Interested in Amateur Radio?

[KA2ODP/7]

Newcomers to the world of Amateur Radio can be overwhelmed by the vast amount of material available on the internet.

The Great Falls Area Amateur Radio Club (GFAARC) maintains a contact number for anyone seeking information about Amateur Radio.

Please call (406) 590-1339 and leave a message. A knowledgeable licensed Amateur Radio operator will return your call and answer your questions.

Topics covered include:

-What are the different license levels available in Amateur Radio?

-Where can I take the FCC exam for an Amateur Radio license?

-Where can I purchase "ham" radio equipment and what features should I look for?

That last topic is an important one. There are a lot of Chinese radios flooding the internet on Amazon and other web sites. They are NOT true ham radios and often claim to be approved by the FCC for Part 90 Business Band operations. But the FCC is slowly catching on to their false claims and realizing that they do not even meet the requirements of Part 90 regulations. There are also illegal CB radios that are labeled as "ham" radios but are not. They can often be used on the Amateur Radio bands, but it is a definite case of "buyer beware"! Just because something is sold on the internet, it does not mean that it is actually legal to use. The FCC requires the person actually using the radio to be properly licensed and using authorized equipment. Sellers take advantage of this loop-hole to sell questionable radio equipment, knowing that they will not be the ones fined by the FCC.