Would the perfect title for the blog post I hope exists somewhere. I, like a few other posters, just grabbed one of these things. I also took the step of reading through a good chunk of Ham Radio For Dummies just to get a handle on the basics.
-
What can I (legally) do with this thing without a license?
-
Any pointers for learning the basics on this particular machine?
-
I should read the manual cover to cover, right?
-
Looks like it’s easier to program from a computer, any tips on that?
In the U.S., at least, the experience is roughly the same. I took my exam many years ago, but I was planning on giving a Tech license (the first license level) course this Summer and did a bit of research on how to get licenses these days.
The bulk of them are done online now through our VE orgs. License classes are fairly easily available, and I’ve heard of crash courses given during hamfests and field day.