Become An Amateur Radio Operator

Amateur Radio provides a tiered licensing structure, with incentives to upgrade to higher level licenses through the allocation of additional privileges for each level of licensing.

The Technician Class license provides an entry-level amateur radio license. The Technician Class license offers VHF and UHF privileges where communications are usually limited to line-of-sight propagation. The Technician Class license also enjoys an HF allocation on the 10-meter band, which can provide inter-state or international communications, depending on propagation conditions that are most influenced by sun spots. This is considered to be the entry-level license class and is the license class that most new amateur radio operators acquire first.

The General Class license provides an intermediate amateur radio license, granting an allocation of most HF frequencies and higher power limitations. The frequency allocation includes all HF bands and allows for international communications, depending on propagation conditions that are most influenced by sun spots.

The Amateur Extra Class license is the highest level of amateur radio license and offers unlimited use of amateur radio frequency allocations with higher power limitations. Most of the rare foreign countries are found only in the Extra Class allocations on the HF bands.

The Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) offers information on obtaining an amateur radio license on their web-page and books via their web-store:

The following FREE study material is also available:

The following web-sites offer practice exams:

Amateur Radio testing sessions are performed by a group of Volunteer Examiners (VE) on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Idaho Section of the Amateur Radio Relay League maintains a web page that indicates where VE testing sessions are available within Idaho. Testing is also performed at the annual Idaho State Convention that is held in late April. Please see the following web pages for further information on VE testing sessions:

Please note that Morse Code is no longer a required element of any Amateur Radio License class.


Amateur Radio Exam Question Pools & Figures

The following web pages provide the question pools and figures for the Technician, General and Amateur Extra exams:

Please support the Idaho businesses, agencies and organizations that have supported CIARC.