Recently, I stumbled across a couple of videos on HAM radio—and, as expected, down the rabbit hole I went.
I started looking around for entry-level, portable radios and found the Quansheng UV-K5. It’s surprisingly affordable and incredibly modding-friendly, both firmware and hardware-wise. That made it even more tempting to dive in.
Then came the realization: you actually need a license to use HAM radios legally. After some digging, I found out that IMDA has suspended Amateur Radio Examinations in Singapore for the past few years.
The most accessible alternative seems to be going through the FCC (US) licensing route, which is still open to international applicants.
There are a few VECs (Volunteer Examiner Coordinators) offering remote exams and even some free ones, for example SANDARC.
I’ll probably give it a try and see how far I get.