What changed
What you can do with a license — edited Aug 29, 2026 by Unknown editor
This is the first recorded version, so every line is shown as added. Note: Imported from content/wiki
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## Talk locally
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FM handhelds and mobile radios, used directly or through
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[repeaters](/wiki/operating/repeaters), cover a town, a county or a region. Weekly
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[nets](/wiki/operating/nets) are the easiest place to make a first contact.
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## Talk worldwide
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On [HF](/wiki/operating/hf-operating) a modest wire antenna and 100 watts reach other continents
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regularly. Every Technician has some HF privileges; General and Extra open most of it.
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## Use data and digital modes
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[FT8](/wiki/operating/digital-modes/ft8) completes contacts at signal levels you cannot hear.
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[Winlink](/wiki/operating/digital-modes/winlink) moves email over radio.
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[DMR, D-STAR and Fusion](/wiki/operating/digital-modes/dmr-dstar-fusion) link repeaters worldwide
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over the internet.
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## Work satellites — and the space station
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Amateur satellites repeat signals from orbit; a handheld and a small directional antenna are
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enough. Crew members aboard the ISS make contacts and schedule calls with schools.
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## Serve your community
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[ARES, RACES and club emergency groups](/wiki/emergency) support agencies during drills and real
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incidents, and provide communications for parades, races and search efforts.
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## Chase, compete and explore
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[Contesting](/wiki/operating/contesting), [DX and awards](/wiki/operating/dx-and-awards), and
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[Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air](/wiki/operating/parks-and-summits) turn the hobby into a
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game with scores, maps and certificates.
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## Build things
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Antennas, amplifiers, filters, software-defined radios, mesh networks, weather-balloon trackers
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and Morse keys are all fair game — and legal to put on the air.