Learning the Morse Code was once a major barrier to getting started in amateur radio. Understanding Morse Code remains a requirement by International agreement for border hopping radio communicators. But today, you can enter domestic ham radio through a code-less Technician license class that only requires you to pass two written tests with a total of 55 multiple-choice questions. For those for whom making sense out of the dit-dahs of Morse Code poses no great problem, a Novice amateur radio license gets you on the air after a five-word-per-minute code comprehension test and a 30-question written exam about basic electronic theory and FCC rules and regulations.

More advanced steps up the ladder of amateur radio proficiency include pushing that code speed on to 13 words per minute, or maybe 20, and passing tests about more complicated theory, operating and regulation topics. The rewards for the extra effort involved in obtaining the higher General, Advanced, or Extra Class license are access to larger portions of the radio spectrum in which to communicate to other states and around the world.

Both United States and Russian manned space flights have at times included crew members whose hobby is amateur radio. Owen Garriott was the first. In 1983, he carried a 4- watt handheld amateur radio transceiver with him and an innovative antenna that fit against a window on the spacecraft Columbia. Other astronauts and Cosmonauts who have followed Garriott’s lead have, when off duty while floating along 200-some miles above the earth, traded greetings with thousands of hams. U.S. ham astronauts have visited via amateur radio hookups direct with school classes, enhancing youthful understanding and appreciation for the sciences and geography.

Tags: Code, Morse Code
Filed under: Education, Information