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AMATEUR RADIO

In contrast to CB radio operators and all other radio users, whether police, firefighters or craftsmen, radio amateurs may also use self-built equipment. To ensure that they can do this and know how to handle them so that they do not cause any interference, they are only allowed to go on the air after passing an examination. Every radio amateur gets a personal callsign after passing the amateur radio exam. Many clubs offer their own training courses for this purpose, but the necessary knowledge can also be acquired from books, online courses or correspondence schools. By preparing for the license exam, radio amateurs acquire special knowledge and skills that they can often later use to their advantage in technical jobs. At the same time, they become part of a unique community, which is what makes amateur radio so special. The organization in local associations, the common networking and the openness also beyond national borders distinguish this hobby. There are different license classes, for whose acquisition in the examination more or less knowledge is necessary and with which then more or less devices, frequencies and transmitting powers may be used. So it is possible to first acquire a "small" license with a simpler exam and "get started" and later, when you get the desire for more, to upgrade to a "large" license.

Since amateur radio is a cross-border hobby and radio amateurs want to radio not only abroad but also when traveling from abroad, it is possible in most countries to apply for a guest license of a corresponding class before traveling on proof of having passed the amateur radio examination. If the own license corresponds to the "large" CEPT license or the "small" CEPT novice license and there are also such classifications in the host country, radio operation in the host country is also possible in Europe without prior application under the CEPT conditions - the CEPT is the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations.