Become a Ham
What is Amateur Radio?
Amateur Radio, otherwise known as Ham Radio, is a rewarding and exciting hobby and service using allocated radio frequencies for recreational, non-commercial, experimental, and/or emergency communications. There are no age restrictions and there is a facet of the hobby that can usually accommodate all interests from social to technical. In case of emergencies when cell phone and internet service may be inoperable, ham radio operators are still able to communicate.
While the hobby can be very expensive, a beginner can usaully get on the air for less than $50 for an inexpensive handheld dual band radio.
Although Amateur Radio operators get involved for many reasons, they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and pass an examination for the FCC license to operate on radio frequencies known as the “Amateur Bands.” These bands are radio frequencies reserved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for use by ham radio operators.
Before you can get on the air, you need to be licensed and know the rules to operate legally. US licenses are good for 10 years before renewal and anyone may hold one except a representative of a foreign government. In the US there are three license classes—Technician, General and Extra.
Ham Classes
New class! There will be a technician class license class on Sat. January 25 from 8:30 am to 4 pm and a review on January 8th at 8:30 and the exam at 1pm. Both sessions will be held at the Boy Scouts Of America Office. 411 S Pueblo Blvd, Pueblo Co 81005. There is no fee for the class but there is a $15 license exam fee. The exam is available for all license classes so it is a great time to upgrade your tech or general license. Walk-ins are also welcome for the exam.
The Pueblo Ham Club conducts several free classes throughout the year. Classes for all three license types are available, Technician, General, and Extra. Please see our Calendar and Events page for more information or check the link at the bottom of this page. Additionally you may sign up on our mailing list and recieve notifications of future classes and special events.
Practice Tests
One of the best ways to prepare to take your license exams are to take one of the several free practice tests available online. It is reccommended that you work on these until you get a passing score before you take the real test. Bear in mind though that it is important to understand the material involved instead of just memorizing answers.