Great six minute video from The Radio Society of Great Britain
The licensing process is dead easy. In the United States, the FCC publishes the questions and answers used on the exams. The exams are multiple choice so rote memorization is all that you need. There are practice websites - my favorite is QRZ.com. The practice exams are found here: Practice Amateur Radio Exams. When you register (free and they do not divulge your email addresses to anyone) they keep track of how you are doing and if you are having problems with one or more subjects, they will increase the number of those questions on your next practice exam. Local ham radio clubs will frequently offer free training sessions. The license testing costs $30 or so but that is the fee to the government. You do not need to learn electronics if you do not want to.
You start as a Technician License and are only permitted a few bands to work on but this is more than enough to get reliable communications over a 100+ mile radius assuming that you can access nearby repeaters or have a good location. I got my General License and now I can use different bands and can work the world with modest equipment.
A lot of fun and a useful skill to have if everything goes pear-shaped - our own area is susceptible to forest fires, flooding, landsides, extensive power outages and we live on the shoulder of an active volcano. Buy-in cost for new equipment (hand-held rig, extra battery, mobile antenna, fixed station antenna (more range but not portable) and power supply) is around $200. $500 if you want to splurge for a high-end fixed base station in addition to the other equipment. The equipment can all run off 12 volts - a car battery is good for at least 8 hours of continuous operation.
Having a blast and learning a lot!!!
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