Editor’s note: This post is part of an ongoing series of 101-style articles from OnAllBands addressing the basics of amateur radio as a service to aspiring and new hams.
Before you do your first DXpedition, before you can help folks in need after a natural disaster, heck, before you can even say hello to someone else on an amateur radio, you need an amateur radio license.
There are three amateur radio licenses you can earn:
- Technician
- General
- Amateur Extra
Consider it kind of like the different driver’s licenses, with each one granting you privileges to drive different vehicles. For example, a person with a Class C or D license is allowed to drive commuter vehicles like trucks or cars but isn’t permitted to drive a semi-truck.
Similarly, the Federal Communications Commission defines which amateur bands you can operate within for each license (as well as the segment of the band), in addition to dictating the modes you can use for each band—SSB (voice); CW (Morse code); RTTY, FT8, et. al. (digital).
Check out this chart from the ARRL showing U.S. amateur radio band allocations.
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Technician Class Ham Radio License
This entry-level license provides all ham radio privileges above 30 MHz, including UHF (23cm, 33cm, and 70cm) and VHF (1.25 meters, 2 meters, 6 meters) with a 1,500-watt PEP maximum. As the ARRL notes, with a VHF or UHF/VHF handheld or mobile radio, Technician licensees can stay in touch with other hams in their area through use of repeaters. Technicians may operate FM voice, digital packet (computers), television, single-sideband voice, and several other modes.
Other activities include making international radio contacts via satellites. Technicians may also operate on the 80, 40, and 15 meter HF bands using CW, and on 10 meters using CW, voice, and digital modes (200-watt maximum PEP). Obtaining this license requires passing a written 35-question multiple-choice exam.
For more ideas on what you can do with a Technician license, read this article from OnAllBands blogger Sean Kutzko, KX9X, “Beyond Your Local Repeater: 15 Things to Do with a Technician License.”
General Class Ham Radio License
A General license gives you access to all VHF/UHF amateur bands plus extensive HF privileges 160 through 10 meters, covering the entire spectrum of operating modes. This allows you to communicate with other hams all over the world in a variety of ways. General operators can communicate internationally using up to 1,500 watts. To upgrade to General, you must already hold a Technician class license (or have recently passed the Technician license exam). Upgrading to a General license requires passing a written 35-question multiple-choice exam.
For more details on why you should consider upgrading to General class, read this OnAllBands article from Mark Haverstock, K8MSH, “The Amateur Radio General Class License—Is It for You?”
Amateur Extra Class Ham Radio License
If you’re looking for a license with all the bells and whistles, this gives you all available operating privileges on all bands and modes. Plus, this class gets you a few extra segments within the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands.
“The most obvious and oft-cited reason to upgrade is that the last of the amateur bands, the Extra-only segments, will finally be yours,” writes Ward Silver, NØAX. “Over our long history, these frequencies have been the best for working DX stations on CW and phone. No matter what mode you prefer today, they are still the best for DXpeditions and day-to-day DX alike. A look at the band plans for recent and upcoming DXpeditions will show a lot of frequencies in these segments.”
Here are the additional Extra class frequency allocations:
Extra Class Band Segments
| Band | Frequencies (MHz) |
|---|---|
| 80 Meters | 3.500 – 3.525 3.600 – 3.700 |
| 40 Meters | 7.000 – 7.025 |
| 20 Meters | 14.000 – 14.025 14.150 – 14.175 |
| 15 Meters | 21.000 – 21.025 21.200 – 21.225 |
In addition to added frequency coverage, upgrading to an Extra class license, which requires passing a written 50-question multiple-choice exam, is a great opportunity to increase your knowledge of amateur radio and gain access to an exclusive block of call signs. For more encouragement to upgrade to the top amateur radio license, read “Why Upgrade to Extra?” by NØAX.
Also, watch DX Engineering’s Rod, K8RR and Mark, W8BBQ, explain the U.S. Amateur Radio Band Plan in the video below.
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Getting a Ham Radio Call Sign
Once you get your license, you will get your own call sign, which uniquely identifies you on the air and off. To learn more about what a call sign is, click here to read “What Is an Amateur Radio Call Sign?”
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For all things amateur radio, especially if you are a beginner, visit OnAllBands often for monthly articles about equipment, contests and special events, technical advice, ham radio history, and ways to get the most out of operating with your newly minted license.
