Hi,
  I want to become a ham but am not sure where to get started.
  Can someone please give some tips on how should one go about
  becomming a ham operator.

  Thanx.
Vikram.

21 responses total.

From where are you writing? The requirements for amateur radio licenses
are established by each country (with some degree of international
consulation and agreement). 

As an initial answer, especially if you are in the USA, is to obtain
the ARRL manual "Now You're Talking" for the Technician class license.
You can obtain information about ordering the book (and about the
ARRL) at http://www.arrl.org/

vvasrani appears to be from India, so that makes USA info perhaps educational,
but not a great reference for how to be a ham in India.

If for India, the information is at http://www.vtt.fi/ket/staff/komppa/vu.h
tm
The best way is to find a ham. If at a university, ask in the electrical
engineering or physics departments.

I am looking into getting my Technician class license, and I am in the US
would the ARRL book have information about finding a place to take the test?

The ARRL website would. Visit http://www.arrl.org/ and look under
Licensing. Scheduling of exams changes too freqeuntly to be put in books. If in
Ann Arbor, try http://www.w8pgw.org/index.php and click on License Testing.
(I don't know why the montly testing in Ann Arbor isn't on the ARRL site, but I
will check into this.)

Thank you very much. I have been so nervous about going to take the test until
recently I met a few people my age who had their license (I am 15). Thankyou
I hope next time post I will have my license :)

Good luck! 

Good luck on your test.

My daughter, Staci (dewshine) got her license a month ago (KC8WYA), she is
15.  She got it in time to help her father work 2m and 6m sideband on field
day and work a public service event the next weekend.  She is going to join
the ARROW (the local Ham club).  She is trying to talk some of her gang into
getting their licenses and is already working on upgrading.  She says she is
going to beat Dad to Extra Class.  I am rooting for her.  He brags to some
of the Hams he knows that both his wife and daughter are licensed.  He got
his license when he was 18 and is only holds General class because he got
grandfathered.  I got my Extra last year.  If Staci gets hers soon we will
both have beaten him.

heh...  Would be funny if y'all both beat him.  Now if Damon does it too,
he'll probably never live it down.  :)

Unfortunately, I don't see Damon getting licensed anytime soon.  Gaming seems
to be his whole life at the moment, even to the extent of getting in the way
of doing homework.

Well, radio isn't for everyone.  Maybe he'll take more interest sometime
later.  *shrug*

He says he can pass the tech test right now (Staci and I have our doubts about
that) but he wants to wait until he can do the code first, but "doesn't have
time to work on code right now."  We'll see.

He better hurry, there'll be no code test soon.....

Only if WARC has nuked the code requirement.

The ITU at the World Radiocommunications Conference has removed Morse code
as a mandatory requirement for amateur licences below 30MHz - effective 5
July, 2003.

I predict you'll hear lots of complaints about this on 80 meters from the
usual set of old fogies.  It'll give them something to talk about other than
their latest illnesses. ;>

woohoo! hopefully the FCC follows.

Might take them a year, but I'm sure it will happen.

There are six proposals before the FCC up for comment right now that concern
the morese code requirement.  Some of which advocate dropping element 1.

That should start quite an outcry from the 160m crowd.  :)

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