near you. Many clubs offer monthly testing. Online testing available through some VE teams. Cost: $15 for the exam. License is good for 10 years, free to renew.
A radio relay station, usually on a hilltop or tall building, that receives a signal on one frequency and retransmits it on another. Extends the range of handheld and mobile radios from 5 miles to 50+ miles. The backbone of local ham radio communication.
RepeaterBook.com: The largest repeater directory. Search by location, frequency, or callsign. ARRL Repeater Directory: Published annually. RadioReference.com: Includes public safety and ham frequencies. Most repeaters are on 2m (144-148 MHz) or 70cm (420-450 MHz).
Program your radio with the repeater's output frequency, input offset, and CTCSS/PL tone. Identify with your callsign. Listen before transmitting. Keep conversations brief during busy times. Many repeaters have nets (scheduled group check-ins) weekly.
Requires: two radios (or a dedicated repeater unit), a duplexer (allows simultaneous TX/RX on one antenna), antenna, feedline, power supply, and a good location (height is everything). Budget: $500-2,000 for a basic setup. Coordination with your regional frequency coordinator is required.
Baofeng UV-5R ($25): Incredible value, VHF/UHF. Yaesu FT-65R ($80): Better build quality. Kenwood TH-D75A ($550): Premium, D-STAR, GPS, Bluetooth. Icom ID-52A ($500): D-STAR, touchscreen. Start with a Baofeng, upgrade when you know what you want.
Yaesu FTM-300DR ($360): Dual-band, Fusion digital. Icom IC-2730A ($280): Dual-band, 50W. Kenwood TM-D710GA ($600): APRS built in. Mount in your vehicle with a mag-mount antenna. 50W gets you into repeaters 30+ miles away.
Icom IC-7300 ($1,100): Best value HF radio ever made. Waterfall display. Yaesu FT-991A ($1,400): All-band, all-mode. Elecraft KX3 ($900): Portable, QRP. Icom IC-7610 ($3,200): Dual receivers, serious contesting.
The antenna is more important than the radio. A $25 radio with a great antenna beats a $3,000 radio with a bad antenna. VHF/UHF: J-pole ($30-50), mag-mount for mobile ($20-40). HF: Wire dipole (free-$50), end-fed half-wave ($100-200), Yagi beam ($200-500+).