With Morse Code no longer required, many Technicians are getting their General Class license

• HF operating procedures are quite different than on 2M or 70cm .
• HF rigs and antennas are more complicated than most new Generals expect.

An excellent way to learn HF operating procedures and protocol, even before you get your
General license, is   | cq100 |.

Cq100 is real hamming, just not on the air. You need no radio or antenna, only the Internet. But you'll talk to real hams around the world just like real HF. For only licensed hams (any class) may use cq100. It is an excellent learning tool.

This reference is not an endorsement. Cq100 (qso.net) has a monthly charge AFTER its 90 day free trial. But in that time HF protocol will lose all its mystery. You may even wish to continue with the service. Just be sure you do actually get on real HF some day. When the sunspots return in a couple of years, there is nothing like the real thing.