The Fast Track to (Finally!) Getting on the Air With Ham Radio fills in the gaps so you can go from "licensed" to "operating."

In this lively guide, award-winning ham radio authors Michael and Kerry Burnette, amateur radio call signs AF7KB and KC7YL, cover what you need to know to set up your station, get over your "mic fright," and start enjoying the fun of ham radio. You'll learn what to plug into what, and exactly "what you're supposed to do" on VHF, UHF, and HF frequencies.

* How to build a station.
* What the real rules are.
* Conquering "mic fright.
* Working repeaters.
* Buying and using handheld transceivers.
* How to program a VHF/UHF radio.
* Mobile transceivers and installations.
* Choosing a mobile transceiver.
* VHF/UHF fixed stations.
* Grounding an amateur radio station the right way.
* Advanced VHF/UHF operation.
* Digital voice modes.
* Building your first HF station.
* Choosing an HF radio.
* HF antennas and feed lines.
* HF antenna tuners.
* All those knobs and buttons! A guided tour of HF radio controls.
* Operating HF phone.
* Operating HF digital modes.
* And much more, including over 130 illustrations and a massive (650+ entries) amateur radio glossary!
Created by two of the nation's leading ham radio educators, this nuts and bolts,
"turn on the microphone and say these words" guide is designed to get you
through the "now what?" after "I got my license!"