Nearly every ham starts with a Technician class license, also known as a Tech license. A Technician licensee is allowed access to all ham bands with frequencies of 50 MHz or higher. These privileges include operation at the maximum legal power limit and using all types of communications.
Tech licensees may also transmit using voice on part of the 10 meter band and Morse code on some of the HF bands below 30 MHz.
The test for this license consists of 35 multiple-choice questions on regulations and technical radio topics. You have to get 26 or more correct to pass.
After earning the entry-level Technician license, many hams immediately start getting ready to upgrade to a General class license. When you obtain a General class license, you’ve reached a great milestone. General class licensees have full privileges on nearly all amateur frequencies, with only small portions of some HF bands remaining off limits.
The General class exam, which includes 35 questions (you have to get 26 right to pass), covers many of the same topics as the Technician exam, but in more detail. The exam introduces some new topics that an experienced ham is expected to understand.
General class licensees still can’t access everything; the lowest segments of several HF bands are for Amateur Extra class licensees only. These segments are where the expert Morse code operators hang out and are considered to be prime operating territory. If you become interested in contesting, contacting rare foreign stations (DXing), or just having access to these choice frequencies, you want to get your Amateur Extra license — the top level.
The Amateur Extra exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions, 37 of which you must answer correctly to pass. The exam covers additional rules and regulations associated with sophisticated operating and several advanced technical topics. Hams who pass the Amateur Extra exam consider their license to be a real achievement. Do you think you can climb to the top rung of the licensing ladder?