FCC Rules   Element T-1
To operate an Amateur Radio station, you must have a license.  The rules and regulations governing Amateur Radio are made and enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). They also issue licenses.  The FCC also has the power to levy fines, suspend or place restrictions on your license, and in rare cases imprison persons who violate these rules.
The Federal Communications Commision enforces all Amateur Radio activities.

The FCC defines an amateur station as a station in the Amateur Service. The licensed amateur who is responsible for the transmissions made by a station is called the control operator.  If you permit your neighbor to talk on  radio equipment, then you must be at the control and you are responsible for the transmissions your neighbor makes because you are the control operator  of your station..
Purpose of Amateur Radio

There are a lot of good reasons for having amateur radio, but the primary purpose is to increase the number of trained radio operators  and improve international goodwill.


Amateur Radio License and Classes of License

In order to operate an Amateur Radio station you must hold an FCC Amateur Primary License. Once you pass your exam, approximately one week later your new license grant should appear in the FCC database. Once this happens you may begin operating.  You will receive your actual license in the mail shortly thereaffter.  Your license will be good for ten years, after which you must renew it.

The FCC issues three differrent classes of license.  Each license class gives you more and more priveleges.  The beginning class is the Technician Class License. Followed by the General Class and the Extra Class licenses. To advance in class you must pass the elements for each level, you may not skip a level.
Technician Class                Full privileges in the VHF and UHF amateur spectrum above 30 MHz.     Requires that you pass a 35 question exam.

General Class                      Limited Access to all the HF amateur bands with
                                         Morse Code, data and voice modes.                                                  Requires that you have already passed the                                                                                                                                                     Technician and Morse Code requirements                                                                                                                                                       with the addition of the General Class 35                                                                                                                                                       Question exam.

Amateur Extra                    Full amateur radio privileges.                                                          Requires that you have passed the General Class                                                                                                                                              exams with the addition of the Extra Class  50                                                                                                                                               question exam.
Additionally the FCC has allowed that Technician Class operators that pass a 5 word per minute morse code test may operate morse code, data, and voice in some portions of the HF bands.  These operators are known as Technician with Morse Code Endorsement. You will not be issued a seperate license showing these priveleges.
License Term and Renewal  Remember your license is good for ten years from the date it is issued.  You must renew your license after ten years.  If your license expires you may not operate any Amateur Radio station.  However you have up to two years to renew your license.  Once renewed you may begin operating immediately.  You can not renew your license more than 90 days prior to its expiration. It is recommended that you renew your license within this 90 day period to avoid any lapse in your operating priveleges.
Review

Remember:
All regulations and rules are made and enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
  
The FCC also issues Amateur licenses.

Amateur radio stations operate in the Amateur Service
.
The license Amateur Operator who is responsible for a stations operations and transmissions, is known as the Control Operator.

The classes of Amateur licenses are Technician, General, and Amateur Extra.

Technician Class operators who pass a 5wpm Morse Code test, are known as Technician with
Amateur radio licenses are good for 10 years.

Expired licenses must be renewed within 2 years
.
You may begin operating Amateur radio stations just as soon as your primary license grant appears in the FCC database on the internet.
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