HamStart Tools

Terms of Use

Informational purpose only

Everything on HamStart — guides, calculators, comparisons, and buying picks — is published for general educational purposes. It is not legal advice, safety certification, engineering sign-off, or a substitute for the official rules. Regulations, question pools, product specifications, and prices change over time, and details may become outdated or contain errors.

Verify before you buy or transmit

You are responsible for your own decisions. Before acting on anything you read here:

  • Verify the rules. Confirm licensing and operating requirements with the FCC and current Part 97 rules. A Technician license is required to transmit on ham bands; transmitting without a license is only permitted in a genuine emergency involving immediate safety of life or property.
  • Verify your setup. Our calculators give starting points, not final answers. Confirm antenna length and matching with an SWR meter or analyzer before transmitting at full power. Transmitting into a high SWR (above about 3:1) can damage your radio.
  • Verify the purchase. Check current specifications, compatibility (including antenna connector type), price, and availability directly with the seller before buying. We do not display live prices or stock.

No warranty

The site and its content are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to accuracy, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. We do not warrant that the site will be error-free or uninterrupted.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, HamStart and its contributors are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the site or its content — including damage to equipment, lost signal, regulatory issues, or any decision made in reliance on our material. Your use of the site is at your own risk.

Affiliate links and advertising

Some links on HamStart are affiliate links, and the site displays advertising. We may earn a commission when you buy through an affiliate link, at no additional cost to you. This does not influence our recommendations. Full details are in our affiliate disclosure.

External links

We link to third-party sites such as the FCC, ARRL, and HamStudy.org for your convenience. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content, accuracy, or availability. Following an external link is at your own discretion.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of the site after changes are posted means you accept the updated terms. If you do not agree with these terms, please do not use the site. Questions can be sent through our contact page.