Podcasts Other What use is an F-call? You don't need a license to get started.

You don't need a license to get started.

Published: March 2, 2013, 5 p.m.

What use is an F-call?\n\nIf you're an Amateur, you're licensed. The two go hand-in-glove. But to listen to what's going on around you does not require you to be licensed. There is plenty of fun to be had with just a receiver.\n\nYou can spend a little time on the Internet and find a whole host of radio nets that occur on a regular basis and listen in to the stations that are calling in. You can use it to "get your ear", that is, recognise call signs and become familiar with calling patterns.\n\nYou can use a DX cluster and find reports of stations heard around the globe in real time, or listen to local fire and rescue services, or listen to Air or Marine Bands.\n\nDoing this will achieve more than the thrill of hearing something novel, it will help you learn about propagation, about antennas, radio protocols and more. You can learn your Morse today, no need to have an Amateur License to get started with that either.\n\nBecoming an Amateur doesn't have to begin with a License, you can start today.\n\nI'm Onno VK6FLAB