Step by step instructions for upgrading your amateur radio license and station to get access to the worldwide communications bands, by Steve Heller, WAØCPP

Now that you have your Technician class license from the FCC, you can participate in local radio communications, which will be very handy in keeping in touch with those around you during any emergency situation. For example, during severe weather outbreaks, you can not only listen in on a discussion and reports of weather problems, but can actually participate.

But there are also emergencies that extend beyond your immediate area, such as hurricanes that can knock out power for hundreds of miles in some cases. For this reason, it is advisable for you to develop the capability of talking with other hams in distant locations so that you can send and receive messages beyond the range of the VHF frequencies you can use as a Technician. This requires qualifying for a General license and setting up an amateur radio station that can use those long-range bands. While this is somewhat more complicated and expensive than setting up your local communications capability, it's not really that difficult or expensive. Just follow the instructions below and you'll be all set!

1. Go to MFJ Enterprises and order a MFJ-418 Morse Code Tutor. This amazing little device can take you from knowing absolutely nothing about Morse code to being proficient enough to pass the five word per minute Morse code exam required to get a Technician Plus license in a few weeks, if you practice with it for 30 minutes a day. 
   
2. Once you can easily copy the sample QSOs (conversations) that the MFJ-418 generates, at 5 words per minute (or preferably a little faster, to make the actual test easier), click here to find out where and when you can take the actual 5 word per minute Morse code test in your vicinity.
3. Once you have passed the Morse code test and another written test, which you can find examples of here, you will have a General license, which allows you to operate on portions of several long-range communications bands. Now you need a radio that can send and receive on those bands. There are a number of ways to get started without laying out thousands of dollars. One way is to buy a dedicated transceiver that can handle only Morse code (known as CW (for "continuous wave") signals on a particular band. For example the MFJ-9040, at $189.95, is a CW transceiver that works on the 40 meter band, which is good for night communications over longer ranges. Another possibility is the MFJ-9020, which operates on the 20 meter band, which is better for daytime communications, although this depends on the vagaries of the sunspot cycle and related mysteries. You'll also need a power supply, an antenna of some sort, and a Morse code "keyer/paddle" combination such as the MFJ 422D, which costs $165. A total expenditure of about $500 will allow you to communicate with distant stations on either of these bands, and either of these would be a good way to get your feet wet with CW without spending a great deal of money.
4. On the other hand, if you're serious about amateur radio as a long-distance communications medium in the absence of outside power, I recommend that you go to Amateur Electronic Supply and order an SGC SG-2020 HF transceiver, which comes with a microphone. At $675, this is the biggest single expense that you'll have in setting up your long distance communication capabilities. One of its main virtues is that it can be operated from virtually any source of direct current, including a box containing 10 or 11 Nicad batteries; you can get the parts you need to make such a "battery box" at any Radio Shack store.
5. However, it isn't necessarily convenient to operate on battery power all the time, and you won't get the full output power of your radio when using Nicads. Therefore, you might want to consider buying an auxiliary power supply such as the Astron RS-10A, which can produce enough power to let you get the most out of your SG-2020.
6. To operate on CW, you'll also need a keyer/paddle such as the MFJ 422D mentioned above. Page 3
7. Of course, a radio isn't very useful without an antenna. I recommend the GAP Titan-DX, which gives good performance, is relatively easy to set up and doesn't require a lot of space in your backyard. The GAP company will be glad to help you out with any accessories that you will need to get your antenna up and running.
8. One drawback of the GAP antenna is its cost, which is about $300. However, if that's too rich for your blood, don't despair: it's possible to set up a perfectly usable antenna for some of the most popular amateur radio bands for about $10 in parts. This is the 'fishtail' five-bander described on page 78 of Practical Wire Antennas, a very interesting and useful book available from the ARRL. I have used this antenna to talk with someone about 1000 miles away using 20 watts of transmitted power!
9. You'll also probably want to get an "antenna tuner", that will allow you to use your antenna more efficiently on all of the long-range bands that your antenna covers. I recommend the MFJ 901-B.
10. Once you have your antenna tuner, you'll be able to hook up to some other antennas that have much more "gain" than the 'fishtail' or the vertical GAP antennas. I'm now using a wire antenna called a "V beam", also described in Practical Wire Antennas, which cost a couple of hundred dollars to set up and is supposed to provide a great increase in signal strength in the directions that it covers. If you are interested in wire antennas, which are quite cost-effective, you'll need a source for the wire. I recommend Davis RF, which has very good prices for both the antenna wire and for feedlines to hook it up to your antenna. You can also get some good advice on what kind of wire to get (I used 12-gauge Copperweld, which is copper-coated steel wire, for my V-beam and 450 ohm, Flexible, #16, 19 strand copper clad steel "ladder line", PE jacket for the feedline), as well as advice on how to hook up the feedline to the antenna so that the feedline doesn't get pulled loose if something tugs on it.

I realize that the above listed equipment may seem daunting, but I can assure you that someone in your local ham club will be happy to help you get it all set up. At least, that has been my experience.

Once you have your General license and have set up your radio, you'll be ready to talk to people in faraway places. I made contacts with people in about 15 states and Canada using only the bands that are permitted for people with the General license.

Of course, it doesn't have to stop there. It's just one more written test to upgrade to the Amateur Extra class, which provides even more frequencies to choose from. Get on the air and have some fun!