H. Ward Silver - The ARRL General Class License Manual: For Ham Radio

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Foreword

Welcome to the eighth edition of the ARRLs General Class License Manual , the premier guide to passing the General class Amateur Radio examination. You will have a lot of company as you begin to communicate across the country and around the world on the HF bands. Nearly one quarter of all amateurs hold a General class license as of early 2015 and half of all hams have General class or higher HF privileges.

If your interests include public service, adding General privileges increases your capabilities dramatically! You can experiment with the many new digital modes being invented and used by hams, begin working toward achieving operating awards and explore all the interesting opportunities of radio on the HF bands. You wont regret upgrading from Technician to General as you will get a lot more out of using your new privileges than the amount of study required to pass the test.

Once you have upgraded to General class, you can participate in the largest of all amateur volunteer examiner (VE) programs and become certified by the ARRL VEC. General class licensees can give back by volunteering as a VE for Technician class license exams. You can learn more about providing this valuable and appreciated service at www.arrl.org/become-an-arrl-ve .

In order to help you make good use of your new privileges, the ARRL General Class License Manual does more than just help you memorize the answers in the question pool. Each topic is addressed in sufficient detail to help you learn the why behind the rules, the what of basic electronics, and the how of amateur operating practices. There are drawings, photographs, and tables to guide you in your studies. If you would like a more concise study guide, the ARRL General Class Q & A is a companion to this book, presenting each question and a short explanation of the correction answer. The pair is a powerful one-two punch to help you pass the exam.

Even the best study material cant address all of the things youll encounter as a General, so the books companion website ( www.arrl.org/general-class-license-manual ) provides supplemental information and links to resources that go beyond the exam questions. This book and the website also list a number of other useful references that youll find especially helpful in translating your new privileges into on-the-air operating.

Whatever your preference in Amateur Radio, there are books and supplies in the ARRLs Radio Amateurs Library that support almost any amateur operating practice. Contact the Publication Sales Office at ARRL Headquarters to request the latest publications catalog or to place and order. (You can reach us by phone 860-594-0200; by fax 860-594-0303 and by email via . Look for the Products window, browse the latest news about Amateur Radio, and tap into the wealth of services provided by the ARRL to amateurs.

Thanks for making the decision to upgrade we hope to hear you using your new General class privileges and enjoying more of the many opportunities Amateur Radio has to offer. Good luck!

David Sumner, K1ZZ Chief Executive Officer Newington, Connecticut March 2015

What is Amateur Radio?

Perhaps youve picked up this book in the library or from a bookstore shelf and are wondering what Amateur Radio is all about. You may have encountered a ham performing public service or maybe you have a friend or relative who is a ham. Read on for a short explanation.

Amateur Radio or ham radio has been part of wireless technology since the very beginning. Amateur experimenters known affectionately as hams were operating right along with Marconi in the early part of the 20th century. They have helped advance the state-of-the-art in radio, television, digital communication and dozens of other wireless services since then, right up to the present day. There are more than 700,000 amateurs in the United States and several million more around the world!

Formally, Amateur Radio in the United States is an official communications service, administered by the Federal Communications Commission or FCC. Amateur Radio is intended to foster electronics and radio experimentation, provide emergency backup communication, encourage private citizens to train and practice operating, and even spread the goodwill of person-to-person contact over the airwaves.

Who is a Ham and What Do Hams Do?

Anyone can be a ham there are no age limits or physical requirements that prevent anyone from passing their license exam and getting on the air. Kids as young as five years old have passed the basic exam and there are many hams out there over the age of 100.

Once you get on the air and start meeting other hams youll find a wide range of capabilities and interests. Of course, there are many technically skilled hams who work as engineers, scientists or technicians. But there are just as many who do not have a deep technical background. Youre just as likely to encounter writers, public safety personnel, students, farmers, truck drivers anyone with an interest in personal communications over the radio.

The activities of Amateur Radio are incredibly varied. Amateurs who hold the Technician class license the first license for hams in the US communicate primarily with local and regional amateurs using relay stations called repeaters. Known as Techs, many sharpen their skills of operating mobile and portable stations, often joining emergency communications teams. Some choose to focus on the burgeoning wireless data networks assembled and used by hams around the world. Techs can make use of the growing number of Amateur Radio satellites, built and launched by hams along with the commercial birds. Technicians transmit their own television signals, push the limits of radio wave propagation through the atmosphere and experiment with microwaves. Hams hold most of the world records for long-distance communication on microwave frequencies, in fact!