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Copthorne Macdonald is the inventor of slow-scan television . . . a method of amateur radio transmission that allows ham operators to both hear and see each other during shortwave broadcasts.

GETTING A HAM LICENSE

Citizen's band radio—which we discussed last time around In this column—is a tremendously useful form of short-range (up to 20 miles) radio communication. Nonetheless, the fact that it is short-range limits its usefulness.

To communicate via radio across hundreds or even thousands of miles, it's necessary to turn to amateur ("ham") radio. Of course, long distance costs more: In this case, the higher "price" is a more complicated (compared to CB) licensing procedure for the station operator.

At present, there are five classes of ham license: Novice, Technician, General, Advanced, and Extra (see the accompanying table). Persons wishing to obtain any of these licenses must pass both a practical test on Morse code and a written test covering radio theory and FCC (Federal Communications Commission) rules. The higher the license class, the more difficult the exam . . . and the more privileges—in the form of additional modes of transmission and a greater number of available frequencies—conferred upon the licensee.

Note: The information contained in the accompanying table is subject to change. There has been talk of the FCC reducing the General Class code speed requirement from 13 to 10 words per minute and eliminating the speed requirement from the Novice code test altogether. (As of this writing, however, these changes have not been made.)

The Technician, General, Advanced, and Extra Class tests are administered by federal examiners at regional offices of the FCC. The Novice Class exam—on the other hand-is given not by the FCC but by a volunteer ham examiner, which can be anyone who [1] holds a General Class (or higher) license, and [2] is at least 21 years old.

If you were a high-speed operator in the service and you've worked In the electronics field for years, you might want to try the Extra Class exam straightway. Most people, however, start with the Novice test and move on to the more difficult exams as their technical knowledge and code speed increase.