FCC eliminates Morse Code requirement for amateur radio licenses!

[thewayne]

Six years ago they reduced the code requirement to 5 words per minute and streamlined the number of license classes down to three. On Friday, they eliminated the code requirement entirely. The cool thing about this is it automatically grants me high-frequency privileges to do voice on world bands.


http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-269012A1.pdf

Comments

[silveradept]

Well, I knew that I could get a Technician license without a code requirement. Did they just axe all the code requirements for any of the three license classes?

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

Yep. I have a no-code Tech, which was (prior to Friday) known simply as Technician. If you passed the code, you became Tech Plus (+HF privileges). So now it's just regulations/radio theory/electronics theory tests to get any license.

I picked up a Tech and General book (I recommend the Gordon West series) to refresh my memory with Tech before going for General. The Tech question pool is good for a few more years, but the General pool will be re-done end of June. So my recommendation would be to get your Tech, practice for a while, and wait for the General pool to change before going for your next class.

Of course, if you really want to, there's no restriction on taking the Extra class test right off the bat. But since the knowledge is cumulative, I don't recommend that.

And apparently there are practice tests online at www.arrl.org and qrz.net.

[silveradept]

Well, I have a standing offer - one of the gentlemen from my father's amateur radio club has said that if I get a license, he'll get me a radio. I'm still not entirely convinced I have a good reason to get one, though - I really don't think I'll be using it a whole lot, even if I did get it.

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

I'm not using mine a lot right now, I just have a hand-held FM transceiver. There's a guy in Las Cruces who makes little Morse transmitters that fit in Altoids tins, I would really like to use one of 'em.

[silveradept]

That's neat. I can see that coming in handy here and there, if you really need it. I've seen others who like to try and fit radios into ham tins. I think at least some of them succeed.

Awww!

[ateji.livejournal.com]

Well, there goes my reason to learn Morse... :P

Re: Awww!

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

Ah, but if you learn Morse, you would have a secret way of communicating with other equally-minded geeks...

Re: Awww!

[ateji.livejournal.com]

I know but... *agonizes* I think I'm going to have to go with Latin and Old English for now. That actually lets me talk to people whose geeky vibes I'm more in tune with. (Ow, bad sentence construction.)

I did consider getting a license for that kind of thing in high school when my dad and I were soldering together funky little Radio Shack kits.