The entry level ham license is the Technician Class. This will give you unlimited privileges on all amateur frequencies above 30 mhz. With your Technician Class license, you can join the Late Night Net!! To obtain your Technician license all you need to do is pass a simple 35 question multiple choice exam (element 2). THAT IS IT!!! No Morse Code exam is required!
The next step up from Technician Class is General Class. To get your General you will need to take one additional written exam (element 3) plus a 5 WPM (words per minute) Morse code exam (element 1). The reward for learning Morse code is access to amateur frequencies below 30 mhz. Below 30 mhz, radio signals bounce off the atmosphere (known as "skip") and as a result they can propagate a very long distance. On the bands open to General Class hams, you can work the world! Learning Morse Code might seem like it is hard, but if you give it a shot you can pass the 5 WPM exam.
The next step up from General Class is Extra Class. For Extra Class you need to take one more test (element 4). The Extra Class exam is 50 questions, and is the most technical of all the exams. You will not need to take any additional Morse Code exam. With your Extra Class license you can operate on all frequencies authorized to amateur radio. What makes the Extra Class different from the General Class is you have access to more frequencies below 30 mhz.
Click HERE to download a band plan that shows exactly what frequencies are available for each license class. NOTE - the band plan will include the now obsolete Advanced and Novice/Tech with code privileges. These classes were phased out, but holders of those licenses will retain their privileges indefinitely.
To summarize:
| License Class | Element Number | Number of questions | 5 WPM Morse Code |
| Technician | Element 2 | 35 | NO!! |
| General | Element 3 | 35 | Yes |
| Extra | Element 4 | 50 | Yes |
NEW LICENSE CLASS ALERT!!!
Due to a change in the policies of the ITU, there may be a significant change in amateur radio license classes. For those who do not know, the ITU is an international body that coordinates international radio frequencies. It has decided that Morse code is no longer an international requirement for amateur licensing, but that individual countries can still retain Morse code testing if they want. In light of this, the ARRL has submitted a proposal to the FCC. The proposal would:
1. Eliminate Morse code testing for all but the Extra Class license.
2. Eliminate the Technician Class license. All Technicians will be granted the same privileges as a General.
3. Re-create a "Novice" license. This license will give people access to both HF and VHF bands, but at a reduced power limit. Generals and Extras will be allowed to run 1500 watts, Novices will be limited to 100 watts on HF and 50 watts on VHF.
Remember this is ONLY a proposal at this point. If you want to work international stations now, you must still learn 5 WPM Morse code.
You only need to pass Element 1 (5 WPM morse code exam) one time.
If you decide to take up the challenge of learning Morse Code, I recommend the Code Quick Method. This is the method I used to learn code.