📜 Day 1: FCC Rules, Licensing & Privileges
These are the easiest points on the exam — pure memorisation, no maths. Learn these facts and you’ve got 6–8 questions locked in.
Licence Classes
| Class | Exam | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Technician | 35 Qs, 26 to pass | Full VHF/UHF + limited HF access |
| General | 35 Qs, 26 to pass | Most HF bands added |
| Extra | 50 Qs, 37 to pass | All amateur privileges |
The Rules You Must Know
- No broadcasting (one-to-many) — ham radio is two-way communication only
- No music transmission on amateur frequencies
- No payment for operating (ham is non-commercial)
- No obscene or indecent language on the air
- Identify with your callsign every 10 minutes during a contact AND at the end
- Station identification must be in English
- Licence term: 10 years, renewable without re-examination
- Licence fee: $35
- No minimum age to take the exam
Technician Frequency Privileges
- Full access to all bands above 30 MHz (VHF, UHF, and higher)
- 2 meters (144–148 MHz) — all modes, this is where most Technician activity happens
- 70 centimeters (420–450 MHz) — all modes
- 6 meters (50–54 MHz) — all modes
- Limited HF: CW on portions of 80m, 40m, 15m, 10m
- 10 meters (28.0–28.5 MHz): SSB and digital allowed for Technicians
Roger’s Tip: The callsign ID rule is one of the most tested topics. Every 10 minutes AND at the end. In English. Using your FCC-assigned callsign. Burn this into your brain.