re: Beginner

Martin,
First steps are to look into the material you need to learn to obtain your ham radio license. On the front page of this web site, there is a step-by-step guide to getting licensed, plus links to the HamTest.com web site, and two others, that also provide a great deal of information. I strongly recommend you start there.

The Technician class license has become the standard entry level license into Amateur Radio. Indeed, I was just looking today at the license total for the State of Washington - we have about 12,200 Technician class licensees and about 9,900 General+Advanced+Extra class licenses. So there is no question that the Tech is the starting point (and often the ending point) for new ham radio enthusiasts.

Further down the road, you'll want to decide on a radio. I wouldn't get too preoccupied with choosing a radio at this point. There are many excellent radios available (handheld, mobile, base operation). You may wish to give thought to what type of radio operating you wish to do - portable (handheld), or mostly mobile in a car (mobile type radio), or mostly operating from home, and then what you want to accomplish. Many handheld radios, when combined with a good external antenna on a car, make for decent mobile radios as well (its what I use in my truck, for example). These suggestions are assuming you want basic voice communications.

But there are many things you could do in ham radio - packet radio/computer data links, long distance communications on 6 meters, or meteor scatter on 6 or 2 meter bands. Or maybe moonbounce or tropospheric ducting at UHF ... or even fast scan color television or satellite communications. Without knowing where your interests lead, its a little early to say what radios or antennas you'll want.

Good luck,
Ed, KF7VY