From: ikluft@uts.amdahl.com (Ian Kluft)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc,news.answers
Subject: rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1 of 6)
Date: 15 Apr 92 10:08:07 GMT
Expires: 3 May 92 07:00:00 GMT
Reply-To: hamradio-faq@uts.amdahl.com (Ham Radio FAQ Coordinators)
Followup-To: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA
Supersedes: <ham-radio-faq-1-702126483@uts.amdahl.com>

Posted-By: auto-faq script
Archive-name: ham-radio-faq/part1
Revision: 2.8 04/15/92 00:22:24

Rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions
Part 1 - Introduction
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a regular posting of frequently-asked questions (FAQ) about Amateur
Radio, also known as Ham Radio.  It is intended to summarize some common
questions on the rec.radio.amateur.misc newsgroup and Info-Hams mail list
as well as to help beginners get started.

Regular FAQ postings can help save network bandwidth and maintain a good
signal-to-noise ratio in the newsgroup.  However, they can't do it alone - you,
the reader, have to use them.  If you are a new user, please print and review
the FAQ articles and look at the instructions in the news.newusers newsgroup
before posting any articles.  If you are an experienced user, please help by
refraining from answering frequently-asked questions on the newsgroup if they
are already answered by the FAQ articles.  Instead, send e-mail to the user who
asked the question.  (It will be helpful if you include the part of the FAQ
that answers their question, but not the whole thing.)

To reduce the size of each article, the FAQ information is posted in 6 parts:
Part 1 - Introduction
Part 2 - Beginning Amateur Radio questions
Part 3 - "Where can I find ..." computer questions
Part 4 - Amateur Radio Organizations and Publications
Part 5 - Common Advanced and Technical questions
Part 6 - Special Topics in Amateur Radio questions


Table of Contents
-----------------
Dates indicate last modification.

Part 1 - Introduction
**  Table of Contents (4/92)
**  How to Contribute to the FAQ Articles (4/92)
**  Acknowledgements (4/92)
**  Notes on "Netiquette" (4/92)

Part 2 - Beginning Amateur Radio questions
**  What is Amateur Radio? (pre-4/92)
**  Who can become a ham in the United States? (pre-4/92)
**  OK, so how do I become a ham in the United States? (pre-4/92)
**  Where can I locate information and books on Amateur Radio? (4/92)
**  How much does it cost? (4/92)
**  Where can I take the tests? (pre-4/92)
**  What are the tests like? (4/92)
**  What can I do with a ham radio license? (pre-4/92)
**  What can't I do with an Amateur Radio license? (pre-4/92)
**  I'm interested, who will help me? (pre-4/92)
**  Should I build my own equipment? (pre-4/92)
**  Should I build my own antenna? (pre-4/92)
**  Do I need a huge antenna and tower like my neighbor? (pre-4/92)
**  Where do I buy equipment? (pre-4/92)
**  I've only got one 'meter' on the front of my radio - does this mean it's
    a 'one meter' radio?  (Wow - some guys have 80 of 'em??? :-) (pre-4/92)

Part 3 - "Where can I find ..." computer questions
**  Where can I get ham radio software for my computer? (4/92)
**  I don't have a news server at my site, how can I subscribe to the
    rec.radio.amateur groups? (4/92)
**  I can read news at my site, but I don't have posting privileges.  How
    can I post? (4/92)
**  I don't have FTP capability at my site.  Can I get files via email? (4/92)
**  Where can I find Anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites that
    have ham-related files? (4/92)
**  I'm having trouble using FTP....HELP! (4/92)
**  Are there any Telephone BBS's which have ham related files? (4/92)
**  Are there Dialup News services or BBSs for Amateur Radio? (4/92)
**  Are there any on-line callbooks and geographical name servers?  Access
    to FCC databases? (4/92)
**  Where can I find modifications for my radio to extend its capabilities?
    (4/92)
**  Where can I find VE sessions in my local area? (4/92)
**  Why isn't XXX available electronically? (new 4/92)

Part 4 - Amateur Radio Organizations and Publications
**  How do I use the incoming and outgoing QSL bureau? (pre-4/92)
**  Anyone know anything about the QSL Post Office? (pre-4/92)
**  Are there any news groups for CAP? (pre-4/92)
**  What's the name of the QRP club that issues QRP numbers? (pre-4/92)
**  Can I send ARRL or W5YI electronic mail? (pre-4/92)
**  "Why doesn't the ARRL do...?" (new 4/92)
**  What magazines are available for Ham Radio? (pre-4/92)
**  How do I become a 10-10 member? (pre-4/92)
**  How do I join MARS? (pre-4/92)
**  How do I join RACES? (pre-4/92)
**  What organizations are available to help handicapped hams? (pre-4/92)
**  I am looking for a specific ham, can anyone help me find him? (pre-4/92)
**  Is there an on-line copy of the FCC Part 97, or FCC Amateur Radio
    allocations and question pools? (pre-4/92)
**  Can I post my neat new ham related program on rec.radio.amateur.misc?
    (pre-4/92)

Part 5 - Common Advanced and Technical questions
**  What are the different US amateur classes and what can each of them do?
    (pre-4/92)
**  I'm confused. What do all those abbreviations mean??? (4/92)
**  What do all those "tones" mean? (pre-4/92)
**  Where can I learn more about Amateur Radio if I live outside the US?
    (4/92)
**  How can I get a "reciprocal license" if I am a licensed ham from another
    country or if I am a FCC licensed ham who wants to operate in another
    country (on vacation)? (pre-4/92)
**  My apartment or housing complex does not allow outdoor antennas, now what
    do I do? (pre-4/92)
**  I got TVI...HELP!!! (pre-4/92)
**  Did you know that you can get college credit for being a ham? (pre-4/92)
**  On what frequencies does JPL and GSFC retransmit the shuttle audio?
    (pre-4/92)
**  Can I take my HT on an airplane and operate it if I get the permission
    of the captain? (4/92)
**  What is the standard for measuring Morse code speed? (pre-4/92)
**  How do I modify my current Amateur license? (4/92)
**  I'm confused about XXX, should I ask the FCC? (new 4/92)

Part 6 - Special Topics in Amateur Radio questions
**  Is there any information on antique radios? (pre-4/92)
**  Where can I buy vacuum tubes? (pre-4/92)
**  What do I need to get started in packet radio? (4/92)
**  What do I need to get started in satellite communications? (pre-4/92)
**  What is available to get started in SSTV and WEFAX? (pre-4/92)


--Rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently-asked Questions------------------Part 1--

**  How to Contribute to the FAQ Articles

We accept suggestions from the Amateur Radio community.  Please consider the
following criteria:
- is it a commonly asked question?
- will its inclusion help reduce the usage of network bandwidth?
- how useful is it to beginning Hams or to the majority of Hams?
Contributions don't have to meet all of these but the minimum is one.  We
actually only ask that you consider these before contributing.

We can't necessarily include every question or every topic - the network simply
doesn't have enough bandwidth to carry that much information.  Besides, the
point is that we're trying to conserve network bandwidth.  You can find the
locations of much more information by referring to the "Index to the
rec.radio.amateur.* Supplemental Archives" posted monthly by Paul Schleck
KD3FU.

If you suggest a question for this FAQ, please include the answer.  You'll
get credit for your contribution and you'll speed up the process of getting
the information ready for distribution.

If you feel your contribution is sufficient to meet the considerations shown
above, send it to  hamradio-faq@uts.amdahl.com  so that it will reach all the
FAQ coordinators: (listed in alphabetical order)

Ian Kluft       KD6EUI  ikluft@uts.amdahl.com     (Santa Clara, CA, USA)
Michael Larish  KD6CTZ  nomad@ecst.csuchico.edu   (Chico, CA, USA)
Paul Schleck    KD3FU   pschleck@odin.unomaha.edu (Omaha, NE, USA)
Tom Sefranek    WA1RHP  tcs@ll.mit.edu            (Shirley, MA, USA)
Chris Swartout  N6WCP   cas30@uts.amdahl.com      (San Jose, CA, USA)
Diana Syriac    KC1SP   dls@genrad.com            (Leominster, MA, USA)
Derek Wills     AA5BT   oo7@astro.as.utexas.edu   (Austin TX, USA)


**  Acknowledgements

Before giving credit to anyone else, we should acknowledge Diana Syriac KC1SP
for having originally created this FAQ and being its original maintainer.
All questions listed as modified "pre-4/92" are entirely Diana's work or her
editing of a contributor's work.  Diana is now one of a larger group that
maintains this but we didn't want her effort to be "lost in the crowd."

As new material is added, acknowledgements to the contributors will be placed
here.


**  Notes on "Netiquette"

The rec.radio.amateur.misc newsgroup and Info-Hams mail list have a large
daily volume of traffic.  They can operate more efficiently if the following
netiquette guidelines are followed.  Please take them seriously.
* When posting a followup article, ALWAYS try to minimize the number of lines
  of quoted material from the original article.
* As a general rule when you try to determine whether to reply to someone by
  e-mail or with a followup article, remember to "praise in public, criticize
  in private."  It's OK to disagree technically but be careful not to attack
  the person with whom you disagree.  Also, be careful with your use of the
  word "you" when posting a follow-up article.  Many unnecessary flame wars
  have started that way.
* Use a descriptive subject.  For example, a message subject of "Ham Radio"
  tells the reader NOTHING about the contents of your article since the whole
  newsgroup is about Ham Radio.  Other examples of subjects which are so broad
  that they become useless could include, "Help," "A Question," "Antennas," or
  "Frequencies."  Maybe "Books on Antennas?" or "Where can I find Repeater
  Frequencies?" would be better, for example.  Remember, in a busy newsgroup
  a lot of users decide which articles to read from the subject line alone.
  If you post, don't deprive yourself of an audience!
* Before answering a question, check if the FAQ adequately answers it or if
  someone else already answered it.  If you have more to add, make sure to
  reference either the FAQ or the related articles.
* If a user posts a question which is directly answered by the FAQ, there is
  no need to post an answer - the information is already available on the news-
  group.  Instead, just send an e-mail message which politely explains where
  to find the FAQ.  They will probably appreciate it if you include the answer
  to their question.  (Don't send a "nastygram" - that would just discourage
  future participation.)
* Pay attention to the size of your audience - use the "Distribution:" header.
  If you leave it blank, your message will go to every civilized country in
  the world and occupy disk space in all news systems in all those places.  If
  that's what you intend, that's fine but make sure your article is relevant
  outside your country.  (In particular, Hams should already know there is more
  to the world than just their own country.)
* If you have an item for sale, please limit the distribution area so that,
  for example, an article about a radio for sale in New Jersey won't get to
  California or Europe.  If you wish, you may cross-post your for-sale
  article to rec.radio.swap.
* As also mentioned in Part 5 of the FAQ, software sources should be posted to
  either alt.sources, comp.sources.misc, or comp.sources.* for a specific
  machine type.  Software binaries should be posted to the appropriate subgroup
  of comp.binaries.
From: jhays@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (John D. Hays)
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 15:56:48 GMT
Subject: Re: Re: CATV monitoring, Tempest screening (was Re: FCC Call letters)
Organization: Hewlett Packard - Boise, ID