Congratulations! You passed your Technician license exam! Now what?

Obtain your call sign by making payment to FCC

• The FCC will email you a link with instructions on paying the $35 license fee. You will have 10 days to make payment. If you miss that cutoff date, contact MDARC to resubmit the paperwork.

• You can pay before receiving the FCC email by searching FCC ULS using your FRN number; if you have a pending application, you can pay by logging into the CORES system.

Buy a radio

• Your first radio should be a handheld that covers the 2 meter/70 centimeter bands.

• You can shop at places like Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) (www.hamradio.com), DX engineering (www.dxengineering.com), gigaparts (www.gigaparts.com), or other local or online vendor.

• Ham Radio Outlet’s store is located in Sacramento; it might be worth a trip to get help from the guys there, they know everything!

Get on the air

• A good way to start is to sign on to a few nets, to help you become familiar with programming your radio, speaking into the microphone (hint: hold microphone sideways to your mouth so your breath doesn’t create noise), and listening to how others communicate.

• A list of local nets can be found on the MDARC.org site at mdarc.org/activities/nets-on-mdarc-systems.

• Attend a ‘Get On The Air’ (GOTA) session.

Join a club (hint: www.mdarc.org)

• Join MDARC (or another local club), attend meetings, meet other Hams, make new friends, and volunteer for activities!

Join ARRL (hint: www.arrl.org)

• ARRL has many resources and learning opportunities, in addition to books, podcasts and webinars.

• Be sure to sign up for their magazine ‘On the Air’ which is geared for new and moderately experienced Hams, and includes articles and projects of interest to just about any Ham.

Volunteer for Public Service Community Events

• Sign up to serve on a team supporting local events such as marathons, trail rides, bike races, and other community events throughout the Bay Area.

• You will meet other hams and get experience operating in a challenging environment and learning about other equipment as well as your own.

• As a new Ham you will be paired with an experienced volunteer until you are comfortable being on your own.

Plan on attending Field Day and Pacificon

• Field Day is held in June and provides the opportunity for trying new modes, as well as seeing the club’s van and truck, meeting club members, and enjoying a bbq dinner.

• Pacificon is a regional convention held in October that is organized by MDARC. There are many vendors as well as forums and a banquet. This is a great opportunity to meet Hams from around the country, buy equipment and Ham related stuff (many deals can be had!), and provide service by volunteering to work on one of the committees