Get On The Air — Master Field Guide

Portable amateur radio for activators and hunters, from planning to pack-up. First license, first repeater net, first POTA activation, a SOTA summit, a WWFF reserve, hunting from the shack, or a satellite pass from the campground — this is the operating layer next to the tools on this site.

It is independent. Not affiliated with Parks on the Air, SOTA, WWFF, ARRL, or ARES. Written and field-tested by KB3CMT. Program rules change; confirm the current version on the official site before you log an award. Last pass over this tree: 2026-09-15.

Get licensed, get on the air

This guide mostly assumes you already operate. If you do not have a callsign yet, or you have one and have never keyed a microphone, start here. Portable POTA/SOTA/WWFF comes after a first repeater QSO — not instead of it.

You do not need to feel ready. The first check-in is supposed to be awkward. Key up anyway.

We are independent of ARRL, the FCC, and the award programs. Confirm fees, question pools, and session dates on the official sites.

Question pools in force

Exams on or after July 1, 2026 use the NCVEC Technician Element 2 (2026–2030) question pool (through June 30, 2030). General uses 2023–2027. Extra uses 2024–2028. The prior Technician 2022–2026 pool expired June 30, 2026.

Confirm the active pool (and any errata) on the official pages — we do not hard-code errata lists here:

Pool schedule last verified: 2026-09-15. Soft reminder: General pool turnover approaches July 1, 2027 — re-check NCVEC/ARRL before that date.

License path (US)

Three written exams, stacked:

Class	What it unlocks	Exam
Technician	VHF/UHF plus a slice of HF (exact Technician HF privileges). First HT, local repeaters, nets.	35 questions, 26 to pass
General	Most HF. This is the usual portable-HF license.	35 questions, 26 to pass
Amateur Extra	Full privileges. Optional; take it when the pool is fresh.	50 questions, 37 to pass

Study, then sit a volunteer-examiner session. There is no Morse requirement.

Exam prep (study tracks + on-site practice)

Pick one track and finish it. Practice until your scores are boringly solid — then book a session.

Track	Use it when	Where
Practice exams	You learn by drilling the real pool	HamStudy or HamExam.org — both pull the current FCC question pools
Free written guide	You want plain-language explanations first	KB6NU No-Nonsense
ARRL manuals + pools	You want the official book and pool PDFs	arrl.org

The guide does not paste the NCVEC question pool into body copy. Pools change on a published cadence — confirm you are on the current pool on the site you study with before exam week. Exam-prep links last verified: 2026-09-15.

Ticket to Talk is the free license-exam practice on this site: Ticket to Talk — full Technician, General and Extra pools (Elements 2, 3 and 4), mocks and section drills, local-first. The game hosts the pool JSON for practice; the guide still does not paste the pool. We are not NCVEC and this is not the official exam — use HamStudy / HamExam / KB6NU / ARRL for study tracks above when you want those books and finders.

Find a volunteer-examiner session on HamStudy exam sessions or the ARRL exam finder. Do not invent a local club or session list from this site.

FRN, exam day, then ULS

Register in FCC CORES and get an FRN before exam day: apps.fcc.gov/cores. ARRL’s walkthrough: arrl.org/fcc-cores-registration-instructions.
Bring a photo ID and your FRN. Pay the VE team's session fee at the session (it varies by VEC, $0–$15 for adults as of Oct 2026). The FCC's $35 application fee is not paid to the VE team — the FCC emails you after the session and you pay it online in CORES. Details and a dated table: What a license costs.
Technician and General are 35 questions, 26 correct each. Extra is 50 questions, 37 correct. You can sit Technician and General the same session if you pass Technician first.
After the session, watch the FCC ULS license search. That is where the callsign appears. Keep CORES and ULS contact data current; they are different systems.

Checklist — before exam week

FRN created in FCC CORES (do this before you sit)
Practice scores consistently above the pass line on your chosen track
Session booked via HamStudy sessions or the ARRL exam finder — date, place, VEC confirmed on their page
Photo ID ready; session fee as stated on their listing (dated typical amounts: What a license costs)
If you might sit Technician and General the same day: both pools drilled

Checklist — exam day bag

Photo ID
FRN (written down; don't rely on memory at the table)
Session confirmation / address
Pen
Quiet expectation: pass Technician first if you are stacking General the same session

After you pass — fee, CSCE, and when you may transmit

This is an operational checklist based on FCC Part 97 and public FCC/ARRL materials. It is not legal advice. FCC systems and fees can change — follow the linked official pages.

FCC application fee ($35) New amateur license applications generally require a $35 FCC application fee, paid online to the FCC (not to the VE team). Confirmed on the FCC Personal Service and Amateur Application Fees page (EFFECTIVE: May 23, 2025): Amateur (HA) new $35; renewals $35; no fees for Personal Service License Modifications on that table. ARRL’s summary aligns: $35 for new, renewal, rule waiver, and modifications that request a new vanity call; exempt examples include administrative updates and modifications to upgrade operator class or request a sequential call. VE teams must not collect the $35 at the session (ARRL FCC Application Fee).

10-calendar-day payment window When a VEC files the application, you typically have 10 calendar days from the date the FCC issues the application file number to pay, or the application may be dismissed (ARRL). If you miss the window, contact the VEC named on your CSCE to refile while the CSCE is still valid — retest is not required solely for missing payment. You can find pending applications by FRN in ULS Application Search and pay in CORES without waiting on email (ARRL). Cite ARRL for the 10-day window — the FCC fees table does not state it on-page.

CSCE — 365 days Per 47 CFR §97.505(b), VEs must give credit for each element a CSCE shows was passed within the previous 365 days.

Upgrade vs new licensee

Already licensed (upgrade): Under 47 CFR §97.9(b), if you properly submitted Form 605 for a higher class and hold a CSCE for the needed elements passed within 365 days, you may exercise the higher class privileges until final FCC disposition of the application, or until 365 days after passing, whichever comes first.
New licensee (no prior grant): Wait until the license appears in ULS with a call sign before transmitting. A CSCE alone is not authorization to transmit as a new station.

Fee / CSCE notes last verified: 2026-09-15.

First radio (an HT is enough)

A dual-band 2 m / 70 cm handheld gets you on local repeaters. You do not need an HF radio to be a ham.

Learn these before the first net:

Memories / channels (store the repeater, not just VFO)
Power (start low on a handheld)
Tone / PL / CTCSS encode (and decode if the club uses it)
Offset (standard 2 m / 70 cm splits; RepeaterBook lists them)

Programming: do not wait for a perfect codeplug. Load a handful of local machines and go. Two tools, different jobs:

Tool	Use it when	Habit
CHIRP	Free, most HTs and many mobiles, you are willing to read a CSV-like grid	Read the radio first (never write a blank image). Frequency column = repeater output. Duplex `+`/`−` and Offset in MHz (`0.600` on 2 m, `5.000` on 70 cm typical — confirm the listing). Tone Mode Tone (encode only) is the usual first-net setting; TSQL also squelches RX and will mute the machine if the tone is wrong.
RT Systems	Paid, radio-specific cable + programmer; CHIRP is missing your SKU or you want “Simple mode”	Offset often fills itself from the band. Same rule: Tone (encode) unless the club told you to use tone squelch. Keep a backup file.

Buy the cable that matches the radio (Kenwood-style 2-pin on many HTs is not a Yaesu 4-pin). Cheap USB–serial clones fail with the wrong chipset — if CHIRP never “sees” the radio, the cable is guilty more often than the software.

Directory of machines: RepeaterBook. Offset and PL come from the listing, not from folklore. Save a simplex calling channel too (146.520 MHz in the US is the usual 2 m national calling — confirm your band plan). Award programs do not credit repeater QSOs; this chapter is how you talk first.

Checklist — callsign week

Watch FCC ULS license search until the callsign appears
Remember: CORES and ULS are different logins — keep both contact records current
HT memories minimum: a few local repeater outputs, correct offset, encode tone, one simplex channel (US 2 m calling is often 146.520 — confirm your band plan), optional weather
Cable that matches the radio; if CHIRP never sees the HT, blame the cable first

First repeater contact

A repeater listens on one frequency and transmits on another. You transmit on the input (radio applies the offset); you listen on the output. If you hear the machine but it never hears you, the PL is wrong or you are on simplex.

Listen. If a QSO is running, wait for a break.
Leave a gap after the courtesy tone before you transmit — enough for emergency traffic to drop in.
Give your callsign. That is a legal ID and a request to chat.
Identify at least every 10 minutes and at the end of the contact (Part 97).

Listen-first and gaps also apply in the field. We keep the long version on Ethics so it is not copied three times.

First net

Find a listed net on RepeaterBook or a club calendar — we do not host a local net directory.

First check-in, in this order, then stop:

Callsign
Name
Location (city or grid is enough)

Do not give a life story on the first round. Net control is writing a roster. If you later run a net, Net Scribe is the tool on this site.

Phonetics: NATO letters on the first pass (Kilo Bravo Three…). After they have you, plain callsign is fine.

Mistakes are normal. Doubled syllables, wrong offset, talking over the courtesy tone — everyone did it. Correct, ID, keep going.

If nobody answers: you may be on simplex, the PL may be encode-only on the wrong tone, or the machine may be down. Ask on a second listed repeater or a club simplex frequency. Do not turn the HT to 5 W on a handheld against your face for a whole net — start low.

UTC later: nets are local time. Parks and LoTW are UTC. When you graduate to portable, every logger clock is Zulu — Planning.

Checklist — first net night

Net name and frequency written in a notebook before you key up
First check-in only: callsign · name · location — then stop
NATO phonetics on the first pass; plain callsign after they have you
Start on low power; leave a gap after the courtesy tone

When you are the one running the net later, Net Scribe is the tool on this site — check-ins, confirm-before-save, and the club paperwork pack. You do not need it for your first check-in.

Clubs and Elmers

Ask a local club for an Elmer; do not expect this site to be a club directory. Full chapter — finding clubs, nets and hamfests, what to ask, mentoring etiquette: Clubs and Elmers. Bringing a young person or a Scout unit? See Parents & youth and Scouting & ham radio. Start with the ARRL affiliated club search and the club listed on RepeaterBook for the machine you already use.

Habits / gotchas (license week)

Use the checklists above (before exam week → exam day bag → callsign week → first net night). Common traps: FRN missing on exam day, CORES vs ULS confusion, encode tone wrong so you hear the machine but it never hears you, and turning an HT to full power against your face for a whole net.

Then go portable

Once you can check into a net without freezing, the rest of this guide is the portable layer:

Program rules — 10 / 4 / 44 QSOs, no terrestrial repeaters for award credit, simplex VHF/UHF is fine
Planning — pin, grid, UTC alert
Station: hardware, antennas, setups
Activate or Hunt
Logger: Polo on the phone, N3FJP in the truck — close-out in ADIF Doctor

Award programs are independent of licensing. A Technician can hunt and activate on VHF simplex. HF parks wait on General.

Checklist — first Saturday portable

Do this only after one clean net check-in.

Skim program rules for the award you care about (official site wins if anything here is stale)
Pick an easy reference — close, simple access, no hero summit
Print a Field Sheet before you lose cell: park name, grid, sunrise, freqs, bailout
First park day as a new Tech: First activation (146.52 / NAAF simplex, 10 QSOs, Doctor) — then the Saturday activating path on this Overview
After you have an ADIF: ADIF Doctor is how you fix the file before upload — not a step in license week

Attribution (license path)

Question pools are released by the NCVEC Question Pool Committee into the public domain. Licensing rules: FCC Part 97 (eCFR). Exam session finders and fee guidance summaries: ARRL. Free practice deep-links: HamStudy, HamExam, KB6NU, and other linked sites — getontheair.app does not host exam questions, act as a VEC, or collect FCC fees.

Also useful: FCC Examinations · NCVEC · ARRL find a session.

Ethics — listen first, leave a gap, ID, leave no trace
Hardware — first HF radio when you are ready
Resources — HamStudy, HamExam.org, CORES, ULS, RepeaterBook, CHIRP

Start here if you are actually going out Saturday

Activating:

Program rules — 10 / 4 / 44 QSOs, vehicles, power, AZ
Planning & grid — pin, Maidenhead, alert in UTC
Antenna: 4WAVE vertical if you have a hitch; EFHW if you have trees
Activate · Call CQ · Pileups
Logger: Polo on the phone, N3FJP in the truck or shack — ADIF parks & gridsquare
Award uploads · Recap

Hunting:

Hunt / search & pounce — spots, phonetics, when not to call
CW if that is what the activator runs; WSJT-X after you can hunt voice
GridTracker optional at home
Log for yourself; upload LoTW/QRZ if you chase confirmations — POTA hunter stats come from activator logs

Print: Field sheet · Shortcut sheets · Pack list Watch / official manuals: Resources

What this guide is for

End-to-end onboarding: license → first HT → repeater net, then accounts, references, logging, submission — both sides of the pileup.
How-to, not vibes: Polo exports, N3FJP Other-field titles, Maidenhead in the log, FT8 split TX.
Hardware when it must be specific: menu paths, CAT, power, cabling.
On-air mechanics: hunt, activate, CQ, pileups, CW, satellites, digital modes.
Station context: permanent shack, RV, boat — not only backpack activations.
A vertical we actually ship: 4WAVE.

Use it with the tools

Job	Tool
Print a one-pager before you lose cell	Field sheet
Fix the log before you upload	ADIF Doctor
Find unworked parks inside a drive	Saturday planner
Share the activation afterward	Recap cards
Run a net or public-service event	Net Scribe
Needed parks on the spots page	POTAPlus (download zip)
LoRa self-spot when the park has no cell	MeshCore POTA gateway (overlay zip)

Recent rule changes

Part 97 changed in 2024 and again in early 2026. Older tutorials may be out of date (checked 2026-10-08):

Jan 8, 2024: HF data symbol-rate limit replaced by a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit.
Feb 10, 2026: Obsolete rules deleted (§§97.27, 97.29, 97.315(b)(2), 97.521(b)).
Feb 13, 2026: 60 m reworked. See 60 m.
Pending: removal of VHF/UHF symbol-rate limits (proposed in 2023, not yet adopted).
Check a frequency: the band-plan checker applies the current rules by class and mode.

Sources and details: Recent rule changes.

Get licensed, get on the air · What is ham radio? · What a license costs · Parents & youth · Scouting · Clubs & Elmers · Technician HF & propagation · Listen first · First station · Buying used · Upgrade & VE · Community · First activation · Parking-lot pack · Ticket to Talk
Program comparison & operating rules · Program atlas
Planning, mapping & pre-flight
Hardware: Hub · Icom · Yaesu · Xiegu · Elecraft · SDR
Antennas: Chooser · 4WAVE · EFHW · Random wire · Verticals · Limited space / HOA
Setups: Hub · Permanent shack · RV & camping · Boating
On the air: Hub · Hunt · Activate · CQ · Pileups · CW · Satellites · Digital voice · APRS · DXing · Special events · 60 m · Contesting · Field Day · Support Your Parks · Emcomm · SKYWARN · Public service · Dead cell / QRT · Field pack · Leave-park closeout · Operating away
Logging: Hub · Polo · N3FJP · ADIF & grids · Shortcuts · Awards & QSL cards · Awards ladder · POTA upload
Software: Hub · WSJT-X · GridTracker · JTAlert · FLdigi · SSTV · Keyboard modes · POTAPlus · MeshCore POTA
Ethics, safety, & etiquette · RF exposure (calculator)
Resources, videos, downloads · Glossary
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