Resources

Studying and getting licensed

Everything in this section is free unless noted.

• HamStudy.org

  The best free study tool there is. Flashcards with spaced repetition over the real FCC question pools, plus practice exams that mirror the actual test. Start here — most people need nothing else.

• ARRL — Getting Licensed

  The national association's overview of licence classes, what each one allows, and how the process works.

• Find an exam session

  Searchable directory of in-person and remote test sessions.

• KB6NU's free study guides

  Plain-language "no-nonsense" study guides. The Technician one is free as a PDF and is excellent if you would rather read prose than drill flashcards.

• ARRL Shop

  Official licence manuals, if you prefer a printed book. Not required.

Callsigns and licence lookup

• QRZ.com

  The default callsign lookup, plus operator-written biography pages, a logbook and busy forums. Free account covers most of it.

• Callook.info

  Clean, fast, no-login lookup straight from the FCC database. Also has a simple API, which is what we used to verify the callsigns on our board page.

• HamQTH

  A free alternative callsign database and logbook.

• FCC Universal Licensing System

  The authoritative source. Where you register for an FRN and where your licence actually lives.

Repeaters and frequencies

• RepeaterBook

  The most complete repeater directory in North America, with apps for phones. Find every machine within range wherever you travel.

• RadioReference

  Enormous frequency database covering public safety, business and amateur allocations.

• SCHEART

  The South Carolina Healthcare Emergency Amateur Radio Team — the linked network our repeater belongs to. Link status and net schedules live here.

• CHIRP

  Free, open-source programming software for a huge range of radios. Turns an evening of menu-diving into two minutes with a cable.

Emergency communications

• South Carolina ARES

  Registration, training requirements, and the state tactical plan.

• ARRL Public Service

  The national picture — ARES, NTS and how amateur radio plugs into served agencies.

• SKYWARN

  The National Weather Service spotter programme. Free training, and genuinely useful — radar cannot see what is happening at ground level.

• Winlink

  Email over radio. When the internet is gone, this is how written traffic and forms still move.

Things to do on the air

• Parks on the Air (POTA)

  Operate portable from a park, or chase people who do. Probably the fastest-growing activity in the hobby, and a superb excuse to take a radio outdoors.

• Summits on the Air (SOTA)

  The same idea, with hills. Carry a light station to a summit and work the world from it.

• Winter Field Day

  The January event we run every year.

• SC QSO Party

  Our state party, the last Saturday of February. A friendly first contest.

• WA7BNM Contest Calendar

  Every contest, every weekend. Even if you never compete seriously, contests are the easiest way to make a lot of contacts quickly.

• AMSAT

  Amateur satellites. You can work one with a handheld and a directional antenna, which never stops being remarkable.

Digital modes and data

• WSJT-X

  The software behind FT8 and friends — weak-signal modes that get through when voice cannot.

• APRS.fi

  Live map of APRS position and telemetry traffic worldwide.

• EchoLink

  Links repeaters and individual stations over the internet.

• IRLP

  The Internet Radio Linking Project — the technology behind the SCHEART links.

• Brandmeister

  The largest DMR network. Talkgroup and hotspot management.

• RadioID.net

  Register the DMR ID you need before you can use any DMR repeater.

• Signal Identification Wiki

  Heard something strange and want to know what it was? Recordings and waterfall images of practically every signal.

Propagation and conditions

• NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

  Solar flux, geomagnetic storms, and why the bands were dead yesterday.

• PSK Reporter

  Live map of who is hearing whom, worldwide. The best real-time picture of propagation available.

• DX Maps

  Real-time propagation maps by band.

• NCDXF Beacons

  A network of beacons transmitting in rotation so you can hear for yourself which paths are open.

• time.gov

  Official US time. Logs are kept in UTC, and being a minute off causes needless confusion.

Logging and awards

• Logbook of the World

  The ARRL's contact confirmation system. Free, and how most awards are claimed now.

• Club Log

  Log analysis, DXCC tracking and expedition logs.

• QSL.net

  Free hosting for club and personal pages. A lot of amateur radio still lives here.

Community, news and gear

• eHam.net

  Equipment reviews written by people who own the gear. Read the reviews before you buy anything.

• Groups.io

  Where most radio-specific mailing lists now live — one for practically every radio model and interest.

• Ham Radio Outlet

  Long-established US retailer.

• DX Engineering

  Antennas, cable and the parts nobody else stocks.

• GigaParts

  Another well-regarded US dealer.