At the moment, this is just a basic page for information on our Stake Communicators class. Later, the site will contain more information for use in our Stake Emergency Services System

What?

Technician Level FCC class for Amateur (Ham) Radio Communications (Don't be scared, just keep reading...)

The Arlington Texas Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has asked us to put together an emergency communications network in the event normal communications channels are disrupted during an emergency or natural disaster. Our desire is to serve the community at large and the members of the stake in such an event. The idea is for each ward to have a number of individuals who can help the Bishops stay aware of the situation within the community of their geographic ward, and to apprise the the Stake Presidency of any needs within the ward boundaries during such events so the needs of the community and the ward members may be met.

In order to make this possible, we are establishing a network of FCC licensed amateur radio operators (also known as "Ham" radio operators) who will be involved in practicing communications for such emergencies. This class is to cover the SIMPLE concepts and help you have all the tools necessary to pass the FCC's 35 question exam. This exam is 35 questions taken from a test pool of 511 questions for which you will have all of the questions and answers - don't worry, it's legal, the FCC publishes them and they're all over the internet.

This is being done in many places throughout the church, and I have been participating in the Hurst network, and listening in on the Fort Worth network. Click here for the Hurst Stake's Emergency Communications page to see what they've put together. They've already done this training, and a lot of folks have become radio operators! Click here for a list of radio operators in the Hurst stake - there are 72 of them listed on two pages, and I know many of them have gotten their licenses in the last 8 - 10 months!. Now it's our turn.

One other point... Amateur radio is FUN!! This license is the introductory license to a fascinating realm of worldwide communications, including bouncing signals off the moon and talking to the International Space Station. More about this during the class, though.

The previous class ran from April 15th on Thursdays from 7pm to 9pm. It may be shorter, though. We've got through it in 8 weekly sessions, with the FCC exam occurring in the 9th week (June 9th, 2004). We gained 10 new Hams on that evening

The next class will begin October 7th and will be each Thursday until we finish excluding Thanksgiving and a couple of other weeks which will be announced.

We're planning on meeting the Arlington Texas Stake Center located at 3809 Curt Drive in Arlington, Here's a map:

The class itself is free, however there is a cost for materials and testing. The book is $15 and the test is $12, so the total cost for your FCC license is $27. We'll get that when you start the class.

Radio equipment is up to you, we'll discuss some in class, but you can get some fine equipment for less than $100, or get as expensive as you'd like.

No... you are welcome to purchase your own materials and self-study if you choose. There are many different places around the metroplex to find classes and to take the FCC exam. The Arlington Amateur Radio Club is one.

Many folks, however, find they do better and progress faster if there is a formatted class to push them along a bit. It's up to you, but we'd love to see you at the class.

NO! To take the class and your FCC exam you DO NOT need a radio. When you do want a radio, the prices for high quality electronics are very low, and you can have your own new radio station for around $100 in some cases. We're recommending a radio that is a little more capable though, and we'll discuss equipment in class.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.

My name is Rusty Fuller, I'm in the Arlington 3rd ward, my FCC call sign is KD5ZVJ
Email:	drfuller99@comcast.net
Home Phone	(817) 469-1235
Cell Phone	(817) 319-7225

1. You have to learn Morse code to get a ham license.

False!!! It used to be that way, but in 1991 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) eliminated the Morse code requirement for the Technician class ham radio license. All you have to do to get a Technician license is pass a written exam. The Technician class license lets you use voice and do a lot of different things, such as operate television, communicate through ham radio satellites, and use computer-to-computer communications (called "packet radio"), If you've been putting off getting a ham radio license because of the Morse code requirement, you've got no reason to hesitate any longer!

2. You have to be an electronics genius to pass the written test for a ham license.

False! The written exams for the two "entry" levels ham licenses, the Novice and Technician classes, are passed each year by lots of junior high school kids. Instead of obscure electronics theory, the written exams deal with the practical stuff you'll need to know anyway to properly set up and operate your station. I'll admit some already-licensed hams like to boast about how difficult the test was and how hard they had to work to pass it, but they're just exaggerating their accomplishments. (I've passed all the different levels of written exams for ham licenses; they can't be that hard if a dummy like me can pass them) All tests are the multiple-choice type, and all questions (and answers) are drawn from a large pooi of questions which are released to the public by the FCC. If your memory is good enough. you could pass the written exam strictly by memorization!

But I have to let you in on a secret : the written exam requirement is a good filter to eliminate the sort of rif-raff that messed up CB radio for everyo ne The fact that you're reading these words means you're probably above average in intelligence, education, and motivation. Ham radio is populated by similar people. Hams come in all ages, races, religions, nationalities, and backgrounds, but the one thing they do have in common is that they tend to be brighter, more interesting people than the rest of the human race. Dullards and slackers can't summon up the energy and effort to pass the written exam.

3. You have to be an electronics genius just to operate a ham radio station.

No! Today's ham radio equipment is no more difficult to use than a VCR or stereo system I wish I could tell you (just to benefit my ego) that it takes loads of expertise and knob-twisting to get a ham radio station to operate ''just right," but in reality all you need to know is how to read and follow instructions in the owner's manual. However. I do admit that as you get more experienced in ham radio, you'll learn a good hit about electronics without really intending to. If you get really carried away, you can be like the thousands of hams who actually build their own equipment using parts they get from Radio Shack and similar places.

4. Ham radio equipment is expensive.

False! You can easily spend more than the cost of a new car on a ham radio station, but you can also get on the air and have fun with new equipment that costs the same as a microwave oven, compact disc player, or other item of consumer electronics. (A new ham radio station can cost a lot less than a home video camera!) It you like a lot of new hams, start out with used equipment, you might be able to get on the air for less than $100!

5. I wouldn't he able to get on the air anyway, because I live in this apartment complex that prohibits outside antennas.
No problem! It's possible to get on the air and communicate over a wide area using simple indoor antennas much like the telescoping "whip" antennas on portable radios. (You can sometimes use even smaller antennas only a few inches long; these are flexible rubbery antennas known as "rubber duckies.") And you can install ham radio equipment in your car, or carry around a complete ham radio station in your shirt pocket. In all honesty, these "mini antennas" won't work as well as those big outdoor monsters some hams use but they will be more than adequate for short and medium range work, and some hams have contacted over 100 countries using simple wire antennas located in their attics or taped to their walls. And many ham radio clubs as well as individual hams have installed "repeater" stations which relay signals from lower-powered stations to increase their coverage.

6. I'll interfere with the television and radio reception of my neighbors.

False! You may have heard stories about (or even experienced for yourself) interference to radio and television reception because of "somebody operating their ham radio." In the vast majority of cases, the culprit is actually a citizens band (CB) station using an illegal amplifier to boost their transmitter power. These amplifiers, being illegal, are usually not well constructed and radiate spurious signals which interfere with radio and TV reception. A ham radio station operated in a proper manner seldom causes interference to radio and TV reception. And in those cases where interference is present, it's more often than not due to faulty design of the radio or TV set experiencing the interference. A simple filter on the radio or TV set experiencing reception interference is usually enough to cure the problem. (Many consumer electronics devices are designed without proper filtering circuits to reject interference because manufacturers want to shave a few cents off their per-unit cost.)

7. I'll have to do a lot of soldering and other electrical work to get a ham radio station on the air.

Nope! Most ham radio equipment is like other items of consumer electronics-just plug in the cables and wires to the proper places, and away you go! If you know how to use screwdrivers, pliers, and other simple hand tools, you already have 90% of the mechanical skills required of a ham radio operator.
The other 10%, mainly the ability to make a good electrical connection using a soldering iron, is something you can pick up with an afternoon of practice.

8. I'll have to keep a lot of records for the FCC or other government agencies.

False! A few years ago, the FCC required hams to keep a detailed logbook of their operations. That's been eliminated, and now all you basically have to do is to keep your license properly renewed (it's good for ten years at a time) and let the FCC know your current address. And no matter what stupid stories you've heard, the CIA and FBI don't keep tabs on hams who talk to other hams in foreign countries. Nobody's been denied a security clearance for being a ham radio operator.

9. I only speak English, so no one overseas would be able to understand me.

Wrong! English is the universal language of ham radio. When hams in Japan talk to those in Russia, they use English. I've talked to hams in Nigeria, Indonesia, Argentina, Portugal, France, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Tahiti, and Surinam-and in each case, English was the language of our conversation. On the other hand, if you want to practice a foreign language with someone who speaks it as their mother tongue, ham radio offers excellent opportunities.

10. It takes a lot of study time to get a ham radio license, and you have to travel to an FCC office a couple of hundred miles away to take the test, which they only give a couple of times a year.

Doubly false! How long it takes to learn something varies from individual to individual, but I'd bet that the typical reader of this book would need only about a month-maximum-of study to pass the written exam for a Technician class license. (I'm figuring that at a rate of an average of one hour of study per day.) Now admittedly this amount of study won't make you a radio expert or let you understand the ins and outs of ham radio equipment, but it will let you pass the license exam. Don't try to (or feel you have to) learn everything about ham radio before you get your license; like driving and marriage, there's a lot you can learn only after you have that license. And license exams are conducted on a volunteer basis by teams of already-licensed hams. Instead of some impersonal government office and employees, exams are conducted on weekends or at nights in friendly surroundings by people who really want to see you pass. (Don't get me wrong; there are strict safeguards to prevent cheating, and you pass -or fail- the exam on your own. But it's like a sports event where you're the home team - people will be rooting for you!) In most areas of the country, there are several exam sessions each month within convenient driving distance.

11. Ham radio is just like CB radio.

No way! Confusing ham radio with CB radio is like confusing China with Japan. Both are countries in Asia with written languages rich in ideograms, but otherwise they're as different as night and day. CB and ham radio both let people communicate with each other by radio, but that's about all they have in common.
CB radio is just what its name implies -"citizens band" radio. It's open to anyone and everyone who can plunk down the money for a CB radio set and antenna. No test or license is required, and the rules are few. (And, to be honest, those rules are very seldom enforced.) I'm not putting CB radio down, since I happen to think that average citizens do have the right to use some parts of the radio spectrum without too many restrictions or qualifications. (In the United States, radio frequencies by law belong to the people of the United States; broadcasters, cellular telephones, and ham radio operators all use radio frequencies "loaned" to them by the people of the United States.) But since CB radio is open to everybody, without qualification, it means the capabilities of CB radio have to be greatly restricted to make sure there's room for everyone and to keep down interference (although the sheer number of CB stations means interference is often heavy on all 40 CB channels).
In contrast, entry into ham radio requires passing a test. This means there are fewer hams than CB operators, that hams are better qualified to use high-powered transmitting equipment, and that the discipline among hams is much higher than CB operators. This is reflected in the privileges available to ham and CB operators. For example, CB radio sets are restricted to only 4 watts of transmitter power while hams with a Technician class or higher license can use up to 1500 watts of transmitter power. CB radio operators are restricted to just using voice. Ham radio operators can use voice, Morse code, television, satellites, radioteletype, packet (computer-to-computer) radio, and other methods of communications. Hams can set up "repeater" relay stations to improve their communications range; CB operators carmot. CB operators are restricted to communications over a maximum range of 150 miles, while hams can communicate all over the world. CB operators are restricted to 40 frequencies (as fixed channels) for communications, while ham operators have hundreds of thousands of frequencies they can use.
Ham radio is more than different from CB radio; it's broader, more versatile, more interesting, and more fun. Let me put it this way: CB radio is a bicycle; ham radio is a Porsche Turbo.

12. I won't fit in.

There's no such thing as a "typical" ham radio operator. They come in all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, sexes, religions, backgrounds, and nationalities. And none of that matters. All that you'll be judged on is how well you can operate your equipment. One of the things that still marvels me about ham radio is how it transcends traditional barriers to human communication and understanding, and allows people who at first glance would seem to have little in common to meet each other.

Okay, so we've exploded some myths about ham radio.