Getting in Touch...Converting an Old Toy Into a New Tool

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"We've got to do it. We've got to reach out and help each other. Big Business, Big Broadcasting, Big Government and Big Money damn sure aren't giving us any help. It's up to us to use every available tool to find each other and share our insights."

Whaddad I tell ya? Given just a little help, Cop Macdonald will change the world completely ... and probably for the better.—JS.

The great thing about ham radio is that it's your communication system ... and once the initial investment is made, it's darn near free. Fifteen hours of long distance calls at 33¢ a minute costs about $300. The same money can buy a good ham transceiver that will let you communicate as much as you want for the next 20 years. After the collapse of industrial society, when Ma Bell's network doesn't work anymore, your wind-powered ham rig will still keep you in touch with other foresighted individuals around the world. In the meantime we need get-togethers on the air to talk about power sources and house building and well digging and new vocations and all that other good stuff worth talking about. And friends need to keep in touch with friends.

These blessings of communication are yours for the price of some time: time spent getting far enough into the technical side of radio to pass the FCC license exam. This test - like most tests in our society - is a big filter. It has, in the past, strained out almost everyone but technofreaks ... but it doesn't have to.

America is full of people who have learned - through years of processing in our educational system - to pass examinations on almost every subject, no matter how remote from the realities of life. You are probably one of those individuals. Sure, you're trying to get away from all that - and I'm with you there - but if you can't get excited about how the hardware of broadcasting works, do a cram-for-the-test thing just once more. It's worth a little study to stake your claim to some chunks of the electromagnetic spectrum that will carry your voice (and pictures too, if you want) anywhere on earth.

The complete licensing picture is too complex to cover fully here, but Fig. I gives a rough outline of the various permit classes, operating privileges and test requirements. Learning the code is much like learning a new language that has a 40-word vocabulary. This should be done by sound only, using code-practice records or tapes, and not by memorizing dot/dash visual patterns.

How difficult is it to receive a license? I would equate getting a Novice rating with taking a snap high school or college course. Preparing for the General class exam would be like taking one relatively tough subject. It's also a trial of your self-discipline, however, since there is no instructor to demand that you perform. Fortunately, the exam setup helps. All written tests are multiple choice, and 74% is passing. If you fail you can take the quiz again after a month's wait ... and again, and again if necessary. (Nothing like taking a test once to know just how to bone up for it the second time.)

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